Once again, I drafted a few entries before this one. Two in fact. They shall remain in writer’s-block world till some catalyst gets them going.
What have I been up to in the meanwhile? Still spring cleaning. I’ve uncovered lots of documents, papers, notes which reminded me of the past 2 years. Yes, my spring cleaning backlog goes back a long way :p
Lots of memories being brought back, and lots of lessons learnt, that I’ve since forgotten. I’ve been reminded of a bible study series where we went through Psalm 23. Upon perusing that document again, I’m reminded of God’s continual presence and providence in my life. The oh so familiar verse of Romans 8:28 is particularly apt now…
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Oh well, we’ll see how it goes… I really hope I can post that entry soon. Back to spring cleaning O_O
I just started picking up reading as a hobby, the last time I read this intently was in primary school (I left manga out of the equation). So much to read. And I’ve just subscribed to an audio book service =). Been also hearing a lot of Daddy speaking to me, singing to me, serenading me even! So much to listen to. Been adding on quite a number of stuff on my ‘to learn’ list. So much to learn.
Read, Listen, and Learn. Ah! This is getting fun. Well, all these can’t quite begin until I get my spring cleaning done. And that isn’t quite fun. Argh.
Anyway, I just chanced upon a few songs by Casting Crowns which really piqued my interest in the band/group. I’ve heard of them before, but never really heard their songs & lyrics; Well, except for the familiar Who Am I. Their lyrical style is really unique. It’s not that literal, and consists of a lot of inner thoughts, ruminating if you would. Here are two songs in particular which are really deep. Paraphrasing from Wiki: Mark Hall, the lead vocalist, describes the band’s music as ‘a ministry of discipleship’. I like that. I like songs that cause people to think. I like making people think from another perspective, through the use of song, and it’s contained lyrics. That’s why I make sure to carefully choose the song set whenever I’m leading worship. I’ll pray for a theme/message that God wants to speak through me to His people, and structure the songs around that theme. Today’s entry will be abit different, I’ll embed videos to those songs in my entry, followed by the lyrics.
sit back and enjoy. No, scratch that. I don’t want you to sit back and enjoy. I want you to sit back, listen, then think. I’m not going to use an LJ-CUT, oops this is not LJ. Er, I’m not going to use a ‘read-more’ tag for this post, so you’ll have to scroll through the entire entry :p
***Disclaimer! I do not regard the songs below as ‘Worship’ songs. Except for ‘Who am I’ perhaps, hmm. The other two are more of, cries, crying out.***
Who am I?
Who am I? That the Lord of all the earth, Would care to know my name, Would care to feel my hurt. Who am I? That the bright and morning star, Would choose to light the way, For my ever wondering heart.
Not because of who I am. But because of what you’ve done. Not because of what I’ve done. But because of who you are.
Chorus: I am a flower quickly fading, Here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean, A vapor in the wind. Still you hear me when I’m calling, Lord you catch me when I’m falling, And you told me who I am. I am yours. I am yours.
Who am I? That the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love And watch me rise again Who am I? That the voice that calm the sea, Would call out through the rain, And calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am. But because what of youve done. Not because of what I’ve done. But because of who you are.
She is running A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction She is trying But the canyon’s ever widening In the depths of her cold heart So she sets out on another misadventure just to find She’s another two years older And she’s three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she’s going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning For shelter and affection That she never found at home She is searching For a hero to ride in To ride in and save the day And in walks her prince charming And he knows just what to say Momentary lapse of reason And she gives herself away
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she’s going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
If judgment looms under every steeple If lofty glances from lofty people Can’t see past her scarlet letter And we’ve never even met her
If judgment looms under every steeple If lofty glances from lofty people Can’t see past her scarlet letter And we’ve never even met her
If Judgement looms under every steeple If lofty glances from lofty people Can’t see past her scarlet letter And we’ve never even met her
Never even met her (Never Even Met her)
(OHHHHH)Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see? Or does anybody even know she’s going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? (Does anybody hear her?) Does anybody see? (Does anybody See?) Does anybody even know she’s going down today? Under the shadow of our steeple (shadow of her steeple) With all the lost and lonely people (Lost and Lonely people) Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
Stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails Is there anyone that falls Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
Cause when I take a look around Everybody seems so strong I know they’ll soon discover That I don’t belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too So with a painted grin, I play the part again So everyone will see me the way that I see them
*Chorus* Are we happy plastic people Under shiny plastic steeples With walls around our weakness And smiles to hide our pain But if the invitation’s open To every heart that has been broken Maybe then we close the curtain On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who’s been there Are there any hands to raise Am I the only one who’s traded In the altar for a stage
The performance is CONVINCING And we know every line by heart Only when no one is watching Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free If I dared to let you see The truth behind the person That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open Or would you walk away Would the love of Jesus Be enough to make you stay
Chorus x2
Well if the invitation’s open To every heart that has been broken Maybe then we close the curtain On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails Is there anyone that falls Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
If there’s one thing you must know about me… it’s that assumptions will be the death of me.
I hate making assumptions, and I dislike people making assumptions. Obviously clarification is the way to go, but in some circumstances it’s hard to do so, isn’t it? -sigh-
I don’t like using preogatives as an excuse. I will put my pride down if it means that the Lord, my God shall be glorified through such situations.
To summarize this entry, here’s a mish-mash of lyrics. Don’t take the order of the lyrics, or the lyrics themselves too literally. It’s… abit cryptic as usual.
You’re not the boss of me now, I don’t really care, It’s my prerogative, Don’t look back in anger, I heard you say, Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be so hard, I just want to say hello again, But I don’t know how….
Lol. I await the day I can finally get that hairstyle, grrr. I won’t have much to post these days. Almost everything has been settled, and I’m in the midst of writing up the ‘gameplan’.
In other news, I don’t know if I should go back to the grungy style of yesteryear. It’s easier for me, but I’m cheating with all the filters and brushes. I found Bamboospace, which I hope to be using soon as a platform for Bean.
I think I’ll be focusing part of my energies on twanging, which means RIB & WF would have to take a back seat for now.
One of the cakes at Grandma/Aunt’s place on Christmas Eve. Su has the better picture, w/o the cover, will get it from her.
WY! The new, redecorated tree!
I was actually intending to post a long entry. But I’ve decided against it. Too tired now anyway. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, solitude with Daddy again =) Where will we go? =)
On another note: Driving on the expressway is scary. Ice skating is scary, but fun. Driving is not fun. It’s always scary, especially when I’m responsible for the lives of others in the car.
The hiatus is over. That the 2nd half would only take one day. Actually, one night of deep sleep with the help of an air purifier my students got for me. Last night’s sleep led to this morning’s epiphany. Now I know what I need to do. Now I know what’s wrong.
I was supposed to begin the 1week internet fast yesterday. But I’m bailing out of it. Bailing out of some other ‘fasts’ too. Because some things really need to be addressed and I’ve been sitting down for too long.
On another note, my psp kicks with all the new fw’s themes
Hiatus is not over yet, but I guess I’m in the 2nd 1/2 of it. I’m sorta 容光焕发 now =) It’s a wonder that came out of the malady. 2am has a whole lotta meaning now. Ha.
I’ll let some of the pictures do the talking, once I’ve compiled all of them from various sources :p
Anyways, here’s another announcement…. After much discussion with Daddy… ‘The PG Diaries’ has been put on hold. It’s very difficult to follow through with the project. I’ll try to explain why.
The purpose of this blog (it’s somewhere in an early entry, I’ll have to search), was mainly to let peers and acquaintances get to know me better. One of the main goals is also to edify readers of the blog. If I were to go ahead with ‘The PG Diaries’, it’d be very difficult to do so with the current presentation style I have in mind. Mostly it’ll still be very incoherant and and the bulk of it would be fictional. Not that fiction is bad, but … another medium, presentation style would be more suitable.
Hence, for now I’ll be working more on ‘Bean’. I haven’t thought of a title yet, but the working title as of now is ‘Bean’. It’ll be in a presentation style that I’m more familiar with, and I think the message would be more easily brought across. As of now, I’m still gathering material for this work. If you know me well enough, you’ll know my thoughts are jumbled up. So I figured it’d be better if I could compile the message/s into chapters or themes. I really enjoyed myself today, finally finding a haven where I can think and write. =)
I’m still not sure if I should purchase a tablet yet, for the purposes of this work. But I’m happy because I know I’m getting on to something =)
It’s great when you’re looking forward to the tasks that you have to complete the next day. I’m back to that groove again.
And that ends this entry. (Pictures in a few days time, when I get them).
With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm, smile at the storm, smile at the storm With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm as we go sailing home
Sailing, sailing home, sailing, sailing home With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm as we go sailing home!
Some of the young’uns sang this song earlier this week. The lyrics caught my ear and I went to google it. I think I must have sung it before when I was really really young, probably at the age of 3. What amazing lyrics they are, to be as a reminder.
Smile at the storm. Imagine that. Amazing!
I need to be able to exude joy again. I can’t go around with a defeatist look on my face all day. The battle has been won. If I were to carry on like this, I’d be saying that Jesus died on the cross for nothing. But the opposite is true. Christ is victorious and I’m victorious together with Him. Remember. Remember this. Drill into my head, heart, soul.
Thank You Daddy!
