Erling Thu

To be somebody is not to worry about anything

To be somebody is to be worry-free
Not worrying for eating or drinking
Not worrying for housing or clothing
Not worrying for the day tomorrow
Not worrying for my good name
Not worrying for my acceptance in society
Not worrying for my appearance
Not worrying for my beauty
Not worrying for my professional career
Not worrying for my funeral
Not worrying for my car
Nor worrying for my possessions
Nor worrying for my children
Not worrying for accidents while travelling
Not worrying for terrorists
Not worrying for the persecutors
Not worrying for ridicule
Not worrying for rejection

I am really somebody
When I live worry-free
In the middle of difficulties
In the face of challenges

I am really somebody
When I generously give away everything
To follow in the footsteps
Of him who had no pillow to rest his head on

Humble praying

To be somebody is to humbly pray

For wisdom and insight for righteous living

To ask for blessing on your friends

And pronounce blessing on those who oppose you

As you humbly yourself

Asking for daily grace and abundant mercy

Praying with friends

To be somebody is to pray

Together with your friends

Sitting in a circle

Facing one another

Opening up our hearts

Being transparent

As you pour out your soul

Laying bare your innermost being

Trusting God and your friends

To keep your personal needs

As a sacred treasure in their hearts

Before the need is being met

A tribute to Tony Ling

To be somebody is to be like Tony Ling

Being truly, uniquely, one of a kind,

• The eloquent prince of preachers
• A visionary man with a message
• A prophetic father,
• An outstanding hero,
• The best example, a true legend,
• A covenant friend

Being an awesome man of God,

having humility and inspired wisdom.

Being an amazing man of the Word,

sowing seeds of truth that liberates people.

Being a container of revelation,

opening up the Word of God,

helping people to find Jesus on each page of the Bible.

Being warmhearted and devoted to Jesus,

expressing passion and zeal for his Master.

Being unforgettable funny,

having a deep sense of humour,

making people laugh, creating so much laughter.

Being an incredible man of God,

making everyone feeling welcome and special

Being humble and brimming with the word,

always imparting revelation of Jesus

Being an incredible giant of faith,

leaving an immeasurable legacy

that will continue to enlighten

the people of God in generations to come.

Being a remarkable prophetic man,

changing people’s lives through his prophetic words,

envisioning and empowering them

to fulfil their calling in life.

Text: Erling Thu, May 6, 2020

To be somebody is not a matter of right or wrong

To be somebody
is not a matter of right or wrong
it is not a matter of having the political correct opinions
or the classical orthodox doctrine

To be somebody
is a matter of being kind
- of caring for others
- of loving in words and deeds
To be somebody
is all about forgiving
- those who persecute you
and being generous
- towards those who are different

To be somebody
is not a matter of theology
it is all about living a good life
- trusting the Son of man
who set aside the privileges of deity
and became one of us to bring us to God
ministering life to us by dying our death

When you do a favour
to those who don't deserve it
then you are really somebody

To be somebody is drinking deeply of the Spirit

To be somebody is drinking deeply of the Spirit

being immersed in the Life-giving One

being soaked in the new wine

being taken by the Holy Wind

to rise up with soaring wings like eagles

and carried away from the self-centred life

To be somebody

Is to be taken out of oneself

Becoming part of something greater

Living for a higher cause

Relating to other persons

Interacting with kindred spirits

Through the Spirit of Life

Whom you are constantly drinking of

To be somebody is living in the sacred garden of covenant

To be somebody

is to live a life of consistent commitment

to let friendship and love grow

to become beautiful flowers

in the sacred garden of covenant

It is to allow the early buds

of encouragement and excitement

turn into full bloom

- as a foretaste of heaven

When your friendship is too costly

to be expressed in words

then the future is yours

to explore the beauty of covenant living

To be somebody

is to be adventurous enough

to dare to explore the depths of covenant love

To be somebody - creating new life

To be somebody

is to give your blog

or any project you started new life.

It is to start afresh

over and over again

never giving up

the hope of creative life

as you let the artistic veins be filled

with expressions of joy

each time you overcome

an obstacle of boredom

Liberating the moment

To be somebody

is to liberate the moment

from the dullness of being taken for granted

It is to avoid the temptation

to capture the moment

through a camera

to print it on paper

but rather to enjoy the moment

for all its worth

liberating it from memories of the past

by embracing the new moment

arriving every second

I am somebody

when I live in the present

enjoying the ever flowing Spirit of Grace

who enables me to give thanks in all circumstances

taking hold of opportunities

and letting go of past failures

as I embrace the moment of God's presence

Sitting next to your wife

To be somebody
Is to sit next to your wife
As she is writing a poem
It is to smell the fragrance of joy
And see the aura of love
As she is expressing deep feelings
And thoughtful emotions
Through well-formed sentences
And personally carved words

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

To be somebody

Is to know that a mother is concerned for you

And thinking of you with a tender heart

It gives a great sense of worth

Knowing that someone is worried

With motherly love and care for you

As you are travelling places

And fulfilling your holy vocation

In serving the people of God

To really be somebody

Is to appreciate this loving concern

And give thanks to your mother

While she is still alive

When she is gone, and you realise

how valuable her worries were,

it is too late to acknowledge their worth.

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

A father, a brother or a sister,

A friend, a fellow believer, a servant of God,

A neighbour, a postman, a nurse, a doctor,

A preacher, a football player, an athlete,

• someone cares because of love,

but no one cares like God,

he cares for all of us with his everlasting love!

To be somebody – means changing

To be somebody

is to change the template

of your life to avoid staleness

and try to achieve freshness

knowing that the external change

is nothing compared

to the dynamic change of inner life

flowing from the Spirit of God inside you

To be somebody is embracing change

welcoming new ideas and creative ways

leaving the old template behind

moving forward in the fresh anointing of the Spirit

Accepting ourselves for what we are

To be somebody
Is to accept ourselves for what we are
And at the same time rejoice
In all the good qualities
We are able to see in other people

To be somebody
Is to be yourself
Without being sufficient in yourself
But to develop your strengths
That all may see what you really are
To be yourself is to try to see something
Positive in your weaknesses
As you try to make them be less visible

Celebrating life

To be somebody

is to celebrate birthdays, wedding-days,

Christmas, Easter, Whitsunday

or any other special days

and New Year with great joy!

It is to make use of all circumstances

to celebrate and rejoice

in the rich life from God!

It is to rejoice in being

uniquely created in the image of God,

rejoicing over all our gifts and talents

enjoying life to the full!

Life itself is the greatest reason for celebration

Only when I am alive

I am somebody

To treasure a friend

To be somebody

is to treasure a gift from a friend

as a proof of covenant love

and to make it last forever

in the joyful and reverent way

it is being used.

To be somebody

is to treasure a friend more

than any gifts you are given.

It is to appreciate that a friend

is more valuable than anything else.

To be somebody

is to treasure friendship

like a paradise garden,

a colony of heaven.

When you are somebody

you live a life of transformation,

being transformed from glory to glory,

turning ordinary people into great people.

To be somebody

is to be a faithful friend

who sees the greatness in the other

and treasure that greatness in your heart.

Text: Erling Thu, (c 2020)

Being a grandfather

To be somebody
is being a grandfather
of many unique grandchildren
and loving each one of them
in a very special way

Grandchildren are the crown of life,
crowning you with dignity and honour.
Grandchildren are the desert of life,
making your life radiant of joy
When you have many grandchildren
you realize that you are truly somebody
for you have achieved something very great.

To be somebody
Is being a grandfather of happy grandchildren,
For there is no greater achievement in life
Happy grandchildren prove that you have succeeded,
that you are somebody - all by the grace of God.

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Being a grandfather

To be somebody
is being a grandfather
of many unique grandchildren
and loving each one of them
in a very special way

Grandchildren are the crown of life,
crowning you with dignity and honour.
Grandchildren are the desert of life,
making your life radiant of joy
When you have many grandchildren
you realize that you are truly somebody
for you have achieved something very great.

To be somebody
Is being a grandfather of happy grandchildren,
For there is no greater achievement in life
Happy grandchildren prove that you have succeeded,
that you are somebody - all by the grace of God.

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Answering emails or messages

To be somebody
Is to answer emails or text messages
Showing that you care
And take people seriously
It is to come up with simple solutions to complicated questions
Or to admit that you don't have all the answers

To be somebody
Is to sit in front of a screen
Typing letters, words, reason and insight
As if you were sitting in front of a person
Communicating eternal truths
Sharing real life experiences
Opening up your heart
For the world to see
The beauty and simplicity
Of faith, hope and love
Poured into a human heart by the Holy Spirit

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Suffering loss

To be somebody

Is to suffer loss with dignity and trust

• the loss of a son who dies
• the loss of friends who turn out to be no friends
• the loss of sleep or rest
• the loss of health
• the loss of memory
• the loss of peace of mind
• the loss of a poem as the pc crash

Losses come in many forms

some are deeply personal and painful

some can be hurting but helpful

some are very dramatic and domestic

some are instant and intense

To be somebody

Is to embrace loss willingly by faith

Because you are looking forward

For something greater and better

When you have seen the Invisible

The losses in the corruptible world do not matter any more

Text: Erling Thu (c)

Daring to be yourself

To be somebody
Is to dare to be yourself
And still not rely on your own strength or human resources
But submit to the leading of the Spirit
And draw on his mighty strength
Allowing him to unfold his power in your life
Enabling you to break out of all human limitations
And enjoy the abundance of blessings
And the liberty of God's children

To be somebody
Is to accept yourself the way you are
And trust God for a supernatural life in the Spirit
When you have learned to say no to yourself
- say no to your own strengths and weaknesses
But to embrace everything that God does for you
Then you can live life to the full.

To be somebody
Is to accept no limitations as failures
But as divine steppingstones
Into the life of the Spirit
- the life of trust
- the life of faith
- the life of hope
- the life of love

Text: Erling Thu (c)