Chronicles of Charyl

RELEVANTmagazine.com interviews author Philip Yancey on his book Prayer: Does it make a difference? Here’s an excerpt: What advice do you have for twentysomethings just beginning to embark on their Christian journey, specifically in regards to prayer? In one word, Relax. It’s too bad prayer comes bundled in a package of “spiritual disciplines.” Really, we should see prayer as a spiritual privilege. We don’t do it as a callisthenic exercise to gain points with God; we do it, because it is good for us in every way. I quote the author Roberta Bondi who says so many people worry about “doing it right.” Hey, if you’re praying, you’re doing it right. I try to include some practical hints, but mainly I think a good prayer life depends on a trust relationship. You need to have a strong belief in a loving, merciful God who cares about you and the trust to open up to God with complete transparency. God already knows the naked truth about us, of course. Why not acknowledge it? So many times we ac...

Hallelu Yah! I’m pretty sure the term “Hallelu Yah” (I even spelled it before as Hallelujah ) rings a bell to many ears, whether it’s for church-goers or sympathizers. It was just recently that I learned what “Hallelu Yah” means. It’s the Hebrew line for “Praise the Lord”. In the book of Psalms, that middle part of the Bible filled with many poems, there’s just many sets of “Hallelu Yah’s” there! This line is usually placed at the start of the poem, or at the end, or both. And no matter what the psalm’s content is, be it rejoicing over victory in a war, grief over great troubles, despair over abandonment, or expression of hatred to the enemies, that particular line is still included. I believe the psalmist’s intent is to let the readers know that the best thing to do in every situation is to “Praise the Lord!”. Why do we have to praise the Lord in whatever circumstance? Because it’s in that act of praising Him that we get to recognize He is the one in-charge. When we praise the Lord in...

November has been accorded as the Thanksgiving month, a traditional celebration which starts from the West. But of course thanksgiving is not just about the celebration. It’s the humble recognition of man’s nothingness as timely met by God’s bounty . So, how should we be truly thankful? The story of one grateful person in the Bible sure does gives life-lessons for every one of us. Luke 17 tells an event in Jesus’ time when he healed 10 men with leprosy. In their time, these lepers were considered the outcast of the society because of their contagious disease. When they called out to Jesus for healing, he told them to go and show themselves to their temple leaders. While on their way, the men got healed. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, threw himself at his feet, and thanked Him. Then Jesus addressed the question, where are the other nine? Jesus later emphasized that the grateful man was a Samaritan, a considered enemy or an outsider, by the Jew...

Sometimes, we tend to look at things or persons through their outward appearance. What we fail to see is that these items or people could hold so much potential that we just don’t know about, because of our prejudices. But, do you know that God sees us in a totally different perspective? There is a related biblical account to that. There was one ordinary, and probably rugged-looking fisherman in the first century time, who became one of the strongest pillars of the Christian faith. And I believe many could identify that that is Peter. One day, Jesus approached him after he finished from his fishing job, and told him that his name, which was previously Simon, would be changed to Peter, which means the rock, and that one day he would be living up to the strength of his new name. Whether Jesus saw something in Peter, or He granted him the capacity to become what he told him, the fact still remained that Simon Peter’s great potentials was revealed because of Christ. And the good news is th...

There are many messy events in the world, and one would just have to listen to the news everyday to know many tragic and sad details of it. But the sadder part of all is the fact that nobody is exempted in being in a mess. Maybe, you too had your own mess today. You’ve failed someone, or on something, you figured with a conflict in the office, you got frustrated over an unmet expectation. Your list could probably go on. But here’s something we have always to keep in mind regarding this. While it’s true that being in an unpleasant or messy situation is something we can’t escape from, we can of course prevent the situation from getting worse, by first of all responding to it the godly way. In the Christian perspective, we can learn that God’s grace is mostly evident in messy situations. God always offers hope in every seemingly impossible situations, He can bring out the best out from the worst, and He can provide help where we see helpless circumstances. You may be in difficult s...

Apprenticeship is a familiar lingo for college students. Some call it on-the-job training, while others call it practicum, but it means the same purpose – preparation. Whatever career path a person decides to choose and so he took up a particular college education degree, there is always that needed “preparatory” subject just before he graduates. Being an apprentice makes the person “taste” what it is to be an engineer, teacher or medical practitioner. This is one of the important highlights of a student because this would guarantee how equipped one could be in facing the actual world. Well, the same thing goes with our spiritual lives. We also face this “apprentice” stage or on-the-job training everyday. God is preparing us, teaching us, and shaping us so that we could become the persons He wants us to be. God’s training comes in many forms, and with them, we could get hurt, tired or joyful, but His intention remains the same, to bring out in us the character just like Jesus Ch...

How would you feel when someone gives you a gift but then takes it back a few days later? Well, that situation could cause a conflict, although I believe no one in his right mind would do that… or, I just don’t really know with some people. But if man can do that, we can be assured that God doesn’t. What God gives, He doesn’t take away completely. What I mean is that, there are instances that God allows us to lose something, but He always gives back something greater and better than what He has taken. This truth is a great comfort to us when we lose a loved one, become ill, or a friend moves away. Whatever we have at the moment, it is God’s gift to us, so we have to take care of them to the fullest. It’s true that some gifts are just ours for a short while, but we can surely trust in God that when He does take away, He’ll be bringing something back. You may no longer have your dad around, but your memory of him will help you pass on his legacy to a new generation. You may be be...

What gifts have you been receiving lately? Oh well, this concept of gift-giving may not be new to you, especially at this upcoming year-end holidays, and it always carries with it that sense of excitement, thrill and joy. But, have you also considered this thought, which is more important for you, the gift or the giver? More than the gift, I believe that we have to give more value and recognition to the giver – for his love, generosity and thoughtfulness. If we are fond of gifts, then you have to know that God is too, and in fact, He gives wonderful gifts. In my paraphrase version of James 1:17, it says, every good and perfect gift comes from God above. Well, there are just so many things to say about this passage, and one of them might be that assurance that God withholds nothing good for those who follows and obeys Him. And as a great love gift, God gave His own Son Jesus Christ for us, so that we can have forgiveness of sins, restored relationship with God Almighty, and eterna...

God is interested and notices small things. What do you have to say about that statement? Well, it may be an unpopular thought, but it’s true! God lays His eyes on the obvious and not so obvious, from the wars and killings between nations to the daily processing of cells in our human body. To know that God takes notice of seemingly insignificant things is such a great comfort for us. We may think we have no value before our families, our friends, or our workmates, but God takes notice of you. Psalm 139 is just one of the many assurances that God delights in every detail of you, and He sees you as wonderfully made. In fact, it was He who made you. And to know that God takes notice of you is to have hope in every life-situation. Whether it’s a family conflict, broken relationship, personal insecurities, or unmet expectations, God is feeling what you’re feeling, because He cares for you. And if you just turn to Him, call out to Him, place your faith and trust in Him, you will tru...

Isaiah 40:6-8 says, " All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. " This passage strongly reminds us of the futility of man’s life, and the everlasting nature of God’s Word. And this should lead us to ask important questions, like how do we spend our lives everyday? What kind of things are we pursuing on? Are they things that would have impact in eternity? Let’s always bear in our minds and our hearts that our life is just very short. It may be later today, tomorrow, or who knows when, we will die. And so we should be sure whether we’re making the most of our lives here on earth, and in doing so, will it benefit us even in eternity. In the Christian perspective, we believe that Jesus Christ offers us this eternal life for every one of us, aft...