..:: TampinCMC_Youths_Corner ::..

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible(Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you(John 3:16 & John 3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps(Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things(Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it(Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs(Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME(I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you(Hebrews 13:5)

With great power comes great responsiblity. Does this line sound familiar? Well, of course it's taken out of the Spiderman movie, where else did you hear it?

Okay, so I watched Spider Man a few days ago when it was aired on Astro. When I was supposed to be finishing Organic Chemistry. But compare lifeless Organic Chemistry with a spectacular action-packed movie (alright, maybe not so spectacular and action-packed all through, but still, it's a means of entertainment), what do you think I'd choose in that moment of weakness? I did return to my Chem between advertisments though.

The good thing is, I learnt something at the end of the movie, which is written up there as the title. The words first uttered by Peter Parker's Uncle Ben that turned Spider Man into the superhero he was. Having power is a great thing. But power comes with responsiblity. It's not only for us to enjoy and use. If you're good enough to own some power, you must be big enough to take up the responsiblity that goes with it as well.

As Christians, what kind of power do we have? The power to live a victorious life. The power to call upon God's name through prayer. The power of God, because when God is with us, nothing can be against us. God also gave us the power to bind and loosen things both on Heaven and Earth. What wonderful power, better than any superhero's!

The next question is, how could we use our power? Spidey first used his new-found power in the wrestling ring to earn a car for the girl of his dreams. How about us? Do we use the power we have to live out the life we desire? A life where all is smooth perhaps, when prayer is just a call away? Where everything happens just as we want it? Do we merely use the power of our new found salvation to enjoy the fellowship and love of our church-mates?

It's not wrong to use our power that way. In fact, this is one of the reasons why people find it attractive to become Christians. They might have seen the fellowship between us. Or they want a quick solution out of their problems when there's no one to turn to. But when things turn sour, just as when Spidey was cheated out of his rightful pay in the end which he risked his neck for, they don't use that power anymore. Spidey let the robber run off free. And he paid it with his uncle's life.

Luckily for Spidey and everyone in the neighbourhood, he soon came to figure out the new life he needed to live as someone with supernatural powers. That was when he really lived out his mission, his calling to the fullest. Imagine if Spiderman was never bitten by the spider, if he was still plain Peter Parker, quiet and untransformed. He might be able to lead a peaceful life away from the dangers and risks of a super hero’s, but this will result in the neighbourhood being terrorised by the Green Goblin. Many lives would have been lost. What if a Christian is saved, but he hides in his shell, refusing to accomplish the mission Jesus has given to us – saving lost souls? This might save him from a lot of rejection, disappointment and hard work, but the consequence is, souls are lost. And remember that God will account to us for that.

The last thing I like about Spiderman is his humility. When asked the question ‘who are you’ (personally I wonder why you bother to ask that to someone wearing a mask, doesn’t that mean that he doesn’t want his identity found out?), he answers, “ I’m just your friendly neighbourhood spiderman!” He wanted his image to be friendly and neighbourly, not a superhero high above to be viewed in awe and respect, but just ‘someone else in the neighbourhood’ who happens to pass by in your time of need. Christians, we need to learn that too! Be down-to-earth when you’re with non-believers. Don’t use to much ‘holy phrases’ that they do not understand among them, they might feel you’re intimidating them. Mix with them. Be one of them, though you might not necessarily share their values. Be there for them. View them, not as part of your mission, but as friends, friends you love and friends whom you want to share the best treasures in your life with.

Brothers and sisters, superheros do exist. They live in normal people like Peter Parker, you, and me, but in times of trials and need, they emerge strong and comforting, like light in the dark, like salt on earth. Let us learn to be one of them, and at the same time, carry out the ultimate mission Jesus has commanded us so as to fulfill one of the purposes of our life: to go and preach the Gospel to the lost. Remember: with great power comes great responsibility.

I had wanted to share this a long time ago. Since nobody has started to share their personal experiences yet, I'll start off with mine.

First, let me explain what MUET is. MUET is short for Malaysia University English Test. This is compulsory for all students who intend to enter Malaysian universities. I expect all Form 6 and matriculation students will know what I'm talking about. There are 6 bands for MUET. If you get band 1 and 2, you fail the test. Band 3 means just passing. The highest band is band 6 (more than 85%).

My English has always been relatively good. Not extremely good, but still, better than my classmates and most of my peers. To tell the truth, I was aiming for band 6 for MUET. At first I thought that a band 6 was impossible, but since last year they sort of lowered the standard, I began to feel that it was achievable. And it certainly would be a feather in my hat if I had a Band 6 cert in hand when applying for a university, or even for a job.

After a few exams, I was confident that getting a band 6 was within the range of my ability. I don't mean that I was certain I would get a band 6, I just knew it was possible. For every school exam that was graded accordingly, I managed to get a band 6, and was constantly improving towards the date of exam. My MUET teacher in school was expecting me to be able to get a band 6 too. I was satisfied with the results of my school exams, mostly because I knew that my MUET teacher did not give lenient marks. She gave us the marks we should get, and nothing less, nothing more. But being pleased with my results in school was not enough, the important thing was to get the same results for the real thing, the actual MUET that cost RM 60 to sit for, which is more expensive than any STPM paper I'm going to sit for this year.

The day came. I was a bit overwhelmed with the style of the questions, they were not quite the same as what I did before. Still I managed to finish the papers on time. I still remember what my classmates who said around me said. They told each other that I'm on the way to getting a band 6! In fact, before that, most of them were certain that was what I'll achieve. I remembered that when I was writing out my essay, I was rather short of time towards the end. I thought I had half an hour more to go! Luckily for me, the examiners started handing out strings for us to tie up our papers 20 minutes before time. I felt that that was queer - why are they giving us the strings so early? That was when I checked the time and oh my! I hurried on with my writing. My essay ended up complete, but less expressive than usual. The Speaking test was on another day. It was quite easy, and I heaved a sigh of relief.

Last month the results came out. Instead of the desired band 6, the online check revealed that I had a band 5 instead. I didn't know what to expect, so I can't say I was too upset over that. I remember the response from my friend who was online at the same time. We were chatting via the MSN messenger. He said, "... something must be wrong." He got a band 5 too. "Nothing is wrong," I replied. For in my heart, I knew that was true. God had given me a band 5. And if he had given me a band 5, that's the band for me and I must learn to accept it.

However, this was just the beginning. It wasn't too bad to know I got band 5. But to hear that tons of others (who are usually quite behind me in school exams) got the same band was a little bit too much for me. Actually the word 'tons' is an exaggaration. There are only about 8 people out of around 150 or so but that's bad enough. Instead of standing above the rest with a sparkling band 6, here I am, on same footing as they are, with a common band 5! "Thank God for the results," was what my friend told me. I can't remember his exact words. That's what I did, at once. When my mind was still blurred I thanked God without being actually sure of what I'm thanking God for. But now I know!

But before I reveal to you the reasons why I'm giving thanks to God, let me carry on with my narration first. Be patient, it's almost finished! When I got my result slip, I was only missed band 6 by 5 marks. I had the highest mark in school. My teacher felt that I should get more than 50/70 for the writing paper. "You must have got a stingy examiner," she said. "You should have easily got at least 60 and above." That was the part which pulled me down. Anyway, all that was no use now as we couldn't even appeal for the results to be checked over. The only alternative was to resit the exam, which I don't think is neccessary. I did very well in the reading and speaking papers, and got near maximum marks. As for the listening paper, my performace was only moderate.

I admit I was rather upset over the results towards the end, partly because it hurt my pride, and partly because I had a very good tuition teacher who took the trouble to coach me out of the kindness of her heart. She also expected me to get a band 6, and I didn't seem to be, well, bearing the fruits of her labour.

Whatever it is, all this was no coincidence. It happened out of God's will. And God's will is always perfect, the best he could want for us.

The reasons I'm giving thanks to God:

1. Because of the band 5, which is a very good band, and is sufficient to ensure me a place in U (provided my STPM results are also satisfactory), and enough to find a job. I even qualify as an English teacher!

2. Because it's a timely reminder. I've been neglecting my relationship with God at that period, and this is a reminder for me to refocus on him instead of struggling on myself. Once I saw the results, I felt deep down that this is the reason.

3. Because it inspires me to do better in STPM. I felt that I had to work hard, to avoid another disappointment!

4. Because it brought to me the warmth of friendship. One of my friends called me up to 'comfort' me after he knew. I was very touched, though somehow I found it funny at the same time. Comfort someone with a high band! That showed how he cared as a friend. Usually people will say,"You've already got a band 5, that's good enough! It's better than what most people will get." But this guy was kind enough to remember the not-so-happy person with a band 5, as well as the unhappy ones who failed! I really thanked God for him. In fact, I felt that it was worth the band 5 to just receive that call. It also reminded me to learn to be someone like that too.

5. Because God may have forseen the consequences if I have got a band 6. The most probable one - I might have been too proud! That's not impossible, I find it very easy to be proud of myself. (So everyone, think twice before praising me!) I've been trying to control this for a few years, and it's pretty much OK now though. God gave me enough, just enough to avoid my being too proud of myself. This is a lesson of humility. I had and will be using English a lot now, so before I begin to get too proud of this linguistic ability, God used the MUET to humble me first.

There are many more such reasons, but these are the main ones. Now MUET is long over and STPM is coming up! So to all of you who are also studying, work hard! God will take care and provide for our future, but we've got to put in some effort first. So may the Lord be with all of you! And all glory be unto His name!

..:: TampinCMC_Youths_Corner ::..

ABC's of Romance

This article is reprinted from Christian Singles News

Attention. Everyone needs/wants attention. Pay attention to the object of your affection. You'll end up with more affection!
Balance. Who wants to spend time with a one dimensional non-entity. Variety is the spice of life. If you are a football addict, try a symphony concert. Allow a reasonable time for the various phases of life--work, play, worship, family, study.
Christ. The relationship that starts with Jesus at the center has a much better chance of lasting that one that is 'self' centered.
Diamonds. Jewels are nice, gold is nice, material possessions are nice, but remember this: Someone asked the accountant of John D. Rockefeller how much the tycoon had left when he died. The accountant said, "Everything!" John D. didn't take a thing with him. Neither will you. Look for the diamonds in people. Much more valuable than the fleeting ones that sparkle.
Enthusiasm. Everyone gets excited when a super excited person is around. The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words, 'en' meaning 'in', and 'theos' meaning 'God'. Thus it means literally "God within". If you have God within you, you are really alive--full of life and vitality. And it shows to the people around you.
Freedom. Everyone wants freedom. The first place to be free is in your own mind. If you are mentally/spiritually free; no one can imprison you. What is hard is to let the other persons in your life be free, too. To be completely free, you must allow others to be free as well.
Give. Share good news. Be willing to share the bad news of the other person. Learn empathy--stronger than sympathy. Sympathy says, "That's too bad." Empathy says, "That hurts me, too. Let me help you fix it." Give of yourself. Giving flowers is nice. Cooking a meal for your love is nice. Giving of yourself, wholly, completely is true love.
Heaven. Very few people are willing to do right now to go to heaven. But we all want to find heaven on earth. I have good news. It can be done! If you practice the Golden Rule, an amazing thing will happen. First, the people in your life will start treating you better. Second, you will like yourself better.
Importance. Everyone is important. "God don't make no junk." If you treat a person as if he/she is extremely precious, behold, that person will start acting as if he/she is precious. What follows is you will start getting treated as if you are extremely precious, too. (Aren't you?)
Join. Join in life. Join your friend in fixing the broken washing machine. Join in having a picnic. Join in prayer. Join in singing. Join in visiting a relative of your friend in the hospital. Join in sharing romance. (Real romance is sharing life--not just the candlelight dinner times.)
Knock. Jesus said, "Knock and it shall be opened unto you..." He did not say, "Sit on your duff and I will bring everything to you." If you want to have something, you have to make an effort. Jesus feeds the birds, and will take perfect care of you, too. But even the bird has to open its mouth if it wants to eat. If you want a good romance, or anything else, you need to work at it.
Laundry. The shirts get dirty, so do the socks and all the rest. It would be interesting to see the results if we could compile statistics on how many relationships go on the rocks because of laundry--or some other mundane chore. It doesn't matter who does the laundry (or dishes or oil changes or ??), but someone has to. The important thing is that such things are done in a way that is satisfactory to both parties. The key is communication. Talk to each other. Learn what is important. Get inside the other person's head.
Major. Most of us major in minors. That is, we get the important things and the trivia all mixed up. Does it really matter whether you eat at 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock? Yet many arguments start over such small things. Find ways to neutralize the minor things. The major things will take care of themselves. You each want to squeeze the toothpaste from opposite ends of the tube? Buy a tube for each of you and stop fussing about how your love squeezes it.
Newness. Ah, the thrill of a new romance! The sky is brighter, the air is clearer, your step is springier. The trick is to keep it 'new'. As humans we have a tendency to want more, to want different than whatever we already have. Remember that tendency in your courting. When you are romancing your new love, you try to do all you can to make life exciting and fun for your hoped-to-be significant other. What you need to do is to "keep on truckin'" "keep on courtin'". Don't ever stop! No matter how many years you date/have been married; keep on courting. Otherwise, it will get OLD.
Old. People like new things, not old things. So don't allow your relationship to become one of the 'old' things. Even after a marriage of 50 or 60 years, the moon looks a lot better when it's shared walking hand in hand. Keep on courtin'.
Promise. Some people operate on the basis of "promise them anything". Politicians for sure do. Trouble is when the politicians don't deliver on the promises, the voters become unhappy/disillusioned. So do lovers! Promise only what you intend to keep. Then KEEP YOUR PROMISES.
Quench. We're all thirsty for love. As the song says, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing there's just not enough of." I've never met anyone who told me they had too much love. I've also found the only way to get more love is to give some away. (I'm talking true love here. Not a jealous love or possessive love. [Jealousy/possessiveness is not love anyway--it's the opposite.] Don't confuse 'love' with desire for the other person or lust either.) You can quench the thirst for love of your intended love by simple acts. Say, "Thank you." or, "I like it when you smile that way." or, "You surely did a good job on that _____."
Revere. As Rodney said, "I don't get no respect." Most of us don't get enough respect. We all need to be valued as persons. Value the person you 'love'. If you don't respect him/her, how can you say you love him/her?
Scrabble. Were we getting too serious? Lighten up. Life is to be enjoyed. Jesus spent as much time at dinner parties as he spent in Sermons on the Mount. Play scrabble, or volleyball, or go skiing, or just play for the sake of playing. Tell a joke. Let your love know you are a real, honest-to-goodness human.
Trouble. It comes to every life. Like joy, trouble is better when shared. Unlike joy, it's better if you don't dump yours on others. Much better to keep your antennae out to share the trouble of the people around you. Help to lighten their load.
Umbrella. Aetna Insurance offers hold an umbrella over us to keep the storms of life from being as severe. Why not hold an umbrella over your 'love' to soften the storms.
Vitamins. Did you take your vitamins today? 'Vita' is Latin for 'life'. So did you add life to your being today? More, did you add life to the being to the person you love today? A glass of water served with love will do it. A compliment will do it. A hug will do it. A kiss will do it.
Walk. Walking is good for your physical health. Walking together is good for the health of your relationship. I've lived in the same house for seven years. My next door neighbors, Paul and Connie, go walking down our sidewalk every afternoon when Paul comes home from work. I love to watch them. They have been married 28 years. They hold hands while they walk like brand new lovers.
Xenophobic. (A strong dislike/distrust of strangers.) You won't have much romance until you start liking people. God made something good in everyone. Look for the good in people around you.
Yes. It's a magical word. Everyone wants to hear it. Say it whenever you can. More than 'saying' yes, also do 'yes'--find ways to help, ways to "go the extra mile".
Zest for life. Without zest, you are not really alive. With it, life is wonderful, people are wonderful, and you can enjoy heaven on earth even now. Come alive. Discover how great everything can be. Life is either an exciting adventure--or nothing. Your life can be exciting. If you come alive, everyone around you will love you more. Try it and see.

By A. CRESSY MORRISON, (Former President of the New York Academy of Sciences)WE ARE STILL IN THE DAWN of the scientific age, and every increase of light reveals more brightly the handiwork of an intelligent Creator. We have made stupendous discoveries; with a spirit of scientific humility and of faith grounded in knowledge we are approaching ever nearer to an awareness of God.For myself, I count seven reasons for my faith:First: By unwavering mathematical law we can prove that our universe was designed and executed by a great engineering intelligence.Suppose you put ten pennies, marked from one to ten, into your pocket and give them a good shuffle. Now try to take them out in sequence from one to ten, putting back the coin each time and shaking them all again. Mathematically we know that your chance of first drawing number one is one in ten; of drawing one and two in succession, one in 100; of drawing one, two and three in succession, one in 1000, and so on; your chance of drawing them all, from number one to number ten in succession, would reach the unbelievable figure of one in ten billion.By the same reasoning, so many exacting conditions are necessary for life on the earth that they could not possibly exist in proper relationship by chance. The earth rotates on its axis 1000 miles an hour at the equator; if it turned at 100 miles an hour, our days and nights would be ten times as long as now, and the hot sun would likely burn up our vegetation each long day while in the long night any surviving sprout might well freeze.Again the sun, source of our life, has a surface temperature of 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and our earth is just far enough away so that this "eternal life" warms us just enough and not too much ! If the sun gave off only one half its present radiation, we would freeze, and if it gave as much more, we would roast.The slant of the earth, tilted at an angle of 23 degrees, gives us our seasons; if the earth had not been so tilted, vapors from the ocean would move north and south, piling up for us continents of ice. If our moon were, say, only 50,000 miles away instead of its actual distance, our tides might be so enormous that twice a day all continents would be submerged; even the mountains could soon be eroded away. If the crust of the earth had only been ten feet thicker, there would be no oxygen, without which animal life must die. Had the ocean been a few feet deeper, carbon dioxide and oxygen would have been absorbed and no vegetable life could exist.It is apparent from these and a host of other examples that there is not one chance in billions that life on our planet is an accident.Second: The resourcefulness of life to accomplish its purpose is a manifestation of an all-pervading Intelligence.What life itself is, no man has fathomed. It has neither weight nor dimensions, but it does have force; a growing root will crack a rock. Life has conquered water, land and air, mastering the elements, compelling them to dissolve and reform their combinations.Life, the sculptor, shapes all living things; an artist, it designs every leaf of every tree, and colors every flower. Life is a musician and has taught each bird to sing its love song, the insects to call one another in the music of their multitudinous sounds. Life is a sublime chemist, giving taste to fruits and spices, and perfume to the rose, changing water and carbonic acid into sugar and wood, and, in so doing, releasing oxygen that animals may have the breath of life.Behold an almost invisible drop of protoplasm, transparent, jellylike, capable of motion, drawing energy from the sun. This single cell, this transparent mist-like droplet, holds within itself the germ of life, and has power to distribute this life to every living thing, great and small. The powers of this droplet are greater than our vegetation and animals and people, for all life came from it. Nature did not create life; fire-blistered rocks and a saltless sea could not meet the necessary requirements.Who, then, has put it here?Third: Animal wisdom speaks irresistibly of a good Creator who infused instinct into otherwise helpless little creatures.The young salmon spends years at sea, then comes back to his own river, and travels up the very side of the river into which flows the tributary where he was born. What brings him back so precisely? If you transfer him to another tributary he will know at once that he is off his course and he will fight his way down and back to the main stream and then turn up against the current to finish his destiny accurately.Even more difficult to solve is the mystery of eels. These amazing creatures migrate at maturity from ponds and rivers everywhere - those from Europe across thousands of miles of ocean - all bound for the same abysmal deeps near Bermuda. There they breed and die. The little ones, with no apparent means of knowing anything except that they are in a wilderness of water, nevertheless start back and find their way not only to the very shore from which their parents came but thence to the selfsame rivers, lakes or little ponds. No American eel has ever been caught in Europe, no European eel in American waters. Nature has even delayed the maturity of the European eel by a year or more to make up for its longer journey. Where does the directional impulse originate?Fourth: Man has something more than animal instinct - the power of reason.No other animal has ever left a record of its ability to count ten, or even to understand the meaning of ten. Where instinct is like a single note of a flute, beautiful but limited, the human brain contains all the notes of all the instruments in the orchestra. No need to belabor this fourth point; thanks to human reason we can contemplate the possibility that we are what we are only because we have received a spark of Universal Intelligence.Fifth: Provision for all living is revealed in such phenomena as the wonders of genes.So tiny are these genes that, if all of them responsible for all living people in the world could be put in one place, there would be less than a thimbleful. Yet these genes inhabit every living cell and are the keys to all human, animal and vegetable characteristics. A thimble is a small place to hold all the individual characteristics of almost three billion human beings. However, the facts are beyond question.Here evolution really begins - at the cell, the entity which holds and carries the genes. That the ultra-microscopic gene can absolutely rule all life on earth is an example of profound cunning and provision that could emanate only from a Creative Intelligence; no other hypothesis will serve.Sixth: By the economy of nature, we are forced to realize that only infinite wisdom could have foreseen and prepared with such astute husbandry.Many years ago a species of cactus was planted in Australia as a protective fence. Having no insect enemies in Australia, the cactus soon began a prodigious growth; the alarming abundance persisted until the plants covered an area as long and wide as England, crowding inhabitants out of the towns and villages, and destroying their farms. Seeking a defense, entomologists scoured the world; finally they turned up an insect which lived exclusively on cactus, and would eat nothing else. It would breed freely, too; and it had no enemies in Australia. So animal soon conquered vegetable, and today the cactus pest has retreated - and with it all but a small protective residue of the insects, enough to hold the cactus in check forever.Such checks and balances have been universally provided. Why have not fast-breeding insects dominated the earth? Because they have no lungs such as man possesses; they breathe through tubes. But when insects grow large, their tubes do not grow in ratio to the increasing size of the body. Hence there never has been an insect of great size; this limitation on growth has held them all in check. If this physical check had not been provided, man could not exist. Imagine meeting a hornet as big as a lion !Seventh: The fact that man can conceive the idea of God is in itself a unique proof.The conception of God rises from a divine faculty of man, unshared with the rest of our world - the faculty we call imagination. By its power, man and man alone can find the evidence of things unseen. The vista that power opens up is unbounded; indeed, as man's perfected imagination becomes a spiritual reality, he may discern in all the evidence of design and purpose the great truth that heaven is wherever and whatever; that God is everywhere and in everything that nowhere so close as in our hearts.It is scientifically as well as imaginatively true, as the Psalmist said: The heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.