Read Bible With Me: Paul’s Longer Epistles, ESV

Edit 15th May 2021: This playlist was originally just for 2 Corinthians, when I was just starting to upload my Bible reading. Now that I’ve read through all of the other epistles, I decided to go back and read Paul’s longer epistles and put them all in this playlist. I’m currently working on reading Romans, then 1 Corinthians will follow.

I’m aiming to upload reading through the entire Bible at some point. Let’s see how that goes. For the time being, thanks for reading with me! The full playlist is here:

Individual chapter videos are below:

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YouTube Music: One Voice Piano Instrumental Cover

I actually made a cover of this song because I wanted to use it as relaxing background music for a video at a later date, but also I do like doing worship song covers that I can listen back on too.

Eventually I hope to have enough relaxing covers for worship songs that I’ll be able to put together a playlist that I can personally listen to when I’m working or reading or for quiet time. Hope you enjoy to :)

Blessings,
Crystina

YouTube Fun: Learning Cantonese (…Or Not)

This was genuinely so fun and hilarious we fully intend to do it again haha. We had a great time filming it, and I’ve so far had an even better time watching my hubby watch it because his reactions are sooo cute!! Hehe.

Hope you enjoy, and have a blessed week!

YouTube Fun: Sorting Out Some Archive Songs

This is uploaded on a separate channel to distinguish between my music and personal videos. Honestly this was filmed just for a bit of fun, but during the process of editing this video I found I really enjoyed it…

Until my laptop majorly crashed on Tuesday and I genuinely thought I bricked it. Sigh. It was probably a lot more stressful than I’d care to admit, but as such I am behind on writing my sermon reflections and posting this video.

I’d finished editing it by Monday afternoon but I wanted to show it to Jacky before I uploaded it. Who could have imagined that less than 12hrs later, my laptop would be re-installing itself from the Internet because that’s how badly I’d messed it up.

But, God is very gracious! As of this afternoon, it’s pretty much completely back to normal, with practically none of my files missing, and most of this video in-tact (at least what little I had to re-do was doable). The process even made me dig out a very old YouTube channel that I hadn’t touched in a long time, as well as reactivate my old UK number that had deactivated due to inactivity.

The reason I really needed to fix my laptop was because the internet stopped working on it entirely (though it was working fine on all other devices in our apt), and it had become sluggish to the extent I could barely load any apps on it. I was worried I’d somehow downloaded a virus or something.

Anyways, thankfully, we are now past that hurdle, and the video is finally up! Hope it brings you a little joy and entertainment today :)

YouTube Music: Before The Throne of God Above

I really got into recording more for YouTube. Realising that I somehow gained an audience of over 1.3k subscribers over the past decade while trying to figure out how I can do my part to share the gospel in this time of quarantine has led me to feel convicted to use it as a platform to do just that.

I don’t know if anything will come of it, or if it’ll even serve its intended purpose, but at the very least it gives Jacky and I more opportunities to worship together, while also giving me something to upload with a faith angle behind it.

I am rarely vocal about my faith online outside of my blog – shame on me – so, God willing, I think it’s time to change that.

Circumstances are really difficult right now for many people. I’m coming to realise that I’m one of the (fewer?) lucky ones who have really found rest, restoration, peace and joy during it. God has been very gracious to us in providing everything we need, and we are blessed that Jacky still has a job and income to support us both. I live in comfort and privilege and I am becoming ever more aware and grateful for it (though may I also be wary of the dangers of idolatry that come with it).

However, regardless of circumstance, it is always a good time to come before the throne of God above and worship Him, to bring our struggles, our desires, our darkness, sins and despair to the feet of Jesus — and remember just how good our God is.

No matter what, we who are trusting in Jesus have a great hope: that the sinless Great High Priest has indeed died for our sins and saved us from the wrath of God that was rightly due to us, and He is alive today! He is risen, death is defeated, and He lavishes grace upon grace over us by granting us eternal life and, one day, eternal glory with Him.

This life is not all that we have. In this life, may we be grow in spiritual maturity, ever more conformed to the image of Christ, to live out a life that glorifies Him. And through it all, may we not falter in our hope of eternity with Him, not forgetting that one day, we will stand before the throne of God in Heaven, in the New Jerusalem, where we will reign with Christ; there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death. No COVID-19s, no need for vaccinations… all things will be made new.

That is what we hope in, and Jesus’ death and resurrection proved His authority as God, His authority to bring all these things to pass, and that His promises will never fail. Our hope is in Jesus, not in this world. So let us not grow faint or weary, or fearful, but let us cast our anxieties onto Him who grants everlasting peace. And now, more than ever, may Philippians 1:21 ring true:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21, ESV

Filming this song made me realise just hoooow out of tune I am when I try to play and sing at the same time. Sigh. I don’t like my singing voice in general, but this one really highlights how shrill my voice sounds. Nevertheless, I hope it can be of encouragement for others who also don’t have a perfect singing voice – worship is from the heart, to our Lord, and as long as that is fulfilled, He is pleased.

(I do feel sorry for the listeners though, sorry. I cannot promise I’ll succeed, but I will still strive to improve!)