alfresco

The changes to come...

2009-03-11T13:30:00.010+08:00

This would be the last entry I'm posting in this blog... Herein contains my journey the last 4 years, my memories...I would also like to say thank you to the friends who have left their thoughts and encouragements here... :)

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what was planted,
A time to kill;
And a time to heal,
A time to break down;
And a time to build up,
A time to weep;
And a time to laugh,
A time to mourn;
And a time to dance,
A time to cast away stones;
And a time to gather stones,
A time to embrace;
And a time to refrain from embracing,
A time to gain;
And a time to lose,
A time to keep;
And a time to throw away,
A time to tear;
And a time to sew,
A time to keep silent;
And a time to speak,
A time to love;
And a time to hate,
A time of war;
And a time of peace.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV)
But I still believe in one thing: Love (agape) in all seasons!
GOD bless you and keep you in CHRIST, amen.

It doesn't rain, it storms

2009-03-11T08:27:00.004+08:00

I have been trying to rest for this period of time... And this is the most difficult time of all... Because I have lost everything important to my life... And it is devastating to me...

One after another, pillar by pillar collapse... And I can do absolutely nothing about it... Only can stand and watch; I have tried everything within my human means but all proved futile...

A torrent of whys formed in my head... Why???!!!
What is it I have to learn? Is it because of my sins that GOD is punishing me? Is this spiritual warfare? What is this all about?

I ask GOD: What have I done to deserve all these? I gave of my heart and I never expect certain things to happen, from some people...

I saw JESUS, beautiful and perfect.. Full of love and helped so many people but what did he get from the very people whom he loved? Exactly what at all did he deserve to be tortured and crucified? JESUS loved and still love us, despite it all... Despite our imperfections, even though we are already baptised in water or SPIRIT... Yet HIS love is so steadfast, so so strong.

I ask GOD: I know what I'm going through is nothing as compared to what GOD has gone through, and moreover, I was a sinner redeemed by YOU and who still have so many occasional sins... But I can't help crying out coz it hurts too... It hurts a lot, one after another, why? Tell me what to do, so I can stop more things from happening?

I saw JESUS with a cup, looking up where a soft light was shining down. I understood that it meant "This is the will of GOD, HIS purpose for you". And JESUS did not ask "Why?" HE had the power, but HE laid it all down for my redemption.

I ask GOD: How will I pick up myself then? How is it possible? Can I wipe out my heart? I feel like running away from everybody and everything. I can't seem to find myself back... Faith, hope, joy, strength, passion, sunshine all seem to have gone from me... The world from my eyes have become dark, gloomy, hopeless and painful...

I just read an email today: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).

IN JESUS I will find peace... I have forgotten...

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More excerpts from the online Billy Graham Decision Magazine:
Seeking God in Our Pain»
by Greg Laurie
Sometimes we allow trouble, trauma and hardship to cause us to be angry with God. We withdraw from Him and don’t want to talk to Him. My friend, that’s when you need Him more than ever! Cry out to Him with your doubts. Cry out to Him with your pain. He will patiently, lovingly, hear you. He might set your crooked thinking straight as you seek Him, but He wants you to pour out your pain. He loves you!
Think of the way Job responded to devastating circumstances. Job not only lost a son, he lost seven sons and three daughters in one unimaginable day. And that was in addition to losing all his possessions and his health! But what did Job do? He cried out to the Lord, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21, NKJV).
Job did go on to question God in the days that followed, saying, “Lord, why?” There’s nothing wrong with asking God why, as long as you don’t get the idea that He somehow owes you an answer. Frankly, God doesn’t owe you or me an explanation.

Perfect Cut

2009-03-09T15:51:00.004+08:00

There was the fantastic Part 1 and now the equally great Part 2. This drama brings out a lot of issues faced by our modern society. Vanity, insecurity, hurts, bitterness, love, etc.

Bravo!

Because You Loved Me

2009-03-03T17:11:00.002+08:00

Chanced upon this song when I was looking for another (that was ringing in my head). Found this entry when I was looking for one with lyrics. The one that I chanced upon at first was the one with Celine Dion's picture. I am glad that this one is more apt because as I heard the song again today (the first time was in Secondary school), my thoughts went to GOD, the true Lover of my soul. In the lyrics, every word is apt, but I don't think I call JESUS "baby" though :p

Treasure

2009-03-03T16:28:00.002+08:00

Over these few weeks, I learnt the importance of the word - Treasure.

During this period, I will take things slow. I will trust that HE will lead me to the place of rest. And where I should be. Although I am not doing well in many aspects, I will have faith that GOD will not let go of me. This is HIS promise, isn't it?

It is not easy for me to be so weak. I have never been so weak before. I am just not used to it. Being very much an on-the-ball person, it is really difficult to be faced with not having what I used to have before - energy, stamina. In everything, I put in my very best, but now, I can't even will myself even if I wanted.

When will I heal? Life is short. I don't want to stay down for too long. It seems so difficult now, but I want to be strong again. I have a responsiblilty.

Right now, I'll just treasure what I have, which is I have a lot actually. I've been very blessed. GOD has given me a lot. I'm fortunate, very fortunate.

So even though I thought I only got sorry to tell GOD, I know now that I have many thank YOUs to say to HIM too. Even though I do not deserve, HE has freely given, and has proven HIMSELF to be faithful.

Breathe...

2009-03-02T02:18:00.004+08:00

Dear GOD,

It hurts... It hurts so badly...
Why do I face this loss?
Especially after giving my all?
Why does things have to turn out this way?
If only I knew, I would have tried to protect,
To prevent the pain that hides behind time,
Such short time indeed.
It feels like blood flowing out of my heart,
My soul crushed to bits,
GOD, why does it have to hurt so?
Why must I arrive here?
It hurts... It hurts so badly...

I can cry a river, I have.
My eyes is always misty nowadays
And my body, it feels weak, so weak...
I am afraid to look long in the mirror
Coz I know I will see sadness
And I know more sadness it will bring
I am afraid to face all the images and memories my sadness carries.

GOD, I am so tired
I'm so worried.
I feel like such a failure,
I feel so sorry
I feel helpless.
YOU have clearly taken all things out of my hands now
Coz YOU know what I need and I don't.

It is time to rest.
I need rest.
I need to sleep for a while.

1 John 3:18

2009-02-27T18:54:00.005+08:00

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

John 12:35
"Then JESUS said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going."

BN + BBN = OC

2009-02-27T18:12:00.014+08:00

060608t270209,18.00

Not in picture: Mr Pig

My heart bleeds...

2009-02-23T22:48:00.003+08:00

Great sadness fills my heart...
But I will be strong, I will stand up...
in JESUS name, amen.

No Overnight Food!

2009-02-23T22:43:00.003+08:00

Been down with food poisoning & gastric flu for almost a week... Felt so terrible... Had to see 2 "western" doctors & 1 "Chinese" doctor... Phew! Thank GOD tomorrow will be better... :p

No Surprise...

2009-02-17T16:49:00.005+08:00

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

This verse in Romans hit me with a new perspective today... "Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword" reminds me that yes, we will definitely face (some, hopefully not all :p) these in life... So we shouldn't be surprised when any of these happen to us...

The following line is an instruction (and encouragement) to exercise faith over a spiritual fact that "we are more than conquerors through HIM"... It also reminds us of the origin of the power and glory --> CHRIST's love for us... And as we persevere in exercising this faith, we shall see and receive the strength that will help us triumph in any situation...

I think many a time, it is human nature to cringe from "bad happenings" in life... We hope that we won't ever have to face any problems in life at all... For some people, happiness can only be derived from life like a bed of roses... These will only have happiness: a temporary and superficial state of the moment but they will never know joy...

We cannot avoid "bad" events from happening because if it is in GOD's plan, it will happen, for reasons HE purpose... Sometimes, it's also for the strengthening of our spirit-man (that we do not waver along with circumstances), a process for the fashioning us into CHRIST-likeness, tried and tested; QC-ed in CHRIST-like quality... But we can choose how we respond to every situation... Okay, now time to start practicum... :p

14th Feb 2009 (Sat) 00:00

2009-02-16T16:17:00.007+08:00

A PICTURE WITH THE MAN I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Valentines Day is extra special because it's also Piggest's birthday! Haha... Lucky fella :) I felt really happy that I got to celebrate it with him... Gave him a surprise celebration... Was lighting up the candles on the cake at the playground below his block... And waved to him as he looked out of his bedroom window... I was really pleased... This is the first time I celebrated birthday this way - just me and birthday boy... Heheh... Actually there was another couple at the playground... They were sitting on the bench when I went to spoil their romantic atmosphere... Wahaha... But I hid in the play area so that we both had our privacy... Anyway they left after a while... Heehee... Coz I had to put on elephant skin to sing Piggest a birthday song... Thankfully, he sang along... So I could hide my embarrassment... :p We proceeded to his kitchen for pictures and sharing of the cake...

14th of Feb this year was really one of my best time spent with Piggest (and in my life)... On his side, he was thoroughly sweet... He did a newspaper dedication as well as gave me the second bouquet of flowers (ahem! How come smaller than the 1st leh? :p)... It was very sweet though... First guy to ever buy me flowers coz I hated bouquet flowers in the past (coz they wilt don't they?) and I hated carrying them too... SO MALU MAH!!! But somehow it was different with him... During our time together, he has been pretty sweet to buy little gifts here and there for me... My love language had never been gifts (coz I get very stressed when people give me stuff) but with Piggest, I really appreciated them and I felt very loved... He had also written quite a few loveletters especially early in our relationship... That was the sweetest thing... Until today, I still keep reading them... Actually never thought I'd be so mushy but I've become *puke puke* Sorry! First time ever loved, and loved like that... I am thankful for having experienced this love... :)

Cheesecake - his favourite flavour
Asahi - his favourite beer
Apple Plush - symbolic to what he is to me "the apple of my eye"... It's NOT a tomato, Piggest!!!

I tried to DIY on the cake a little to make it special but not a very good job, huh :p If you look hard enough (hahahaha), you'd see the letters "g" and "L" on the left and right of the cake and a blue heart (him) and a red heart (me) between "fruitful" fruits... Wahaha...

I hope Piggest enjoyed the little celebration... I had hoped to do more actually... :p

Love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) NIV

2009-02-11T02:37:00.001+08:00

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

A humourous (but insightful) email I received...

2009-02-02T16:20:00.002+08:00

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit."

My comments:
I think all the women will agree especially all the sentences preceding the last.
And some men would have already gotten a taste of that ton of shit! :p

Fear

2009-02-01T04:15:00.002+08:00

I have been under a tremendous amount of stress. Having lost myself somewhere in my journey, I have fallen into the pit of fear. Asking myself "why?" has been the focus of my contemplations nowadays.

There is such as a healthy fear that derives itself from respect, reverence or love. There is also such as unhealthy fear, which is schemingly destructive.

I look at myself in the mirror and look for a long time. Where have I gone?

To find myself, I need to put my fear at the feet of CHRIST. I need HIS presence again. So that fear does not stifle and kill me, but GOD will refresh and strengthen me.

8 - 12 months more

2009-02-01T03:54:00.003+08:00

I wonder what one would do when faced with an 8 - 12 month time to live.

I guess not many have pondered if ever they are slapped with the prospect of the above, what would they do? What would be the thoughts/feelings in one's mind, one's heart, one's soul? Who would be the people first on one's thoughts? Who after?

In the world we live today, it is not uncommon for an unexpected illness to show itself uninvited. But when it does, what would we do? What would be on our priority scales? What would be important anymore?

Many times, I ask this question: Does it take death to decide life?

Unfortunately, it seems so. Why I say this?

The person awaiting death starts to contemplate and reflect on what should be important, and finally starts focusing on those. Things that are important but seem less urgent that used to be put off infinitely suddenly gets done. Relationships suddenly become more important.

And for the people who know about the impending death of the person, starts to be extra nice, starts to spend more time, starts to give unreservedly.

Does it really have to take death?

The way some of us live today: as if there is always tomorrow, as if there is always a second chance.

There may not be.

About Prophesy

2009-01-25T17:48:00.002+08:00

I have been asked before if prophesy is like fortune-telling.

My personal explanation:
Prophesies from the LORD are to help us in our walk with GOD... To restore us to HIS path for us... This is especially important when our spiritual ears have gone dull (due to sins perhaps, etc.)... GOD can use HIS servants operating in this gift or godly individuals (at HIS timing, for HIS purpose) to reveal the things HE wants to tell us through prophetic word... Prophetic word from GOD can minister to an individual on a personal level, as well as to a nation...

Fortune-telling may seem similar, but it is far from it... It also does not edify us towards GOD or HIS ways... It is used as one of the tools of the evil one to have a stronghold over our lives, to distract us from the true GOD... Fortune-telling is the counterfeit version... It basically uses fear (in those who do not know GOD) to lure people into spiritual captivity...

Dinner with 2 Prophets and their families

2009-01-25T16:44:00.002+08:00

I had the opportunity of having dinner with 2 prophets and their families 2 weeks back. I had been invited by a fellow agent who is also a brother in CHRIST. He also asked me to invite a few friends as there was still space at the table.

I invited Kim, Uncle William and his wife Aunty Teresa. We met at the Jumbo Seafood Restaurant at East Coast. It was supposed to be a belated birthday treat for one of the prophets, Pastor Frikkie. Pastor Frikkie, Pastor Hendrick and their families are from South Africa, who are ministering frequently in Indonesia. They reside in Singapore.

I specifically asked GOD to get the prophets to cover 4 areas (M, C, Mi, R)
Pastor Frikkie covered the first three and Pastor Hendrick the last.

Pastor Frikkie prophesied specifically over somethings which I shall see happening by the middle of this year. And also, some specific things that would happen (but did not specify when in date). There were 3 things in my heart that I hoped I can get to do or can happen in my life, but never really dared to believe they will come to pass, since I could not see how it could happen from where I'm in right now in life. Yea, I know some of you would ask me "Yo! Where's your faith man!"... :p Believe me, I'm asking that too :p

Anyways, the thing is, Pastor Frikkie actually mentioned these 3 things (IEJ + WM + OSE) as he prayed/prophesied over me. He also mentioned a lot of things that were really how I felt... Thank GOD that HIS assurance and grace is there for me. How great is HIS love, even for sinner and disappointer me...

There are also some things that GOD will be doing. Some clues: dark hour, dessert, wilderness, fire. These words are not very popular, aren't they? :p But well, seems like they're necessary for GOD to do HIS work.... Ouch on they way :p a bit scared of course, but this is when I will have to trust HIM... That HE will do what HE says, take me through it and be with me... Needless to say, I'll definitely need that! Pastor Frikkie also mentioned about faith. It brought to mind how faith was one of my 2 highest ranking in a spiritual gifts assessment I did 2 years back. Where is it now? I have no idea. Is it possible to lose your spiritual gifting? I'm not sure, but what I do know is that it plays hide when I do not exercise it...

I am looking forward to see the LORD's hand unfold in the things HE wills for my life...

Next, I went over to Pastor Hendrick who prayed for me too. Surprisingly, he prayed and spoke to me only about the last area... The words GOD gave to him brought me a lot of comfort... And it was pretty to the point... There were no instructions from GOD, just understanding and love...

I thank GOD that HE did not despise/condemn me nor show HIS wrath at me, but HE gave me what a helpless child needed from her FATHER... Words of restoration, promises of a new day, by the power of HIS SON...

When things are looking down, Look Up!

2009-01-16T11:48:00.003+08:00

The Upward, Inward Look

Within the first few months of my landing in the pastorate, a young wife and mother came to see me and proceeded to tell me that she no longer loved her husband.
by Joseph M. Stowell

told me that many of their friends seemed to have happy and fulfilling marriages, and it was her goal to somehow reclaim those same feelings that had at one time held so much hope for her. I scrambled for something meaningful to say.

That was the beginning of my regular exposure to the tyranny of trouble in people’s lives. I’ve filled many hours standing by people like a woman named Martha, who only weeks after she and her husband began their work as missionaries, watched her husband—my high school friend—die a slow, agonizing death. I’ve walked with men through the ego-wrenching pain of job loss and marketplace failure. And what hope can there be for a young mother who discovers sensual love notes passed between her husband and their high school babysitter?

All of life runs unsettlingly close to the ditch. Trouble is indiscriminate in its timing and its choice of target. Job, who bore the scars to validate his wisdom, said, “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7, NIV).

From health to emotions, finances and relationships—trouble stands at the brink of it all, waiting to make its unwelcome, untimely and unexpected entrance. No one is exempt.

Given such inevitability, it’s no surprise that we spend great amounts of time, energy and money trying to overcome our problems.

Grinning and bearing it shows resolve but offers no solution. Getting mad brings more grief and anguish. Getting even starts wars and causes bitterness. Withdrawing leads to loneliness.

Is There Any Hope?
The right answers are found by asking the right questions. And the right question is not “Why?” Processing problems in the why zone too often leaves us cynical, hardened, angry and confused. The only right answer to why is “I don’t know why, and if I don’t know why, I need to suspend judgment until I do.”

Job’s devastating experience is helpful at this point. Only a brief part of his story deals with recounting his problems. The bulk of the Book of Job focuses on the advice of his wife and friends who try to answer the question why and who counsel him from that perspective. In the end God resolves the mental anguish by turning Job from the question of why to the question of who.

Hope begins when we start with the right question: “Who?”

The answer to who is three-fold.
Him—God our Father in all His supreme authority, presence and power.

Me—target of the trouble and in sole control of my responses and actions.

Them—the people around me who may have caused the pain, who may awkwardly try to help me in my pain, or who don’t understand and sometimes don’t even care.

We must immediately get them in perspective. Since we can’t control them, we are not wise to focus on them or expect much from them. If God sees fit to use some of them to provide hope, then let it be an added blessing.

That leaves two points of focus: Him and me.

It sounds simplistic to say that ultimately God is our only hope. Nevertheless, it is true that help and healing begin and end in all that He is and all that He provides. Our hope and eventual healing begins by looking in His direction. Through the work of the Spirit and according to the principles and power of His Word, He is the genuine Helper and Healer. Without Him, help is at best cosmetic, incomplete, temporary and sometimes misguided.

When Scripture speaks of hope it literally means to trust in a present and future help that is certain. Our English word lacks this element of certainty. It is little more than a wish, a “hope so.” Biblical hope is grounded in certainty. The only certain, steady reality when life takes a downward turn is our Father in heaven and the helping work of His Spirit through the guiding principles of His Word. God is full of certainties that provide something solid to hope in. Those certainties are like handles to which we cling: God is not slippery or inaccessible. He is real. Really there. Really here. Nor does He hoard His resources. He shares them. In time. In abundance. In wisdom and strength. He is more than words; He is wonder and power.

When we begin with who, we begin with Him. It may only be a determined resolve to look trustingly in His direction, but we must begin with Him. For some, hope in God will conflict with thoughts of the damage He has permitted in our lives. However, if we are willing to open our hearts and minds, we will come to know how His certainties can become realities that bring hope and eventual healing.

The Other Side of Who
The other side of who is me.

Me—with all my feelings, hurts, confusion and questions. In trouble, the most strategic part of me is my will. It remains intact in spite of loose ends around my jumbled emotions. Our wills are the only entities we control and the only point of certain relationship with God. Often, despair in pain is deepened by the thought that there is nothing we can do about our situation, that we are victimized by overwhelming and uncontrollable circumstances. Our every effort to protect ourselves has been frustrated. What do we do when there is nothing left to do? When life is out of control and even our trust in God seems shaky? When we doubt His goodness and that He actually does care for us?

When we begin to believe that He doesn’t care, we cross a threshold of vulnerability to the debilitating forces of anger and cynicism that bring us further distress and eventual defeat.

We must turn to the entity over which we exercise exclusive control—our wills. My thoughts, my responses and my decisions are always within my jurisdiction. I can choose to keep looking to Him even when all is quiet in the sky. I am in charge of my choice to seek forgiveness when I have failed; to forgive others when they have failed; to persevere in correct and productive responses; to love—or to hate, resent and seek revenge.

It is no coincidence that when Scripture speaks about trouble it never wallows in the despair of our hopeless circumstances. It always guides us to the Lord and then prescribes options that we by choice either embrace or reject. If we are to find hope and help when life hurts, we must be committed to controlling the me, so that within the context of what the Lord prescribes, we can respond correctly and constructively to our situation.

If we choose not to cultivate our hope in Him, where then will we place our hope? Will we hope in the gods of comfort, peace, pleasure and self-fulfillment? Or will we be children of the true and living God, who is indeed our ultimate and final hope?

Healing begins with a choice to place our hope in Him. The process continues as we choose to commit ourselves unconditionally to those certainties that are anchored in the bedrock of what we know to be true and sure regardless of how difficult the circumstances around us.

It is an issue of where we look. We can look downward in despair and outward in fear and confusion as we survey our circumstances. Or we can look upward to Him and inward to our choices.

========================================
Joseph Stowell is an author, the host of the radio show "Proclaim!", and the president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Ill. Adapted from “The Upside of Down,” by Joseph M. Stowell, ©1991 The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, ©2006 Joseph M. Stowell.

from the January 2009 issue of "Decision" magazine

Great Quotes from Great Leaders

2008-11-25T11:17:00.005+08:00

Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts
~ Winston Churchill (1871 - 1965

The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave
~ Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

Be courteous to all,
but intimate with few,
and let those few
be well tried
before you give them your confidence
~ George Washington (1732 - 1799)

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour
~ Vince Lombardi (1913 - 1970)

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character
~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Liberty without learning is always in peril;
learning without liberty is always in vain
~ John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin more intelligently
~ Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

The worst prison would be a closed heart
~ Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005)

To reach a port, we must sail -
sail, not tie at anchor -
sail, not drift
~ Franklin Roosevelt (1882 - 1945)

In this life we cannot always do great things
But we can do small things with great love
~ Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)

http://www.simpletruths.tv/movies.php?movie=GQGL

Who Am I (Casting Crowns)

2008-10-30T12:26:00.001+08:00

From the Inside Out (Hillsong)

2008-10-30T11:40:00.000+08:00

Captivated

2008-10-30T11:29:00.000+08:00

HIS love, HIS grace, HIS power

2008-10-30T10:12:00.004+08:00

I will admit that over the past few months, I've had some persistent struggles... Erm, many of which I succumbed sad to say... As I see myself going the way of regret, I felt disappointment with myself... Why did I choose that? And that? And that? But yet I did choose the wrong ways... So old still so immature orh? *Sighz*

If a normal man cannot go against his conscience, how can a Christian strive against conviction from the living GOD?

I knew I wasn't going to be able to take a "shitty" me, but I couldn't exactly help being "shitty" so the next human thing I knew how was to de-sensitize... Well, since I've had much practice since the age of 8 on how to switch this on, it wasn't very hard... But of course, there is a certain SOMEONE who will always manage to trip me on this... Yea, none other than the LORD JESUS... HE is one person that can reduce me to mush even when a second ago, I was the hardest steel... So there's this constant fight over the switch, more frequently over the past few months...

It is easy to guess WHO will outlast who lah... So since that was the case, I decided to accept the terms - MAKE THE JOURNEY (of growth)... GOD knows what HE has in store for me... I know I can trust HIM... It will be good for me in the end...

Also, during this time, I know there is a lot for me to learn; to be "sandpapered"... And it is necessary...

Some things to take with me in this journey:
- I can enjoy the process...
- There is not going to be condemnation, but there is going to be healing...
- There is going to growing and blessings...
- There is going to be lasting transformation...

"...Not by might nor by power, but by MY SPIRIT, says the LORD of hosts"
Zechariah 4:6b (NKJ)

Oh, I'm going to see the might of the LORD, and in HIM the victory! :)
So I sure am packing for this journey, to discover what HE has for me :)

Time waits for no Man...

2008-10-22T20:20:00.003+08:00

You know, it feels a little weird seeing your relatives (e.g. YOUNGER sisters, cousins, etc.) all grown up (physically) and pak-tor-ing (with their lovey dovey pictures on Facebook)... Especially cousins whom you've never met for the longest time and your only recollection of them was when they were four or something... Erm...

I know it's a natural thing... The next thing would be that they would married and their children come along... And all your middle-aged parents, aunties, uncles, etc enter into the senior citizen's club... I know I'll get used to it soon... But for now, it still feels a little weird though :p

I can't imagine myself growing older too... Erm, or rather I don't really need to imagine lah... Just have to look at the mirror and reality sets in *boohoo* :(

Oh well...

Paaaasssssseeeedddddd!!!!!

2008-10-22T20:12:00.003+08:00

Heheh... It's not something great to most people... But considering that I hadn't had the time to really study, it is such a relief that I passed my Final Theory Test for driving... :)

I've never taken an exam/test for the longest time (ya... that old already) so it was quite funny that I was actually nervous... Hmm.... I can't remember being nervous lei... Last time take exam that time usually quite calm one... I suspect it's because this time, I wasn't prepared lah... Heh... That's the thing la... If not, what to be afraid of right?

I've never wanted to learn how to drive (urm, until now that is!)... Coz my mind goes auto into the thinking mode most of the time... Since being alert is crucial when driving, it doesn't sound like a very good idea... Anyway, one incident caused me to change my mind... I still haven't grown accustomed to it although I'm on my 5th practical lesson already but I hope I'll be okay with it soon...

Anyway, I really hope to pass my practicals on first attempt... Shall put in the effort.... Jia1 You2!!

Shhhhh.....

2008-10-17T17:33:00.002+08:00

Even if there is a storm, I shall sleep...
There's nothing that the LORD can't take care of...
So I sleep...

All in a day's short few hours...

2008-10-13T23:16:00.005+08:00

Today, I experienced a pretty wide range of emotions for a day...

I was very very very very pissed off by someone that I had to tell myself not to lash out at that person... If not for a very dear friend's sake, I don't think I would have swallowed everything that I went through with this very annoying person... I can't remember actually being so skipping mad for a very long time... This was how bad it was - I had a whole string of vulgarities running in my mind and I felt like punching the faces of those two people... I was THAT agitated... :p

Thank GOD, for providing some very nice people in my today... Or I might explode! :p
A very nice person (who only met me once) actually called me and offered help... By right, this person could have just screamed his head off at the situation which was caused by the party I mentioned above... Instead, he called to offer help... I was bewildered but very touched by this person's graciousness and exceptionalism... :)

My mood and morale was boosted when a client expressed his appreciation for my service, and also dropped me a lot of encouragement... Wow... Why can't the world be filled with more of such people! We do need more of these lor, GOD! So that the world would be a much better place to live in, with such positivity going around :)

Then comes a disappointment... I was fighting for a benefit but it was not approved... Argh... But I'll deal with it... Maybe it's all good... Something I don't see or understand now, but could be the best thing for now though... O well...

I am so busy nowadays... Juggling with the cares of everyday life, as well as the various transitions that come all at once... Frankly, I do need to catch up on more sleep... "Rest is coming... Hang in there!" is what I tell myself when it seems all too much at the moment... Being in love has its mysteriously strong motivational force... Being loved also adds an indescribable level of perseverance and endurance... I'm glad I'm very much in love and loved... By the two beings I need it most from... :)

One wrong move can cost more than you know...

2008-10-13T00:45:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, I learnt something through the mistake of another person - For some things, a wrong move can cost more than you know...

This was the scenario:
B wanted to seek A to enter a business partnership.
It so happened that A, B and C were talking.
B made a wrong move.
A was offended and made a subtle protest.
B did not catch that and did a worse mistake by making a comment to A, in front of C's presence, which effectively disregarded A in front of C.
Now, C is A's big client. So A would definitely want to maintain a good image in front of C.
And you know what happened?
B unwittingly put A down a second time (would you believe this B!), by indirectly (but obviously) portraying A as a petty person to C.

I was so bewildered by B's stupidity that I don't know whether to laugh or what... This was a classic example of the phrase "digging one's own grave"... That was the end of any possibility of business cooperation between A and B whether A spelt it out or not, in my opinion... A mentor once told me this, "Never eat and shit at the same place"... If only B knew this piece of advice...

In this world, not everybody will be so nice as to tell you your mistake... So sometimes, it's really important to know the "rules" of the game, many of which are unspoken... And also, to be sensitive enough to read other people's response.... If not, you stand to lose out, a lot more than you know or can afford...

The Best Gift

2008-10-11T21:44:00.002+08:00

The best gift on earth is really love... Love from GOD, love from my loved one, love from family and true friends... I feel so blessed... :)

The days to come are going to be exciting... O GOD... It's all about trust in YOU yea? I'm rather nervous but I wait in anticipation :)

I smile for "tomorrow" (more like Nov... haha)

2008-09-17T23:05:00.003+08:00

Out of many reasons to knit my brows, there are two reasons to smile...

My best friend is coming back, for a job! Which means she'll be here for quite a while... O cheers! Great hang-outs await! For all those years of distance friendship, this calls for a feast :)

My dearest dearest Honey Piggest will also be back soon too... And around the same time as Kirsten... Double Happiness! :) :) Oh, I miss him so much, it's terrible!:_( To think I can love someone so much and more everyday, it's incredible also la :p

One thing to note is also something these two very important people in my life have mentioned to me... Other people have mentioned this to me, but I have not budged... But when these two mentioned on this same issue, it is something that I have to seriously contemplate and pray about... It is going to be pretty major... GOD, is this what YOU want for me? Really ah? Not a testing but a direction? :p

... ...

2008-09-17T22:11:00.004+08:00

I don't know what title to give... Things are moving towards a certain direction which is causing some concerns to me... I am excited but am also feeling very vulnerable... This is by far the most vulnerable period in my whole life, I think... My mind and heart is constantly at an "O GOD..." I am worried too, to be honest... Though I make it a point to focus more on GOD than on the issues at hand...

There have never been more transitions in my life than during this period... Today, I met with two sets of people... One a businesswoman and the other an artist (who was a scholar)... It's amazing how both sets of people have very different views and approach towards life... Both are very successful at what they are doing, so much so that they are living on beautiful landed properties, and have the ability to help others unreservedly ... Both are very generous people who have been through tough times...

These are not in their exact words but close enough:

Businesswoman: Plan seriously and work towards those things you have to achieve... You must think about your future many steps before it arrives...
Artist: Why worry what tomorrow brings... Live! It's bad to think/consider too much... Just do!

Businesswoman: Money is the most important thing that you'll need... With money, you have the ability to do anything...
Artist: What's so important about money? Today you are here, tomorrow you may be gone... Why plan so much? Take each day at a time...

Businesswoman: Human relationships are the trickiest business... Be careful and be wise...
Artist: Oh, everywhere is politics... Whatever! I speak my mind...

Businesswoman: Outward appearance is important...
Artist: Everyone now is just synthetic; so plastic... Natural is best... Imperfection has its beauty as well...

Businesswoman: Be sharp and shrewd... Know how to protect what is yours...
Artist: What you want? Just take lah... Everyone can share...

Okay, for the last extract, they are talking about very different contexts...

I gained a lot by sharing time with the both of them... It's amazing how GOD created each one of us to be unique... It's also amazing how different people think differently and do life differently whether or not they have gone through similar experiences or not...

There are many philosophies out there, many choices, many everything... But only one GOD, and one fundamental truth which is that HE is THE GREAT I AM, and nobody else... You can have everything, but everything is not enough... Only GOD is... Only HE can make sense of life... JESUS is THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE (Via Veritas Vita)...

GOD, I appreciate this life that YOU've given me... Teach me how not to waste it... But use it fruitfully and live it worthy of YOUR calling... In the midst of uncertainties, in the midst of changes, in the midst of uncertainties, let me see you and be still, knowing YOU, my GOD will redeem me and will never fail me, in JESUS's name, amen!

Nice Shot

2008-09-06T00:45:00.001+08:00

I'm Ready!

2008-09-01T22:20:00.007+08:00

That was the one that caught my attention when I visited Trinity Christian Centre at Adam Road last Saturday. I was there at the invitation of my clients. And I'm glad I went.

Apostle Naomi Dowdy was preaching on marketplace ministry and showed the congregation some disturbing statistics about the views Christians and non-Christians have about Christianity.

Some that caught me were the high percentages of Christians (hello?) and non-Christians alike who:
- think/feel that the church is full of hypocrisy and hypocrites
- think/feel that the church is irrelevant
- think/feel that the church is judgemental

The list goes on but I'm not going to put everything down here... It is a very serious point to note that not just the non-Christians, but many Christians themselves think/feel the same way about the above. What does that say about what's going on?
* Will blog another entry on this in a later post

Another thing I believe is that we should always examine our Christian walk, and never be complacent. What I mean by complacent is "to settle within your safety/comfort zone"... It is important that we be aware of GOD's calling for us; GOD's purpose for us and what we have been/are doing about that...

The threat is that many Christians today have been "domesticated" by the world... The devil has had some of GOD's people schemingly oppressed without them even knowing! Why? Because rather than following GOD's ways and moving together with HIS SPIRIT, we only follow or do whatever we like and are comfortable with... Doing what we THINK GOD wants us to do through our own human interpretation, rather than what GOD is REALLY SAYING... Pretty much in our own little illusionary world... While GOD has moved on, but we have not...

What is Christianity without the people of GOD functioning in the spiritual gifts, that HE has gifted to each individual who trusts in CHRIST HIS SON and obeys HIS WORD, to build up the House (I'm not refering to the physical building but people) of GOD? Where is the anointing and power that goes with a godly Christian's prayer/intercession? Where is the faith that comes with believing that with GOD, all things are possible. And that we have the authority over demonic strongholds; that with GOD, these have no power over us. Where is the passion that we can and should be winning souls because of GOD who is in us! That the world can be transformed for the Kingdom of GOD! That WE first have to honestly submit to the HOLY SPIRIT to constantly transform us daily in and out!

Oh, I'm tired! Tired of the defeated Christian life, the defeated Christian Church... No more! GOD, come and do a work in us... Save YOUR Church from such shame! We want to bring YOU glory! Send YOUR HOLY SPIRIT to speak to our hearts, to give us directions, to give us the courage we need to press on and move forth towards YOUR will upon our lives, to move in your power... To declare boldly who YOU are (not just in words but in the way we live our lives) as we have tasted YOUR goodness and are constantly filled up and overflowing coz YOU are with us, YOU go before us!

I want to thank GOD for again, saving me and putting me on the restoration path... Even though I was unfaithful - hurt HIM with my unfaithfulness, disobedience, pride, complacency, corrupted thoughts, wrong actions, unforgiveness, bad stewardship (not just in terms of money, but time, talents, etc.)

Wah... I sound like the worst Hope has ever seen :p But, I'm not going to let this get me down anymore... It's time to say, "I'm ready GOD, ready to get up, ready to see YOUR hand move so significantly and powerfully in every aspect of my life."

I have let the devil con me enough during this period... And I'm not going to be the devil's tool to taunt GOD... No matter what, in my FATHER's arms is still the place to be... I repent... I'm sorry... So very very sorry... Forgive me, my GOD!

GOD, I want to reclaim everything lost during this period of time... Allow me to pick up the baton where it fell... By YOUR grace, mercy and strength, in the name of CHRIST, help me...

It's been quite a journey, a scary one... But by GOD's grace and mercy, HE has saved me, HE has answered my cry even at a time I was falling apart... HE came to my rescue...

I may still be recovering, recuperating, in the process of healing from some vicious and chronic wounds (GOD help me coz only YOU can)... but GOD, I'm back... I'm back...

And I'm ready to reclaim my mountain YOU have prepared for me! I'm ready!

Give and Obey...

2008-08-29T11:08:00.002+08:00

Give until it hurts...
Obedience above sacrifice...

~ Jacob, founder of iProperty (Christian businessman, Trinity Christian Centre)

Philippians 4:6-7

2008-08-28T01:17:00.003+08:00

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to GOD; and the peace of GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through CHRIST JESUS." ~ NKJV

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayers and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to GOD; and the peace of GOD which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in CHRIST JESUS.

GOD of this city - Chris Tomlin

2008-08-28T00:57:00.001+08:00

Me to YOU

2008-08-27T13:51:00.003+08:00

Through the valley, I have seen my vulnerability
Yet throughout this time, YOU have never left me
Even as I take each step forward, reluctantly and painfully
YOU have shown me grace, giving me strength and encouragement

When I did not know how to stop myself from going down
YOU gave me comfort and brought me hope
Lifted me up and covered me with YOUR love and assuring Hand
O GOD of my life, YOU have never left

I don't know what to say but that I want to get up again
To continue walking in the direction that YOU have planned for me
Focusing and trusting you to arise in me a stronger faith
One that is even more solid, after the quake

O GOD of my life, I entrust all my cares to YOU
YOU know me through and through
So I give it all to YOU and trust that YOU will see me through
I ask all these in the name of CHRIST YOUR SON, amen

Worship Songs from CHC

2008-08-27T12:55:00.002+08:00

FIRST

HEART AFTER YOU

GOD OF MY FOREVER

TAKE ALL OF ME (too bad only got sampler and not full version)

Wisdom & Graciousness

2008-08-20T03:24:00.002+08:00

I'm constantly trying to find the equilibrium between "Don't bullshit me" and kindness... It's quite an enigma to me... O GOD, give me wisdom and a heart like yours!

Personality Test

2008-08-16T02:26:00.003+08:00

Result: Analytical Thinker

Analytical Thinkers are reserved, quiet persons. They like to get to the bottom of things - curiosity is one of their strongest motives. They want to know what holds the world together deep down inside. They do not really need much more to be happy because they are modest persons. Many mathematicians, philosophers and scientists belong to this type. Analytical Thinkers loathe contradictions and illogicalness; with their sharp intellect, they quickly and comprehensively grasp patterns, principles and structures. They are particularly interested in the fundamental nature of things and theoretical findings; for them, it is not necessarily a question of translating these into practical acts or in sharing their considerations with others. Analytical Thinkers like to work alone; their ability to concentrate is more marked than that of all other personality types. They are open for and interested in new information.

Analytical Thinkers have little interest in everyday concerns - they are always a little like an “absent-minded professor” whose home and workplace are chaotic and who only concerns himself with banalities such as bodily needs when it becomes absolutely unavoidable. The acknowledgement of their work by others does not play a great role for them; in general,they are quite independent of social relationships and very self-reliant. Analytical Thinkers therefore often give others the impression that they are arrogant or snobby - especially because they do not hesitate to speak their mind with their often harsh (even if justified) criticism and their imperturbable self-confidence. Incompetent contemporaries do not have it easy with them. But whoever succeeds in winning their respect and interest has a witty and very intelligent person to talk to. A partner who amazes one with his excellent powers of observation and his very dry humour.

It takes some time before Analytical Thinkers make friends, but then they are mostly friends for life. They only need very few people around them. Their most important ability is to be a match for them and thus give them inspiration. Constant social obligations quickly get on their nerves; they need a lot of time alone and often withdraw from others. Their partner must respect this and understand that this is not due to the lack of affection. Once they have decided in favour of a person, Analytical Thinkers are loyal and reliable partners. However, one cannot expect romance and effusive expressions of feelings from them and they will definitely forget their wedding anniversary. But they are always up to a night spent with stimulating discussions and a good glass of wine!

Adjectives which describe your type
introverted, theoretical, logical, spontaneous, rational, analytical, intellectual, sceptical, pensive, critical, quiet, precise, independent, creative, inventive, abstract, eccentric, curious, reserved, self-involved, imaginative, unsociable, determined, modest, careful, incommunicative, witty

These subjects could interest you
literature, science fiction, philosophy, psychology, mathematics, Internet, drawing/painting, astrology, spiritual things, meditation, music, writing, strategy games, politics

You can visit (http://www.ipersonic.com/test.html) to do the test for your personality type!

Being Necessarily Anal...

2008-08-16T00:59:00.003+08:00

I think the past month was a huge struggle for me... Still is... This is perhaps due to a series of events that has happened... And tracking back, one of it started from last year... Others might have all along been there... And yet others were progressive, either due to life stage or another level of testing/refining from GOD...

During this period of time, I was struggling not to fall apart and away... I was re-evaluating my friendships, the steps that I'm taking in the various aspects of my life, my heart condition, ministry, career, future pathways, etc. I did a huge amount of thinking, contemplation, decision-making, what have you...

Needless to say, this was extremely tough for me as there were so many things that I had to and am going through that I could only bear alone (or rather, with GOD)...

Many times I was on the brink of falling or giving up when GOD's saving rope always pulled me back... The HOLY SPIRIT was there to call out, "Sandy!", sometimes it sounded more like, "Sandy?", and other times, "Child..."

Strangely, as I became more reflective, I became more calculative... Yet, GOD lets me throw it all out, instead of keeping it bottled inside... HE knew I needed to lash it out... And then, let HIM come inside and do a work in me, to heal and to restore... I didn't want to run away from being real too... I thought it was the most healthy and genuine way to recovery and true maturity... And I thank GOD that HE was and is really here with me, though I'm certainly quite an ass of a child...

The situation can be described this way, "FATHER, repair me as only you can or I will certainly be destroyed."

I told HIM, "I'm tired... YOU do what YOU have to... I need to be refreshed... And if YOU send people, let them not be those too close to me for I have become cynical... If YOU have a word for me, send those whom I'll know are true bearers of YOUR message for me..." And truly, HE sent HIS ministers...

Two sets of people have brought encouragement... I'm still asking for more... Not just more people, but more divine experiences with GOD through various mediums... It's still not finished yet, and I'm in no hurry to shorten the process... I know that the "full course" must be dealt before the LORD's strength will once again arise in me...

Thus my entry title - Being Necessarily Anal... Coz sometimes, one needs to go through fire and brimstone to arrive at the place where heart, mind and spirit fuse in agreement with the LORD's ways... And right now, I'm having trouble aligning them on my own... I think only GOD can help me lah... Some call this HIS transforming power...

LORD, I want to see YOUR hand in my life... Let it be awesome, powerful and tangible, in witness to who CHRIST is, so that I can be a testimony of the work of YOUR hands and a faithfull, passion-filled bearer of YOUR truth...

I'm annoying, but help me! In JESUS' name, amen.

Meaningful & Uplifting Songs

2008-08-07T13:27:00.002+08:00

The week past...

2008-07-24T15:35:00.003+08:00

I have been passing the past week in a snail's crawl kinda way... But it's a good thing... I need the rest and the space... Fallen in lethargy and little crevices here and there, but am recovering bit by bit... Still in a relaxed mode now and hope to take this time not to exert myself but to listen up more...

Also hope to lay firmer foundations in some friendships... Really thank GOD for certain very special people that HE's put in my life... One of them is my best pal... Got a trunk from her today... It's so lovely to hear her voice and to know that she'll be popping by for close to 2 weeks soon... Will hang out as much as possible... Everytime I think of her, I am so grateful to GOD for someone like her... Sometimes, it's not just because she is my best pal, but that she is who she is...

There are some others that I will not name here...

GOD bless HIS great people in my life... :)

Sick... :(

2008-07-20T19:26:00.001+08:00

Gambatte-ne!

LORD, hear my prayer ...

2008-07-11T11:00:00.005+08:00

Philippians 1:6 (NKJ)
being confident of this very thing, that HE who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of JESUS CHRIST

After the word "stand still"about a month back, I have not heard more. Point is also that I had not seeked... LORD, I'm sorry for my unfaithfulness... :_( Forgive me...

I must take this period to seriously seek the LORD... I must, I must, I must! And I need it, I need it, I need it!

GOD, I seriously, do not know what I'm supposed to do... I have a sense to relax (and rest in YOU), though humanly speaking, I don't know how I can afford to do that... Priorities are also having their shifts... I only know that I want to do my best... I want to do what is good to do... I hope these will be what YOU would give your nods to... O LORD........

I take my recharge in YOU, LORD, I have so much to say to YOU, to share with YOU, to ask for YOUR advice... O GOD, YOU have been so good to me... YOU have been watching over me, making sure I have enough knock-ups (trials/experiences to help me grow) and not knock-outs (things that would be too heavy for me to bear)... Because of YOUR great love, I can call you FATHER, and know that despite my failings, even wrongdoings, YOU know me and YOU are quick to forgive me and teach me how to get up, which way to go...

GOD, I'm sorry for failing to match up, but don't give up on me!

- Keep a breathing relationship with YOU (loving you with all I am; YOU are my GOD).
- Being a good helper to Piggest (in all aspects so that we can both be good vessels for YOUR use).
- Guarding the personal vision and mission YOU have given to me (give me the strength and directions so I go on even when I can't as yet see the "aerial view").
- Coming out with the right plans and strategies that will help things move in YOUR direction (speak to me, for YOU are integral in this).
- Bear the ministry YOU have put me in (fuelled by the passion and gifts YOU've given; LORD, you are the MASTER, bring us to where YOU will)

FATHER, I really want to be the person YOU've envisioned and purposed me to be, embodying CHRIST JESUS who has brought me out of darkness and into HIS marvelous light... I have faith and trust in the future YOU have prepared for me, one that people will see and know that YOU are my GOD, and that YOU are a good GOD, amen.

Knowledge of Righteousness + Conviction VS Empathy

2008-07-07T14:29:00.008+08:00

Wisdom is not in the man who knows it, but in the man who does it.

"it" in the above quotation referring to the ways of the LORD.

GL and I were spending some time together chatting when we broached on the subject of spiritual maturity. We spoke of how life experiences can shape a person's "maturity" and aptitude for empathy. However, are true maturity and an ability for empathy alike? A man who is mature will surely have empathy, but a man who is empathetic may not be mature, isn't it?

I think it is the same with spiritual maturity. The mark of spiritual maturity in a man is he who works at a growing love for GOD, who does HIS will, and whose desire is to walk in HIS ways for HIS glory. This man will be careful in his speech and in his actions for he knows they can be used as vessels for HIS glory or can be taken hostage by the evil one for detestable works. This man lives for GOD, and not for his own.

----------------------------------------------------------

1 Peter 1:13-19 (NKJ)
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of JESUS CHRIST; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as HE who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on the FATHER, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

James 1:21-25 (NKJ)
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

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Knowledge of Righteousness + Conviction without empathy will piss people off.
Empathy without spiritual maturity is unimpactful.

Conclusion: We must develop both sets to be effective ministers of GOD :)

Angels Fall Down (Music Video)

2008-06-30T15:36:00.001+08:00

Self Preservation

2008-06-30T14:24:00.004+08:00

People withdraw/set up walls due to self-preservation...

Sermon: 29th June 2008
Speaker: Ps Jeff

The Apple of My Eye

2008-06-26T06:13:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to blog about this since we got together but did not know where to start or how to present it... I feel so blessed to have found you and I just want to put this up on my blog to let you know how much I love you (haha... and risk other people turning to ice! *Forgive me folks... Love makes one do crazy things, doesn't it?* hahaha :p)

I thank GOD for bringing us together... It is just so amazing how this came about, it's a miracle... We could have passed up on each other so many times lor... :)

There are so many reasons why I love you: genuine, honest, caring, serving, kind, mature, straightforward, gentlemanly, giving, eccentric (wahahaha!) and so much more... :)

But what I saw in you that blew me over:
- your heart for GOD (not in a showy fashion but with sincerity and honesty)... You were genuine about it... Despite having been through so much, you still retained who you are, your heart was still intact albeit behind iron bars...
- the area in which you want to serve GOD (which is similar to mine)
- your thought patterns and values (which are also so similar... *Who's the copycat?!*
- the many things that I asked GOD for in a man were embodied in you (how could I have been so blinded until a month ago?) that it even gets scary at times :p

Be careful what you pray for, for it might really come true! Mine did, it's mind-blowing... Who would have thought that GOD will bother HIMSELF with our lovelife and stuff right? But hey hey, guess what? HE does... Well, HE has proven, in my case, at least *beam beam*)... GOD indeed blesses much more than we can ever think or imagine!

Dear, there are so many reasons why I love you, but I do not know why I love you SO much!

I've had past relationships but you are the first man to have stolen my heart... And I've never loved anyone the way I love you... I never thought I would ever be capable of loving someone to such depth or that anyone could really tear down the barricade to my heart (erm, other than GOD la :p)... I was quite prepared for celibacy even, but GOD is good... Somehow, I knew that HE has someone for me since a long time back, but I never really believed it (in a sense) or thought much about it coz it seemed quite impossible... Moreover, I was too busy to date and too assertive for most guys (hor? :p)... Being picky doesn't help too :p

Anyway, I thought I like someone (which I did for 3 years though I did nothing until after my "covenanted period with GOD") but I am so glad that GOD has in mind someone better for me ... This is the mystery of the hand of GOD, which I cannot comprehend but can only be thankful for, VERY thankful! :)

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For the rest of you folks whom I hope have not turned to ice, the reasons why I am so "elephant-skin" to blog this entry for your dig is:
- to proclaim my love for this very special man *weee-you-weeet*
- to encourage those waiting for their special one that GOD has HIS hands in your lovelife too... The person may be nearer than you think! :) But urm... Matthew 6:33ah :p

Moo Choo's Birthday Pics 30May

2008-06-18T15:27:00.009+08:00

Ma La Huo Guo!!!

GOD bless our improving family ties :)

Star

2008-06-07T13:57:00.006+08:00

Prove me once more...

2008-06-06T15:39:00.004+08:00

Prove me once more
That there should be no fear
That the hand that cradles me from above
Have planned all these good things

Prove me twice more
That this is the path
That YOU have set for my feet
So that I will not stumble; YOUR strength will uphold me

Prove me thrice more
That YOU have prepared this feast
That YOU sit in my midst
YOUR voice not far from my heart, the core of my soul

Sanctify and bless this a good measure then
If this is what YOU please
Let my heart then take delight
And my soul find rest because this is where YOU are
And this is where YOU want me to be...

I commit my life into YOUR loving hands, dear FATHER, in CHRIST's name, amen.

Pitching Tent at the Crossroad

2008-06-01T22:50:00.002+08:00

It's beyond me so here I will wait...
Until I hear YOU speak...
Half of me questions...
The other half just says relax...
Ok... Until word comes...

Here in my Life (Hillsong)

2008-05-31T14:56:00.002+08:00

GOD of Ages (Hillsong - Praise)

2008-05-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

The Courage to Love, the Freedom in YOU

2008-05-29T11:22:00.003+08:00

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ~ 1 John 4:18 (NKJ)

We love HIM because HE first loved us. ~ 1 John 4:19 (NKJ)

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ~ Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJ)

I will put my SPIRIT within you and cause you to walk in MY statutes, and you will keep MY judgements and do them. ~ Ezekiel 36:37 (NKJ)

LORD GOD, YOU are SOVEREIGN and KING over my life.
I submit my life to YOUR authority for YOU are good and YOU are my GOD.
YOU loved me and called me to being even before I knew YOU.
Teach me to love YOU back dearly so that I'll have no regrets.
I love YOU and thank YOU, my dear LORD JESUS.
Cheers to eternity with YOU! :)

Say a prayer for our family...

2008-05-23T12:46:00.004+08:00

The 5-year-old daughter, Maria, of award-winning singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman died Wednesday evening after being struck by her teenage brother in their country driveway with the family SUV. Laura McPherson, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol said to the press, "He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her…it appears to be a terrible accident."

Maria was the youngest of three girls the Chapman's adopted from China. The Chapman's have been active supporters of adoption and have organized Shaohannah's Hope to aid families wanting to adopt. Also, with Chapman's latest music tour, he started a campaign called "Change for Orphans" where audience members collected spare change at his concerts that was given to a local family to aid in their adoption process. John Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association said in a statement of Chapman, "I don't know anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension."

*Editor's Note: Our prayers are with the entire Chapman family as they grieve the loss of Maria and may their teenage son find peace again after such a terrible accident.

Those wishing to express condolences to the family can do so via http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

A small glimpse into the life of Maria can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn8ajucsXr8

Taken from: http://soulshine.ca/news/newsarticle.php?nid=5163

God's Preparation for Moving Out (e-Devotional)

2008-05-23T12:12:00.001+08:00

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

"In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys." - Genesis 30:43
Jacob left his homeland after suffering a broken relationship with Esau for stealing the family blessing. He went to work for his uncle Laban where he stayed for 20 years. It came time for him to leave, but he had no physical assets to show for those years under Laban. Laban had taken advantage of his nephew in every way. (In some ways, Jacob was reaping the seed he had sown his entire life as a manipulator and controller.) Nevertheless, God's hand was on Jacob, and He had plans to prosper him. However, Jacob had one problem - he had no resources of his own. For Jacob to launch out on his own, he would need resources. In those days, resources often meant large flocks of animals. God gave Jacob a dream that resulted in a strategy for creating wealth by multiplying his sheep. Even though Laban sought to thwart Jacob's efforts, God overcame the evil in Laban to allow Jacob to prosper.

There are many important lessons for us in this story. First, when God decides it is time to move you into a larger place of His calling, He has the ability to provide the resources you need to support the call. God gave Jacob a dream that resulted in a strategy never used before to build wealth. It was totally from God's hand. It was creative and new. God called Jacob to move out after he had demonstrated his faithfulness in 20 years of serving Laban. He learned to live under authority and served Laban faithfully, even though he knew he was being taken advantage of.

God will do the same for you and me. However, a word of caution: Be sure the strategy is born from above, and not from self-effort. The difficulty for most of us workplace believers is to learn the difference between the strategies born of God versus the strategy of self-effort.

Horrified!

2008-05-22T03:29:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was the first time in my life (I think) that I took pains to zip up my pants! Argh.... :( I've heard of friends complain about this and never thought it would ever happen to me... Arh... Complacency... And now, horror of horrors, I've finally seen this day!

The zip of the pants was on the side and I had to zip up so carefully coz it was so close to my skin and I was so scared I'd "zip" my skin together with it :p

You'd never be scared till you witness the truth :p In this case, see fat, turn green :p Maybe that's how it is with end-times... Some of us "don't see coffin, will not tear"... Only when that day comes will some of us be struck with the reality of it, literally... Heh... I say until very far hor? :p

Actually, I'm probably - Vanity, thy name is woman... :p So for now, this has made me horrified enough to decide I really got to get me to the tracks... Haiz... :p

So Small - Carrie Underwood

2008-05-22T02:35:00.002+08:00

I like the original MTV but can't upload... Go watch it on YouTube if you have time though :)

What you got if you ain't got love
The kind that you just wanna give away
It's okay to open up
Go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith

'Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands

And when you figure out love
Is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small

It's so easy to get lost inside
A problem that seems so big at the time
It's like a river that's so wide
It swallows you whole

While you sitting 'round thinking 'bout what you can't change
And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
You better make it count 'cause you can't get it back

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands

Oh when you figure out
Love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands

Oh when you figure out
Love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else...
Oh it sure makes everything else
Seem so small

A Glimpse of Heaven

2008-05-22T01:13:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, I was at Popular bookstore, hoping to find some books to buy as gifts for a particular unit of friends (they are a family)... As my fingers laced the bookshelves, occasionally picking up a book to flip through, I kept thinking about how to bridge them into the thing about GOD to them as smoothly as possible... As I was browsing through, with these thoughts in mind, I felt a blanket of love envelope me... It felt like this very nice and warm feeling... Let me call it the touch of GOD... Heheh, not very romantic coz in a place like Popular (???) but that aside, it was just very comforting and overflowing... That night, as I laid in my bed, in my mind's eye, I saw the face of JESUS and I couldn't stop praising HIM in my heart... He is so handsome, so suave, so beautiful! And I'm not talking about just HIS face, but HIS whole countenance. energy, being... Hmm... How shall I describe? :)

Have you ever caught a glimpse of heaven? I remember a few months back, when I was on the topic of celibacy with GOD, I caught something like that... I saw this small section of the end of the train of a majestic robe... It was white with silver embroidery on it and it was "heavenly" (I don't know what other word to use lah :p)... It looked awesome and guess what? I only saw a very very small portion of it... That interpreted to me, the beauty of GOD and I remembered my awe and I believe GOD was showing me how HE is so mind-blowing... And I haven't seen nothing yet! Maybe if I'd seen the whole robe, I might lose my consciousness of something... Hahaha :p

With that "little glimpse", I knew that it was not impossible to be single for GOD... Okay, please let me clarify that I'm NOT releasing a statement that I'm going celibate I ( I would not be ashamed to say that I actually liked someone for 3years plus already but I wouldn't tell who though... Muahahahhaa :p), but I'm saying that celibacy is not something so remote... :) Being very awestruck at that moment caused me to realise that when one sees the glory of GOD, one's mind would not be on anything else :) SO! If one's that enthralled by GOD, the last question one would be asking is," I'm (input your own age here) and I'm not even married??!!!" Hahahaha :p

I think many people think remaining single is like a deprivation; almost pathetic... However, I beg to differ... Probably, it can be considered sad if one does not know GOD coz singlehood (without GOD) can be lonely... But with knowing GOD and one's purpose in HIM, one can get so into HIM and doing HIS work that there's little spare time to wonder if one's missing out anything (again, as if one is less of oneself unmarried)...

Well, of course, it is also very good that one gets married, especially of two whole individuals uniting for the strength and beauty of the Kingdom... Erm, excuse me any prebelievers reading this... A little Christian jargon going on here...

So what I'm saying here is that either ways, it is very good... So up to you lor, according to what you want and can take... Heheh :)

And whatever the case is, I hope that single or married, my LORD will always be the number ONE of my life... Because of JESUS, everything is beautiful; because of JESUS, everything means something; and because of JESUS, I am... :)

And GOD, let it be that YOU will use me, that even beneath my very human (and fallible) exterior lies a spirit that reflects YOUR SON JESUS... Seat YOURSELF in the throne-room of my heart and abide in me... Do not turn away from me but be patient with me; teach me, show me how to live like YOU would... Live through me and walk me through this whole life with YOU... I want to grow into YOUR likeness... I want to touch this world; to play a part... I don't know how... But if YOU are willing, then I can... If YOU're willing, then we are going to see some awesome things coming through... O GOD! I love YOU! And thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU for loving me just like that; just like a father would :)

JESUS is really the lover of our souls and those of us who have HIM are the most blessed bunch of people alive (literally)... You can let HIM shine through you... Let the people who have yet to know CHRIST see a glimpse of heaven too when they see you so that they too might have this hope... Be salt and light to the world as JESUS is and would... :)

Yea, some people back out because they feel they are not good enough to bear the name "Child of GOD though CHRIST" but hey, who says GOD is looking for the "Pharisees" of this age to bring HIM glory? And who says you can't get up after a fall (or even many falls)? Fall as you may but GOD's grace is sufficient for you and HIS mercy endureths forever! So getty up!! If GOD's "zai3" about it, you be "zai3" about it too okay... Remember the time JESUS stood up for a certain lady? "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." (John 8:7b - NKJ)... JESUS loves you, so stand up! Have the humility and the courage okay... You can whimper but please don't wimp out! :)

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your FATHER in heaven." Matthew 5:16 (NKJ)

Amen, amen, amen! :)

Building a Solid Foundation (e-Devotion)

2008-05-19T12:17:00.002+08:00

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1
by Os Hillman

"But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand." - Matthew 7:26
There were two kinds of people in the days of Jesus. Some heard the words that Jesus spoke and were awed by His wisdom and understanding, but did nothing about what they heard. Others heard those words and acted on them. Jesus said that those who heard the words but failed to put them into practice were foolish and likened them to building a house on sand. How foolish, indeed, it would be to build a house on sand.

The person who followed what Jesus taught was a person who would be sure to weather life's storms.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:24-25).

You never know how well your house is built until it is tested by the elements. Torrential rains reveal the quality of your roof. Wind and cold reveal how well your home is insulated. Heat and sun reveal the quality of your paint and siding. All these elements reveal whether a solid foundation has been laid to make your home a secure and lasting place to live.

Many of us find that we have given only lip service to God's commands. We are faced with the reality that our foundations are not strong enough to weather life's storms. How do we react when the trials come? Do we fret and worry? Do we take life into our hands? Do we respond inappropriately when we don't get what we want? The Lord uses these times to help us recognize whether our foundations are sand or rock. Ask the Lord today if you have built on His rock. If so, you can be comforted to know that you can weather any storm that may come your way.

Carrie Underwood

2008-05-17T01:34:00.007+08:00

Picture JESUS singing this song to us...

Might be the song JESUS wants to hear from us...

In my opinion, Carrie Underwood is one of the sweetest gals around... May GOD keep her firmly rooted (in YOU) despite the fame, and may she do a lot for YOUR Kingdom too, amen :)

Lean on the WORD

2008-05-14T13:24:00.002+08:00

by Jerry Savelle
Jerry Savelle Ministries International
(Daily Guide to Miracles ORU e-Devotional)

Tests and trials have a way of forcing us to choose what we are going to believe. When trouble rises up, we're either going to believe the Word of God or we're going to believe the circumstances.James 1:2-3 in the Message translation says, You know that under pressure your faith life is forced into the open, and it will show its true colors. It's when you're under pressure that you find out what you really believe.

Any-body can talk faith in church or with other Christians. But where it counts most is when you're all by yourself. You can tell where a person is spiritually just by listening to what comes out of their mouth, because under pressure you're either going to talk the Word or you're going to talk the problem.

The devil has a habit of trying to convince us that the Word isn't working, nobody cares, and it's over, or as we say in Texas, "Ship your saddle home." But that's a lie. If we could see into the spirit realm, we'd see angels busily working to get our needs met and causing things to come to pass.

In Galatians 6:9 the apostle Paul said that if we will not allow ourselves to grow weary, we will reap in due season. You never know when your due season is going to come. If you're standing fast on God's Word, you could have a due season today. If not today, it could be tomorrow. God doesn't keep time by hours, minutes, and seconds. He keeps time by "due season."

And when you determine to lean on the Word and refuse to give up, God can see to it that your due season is manifested!

My Declaration of Faith for Today
I will not allow myself to grow weary, for I lean on God's Word, believing that my miracle is on the way.

A Restful Week

2008-05-07T12:28:00.002+08:00

This week is to be my rest week. My definition of rest week is not that I do nothing, but that I am a lot less high-strung. I've been pretty much up to my neck with quite a few obligations the past few months and this is a much needed break for me.

Caught up with a few friends, some on the phone while others I got the chance to meet-up. Bumped into one of my ex-bosses (Denis) too (and he is in property now too! Hmm...). Was just thinking about some of my ex-clients and how I could keep in contact with them. There were some specific faces... And one of them (Xiaofang) just added me to her Facebook! Wow! Thank GOD for Facebook... There's another ex-colleague (Philip) that I've been wanting to get into contact with but somehow, no one that I know has his contact.

On Monday, after a meet-up with a friend (Ray), I did a little exploring of Joo Chiat and my old town Lavender. At the end of the day, I could feel my blood gathering at my feet and when I took off my shoes (erm, courts, can you believe it? :p), I felt the ZZzzzziiinnggg.... :p hahahaha

Now's Mid-week already and I've been happy and well-rested. Though Monday night I had fever and the whole of yesterday, I had a migraine (which I've slept off last night), I really feel relaxed and nice somehow :)

I met up with some of my W&W ex-colleagues (Christine, Joon and Bee Hong) over a buffet at the Family Restaurant. It was such a good time. We spoke about the new aesthetic procedures. Amazing lor... I've been out of touch for so long with regards to these things. One of them even shared about her consuming her very tonic placenta! :p

There are a few more people whom I've yet to meet up, so I'd see if the rest of this week's going to be good to fix some apointments. Really enjoy catching up. It's a blessing :)

Two Crosses - e-Devotional

2008-05-07T12:17:00.002+08:00

by Oral Roberts
Daily Guide to Miracles from Oral Roberts Ministries

In a sense we are not saved by just one cross, but by two-Christ's cross and our own. There is an intimate connection between the two. It is an error to associate the cross with the moving experience of salvation and then think that we can go from there and leave the cross behind. On the contrary, that is when we take up the cross.

Too often we are like Peter, who protested when Jesus began to teach the disciples that the Son of man must suffer many things (Mark 8:31). Jesus' startling rebuke to Peter is an eye-opener to us. "Not only is this true for Me," Jesus explained, "but it is true for everyone who follows Me and wants to be My disciple. They must reject their selfish ambitions, give of themselves, and take up their crosses and follow Me" (v. 34 paraphrased).

Every serious Christian must find the shape of the cross for his own life. This is a very important principle for successful Christian living. For it is only as you take up your personal cross that you acquire the spiritual backbone and stamina to withstand the currents of evil which buffet you daily. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you can lose it. But if you submit yourself and your ambitions to the Lord for His sake and the Gospel's, you can find true life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Declaration of Faith for Today
I take up my cross daily and submit my will to God's will for my life.

6 months

2008-05-02T13:42:00.003+08:00

I have 6 months to plan another major move... :p

TGIF - Tests of the Heart

2008-04-29T11:55:00.004+08:00

by Os Hillman
Monday, April 28 2008

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands." - Deuteronomy 8:2

Has God performed a heart test on you lately? There are times in our lives when God leads us into the desert in order to let us find out what is in our heart. These times can be very difficult and humbling. They can test our mettle like no other time. Desert times often mean we are living without those things we are normally accustomed to: water, food, limited supplies - and with few comforts. In modern terms, it may mean a different environment. God is performing a very important work during these times. He wants to know if we can be obedient to Him in these times; or will we be obedient only when times are good?

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:3-5).

These desert times may mean experiencing new ways of provision from the Lord. Like manna from Heaven, it may mean seeing miracles we've never seen before. Like clothing that never wears out, it may mean seeing your normal capabilities expanded. Like walking hundreds of miles without pain, desert experiences provide new lessons and new experiences that only these times can teach us.

What desert experience has He brought into your life lately? Perhaps it is a lean time in business. Perhaps it is a new environment. Whatever it is, when God decides to bring new disciplines into our lives by bringing us into the desert, do not fear the heat that is sure to come. He is walking beside you in order to test you and find out what is really in your heart. Ask for His grace to pass the test. He wants to bring all of His children into the Promised Land.

------------------------------------------------

HA! On the dot or what :p
GOD, I'm still on my way to witness the Rainbow... Craft me so that I'd have what it takes... Add to me all that I need, and teach me to obey, so that I WILL SEE the Rainbow in the end... I don't want to give up, really... So keep me going... Even when it's not making sense to me at times, but keep me believing... Guard my heart, thoughts and fill me up with YOUR SPIRIT and WORD of TRUTH... Nurture me to grow and fill in well the place that YOU have prepared for me... Help me not disappoint YOU... Help me!

*I know that YOU are using The Rainbow Arc to fashion me. And I pray with all my heart that one day, I (and more likeminded, likehearted and likespirited people) can use it to glorify YOU and serve YOU.

Thanksgiving

2008-04-29T01:18:00.008+08:00

There are so many things to thank GOD for... But in a nutshell, it would be for HIS FATHERLY love for me...

A friend just emailed me about how GOD spoke to him to pass a certain deal to me... At that time, he didn't know it was for me. GOD just spoke to him to pass the deal to the person beside him. And at that time, there was no deal (and very low chance of having one) and no person beside him so he was wondering what GOD was saying... Moreover he was preparing to go overseas for awhile...

Then one day it came, someone really called and I was on the phone with this friend... He said he wasn't told why but just obeyed...

Wow... I'm ashamed that I bo-dua-bo-suay to GOD even when HE was working secretly (and mysteriously) for my good... Remember the post "What a week" just days ago? Those three weeks (before) of struggle and getting more and more tired and not hearing the voice of GOD was very tough...

You know, when GOD spoke of what is to come, I felt like GOD was going to bring me to a place where I can say to the mountain "Be removed!" and it shall be done. But as the days passed, it felt like I was moving towards a mountain that I was going to smash into and come out bloody... But see now, GOD never forsook me... :p

I thought I was going to crumble and GOD didn't care (you know, I described HIM sleeping in my storm)... But the reason HE could "sleep" and so zai3 was because HE had already prepared the future for me... HIS provision and grace were already there before I could understand or yet arrive...

You know, my experience reminds me of:

Reference: Matthew 15:24-31 (NKJ)
Peter - LORD, if it is YOU, command me to come to YOU on the water.
JESUS - Come.
And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to JESUS. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "LORD, save me!" And immediately JESUS stretched out HIS hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Backtracking to the 10th March, I blogged about Teabag Analogy, below is an excerpt of what I wrote therein:
----------------------------------------------
Three years of a phase, which I wondered what/when next? Now, the new phase has come, in which the clarion sounded. In fact, GOD finally gave green light to sound it, and is gathering all that's needed. I am SO excited! But I also know that I have my part of the job to do. To carry out what I have been told and to keep praying and of course, keep the faith, hallelujah! :)
----------------------------------------------
So just about that time, GOD spoke to me that I was entering into a new phase (TRA)and with the resources HE was providing that time, I was really excited and full of faith. But as days went by, things started to look bigger and I was terrified. Clipped in my BIBLE is a torn out notepaper to GOD, beseeching HIM for help. (Aiteo - Ask!) That letter was dated 7th April.

Then Ottoke entry on 13th April.
Then 18th April - "most burdensome" day.
Then 20th April - "road to recovery".
Then GOD spoke - Fast. Not torture.
On Friday, I told GOD, "Let it be sealed this weekend!" And praise GOD, it was given!

On Fri and Sat, somehow I pursued a particular tenant when there were others. It was only on hindsight that I realised "O ya hor... Why I kept trying to call her to come by ah?" Thank GOD they turned out to be the ones to have the place :)

So what I'm saying is, I didn't smash into the mountain in the end, but JESUS got it removed. HE saved me (and the vision HE gave me).

This whole episode also got me to know myself more and literally experience GOD's WORD:

Matthew 6:8b (NKJ)
"... For your FATHER knows the things you have need of before you ask HIM"

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJ)
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Romans 10:16 (NKJ)
"So then faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the WORD of GOD."
(This is really very very important coz the devil will try to tempt/deceive, so unwavering faith and trust in the WORD of GOD is crucial)

**Joshua 1:9 (NKJ)
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your GOD is with you wherever you go."

**In fact, this verse holds great significance to me. It started from a vision a sister had when she prayed for me. That vision was quite some time ago already(maybe Aug 2007?). She even drew it out for me. I saw the word Joshua and I felt impressed upon that I was to read it and when that's done, something "next" is going to happen. However, I delay here delay there until maybe 2 months back then I decided to discipline myself to read Joshua in a planned manner :p I'm pretty intimidated by anything OT (other than Psalms and Proverbs bah... Hahaha :p)

Things are happening but there are many changes too.... Sometimes (I mean many times), I also don't know what to make out of the things going on... I realise that really lor... There are many things that I cannot rely on my own understanding but can only trust GOD... What seem to be may not be and what may not seem to be may be... I will only tire myself and make unnecessary detours if I rely on my own thinking and run too fast with my own logic... Have to learn to exercise trusting GOD with all my heart all the time. Be patient and just witness GOD bring Romans 8:28 to pass... At the end of the day, it is HIS glory that make our lives count (i.e. shine)...

GOD WITH US ALL... JIA YOU JIA YOU... WALK ON! :)

I just remember... In almost the same way GOD used my friend to bless me, was how I blessed someone else a few months back (not because I wanted to but that it was what GOD wanted me to do) and today, I'm getting almost triple (correction, wasn't double) the amount back! :p

I want to make it a point to remember that whatever I have belongs to GOD. Blessings should never stop at one recipient. I'm sure GOD is teaching and training me on what biblical stewardship (not just money) is all about and how HIS Kingdom rules operate - Here's REALITY LIVING, I guess... GOD's way. (Let's see how good I stay though :p)

Ultimatum

2008-04-28T23:57:00.005+08:00

Last week, I was a little sulky (don't know what word to use la) by something (non-business related). A few weeks back, I had done something that I've never done before (or think I would or should do but I did it anyway right :p) Maybe that's why I felt it was a big deal. I felt a bit misunderstood... I'm pretty much a stickler for "how things should be done" so I got a bit bothered when "my normal way" wasn't happening.

With certain things happening together with this, I set an ultimatum. I actually told GOD that if I nothing happens by the end of today, then I take it as period (as in full stop).

Well, surprisingly, it seems it's not a full stop.
Okay lor, we'll see :)

*Ultimately, in GOD, we are all a family mah right? :p

What is to be, will be (No explanation needed)

2008-04-27T23:56:00.004+08:00

Have I not done my best?
Everyone is different and I can only do my best.
I may not have the perfect methods (does anyone anyway?)
But does my heart count for nothing?
Oh well... I'm just going to continue to do what I believe is valuable in YOUR eyes.
Even though I feel that it is tiring, unjustified, whatever...
But GOD, if YOUR stamp of approval is on it,
Then that it'll be.
Do send me encouragement that I'm doing the right thing though,
I'd need all the strength, love and faith I can.
If only yanking out my heart and placing it on the table would make any difference!
People who understand will understand...
People who don't, won't.
So no big deal.
Let whoever think whatever.
I will do my best until I cannot,
But if ever I'm at the brink of letting go, GOD put YOUR hands over mine.
So I can sustain another mile and another,
Coz I think even then, I'm sure this is what YOU stand for, aniyo?

TGIF: Healing Before Ministry (e-Devotional)

2008-04-24T23:09:00.001+08:00

by Os Hillman

"And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed." - Joshua 5:8

Before the nation of Israel could go into the Promised Land they had to be circumcised. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal. God requires each of us to be circumcised in heart before we are allowed to enter and receive the blessings that await each believer in the Promised Land.

This circumcision can often be very painful. Circumcision requires losing our old way of life. The process of spiritual circumcision may mean a loss in areas that have been a part of our lives in order to draw us to the Savior. God understands this. Consequently, like the people of Israel, we must wait until we are healed before we begin to be effective in our calling. If we launch out too early, we will be ineffective and may risk infection and disease and will not be at our full capacity. God wants each of us to walk in His healing grace.

The people of Israel fought only two battles when they were coming out of Egypt. In the Promised Land they fought 39 battles. Each of us must be prepared to enjoy the benefits of living in the Promised Land. However, we must also be prepared to wage war against the enemy of our souls. Make sure the Lord has provided the needed healing to your circumcision experience before you enter the Promised Land.

This first...

2008-04-23T01:48:00.002+08:00

Father, am I to walk this way?
If it is so, show me and guide me
Provide all that I need
I lift my hands, surrender my heart
Fashion me, craft me, use me
O LORD JESUS, take me!
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Draw us as one heart
Unite our spirits
YOU be the centre LORD JESUS,
Be glorified!

What a week :p

2008-04-22T02:10:00.009+08:00

Last week was one of the worst weeks I've experienced. There was an accumulation of stressful stimulants that has built up over the previous two weeks. BUT, the scary news wasn't the mountain of stress. It was the inability to pray properly. I couldn't touch GOD. I couldn't grab hold of HIM even as I might.

In a week, I usually set one day (mostly a Monday or Tuesday) to spend time with GOD. Last week though, Monday to Friday went from bad to worse. What was supposed to be a busy week gave way to lots of extra pockets of time for GOD but exasperatingly, not with GOD, or at least I felt I couldn't get to HIM somehow.

Friday was the worst peak or rather trough of the week... It felt terrible because I've never experienced this for a long time already... I couldn't even pray in the spirit for a pitiful 10 seconds, I just didn't have the physical or spiritual energy... I was like a wriggling, squirming worm that knows not what to do or even mouth my petitions in an organised manner...

*On Friday though, I think GOD did use Zig Ziglar's health condition to speak to me about the profile of a child of GOD... He also used the e-devotionals I was receiving via email... I mean hey, I wasn't the only one struggling and definitely not the one with the worst struggle at all... but look how whiny I was already :p

In fact, the only word I could think of was worm... haha... In the BIBLE, you have Worm Jacob and tada! In Tampines, there was a Worm Sandy...

O ya, and as if the wormish state wasn't bad enough, I had an argument with GOD... No, I threw it out at GOD in my pathetic-no-energy state :p It was one-sided though and that made me frustrated as well :p I thought it was unfair that GOD didn't lift a finger when here I was struggling with this mountain! "I did my part, at least everything that I knew how to lor... What were YOU doing? Why not doing anything?! How can things be like that ah! Hmmph! Haiz..." Now that I think of it, my reaction was worse than the disciples during the time when JESUS was sleeping in the boat while the storm was creating such a ruckus... "Wah, YOU still can sleep hor? Guess what? I CANNOT LEH :( Don't YOU realise that I'm in danger of drowning, LORD?"

WHAT AUDACITY right?!! I mean me :p I can imagine that if GOD weren't gracious, me this bo-dua-bo-suay immature prick might not even see the light of day liao... :p But really thank GOD... Coz you know what? Friday (no Saturday VERY early morning) prayer with a sister really cleared the heavy clouds in me... I knew that if I didn't get someone to intercede and pray for me, the devil's going to drop some rip-off verse and try his conning business liao... I cannot do it myself liao... Very vulnerable... Must take cover... And Kim was such an angel... Thank GOD for her... Ours is a friendship I thank GOD for... May GOD bring it from strength to strength! :)

So when Sunday came, I was restored already... Problems still there but spirit was fine liao... Pastor prayed over us all for ability and that was so on-the-dot for me... I felt that I needed to be stretched to do what I have to do... Thank GOD for that SPIRIT-inspired intercession he did for us :)

Went to work after service and in the midst of it, I received bad news (work-related)... Sianz again coz I'd have to call up another client to relate this bad news and the double sianz is that I wanted to do things as upright as I could in a trade where ethics is really low until ke3 lian2... "GOD, this type of things happen and will YOU stand by and do nothing?" "GOD, I feel that YOUR glory is at stake. The principles that are counted valuable in YOUR sight is stupidity in the sight of the world. GOD, YOU must show them that YOU are alive! Maybe I'm not good enough, then train me... Sharpen me... Do with me what is necessary but please show YOURSELF in this."

Anyway, was spending time with GOD (thank GOD though, the "line" was back in connection) and thought how nice if someone was praying with me in this... Then a minute later, a sister Wanqi messaged me regarding this... I was pleasantly surprised coz I casually mentioned to her earlier part of the week and asked her to help pray but didn't think she'd remember or follow up on it... Messaged her back that the deal was still in the midst of closing... Then, went on to playing my guitar, communing with GOD... Then I just thought "Sighz... How nice if someone would just call me and pray for me... Perhaps I should call Chaichoo? Kim? Or even Pastor Jeff?" Then I brushed it aside, laughing to myself at my own irony... "Why should I call and ask someone else to pray for me when I'm spending time with GOD right now... Siao4!" So continued my time with GOD and hardly a minute passed when Wanqi called, and later prayed for me! Isn't GOD good? :) I'd like to emphasize on the timing as well as the fact that there was no reason for her to call me after my SMS reply. It was divine (not sure if she knew) but she was definitely webbed into GOD's plan to "knock on my door" as an assurance that HE heard me... GOD is so wonderful :)

Through these people that GOD had given and sent in the week, I feel so blessed and encouraged by the magnanimity of GOD's Fatherly Love... As well as the spiritual family HE has given me... Kim, Wanqi, Mingju, and Kirs... Komawo-jinjha... :)

Oh ya, a verse was given me weeks ago... I was meditating upon the "set of verse" this morning, wondering if it was meant for this period of time (an excerpt): Trust the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...

Perhaps now is the time to exercise complete trust in my heart and ask my mind to please take a rest while GOD takes over... If a certain part is reserved for GOD HIMSELF to cause a miracle to happen, then even 1000 of my own ways are not going to get me anywhere nearer to a breakthrough.

Trust the LORD, my heart...
Let's wait for a miracle :)

*Actually, through this week, I learnt many lessons too, especially one which didn't not occur to me the whole 3 weeks until last night... So trials are not without reason... Nothing goes to waste and indeed, creativity breeds where GOD is... Hallelujah! :)

Pray for Zig Ziglar

2008-04-18T15:49:00.002+08:00

Zig Ziglar is one of my favourite writer. He is a motivational speaker who has impacted the lives of many, as well as lived his talk. Please pray together for this excellent man of GOD.

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Dear Newsletter Subscriber,

As most of you know from the Thanksgiving email I sent last year concerning Dad's fall down the stairs and his current health situation, Dad is in the midst of a great struggle. (http://www.ziglar.com/embrace_the_struggle.php to get caught up if you don't know about this ). Ultimately, I am asking for your prayers, but first I want to give you an update on how he is and share some potentially great news.

The update - I think Dad must be the happiest human being alive! He and my sister Julie have been traveling around the country speaking at the big Get Motivated Seminars (GMS) using the interview format. He gets to travel with Mom and Julie on a private jet (thoughtfully provided by Peter and Tamara Lowe of GMS for his comfort), spend time with old friends and inspire audiences in each city. Even though he never complains, it is easy to see that his lack of mobility is hard on him physically, and his short-term memory loss gets in the way of many of the things he'd love to be doing. But, as I'm sure you would expect, Dad has truly embraced his struggle and together we are doing everything we can to help him restore his health.

Now for the potentially great news - Recently, Dad had another MRI on his head to see if it would show anything new. I never imagined that we would be glad to get a diagnosis of hydrocephalous, more commonly called water on the brain. Hydrocephalous occurs when the cerebrospinal fluid can't drain like it should and pressure builds up, compressing the brain. Hydrocephalous has several major symptoms; two of the most prominent ones are - you guessed it - loss of balance and short-term memory loss. Fortunately, this condition can be treated, many times with great results.

We need your prayers - This coming Monday, April 21st at 4:00 CST, Dad is going to have a temporary shunt inserted between vertebra in his lower back to remove some of the excess cerebrospinal fluid from his brain. He will be in the hospital for three days to monitor the results, and if his balance and/or his short-term memory improve, he will have surgery on Friday, April 25th, to install a permanent brain shunt that will drain fluid 24/7 through a tube to his abdominal cavity.

Please pray specifically for these things - that the procedure on Monday goes smoothly without pain or complications and that it gets dramatic results; that the surgery on Friday goes smoothly without complications and that Dad's recovery is fast and pain free; and that after a few weeks Dad is back to doing what he does best - writing books and making speeches all across the country with Julie and Mom.

As a family we are so blessed that this option is available. We know that God is in control. Dad's life verse is Romans 8:28 - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." As I have heard Dad say many times, "What the future holds is uncertain, but I am certain Who holds the future." I want to say thank you to all of you who have reached out to me and our family during this past year. Please keep Mom, "the Redhead," in your prayers as she cares for Dad. I will keep you informed as more information becomes available.

Embrace the Struggle!
Proud Son of Zig ZiglarTom Ziglar

Check out this interview article:
http://www.ziglar.com/american_profile.pdf

Overtake Your Situation (Daily Guide - ORM)

2008-04-18T15:38:00.002+08:00

by Lindsay Roberts

When I first married Richard and became a part of this ministry, my father-in-law taught me a very simple, but important, lesson. He told me, "Lindsay, you can either react or respond to life's challenges." He was right! His words still ring true for me today.Whether you react or respond to the events of life can make the difference between defeat and victory, between a life of failure and a life of success.

When difficulties arise, if you react to the situation, it will overtake you. But if you respond, you can overtake the situation!Problems will always be around. If it's not your health, it could be your finances. If it's not your children, it could be your marriage. If it's not terrorism in this country, it's conflict and war abroad.

The issue is not whether or not you will face problems; the issue is how you will face them. Each of us has a choice. Jesus declared, "My peace I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful" (John 14:27 NASB). The world doesn't give you Jesus' peace; therefore, the world can't take it away. And Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV reassures you that God will not leave you nor forsake you. He is with you to give you His peace no matter what problems arise. You can react to your circumstances with fear, doubt, and worry, or you can respond with prayer and the confession of God's Word. Whatever your situation, respond to it in faith and allow the peace of God that passes all understanding to flood your heart.

My Declaration of Faith for Today
Jesus has said, "My peace I give to you"; therefore, I will not allow my heart to be troubled or fearful.

Face it..

2008-04-16T00:09:00.003+08:00

It's time to do what I have not done for the LONGEST time, like RUN!

Wahahaha... Now that I've said it, I've gotta get it going then... :p

Displaying Symptoms of the Or-Leng Flu

2008-04-15T02:07:00.007+08:00

Oh, we have recovered since... Erm, I think... :p

From Left to Right: Minimeh, Mamameh, Moochoo and Lil Zua...

Focus on GOD's promises (E-Devotional)

2008-04-13T23:55:00.001+08:00

by Richard Roberts

Have you ever had a problem that seemed so impossible you couldn't think about anything else? That's our human tendency, but God has a better plan. He wants us to glance at the problem, then quickly focus on His promises. That's what Abraham did when God told him that he and Sarah were to have a son. Romans 4:18 says that Abraham against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

This verse speaks of both the problem and the promise. It speaks of hope in the middle of a situation that looked hopeless. Even though Abraham was 100 years old and his wife was 90, Abraham had hope and faith that they would have a son as God promised.

There are two impossibilities here. First, it is humanly impossible for a man and a woman of Abraham and Sarah's ages to have a baby; second, it is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2). So against human hope, Abraham believed in divine hope...that God would bring about a miracle. He did not deny the problem existed-he just refused to focus on it. He glanced at the problem, then immediately focused on the promise God had made to him. And because Abraham had the faith to focus on the promise, God was able to perform the miracle.

Faith is rooted in the promises of God, and without a promise to stand on, it is literally impossible to have faith. So if you have a problem that seems hopeless, admit that your problem exists. Then immediately take your eyes off your problem and focus your faith on what God's Word says. You can believe it because the Bible says He cannot lie.

My Declaration of Faith for Today
I choose to focus my faith on God's promises and believe for a miracle.

TGIF- The Gospel of the Kingdom

2008-04-13T23:52:00.001+08:00

by Os Hillman

"This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:5b-6

When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom. Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation. However, Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily. He came so that we might walk on this earth as He did. If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus' did, we must ask why?

I have noticed three distinct types of workplace believers throughout my 24 years of walking with Christ. First, many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation. Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives. We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him. It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives. This first stage is often characterized by a "Bless me, Lord" attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.

The second stage is the crisis stage. A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living. The motivation is to solve "the what" versus "the why" in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as "Help me, Lord."

In the third stage we begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father. It is the place of conviction. The number of people who live at this level are quite few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives. They are motivated by a deep love for Him. They know Him. These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts, "Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him."

Where are you today? Have you merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do you seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs? His desire is for you and me to live a life of conviction, motivated by our love for Him and His love for us. This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom.

Have You Fallen Off the Mountain? (E-devotional)

2008-04-13T01:00:00.001+08:00

by Oral Roberts

Have you ever "fallen off the mountain"? By that I mean, have you ever had a mountaintop experience with God and then fallen into a period of great discouragement? I have, and the Scriptures tell us about others in the Bible who did.

Elijah, a mighty prophet of God, is one who faced that kind of situation. He'd done a great work, and Queen Jezebel set out to kill him. Elijah ran for his life. And after a day's journey, he was so weary that he asked God to let him die. He fell off the mountain (I Kings 19:1-4).

Job, a great man of God who was perfect before the Lord, suddenly had disastrous things happen to him. The devil accused him before God, his family and property were destroyed, and he became afflicted from his head to his feet. Utterly alone, Job cried out, "O God, I wish I hadn't been born!" (Job 3:1). He fell off the mountain.

How do you get back upon the mountain? It takes faith. You put your faith into action by planting seeds of faith, believing God to lift you up. Then you listen for His voice inside you to guide you and tell you what to do.

Elijah went to a place where he could be alone with God, where he could listen. And he heard God's still, small voice say, "Elijah, here's what I want you to do" (I Kings 19:9-16). Job also listened, and he heard God whisper in his heart, "Pray for all those who've done bad things to you" (Job 42:10).

We've all fallen off the mountain at times, but when we look to God for help, He is ready to restore us and lift us back upon top of the mountain.

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My Declaration of Faith for Today
When I fall into discouragement, I look to God, who restores me and lifts me up.

Ottoke?

2008-04-13T00:11:00.003+08:00

The last 2 weeks had been pretty stressful for me (over a few things)...
I have no idea how GOD's gonna work some things out for me...
Erm, I still don't... But surely HE knows what to do...
So... I really don't know what to do and can't do anything except pray...
And wait perhaps? Or maybe help will come really soon?
I seriously don't know...
Are you testing me? Hmmm....... :p

Be still for the LORD, HE is GOD...

Here comes another opportunity to see what I'd do...
Times of trials are always humbling for me...
Coz it's when I cannot that GOD shows that HE can...
It's always a reminder that I am but dust...But the LORD GOD, HE is good..

O GOD, I give myself to you... Teach me, nurture me and feed me YOUR WORD. Show me how to live to please YOU... Help me not to grieve YOU... Renew me and give me the strength to keep on... At the end of it all, it's not just about what I do, but who I am in YOU... Bring me to the place where YOU are... So that I may find my rest and mount up again...

For now, every bit of strength that I have - Praise the LORD!!!!!! Yea! :)
GOD will add! Amen! :)

*Had a great time at CHC... Very ministering time and sermon as usual... Thank GOD for such a church like this! :)

As crawling as a tortoise...

2008-04-09T12:47:00.002+08:00

Yea, there is no such simile... And it should be an adjective there instead of a verb, but do I care?Sighz.... Just trying to amuse myself out of my current state of impatience... I would at this point be able to justify my impatience coz I had been clear with my instructions but how come it came back unheeded! Argh....

I am particular... But I know why I have to be!
And I will insist on getting what I really want and like; what I believe is the best.
Some things you've gotta be "imm-cheem" then you've gotta be "imm-cheem" lor...
Especially if they are important.
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O GOD, help me not to compromise the mark I've set.
And while I'm at that, help me not "slaughter" anyone,
Or by myself be choked in my own blood.
Mindfulness and spirit-check!

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out...
Ssmileeee :) :) :)

Okay, I feel better now! Phew!
(hahaha... I feel like laughing at myself now...)
Okay good. Byeeeeeeeeeeee.........

Piggest Salute!

2008-04-07T20:53:00.003+08:00

GOD be with you... HIS face shine upon you... HIS hand direct you and keep you... Jia you!! :)

BGSPY :/

Stirring of the HOLY SPIRIT

2008-04-07T02:26:00.002+08:00

I believe GOD is moving in our church.
It is unmistakable! And it looks awesome!
We need to come united.
Whatever that each has, come and serve.
Not for our own glory but for the glory of GOD, HIM alone.
HE is going to move us forward,
but we have to continue to love HIM,
to focus on CHRIST.
We must not be distracted because very easily,
we could just fall on the other side.
But GOD keep us, and work in us,
as we all work together, spurring each other on in love.
There is going to be a mighty stirring,
and we are going to see GOD moving.
O praise GOD, praise GOD!!
The HOLY SPIRIT is going to rain down in our lives.
But we must not be delirious in the times when we witness GOD's goodness poured out into our lives, but our attitude must be one of worship and gratitude, of the grace that HE loves us so much through CHRIST.
O rejoice, rejoice!
We must stand firm on HIS WORD and build our house setting HIM as the cornerstone.
Then we will be an honourable house of testimony unto the LORD our GOD, pleasing to HIS sight. Let the right foundation be set, and set deep. Let the ways of the house be established in HIS commandments. That this house will see everlasting, amen! :)

A Love-backed, CHRIST-centred Life

2008-04-07T01:41:00.005+08:00

The paper cash we hold in our hands is worth nothing unless it's backed by commodities of worth/value e.g. gold and silver.

Likewise, everything that we are (e.g. intelligent, efficient, etc) or do (e.g. how much money we can earn, how big our ministry is, etc) is all worth nothing in the eyes of GOD, unless it is all backed by our love for CHRIST. All that will be laid out on that Day of Judgement that are to be of any weight are fruits that are inspired by the love for GOD, and not statistics alone. GOD's scales of analysis is more precise and accurate than those we use.

Anything that is going to count at all are those built on the foundation of love - the love that springs forth from GOD.

I imagine that at the end of the day, GOD is going to ask me one question, "Which of these which you have done was backed by your love for me?"

I hope to hear, "My good and faithful servant, yours are not "inflated figures". Well done!"

If so, I'd better be working out this life properly, with the help and guidance of THE COUNSELOR HOLY SPIRIT.

Don't play play... But instead must pray pray ah! :p

The Word of GOD...

2008-04-06T23:57:00.003+08:00

Proverbs 16:1-3 (NKJ)
The preparations of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the spirits.
Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established.

Proverbs 16:8-9
Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
A man's heart plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.

Proverbs 21: 2-3 (NKJ)
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the hearts.
To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:7b (NKJ)
For the LORD does not see as man sees;
for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart.

Psalm 111:10 (NKJ)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do HIS commandment.
His praise endures forever.

TGIF - A New Breed of Workplace Believers

2008-04-06T23:54:00.003+08:00

by Os Hillman
Sunday, April 06 2008"

Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people...." - Haggai 2:2

Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah 60 years after the great temple built by Solomon had been destroyed. The temple lay in ruins, and the Lord spoke to the prophet Haggai, "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" (Hag. 1:4) God was calling for a remnant of His people to come out of their comfort zones and restore the glory of God's house.

God is doing this same thing today among Christian workplace believers throughout the world. He is raising up a remnant of workplace believers who are being handpicked to use their resources, skills, and experience to affect nations that have not heard the message of Jesus Christ. The only way they can hear is by commerce being brought into their nation through Christian workplace believers, because these are closed regions to normal missionary efforts.
"But now be strong, O Zerubbabel," declares the Lord. "Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land," declares the Lord, "and work. For I am with you," declares the Lord Almighty. "This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear" (Haggai 2:4-5).

The remnant of workplace believers God is calling today understand that they have to come out of Egypt from their past work life. Egypt signifies the way of the world. It represents sweat and toil. It is the flesh. This new way is exemplified by a pioneer spirit. God knows we need to have courage in order to move in this realm. Also, God assures us that His Spirit is with anyone who seeks to live in the realm of supernatural faith.

Are you one of these remnants He has handpicked in these days? Has He called you out of Egypt in order to do extraordinary things in your life for His Kingdom? Ask God to show you how He wants to use you in the workplace this year. Then act and "be strong, all you people of the land."

GOD Can Answer the Cries of Your Heart - E-Devotional

2008-04-06T23:52:00.002+08:00

by Oral Roberts

There isn’t anybody who ever lived who doesn’t cry. And I’m talking about more than tears, more than sobbing. I’m talking about those moments in your life when nobody knows that your heart is bursting inside you, and you cry from the depths of your being.

When I discovered at age seventeen that I had tuberculosis, I cried until I thought my heart would break. There have also been many other times in my life when I’ve cried. I’ve cried because people I depended on failed me, and I’ve cried when I failed myself. I’ve cried over the deaths of loved ones. There have been times when I cried inside and nobody, no matter how much they wanted to, could help me.

God alone can answer the deep cries of your heart. David said, As the [deer] panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God (Psalm 42:1). When a deer has raced and run until it is out of breath, wanting water, its body heaves and heaves. David was saying, “My hearts pants after God like that.” And in Psalm 40:1,2 David said, I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock.

I was once asked to pray for a woman whose husband had committed suicide. When I began to pray for her, an image became very real in my spirit that it was as if she had fallen into a deep pit emotionally, and she was crying for someone to help her get out. As I laid my hands on her and prayed, the Lord reached down into that pit of sorrow, lifted her out, and healed her broken heart.If you’re hurting, call out to God in faith. He wants to answer the cries of your heart, and He has the power to help you.

My Declaration of Faith for Today
Lord, I reach out to You in faith, knowing that You alone can answer the cries of my heart.

Walking on the LORD's Rainbow

2008-03-26T23:36:00.005+08:00

Dear GOD,

I see how YOU are the ONE who makes things flourish...
What am I but YOUR little child daughter,
Whom YOU have given life so I can know YOU and experience YOU...
YOUR love is so gorgeous,
And it gives me strength for every moment...
YOU are like a bursting stream of fresh everlasting water...
That quenches my thirst and set my heart full of excitement!
I can feel life running through me, in my very spirit!
Even my hands are YOUR gift to me,
That I can work alongside YOU,
Participating in YOUR marvellous agenda of love and restoration...
YOU who call forth beauty and fruits,
O GOD, all existence listen to YOUR command and bow to YOU!
YOU are mind-blowing!
Such power moving with such grace...
So beautiful and breath-taking...
What awesome majesty!
O it's beyond words!
I'm enjoying this walk with YOU so much!
Thank YOU for calling me...
Thank YOU for loving me...
Nothing compares to knowing YOU,
I'm completely satisfied just to be in YOUR presence,
Just to be with YOU...
YOU are wonderful,
Beautiful beautiful beautiful! :)

P/S: Everytime it rains, I ask YOU, "When is the rainbow coming?" or I'd think, "The rainbow is coming." FATHER, just to upsize my cheeriness, can YOU send one? Though I always saw it in my spirit, I can't remember the last time I saw one with my physical eyes and I'd really like to see one! :)

TGIF - e-Devotional

2008-03-24T12:02:00.001+08:00

No Confidence in the Flesh
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Sunday, March 23 2008

"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more." - Philippians 3:4b

The apostle Paul surely could relate to the business executive. Paul reached the height of his profession only to have it completely stripped and torn from him. What he thought mattered in life became rubbish compared to what God did in his heart as He destroyed what seemed valuable at the time. It took a dramatic event to bring Paul into this revelation. It took a bright light, blindness, and the most fearful experience a human could have - being addressed personally by God, who was questioning why Paul was persecuting His people.

It would not be too long after his conversion that Paul would learn one of the greatest lessons every child of God must learn. That lesson is to avoid putting confidence in the flesh. In our work we are rewarded for achievement. It is a "measurable" life. We work. We see results. We get certain feelings of accomplishment from these activities.

It was not until I was placed in a situation to experience utter failure that I could identify with the words of Paul. I have met other workplace believers as well who achieved great success in their business life only to experience dramatic failure. That personal handshake with failure leads to a realization that:

"Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..." (Philippians 3:7-9).

Sometimes God lets us experience great pain to learn the lessons of greatest importance. Knowing Christ intimately is the most important lesson we will learn. Take stock in what you find your greatest pleasure in today. Avoid placing your confidence in things that are but rubbish so that you might know Him more intimately.

Psalm 127:1

2008-03-22T15:54:00.002+08:00

Psalms 127:1, “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” (NIV)

Let's take time, to wait upon the LORD.

The Training Ground of GOD

2008-03-21T19:02:00.002+08:00

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Friday, March 21 2008

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." - Psalm 144:1

David was a man skilled in war. From his days as a shepherd boy to the days of serving in Saul's army to leading his own army, David learned to be a skillful warrior. How does one become a skillful warrior?

The only way one can become a skillful warrior is to be trained and placed in the middle of the battle. It is only when we are placed in the furnace of battle that we truly learn to fight the real battles. Practice doesn't make you battle ready. War games won't prepare you for facing your real enemy in the battlefield. The stark reality of being in the midst of the battle makes us effective warriors.

Simply reading your Bible will not make you a warrior for the Kingdom. Knowledge without experience is mere folly. Only when you are placed in situations where there is nothing or no one who can save you but God will you learn the lessons of warrior faith. This is the training ground of God, which will make you into a soldier for Christ in the workplace. Consider it to be suicidal faith - faith that says I want to be dead to anything that keeps me from fulfilling God's purposes for my life. It is when your efforts can do nothing to change your circumstance and you are at the mercy of God. These are the real training grounds of God. Do not shrink back from the battle that God may be leading you to today. It may be a training ground that is necessary for the calling He has on your life.

If you can trust Him in these times, you'll know that you have gained a faith that will move mountains and will sustain you in the most difficult of circumstances. "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle."

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Amen! Timely :)

How deep is my love? How pure is it?

2008-03-20T23:02:00.005+08:00

Surely LORD, it is nothing compared to YOURS...
But GOD, thank YOU for loving me,
Knowing me, acknowledging me.
And thank YOU for letting me know YOU,
And accepting me as I am, as I learn to love YOU more.

Make my heart pure,
Make my life shine for YOU.
Make me strong in YOUR strength,
Persist in YOUR truth.
Renew me daily,
Let me sing about YOU always
Let me live YOU out in my life
Even as I am, imperfect and full of flaws.
But come in LORD,
And set all things right.
In my rising and falling,
YOUR light be seen,
YOUR truth be known everlasting,
For YOU are the KING of GLORY,
YOUR name be lifted up forever.

I want to walk with YOU
Through sun and rain
Through peace and storm
Coz at the end of it all
The meaning of me at all
Is YOU, is YOU!
Let me live brave
Just like JESUS did
HOLY SPIRIT, help me, help me, help me!

More Quotes

2008-03-20T22:32:00.004+08:00

The people to worry about are not those who openly disagree with you, but those who disagree with you who are too cowardly to let you know.

The real hero is the man who is brave when nobody is looking.

A man who gives in when he is wrong is wise; a man who gives in when he is right is a coward.

Dishonesty is a coward's way of getting out of trouble.

A river is powerful because many drops of water have learned the secret of cooperation.

Most people are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.

Great doors swing on small hinges.

Zingers (Faith Daily e-Newsletter) - By Croft M. Pentz
Tyndale House Publishers

Hosanna (Worship Song)

2008-03-20T21:39:00.003+08:00

[Verse 1]
I see the King of glory
Coming down the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest (x2)

[Verse 2]
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees

[Bridge]
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

The next thing...

2008-03-20T20:17:00.002+08:00

What does it take?
GOD, YOU know everything
And I know I can safely put myself in YOUR hands because YOU love me.
I trust YOU and I love YOU too.

:)

Forever

2008-03-17T11:03:00.001+08:00

Ulf Ekman - The diversities of GOD

2008-03-17T10:20:00.001+08:00

AMEN AMEN!!!!!
So happy that I chanced this on the YouTube. So agree! We got to believe and move in the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT to strengthen the Body of CHRIST, hallelujah! :)