Colorless

Monday, July 16, 2007

Now that YOU're near...

Went for the 10am service yesterday... Ric Benson (senior pastor) was talking about being lit or engulfed in the consuming fire that is GOD, and he gave examples of how GOD was manifested in the many instances of fire throughout the Bible: Moses & the burning bush, Elijah & the prophets of Baal, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego & Nebuchadnezzar's furnace... And he goes on to say that to be caught on fire for GOD, we need to be a community. We as individuals cannot experience GOD's consuming fire. Through experience, I came up with this illutration:

Y'know how after a BBQ, the remaining charcoal are just glowing embers covered in white ash, not hot enough to cook anything? That's when we're individuals, cut off from the Christian community... very on fire, very passionate for GOD, SO-O-O hot to the touch, yet unable to accomplish anything much. But gather a pile of these smoldering coals, blow away the ashes and fan the embers, you'll see that it glows brighter! Fan harder and you'll eventually see a flame jump out! That flame is due to the intense heat amongst the embers. If you're a frequent observer of flames, this kind is different when a flame is burning off something (like a match). This flame is not as bright, but really hot, and it's this kind of flame that is the best for BBQ. It's not the kind of flame that leaps up & licks your food (that would leave soot on your meats). Rather, it's the kind that cooks your meat slowly but surely. And that is the kind of flame we want in a BBQ... that is the kind of flame we need to produce in a Christian community.

And so the sermon left in me a smoldering piece of ember... feeling small & insignificant & helpless & powerless. Sermons here always tend to make me feel like that... I leave church almost every week feeling changed and somewhat unsettled, but I never have the discipline nor the courage nor the urging desire to do something about it. Something's wrong with me...

And then there's the 5pm service... so alive, so ignited for GOD! There really is a difference the way the service lights people up here & back home. Does the service even spark a fire back home? If only I could show u guys the enthusiasm, the conviction, the burning desires of the young people here... It's so powerful, and they're actually doing something about it, reaching out, community services, LOTS & LOTS of mission teams and mission trips, over-the-weekend camps, stuff like that... it's just overwhelming! And it's even more overwhelming how I don't see any of this back home! Of course, I'm not saying there isn't anything like this. Maybe I was just ignorant back then. I'm just saying that here, there's always a stirring in our hearts, in my heart. I just need to be more convicted, somehow... *sigh*

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Next Thursday, 26th July, there's a talk in KBC (Kenmore Baptist Church, if you don't already know) about Intelligent Design... It's a fight-back against Darwinism, against the eccentric scientific community that are SO-O-O extreme in their belief of evolution and no GOD. Sounds interesting... but I'll have a think whether or not I wanna go.

As a science student, specifically a biology student, and a Christian, I have studied the marvels of the molecular changes and mutations in our bodies, in any living thing for that matter, as well as the genetics of evolution and its phenotypic outcomes. Of course, I've studied much more than that, but my point is that I can see GOD in all of these! Contrary to what Daniel says (but there's a high chance I was mistaken) that he does not believe in evolution on the macro level, I DO believe in that. We have evolved the ability to genetically combat and resist so many strains of bacteria, viruses, parasites etc... We've even evolved to incorporate them into our body systems so much so that we cannot live without them! Take E. coli in our intestines... If we totally cleanse it out of our system, we'll die! Ok, I'm not sure about dying but there definitely are adverse effects. Insects evolve everyday to better suit their environments, specializing in nichés for food & shelter, or generalising so they can be ubiquitous. We see evolution everywhere! The simplest: Some flowers have evolved deep nectaries so that to get to the nectar, insects have to rummage through all the pollen, and when they visit another flower, tada! Cross pollination!
And then, some ants "farm" aphids because aphids produce honey dew (not the fruit la) which the ants eat. In exchange, the ants protect the aphids from predators such as ladybirds!
Some plants "farm" ants... The Acacia produce shelter & food for ants to live in, and in exchange, the ants attack herbivores and sometimes other plants so the acacia has a growth advantage.
In an extreme case of evolution, where mutualism dictates the survival of 2 organisms, the fig wasp and the fig plant. Without the fig wasp to pollinate fig plants, we'll never get figs fruiting, we'll never have fig trees growing anywhere else. It'll just become extinct! And without fig plants, there won't be any fig wasps!

Our genes, our DNA, the codes for our physiological and physical well-being are very fragile elements. They're so easily mutated and altered, knowing the millions of compounds that are carcinogenic, tumour-inducing, radioactive, and all the other biological and genetic jargon. Yet, their conservation prevails because of intelligent design! GOD made our bodies SO-O-O resilient to major mutations because if there's something out of the ordinary in our systems, it's been coded to destroy the cell(s) that contain that mutation. Maybe putting it this way is taking out too much details, but the idea is there. I canNOT imagine how Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Calcium, Sodium, Iron, Potassium, Molybdenum, and the many other elements that make up our body, can just come together, link together to form molecules that link together to form amino acids that link together to form proteins that link together to form cells that link together to form tissues that link together to form organs that link together in a specific order and positioning to form an organism (my, that's a mouthful), without the intelligent planning and design of GOD! Can man even design something like that? The most advanced technology cannot create something that is alive, can seek food, grow, reproduce and die! Why is there even a debate man?

Oh oh... apes can become man? Not entirely impossible, no. But I maintain that GOD created Man in HIS own image. True, HE created apes too. But not in HIS image. I'm not particularly well-versed in evolution and religion. I may not be able to convince alot of people about GOD in science. But for me, I truly see GOD and HIS handiwork in biology. There is no other explanation. You can try convincing me, I may be stumped for words, I may be overwhelmed by the amount of scientific knowledge you present to me, I may lose the debate on whether life is formed by chance or by GOD, but I will truly & firmly believe that GOD creates and we, as well as everything else in the world, and even the world, are createD. Say what you want man... *shrugs*

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K, looks like I got carried away there. Haha!

I'm thinking of going sch to cut hair... At the same time, I also wanna go Toowong or Indroo to walk walk... And I can cut hair in Toowong for $10. Thing is, 1 zone daily is $4.60 (remember?)! So if I go just to cut hair, quite dumb la. And it's 2pm now... not much time to do much walking... and walking alone is... mmm... I just don't feel like walking alone la. At least not today.

*sigh*

I want to ride my bicycle... =(

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"... Hold me in YOUR arms,
Never let me go.
I wanna spend eternity with YOU.

And now that YOU’re near,
Everything is different..."

-Hillsong: Now That YOU're Near

Love me if you dare... 10:39
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