Like An Eyebrow Wax

Bear with me as I explain...

I've been going to church my whole life (even when in my mum's tummy), and grew up going to Hills Christian Life Centre (old name of Hillsong) church every Sunday with my parents. It was in Sunday school that I learnt about events in the Bible, and stories about Jesus. It was just a part of life, which I didn't mind. It was usually quite fun.

When I was about 8 years old, I was curious about heaven, and what would happen when I died. So I talked to my mum about it, and I prayed to Jesus, the sinner's prayer. And to be really sure, I put my hand up at Sunday school when the kid's pastor asked if anyone wanted to become a Christian. I even got a certificate. The certificate is gone by now, but I am sure of my salvation.

At 8 years old, Jesus was as real to me as Santa Claus (who I might have believed in for a while). But now I know, Jesus is actually real. Nothing makes sense without Him.

Reflecting back, I know I've been blessed to have always had a church to go to, other Christians and a Bible to get guidance from, and a God who loves me unconditionally. I don't know what sort of person I would be if I never knew Jesus. Maybe more insecure, less caring, pessimistic...I don't know. I sometimes wonder, how other people get through life when they have no hope. They must be distracted by other things.

Becoming a Christian is like getting an eyebrow wax. You don't know what you're missing until that unnecessary hair is stripped off! I got my first eyebrow wax last year, and before then, I didn't even care about my eyebrows, or that there was anything wrong. It took a beauty therapist to guide me in the correct eyebrow way. Now I notice regrowth, and it bugs me. I can now stand the pain of the hair coming out because it will produce a more beautiful me (on the outside at least). Of course, the cleansing of sin is a much bigger deal, and I'm sure, will produce a more beautiful person on the inside. It may be painful at first to let go of the old life, but when you get used to the new life, it is the only one you'll accept.

The wheels were always in motion...

When I was younger, I'd always had bits of God in the picture. In primary school, my classmate's mum ran scripture classes once a week where we all did our best to annoy or ignore her (God bless Mrs Walsh). And we sang Christmas carols every year (I wonder if they still do that in schools...?). When I was 7, I somehow became friends with a girl in a younger grade whose father ran kids classes at the local church (which is literally 2 doors down from where my in-laws now live.. coincidence??) and went there for a little while on Sunday mornings, though I was more in it for the cookies and cordial. I also dabbled in another church introduced to us by a family friend (hi, Cindy's mum), but again, I enjoyed playing on the monkey bars outside more than anything else and after royally botching up their Christmas presentation and getting glares from all the kiddies, I wasn't particularly running to go back. In high school, scripture was watching Simpsons episodes and listening to the chaplain (poor guy - high school is tough) try to teach us life lessons from it.

Like I said, high school is tough. Year 7 was ok, and then it all went downhill from there - all my own doing, of course. I made lots of naive (read: stupid) mistakes, ticked a lot of people off, and life pretty much revolved around all the wrong things (usually which boy I liked and how much he didn't like me). My ICQ (yes, I'm old) nicknames were things like "Ever Depressed". But funnily enough, on the outside I was still 'fine' - smart enough to still get good grades, normal enough at home to not sound alarm bells, still a 'good girl' in the eyes of authority, just dying on the inside.

So that paints the picture that Jesus stepped into when I was in Year 10, the lowest point of the pit I'd dug for myself. Somehow, Cindy's mum got back in touch and invited my mum along to Asian (when Glenhaven Community Centre was our home). Mum has never been the best at directions and driving to foreign places, and felt bad for getting lifts from Cindy's mum all the time, so I became her directional advisor and went to Asian with her. At first, I only went for the monthly outreach dinners (for me socially, when there is food, it is less awkward because you have something to do). 

These were my first encounters with worship and nothing like what I thought church should be like. I can't pinpoint the moment or date of my decision (I wish I could), but one night after the service as chairs were being packed up, Cindy's mum asked me if I'd said the salvation prayer before. I said no, and she led me through it. Though, in my heart I'd already known for a while that Jesus was real. 

Fast forward 11 years and here I am, still imperfect but moving forward (I think of those old Pantene ads: "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen." This was actually quite a struggle to write because though I remember life before Jesus, it doesn't feel like it was my life and I almost don't remember what it felt like.

Lately especially, I've been in awe of how God sets things in motion long before I'm on the same page (or even in the right book). It took me 16 years to choose Him, even longer to truly call Him friend, but He chose me waaay before that, not flippantly from a line-up, but for a purpose He set in motion before the world began.

Fascinating :)

K

Just a safety net?

So my story goes something like this...

For all of my life, my parents made me go to church. I would have always told you that I was a Christian if you asked. But honestly, I hated church. I hated having to get up early to pretend to pay attention to someone talk. Sam and I used to hide under blankets pretending to be asleep so that we wouldn’t have to go. I mean, I always believed that there was this guy Jesus who lived ages ago who somehow died so that I could go to heaven after I died. But I was kind of like, “Cool, now I can just get on with my life and do whatever I want.”

I guess it was when I started high school and joined the Bible study group there that I really noticed these people who called themselves Christian and acted completely differently. They didn’t just go to church or read the Bible, but they actually thought about it. They were willing to give up their time to care for a bunch of year 7s, not really getting anything out of it. I was only really nice to people because that meant they’d be nice to me, not because I actually cared about them.

And that got me thinking about how I stood with God. I realised being Christian wasn’t just about going to heaven and doing whatever in the meantime. It’s about having a relationship with God, having Jesus not just as Saviour, but Lord as well. Reading the Bible isn’t just a time-consuming obligation, but it’s a way to learn about who God is, and how we fit into that. Going to church isn’t just a sleep-depriving habit, but it’s a way to encourage and be encouraged by other Christians.

So I realised it isn’t enough to squeeze God into that 2-hour block on Sunday, or the half-hour block at Bible study or whatever else. It’s letting God take over everything.

These days, I actually look forward to going to church. I still don’t like getting up early, but it’s worth it. You know, I actually think about what God’s saying through the Bible. If Jesus really died that dreadful death on a cross for me when I was still his enemy, then I can’t just let Him be a safety net. I can’t just live this life for myself, and what comes easily, but I have to give it to God.

♥ V

God is Able

Having the privilege of growing up in a christian family meant that things such as going to church and doing bible studies or devotions to learn more about God were a 'usual' part of my life. However, most of the time I only knew the 'theory' part about God -- knowing in my mind that "God is good", "God is faithful"... and had never really realised that these true descriptions about God can be experienced by any one, and not just to Bible-characters..

This realisation came from a day during my HSC year..
I did Economics for the HSC and while I found it to be a very interesting subject, I also found it quite challenging(especially during exams), as it is quite content-dense, and many sections required memorising definitions and statistics, which needed to be accurate. And so... During my half-yearly exams, I had quite a bunched-up timetable and Economics was my last paper on the last day of exams. I recall sitting at the table feeling both physically and mentally tired, but knowing that I still had to study. (There were six booklets to study), but after about one and a half booklets, I just couldn't do it anymore. Whatever I read and revised didn't seem to be able to absorb and stick in my memory. This then caused me to panic, as I knew that while I wasn't going anywhere with my revision, the clock kept ticking. I really felt so stressed -- I had never felt like that before.. The more I panicked, the more I couldn't study and the more I couldn't study, the more panicked I became.. This went on until night, when my mum advised me to just sleep and wake up early the next day and try studying again. I remember that night, before going to bed, while my parents prayed for me, I read this verse.." Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" The next morning, I just flipped through the remaining booklets, trying to 'speed-revise', and just trusted that God would see me through.

When the results came out, to my absolute amazement and surprise, I had the top mark in my class. This was the moment and day that I started to truly believe and better grasp the reality of "God's grace and favour".. How could someone who didn't get to finish revising top the class? This first-hand experience really changed my perspective on who God really is -- He is a God who answers prayers, is indeed good and faithful and "does immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine". He is Able.. :)

Janice

Win a Dark Chocolate Bunny

Sorry Joyce and LL =P I have not yet read your posts, but I will sometime this week!!

So what's my story? (morning glory)

There were once three sisters. Because I'm learning mandarin, let's call them Da jie, Er jie and Xiao mei. When in high school, Da jie's best friend was the daughter of a pastor. Let's call her ... Jenny. So Jenny invited Da jie to church, and she got involved. She then encouraged Er jie to come too... who also became involved! And they invited Xiao mei to come. She came sporadically from the age of 8 =P But when she reached uni (after HSC, because ma and pa didn't want her getting distracted from her studies), she started going pretty regularly. That's the "how i physically came" bit.

Why did I come to church? I guess it really stemmed from this... intuitive feeling that there was more to life than what I knew, the... "normal" life of school, work, retire, die. As Solomon said, "Meaningless!" So I guess I came to church wondering whether God was the missing ... cornerstone of my life. And even though this is 4.5 years later, I still don't quite understand how he fits into my life, what he is to me.

What does "my God" really mean? My saviour, my leader, my comfort, my mentor, my teacher? More? So to try to understand better what "my God" really means/ stands for/ encompasses, I have started reading a book on the various names of God.

Next week... a ripping tale with concubines, beheadings, Xerxes and Mordecai.

First person to email me the correct book of the Bible that this RIPPING tale is from wins Carol's Lindt Easter bunny. Dark chocolate. She hasn't eaten it yet, so it's time to help it hop off the pantry shelf! Hee hee.

See y'all on Saturday!

M.

P.S. Krystle or Lydia - if my title is too ungodly, sure we can change it! But you have to come up with the title =)

Slow and steady

I love the idea that this blog is buried somewhere is cyberspace, that among millions and millions of pages, we have a tiny little corner to of our own. And that we will be filling it with things of God, with encouragement for each other. I just think that it is pretty cool : ).

Love what Joyce said, and it is so true. We need to be able to account for why we believe what we believe. Hopefully having to post our testimonies here will get us to really think about it, and be able to articulate it better if anyone should ask us.

And can I also say... I am REALLY excited to get hear from all of you!

So here is why I believe what I believe:

I can't pinpoint an exact moment where it all changed for me. I think it was more of a process than an event- more of an accumulation of realizations and revelations than an instant turnaround.

I grew up in a Christian family, and have never really missed a weekend of church unless I was overseas, or was really sick. But I think the beginning of the push- when I really understood Christ for myself as opposed to hitching a ride on my parent's faith was in the process of moving from Malaysia to NZ.

I remember one night, I was laying in bed the week before I was supposed to move. My parents had gone ahead to NZ to sort some stuff out, and I was staying with my aunt, and my brother was with another aunt. I don't think I had ever felt so lonely. I was just thinking about all the things that I had to leave behind, my friends, my church, everything. Everything was about to change, and as a 13 year old, I was pretty afraid. And I remember thinking- "God, you're coming with me right? I know I have to leave my house, my dog, my school, my comfort zone, everything. But you're coming too aren't you?"

And that night I just felt a peace about me. Because right after I asked the question, I knew what the answer was. It became so clear that there was no distance ,no oceans- NOTHING that could separate me from God or his love for me. He was coming no matter what, and that the would always, always be with me.

That realisation placed a pretty firm foundation for my faith, and I've been on a journey ever since. That night he revealed himself as faithful. And as time has gone by he has revealed himself to me as my friend, my comforter, the all powerful, my strength, my provider, Abba father. And the list just goes on and on.

So I am convinced to my very core, and I know, that I know, that I know- that God is real. Because I have experienced it, and he is more real than anything is this world could offer. Everything on Earth will eventually fade away, so I cling on to The One who is everlasting. Because if everything that is able to be stripped away is taken from me, money, health, family, friends, the only constant that will remain - is God.

Love,

LL

Anchored in Christ

So I have the great honour of kicking this blog off with something that's on my heart, and what better way to start a new beginning than with the beginning of my new beginning? :D My Testimony of God's love, and the start of my epic journey with God. 


I think it is so important to have your own testimony as this will give you something to look back on and remember where it all started, why you felt convicted, why you first began to believe in God, why you're still anchored to Him etc. It also helps to keep the "main thing", the main thing - God, and if a stranger asks, "Why do you believe in God?" your testimony always works as a great way to show the reality of God's love, how relevant he is and how he has/is able to literally change a life.

The gift of salvation is a joyous occasion so plaster it on your walls and celebrate!

So here is how it all changed for me, the foundation of my beliefs and the pivotal turning point of my Christian walk.


Written after Summercamp 2009 

“Summercamp as a whole was an amazing experience. It was totally life-altering, spiritually provoking and insanely fun at the same time.

Prior to this, I was still hanging on to many pains of losing my Dad about a year and a half-ish back, amongst other emotional losses. I was happy on the outside, but essentially it was merely skin-deep, not a happiness that really reached my heart.

I thought I was a good Christian all this time, going to church, attending youth and all. But I still felt held back by my burdens, which then led to me gradually drifting further from God without my knowing. On the first day of summer camp, after the message was preached and everyone had their heads bowed and eyes closed, I could tell the alter call was coming. In what seemed like an hour, waiting for the call, I was still battling in my head whether or not answer it. Questions of doubt entered my mind, wondering what my CG girls (they’re such beautiful people, I love them to bits ) would think of me, or “would it really change anything?” But I felt I needed to, like as if this, could determine the rest of my year. I battled with my worldly mind and my thirst for something more.

I answered the alter call. The most nerve wrecking thing I’ve done, but the most worthwhile, satisfying, freeing act I’ve experienced. I felt like as if I had literally dropped a 10 thousand ton weight off my heart. Since then I have never been happier, never been more convicted in my life. I am so overjoyed with everything, with my friends, my family, and with life as a whole. There’s a new flame, no a new erupting volcano in my life, and nothing, NOTHING, will make it go out. Although I know that I will face a multitude of hardships to come, but now I don’t have to rely on my own strength. I have someone greater, stronger to carry me."

Before this I still believed in God, but never completely understood for myself, or had a personal relationship with Him. I was deeply hurting after my dad passed away and sought escape in all the wrong places; the wrong relationships, the wrong crowd, which left me feeling even more empty and hurt. But on that night at summer camp, I finally let God in. He filled my emptiness with His gentle love, and I felt clean, whole and empowered once again. The gift of salvation is life-changing!

So what's your story?

All my love,

♥ Joyce