God holds all things together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

I realise i can't upload videos in blogspot but do watch it in ur free time. this is a good video portraying the Christ that holds everything together including every organs in our body. I was blown away by this vid.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor 1:18

Some running stuff ...

Ok, those who are running, hope you've received this information. 

Saucony Shoes
one of my favourite running shoes! its so luscious!
this is furnatic man!!

Asics are quite yesterday, if you're interested in good running shoes with proper support to your legs and knees, Saucony is the way to go. I'm introducing you this brand, of course i'm not selling it, but making a brand awareness and increase your knowledge so you all know there are options available. Asics are still good tho'.. :)

Anyway, those who think i'm all crazy for running, this is my heart cry...

i hate running actually. 

However, i've always remembered what my Wing Commander in OCS always tell us- if we're all human, so as long it pains you, it sure pains the person running in front of you. Running is a lifestyle, it is a change of mindset. I don't love it but i embrace it because i find a purpose in doing so. 

Each and every run i go for becomes a battlefield. I have to win my own war of having to step out of my house, don my running shoes and take pride in perspiration (hardwork). It's all in the mind of an athlete, no matter how small your beginning may be...(i can say this cos i'm 'small' sized..heh..)

May i inspire you all to work out today despite your tiredness from studies. Believe me, we are all busy, who's not, really? However, it is more important thy health remains priority because this is the temple of the Holy Spirit whom God dwells in and for us to take good care of. 

Be it running or any other sports, 

Today is the change

...

myself

feel good

Heads up!

Yo babes, some heads up. Supervisor's meeting was just the day before and i thought it'll be good to update everyone. I hope you guys are still checking up this site up and looks like only a few of us maintaining this blog. Lol. Play a bit here with us ma...

Ok, as you've already known, since we started out our support group, it has always been on the mind of gathering together for a christian fellowship unlike others, where there are prayer support, worship support and word support. There is an initiative now for the Speedlight leaders to have a leaders cell group. 

Actually, it means the same thing. Just that there are a little more element to this. How to say lehz? There are some combining happening. Sister Julia's zone leaders will be joining us and we're in the midst of tying down some details and administration. I'm also unclear if the day would change but trust me to work on the details properly for you all to the best of my ability.

Nevertheless, i hope the integrity of a support group will not fail as certain Bible Study (BS) element would be introduced but only with relative chim-ness. Nevertheless, remember we also mentioned that we would be inclusive group, not exclusive, so i'm welcoming sister Julia's zone leaders to join us in this fellowship. 

Some of you might be seeing your ex-cell leaders so it'll be nice but don't be too overwhelmed by their presence the focus of the group becomes lost and all yea? 

The reason for this move is actually identifying that Speedlight leaders need to be fed (if u got no milk, of course others can't drink rite?:). Other than that, sister Julia and i will take on the roles to guide you guys along your journey as a leader. As for me, fellowship must still form the component of a group because Jesus had a fellowship with his disciples. 

1 John 1:3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete. (that's the reason why they gathered)

1 John 1:6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

That's why i choose to love you all, no matter if you're there for support group or not, the support group is there because God is here for us all and we help to support one another. Uniformed groups has this coming: "All for one & one for All!" So all are in the same circle. 
Last but not least, sister Julia's zone will effect most likely in the month of Sep/Oct period. I'm pretty unsure of how this would all go, i'm also uncertain but i have great faith in the Lord He is totally in-charge of all these interesting plans :)

Take good care my dearest(s) in school or wherever you are :)

Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

With God's love & lots of fluff,

Alvin!

Follow up from our heart-heart session

Yo peeps, 

for those who sat on the hot seat, i'm sure the experience was insane but certainly enriching. I strongly encourage you all to write down in your journal wad others said about you and write down how you can improve from them and build on your strengths. As beings(human), we constantly improve through many various channels and by writing it down, you have something solid to refer back to. It's just so sweet the next time when you see you've overcame certain parts of your life, you just simply smile at those things you've wrote. 

~Life is short. Treasure to savour the moment~

I look forward to the next one where we can be in the hot seat again!

With LOTS N LOTS OF LOVE OF GOD,

Alvin!

Leaders' Retreat plus Run photos...

the bright morning sun with the sunshines!

Lovey dovey!

Ah, wad a sight for the breathtaking morning

Huddle up!

'Rocky' 'mountain'

Covering the face was a pretty sight

Jamie wants to kick me doubly hard

"can you feel the sun?!"

Gymnastics

A bird, a plane?

Kelong feel...

nature God intended for our pleasure

Future olympics winner

"got sand! got sand!"

few days haven't been digging right..

sail boats with some funny hair blown

by e rocky break waters

pressing on

cool down...

hot!

some communication going on back there...

insanity

ah! pretty girlz yo

wads this?

sufferers

retreaties

does flour smoothes the skin?

clean-ies

Selah... you've probably heard this before... Impt!!

What Does Selah Mean
-by Tony Warren

hat does the word Selah mean? There has been much conjecture and speculation by some theologians, and due in no small part to this speculation, Christians are frequently confused as to the true meaning of this word. Having been been told everything from, "the original Hebrew has been lost," to "Jewish scholars agree it means forever," it's easy to understand their confusion. In addition, many are assured that because this word appears only in the psalms and a poetic section of Habakkuk (which is not true), they are justified in "assuming" that it is just a musical term indicating an interlude. I have even read that Selah is from an Aramaic word, and it really means worship. All of which serves not to enlighten the Church, but to confuse the issue.

With all of these "experts" making such contradictory statements, one tends to wonder, "can we even really know what Selah means?" The answer to this question I believe is yes. And the answer really shouldn't be subjective or left to conjecture, for there is much we can learn about this word from the Hebrew in which it is written, from allowing the scripture to be its own dictionary, and from comparing scripture with scripture and allowing God to be His own interpreter. All of these things can give us a solid illustration of this word's true meaning.

Selah, [celah], is from the primary Hebrew root word [calah] which means 'to hang,' and by implication to measure (weigh). This is readily understood because in Biblical history, money, food and other valuables were 'weighed' by hanging or suspending them on a type of balance (the equivalent of our measuring scale) to determine their value. We find an example of this word [calah] as it is literally translated 'valued,' in the book of Job, indicating that which is measured.

Job 28:15-16

• "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
• It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire."

The word translated valued is the exact same Hebrew word [calah], and it quite obviously means "measured against." In this context, God is telling us that wisdom "cannot be measured against the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire." Here the translation 'valued' is to illustrate the measuring of something for an exchange. i.e. wisdom cannot be measured with the gold of Ophir. It is beyond that value. In verse nineteen we see this very same illustration again.

Job 28:19

• "The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold."

Again, this word translated valued is the Hebrew word [calah] meaning measured. This passage is declaring of wisdom that, "The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither can it be measured against pure gold." In other words, it is beyond comparison or measuring against. And by these type examples of comparing scripture with scripture, noting a word's context, and how it relates to other words, we can very easily begin to see the true meaning of words. And in this context, this means "measured" against something else, illustrating that wisdom cannot be measured, not even with with pure gold.
What does Selah Mean
So seeing that this Hebrew word [calah] means to 'measure,' as in weighing something in the balances, we better understand how the word Selah [celah], which is derived from it, is illustrating that we should measure or value what has been said. In other words, just as we would say today, the diplomat should, "weigh what he says carefully." Or if we were to say that, "The lawyer measured his words to the Jury." Or again, if we said, "we should consider the Professor's words wisely." All those sentences are speaking of the very same thing. And the word [celah] is used in this very same way. It is an illustration that we should 'measure' or value carefully what has just been said. And you may not realize this (because it's so seldom brought to light), but it is not only in the Psalms and Habakkuk, it is also a word which is used in the lamentations of Jerusalem. And of course, it is 'hardly' illustrating a musical stop or poetic notation there.

Lamentations 1:15

• "The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress."

The four words translated 'hath trodden under foot' is actually the very same Hebrew word Selah [celah]. Here in the lamentations or mourning of Jerusalem, God is illustrating that the Lord has "measured" or weighed all the mighty men in the midst of her. In other words, it is an illustration that they were weighed in the balances, and found wanting (Daniel 5:27), thus their judgement is required. So again we see the word is illustrating measured. And just so that there is no confusion, note carefully that the second part of that verse where it says the Lord hath "trodden [darak] the virgin," is an entirely different word, and indeed means to tred. No doubt in this context, this is why it was thought the word [celah] should also be translated trodden.
What does Selah Mean
As we know, this word is extensively used in the Psalms. And the reason is because the psalms are a prayer book, divinely-inspired songs of the people of Israel, often messianic, allegorical, and historically parabolic. That is to say, history, replete with spiritual meanings. The Selah is there to signal the believer to 'measure' carefully the meaning of what has been said. i.e., here is wisdom, reflect and understand. Just as the Hebrew word Amen [amen] is an exclamation of confidence or truth and certainty of what has been said, so Selah [celah], is an exclamation that we should measure and reflect upon what has been said.

Psalms 4:4

• "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah."

Psalms 9:20

• "Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah."

Psalms 57:6

• "They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah."

Psalms 62:8

• "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."

Psalms 89:3-4

• "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
• Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah."

Whether of urging our meditation upon our sinfulness, declaring God is our refuge, or speaking in 'types' about Christ, this word is an exhortation for us to be wise and measure or weigh what has been said that we understand. It is used in the Psalms seventy-three times, and is also used in Habakkuk three times. Each time it is illustrating that we should measure wisely or 'weigh' solemnly what is said.

Habakkuk 3:13

• "Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah."

This is not a passage to pass over lightly as just a simple narrative. Here is wisdom and spiritual understanding. Whenever we see this word in scripture, we should understand that the Lord is exhorting us to 'weigh' these things thoughtfully, and to reflect and consider in good sense judgment, what is 'really' being said.
What does Selah Mean
And despite claims to the contrary, there is no substantive Biblical evidence that Selah is an interrupter to pause the music while voices continue, nor is there sound evidence that it is for the pausing of voices while the music continues. These ideas are based upon the conjecture and theories of it being a music stop. It is a presupposition rather an well researched conclusion. But what we do know is that it is a word which means to weigh or measure. And in these contexts, to weigh the preceding Word of God and wisely consider them. It is a signature exhortation from God for our thoughtful reflection and weighing of what we have just read.

Selah

..may the Lord who is gracious above all, give us wisdom and understanding, and guide us all into the truth of His Holy Word.
What does Selah Mean
Amen!

Peace,

Copyright ©2003 Tony Warren
For other studies free for the Receiving, Visit our web Site
The Mountain Retreat! http://www.mountainretreatorg.net
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Created 7/01/03 / Last Modified 7/13/03
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What We didn't Notice while the World goes by...

Went for a 7.3 km run earlier and as I was walking to the lift, this sunset in its infancy, yet nevertheless breath-taking, greeted me. Sometimes we're so busy and caught up in living the nitty gritty of our lives, getting stressed and burnt out we forget to just pause, and put EVERYTHING on hold, even if its just for a few seconds to just Stand In Awe of our Creator and Behold His Creation. As the song Still goes "... I will be still and know you are God"

Let us all continue to still our hearts to His purpose and Call on our lives, and not be drowned in the sea of distractions this world represents for us. As Jesus went to pray before his betrayal at Gethsemane (see Matt 26:36-45, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:40-46), he prayed three times "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" - Luke 22:42

I love this verse because we can at once see that though our Jesus is God, He is also very Human as well. Mark 14:34 says that "My(Jesus) soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death", and so overwhelmed our Lord was that in Luke 22:44 it says that "being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Which one of us have prayed with such anguish we bled blood? That was the pain our Saviour went through.

And though His calling was a hard and difficult one, He NEVER let his own feelings/pride/will take over. But rather from His prayer, was Fighting to be in Constant Submission to God at all times. He prayed "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" - Luke 22:42 and when it was not enough, he went back, prayed the exact same prayer AGAIN. He found it not enough still, he went back for the very third time, and prayed the same EXACT prayer he just prayed.

What we learn here is that, if we're unable to reach a point of submission to God, praying and re-praying the same Sincere prayer with all of our hearts will bring us to that point. If we seek Him with ALL of our Hearts. Let us be still and walk softly before Him our King.

Have you been Still today?