A Snippet of Wesley

Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. ~ Ephesians 5:14

...God calleth thee now by my mouth; and bids thee know thyself, thou fallen spirit, thy true state and only concern below. "What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise! Call upon thy God, if so be thy God will think upon thee, that thou perish not."

A mighty tempest is stirred up round about thee, and thou art sinking into the depths of perdition, the gulf of God's judgments. If thou wouldest escape them, cast thyself into them. "Judge thyself, and thou shalt not be judged of the Lord."

Awake, awake! Stand up this moment, lest thou "drink at the Lord's hand the cup of his fury." Stir up thyself to lay hold on the Lord, the Lord thy Righteousness, mighty to save! "Shake thyself from the dust." At least, let the earthquake of God's threatenings shake thee. Awake, and cry out with the trembling jailer, "What must I do to be saved?" And never rest till thou believest on the Lord Jesus, with a faith, which is his gift, by the operation of His Spirit...

Make haste. Eternity is at hand.
Eternity depends on this moment.
An eternity of happiness, or an eternity of misery!

(Excerpted from "Awake, Thou That Sleepest" preached on Sunday, April 4, 1742 before the University of Oxford)

Ed's note: Fantastic eloquence...heart-stirring. In the words of today, "Wake up, you sleepyhead! God is coming soon with judgment and mercy, don't daydream anymore but choose life or death."

up, UP and awaaaaayyyyy!!!

many times we gather to pray. today was such a day. it's amazing how young people pray, earnest and passionate. almost EVERY single time i pray with young people, there's a sense of thrill and urgency in our prayers. heartfelt words, sometimes tears. you'd be amazed how open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit they are. i know i am, often (amazed, i mean). it's a privilege i wouldn't wanna give up, to be able to join in prayer with youth.

today we prayed for those who have left home soil in pursuit of tertiary education or simply, those who have left kk and eklektos. to name each one would take too long, but it was awesome to know that the youth with me this morning cared enough and their 'seniors' mattered enough. those of you who are away for studies, know that you're remembered in our thoughts and prayers.

on a different note, ever wonder whether your prayers reach heaven? i used to think: isn't it like talking to yourself and kinda hoping things would go the way you say you want them to?

'God, help me win a lottery!'
'O Lord, i want that car...no! i want THAT car, erm...this year!'
'dear God, let me know which choice i should make...and when i make the one i want, still just bless me anyway!'

so maybe you may not pray that way, but i guess we all can recognize traces of our motives similar to these examples. but through my journey learning about prayer (and still learning), i discovered it's nothing close to talking to myself. the Source of answered prayers is Almighty! and there's no need to worry we pray the wrong/misguided way - 'cause when you just let God know you want His will to be done above your own, then how He answers your prayers will never be 'wrong', it'll be entirely up to Him. easy, right?

sure lar! we can easily lose the essence of prayer and intercession when we mistake its divine purpose. what's that divine purpose? 'Lord, change me.' don't give up though, keep praying (especially with young people) !

when you pray, something always happens. when you don't, NOTHING happens.

stormy weather? it'll pass.

i know there's been a storm brewing.

because i could feel it.

and now it's here.

have had a stormy 2 weeks (or should i say 'months'), not just because it's been mad-packed! but more because none of them were 'light' for me. brain thinking a lot more, body working a lot more, heart engaged a lot more. to say the least, i've been spinning in a whirlpool of high-impact, emotive and intense events/sessions.

in reflection, of which i've yet to do enough of, i'd say i believe storms like this will pass. you know what? sometimes the most awesome thing God wants to do in your life occurs alongside the worst possible scenario you can find yourself in. it's a euphoria-anxiety cocktail cleverly shaken together, all to produce the most long-lasting and AMAZING aftertaste. resilience is the key. that's where i am now i guess...wondering what i'm talking about? that's not the most important.

all i'm trying to say is that in the midst of the storm, any storm, God is wanting to create a masterpiece at the end of the day. the kaleidoscope through your eyes is still just a few colored pieces in a prism. sometimes our prisms need repairing. then things fall into perspective and we see order. delightfully, i look forward to that day - the pieces in my life falling into perspective because God repairs my prism. that's not fate, nor coincidence, nor wishful thinking.

see your world through God's eyes, and you see purpose and order.
see your world through your own or others' eyes? no absolutes, no clarity, no purpose, definitely no order.

i rest assured i'm caught in a storm with faith in the outcome. God's brewing my cocktail.
and i am glad - that in the worst, i see/touch/hear/feel the possibility of God's best for me in the making. so, holding on...

what storm are you facing? storms like yours will pass.