Retreat Day

I find that i do my retreats best in a natural setting and so today i went to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to have a walking retreat...

It was a great time spent walking/hiking 3 of the 4 designated trails and several other longer routes, and thereafter just staying at a pavilion and seeking God. No cares on my mind, just praying and talking with God...it was very refreshing and cleansing to be enjoying the great outdoors, the fresh air, even the slight drizzle! Thank you Lord!

I met with some spiritual truths too...

Throughout my walk, the most important thing was my visitors map as it kept me from getting lost, and it also told me of where the hill and the valley was. On this trip, as i determined to walk from the lowest elevation all the way up to the summit, even in the really steep or really jungle swept sections, i had no fear because i knew EXACTLY where i was and where i was headed! (due to the map!)

That walk is so much like life isn't it? We walk and walk, sometimes we get lost, sometimes we despair in the valley (where everything is downhill) or on the hill (where everything is slow-going cuz it's so hard to trudge uphill), but of course there are beautiful moments like seeing the beauty of nature or the thrill of overcoming obstacles!

Along this journey, we can easily feel so utterly lost or just be walking around aimlessly. Unless we have a map that gives us some security as we know where we are and where we are headed! I find that security in God's Word, the Bible (our map for life), it keeps me sane and on the right road, even when things get tough in the valley where even our fears seem to echo off the walls and mock us! The bible is THE map for life!

I was brought back to His Word, His Promises, His assurances, His omnipotence, His omniscience, His immutability (His unchangeable character!), and once again, i KNOW of His divine Love and how He will never leave me nor forsake me, how His Love covers over all weaknesses, the depth of His compassion displayed in the way He forgives, and how God's work among men stands on His ability to fulfill His promises and does not depend on our ability to live up to the perfect law of God! Wow!

The Hope of Life is Jesus, the Reason for Life is Jesus, in Him and through Him, all things are given their meaning! And yes...He is my refuge, my strong tower, the Father who has already given me all the good gifts i need to be fruitful in His Kingdom and for His purposes!

"Here I am, Send me!"

Praise the Lord!

I love, ABSOLUTELY LOVE the youth! =)

Today, i saw a wonderful family of God gathering round to welcome Feo back! The moment we spotted him, i was so delighted to see the word spread and then people coming round to welcome him back and make him feel welcome! AMC Youth, you make me proud and i will boast in the Lord about all of you! Continue displaying the Love of the Lord in tangible ways! Let's gather round more of our people who need the support!! show the Love of Christ!

Second, thanks to all who took extra effort to make the day special for a treasured birthday boy! Making the effort to go down to his place blindly, totally unsure if he'd be home or if we'd be welcome. I think the time paid off spectacularly! Let's continue going the extra mile for others!

Thirdly, let's continue to pray for healing and support our physically hurting friends...Junlong, for his back, and Thaddeus for his knee, he is still on crutches and is bored at home! Pray for a quick recovery! Also...let's not forget those hurting emotionally, and silently, pray for the Lord to minister to the hearts and the inner hurts of people in our midst!

Exercise!

Didn't intend for this to become an exercise blog, but after a whole day of activity today, i've just realised how much more in shape i'm in than 2 months back!

Guess it started early June, when decided to get a program going, and yups...it was a good retreat and release for me each time...just sweating away all the stress and letting out all my frustrations and pain during the exercise! Running is as therapeutic as bus rides for me, i can pray and just keep running and that helps me keep going!

My program soon became a daily exercise circuit of like basic army 5BX stuff, plus max reps each time i pass the pull up bar downstairs...which is several times a day...so yups...felt like army again! ahaha! just that this time, it is on my own motivation, not cuz my instructors! Actually, i think the most intensive times i had were in S.Korea, as i exercised just to keep warm! and i could actually keep going on and on while praying, and the double-decker bed was perfect to do pull-ups and and concentrate on strengthening my right shoulder (the one that pops)...

So yes...it's paying off! today, i realised that after my regular 7-9am soccer game, i could still play games at Past Vs Present, and thereafter, even at Youthphoria! played another hour of captain's ball! That's almost a whole day of exercise! feels just like secondary school days! =)

Was really good to meet and catch up with my friends! Met my batchmate who left her lawyering with Harry Elias several years back to pursue a renewed passion, TONS more fulfillment, and more family time! (Good perspective girl! Family is definitely more important!) And another who is flying off to the US for 18mths! He and I met so many umpteen years back that we can't even trace it! ahhaha! Best wishes there dude!

Oh...plus met my littlest sis who was selling tickets to the play, yups....of course i'm going! It's my littlest sis! I'm proud of her! And ahaha! bumped into Pamela, she's not only teaching my sis, she's also in the play! ahhaha! and...my littlest sister (Sec 1) has sprouted so much that she's gonna shoot past me soon, she taller than Pam now! Gosh! all the tallies in my family!

Sad note...Junlong got injured during past versus present games after he accidentally collided with the terminator (Marshall) and another fellow...aggravated a back injury...last i heard, he's still in pain but is home, and on MC til tuesday...gonna keep him in prayer.

okies...now, gonna do some more stretching before i sleep just so i can dissipate the lactic acid and not feel so sore tmr!

Conversations

I love deep, long, heart-to-heart talks, talks where everything good or bad is honestly discussed, talked out, resolved, or at least understood and out in the open.

Sometimes, there is no resolution...things just have to be said, and left out in the open...sometimes, we think best as we are talking and letting out our fears, insecurities and issues.

But it is in the honest exchange, the sharing of hearts, the touching of minds, that we see things as they are, that we feel the anguish and the pain, and we sense the confusion and the turmoil.

Honesty, empathy, the desire to understand, the self-control not to be offended by the way things are spoken, the trust in each other that the parties must share, all these are absolutely vital, so that things are clear...so that the broken pieces and the jumbled issues can be disentangled or resolved, the friendship can resume, the healing can start, the love in a friendship can grow and all parties involved can mature.

It's like Gold going through the furnace.

True communication is LIFE to the people involved, as the gold (people) must be courageous enough to go through the furnace, allow the dross (falsehood, wrong ideas, misunderstandings) to be burned away, and then let the true nature of the gold (without impurities) emerge.

28th July 2006 - 40 Day Prayer Guide

Like i said, this 40 Days Prayer has been the most impactful ever...gosh...today, it ended with this challenge...

Does your love for God go deeper than your instincts of self-preservation? Is God's glory foremost on your mind, or are you solely concerned with your own security and safety, peace and prosperity? The ultimate question is this: Is God worth it? Is He worth serving at great personal cost? Is He worth the giving up of your life, your assets, your future, your personal dreams, your loved one?


Yes...He's worth it...
DEFINITELY worth it...

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep,

to gain what he cannot lose. ~Jim Elliot~

C.S. Lewis Quotes

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.

Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.

It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

To love is to be vulnerable."

~C.S. Lewis~

Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.

~C.S Lewis~

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
1 Corinthians 13:3-7 (Message)

My heart will CHOOSE to say...

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection

and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,

becoming like him in his death. Phil 3:10

"I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die.

The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away.

Praise the name of the LORD!" Job 1:21

Though it is painful,

Though i may not understand,

Though it is so confusing,

LORD, MY HEART WILL CHOOSE TO SAY, BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME, JESUS!

Fruit!

Galatians 5:22, 23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

After the earlier post regarding 'SELF'...this verse came up to me...and yes, it is the hope and encouragement that the Lord provides! =)

When we submit to Him and build our lives on His word, one of the fruits of the spirit will be 'Self-control!'...yups! Will take the Lord at his word! There is definitely a means to eradicate all the "self"-ish, "self"-centeredness!

Self-reflection...

By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
~Confucius~

Matthew 7:3-5 (New International Version)
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

More and more in this season of reflection and seeking God, He is refining me by showing me the areas in which i fall short. And it is evident to me that it is the SELF that is the problem, SELF-centeredness, SELFishness...He is taking this season to teach me how to turn towards Him, put on His Righteousness, submitting/surrendering SELF-will, so that His work can be done in my life.

Saw it so clearly in a sudden moment of lucidity! What are my years here for? My time here is limited, how many years does a man live? Is this REALLY MY life? All the wealth and pursuit of happiness that happens, though it brings satisfaction now, cannot be brought into eternity...

The only purpose that i have here is to steward my days well for the advancement of His Eternal Kingdom.

To go where He leads, to follow in obedience, to willingly be a fool or to be undignified if it is what He calls me to! After all, Jesus was scorned, forsaken and broken...ALL so that His redeeming Grace could be freely available to all who believed in Him!

Just so Thankful! beyond expression...

Thank You - The Katinas
Just a little while longer I wanna pray
Can't get You off my mind so I came to say...
Thank You Lord ...just for loving me
Many times I do forget
Every need that You have met
Oh thank You Lord! I know You're showing me
You are there when I am down and out, You're holding me,
Your love is so ama-azing! Oh it changed me

Chorus:
Here I am with all I am
I Raise my hands to worship You
I wanna say thank you, oh thank you!
For everything, for who You are,
You cover me, You touch my heart
I wanna say thank you...

I could have died in my sin but You saved me
Didn't have any hope at all
You gave me peace divine, strength to carry on
I should have been the one to pay
But instead You took my place...
Amazing Grace, it's more than just a song
Even though I don't deserve Your love for me
You look beyond my fault and You showed me...mercy

CHORUS 2
I wanna say thank you for the sun
Lord we thank you for the rain
Everything You do is beautiful!
I'm so grateful for Your love

Taken from my quiet time

The First Miracle, a Counterpart to the First Temptation of Jesus

The first temptation (Jesus in the desert)
Alone in the wilderness there came the whisper, "There is no bread; command that these stones be made bread."

The first miracle (Wedding at Cana)
Now at the marriage feast there comes the whisper, "There is no wine," and Jesus turned the water into wine.

Both acts would have called for equal power; they were identical if regarded outwardly, yet Jesus saw in the former a snare of evil, and by the latter He began to show His glory.

Do you see the difference between the two? In the one, His power would have been employed upon Himself (SELF); in the other, it was at the service of His friends (SELFLESS).

He turned the water into wine for others, but for Himself He would not turn the stones to bread.

He saved others, Himself He would not save.

He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

It was the golden dawn of a self-forgetful service that won its crown on Calvary.

Serving...with love

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of other. Phil 2:3-4

The happiest individuals in the world are people helpers. The most miserable are the selfish. Dedicate yourself to service. Not only will you please the Lord by such pursuits, but you will sustain others as well, and in the process gain a sense of fulfillment unobtainable at any other level!

Choice: Freedom or Responsibility?

The choice of how to exercise our Freedom is a double-edged sword...

Taken from The Message Bible...
1Co 8:9 ...God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a Christian still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.

1Co 8:11 Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn't you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for him--because, as you say, it doesn't really make any difference? But it does make a difference if you hurt your friend terribly, risking his eternal ruin!

1 Co 8:12 When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ. A free meal here and there isn't worth it at the cost of even one of these "weak ones."

Read that again, Eugene Peterson puts it so well, "...as you say, it doesn't really make any difference..."

That is one of the statements i use to test things...and yups, i'm glad i saw it in the Message! If it doesn't really make a difference anyway, i would make the choice to glorify God and edify man rather than put any hint of a stumbling block in the way of a friend!

Peace that surpasses understanding

I have found a deep peace i had never known

And a joy this world cannot afford,

Since i yielded control of my body and soul

To my wonderful, wonderful Lord!

~Haldor Lillenas~

"For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" Phil 2:13

First things first

Sometimes, the best laid plans and best intentions are waylaid or thrown out of sync by unexpected occurances. Learning how to deal with them is part of the journey of living victoriously in Christ!

When we grow complacent, we get tired of routines like daily quiet time, prayer & worship. When we feel closest to God and things begin to feel "easy", that's the best time to take a self-reflective check on our lives. To be very near is often to be blinded. We forget the BIGNESS of our God, and the intimacy He desires is not one born out of routine, but one that is fresh daily because our hearts are leaping in joy to meet with Him! Our Father who gave us His greatest gift, before we were even born. Jesus Christ.

Today, i was awoken by a telephone call...it threw my routine out of sync...
Recently, I've been making it a point to commit my day to the Lord before i leave my bed. Meaning that I literally put Him first, by doing a short initial devotion and thanking God for the things that come to mind. Then later after washing up, i will continue with a deeper devotional/bible study...

This morning, because of the phone call, i was abit of of sync and started flipping the newspapers and doing other stuff, but something tugged at me, and i knew that God wanted His time first! So yes, reminded of the fact that i want to spend time with my best friend first, i hunkered down to my laptop to do my devotion. And it was the sweetest time...my e-Sword application has a pop-up when it starts, and i set mine so that the prayer list comes up first, then my devotionals, and yes, it was so calming and amazing to be praying aloud! I was literally conversing aloud and feeling such peace as i prayed over the matters in the list. I sometimes choose to silently pray in my mind and in my heart, but today i was reminded, when i pray ALOUD, not only am i praying to the Lord, i'm speaking aloud the promises of God to myself and it edifies, at the same time, because i'm declaring truth, darkness will HAVE TO flee! All that combined to give me a really peaceful spirit, all ready for my devotions...The Lord is amazing in the myriad ways He works!

Random musings from a webbie

Took these one liners off a webbie...
http://www.oneliners-and-proverbs.com/english.html

Combined some of them into this!

Tears are the baptism of the soul.
Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future.
Faith is having the courage to dance to it today.
Turn the despair of being alone into the wonder of being alone with God.
Your responsibility is your response to His ability.

Words for the soul indeed...
I press on toward the goal to which He calls me heavenward!

Lord Jesus,
Not because of who i am,
but because of who YOU are!

Hmmm...should i be thankful? or sad?

Woah...came back and so much news that is enlightening me!

1) A tsunami hit Indonesia, 300+ killed, and lots of destruction.
2) Typhoon hit Philippines, leading to widespread devastation and deaths
3) Storms hitting Taiwan (flooding), China, and i saw this first hand...Korea. I heard that now, the suburbs have been granting relief status...meaning the flooding must be quite bad so the people need help...
4) On the other hand...Heatwave going through Europe and the US.

hmmm...dunno what to think, but yes, thankful that I'm home from korea, but yes praying for them and the above stuff! (funny...but it's pouring now as i'm writing this!)

Well...God is sovereign and His plans are perfect! So yes, may the Lord use this for His glory!

Korea on a wet sunday

Never did realise that Korea would be so wet and rainy in the summer. I was told that we came at the wet season, and yes, it literally rained everyday! On Sunday, we went to a church called Ye Sa Rang (Jesus Loves) Methodist, and on that day, it was the heaviest rain! We ended up being soaked and walking about all wet even with our brollies! and we were out for almost 12 hours walking on wrinkled feet! ahahah!

The church was a house church and during service, they were cooking lunch at the back! Quite cool! =) first time i've had the smells of food as an offering during the worship session! And did i mention that i love korean food? gosh! and everyone thinks i'm korean! it's so funny! i had to learn phrases so that i can communicate a little! =) but it's good to be treated as a local!

anyways...the Korean church is really super hospitable and i was greatly blessed! Ye Sa Rang (Jesus Loves) Methodist, being a small house church is not very rich, but they were abundant in their hospitality, love and gifts! Oh...they thought we were women, so they prepared stockings for us as gifts! ahahahah! how funny! but it was much thoughtfulness as it is quite a good gift for korea! I appreciate it! and we took the gifts, they'll probably go to family or something!

Oh...that was a really interesting day! after church, we went down to visit Yoida Full Gospel Church, Yonggi Cho's church and likely the one with the largest congregation (the Koreans said it stands at 500,000), it was a really great time of worship with the korean church! We only stayed for a little while but the it was really good! Whole church worshipping and praying during the worship! Very open and honest! I was blessed!

final note: This was the day the Han river overflowed it's banks and the flooding was really quite bad, covering parks and submerging many features! Will post the pics when IF i get them

Korean Dudes!

Posting these photos of Korean guys at the special request of the babe of Katong! Ahaha! The guy with the black rimmed glasses was my roomie! 

Group shot

I Luurvve this shot of some of the delegates! Notice the weird fella jumping into the shot? =)