Is Don. Is Good

Another year, another testimony. Wow, throughout the year I’ve always been anxious of what I would talk about if I was asked to do a testimony at Ablaze service. It was no different when I was asked. Funny thing is, I actually had something in mind, but the topic I was asked to testify about was something different than what I was thinking of, but in writing this testimony, it helped me to realise other good things that have happened throughout my life
Was still a little nervous this time round, my legs felt like they wanted to give way haha glad I managed not to move too much :). 8 months, I believe since my first one. Well, here it is:

Hello. My name’s Donovan. I am currently doing a Bachelor of Games and Interactive Entertainment at QUT and am part of the uni group, Powerhouse.

Tonight, I’d like to share with you on the topic of reaching out to our friends.

From the beginning, I’ve never thought of myself as an influential person or one that could make an impact on people’s lives. I used to think of myself as just the average, everyday person. It was after discovering my identity in Christ that I truly realised my value, that I could do so much more than I ever thought possible. It was thanks to people in my life who have helped me realise this, especially from Ablaze who’ve invested into my life.

During my Christian walk, I’ve discovered that it’s not your talents, skills or abilities that determine your impact on people, it’s your heart. When God sees a heart that yearns to make an impact on people’s lives, God moves so powerfully through you. It was the beginning of this year that really started it for me. The burden of reaching out to my friends was not originally on top of my priority list. I remember hearing a question that went along the lines of “You have received salvation, now what are you going to do with it?” I heard this quite some time after my own salvation and it really struck me, as I used to be more of a spectator Christian, one that would be more reactive and not so much proactive.

Before I received my salvation, I used to drift through life, taking things as they come, and not thinking much about life. Having received salvation, my life has taken a turn for the better. One of the big things was direction in life, but the main thing is the fulfilment that comes from salvation. There’s nothing else that I’ve experienced in life that’s like it. I’ve seen people wonder through life seeking for something that will fulfil them and I know that only through knowing Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour, that they can find true fulfilment

The result of impacting other’s lives is two-fold, I’ve found. Not only do they feel valued and loved, but the joy you receive is unparalleled. Through simple acts of kindness such as opening the door, serving food or helping clean up, these things can be used to show the love of Christ to reach out to them. One of the ways we have been outreaching in our unis is through our lunch time groups called Link. Link is a time where we come to hangout once a week and is a great way to introduce our uni friends to people from Ablaze. Through Link, I’ve seen the impact we’ve had on the friends I’ve brought along. One time, I couldn’t make it, but my uni friends still went to Link, which I seriously didn’t expect to happen. Praise God.

I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage you to really invest into other people’s lives. For nothing is as important as giving people the assurance of knowing that they have value. I’ll never forget that someone went out of their way in reaching out to me.

I’d like to share a word with you from the book of Acts 20:35
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

For I have found this to be so true in my own life and I know it to be true for you as well.

First year, Semester one has gone so fast, I can’t believe how fast it went. And with it comes the dread of results…Dread that turned to absolute delight!

I never expected a high distinction, that’s for sure, especially for first year. Also, the cut off for a high distinction is meant to be >=85%, so I was completely taken aback. Praise God for His favour!!

Contrary to what some might say *cough* Trung *cough* haha, those marks were not easy to attain. I really thank God for helping me focus when I was doing my assessments. I am usually one to put off assignments until the last week. For those ones, I was able to continually work on them throughout the weeks leading up to the due date at a steady pace. Praise God!! At times, I was actually enjoying doing my assessments too! Imagine that! I tell you, whenever you enjoy doing an assessment, that is a good sign.

Part of the enjoyment was the balance I had doing my assignments while talking on MSN at the same time. Although, if you want to try this, I’d recommend not talking to too many people at one time. Maybe just a few at a time lol And don’t go on Facebook, MySpace or whatever, they’re like procrastination central haha

Other highlights from this semester:

• The first time I got a perfect mark, 15/15!! Praise God!!
• The weirdest mark I’ve gotten, 24.95/25. I think I was more like ‘what the’ than happy when I saw that lol
• The friends I’ve made at uni, making the transition to uni a lot easier.
• The best oral I’ve ever performed.

P.S If you’re wondering why I only got a 4 for the Design subject, it’s because it’s my least favourite subject and not my strength either

Christianity is a faith, not a system.

Ps. Ian Grant

This was a really profound statement as I see so many people fall into the world’s trap of seeing Christianity as just another ‘religion’. He was explaining that you can destroy the system, but you can never destroy the faith. Christianity doesn’t require systems to flourish, it can flourish in any cultural context. It reminded me of the OC2008, that it’s the principals behind each action and not the program, that brings people to Christ. It can be so easy to be wowed by a flashy program, but after a while, it can lose its substance from a lack of wholeheartedness and commitment.

Bottom line: it’s not the action that matters, but the principal and heart behind each action.

Any thoughts on this quote or my interpretation?

My phone’s weird.

When I go to bed, it periodically lights up. No message, no call etc.

Kinda freaked me out the first time lol.

[edit] My mobile’s alarm went off by itself… fully scared me.

Does your phone do anything random? i don’t want to be alone in this… lol

Yay, finally got to drive on my own on Monday!!

I must say, the experience of drivng by yourself is quite different compared to when someone’s there with you.

Feels quite lonely, actually lol

No matter what other people would think, I’m so more careful by myself haha.

I understand my parents’ concerns not letting me drive by myself until now, being the youngest and all, but yea. Hope I get to drive to ablaze by myself soon, taking people etc

Man, haven’t published a post in here for a while. Noticed everyone else seems to have temporarily stopped blogging…

Anyway, during Members’ Muster two Sundays ago, I had a pleasant surprise. I received an award for my contribution to my life group, a cool wrap journal, worth $…. haha The price tag was left on it, although someone tried to black it out with felt tip…hehe next time, just take the tag off. I truly wasn’t expecting to receive anything. Having the opportunity to serve in God’s house is reward enough and such a privilege for me. THANK YOU ABLAZE! Congrats to the others also for their had work!

On a side note, 2 weeks ago I bought 5 Hillsong CDs!! What a splurge, so not like me! haha. 30% off at Koorong was so good. Was like I only paid for 3 1/2 discs Just in case anyone might want to get me more Hillsong, I have Look to You, Saviour King, Mighty to Save, More than Life, United We Stand and All the Above

P.S. I was meant to post this last week lol

“365 times in the Bible, it says “Do not be afraid” . Once for every day of the year.”

Phil Baker, Riverview Church Pastor

Wow, God is so amazing; He knew that humans would use a 365 day calendar. So encouraging to hear this.

What happens when it’s a leap year, though? haha lol

After finishing my school exams, I decided I wanted to give away my old textbooks. Back then, I was thinking, “It would be really nice if I gave my textbooks away for free.” Then, I had the thought, “I didn’t buy these textbooks, what gives me the right to do what I want with them, after all, my parents bought them, not me.” Another thought hit me about this too, “Should I not consult the original buyer what to do with them?”

The first thought really reminded me of what Jesus did for us. He paid the price for our salvation, therefore it should be Him who has the right to do what He wants with our lives. We have no excuse to why He shouldn’t rule over our lives, because He saved us from sin.

And the second thought, I think applies to many people. A lot of the times, we become carried away with our decisions without consulting the original buyer, in this case, my parents. I could’ve easily given my books away free, but when a price was offered for my books, I immediately remembered they’re not my books. This reminds me of God, being the creator/buyer of me; should I not consult Him first in everything I do? For surely He knows what’s best for me if He created me.

In the end, I did sell my books for a fee, but only after letting my parents know oh, and if I had bought the books myself, I would’ve given them away for free

P.S. I really wanted to use a scripture, but can’t think of any that fits lol Any suggestions?

Wow, this is my first testimony I did at Ablaze! service. This is really just for those people who missed out on my testimony like Daniel. So here it is…

Hello. For those who don’t me, I’m Donovan and I just recently graduated from Mansfield and am part of the awesome Voltage. Today, I like to share about how God uses people in my life to show me what real value there is in investing in the church.

I had the privilege of being raised into a Christian family and have always had a general interest in God but couldn’t find anyone help me to grow in Christ-likeness. My parents used to take me to church, but I didn’t feel I was growing. Also, I use to read children bibles over and over, but because no one was there to explain how the stories related to me, it didn’t really work either.

Last year, my cousin, Justin kept trying to invite me to Ablaze, but I wasn’t really interested, so I declined. Then he invited me during the holidays, I wasn’t doing anything and so I thought, why not.

Straightaway, people started to greet me and ask how I was going. It almost seemed surreal. It was as though I’ve been there for a long time and everyone was treating me like I was a regular. Was a pretty embarrassing experience too because I was chosen to be dressed as a superhero for a game we played that night. Ask Trung if you want to see the picture of me. Even though I had the ‘pleasure’ of being fully embarrassed, I wanted to come again, which obviously sounds weird but it was the atmosphere that was attractive to me.

The second time I came, I knew immediately that this was a place where I could grow in God and knew that this is the kind of community that is after God’s own heart. The genuine love that is expressed is so contagious, that I couldn’t help but just want to be like that. So, when I was given the opportunity to serve in sound production for our high school gatherings last year, I was eager to help out with no hesitation. I was also asked to help with the visuals for Ablaze Service and responded the same way with that. Fondly known as the button-pusher, I felt that it wasn’t a major thing in the running of the service like it might seem but after doing it for a while, I knew that it was a significant part of the service. When people are unsure about the words of a song during worship time, they can become disconnected from God, I find.

After serving in ministry for some time, it dawned on me the real value of serving. The church would just not be the same without people serving one another. I also came to the realisation of just how much effort is taken in these ministries to make it all happen. Both have helped in bringing people to Christ and being part of it makes it all the more exciting. I know now that my life is not my own and that my main purpose is to help accomplish the great commission.

I like to leave you with this scripture from 1 Corinthians 12:18-20

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

For those not involved in ministry, I like to encourage you to get involved in ministry in any way you can, for your contribution can go further than you think.

Something I found really suprising is that I felt really confident saying it and not very nervous. Praise God The good news was spread even better because of this

On a side note, I’ve heard that a couple of people cried during my testimony. To me, it didn’t seem that it would affect people that way, but I’m glad that it was received well.

Also, Aaron won’t let me live it down for dropping one of my papers lol

Ah, the end of school… the more it seemed to be dragged on by the school, the worse it seemed

But, it’s finally finished and now I can relax. Our school is so not emotional lol including me

Probably something that’ll settle in later.

For those that don’t use msn, here’s the link to the photos, http://donni90.multiply.com/

hmm…uni, wonder what that’s gonna be like?