Wednesday, November 19, 2008
It was our lifegroup outing yesterday and despite a couple of ppl's reluctance we eventually managed to convince everyone to go karaoke (which would be my 2nd time in like 2 months or something).
You know, you can learn a lesson or two from everything you do. I learnt yesterday just how careful i have to be with the music I listen to and the type of stuff I sing. It's sad how we can become so desenstised to what we hear on the radio. I rarely listen to rnb and hip hop stuff except for when I'm in the car and the radio is on but I have to admit like..a lot of the times when it comes to this kinda stuff I just sing along without realising what I'm actually singing. In fact a lot of the times I can't even understand what they're singing and although being naive can be good it can also be equally bad.
So many times yesterday at karaoke we would be singing a song and then half way through we'd stop and realise.."wait a minute...this is sin..." It's true though..I think a lot of the time we sing along to a song because it's catchy without actually realising what we're singing. For example Usher: Love in this club...I've heard it on the radio many times before but yesterday would have probably been the first time I realised just how bad the lyrics were. That song is like the definition of sin. At least we sang Dare you to move (which was like the only Switchfoot song they had) which was nice and clean...a good change really.
posted @ 4:09 PM
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Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wow...don't think I have blogged since I moved house which was like..2 weeks ago? It has been a crazy couple of weeks trying to move and study at the same time and i've had all my exams in the past week which raised my stress levels just a bit =)
So anyway...in the next few days I will do a post which gives you a virtual tour of my house..mainly for Melbourne people coz all you Sydney people can just come visit anytime you like =) We are still in the process of unpacking so there are still boxes scattered around and a couple of the rooms are currently being used for storage at the moment but that will change in the next few weeks once we've found a place for everything. No..my house is not a mansion (it's no where near one) as you will soon see but to me this house is so much more than I need. I have never lived in a new house before and we have always gotten by with just second hand furniture where nothing really matches but you know...I still called it home. And now...everything is new. It looks new, it smells new, it feels new. It's strange because it's not something I am used to. To be honest...there have been times in the past couple of weeks where I have felt like a spoilt brat and I seriously hope i never go down that path. I am so thankful that God has blessed our family in so many ways. My dad is just a pastor...and you know your dad is a pastor when you have spent the whole morning unpacking boxes and boxes of bibles (of all versions u can think of), multiple bible commentaries of nearly every book of the bible, theological dictionaries, multiple books on church history and pretty much every book you can find in koorong!... my mum just does a whole lot of odd jobs but my parents have never worried about finances. They worked hard and had faith that God will provide. It's one of the many lessons I have learnt through them that will stick with me for life. It's hard to build a house and buy furniture without being materialistic. It's hard to not automatically go for the pricey stuff that looks reeeallyy nice even though you know it's not necessary.
Anyways...photos will be coming up soon =) Can't believe I'll be going away in 3 weeks arghhh! but there's so much to do before then. Should be fun though.Anyway..i think i need sleep. It's going to be one longg day tomorrow =)
posted @ 3:37 AM
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Sunday, November 2, 2008
I'm sitting in my room at my rented house surrounded by boxes...uni notes EVERYWHERE...clothes everywhere.It's stuvac this week and i'm supposed to be studying....on top of that...i have to move house, do all this stuff for mission trip and a hundred other things. Tonight is the last night I will be spending here before I move to my newly built house. I'm supposed to be excited and somewhere deep down I know I am but right now I wish i could just take a holiday to some tropical island resort with people I love and not have to think about anything else.
It's funny how just a week ago i..for wateva reason (i think it was more a result of procrastination) decided to write a testimony about how 2008 has worked out for me and then just a few days later at Bluesky, I was asked to give a 3 minute testimony experiencing the Awe of God in the past year. When I was first asked...my first thought was.."sure I'll talk about missions"..but when I really thought about it..I realised i wasn't being honest with myself and I wasn't being honest with God. God has been doing sooo much more in my life this year but i struggled with the fact that I would have to share such a personal story to such a large group of people. However...as I prayed about it, God began to make it so clear to me that my real testimony had to be told and by telling it...this would be my way of giving Him the glory that He deserves. Even in the couple of minutes leading up to it..I thought I'd make my testimony reeeeallyy general but it was as if God was saying to me "Pris..people need to hear it, don't hold back, just speak from your heart." So I did. Later that night a sister came up to me and said.."Your testimony made me cry....when you were speaking I just thought...that was me...and when you shared about that freedom you experienced i understood."...that meant so much to me. Again today..during missions meeting we asked to go around the circle and give a 1 minute testimony and so I gave the 1 minute version. Something really hit me this weekend...testimonies are so so powerful and you don't realise how powerful your testimony can be until you share it. I'm beginning to realise how God can use everything I have been through to help and encourage others. I'm beginning to understand the concept of keeping something personal but not private. I'm beginning to realise it's only when I truly reveal my heart to others that lives can be touched.
****
God once again stirred my heart today. God once again reminded me of how I can use my degree for His kingdom purposes. We were given information on the HIV/AIDS situation in Asia today...and once again my eyes were open to the reality of this crisis. A number..equivalent to one and a half times the population of Australia are dying of AIDS and leaving even more orphaned...90% of these individuals with AIDS are from developing countries. When people in developing countries find out they have AIDS, it's usually in the very late stages when they only have months/weeks to live. I'll be the first to admit...I don't know very much about AIDS and I don't think 4 years of uni is even going to increase my knowledge about AIDS by very much. Something struck me today however. Being diagnosed with HIV doesn't have to mean you're given a one month timeline. With medication..an HIV patient can live a reasonably normal life for many many years to come. Problem is...developing countries don't have access to this type of medication..developed countries do. Is this how it will always be? I have a feeling God is in the process of revealing a lot more of His plans...if 2008 has been a big year..i have a feeling I have experienced nothing yet.
The God who created the heavens and the earth..the God that has created man and blessed him with so much...can't find anyone who will stand in the gap for Him....think about it..
posted @ 2:06 AM
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