Wahahaha, back for more eh guys! Just to let you know, i am re-typing this entry cos... er, my internet connection suddenly got cut off when i was going to publish... ARGH!!!!! but hey, thanks to you folks, i am only motivated to eat more OF MY PRECIOUS STRENGTH AR!!! you better appreciate the fact that i am still typing right now! wah, since when i so angst? haha, nothing to do with you all lah, so relac k? So BACK TO BUSINESS!!!!!!!!

Heh, so ya about the documentary of the mysterious gift... hmmm, wonder why i called myself the mysterious gift of God? Here's my name explained.

Ivan( or pronounced Eye-vern ( if you english that CMI! )) : it means God's gift.

Woah, my mum told me she chose my name.Cool right, but here's the shocker, she did not know that my name means "GOD's Gift"... here's another shocker, my chinese name ( ARGH! GO AHEAD AND LAUGH YOU E>V>I>L pple, haha) Its Miao Song. K guys its not meow song so get it right k? or someone is going to get hurt a real bad! haha. It means, you guessed it, mysterious gift. Haiz, case you dunno, names are really symbolic and mean alot, sometimes it carves the destiny of a person. My life was rather normal, but somehow i know God got a bigger picture... hmmm, 5 years from now you all check what i doing, guess you all will know my destiny by then.

Oh yeah, NORMAN! CONGRATS MAN!haha, you know why you won? haha, guess lah... I SAID GUESS LAH! HAHA. cos i gave you the perfect vote. why perfect? Cos i voted 7 times! haha, thats $4.20 for you man! All the way, and build on ya stage presence, and soon i know i will have a brother in christ out there in the entertainment industry. God open doors in the most unexpected places so ya, it is God's will you made it so far too! but if its God's will that you do not win, believe me, no matter how hard you try, you cannot bend his will. He can open doors, it means that he closes them as well. When? Its when he says "No". The Holy Spirit giving you that gut feeling that you have, telling you no... It means maybe its not his plan for you. It may be painful, but have Faith man, his ways are beyond our ways. SO NORMAN! DUN GIVE UP ANY PART OF THE JOURNEY! ALL THE WAY! So ya guys, pray that he grows from this journey cos this might be his stepping stone into his future career.

Okay... ( drum rolls ) tutututututututututu! CHIANG! Ladies and gentlemen, May i present to you the man you all been waiting for, the man with a the great insights, the man who fear no evil, except for his grandma of course ( crowd laughs ). HERESSSSSSSSSSSSSS IIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVAAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!! ( crowd roars )...

Lime light settles in, a gentle sturdy youth, hair of a brown flare, suit of a thousand dreams, He stood among the crowd on a teak, but rotting table.

"MY Friends, brothers and sisters, I greet thee!, I come with greetings in our Lord, our father!"

the crowd shabbily replied, " Good evening!". The atmosphere was set, everything seems to be in place. Some were uncomfortable and starting shifting a little in their seats, but yet they still were held in intense anticipation.

Wiping a drop of perpiration, I began to speak...

3)A renewed comprehension

Once again, let me TELL you the reference text. Mark 4: 35-41

REFRESHMENTS! (always good fer ya ) : In the first entry we spoke of God allowing suffering to be on this earth, he wants us to earn our keep. He acknowledges that suffering is part of our every day life, and we are quick to shoot God by saying" Dun you care?"

2nd lesson we talked about Jesus sleeping while the storm was tossing and flipping the boat about. So do you still think Jesus does not know whats going on in your storms?

Today we will be looking through what's God's perspective of the matter, according to the parable of mark chapter 4: 35-41. From where we left off, Jesus was found sleeping in the stern of the boat. And the disciples woke him up saying"Teacher, dun you care if we drown?"

Here's another significance of this passage. Notice that the disciples of Jesus called him teacher. It is right by calling him that, however, they still did not recognise that he is the Son of God.

verse 39: "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the winds died down and was completely calm." Remember the sea was life threatening? With one word ( or three words rather ), God calmed the storm. WOW! God works the same way in our life as well, with one word, he can take a storm out of our lives. However, he wants us to ask. The thing is that the disciples were not wrong in telling the Lord, " dun you care? ". However, Jesus do care.

Lets look at verse 40: "He said to his disciples, " Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" So Jesus scolded his disciples, not because they asked with wrong intentions, but because they do not believe that Jesus would do something about it.They had no faith. Jesus was on board! What was there to be afraid? We can have this security, knowing that when we allow Jesus into our lives, Jesus will see us through the storms.

Ah hah, but alas the most important verse is the last verse, although its contradictory, verse 41:" They were terrified and asked each other," Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" See verse 40 when Jesus said:" Do you STILL have no faith?", understand this, Jesus reveals himself enough to his disciples through his messages and miracles. However, his disciples still were not convinced. Don't you think that its human, to just want to prove everything, esp. things that seem too good to be true? Jesus is, and he came to prove, and to give salvation.

God knows your problems in life. He wants to hear it like how a loving father would hear you speak. He wants to let you know that he cares, and that he is there for you. But why does he takes a whole storm then reveal himself? Its to show to you his character, and his faithfulness to us. I can imagine that if Someone else was in Jesus' place? He might hav jumped overboard and started swimming... and God is going through the storm with you, remember he was in the boat, not floating by or appearing only when he is needed.

Take time to give thanks for the little things he have done for you, and the trials that made you who you are today. I hope that this week's lesson assures you that God is faithful. Are you?

Signing out, Ivan.




FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!