Airplanes

"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now..."

When I told you our friendship is forever, I included everything, good times and bad times.

When I told you I want you to be happy, it goes without saying that I will do my part in keeping you happy or making you happy.

When I told you I would be there for you, I mean it.

It hurts me when I know you are sad.

So, can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? Because I desperately need a wish right now. A wish that you will smile, at the very least... Be happy, even for just a while.

As you face these challenges, I assure you that you are not alone. God is with you... I will be here for you. Cheer up, friend. You have been doing your part. Keep doing your part and leave the rest to God. :)

Find strength in God, not just from other people who are limited and corruptible as well.

Be strong, friend. :)

Hi! :)

Hi! :)

Good morning. :)

The more I get to know you, the more I realized what a great person you are. :) Last night when I was quite angry, you made me happy. You made me happy not because of your comfort and encouragement. Not that those didn't cheer me up, in fact they always do, but last night was different. You were concerned about the relationship rift caused when I got angry about the "situation" and all that.

These past few days, I saw what a great friend you are. But more importantly, I realized what a great person you are. You're concerned about building relationships and making them last. I saw how actively you wanted to share your faith to your friends. By this, I am greatly encouraged and motivated to do likewise and be conscious of what I should be doing: that is, to build relationships with people and bring them closer to God.

You always worry about a lot of things. You worry about almost anything! But again, I assure you, everything will be alright as long as you stay in the Lord.

Last night I had my QT. Guess what, when I looked into my journal for what chapter I would be reading next, the passage was Ephesians 6. The whole time i had my QT last night, I was reminded of how foolish I am. Honoring my parents is a command. I disobeyed, I sinned. Praise God for reminding me time and time again of these things.

This morning, I had my QT as well, and I read about Philippians 1:21. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Knowing Christ, serving Christ, loving Christ, and following Him INDEED is LIFE. I pray that our joy may be found in Christ. I pray that our comfort will be found in Christ. I pray that everything in us is aligned to God and His will. Everything else is secondary, I pray we see it that way.

Hi friend, this is me talking to you... Thank you for the great friendship you have given me. Thank you for imparting to me a part of your life. Thank you for everything. :) Yes, I am a soft litol bread. I have you to thank for that as well. :)

May God continue to reveal Himself to you. May you continue to follow the will of God. May you continue to grow into the likeness of Christ. May you continue to live a Christ- centered life. In every problem, may you put your trust in God. Worry less and allow God to change you, to mold you. I am sure that your life is a blessing to many. Continue to reach out to people for Christ. :)

The Lord bless you. :)

Your soft litol bread,
Bunbun :)

The Meaning of Life

In the everlasting quest of man to find the meaning of life and the reason for their existence, man has resulted to many things to find out the one question that has boggled the minds of everyone from the intellectual to the commoner: Why do we exist? This question has indeed boggled the minds of people to a point where it has branched into its own philosophical thinking, existentialism.

Amidst all the philosophical knowledge and existential arguments that took place in history, I am sure that these positions and arguments have not answered the real reason we exist.

I have an answer.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

This one verse encapsulates the whole essence of existence.

To know Christ is life. John Wesley's notes on this verse has the following words: To me to live is Christ - to know, to love, to follow Christ, is my life, my glory, my joy. John Wesley's joy is found in knowing, loving, and following Christ. This, my friends, is the meaning of life. This is the essence. This is the reason we live.

Reflection on Christian Fellowship

To tell you a fact, this is the third time I will be talking about what fellowship means to me. I was wondering, is my story really that interesting? Or was there no other choice? Anyway, I think everything I experienced in this fellowship is your experience as well. The fun times, the good times, the sharing, the bonding, the learning, and the joy of seeing other friends.

Because of that, I will share to you something I also learned about Christian fellowship from my school org, State Varsity Christian Fellowship, and from our fellowship as well. There’s one thing I learned, and that is fellowship is beyond the walls of the church building.

It is very sad, but very true, that we often times leave our fellowship behind once our “fellowship” time ends. What I saw in SVCF was really different. I saw the fellowship as a means by which people minister to others on a daily basis. Fellowship is a ministry that caters to individuals and their needs.

Another thing I appreciated and learned about SVCF is their willingness to break from their groups. I would often arrive at SVCF seeing everyone happy together and sharing experiences together. In retrospect, a ministry is definitely more effective when everyone is bonded together.

I also appreciated and learned the heart they really have for fellow believers. They would often ask each other for prayer concerns, they would encourage each other, and they would counsel each other. I know for a fact that this is true because during the “low” years of my life, when I had a lot of questions and frustrations about A LOT of things, they were the ones who greatly ministered to me.

Lastly, I appreciate and learned that a real Christian should be passionate about God EVERYTIME. We should constantly strive to know and understand the very nature of God. We should also be passionate in sharing our lives and experiences to others because it is the power of God which is working in our lives. We have nothing to brag about, but we tell it to others so that God’s power and glory may be known.

I am truly blessed to have experienced two fellowships that have truly helped me in many aspects of my life.  Do hope that you yourselves have been touched and helped by our youth fellowship. It is also my hope that we continue to strive, to our very best, to be Christ-like. May we continue to seek His will as we strive to bring glory to His name.

Surrender

All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give.
I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee my BLESSED SAVIOR. I SURRENDER all.


I was about to be preachy and hard and all that about really Surrendering your life to Christ. But I realized that not of it will matter when you don't surrender in the first place.

Think about it... the real meaning of surrender. What does "absolute and irrevocable" surrender mean? What does it mean to you?

Surrendering your life to Jesus is a serious matter. It is a one time thing. By "surrendering" our lives to Him often and not following His will the day after, we are downright insulting and downplaying His amazing grace.

Think about it, how are you living your surrendered life to Jesus? Or have you surrendered in the first place?

Think about it before it's too late...

You

I know you know this already. I just thought I'd let the world know...

that you never fail to make me smile.

that you never fail to draw out the best in me.

that you never fail to see the good in me.

that I appreciate your cool personality.

that I appreciate how you think through situations.

that I appreciate how you can make me speechless.

I want you to know that I...

thank you for sharing your life with me,

thank you for listening to me,

thank you for encouraging me,

thank you for praying for me.

thank you for being yourself,

thank you for showing me

that there's more to life,

thank you for reminding me the things I need to remember.

thank you that, in a short amount of time, you have grown to appreciate my preachy antics.

thank you that you have made me realize a lot of things.

thank you for always warming my heart.

Yes, you've affected my life so much already in just a matter of weeks. And I hope I will continue to learn more about you. These moments will be treasured deep down in my heart.

Just to let you know once again, I'm happy we met. I'm happy our lives crossed paths. You are truly one in a million, a SWEET friend, and a blessing from God.

This is for you, to show you that you are truly and greatly appreciated and to let you know that I will always be here for you - in your happy times and sad times. :)

May we continue to grow in the Lord as we seek to do His will in His work. And may we continue to be humble in His sight.

Here's to a great, great FRIENDSHIP :)

YSC Camp Reflection

I thought to myself, "Hey, you have been joining your church youth camp for so long now. What's more to expect?"

Amazingly, more was to be expected. The youth camp week that passed was an overwhelming experience.

Pre-camp preparations were hectic to say the least. The idea of holding a sports camp was new to the church and definitely new to the youth leaders. Knowing that, I was very skeptical of how things will happen during the camp.

Using previous camps as a comparison, I thought this will be the worst camp yet. First, the camp preparations started around two months before the actual camp. The usual camp preparations before start at around August. Because of that, everyone had to adjust. We were not accustomed to doing things at a fast pace. Deadlines were immediately set, but they were not met.

Second, the idea of a sports camp for the youth group that caters to both athletic and non-athletic people is quite an odd one. I thought the target audience was very broad because we still have to include everyone. Since I am in charge of the program, my problem was how to incorporate the "not sporty" to this sports camp.

Third, most officers were inexperienced. Usual camps have a roster of one "veteran" officer and one "rookie" officer per committee. This camp, the officers were mostly inexperienced and left with no co-officer. To add to that, the officers were given a limited amount of time to consider and answer the officer invitation.

Given these situations, the camp was due to fail. Praise God it did not. God had other plans for this camp. We must realize that God chooses WEAK people so that his power can be magnified all the more. He chooses WEAK people so that we will not rely on our own skills and talents in doing His ministry.

Going into the camp, however, I was not yet in the right mindset. I was still thinking about the technical things for the camp. I failed once again in trusting that God will work in the camp and in the lives of people if He so chooses just because He is sovereign. I failed. This failure of a person, however, will continually be changed, molded, and humbled during the camp.

What happened during the camp was a pure testimony of God's power working. First, the natural cliquish tendencies of the youth fellowship lessened. I was shocked, amazed, and happy that people were actually breaking their barriers and communicating with each other. Relationships were created, and friendships were formed from the most unusual of circumstances. Come to think of it, it might be because this is a sports camp. Then praise God this is a sports camp! Though not perfect, seeing leaders breaking their shell and stepping out of it to form relationships with others is both a blessing and an answered prayer.

Second, the camp had a lot of problems. I assure you that this camp had more organizational and planning problems than any previous camp held in our church. Firstly, the schedule was changed and restructured a lot. If this was a previous camp, a major problem would have occurred from rearranging the schedule, and major activities would not have been done. Praise God for a lighter schedule!

Another big problem occurred during this camp. The original speaker backed out a week before camp, and the replacement speaker suddenly backed out of his second night speaking engagement. The second speaking night was supposed to be the altar call night. Without a speaker, we were not sure what will happen. Thankfully, an adviser had the presence of mind to pray during this time. It is in these crucial moments that we remember God. So I praise God for this challenge. Without this, we might have been complacent in handling things. The night ended well, praise God.

There are a few things that I've learned. God, in His infinite wisdom, indeed has the best for His children. God will always give His children challenging situations. In this way, we will continue to seek His will and guidance. In ministry, we always thought that bad situations are because Satan wants to stop God's work in us. What I realized, however, is that probably God just wants us to trust in Him. Now we must change our mindset. Whatever the challenging situation, don't look at it as a scheme from Satan or something. Don't think at all! Just pray and ask God to give you the wisdom and strength to continue giving your best to Him, and we should also pray that we will not forget God in these situations.

We must always remain humble in everything we do. In whatever accomplishment we achieve. Remember that this is God's work. Whatever we accomplish is nothing without God.

In the end, God allowed this camp to be a success not because we pushed the right buttons in almost every decision we had to make, not because this is a sports camp, not because we are good, but because God is Sovereign and what He wants is what happens. God's power is evident in this camp. I am grateful that He uses His children to carry out His will. To God be the glory!