Quotes I Love from The Fault in Our Stars

My favourite amongst all

1.“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world but you do get to choose who hurts you. I like my choices, i hope she likes hers” 

2."That's the thing about pain," Augustus said, and then glanced back at me. "It demands to be felt."

3. “Some people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them.” “Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That’s what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.” 

4. “I’m in love with you,” he said quietly.

"Augustus," I said.

"I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.” 

5. “Maybe 'Okay' will be our 'always'...” 

6. “I'll fight it. I'll fight it for you. Don't you worry about me, Hazel Grace. I'm okay. I'll find a way to hang around and annoy you for a long time.” 

7. “That's why I like you. Do you realize how rare it is to come across a hot girl who creates a adjectival version of the word pedophile? You are so busy being you that you have no idea how utterly unprecedented you are.” 

8. “I love you present tense.” 

9. “I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence.” 

10. “Grief does not change you. It reveals you.” 

11. “But I believe in true love, you know? I don’t believe that everybody gets to keep their eyes or not get sick or whatever, but everybody should have true love, and it should last at least as long as your life does.”

12. “You realize that trying to keep your distance from me will not lessen my affection for you. All efforts to save me from you will fail.”

13. “The world is not a wish-granting factory” 

14. “Okay? Okay.” 

15. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.”

16. “Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”

17. “Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”

18. "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."

19. “As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”

20. “You say you’re not special because the world doesn’t know about you, but that’s an insult to me. I know about you.”

PDYM ~ Component 2: Discovering the Five Purposes for Your Youth Ministry

Summary:

The MOST IMPORTANT Q: WHY DOES OUR YOUTH MINISTRY EXIST?

~ "Any Youth Ministry is capable of growth when it is built on God's purposes for the Church"

~ "The process of understanding God's purposes and applying them will slow down the get-in-there-and-get-some-programs-going mentality"

The Five [5] Eternal Purposes of a PYDM

 We do not create the five [5] purposes; we DISCOVER them

~ the element of innovation does not rest with us when it comes to God's purposes for His Church

~ " Our programs and style may reflect our personality and creativity, but God's purposes reflect his plan and love for the church"

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

Matthew 22: 37-40

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{[d] 38} This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[e] 40} On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Matthew 28: 19-20

¹⁹ Go therefore^[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.^[d]

The five [5] purposes are found in these two [2] passages:-  

1. Worship ~ "Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart"

2. Ministry ~ "Love your neighbour as yourself"

3. Evangelism ~ "Go and make disciples"

4. Fellowship ~ "Baptising them"

5. Discipleship ~ "Teaching them to obey"

"When the five [5] purposes lay the foundation for why you do what you do, yours will become a PYDM" 

The Purpose of Evangelism

- evangelism: sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who have yet to build a personal relationship with Him

- Acts 1:8 

⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me^[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

- Adult leadership must model the purpose of evangelism in order to show the students the importance of this commission

- Evangelism is not only our responsibility as believers but it is also our privilege

- "This growth won't depend on an evangelistic program but will happen because of evangelistic students"

The Purpose of Worship

- worship: celebrating God's presence and honouring Him with our lifestyle

- Romans 12:1

 ¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

- worship is expressed in several ways:-

(a) praying ~ Psalm 95:6

 ⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
         Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

(b) hearing the Word

John 17:17 ^{-  17} Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Deuteronomy 31:11 - ¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

(c) baptising ~ Romans 6: 3-4

³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

(d) giving ~ 1 Corinthians 16: 1-2

 ¹ Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ² On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

(e) meditating ~ Habakkuk 2: 20

²⁰ “ But the LORD is in His holy temple.
      Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

(f) partaking of the Lord's Supper ~ 1 Corinthians 11: 23-36

²³ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;^[b] this is My body which is broken^[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

The Purpose of Fellowship

- Ephesians 2:19

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
- "True fellowship happens when students are known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their spiritual journey"

The Purpose of Discipleship
- discipleship: building up or strengthening of believers in their quest to be like Christ

- Hebrews 6:1

¹ Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  

- "Discipleship is a lifelong process that God uses to bring us to maturity in Christ"

- "Healthy discipleship flourishes under spiritual leaders who are willing to do the possible. They consistently plant seeds and water students' faith. All this is done with faith that God will do the impossible and growth"

- 1 Corinthians 3: 6-7

⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 

The Purpose of Ministry

- ministry: "meeting needs with love"

- "A healthy youth ministry will constantly encourage students to discover their gifts and put them into practice through ministry and mission opportunities"

Q: How would you grade the purposes in your youth ministry?

Q: Perhaps your youth ministry emphasises a few purposes more strongly than others. Create an action plan that brings balance to your ministry. What steps can we take to strengthen our ministry?

Q: What will it take to ensure that our ministry expresses all five [5] purposes?

WORDS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT ACTIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT

PDYM ~ Component 1: Healthy Youth Ministries have Spiritually Healthy Leaders

Summary:-

Problem 1 - I Couldn't Create Attractive Programs Like Those of Other Churches

~ "Copying someone else's program always led to failure"

Problem 2 - Perhaps I Wasn't the Right Person for Youth Ministry
~ "My desire for doing ministry had long moved from pleasing God to appeasing people"

Problem 3 - I Could Never Do Enough to Please Everyone

~ "I sensed God saying, "Doug, you'll never be able to do enough to please everyone. Focus on me. Rest in me. Abide in me. When your heart is turned toward me, we can work together and do some good things.""
~ "I was spending all my time doing the work of God without being a person of God"

~ "...if I stayed dependent and focused on God, he would empower me to be his servant and thus accomplish his purposes in my ministry"

Q: How does one become a Youth Worker who depends on God?

Answer 1 - Recognise God's Power Through Personal Humility

~ "God doesn't need a program in order to work"

~ "When lives are changed, when attendance increases, when good things happen, we need to recognise God's power and give praise and credit to him"

~ "It is truly humbling to think about the awesome privilege and responsibility of being used by God"

Answer 2 - Submit Your Abilities to God and Allow His Power to Work Through Who You Are

~ "Allow your abilities to be ignited by the divine power that is revealed in a believer's life. Rejoice that your presence and your words give the power of God another opportunity to be communicated to student whom God loves"

Answer 3 - Focus on Being a Person of God Before Doing the Work of God

~ "You can never do enough"

~ "Don't allow doing the work of God to come at the expense of being God's person"

~ "Strengthen your youth ministry by placing a higher priority on being than doing"

~ "The power of God working in the lives of leaders is the foundation of a healthy youth ministry"

"Olley, Olley Oxen, Free, Free, Free"

~ "God is compassionately calling us back home where we are free to be safe and secure in our relationship with him. It is here that we can put first things first by developing our own spiritual lives and focusing on growing in Christ"

~ the students need a living model - a person of God who is passionate about his or her faith

~ our faith will help us develop a strong foundation for a healthy youth ministry

~ "No youth ministry idea or program can compete with God's power working in and through you as he gives you a passion for students and you give him a pure heart"

~ "By relying on God and trusting in his power, you leave room for him to do his work"

Making It Personal

~ our spiritual walk is a vital part of our ministry's health equation

1. Admit our struggles to ourselves

2. Ask God for the power to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness [1 Timothy 4:7]

3. Ask God for the courage to confess these struggles to a friend who cares deeply about us and who can help us

4. Work with this friend on a spiritual restoration plan

Discussion:

1. Do you have a youth ministry environment where spiritual growth is valued?

2. Do your students sense that the youth ministry leaders are men and women of God?

3. What role does prayer play in your ministry?

4. As a team, are you honestly concerned with students' spiritual health or the exhilaration from the hype of great programs?

5. How can you encourage spirituality among your leadership?

6. What will you do if you see a leader showing signs of a hard heart?

7. Where is God's power evident in your ministry?

The 9 Components of a Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry ~ Doug Fields

Perseverance ~ knowing how to stay focused, remain fresh – and stay alive!

- learning how to survive the overwhelming responsibilities, discipline problems, and the adventure of change

Participating Leaders ~ knowing how to bring others on board to help fulfil the purposes

- finding volunteers and developing them into ministries who fulfil the purposes

Parents ~ teaming up with the family for a stronger youth ministry

- teaming up with the family for a stronger youth ministry and church

Planned Values ~ identifying the beliefs and styles that will help support the purposes

- defining what values will strengthen your ministry and enhance your purposes

Process ~ showing how you intend to move your audience toward spiritual maturity

- displaying your programs so you can help students move toward spiritual maturity

Programs ~ creating programs to fulfil the purposes and reach the potential audiences

- deciding what programs will reach your potential audience and help fulfil God’s purposes

Potential Audience ~ identifying your students and their receptivity to your purposes

- identifying which students are the target for the purposes

Purpose ~ knowing why your ministry exists, writing it out, and putting leadership behind it

- discovering why your ministry exists and following it up with communication and leadership

Power of God ~ helping passionate leaders with pure hearts to rely on God

- working through passionate leaders with pure hearts

The 5 Eternal Purposes:-

1) Evangelism

2) Worship

3) Fellowship

4) Discipleship

5) Ministry

Before 30 by Ps Philip Mantofa

YJ suggested that we get this book as a gift for KY because it is really a good book. I took the opportunity to get a copy for myself and finished reading it in two days time. I was touched by the content in the book. It reminds so much on what we should do in our lives. I hope I can summarise the content here, so that I can share it with all my friends.

God's grace is always sufficient for us. Sometimes we think that we are sinners and therefore we are not worthy of being used by Him. However, God clearly shows us otherwise. He is telling us that He has His own way of using each and everyone of us.

Vessel! Lord, please teach me how to be Your Vessel. I want to be a good child. As I read the book, I realise that sometimes it is as simple as ABC; all we need to do is to fall in love with Him.

There are many times we can do anything for the person we love. I believe that if we love God, we would be more than willing to submit ourselves to Him.

A friend told me this: "I am afraid to commit because I will lose my freedom. I am not able to do things that I like, and need to do things that I do not like". In my opinion, we are all human and are not perfect; therefore we cannot escape from having such feeling.

I do have such feeling too. It is very difficult to do something which we are reluctant to do. However I also know that when we submit ourselves to Him, God will lead us with His strength and wisdom, and when we are willing to let go, everything seems so easy, not so troublesome.

For a fact, relying on Him and not ourselves is a privilege! Therefore this is a lesson that I must learn. I have experienced before, that to rely on my own is so difficult, exhausting and hopeless.

I fell and got up, then fall and get up. In the end, it is still God who hold onto me. Thank You Jesus for Your Love...

P.S. I Love You ~ Cecelia Ahern

"Holly is a young Irish woman has just lost her husband. She struggles with what to do with her life now that the love of her life is gone. She struggles to get up each morning. She doesn't leave the house anymore or talk to her family and friends. Her mother calls one day to tell her that she has a package and needs to pick up. Holly gets it and realizes that it contains letters from her husband that he wrote before he died.

There are 10 letters each containing some instruction on what to do nowthat he is gone. She is only allowed to read one letter a month and each one comes with instructions about what to do now that he is gone. These are things she wouldn't have done if he were still alive, but because they are from him she abides by his wishes. All the while she realizes that even though he is gone he is still with her in spirit and she must go on with her life.

Holly finds a job, meets new people and trys to keep life normal. She goes out partying with friends and goes on vacation. She wrestles with the possiblity of starting a new romance. All the while trying to stay true to her husband. In the end she realizes life does go on. Her husband wants her to be an independent lover of life. He wouldn't be disappointed if she went on to be happy without him."

I was contemplating whether to get this book when I went to the Bookfest on Saturday, 22nd August 2009. This book can be classified as "romance", not something to my liking; eventually, I did not buy the book.

I went back on Thursday, 27th August 2009, to get "The Last Empress". Again, I came across this book. This time, I just took it and finally bought it.

I was wrapping my books on Saturday, and my brother saw the book. He was surprised that I actually bought it because he said this book does not suit me. After reading "A Prisoner of Birth", I have decided to slow down, and to read a more relaxing book. I chose "P.S. I Love You".

Surprisingly, my attention was drawn to the plot of this wonderful love story. I never thought that I would really sit down and concentrate to read this kind of book. There is no doubt that there are some parts which I find it not that impressive but overall, this is a good book to read.

I was actually wondering what is love all about, which was why I chose to read this book at the initial stage. After reading this book, it makes me realise that we have to move on with life no matter what happens. Holly was lucky because Gerry did not leave her to deal with the grief alone. He was with her for almost a year and his last message was to encourage her to open herself for another relationship.

It was quite surprising at first, because I never thought that Holly was a woman who put love as priority. This story described Holly as a woman who put Gerry as her priority in life. Nonetheless, she did move on with courage. Towards the end, she did whatever that Gerry had told her to do; things that she would not do if Gerry was alive. It was a sweet thought that Gerry was being considerate to keep Holly 'accompanied' for quite some time before he let her to be on her own.

I would say that I did enjoy reading this. After all, I wanted a 'relaxing' read...