Tuesday, November 24, 2009

FAMILY DAY (2) PREPARATIONS WELL UNDERWAY

Merely three weeks to go and pocket meetings are well underway in preparation for the much awaited event.

The Family Day event will run from December the 11th to the 12th and will be held at our Saru Complex grounds.

This will be the final church activity before the Christmas break.

The programs committee led by our Deputy Senior Pastor, Rev Kitione Sanoko are working around the clock to piece together the final loose ends in time for the grand finale.

We are optimistic that this event will be a step up from the one we had earlier this year.

More details will be provided as and when it comes to hand.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

LFT INVESTS IN NEW SOUND SYSTEM

On Saturday November 7, a delegation from LFT, led by the Senior Pastor, Rev Saimoni Waqa, visited the SPR office in Nadi to purchase some new equipment to upgrade our church public address system which will inturn aid in the enhancement of our worship.

The new system, which cost FJD$25,000.00 was installed later in the day and is surely serving its purpose.




Friday, November 13, 2009

The Boy and The Tree


A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy

loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the

tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow...


He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.


Time went by...

The little boy grew up, and he no longer played around the tree

everyday. One day, the boy came back to the tree with a sad

look on his face. "Come and play with me," the tree asked the

boy. "I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore."

The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them."

"Sorry, I don't have money...but you can pick all my apples and

sell them so you will have money."


The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree

and left happily. The boy didn't come back after he picked the

apples. The tree was sad.


One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.

"Come and play with me," the tree said.

"I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family.

We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"

"Sorry, I don't have a house, but you can chop off my branches

to build your house."


So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily.

The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn't come back

afterward. The tree was again lonely and sad.


One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted.

"Come and play with me!" the tree said.


"I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax

myself. Can you give me a boat?" "Use my trunk to build your

boat. You can sail far away and be happy." So the boy cut the

tree truck to make a boat. He went sailing and didn't come

back for a long time.


Finally, the boy returned after he had been gone for so many

years. "Sorry, my boy. But I don't have anything for you

anymore. No more apples for you..." the tree said.


"I don't have teeth to bite," the boy replied.


"No more trunk for you to climb on."


"I am too old for that now" the boy said. "I really can't give

you anything... the only thing left is my dying roots," the

tree said with sadness.

"I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after

all these years," the boy replied.


"Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest.

Come sit down with me and rest." The boy sat down and the tree

was glad and smiled with tears.


******************

This is the story of everyone.

The tree is our parents. When we were young, we loved to play

with Mom and Dad... When we grew up, we left them...

We only came to them when we needed something or when we were in

trouble.


No matter what, parents will always be there and give you

everything they can to make you happy.


It may seem as if the way the boy treats the "tree" in the story

is cruel, but many of us take our parents for granted in the

same way.


Never forget how important your parents are and try not to take

them for granted... They may not be around forever.

ANTS

The Ant and the Contact Lens: a true story

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

"Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry."

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth."

She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Saviour. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

Brilliant Conversation from a brilliant mind...

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his new Christian students to stand and...

Professor: You are a Christian, aren't you, son?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Professor: Is GOD good?

Student: Sure.

Professor: Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL?

Student: Yes.

Professor: My Brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent)

Professor: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella.

Professor: Is GOD Good?

Student: Yes.

Professor: Is Satan good?

Student: No.

Professor: Where does Satan come from?

Student: From...GOD...

Professor: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?

Student: Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Professor: So who created evil?

(Student did not answer)

Professor: Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them?

(Student had no answer)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you. Tell me, son...have you ever seen GOD?

Student: No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student: No, sir.

Professor: Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?

Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Professor: Yet you still believe in HIM?

Student: Yes.

Professor: According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student: Nothing. I only have my Faith.

Professor: Yes, Faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as Cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student: No, sir. There isn't...

(The Lecture Theatre became very quiet with this turn of events)

Student: Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat. But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

(There was pin-drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre)

Student: What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the Absence of Something. You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light...But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it? In reality, Darkness isn't. If it is, you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is, your Philosophical Premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality. You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD. You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this Process is an On-Going Endeavour. Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?

(The Class was in uproar)

Student: Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?

(The Class broke out into laughter)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?... No one appears to have done so. So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have No Brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The Room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable)

Professor: I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.

Student: That is it sir...Exactly! The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that Keeps Things Alive and Moving.

I believe you have enjoyed the Conversation....and if so...You'll probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the same...won't you? Forward this email to them to Increase their Knowledge...or FAITH.

That student was ALBERT EINSTEIN.