Not just going through the motions…

Wow…. That’s all I could really say after College and Career’s learning centre today… I mean what else do you say to such a powerful testimony. We were watching the Fruitcake & Ice-cream sermon by Louie Giglio and it was absolutely amazing! Topic was about grace… and instead of sharing his own thoughts for most of the sermon, he shared a testimony… A testimony of a girl named Ashley. I’m pretty sure NO ONE from our group that day left the room without any tears in their eyes by the end of the DVD.

What do you say when you hear about someone who’s going through a lot of heart ache and feels like God just doesn’t care for “screw-ups”… and then through a serious of definitely non-cooincidental events comes to know Christ just to die from a car crash 3 months later…. This is an extremely brief story of what Louie Giglio read from her very own journal that was given to him by her parents… And it was just so touching….

It made me re-think EVERYTHING…. Yeah we’ve heard how loving God is and how Jesus came and died for our sins… but what does that really mean? I mean.. do we really understand the full concept of that? Do we really understand grace… do we really experience it’s freeing power? Do we realize that we have absolutely no right to keep this amazing love.. this amazing gift… this amazing grace to ourselves? Do we realize that this isn’t for use to keep and hoard but to share it with everyone around us? I guess we really don’t because most of us get too comfortable with where we are in life and how our social atmosphere is set… We conveniently ‘forget’ about telling others about a Man who WILLINGLY gave His very own life for us… despite knowing that all of use will hurt Him; despite knowing that many of us will reject Him; despite knowing that only some of us will accept Him; and despite knowing that only a handful will truly love Him….

But He still came… willingly… didn’t retaliate when he was beaten… didn’t resist when they made Him drag his own cross after the torture He’d just gone through.. and didn’t turn back when they were about to drive nails through His holy hands and feet before dying a criminal’s death… He disregarded the humiliation that He faced…. Just for you and me…. just so that we could have the option of coming to Him openly and personally… All He ever wanted was us.. our love.. our fellowship… all He wants is for us to acknowledge His great sacrifice for us and to ask Him to live in our hearts.. all He ever wanted was to be our God.. our Father.. our Friend….

And even after all of that… we still reject Him.. we still feel ashamed of telling others about this amazing gift that God has give us….

Why? Do we feel ashamed of a gift our friend, our loved ones, or anyone that we care about gives us? No.. in fact… we flaunt it… We Facebook it! We tell EVERYONE about this gift our loved one gave us… we feel proud of it and cherish it… What a shame that we don’t do the same for the gift of eternal life that Christ is offering to us…..

He loves us so much… everyone! No one has gone too far or screwed things over so much that he or she can never come to God… in fact He wants us to come to Him so that He can show us just how much He cares for us and loves us… just so that He can help us through this life… You’re not alone… He’s promised to never leave you and never forsake you! Till the end of time He’s with you!

No matter what you’ve gone through, He understands… there is nothing that you’ve gone through that He hasn’t already gone through when He walked the earth. And He just wants you to know that He loves you and wants to help you through everything that hurts you and causes your heart to ache… because His heart aches when He sees His child hurting… He just wants you to trust Him.. Trust Him that He’ll be with you every step of the way- through thick and through thin… when things are looking up or when they can’t get any lower…

At the end of one of Ashley’s Journal entries she wrote down the lyrics to a song that just touched her heart… and I know it will touch yours. I’m sure many of you may know it, or if you don’t will know it… We all have messed up in life.. but He doesn’t want us to beat ourselves over it… He doesn’t care what you’ve done… He doesn’t care how bad you think you are… all He wants is you… just you. He’ll take care of all the baggage you’ve acquired over the years..  He says “Come to me all of you who are heavy-burdened, and I will give you rest” He loves you… no strings attached… are you willing to do the same…

Mighty To Save

Everyone needs compassion,
Love that’s never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King…Jesus (x2)

My Saviour, You can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
You rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

What’s new….

okay lets see now…. whats new with me..

first off: im starting all over again im back home staying with my family for all you who didnt know

I applied to George Brown and Humber for Culinary Arts Chef’s Training and Thankfully, God graciously got me acceptance in George Brown ( my first choice ). I’ll be starting in September.

As for now.. im adding subtitles to my dad’s serial on the Life of Christ. The subtitles will be in english, Greek, Russian and Arabic. The language it’s shot in is in Hindi so yeah.. its a little work. Its 21 episodes of 50 minutes each. So yeah.. it’s almost done

Then if it’s done  by summer… hopefully want to look for a job… let’s see where God takes me ^_^

As for Church… music for missions is on may 31st at Grace Baptist Church! WOOOT! and for all of you who dont know what it is… music for missions is a concert event that the youth of GBC put up each year to support a girl’s orphanage in Lebanon.. girls who have been through alot… So, for all of you who can be there, please be there.. its a night of laughter and fun and music and drama!!!

And of course.. as always… playing video games can`t wait till ffxiii comes out!!! but till then, im enjoying games like cod4, assassins creed, devil may cry, prince of persia, enchanted arms, ninja gaiden, blade x, …. and of course the final fantasy games

oh and of course practicng my music guitar and violin… gotta pick up my flute again……

That’s about it…

God’s been really good.. really amazing… really gracious… really…wow!!!

Thoughts about Grace…

Its been a while since I’ve written.. i know… Just moved back to Toronto and I was half expecting to start everything all over again… in terms to my relationships with the friends I had here… and the family I have here..

But… it’s like I was never really away… picked up where I left off.. not in all things, of course,… but for the most part..

And trust me… its God. It just shows me God’s grace. How He’s always there- willing to take us back even though we’ve messed up; ruined our lives; broken His heart….

Even with my family… only very few people know my full actual story… and its amazing the love that they’ve shown and the understanding…

God’s the same way… He understands what you’re going through.. He feels what you feel. He’s been there.

What’s even more amazing is that God still gives me opportunities to me to pick up my life where it left off…. He granted me admission in the college of my choice…

There is no one out there that can tell me that God doesn’t exist after what I’ve been through and after all that I’ve seen Him do.

He’s real folks! More real than the air you breathe… and He’s calling out to you… His arms stretched out wide…. just asking you to take a look- notice Him- see what He’s done for you because he loves you.. to give Him a chance…

I found this amazing video- it’s been a while since I watched it… and I think you should watch it too… its just six minutes out of your daily life.. please give just six minutes of your time and watch this…. it will touch you if you let it… don’t watch it with a closed heart and mind… please… just listen and take the words in….. Let His words touch your heart.. I pray that it does…

Been a while…..

I’m really sorry I haven’t blogged for a while… with my move back to Canada and fixing my computers and network, I kinda got a bit behind on the whole blogging….

Forgiveness and moving on is an aspect in human nature that amazes me why people don’t get what they are!!

How hard can it be to look at someone in the eye and tell them, “I forgive you; it’s okay… I make mistakes too, and I would want you to forgive me too if I did something wrong against you”

Again, it comes back to the principle of doing to others what you want others to do to you.

After everything that my family and friends have been through because of me…. no one has given me a hard time… and it amazes me…

I know I don’t deserve it, but i see what God is trying to teach me and show me….. it’s not about me.. it’s never about me……

I’ve learned a lot through this period in my life… my parents and friends have always been there for me…. no matter what I’ve done…

I’ve hurt a lot of people in the process… unknowingly and knowingly… not because I wanted to, but…. never mind…. the point is, God is helping me move on and is helping heal those wounds…..

I know where I have to be right now, at this moment, and it took a lot for God to show me to appreciate my family and friends…. and to look to Him first….

Don’t wait that long… see now what you have… trust me…. I’ve experienced it first hand, and I can honestly say I don’t want to go through all that again……

Learn to appreciate…. and rely on God…

Trust Him!

Learn to trust…. And He’ll show you the way….

and when you find yourself at the edge of the cliff…. almost falling…

He’ll either catch you when you fall….

Or give you wings to fly…

One things for sure…. He will never leave your side

Thoughts on Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love…
What is it? What is it to love someone unconditionally? Well… Let’s break it up…
Condition: Depending on other factors; not certain.
Un- : prefix- not; contrary to; opposite of;
-al : suffix- of; related to; connected with, functional, sectional, tonal
Let’s joing them all now: Un ( contrary to, opposite of) condition (depending on other factors) al (related to)…. meaning: related to the opposite of depending on other factors…. Not depending on other factors… Not concerned with who or why or what or if…. it just is because it is..
Now tell me if that is humanly possible without God’s help..? I don’t think so. No human can love unconditionally…. that is without God’s help. He’s the only true unconditional lover of our souls, and we can only learn to love like He does if we let Him live through us….
it’s not easy…. true… but then nothing in this life is easy… trusting God should be easier considering He knows everything and cares. And despite everything that we do He still loves us and cares for us! It should be a heck of a lot easier trusting Him if we understand unconditional love…. maybe we should first try to understand and experience this unconditional love before we fully trust God because until we don’t understand, we won’t trust God completely… I’m guilty, but God is teaching me everyday…

maybe you should seek and learn what it is….

“No matter what or why or who or where… I will still love you,” says God

“And always will….. No matter what,” Says God

Because that is what Love is… and should be….

Unconditional

Thoughts on Home

Yeah, I know I haven’t wrote for a while. Been really busy, or really tired lately. Still am tired. But it’s oaky. Only about 5 more weeks before I go home…. Home… it’s been a while since I used that word the way I am now. I don’t know how it’ll be…. Probably won’t take any time at all to get used to it. That’s what Home is.

Home is where your heart is. That is true… very true… and right now, my heart is in Toronto with my family. A lot has happened and it has made me think a lot. Why did I do what I did? What did I accomplish? Was God honored? Did something good come out of this?

Why I did what I did?- To be honest, at first it was because of a girl. A wonderful young lady who has now long left me… but that’s not the focus…. that soon changed to finding answers in this life… What is my purpose? Why am I going through this? What is right and what is wrong? What is life?

What did I accomplish? Nothing I thought at first…. I thought, how could God use me after hurting so many people. Granted it wasn’t intentional, but I still hurt them… What did I accomplish? I don’t like to brag, but God used me to help bring someone back to Christ. People see me differently. They see I’m not like them.. That I got “religion” but there’s something different. I’ve tried to live a life that shows other’s who God is. I hope I did what He wanted…. after that’s why I’m going back home.. cause I believe my purpose here is accomplished….

Was God Honored? I would be a liar if I said “Yes”… at least while I was first staring out on my own…. I messed everything up! Everything!!! My relationships with my family, friends, and then in the end with my girlfriend. Because I did something I thought was God’s will but really wasn’t- it was my selfishness…. But look how amazing God is: He used my failures to bring good out of it…..

Did something good come out if it? Of course!!! Good always comes out of everything that we go through because there are lessons that God teaches us through them if we’re willing to learn. I learned what it is to trust and depend on God for EVERYTHING literally. I learned how important it is to have and continue the relationship with my Savior. I learned how to Cook … these are just a few of the things I learned….

What else can I say? I just pray that no one has to go through what I did….. it isn’t the most fun experiences… but I hope that you will learn from my mistakes and trust me when I say to trust God with Everything… because I have seen and experienced and tasted of His mercy and grace and love.

Keep your eyes on Him

 

No matter what…. There is no place like Home

No place….

Thoughts on Valentine’s and Love

Wow! There’s so much to talk about on this topic… Unfortunately I don’t have the gift of words that could explain everything that I feel and think about this topic… But I’ll try in a short amount since work is going to be really busy tomorrow (technically today) and I should be getting some rest.

Love is not so complicated as people make it seem. It’s really quite simple to understand. But, to understand it, you must first know the author of love- the Beginning of love.

1. Jesus, the one who loved us so much that He was willing to give up everything for you. That’s sacrifice- one definition of love.

2. He chose to love us even while we were dead in our  sins… even while we were filthy and kept doing wrong things that hurt Him. That’s unconditional love; the fact that He would love us no matter what and that He would bring us back no matter how far we’d go. That’s another aspect of love.

3. He chooses to forgive us and give us a second, and a third, and a fourth…. and a millionth….. chance. That’s because He loves us and understands our weaknesses as humans. Forgiveness-  that’s another characteristic of love. Forgiving no matter what because we understand that we are humans and we are going to fail. 

4. He chooses to bless us and give us things that we definitely don’t deserve. That’s His Grace- another of love’s characteristics. Grace- an unmerited gift. A gift that we don’t deserve. 

There are so many other things that I could say, but if we just practice a few of these things and know the one who authored Love then our relationships and lives would be a whole lot better and wholesome- wouldn’t you agree? If we choose to love – yes, love isn’t a feeling, it’s a choice… a choice to love someone despite of themselves- and practice what love is, imagine how much pain could be avoided.

Let’s remember this valentine’s day what love really is all about. Let’s keep other’s in mind and learn to love how He loved us.

The grace of love is a gift…

The forgiveness of love is a treasure…

The unconditionality of love is a decision…

but all of these are a choice….

So… Love is a Choice

He is Amazing

Wow! it’s time to pay rent, and I was waiting for my paycheck to arrive so I could pay my rent. I wast certain whether my paycheck would be sufficient though. But I prayed that it would atleast be enough together with the money in my bank.

Amazingly, I got more money in my paycheck than would cover my rent. I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m so thankful to God for his grace and his protection.

No one can tell me that God doesn’t exist or that He doesn’t care because He does. Time and again He has shown my His grace, and His love, and His faithfulness..

Nothing can take away my trust from Him

There is power in prayer- The God of all creation hears you and listens when you believe