古藤老树昏鸦，小桥流水人家

古藤老树昏鸦,
小桥流水人家,
古道西风瘦马.
夕阳西下,
断肠人在天涯。

A piece of art. I must say this. After many years memorized this poem, I still very mesmerized by its 意境.

Anyway, I am just glad that the high school did ‘forced’ me to memorise a few of the masterpiece. It is always good to ‘relive’ the意境.

It just then reminded me of the important of memorizing the Word of God.

To remember the Word of God, is to help us in our time of weakness.

Gospel of Judas

Would like to share two articles that I read concerning one of the recent controversial discovery/annoucement of "Gospel of Judas".

'Gospel of Judas' Denounced as 'Gnostic Propaganda' (Pg 1), (Pg2)
Theologians: 'Gospel of Judas' Authentic but Not Authoritative
张慕皑牧师：不一定是犹大

If we have no time to examine this Gospel of Judas, then, let the scholars do their work and research, and we learn about what they have to say.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Further info on Gnostic,
Gnostics, Gnostic Gospels, & Gnosticism
Gnosticism: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joy of the salvation

“Do we still remember the ‘Joy of the salvation’?” asked TK in the morning.

Yes. Lord, have I forgotten the joy of salvation? Indeed, the memories of such joy faded… Lord, bring me back to 14 June 2000, the day that I invited You in my life, bring me back to that moment where I prayed that prayer of faith. Remind me, O Lord, the jolly faces that were around me at that moment. Such new born was not ordinary born. This new born was made possible only by the blood of Christ.

Such joy, o, marvelous moment, for myself and for N1. Such joy, though with much apprehension, yet coupled with excitement, O Lord, that was my joy of salvation, a joy that came forth because of the new life and hope to look forward to… and life that promised to be in its fullness… let this joy be sustained in me now too… sustain this joy…

And today, O Lord, You brought this joy to our group… this is a contentious joy. A joy that not only the recipient of salvation had, it is belong to the witness of the salvation.

While experiencing this joy with others in celebration, O Lord, bring such joy too to my friends, and to my families, and to those within my reach too… by Thy will and Thy mercy pour forth this joy on earth.

Today a day to remember. 16 April 2006. A day that a dear friend of us receives Lord Jesus into his life.

「断背山」不论拍得如何美化，也遮掩不了它的丑恶一面.

An article extract from one of my favorite Christian Forum Portal. I have not watch this movie before, I still cannot go beyond the emotion bias toward such movie, which propagate the message that homosexuality is to be sympathised and to be accepted by sociaty.

I can sympathise with the person who struggle with homosexuality, but I cannot sympathise the 'act/movement of homosexuality'.

For those who felt so much about the 'forbidden love that cannot be realised' in this Brokeback Mountain, I hope the follow article may bring some light to your mind.

I like to quote this phrase by the writer. " 「断背山」不论拍得如何美化，也遮掩不了它的丑恶一面."

Enjoy.


文化社会: 「断背山」－破坏家庭的电影

(发表于 Thursday, February 16 @ 15:20:16 MYT 由 kahyaw)

李安导演的「断背山」，被好莱坞誉为罗曼蒂克的爱情故事，故事描述六十年代两青年牛郎在断背山上看羊时，由友谊关系发展成同性恋的性关系，後来二人分别与女子结婚生子，可是不能禁止同性恋的情欲，屡次欺骗妻子到断背山幽会，後来其中一人为此而离婚，另一人要求两人同居，但因社会环境保守而不能如愿，电影最终以一人意外身亡而落幕。

「断背山」不论拍得如何美化，也遮掩不了它的丑恶一面：

1.破坏男子汉的形像
美国中部的牛郎 (cowboy)，是男子汉的形像，以往持有像尊荣 (John Wayne)和奇连依士活 (Clint Eastwood)的刚强和英雄的形像，是美国男孩子追求的模范，这套电影把他们丑化为好勇斗狠，头脑简单的人，不断以蛮力和打斗来解决问题，而两男主角的性爱，也是充满了野兽般的粗野。

2. 误导男人间的友谊升华时就变成性接触
很多男人在各种不同工作的环境或许需要作近距离的相处，例如军队、童子军、球队、大学宿舍等。此电影将「性」带入了两男人的工作关系中，不单染污了男性间单纯的友谊。对於爱模仿电影中的人物的年轻人，现将这可能性向他们宣场，後果不堪设想。

3. 同性恋关系较男女婚姻崇高
「断背山」可能没有明显推崇这观念，而且还描写了同性恋婚外情对妻子的伤害，但影评家、好莱坞和传媒都漠视了这一点，反而高举这段同性恋情，是值得牺牲家庭的；片中又暗示有妻子和儿女的家庭是多麽麻烦，同性恋是多麽浪漫，作妻子的不明白，可是作女儿的却明白，体谅与母亲离婚的父亲，间接地教导下一代要接受同性恋，这些隐藏了破坏性的信息，对下一代遗害无穷。

4. 暗示社会礼教是害人的
此片描述这段同性恋情的痛苦，使主角以骂妻子、打架、嫖男妓等方式来发□。最後以一方死、一方愁的悲剧收场，表面是表现同性恋负面的信息，但暗□却抱怨这悲剧的发生是因为六十年代社会太保守，不能容许同性伴侣，否则他们会活得很快乐。

好莱坞高捧这套同性恋的电影，不单只给与好评，还颁发4个金球奖，娱乐界要极力介绍同性恋的电影，是要打破传统的礼教，让放纵情欲的人，可在无罪恶感的情况下自由自在地继续放纵，而社会需要无条件地接受。利用潮流文化来推广破坏家庭的电影，是现代文化的悲剧；李安导演拍这种片子，等於加入破坏的行列，是华人的悲剧。
　
资料来源：基督新报

You are my Lord

More love, more power,
More of You in my life;
More love, more power,
More of You in my life.

And I will worship You with all of my heart,
And I will worship You with all of my mind,
And I will worship You with all of my strength,
For You are my Lord.

More love, more power, more of you in my life, Lord.

More of Your goodness in my life, O Lord, my God. More of your mercy and grace in my life, O Lord, my Savior. More of Your truth in my life, O Lord, my God. I desire to worship you with my life, O Lord. I yearn for You, O Lord, my soul thirst for You like a deer pants for water. Make my heart desires You, cause me to be steadfast to you, O Lord, my God.

O Lord, my God, my Saviour... do Your work in my life.

You are my Lord.

Life as coffee...

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university Professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the Prof went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand,the lecturer said "If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you Consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. "Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So friend, don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

***

A short article shared by Poy weeks ago… but only read it now. Somehow I just like to post this article. Hope you enjoy reading.

Many time, I found myself helplessly fell into this trap of pursue of better cup, thinking a better cup will make the whole experience of drinking coffee more pleasureable. Times and times again, I keep reminding myself, this shall never be the main drive behind my pursuit of things.

Many justification done, yet it seem not able to escape from that slightest lust for worldly wealth and security...

Quality of life... What are the quality of life am I looking after? What is yours?