A very very very important reminder

I like reading articles off the net once in a while. What happened was this: I receive weekly updates on Kuala Lumpur Church of Christ's website and when I was checking through my mails yesterday, I realized that I haven't been visiting their website lately, and so I did it and yes! I received a good reward in return =) And I feel that I need to share this too because it is a very important reminder to Christians- I don't know if it is okay to post the excerpt here, if it isn't then somebody please alert me so that I can take it down in no time. But I will post it anyway for now.

What Members Of A Congregation Owe To Each Other

by Robert Meredith


There are many things that can cause problems within a congregation. Some of those problems are doctrinal. It is sad that many congregations no longer care about the “old paths” set forth by God. Some are concerned more with numbers than they are real growth. Another source of problems within a congregation is how the membership “gets along.” The Scriptures teach us (Titus 2:12) that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we owe certain things to each other. Let us notice a few things that hopefully will help us be what God would have us to be.

The basis of Christian relationships is love (1 Corinthians 13:1-7). A Christian must show love towards others of like faith (2 Peter 1:7). This love will manifest itself by different characteristics, one of which will be a general caring for others. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). This verse simply means to put others ahead of yourself. If Christians would seek to fulfill this command, they would find that they would begin to grow spiritually. Christ is our great example in this area. He did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28), and Christians owe it to themselves and others to put others ahead of self. This caring about others will help develop warmth in relationships, sincerity in character and sympathy in other’s struggles.

Another quality that members of a congregation owe to each other is patience. The Apostle Paul instructed Christians to have this characteristic in Ephesians 4:2, “With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. Patience will manifest itself by one’s being slow to criticize others. Unwarranted criticism can cause tension which will disrupt the peace and harmony of a congregation. Some criticism is required, but patience and wisdom will cause one to offer constructive criticism when it is needed, not before. Patience will also cause one to seek to restore those who have fallen away from Christ. Paul penned, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1-2). Christians should be long-suffering with other, and some need to be strengthened more than others. Some individuals need help more than others because of spiritual immaturity, being young in the faith or enduring a trial that caused them to stumble. Other Christians owe them patience as they try to restore them.

Respect is another thing which members of the church owe to one another. The fact that one is a sibling in Christ makes one worthy of respect. Respect for one another can be seen by talking and listening to others. “Clicks” harm a congregation’s growth. It is true that people will spend more time with people their own age or people with whom they have more in common; however, one should not be too restricted in his associations. Conversing with everyone and showing that you care about their needs will greatly encourage them and will benefit you even more. Years ago, at another congregation, I was asked by the elders there to start a visitation program. This was a great work and hopefully much good was accomplished through that work. When I was organizing teams, I was informed that certain people should not be put with certain others because they did not get along. My friends, if children of God can not get along on earth, how do you expect them to be in heaven together? Respect is also shown in being courteous. Being kind and considerate of others is essential to being a Christian (Ephesians 4:32).

Members of a congregation also owe to other members enough love to practice what the Lord commands concerning church discipline. When one has departed from God, Christians must go to that individual in an attempt to win him back (James 5:19-20). By following Jesus’ instruction as found in Matthew 18:15-17, members of the church are demonstrating love for God, His church, His word and His wayward child. If you were physically lost, would not you want your loved ones to make every effort to find you and bring you home safely? How much more grave are the eternal consequences for a person who is spiritually lost. One should make every effort to find that lost sibling and encourage him to return to God’s grace. Sometimes that requires “tough love;” the withdrawal of fellowship to prompt the person to repent.

Members of a congregation owe other members so much. Visits to those who are sick, or bereaved over the loss of a loved one are other things that we owe one another. There are so many areas in which most Christians need to grow. Let us strive to help others, and in so doing we will be helping ourselves even more.

Disclaimer: This excerpt has been taken from klcc.faithsite.com

Sharing

I love people who love God. It's pretty amazing how we can speak to each other so easily and be so comfortable even though we're strangers.

We have hope. And that hope comes with charity and faith, we all know that. And that is good to hear because God is good. And it feels so good to share our faith together.

Amazing sermons always bring me to tears. Because whatever that is preached is true and it speaks of God and His word.

I love to always continually talk about God and what He has done for us in our lives and what we have learned from Him and the church. I yearn to be a better Christian, who upholds morality and virtues and not in the matter of excellence- you know, like taking bible exams and scoring great results in them- seriously, being a good student just by memorization is nothing to be proud of. We need to have application in our lives because we are living examples- to ourselves, to our friends, to our family and to strangers.

I always wonder why we are so caught up in the secular world that we forgot to speak about God and Christianity to our fellow church friends whenever we have the time to catch up with each other and hang out. It puts me into even more bigger surprise when I find myself talking about God and Bible and Church to strangers who love God as much so easily and so lovingly. Because, then, I know just how much I love God. And how much God loves me. And you. And basically everyone.

Love of a Christian is just simply amazing, isn't it?

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

I feel God has taught me so many things today. I don't even know how to put them into words. But today, peace and serenity came back to me again. I made good friends today. And I just realize how much I miss church and people teaching God's word and being around people who love God and church just as much. These are the precious precious things in my life that I miss most in my life. Because I don't want to move from this holy holy place. I don't want to move from the sweet embrace or the nearness of Your face.

I am resolute that from now onwards, there will be no more rubbish talk from me, no more excuses for negligence and being playful. Because I must continue my quest in seeking God and His righteousness. To be worthy in His presence. To be more Christ-like.

Every passage in the Bible is my favorite. So this passage below is one of my favorite that I would like to share:
1 Corinthians 2

1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

Paul is an amazing example, isn't he? Having him preaching and always encouraging is just so fulfilling. Together, we always put God and Christ first in our minds and lives. Because God is so good, because He first loved us and we come to love Him too.

I love talking about God. I just simply love it. It's just a blessing to be able to talk about Him already, what more when we can share and find our true self in Him.

Someday, I want to be part of a missionary. That would be great. Yeah, why not? It is good to pursue a dream than to never have done anything at all. =)

Only gray

Every exam period has always been a sad moment for me. But never had I imagine that a simple subject could put me down this much. R, your good luck pee didn't work.

And I have never been ever this disappointed in myself- Yes, I am utterly extremely wholly disappointed in myself.

Sometimes I wish I could turn back time. But then again, I could never imagine myself going through that hell that I've been through last year again.

This course is really wearing me out. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. Period.

Time and strength have are like my eternal enemies down to the core. More than these, the greatest enemy is myself. I wish I have photographic memory like Will Hunting's. I wish my brain could work and register faster like Albert Eistein's.

But I can't.

I lost myself.

God, what should I do?
I know I have to stand back up and start all over again once I got gunned down.
Time o time don't pull out something like this and leave me behind so fast.

There aren't colors anymore that I can see.

Only gray.

There are some crazy people who try hard to get you out there

Verify Your Account now To Avoid It Closed‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏
From: Windows Live Team (jaqueline_cutey1@hotmail.com)

Dear Account User


CONFIRM YOUR WINDOWS LIVE ACCOUNT SERVICES. VERIFY YOUR HOTMAIL ACCOUNT NOW TO AVOID IT CLOSED !!!

This Email is from Hotmail Customer Care and we are sending it to every Hotmail Email User Accounts Owner for safety. we are having congestions due to the anonymous registration of Hotmail accounts so we are shutting down some Hotmail accounts and your account was among those to be deleted. We are sending this email to you so that you can verify and let us know if you still want to use this account. If you are still interested please confirm your account by filling the space below.Your User name, password, date of birth and your country information would be needed to verify your account.

Due to the congestion in all Hotmail users and removal of all unused Hotmail Accounts, Hotmail would be shutting down all unused Accounts, You will have to confirm your E-mail by filling out your Login Information below after clicking the reply button, or your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons.

* Username: ..............................
* Password: ................................
* Date of Birth: ............................
* Country Or Territory: ................

After following the instructions in the sheet, your account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention to this request. We apologize for any inconveniences.

Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his/her account after two weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

Sincerely,
The Windows Live Hotmail Team




This is OFFICIALLY the second time I have received such an email.
I remember replying to the first email I received ages (okay, months) ago. And no, OF COURSE I did not give away my personal information.
Come to think about it now, the way I replied back then was so innocent =)I managed to dig it out of my "Sent" folder:



Sent: Sat 9/06/08 7:56 PM
To: datasectionupgrade@live.com

I'm sorry but how do I know if this is not a fake? I do not wish to give out my personal information to you, personnel who did not even introduce yourself. My details are all in the account; you could find them there easily if you are really managing the data in live.com. There are many bogus emails being sent; and the sender used a verizon.net account. I have never even heard of such account.


> From: bodeniyi@verizon.net
> Subject: Windows Live Account Update, Please Comply
> Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 18:51:34 -0700




ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't believe I am laughing at the PAST ME who was a few months old younger!!!
Because the ME right now would have dumped it into the Deleted folder right away without hesitation- except for this one time alone- I was actually about to dump it into the folder when it occurred to me that "hey I gotta blog and tell the whole world about this!"
There may be people out there who are so sweet and young and innocent and naive and they could be tricked really easily by spammers/phishers.
So, YOU, if you think (know) you're one good girl/boy, don't fall into the hands of these predators and make yourself an easy prey.

Notice the email account. jaqueline_cutey1@hotmail.com??!! Maybe everyone should start spamming this account instead as well???? *mischievous grin*
Mark the grammar. Come on, look at the title: Verify Your Account now To Avoid It Closed‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏?! Okay, I know my grammar is not all immaculate but we have to watch out for these people.

It is time to wear our armor and keep our eyes and ears and mouths open!

"The wickedness of the world is so great you have to run your legs off to avoid having them stolen from under you.
[Threepenny Opera 1928]
Bertolt Brecht, 1898-1956"

He plays

The Beginning:

I still remember vividly the first time I met you. You wore your favorite black shirt and jeans, with your hair cropped into a crew cut and your big hands residing always in your pocket jeans. It was a huge birthday bash my best friend threw and I was bored all evening around people whom I wasn't familiar with.

You didn't know me back then. I didn't either.

But your existence inscribed hard onto that chapter of the diary of my life when your gaze fell on me catching me staring at you and with a smug on your face, you walked towards the grand piano in the hall and fingered the keys gracefully, transforming the melodious music notes into the most beautiful Rachmaninov's piece I've ever heard.
Watching your lean calm back, I fell in love with you for the first time.
Nevertheless, when you ended your playing, I got a hold on myself, shrugging off the feeling as a foolish little crush and took off from the party with a rush of adrenaline blended with a heavy self-inflicted compunction. Love at first sight is a fool's illusion after all.
A week later, I visited my favorite music store. It was one of the most unique stores- unlike a typical one, this store has a piano in the middle and there will always be someone playing, be it a staff member or a regular customer. That's when I met you again, playing a different piece- it was a Debussy's.
And this time, you didn't play till the end. You stopped abruptly, looked up and caught me staring subconsciously at you again.
"You like the piano?"
That was the first time I heard your voice.
"Yeah." I nodded apprehensively.
"Do you play the piano?"
"Yeah." I nodded again.
"Do you want to play together?"
"Huh?!" I was startled by your offer.
"I'm asking if you would like to play a piano duet with me?" Your lips curled into a genuine smile.
I lifted my finger up and pointed it to myself, quipping, "Me?"
"Come on, join me; I can't play this piece alone." You started playing the Blue Danube Waltz duet style. Your eyes then beckoned me to fill in the empty space of the seat you were sitting on.
Responding to your persuasive invitation, I placed my fingers on the board and filled in the duet's part. We played and played all day.
"You played beautifully. What's your name?"
That was the first time you complimented me. And I realized, that's when I fell in love with you again.
"Christine." I blushed.
"And you have a beautiful name too. My name's Gary. Would you like to have tea with me?"

*****
The conclusion:

I looked at you with my tears streaming down my cheeks, ruining my make up at the same time. After a still moment of crying while you waited patiently for my answer, I looked into your eyes and nodded, saying, "Of course, my dear."

You gently took my hand, placed the ring through my fourth finger of my left hand and lifted my chin up lightly and drew your lips upon mine to give me the sweetest kiss ever.

The words you whispered into my ears were still echoing over and over again.
"Sweetie, will you marry me?"

"Baby, remember the song "Your call" by Secondhand Serenade?" I asked quietly.
" 'Waiting for your call, I'm sick, call I'm angry; Call I'm desperate for your voice...' " you sang when I stopped you when I place my index finger on your lips.
"I was born to tell you I love you.." I sang with my choked voice, hugging him in the moment.
"I love you, baby. I love you, love you," I whispered.
"I love you too, my beautiful Christine."

*****
I remember writing this last year. I couldn't complete it because I had a lot of things to do then. Maybe I'll continue the story. And re-edit some parts. Such as the first encounter- it happened too fast.
This story always reminds me of the feeling that I had when I wrote it. It wasn't anything like me liking somebody at that moment at all, no. Inspiration came upon me and the feeling was like....magic... I know that's so Sleepless Nights in Seattle, but I understood the real meaning then. =)
Love is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street.
I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky.

[As I Walked Out One Evening]
W.H. Auden, 1907-73, English born Poet

Going country again

john denver songs
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Perhaps Love
John Denver & Placido Domingo
Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don’t know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel

And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some love is everything
And some say they don´t know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it’s cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you.


I remember that when I first heard of this song, I fell in love with it immediately, having it replayed over and over again for days, no, weeks.

I absolutely love John's songs. And his voice too.

john denver songs
Download free mp3 | Download free music

Annie's Song/You Fill Up My Senses
John Denver
You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime,
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert,
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses,
Come fill me again.

Come let me love you,
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter,
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you,
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you,
Come love me again.

[Instrumental]

Let me give my life to you
Come let me love you,
Come love me again.

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime,
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert,
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses,
Come fill me again.

This song below was featured in one of my favorite anime movies- Whisper of the Heart (Yes, I LOVE Hayao Miyazaki's works!):

john denver songs
free Music download | free Mp3 download

Take Me Home, Country Roads
John Denver
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountains
Shenandoah river -
Life is old there
Older than the trees
Younger than the mountains
Growin like a breeze

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads

All my memories gathered round her
Miners lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine
Teardrops in my eye

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads

I hear her voice
In the mornin hour she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
And drivin down the road I get a feelin
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Take me home, now country roads
Take me home, now country roads

john denver songs
Free mp3 download | free music download

Goodbye Again
John Denver
It's five o-clock this morning and the sun is on the rise
There's frosting on the windows pane, and sorrow in your eyes
The stars are fading quietly, the night is nearly gone
And so you turn away from me and tears begin to come

And it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leaving you,
Goodbye again, cause if you didn't know, it's goodbye again
And I wish you could tell me, why do we always fight when I have to go?

It seems a shame to leave you now, the days are soft and warm
I long to lay me down again and hold you in my arms
I long to kiss the tears away and bring you back your smile
But other voices beckon me for a little while.

And it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leaving you,
Goodbye again, cause if you didn't know, it's goodbye again
And I wish you could tell me, why do we always fight when I have to go?

I have to go and see some friends of mine, some that I don't know
and some who aren't familiar with my name
It's something that's inside of me, not hard to understand
it's anyone who'll listen to me sing.

And if your hours are empty now who am I to blame
You think if I were always here, our love would be the same
As it is the time we have, is worth the time alone
And lying by your side the greatest peace I've ever known.

And it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leaving you,
Goodbye again, cause if you didn't know, it's goodbye again
And I wish you could tell me, why do we always fight when I have to go

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