nuggets for thought.

I collected a few interesting nuggets this week (:

the tower of babel (Genesis 11):
I was sharing with beck that the stuff i've been reading all week (in fact, the stuff i've been studying all sem) seem to run along the lines of ethnic/racial/language/religious tensions. no matter what module it is, whether it's political geography or the urban, studies never seem to escape those divides. like all the world's problems are somehow inevitably connected to them. she then brought up the tower of babel and the city. then, all mankind spoke a single language. But people became all confident of themselves through their unity and thought nothing impossible for them. God then decided to separate mankind by confusing our languages and speech and scattering people in different places so that they will stop trying to be higher than God. That leads to (and answers) the question: why did God do that and allow the suffering that we've seen through history and today? it is so that there will always be a need for God, and people will see it, and go to Him. If all of humanity was united and perfect, we will never realize the need for God or even the need to acknowledge Him at all. If that were to happen, it may seem perfect on earth. but when Christ comes again, we will all fall short because we never saw the need to acknowledge a God or a Christ. at that point, eternity won't be perfect for many. The sufferings of present time are, however, temporary in the perspective of an eternity. If only all who are suffering have the light of Christ in their hearts, their perfect future awaits. In fact, they may even experience the joy of earthly life in a greater measure than the materially blessed ones. Bringing that light of Jesus to them is therefore one of the utmost desires of Christians.

I talked to serene about it, and she gave me another perspective. "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them" (Gen 11:6). That was what the Lord said. She asked me to imagine this in our churches. If all of us could speak that one language in our hearts, to identify ourselves in unity for Christ, and for our churches (rather than who's and who's cell, or which young adult group, or which clique in church), then the kind of work we do for Christ can actually be quite unthinkable. haha just a thought she passed on that was shared by her cell leader.

power of your love:

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side
And as I wait
I’ll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love

this is another something that serene passed on in the same conversation. hahah.
I've sung this song a zillion times, but I have never realized the depth of the lyric that speaks of the power that comes with waiting on God, that we may rise like the eagle. it is really, really a profound power that rises out of a trying yet unfathomably rewarding process.


anyhoos, i'm feeling quite excited n curious about tomorrow's cell. in the car earlier, i asked pastor to give a rough clue about what he was going to share tomorrow. and he said that he feels led to talk about the story of Abraham sending his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. and i was like !!!! I just read that passage last night! as i was searching for the tower of babel story, I came across that story and I was drawn to read it carefully even though I know that story already. it's a biblical fairytale sia. hahah anw quite amazed when you see how the Spirit works. i'm glad too that we're going to talk about it cos it's very appropriate for where many of us are right now in our lives, and a direct shot at a common struggle many of us share.

i'm so relieved it's the weekend of a break week. never have i felt such a big feeling of relief during a midterm break ever. time for a good zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!