Panda's Blog

Jesus saves individuals and connects them to community…

pandaalan — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:12:11 +0000

“Jesus saves individuals and connects them to community to be the people of God, not the individuals of God” @pastormark

This was a tweet by Mark O’Driscoll two weeks ago which spurred me on to write this post about self needs as christians and how much unity is there withing our fellowships and communities.

Fellowships and communities are within themselves an interacting group of people, refers to a group that shares some common values. Though many christian fellowships/communites share the latter, it seems to me in some cases the interacting group of people can fail due to the need of selfish gain within fellowships.

For a group of people to act as a community in a christian church is being interested in daily lives of those people, having a relationship with those people outside of “church” activities and sacraficing yourself to others in helping and doing what needs to be done by serving. Church from the greek never appears in the New Testement but rather Ecclesia, which is better translated to being assembly or gathering. Further to this, the root word of Ecclesia is “call out” but seems modern church is doing the opposite and seems to be looking inward by assembling in big buildings with many christians gaining as much from it rather than giving away or looking outward.

Fellowshiping is great on the day that your service is held and other meetings during the week but if you think that worshiping for the half hour or so, taking in the sermons and giving your offerings makes you a good christian by getting in all that you can, you are mistaken. We as christians need to be in unity with each other and not become selfish individuals but give up yourself to serve and be united so that we can become people of God.

It seems to me that christians are liking the word of fellowshipping rather than acting as a community. Many churches act as fellowships where it is a sign of friendliness rather than being a community. Simple church has been brining this notion of Christ-centered community established primarily on relationship both to God and to the other members of the group. In doing so it discards many aspects of conventional expressions of church, which is considered beneficial by some, and problematic by others. This gives those in the movement the opportunity to focus on what it considers to be the core practices of Christian spirituality.

Though many don’t agree with simple church with critics worry that the simple church movement could encourage people to leave more traditional forms of church, which could lead to further collapse or decline of Christendom. However, with many churches having small groups, cell groups or net groups that meet weekly outside of the traditional “Sunday service”, each of these are simple church as these groups build their relationships more than those individuals that meet on a Sunday.

Though this highlights being in unity with each other and pushing for a strong sense of community, it does not mean for unity between churches/fellowships. Many will push the fact that if these simple churches are for unity, it does not push for wider fellowship unity but that the person saved it connected to a community of believers.

How times have changed…

pandaalan — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 12:37:19 +0000

It is pretty strange how the last 3 years have changed and shaped me. I posted the video below 3 years ago because for some reason made something resonance inside me because I was feeling lonely. However, I will not be lonely no more as I am engaged to be married next year.

Where do you think God is?

pandaalan — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:36:14 +0000

“Okay, first of all, you do not need the law, or a priest, or your mother to make your wedding real (or any type of relationship) . And the church can be anywhere you want it to be: in a field, on a fountain, right here in this room, anywhere. Because where do you think God is? C’mon now! He’s in you, he’s in me, he’s right here between us. Now your (catholic) church hasn’t caught up to God yet. Your mother (People) hasn’t caught up to God yet. And, by the way, they may not ever catch up.”

I heard this from Grey’ Anatomy White Wedding episode and changed a few words (in brackets) around to make it like what I was thinking after I head it. That it isn’t that God hasn’t caught up with what people are doing and living, it is that people haven’t caught up with God.

I also like that God is in the relationship between each other where ever you are and not in a certain building.

Life For Others

pandaalan — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 23:13:18 +0000

Looking at the page in front of me, is a white blank canvas, waiting to express my words, thoughts, meanings, attitudes of life to inspire, encourage and grow others around me. However, the page is all these things when left blank allowing others to express these towards their others around them. How then can I express mine when I really want others to express theirs?

A dilemma forms when we want to be heard but should firstly listen. Would we be destined then for a vacuum of silence if we all listened and no one spoke? But there is always something to be listened too. It is the silent witness of life that sees us all and speaks to us but decide to ignore and reject its being as what may come would hurt preventing us from the life we live and the decisions directions and path we want to live.

Our life has never been our own. We never would be without out it being given to us by our parents. We never could be without them. How much more then can we live our lives when it is never own? We can never live life without others, for without others life is not living. Furthermore, we can never give our life away. We never wish to give our lives away for we want to live and never die. Life is given to us and can be taken away from us. It is important that what we do in life with others because without people, life would be nothing. People allow you to live life.

Seachtain na Gaelige

pandaalan — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:25:11 +0000

Curtha agam ar an mbliain seo caite bhlag agus bhí freagra maith sin a chur ar bunarís i mbliana a aistriú.

Le sé seachtain na Gaeilge agus leath bhealach tríd leis dar críoch an 17 Márta, chinn mé a dhéanamh an post seo i nGaeilge. Le fírinne a d’fhéadfadh a bheith go ndearna mé an leibhéal ngnáthnós Gaeilge roinnt nathanna mícheart.

Cad a chiallaíonn sé dom a bheith as Gaeilge? Is ea, is é sin an cheist mbeidh mé iarracht a fhreagairt.

Bheith Éireannach dom ciallaíonn tú aird ar a lán níos mó thar lear le daoine ag insint scéalta agat maidir leis an gcaoi a n-ghaolta nó teaghlach Éireannach freisin. Cé go bhfuil sé go hiontach le scéalta anseo Níl mé suim i gcaoi a bhfuil do ghaol Gaeilge.

Bheith ciallaíonn Éireannach a chur ar bun agat le rain le dea-11 mhí den bhliain agus a bheith ullamh d’aon seans de nuair a chéim tú lasmuigh den doras.

Bheith ciallaíonn Éireannach ag caint faoi an aimsir laethúil le gearáin de nuair rains sé le i bhfad, agus nuair a thagann an ghrian amach, gearán a dhéanamh go bhfuil sé ró te agus an gá roinnt rain.

Bheith Éireannach ciallaíonn an tír ar fad beidh saoire in Éirinn ar feadh seachtaine nó dhó sa bhliain chun a fháil amach as an áit agus cuardaigh aeráid níos teo.

Bheith ciallaíonn Éireannach go bhfuil muid na daoine ach go cuí i gceart agus gur ceart i gcónaí níos mó ná tíortha eile.

Bheith ciallaíonn Éireannach a bheith bródúil as an méid a raibh do sinsear don tír seo agus ar an gcaoi siad á éileamh é a bheith ina Poblacht.

Bain sult as do Naomh Pádraig Lá agus smaoineamh ar dom nuair a bhíonn tú ag ól pionta do glas agus staidéir mé do mo scrúduithe.

English Translation:

I did this post last year and got a good response so putting it up again this year.

With it being Irish week and half way through it with it ending on the 17th March, I decided to do this post in Irish. With the fact that I did ordinary level Irish some phrases could be incorrect.

What does it mean to me being Irish? Yes, that is the question I will try to answer.

Being Irish to me means you get a lot more attention abroad with people telling you stories of how their relatives or family are Irish also. Though it is great to here stories I am not interested in how your relative is Irish.

Being Irish means you put up with rain a good 11 months of the year and to be prepared for any chance of it when you step outside the door. Being Irish means talking about the weather everyday with complaints of when it rains to much and when the sun comes out, complain that it is too hot and need some rain.

Being Irish means the whole country will leave Ireland for a week or two in the year to get away from the place and search warmer climate.

Being Irish means that we are the only people that thinks correctly and are always right over other countries.

Being Irish means being proud of what your ancestors did for this country and how they claimed it to being a republic.

Enjoy your Saint Patricks Day and think of me when you are drinking your green pints while I study for my exams.

Windows Mist

pandaalan — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:53:03 +0000

So I will again start this blog post giving my utmost apologies for the lack of postings…Very Deja Vu of me ^_^ It seems however, that though getting ideas of titles but no content (pity blog posts don’t work like that lol)

Though I have a thought of what to post about, a mist has covered what to write about, with only getting glimpses of what to blog….Despite this mist I will power on and produce adequate ramblings from a Panda ^_^

What does it take to see the trees from the forest??

We get surrounded by a lot of clutter in life, options to take and paths to walk and in many cases we tend to split ourselves in all ways to conquer the ground, to gain much but in many cases lose direction, never being on a sole journey or purpose. This is difficult in life when we are told, ushered to take all options just in case we don’t like a specific avenue. We should begin to not open our ears but open our brains and hearts, to think of what is best and not what makes things better.

As we move on through our lives, it is time to focus ourselves on what is life long and worth holding onto that gives us the greatest reward and happiness. Everyday is a weighting game…worth doing versus worth giving up….Yes, it can be hurtful but as long as you begin to see the trees in the forest, you see which ones are full of life and not draining.

I hope to have stronger and less rambling posts up again, bear with me ^_^

Come for a walk

pandaalan — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:33:48 +0000

I see him there, walking ahead. Strolling down the road lined with trees. Dead brown leaves on the ground, being trampled on the ground. Fresh leaves, strong, dark green growing on the trees as he walks by them. The bright sun on the horizon provinding the source of life to these leaves. He walks with purpose, determination.

Behind him I see a young boy running toward him, catching up with the man. The boy reaches the man and takes hold of the man’s hand. The man does not look down at the boy but takes a strong grasp of the boy’s hand and walks with him. The old leaves begin to be swept away and the leaves on the tree begin to grow larger with the trees beginning to bear fruit.

Hard Knock Life

pandaalan — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:05:11 +0000

In our youth we come through it with many scrapes, bruises, knocks and bumps but the thing is, is that we come though it and out the otherside. We may have thought that it would be our last day, last hour, last minute, never to see another day.

We do see another day dawning but as we grow older we unfortunately don’t get the bumps, bruises and knocks anymore but come into a life of blows, knock-downs as aspects of life are squashed and squeezed which will never see the light of day and not making it to the future. We then wish and remember that all we did get was a bruise or even a bump which we now have forgotten. Yes life comes with all the hard moments of being winded, brought down a peg or two. We must have been doing something right if we are making head way which forces a step back.

I feel I need to cover myself and say that this is not true for all but these are random thoughts that spring up within me which leads me to blog about.

Life is but a breath

pandaalan — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:55:32 +0000

Life can be snuffed out by taking ones breath away but life is a lot deeper than that. Life should not be summed up as a breath of two oxygen molecules that are bonded together that float in a see of Nitrogen and other gaseous molecules but should be of what you as a person compose it to be of.

We all accumulate material goods but we also accumulate parts of a jig-saw which join together to make a picture of life. In some cases, we pick up some parts and try to force them into place in the jig-saw which sticks out like a sore thumb only to not only you but to others also. It is when we leave that jig-saw piece in place that it begins to hurt an this piece knocks off others.

Some people however notice that the piece does not fit in correctly and remove to find the correct piece that suits in the picture of life. What can be further destructive in life is that as you complete your jig-saw of life, you can begin to complete two parts of the jig-saw before compiling the both together which can result in two focuses of life building one quicker than the other, in the hope of achieving one life that will succeed quicker then pulling the two together and keeping your life the way it was in the bigger jig-saw part created.

Rebuilding City Walls

pandaalan — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:03:42 +0000

It has been once again some time since words have appeared on this blog. It is amazing how consuming life can become when you want it to be and let the important things in life come first. I could blog about how you should spend your time on certain aspects of life over non-important items that are only important in short-term rather than long-term commitments which don’t benefit you but more so to others, which shows your willingness to give to others rather than a selfish gain…but I won’t because I feel I have blogged about that one times to many but need to remind myself of it periodically as you can easily slip into a rut.

This blog post takes the shape of correspondence between the Book of Nehemiah Chp. 2 – Chp. 7 and the song “God of this city” More specifically the verse…

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

The reason I was stirred between these two is because of groups coming together to rebuild a city together. To me this represents how the fellowships/churches in each city need to come together to build their parts of the wall but also at the same time and communicate to ensure the wall is of same design and structure to avoid a wall that would fall down. The Father may use fellowships to build parts of walls but the enemy can still enter into the cities if not building it in correct position with others or if not at the correct time.