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Tanjonny
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Name: Jonathan
Country: Malaysia
Gender: Male
Interests: I am one who takes much pleasure in creative arts: dramatic works to be precise. My preferred music is acoustic folk & pop rock. I also very much enjoy sports that involve teamwork, court coverage and sweating it out. (Golf's outta the picture) *grin*
Occupation: Public Relations executive
Industry: Public Relations
Message: message meEmail: email me
MSN: tanjonny@hotmail.com
Member Since:
10/28/2003
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| taking stockevery now and then, there comes a point where we wonder: "wat's the point?"
sometimes it's life. sometimes it's work. basically, we're lost. everything's meaningless - ever get that? kat and I have this conversation aplenty.
I think Yeng hit it on the nail with her latest post - tt we forget the essence of Matt 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."
SEEK FIRST. The greatest joy this life can ever give is a close walk with God. But no, I'd rather indulge in other things - but security of money, a "good" life a.k.a. nice house, good enough car, money to give kids good education. I mean, at my age, who doesn't think about these things?
But then, my good friend SW has been sharing on how work's eating his life away. And then you stop again, why do we bother piling in the hours. Sigh. I believe this is a lifelong wrestle. Necessary?
ADDED UNTO YOU. I guess when you seek God, you'd obtain a happiness that all the other 'goodies' no matter how pathetic or lavish, will merely come as supplements or bonuses. We wouldn't thrive on them nor suffer in their absence, knowing full well that we are whole in God.
This, is what we've come to know. But as we drone on day after day, it's obvious we never learn.
we're not very different from those 'stupid' Israelties back then. | | |
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From Kee Ken's blog.
If I prevail over laziness, I would've had liked to talk about the U.S. trip and the sending off of one of my closest and dearest friends. Believe me, I would have so easily cried - but everyone was in denial! Positive peer pressure. Will miss ya bro. Sigh.
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| Japanese 101Got this from MYC! campus magazine. Informative and hilarious at the same time. You'd be surprised how well your articulate the intonation perfectly. Shows we watch way too much anime. Heh!
Yih Shan, this is for you! Go bamboozle your darling with new-found vocabulary. ;)
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| Declaration of dependenceThey say as you grow older, you learn how to stand on your own... to be independent.
I'm learning quite the opposite actually.
The first 5 months of 2009 has been, if anything, a discovery of how frail and pathetic I can be on my own. No, wait. Perhaps the phrasing is a tad bit negative. It should read: the trials and circumstances I've been through thus far have shown me how much further I go when I learn to depend and trust in others.
When I consider work, it's been a year which could have been tumultuous. A new client in an entirely new sphere which the team had little experience or know-how in. It was literally stepping into the unknown and learning to crawl. A bit like how God called Abraham to leave his home country in Haran. A step of faith.
Bringing God into the equation, he's made us pull through. I don't know bout my colleagues, but I pray fervently for every day that comes before us. That God would give us wisdom to make right decisions, to see things we would otherwise miss, to maintain our standards of excellence for what our clients pay us for. To do everything in a manner that pleases and honours Him. Of course, we play our part. Until today, I must say that things have been going right - very right, in fact - and humbly I take it that God has been pleased.
Easter was another test of faith. When I started writing a script in which I truly was God-inspired, it came as a heavy blow when it was shot down. I was disappointed, no doubt. However, there was a sense of release knowing that this was part of God's plan. The point I want to make here is that 'when you know God is in control, and I mean REALLY know He is in control, we can let go and let God.
That's what I did. Going against my nature to whine and complain, I gathered close friends and we came up with a plan B instead - which turned out to be a great blessing to the church! In hindsight, probably even more so than Plan A would have if we had stuck to it. I still ask God why then did He 'inspire' the initial script then? I still don't have an answer, but sometimes, it's not so much in the 'finding out' as it is with the 'trust and obey'. To say we believe in faith, obedience must follow.
And God has delivered.
Recently, Footstool Players won the Best Group Performance at the Boh Cameronian Awards. There was an element of romance to it in the sense that it was the 7th year since the awards' inception, which mirrored our 7 years in existence. For Christians, 7 is often the number association for 'fulfilment' or 'completion'. It was apt on such an occasion. I'll admit that I wasn't as shocked as the team because deep down, I knew that we had to win this - not so much for our ability, but for the proclamation it would make. Yes, that Christian drama could dish it out with the heavyweights of the 'secular' world. More so, I feel, the fact that a play portratying true, Godly love in its purest ideal would be acknowledged. On a night where the theme of 'love' was sarcastically and cynically made fun of, it was indeed a triumph for the love that God originally intended to be.
One of the key lessons I've learnt during my 7 years in Footstool is that God always gets his way. So, make sure you're taking the road He's taking and not being a road block.
Another key aspect of God's outpouring of blessing in my life is in the area of relationships. Having confessed my difficulty to love, God has strategised a means for me to learn. And I have seen some of these bear fruit. It's very intangible, but one knows when he's on the right track. I have also been loved much in return, by many whom I can't even begin to understand why they would.
God has blessed me so much, that I am at times speechless. I've not been perfect. I've not been completely obedient. Yet I think that perhaps, God is looking at my heart and intent, and He sees that I genuinely want to change and am desperately trying to. Another lesson springs to mind: "It is obedience, not success, that God so desires."
I am not at liberty to discuss all these in detail, more so the greatest gift He has presented thus far. Truly, a godsend - but perhaps, another way in which He would mould me in learning to be more like Him. God is sovereign. The moment we accept that He can make things wonderful if we obey and all things wrong if we rebel, we stand to regard Him more highly. With humility and reverence, subjects will finally discover the rewards of earning the King's favour.
And my, these riches are not attainable through cash.
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| Getting back in the groove.The word 'groove' is something I commonly associate with playing the bass. It's that certain 'feel' or the 'movingness' of a particular music. When I was still picking up bass as an instrument, the numerous teachers I had also had a tough time explaining to me the concept. Today, I think it's kinda like "feeling the music" or if you can bob your head, there's groove. Mraz has it. Jamiroquai has it. Jackson 5 has it. Don't know about Disney songs though.
However, groove in another context is also the "momentum" of things. As per the title, it's about getting back into a certain system or way of life.
I live a very hectic lifestyle. The nature of my job requires that I work rather long hours, and it's a lot of moving about and being very dynamic. Adapt quickly to change, learn to deal with demanding characters, get the job done. Further compounded by the nature of my ministry at church - keeping up with energetic youths, nuff said! - it's pretty chock-a-block on a day to day basis.
I find my days move at such incredible pace that even when I do take a day off, I find it increasingly difficult to just sit still and chill at home - even though I tell myself that's what I'd love to be doing! I'd rather be out and about with friends or finishing something up so that I'd have time later (to do what with, I don't know!).
Things kind of built up to a climax last week with a huge project at work and Easter culminating at the same time. My productivity was at its best. Now the problem started when I fell sick after Easter - very sick. The viral fever grounded me (think helpless groaning kid on couch) for a good few days.
Even then, my stubborn self forced myself to get out and about - because there were people I needed to see, and time doesn't wait even for the sick.
Fast forward a week, and I'm still so weak. Feeling very lethargic and unmotivated to try exceedingly hard at anything. Figures why I'm blogging, I guess. But this lethargy isn't merely confined to physicality. Over the months, I've found myself being very "lazy" with ministry. My energy and enthusiasm, which are my strengths, have been waning... and I think the youth under my care feel it too. I just have not been giving them my utmost.
Is this perhaps a case of Pastor Steven Low's "Overcrowding of the soul"? It just feels so congested in there. You feel like you need a breakaway. But then again, I don't know what's a good detox session to clear my mind and my spirit. Another Frasers getaway like last year? Perhaps. But then again, I don't see a foreseeable weekend that I'm free to go anywhere anytime soon.
So, it's quite a catch-22 ain't it? You want a pit-stop to get back in the groove fresh. But yet, you can't escape this slowing tempo and you're struggling to match the rhythm. Anyone care to fill in for a session? :)
And then there's the case of being distracted... but we'll leave that for another day.
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