Tomb said to be of Christ

In the Star newspaper (World - W37) dated today, it was reported...

New York: A new documentary by Titanic director James Cameron claims Jesus had a wife and a son, citing evidence from his alleged burial site that contradicts the Bible's account that the Christian son of God was single. Cameron and his co-filmmaker Israel-born Simcha Jacobovici said on Monday their research suggested Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a son, Judah, who were buried with him in the Israel cemetery.... and blah blah blah (you can get the full news from the Star Newspaper)

The recent Da Vinci Code movie was already a washed-out. All the evidences that they claimed true were disproved. So, what we have now - another controversial issue about Jesus deity? Not again? Didn’t the skeptics learnt their lesson? Of course, the skeptics never share the same view. Dan Brown claimed Jesus descendants settled down nicely in France and now, we have the whole family buried in Jerusalem. And each claimed they had found the truth!! James Cameron said, “as a documentary film maker, I should not be afraid of pursuing truth.” I suspect its more the money he is after than anything else. Sorry, I am no “Titanic” fan.

Anyway, controversies such as these can be real good platforms for us to share about the good news. So, all is not lost – perhaps, it is free publicity for the Christians. Did you smell opportunities to invite your friends for our upcoming Easter Celebration?

Let us celebrate His resurrection. Indeed, He is alive today!

You can read more about this subject in the following links:-
Academy Winner of “Titanic” James Cameron Navigates “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” (http://newsblaze.com/story/20070225195821howa.nb/newsblaze/NEWSWIRE/NewsBlaze-Wire.html)

Discovery Channel to roll out Freemason Cameron on Jesus Tomb Claim (http://www.raidersnewsnetwork.com/full.php?news=3171)

Scepticism expressed about Lost Tomb of Jesus claim(http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/middle-east/article2308613.ece)

4 more days to go!

Our Big Day Approaching!!!

She ain't heavy, she's going to be my wife

Very the happy!!! See those big smiles =)

Elliot Yamin

Finally, his first single, "Moving On" is out. Check out here: http://music.aol.com/artist/elliott-yamin/808989/main

I think the chorus is quite catchy, but I must say his rendition of "Moody's Mood for love" is still my all-time favorite!

Way to go man, Elliot!

Breaking the Sabbath???

John 5:16-23 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." ¹⁸ For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. ¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

To understand what things Jesus were doing on the Sabbath, we need to read the passage before it, verses 1-16. Jesus’ response to the Jews opposition was after he healed a man who was paralyzed for 38 years- which could be just one instance of recorded "things" that Jesus did. After the man was healed and began to walk while carrying his mat, the Jewish leaders objected him since he was ‘working’ on the Sabbath. But then they discovered something else- Jesus was the culprit who healed this man, so they forgot completely about the man and moved on to attacking Jesus, found here in verse 16.

Why do they attack Jesus and completely forgotten the incredible miracle He performed?

According to Gen 2:2-3, on the seventh day of creation week God rested from his creative work. Now think for a moment. Does God, then, keep the Sabbath law? He rested right? Summore, he gave the command for others to treat Sabbath as a holy day. If your answer is no, God does not rest, does not God himself become a law-breaker? But if you answer yes, he observes Sabbath, who keeps the universe in running order while he rests? There are many differing opinions offered all throughout the centuries. Philo denies that God has ever ceased his work of creation. The Rabbis also concurred that God works on Sabbath, if not, the world would have gone haywire and went on to say that God did not break the Sabbath law although he works non-stop because the entire universe was his domain (Isa 6:3) and the law is below Him.

Whether he breaks the Sabbath or not, God works continuously: all were agreed on that point. I believe God merely cease from his 'creator' job, but not his providence responsibilities. He still governs the universe we live in, and he works privately in the souls of men and women (and even nations!) to direct the course of their lives. It's similar to saying although God was silent for 400 years in between the OT and NT books (as if he's out of the sphere of the world), he is not silent as in He's there all the time, caring for a sick child, answering the prayer of a crippled etc... this silence must be understood as the famine of words from the Lord to His people as a nation.

Assuming it, Jesus applies it to himself in verse 17 "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." Make no mistake; the Jews who heard of this would know the implication that goes with this statement… for to have this self-defense to be valid, the same factors that apply to God must apply to Jesus. Jesus in essence is saying either he is above the law given to mere mortals, or, if he operates within the law, it is because the entire universe is his.

Notice that Jesus here did not argue, as he might have that the Jews’ interpretation of the Sabbath was incorrect. You see when God prohibits Sabbath to be a working day for His people, he was referring to ‘work’ that is normally done the other 6 days of the week and therefore, does not apply to ‘work’ done by Jesus in healing a man, and the man who carried his mat home after a miraculous cure! Why doesn’t it apply? Because the man din carry his mat everyday as his normal work! So the Jews were wrong in their diagnosis of what consists of ‘work’ and ‘Sabbath’. (as Carson)

Whatever factors justify God’s continuous work from creation on also justify his actions- simply because Jesus is God. So the Jews form being offended with Jesus breaking Sabbath, they move on being indignant that Jesus made himself at par with God (verse 18). Just as the fact that the son of man is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mar 2:23-28) can be used to defend the actions of Jesus’ disciples, so the fact that He is the Son of the Father can defend his actions to heal as well. This is a verse that speaks of deity of Christ, one of the main themes of John’s gospel. Jesus explained he healed on the Sabbath because of His unique relationship with his Father.

Calla Lilies...

two bcome oNe..

we're a household of faith
tat 2gether we can make

when the strong winds blow
it wont fall down

As one in Christ we'll grow
and the whole world will know
we're a household of faith

LUV is in the air..
LUV is in the air..

Me next...

It's been more than 2 months since i graduated from school.
After graduation, what's next? More graduations...???
Heheheee..not kidding you, that i'm in for another graduation!
Altho no prominent dean or chairman from some renown Christian school going to be featured in this coming graduation, it's nevertheless a graduation that i've been waiting for all these years (yes, i have thought of graduating from this since i was just a lil' girl)! And i'm going to be rewarded with simply the best award ever in my lifetime.

People...i'm getting married *clappp clappp yaYy yayyyyyy* Yeap, i know... he is a lucky person.. wouldn't say he's the luckiest..because the "luckiest" award goes to me :) and he knows it.

Another graduation, another phase of life. Am i ready to be a wife? Man..can't answer that. I'll write again after the months of honeymooning stage lar (base on the statistics, hus and wife usually starts their first fight after 6 months, and that is if no baby is on the way).

Unprepared as i seem to be... i am excited over the preparation to walk down the isle. As the bride, it's all about being beautiful, graceful, all smiles, and calm..yes, calm! I have been rehearsing in my head 'dun trip over my dad', 'dun touch the face too much it wld smear the makeup', 'look happy', 'practise the perfect kiss', 'thank all who help out', and 'dun THANK MY DAD'..the last time i did that, i couldn't go on with my speech for 10 seconds...hey, i could be sentimental wat. I'm more than jokes and counseling ok.

Hope to upload some photos in few days time.. busy CNY for me this year, but nevertheless the excitement i have for this CNY is more than all the years combined.

Another graduation, another chapter, another challenge, another work of God in me.

finally..no longer waiting at the airport waiting for my pickup.

Babel

It was a rare occasion in which we went to watch a movie without knowing what the movie is all about. I did assume the movie should not be too bad if Cate Blanchett is one of the casts. The first fifteen minutes were about a family in Morocco. A gun was bought to take care of the sheep from dangerous predators. The father of the family has to be away and the gun was literally handed to the two young teenage sons. They were testing the gun out and without the true intent to kill, a bullet was let out and hurt an American tourist (Cate Blanchett). She was traveling with her husband (Brad Pitt) in a bus and it was a holiday that they had taken with the hope of resolving some marital issues between them. This one shot brought us to the lives of others – the life of the maid of the American couple and the life of a lonely deaf-mute teenager in Japan who happened to be the daughter of a man who had given the gun to a Moroccan.

There were a number of messages in this story. At first, I think the movie is quite ambitious in trying to achieve too much. However, depending on how one wants to view it – it can have a main theme that plays with the contradiction of us living in a small world due to the advance of technology and communication, and the fact that we had never really advance in terms of communication due to our diverse background and culture. We have our perceptions and blind spots. Many times, the movie show to us that people generally do not try to understand another person because of preconceived ideas and fears.

The story of Chieko (Ringo Kikuchi) was a gripping one. I personally think Ringo did a great job in portraying her character as a lonely, frustrated and lost teenager. She is a strong portrayal of the young urban generation of today. She felt depressed and lonely because she lost her mother recently and her father is unable to relate to her because he himself is perhaps as depressed over the loss of his spouse. Chieko simply craves for human contact and thinks that giving herself sexually to others is perhaps the answer.

As for Amelia (Adrianna Barraza) who played the role of the maid to the children of the American couple, she was put in a situation which she did not deserve. No where to put the children, she has to bring them along to Mexico to attend her son’s wedding. She did not have any letter of permission from the parents and due to the rash act of his nephew to speed through the Custom check-point, all her “good works” was lost because of one silly mistake committed by her nephew. She has to be finally deported to Mexico after spending 16 years in America. It is a tragedy for her but isn’t that the reality of life? What can a maid’s voice amount to? She would be in a different situation altogether if her status in society is more than a maid!

Babel speaks about a world that is so disconnected and one strong message to all of us – the world is not getting any better but only worse. Personally, Chieko’s story touched me most because I realized how much we need God in our lives. Without Him, how do we ever know how to live right? Her story also shows how little the Christian community has an impact in Japanese society. Where is the voice of the Christians?

Some finds this movie a waste of time. Though it has its flaws like any other movies, I think it had achieved its purpose by setting me thinking about the frailty of human life and to be more discerning in my views because I may be clouded by my own perceptions.