I posted a few months back on a Christian radio station called Air1 that provides commercial-free Christian music. They're 100% funded by listeners. This was the station that really turned me on to Christian artists and music, and what fills my ears every time I sit at this laptop.

Well, recently they've come under financial hardship, and need donations more than ever.

I'm not asking any of you guys to donate, as most of you all probably haven't even heard about this station prior to this blog. However, I think we forget just how hard it can be trying to glorify Christ as His body. Inevitably, we're gonna run into hardship here on Earth. But we're the body, and as such, we have certain obligations to each other.

I hope and pray that the next time a part of the Body of Christ that you know needs help, be it financial, emotional, or prayer support, don't discount just what kind of an effect you can have.

A Christian book called The Purpose Driven Life has a chapter entitled "Worship That Pleases God". Here are a few important points, followed by opinion on my part:

We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship Him insincerely.

Agreed. Recognizing our own shortcomings and faults is the key to this. Seriously, how can we possibly try and worship our supreme God to perfection? We can't! We don't have the ability or talent or to aspire in giving God a worship that is worthy of His very name. HOWEVER, what we can do is worship Him within the spectrum of what He has given us, meaning we give it our all (weak as it may seem).

To worship Him insincerely, though, is a big mistake. God Himself tells us to worship with our "whole heart, mind, soul" etc. To not utilize every ounce of our being in giving Him what He so rightfully deserves is not only a misunderstanding of who He is, but is also an insult to He who's given us such an awesome relationship with Jesus.

At the same time, you may genuinely THINK you're giving a sincere worship, yet you could be so far off. This is where the truth of knowing Him comes in. Our worship needs to not only be heartfelt and personal, it also needs to be accurate; as the book says, "deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal."

Christians seem to be stuck in a worship rut (an unsatisfying routine) because they force themselves to use devotional methods or worship styles that don't fit the way God uniquely shaped them.

Indeed, it's said that we are all so infinitely different. For us Christians, we came to know Him under totally different and unique circumstances. We all learn and speak to Him totally differently. And we all certainly have our own unique and different way of expressing our joy for Him.

Our worship team has been blessed this term in learning more and more about the beauty of worship. One prevailing idea we've tried to teach and administer is to not be distracted by yourself. You know, the one who keeps you from unleashing your love for Him, the one who keeps your bum glued to your seat and hands to your sides, the one who makes you worried about pitch and frequency and beat. No, instead, you need to get rid of that self-consciousness of what is "right" or what is "circumstantial" and just really pour out your love. Shift the focus off yourself and how you may look when you sing praise.


I'll try and add more later..!

I've spent the past while reacquainted myself with my cats. Sounds funny, but really, just like people change, animals change as well. Case in point: Emma, who used to enjoy playing exclusively with paper balls, has now found a new passion in munching on pencils! Conversely, Sebastian is still a schmuck: he's found a new favourite food: zee-choi! (errr, Chinese seaweed?)

A number of friends who've returned home told me that one of the things they look forward to the most is seeing their animals, like Billy and his adorable dog, or Jen and her hampster. Animals are soooo awesome!

But above all these, the best thing this weekend was seeing Simon getting baptized. The blessing of the Cross has been realized by this young man, and he's ready to take it up daily and serve God wholly. Praise our Father!

Tomorrow morning ends my journey through this December examination period. I've been blessed with good health, (relatively good) attentiveness and alertness, and general patience during these supposedly stressful times. These few weeks have been .... nice.

I used to unfairly compare my dynamic life here in London with the static life I live back in Toronto. But as the day of my return home approaches in mere hours, I can't help but think how blessed us students are to have an "ordinary" life to return to. The pace of life will slow down, and we'll be able to step back a little and enjoy more of the small things in life. I know a lot of us have neglected our God-given responsibilities to and from our Lord, so hopefully this'll be a time to get back in the spiritual swing of things.

I talked to my best buddy in T.O. today, and we've got some awesome plans already. We'll be enjoying some LOTR, basketball, sports, and debates about life! Also, I've been (secretly) planning to play a Gamecube tamagochi-type game called Animal Crossing, which will probably suck up a ton of my loose time. Excellent =)

Hope you all enjoy your time back home!

It's alright
It's okay
I won't worry bout tomorrow
For it brings me one more day
Closer than I was to you

The life our God has given us is too meaningful and too brilliant to worry. Don't fret!

Studying downtown at Central Library today, and wow, what a gorgeous atmosphere! Leather chairs, private study rooms, eat and drink wherever you want, bird's eye view over the city, adjacent mall to alleviate spots of boredom...if only it was closer and had better hours, this library would be the perfect place to study and relax.

If only I had a digicam to take pics...