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Written by Frances Dong
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Thursday, 02 February 2012 09:42 |
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I don't know about everyone else but I am psyched to see this new year at EMP Youth! God is waiting to fill our lives with His awesomeness! Get ready for a night packed with fellowship, fun and praise. Bring your friends :D
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Written by Sharon Shea
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Tuesday, 03 January 2012 23:00 |
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As those of you shown in the above photo know, this photo was taken at our final Youth night of 2011, being the MYF/JMYF Christmas party.
The picture really does show that our Youth is so abundantly blessed with great young (and maybe some slightly older) brothers and sisters in Christ and support from our EMP pastors. The growth of our Youth is extremely encouraging and wonderful to see. A lot of smiles, funny faces, laughter and LOVE shine through when we're all gathered together, like in this photo. A real love that we've been able to experience through our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Saviour. A real love that no one can take away.
So why not each of us, whether in the picture or not in the picture, disperse into our worlds of school, uni, work and into general society and really let God's love shine through to those around us? "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16
And I don't know about you guys, but I've got a feeling in my bones that there's another awesome year ahead for the EMP youth :)
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Another year over… what have you done? |
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Written by Tim Fong
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Wednesday, 21 December 2011 23:36 |
Recently I watched a movie called “In Time”, which for those of you who recognise it, has Justin Timberlake in it. Of course, he wasn’t the reason why I watched it…
Now just to fill you in on the background of the movie, it revolves around that old saying regarding time – “Time is Money”. The movie is set in a future where time literally is money. People stop aging and getting sick at the age of 25. Instead, people have a clock on their arm which tells them how much time they have left before they spontaneously die. When they work, they get paid in time, e.g. three hours, and when they buy something, they pay in time – I think a cup of coffee was ten minutes. ‘Rich’ people have many hundreds or thousands of years to live, while the ‘poor’ can only live a day or two at a time. As a result, rich people live life very slowly, they walk to places and they drive slowly. Poor people constantly live a hurried life of survival, where they are constantly searching for their next ‘pay’.
Although the movie itself wasn’t that great, it does raise a number of interesting thoughts. What if you could fill a room with everything that you’ve ‘purchased’ with one year of time? What would it be filled with? Did you get your monies worth with what you spent? Just like money, there are many things that we can spend our time on, some are bargains, some are rip-offs and some feel like they're really worth it. But rather than spending big on earthly treasures, Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew 6:19-24 that we should be storing up treaures for the life where our clock reads “∞“!
As some of us head into holidays and others continue to work, we should always remember that while we don’t have an actual clock, our earthly lives are always ticking away. I can be really lazy sometimes, and it’s often very frustrating, other times however, we need to remember that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). With another year come and gone, we can reflect on what we have done, what we didn’t do and what we can do in the future.
So as we reflect on the past year, I wish everyone a blessed CHRISTmas and a happy New Year! Take care, stay safe and enjoy!
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Recently I watched a movie called “In Time”, which for those of you who recognise it, has Justin Timberlake in it. Of course, he wasn’t the reason why I watched it…
Now just to fill you in on the background of the movie, it revolves around that old saying regarding time – “Time is Money”. The movie is set in a future where time literally is money. People stop aging and getting sick at the age of 25. Instead, people have a clock on their arm which tells them how much time they have left before they spontaneously die. When they work, they get paid in time, e.g. three hours, and when they buy something, they pay in time – I think a cup of coffee was ten minutes. ‘Rich’ people have many hundreds or thousands of years to live, while the ‘poor’ can only live a day or two at a time. As a result, rich people live life very slowly, they walk to places and they drive slowly. Poor people constantly live a hurried life of survival, where they are constantly searching for their next ‘pay’.
Although the movie itself wasn’t that great, it does raise a number of interesting thoughts. What if you could fill a room with everything that you’ve ‘purchased’ with one year of time? What would it be filled with? Did you get your monies worth with what you spent? Just like money, there are many things that we can spend our time on, some are bargains, some are rip-offs and some feel really worth it. Then you can ask yourself, would you spend more time building up earthly treasures? Or would you spend that time preparing yourself and/or others for a life where your clock reads “∞“?
As some of us head into holidays and others continue to work, we should always remember that while we don’t have an actual clock, our earthly lives are ticking away. I can be really lazy sometimes, and it’s often very frustrating, but also sometimes, we need to remember that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). With another year come and gone, we can reflect on what we have done, what we didn’t do and what we can do in the future.
On a brighter note, I wish everyone a blessed CHRISTmas and a happy New Year! Take care, stay safe and enjoy!
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The Danger of Being in Neutral |
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Written by Nathan Chandra
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Wednesday, 23 November 2011 11:11 |
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Exams are over for me, and for tens of thousands of people across Queensland as well. Many have finished secondary education, wondering what to do; some filled with aspiration, many content with being in no rush to set a new goal. Many have completed one extra year of tertiary education, with a few amongst those completing their entire degree, wondering what to do; some filled with aspiration, many content with being in no rush to set a new goal.
Reflecting on the past year, for many people including myself, the definition of "taking a break" means "anything that isn't work". While this seems like a decent definition, the danger lies in the broadness of the definition. Have you noticed that no matter what is on your to-do list, regardless of how simple or difficult it is, you feel some sort of desire to avoid it? Why? Well I dare say that the simple fact it's on a to-do list and yet to be done, makes it "work".
How then do we work more effectively? Especially in the holiday period, how do we use our time effectively and not go to bed feeling like a day has been wasted? How do we set goals, big or small, and get closer to achieving them every day? An excellent portrayal of the concept can be found in a saying recorded in Proverbs 24:30-34:
30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
Being the sluggard who owns a vineyard means that things quickly get out of hand without proper maintenance. So it is for us. Our vineyard is our family, our study, our work, our health, our friends and most importantly, our relationship with God (not an exhaustive list). If we do not keep a watchful eye on how we spend our time, the things we treasure most can turn out to become burdens for us. Look at the list of the things I included in "our vineyard" above. For each thing, think about how it has been impacted upon by your neglect or procrastination in the past.
Unfortunately for us, it's not easy to fix a situation arising out of long-term neglect; let alone a lifelong habit of inefficiently using time. To get the opposite result we need to do the opposite thing. If our relationships with our family are on thin ice, we'll need to pay more attention and sacrifice more for them, as opposed to less. If we are unhealthy physically or spiritually, we'll need to pay more attention to daily devotion to both exercise and nurturing our treasured relationship with Christ.
What I've said is all good and well for things that need urgent attention, like exams or a turbulent relationship. But what about the things that don't seem to benefit anyone, least of all, us?
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23)
In the past year, the above instruction to the Colossians has found a place in my endeavour to be more productive. For many things in life, we need to realise that working for peoples' sake doesn't always work out nicely. We'll be quickly lulled into the trap of doing things for show, or to make ourselves look good. Moreover, we'll be looking to input the minimal effort required for maximum self-glorification.
If we work for God however, our incentive becomes working for Him. It becomes gratitude for all the things and people we have in our life. We're no longer the focus of our actions, but only a side beneficiary of the fruits of working gratefully, humbly and consistently for our Lord. We no longer see it as our vineyard, but rather the vineyard that God has placed us in charge of. Thorns, nettles and broken walls, they have no place in God's vineyard. But who wouldn't be grateful for the opportunity to prune and nurture a vineyard which is a free gift to them from God!
Have a blessed, safe, relaxing and productive break (for those of you who get one). =)
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Written by Emily Lim
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Friday, 11 November 2011 19:23 |
I thought I would take this opportunity to share something which has helped me over the years. You might have heard me mention it before at Bible study, Youth Fellowship, etc. but I find it so valuable that I think it’s worth posting here for everyone. Hopefully I’m not infringing on anyone’s copyright.
It’s pretty self-explanatory below, but basically, it’s a great test which can be applied to anything and everything we do in our lives, and a way to reflect on what we have done in the past or plan to do in the future. Based on 1 Corinthians, it approaches any issue from 4 different aspects which ought to help us, as Christians, decide how we should then act.
(I highly recommend that you read the book itself, as it is so applicable to our lives today and this is just a small part of it.)
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“Formula: How to Know Right from Wrong”
Taken from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
"'Everything is permissible for me' - but not everything is beneficial" (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Question 1: Is it helpful - physically, spiritually, and mentally?
"'Everything is permissible for me' - but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Question 2: Does it bring me under its power?
"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall" (1 Corinthians 8:13)
Question 3: Does it hurt others?
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Question 4: Does it glorify God?
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So there you have it, folks. I hope this will help you in decision-making in the future :) There's so much to learn from the Bible, so open it up and start reading!
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Seek first the kingdom of God |
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Written by Heidi Yau
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Thursday, 29 September 2011 23:49 |
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“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
(Matthew 6:33 NIV)
It’s getting to that time of year when many students start stressing about finals and assignments. Or if you’re working, perhaps you’re thinking about a job change. Or maybe you’ve got a lot going on at home and you’re not sure how to deal with it. All these huge problems can overwhelm you until there’s no more room in your head to think about anything else.
One of my favourite Christian authors is Max Lucado. He has the wonderful gift of making God’s Word easy to understand and applicable to life. In his writings, he tells this story:
Here is a scene repeated in Brazil thousands of times daily.
It’s early morning. Time for young Marcos to leave for school. As he gathers his books and heads for the door, he pauses by his father’s chair. He searches his father’s face. Bencao, Pai? Marcos asks. (Blessing, Father?)
The father raises his hand. Deus te abençoe, meufliho, he assures. (God bless you, my son.) Marcos smiles and hurries out the door.
As Marcos departs for the day, he requests and receives a blessing. As God’s children, we can also seek and receive His favour each morning as we begin a new day.
How can you seek God first? It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. It can be as simple as waking up in the morning and saying a quick prayer, even while you’re lying there in bed. You could simply say to God, “I’m worried about ____ right now, but I trust that you can help me through it. Please bless everything I do for the rest of the day.”
Or you could try this: instead of doing your daily devotions at the end of the day when you’re too tired and sleepy to concentrate, why don’t you try doing it at the start of the day? It is amazing how much more focused you can be for the rest of the day, if you make God and your relationship with Him the priority in your life.
Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” That is a promise from God in solid black and white. He will enable us to achieve everything we plan to do each day as long as we seek Him first. Imagine all the wonderful things you can accomplish with God’s help, if you start off on the right path each morning!
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