We love Hymns!

Picked up a CD during a 20% sale in Koorong bookstore - 'Here I am to worship - hymns'. As I was listening to the CD, I was reminded 10 years back when someone said the young people in church don't like hymns but contemporary chorus. Here I am making a decision to buy this CD, I then released that it was not the hymns that I did not like, it was the way hymns was played. The lyrics of hymns are some poetic and beautiful, how could we did not like them? When I was in Adelaide, we used to have combined service where hymns were sung in the church. It was so majestically played by the late aunt Rebecca on the pipe organ. I also remembered another time when Charles Swindoll was here in Melbourne, I attended the meeting, again hymns were sung with a simple piano, the congregation sang the hymns with full of praise and adoration to the Lord. Another example, the Passion released an album with just hymns. That album was absolutely brilliant, and the congregation who attended that live recording were mostly college students.

There are a lot of rock bands recording hymns on their abalones. So why did they still say young people do not like hymns? I think it was how it was played, how it was lead and how it was sung.

It should be sung with the heart something like the following:-

1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Psalm 96:1-3

MIFF

Once again, the Melbourne International Film Festival 2006 is on. Few months back, I thought I would miss this film festival. With the delay of my trip to UK, I think I can squeeze a few nights to catch some non-Hollywood movies this year. Last year, I missed MIFF because I was in Africa with Doulos. I will make an effort to catch a few this year.

Very rarely you have opportunities to watch so many films in a short period of time.

Lake House:- Hollywood version of IL MARE

The trailer of Lake House came out when I was watching another movie. It did not take a very long time for me to recognise that this movie is a Hollywood remake of a Korean movie - IL Mare. I've got this movie after reading some reviews about it. At that time I was into Korean films. It's a Korean film with an Italian feel, said one of the film critics.

It tells a story of how 2 people living 2 years apart connected by exchanging letters through a mail box. One thing is that the DVD version I've got suffers from bad English translation. Having said that, I could still follow the development of the story.

Question I want to ask is Hollywood running of scripts to make movies that they have to look to other countries for inspiration?

What now?

My mobile phone rang just before lunch on Friday. It was Wendy, my sister. Steven just had a stroke and now in the hospital, she told me. I tried to get more information from her, but she's got none that what she already told me.

Steven is my half brother from my father's other wife. He is 52 and has a son. He failed to show up in an appointment with family friend. My sister C called him at his house, there was no one answering the phone. If Steven is not in, the answering machine normally takes the message. C realised something was not quite right and decided to drive to his house. Steven's car was parked at the drive way, the letter box was not empty. She knocked on the door, there was no one answering the door. She quickly called my other brother Kok to come in; they broke in to the house and found him on the floor. Ambulance was called and Steven was admitted to the hospital.

Steven's stroke sent a shock wave to all the siblings. We are carrying the same gene from my father, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Another thought was that all these incidents that happened, I could just give up going to UK to do the mission work. I try not to over spiritualised these incidents that happened for the past few weeks. But I do sense the enemy is waving his fist in front of me. Whether my mum's declining of health and my brother Steven's stroke were the works of the enemy, I cannot tell. But I can feel the devil is whispering lies to my ears using these incidents.

One thing I am sure of is that God is still in control.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalms 23: 5

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 5: 28

One step closer

Yes, it is one step closer. I looked at the draft version of the mission brochure, looking very nice and neat. Just a few more changes, it will be sent to the printer. A lot of waiting went behind this card, it has really tested my patient. Now, I can put this behind and move forward to the next step.

So lesson learnt?

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:8-11

I thought I planned, but failed. It takes time for the snow to at least melt before watering the earth. I think too much and had an impression that everything should go according to my plan. It cost me a lot of unnecessary pain and furstrations, instead I could have enjoy watching the rain and snow watering the earth and making it bud and flourish.

100 mile stone

Today marks a milestone in my exercise routine. According to my heart rate monitor, I've done 100 exercises since the 7 September 2005. I've done 82 hours and 58 minutes and 4 seconds of workout. I've burnt in total of 43387 Calories. Coming no exercise at all to going to gym to work out 5 times a week; to me it is an achievement. Having said that, I lost very little weight.

With the amount of exercises that I do a week, my weight would have come down to the healthy number. But some how it did not happen. One thing is clear to me, it was my diet. I need to do something about it. Exercise and diet come hand in hand, these two have to be balanced.

I think the next mile stone I put on the blog is the time when I get to my target healthy weight according to my doctor. What is the number? Oh well ... I will publish it when I get there.

I don't care

"What would you like to eat for dinner?"

"I don't care. Anything. "

Ever been in a conversation like this? It can imply different meanings. First, the negative implication. The person who said "I don't care.", is not energetic in the food, or the dinner. The person may not even want to be there. Or he or she is in a bad mood.

On the other hand, the person who said did not really mind about the food and was happy to eat anything and enjoy the dinner that night.

This phrase has been commonly used by many people. It puzzles me all the time. Do people really care? If you don't care why bother.

I was working on a critical project and we were running out of time. The phrase like, "I don't care. Solution A or B will do.", does not help the morale of the people who's wagering on the project at all.

You may say it depends on the person who said the phrase and the tone of it. It also depends on the listeners, where the phrase can be intepreted to negative meanings.

I think the phrase "I don't care.", can be replaced with "I don't mind." I think it can tone down the negative implication.

Now, let's try again ...

"What would you like to eat for dinner?"
"I don't mind. Anything. "