While looking for past youth photos to feast my eyes on (yes, i know i should be mugging hard), I chanced upon this Bible Brain Busters book which someone gave my brother awhile back. It's a good youth resource, because the way it puts forth Bible trivia is very interesting. My brother and I spent some time testing each other and had an incredible amount of fun.

Here's one example from just one of the many categories:

Identify the mystery person.
Heritage: My dad's name was Amoz
Occupation: A prophet
Favourite pasttime: Writing biographies of kings (I wrote two)
Favourite outfit: A mourner's coat
Memorable phrases I've coined: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace
Personal philosophy: You don't always see the fruits of your labour, but you work anyway.
Biggest embarrassment: Naming my son. Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

Interesting eh?

reading week.

i dont' really know how to describe what was going on over the past two days. in between the mugging and hanging out with the youths was this sense of helpless pleading for God's deliverance for someone who has been so instrumental in my life this year.

on one hand, it was a struggle to surrender the outcome and acknowledge God's sovereignty. on the other, His peace did flow like a river and it transcended all understanding. though there still lingers some uncertainty, i really thank God for the successful op today.

indeed, those who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Like a river glorious, is God's perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do.
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.


Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

"If God wants you to trust Him, He puts you in a place of difficulty. If He wants you to trust Him greatly, He puts you in a place of impossibility. For when a thing is impossible, then we who are so prone to move things by the force of our own being can say, 'Lord, it has to be you. I am utterly, absolutely nothing.' "
-Donald Gray Barnhouse

Heh, I read this quote in one of my books today.

"On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then He'll call me some day to my home far away,
where His glory forever I'll share."

haha, i do feel like this is where i am now.