Test of Faith like Gold in Fire

Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so is your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1: 6-7

Happy is the man who is at peace in his work, just as God put Adam to work before he discovered Sin.

Lenz

The Living Years - Mike and the Mechanics

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door

I know that Im a prisoner
To all my father held so dear
I know that Im a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
Im afraid thats all weve got

You say you just dont see it
He says its perfect sense
You just cant get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence

(chorus)
Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
Its too late when we die
To admit we dont see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
Its the bitterness that lasts

So dont yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you dont give up, and dont give in
You may just be o.k.

I wasnt there that morning
When my father passed away
I didnt get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
Im sure I heard his echo
In my babys new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Pondering: Appreciating Women

Since most of us men are easily able to discern a woman's physical beauty, can we as easily appreciate her beliefs, ideals and character?

A business which can successfully combine the classics of a piano and the modern trend of hip-hop will be a gem, like this video.

kiss! kiss! =P

Creed of Power and Obedience

I believe, with my heart and soul, that the Lord has given me precious powers and resources to change the world and make it a better place.

The Lord has given me an amount of time to live here on earth. This is my gift from Him as a precious resource. This I believe.

The Lord has given me my five senses as a powerful tool to observe and make sense of this world. I will use it closely in conjunction with my mind, under the supervision of my spirit.

The Lord has given me the power of free will to consciously choose the righteous path in His honour.

I shall not idolize these powers, by using them as an end in itself.

I completely adhere to these truths.

Amen.

Prayer to be in the Here and Now

I want to be in the present moment.
My mind is aware that I am here and now.
And the only moment to be alive is the present moment.
I do not want to be in any other life.
There is only one life, one existence, one chance.
There is no other place I want to be more than where I am right now.
Let my body, mind and spirit settle into one place, focused.
This is Truth.

With inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist Monk:
"I know this is the only moment.
This is the only moment that is real.
To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment is our most important task.
Calming, Smiling, Present moment, Only moment.
I hope you will try it."

An academic course is not something to be learnt intensively over a short period of time before the examination, but over a reasonable period of time with patience, ‘simmering’ in its knowledge and growing as an intellectual person.

Work is Good!

Jesus answered them, "My Father is always working, and I too must work."
John 5 - 17

Empathy

the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

People who live a life of carnal pleasures do not like training and learning of the mind, body and spirit as it opposes their ideal beliefs. They cannot see past the pain and suffering of learning and into its growth and enlightenment of knowledge, strength and wisdom.

what do you think?

Lust and Love

Men in lust (in wanting) have sex to satisfy the urge like a bad habit. It will return time and again to haunt them like a bad memory.

Men in love (in giving), have sex to ultimately express his happiness and joy in knowing his partner, by giving his body as the greatest possible gift for a human being. To celebrate that close-knitted relationship of an experience unique only to the two of them.

what do you think?

Students like to ask:

"Do we have to do these questions for homework? Did the teacher prescribe it?"

A student with deeper foresight will first ask:

"Why do we have to do these questions?"

Having had the answer, he can decide on doing it on a more credible basis, based on the potential benefits reaped.

Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist Monk

Being Peace

"From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax, to be peaceful, we may wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we can walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on Earth. This is not a retreat, it is a treat. During walking meditation, during kitchen and garden work, during sitting meditation, all day long, we can practice smiling. At first you may find it difficult to smile, and we have to think about why. Smiling means that we are ourselves, that we have sovereignty over ourselves, that we are not drowned into forgetfulness. This kind of smile can be seen on the faces of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

I would like to offer one short poem you can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is the only moment.

"Breathing in, I calm body and mind." This line is like drinking a glass of ice water - you feel the cold, the freshness, permeate your body. When I breathe in and recite this line, I actually feel the breathing calming my body, calming my mind.

"Breathing out, I smile." You know the effect of a smile. A smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face, and relax your nervous system. A smile makes you master of yourself. That is why the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are always smiling. When you smile, you realize the won-der of the smile.

"Dwelling in the present moment." While I sit here, I don't think of somewhere else, of the future or the past. I sit here, and I know where I am. This is very important. We tend to be alive in the future, not now. We say, "Wait until I finish school and get my Ph.D. degree, and then I will be really alive." When we have it, and it's not easy to get, we say to ourselves, "I have to wait until I have a job in order to be really alive." And then after the job, a car. After the car, a house. We are not capable of being alive in the present moment. We tend to postpone being alive to the future, the distant future, we don't know when. Now is not the moment to be alive. We may never be alive at all in our entire life. Therefore, the technique, if we have to speak of a technique, is to be in the present moment, to be aware that we are here and now, and the only moment to be alive is the present moment.

"I know this is the only moment." This is the only moment that is real. To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment is our most important task. "Calming, Smiling, Present moment, Only moment." I hope you will try it.


***

Even though life is hard, even though it is sometimes difficult to smile, we have to try. Just as when we wish each other "Good morning," it must be a real "Good morning." Recently, one friend asked me, "How can I force myself to smile when I am filled with sorrow? It isn't natural." I told her she must be able to smile to her sorrow, because we are more than our sorrow. A human being is like a television set with millions of channels. If we turn the Buddha on, we are the Buddha. If we turn sorrow on, we are sorrow. If we turn a smile on, we really are the smile. We cannot let just one channel dominate us. We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to seize the situation in our hand, to recover our own sovereignty.

When we sit down peacefully, breathing and smiling, with awareness, we are our true selves, we have sovereignty over ourselves. When we open ourselves up to a TV program, we let ourselves be invaded by the program. Sometimes it is a good program, but often it is just noisy. Because we want to have something other than ourselves enter us, we sit there and let a noisy television program invade us, assail us, destroy us. Even if our nervous system suffers, we don't have the courage to stand up and turn it off, because if we do that, we will have to return to our self."

Mark Wills - Don't Laugh At Me (a song for the kids =P)

Naruto: Sasuke is my friend.
Someone who i was finally able to form a bond with,

Sai: A bond? But still, against Orochimaru, you...

Naruto: I don't care who I have to fight!
If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death.
If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death!
If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death!

And if he gouges out my eyes, I'll curse him from beyond the grave!

Even if I'm torn to shreds, I'm taking Sasuke back from Orochimaru!