2006 in review...

Finally. Last day of the year, 2006. It had been a great year, much had happened, and in review, I thank my God for all the provisions, the protections, the guidance, the favor, the blessings.......

The year started with great excitment. The new flat was a blessing more evident than any others. The renovation though delayed was very well done to much satisfaction. It was a real comfort to be able to sit and rest at the new home.

The decision to quit my job was a milestone, a major decision, but was also made with peaceful rest knowing He would guide and provide. He had not been slack at this.

The reminder of His protection was offered constantly echoed in Psalm 91 which was read and sung many times. It is also there that had seen me through the flu, the fever, the toothaches, treatments,...... and he reminds me, that as He had watched over the children of Israel in the deserts, so has he watched over me, his beloved, even as we sleeps.

The faith itself is no longer one of a relationship with God, but a fellowship with Him. Not only is He a loving God, but also a God of restoration, giving divine strength and renewals.

How can I forget His benefits towards me! I yearn to look, farther from self and close to Christ.

Indeed, we have been blessed in 2006 with more good things than what our eyes had seen.

How do we praise Him!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Church service was at indoor stadium again this week. It's great to see the whole church together, supposedly it's more than 14,000 congregation now?


Pastor's message have always been heart-warming. Matthews 6 - God knows we have need for the material things, but seek first the kingdom of God and all these will be added to us. God had promised us grace for the day, one day at a time. Just as he had provided the manna for the children of Israel, He will provide for us. And even for their Sabbath, God gave them a double portion of manna, good manna that does not breed worms. Learn to rest in God's goodness. Year 2007, would be, and we decree it, to us, a year of rest. And what would I to see in 2007? Yes, a special someone? A fulfilling job? A healthy and glad contenance? My God is so good!


1 Kings 5:4 - But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurence.

Psalm 91

Psalm 91, - A song of Protection

I will dwell in the secret place of the Most High,
I will stay in the shadow of your wings;
For Lord, you are my refuge, my tower of strength,
My hope is in you, secure I stand;
You will deliver me, your truth will be my shield,
Jesus, you cover me, in your love no fear will prevail.

I will dwell in the secret place of the Most High,
I will stay in the shadow of your wings;
For Lord, you are my refuge, my tower of strength,
My hope is in you, secure I stand;
You will deliver me, your truth will be my shield,
Jesus, you cover me, in your love no fear will prevail.

You will deliver me, your truth will be my shield.
Jesus, you cover me, in your love no fear will prevail.

No evil, nor terror, no arrow, nor plague,
Shall ever come near me.
For you are my safety, my hiding place,
Jesus, I trust in you!

No evil, nor terror, no arrow, nor plague,
Shall ever come near me.
For you are my safety, my hiding place,
Jesus, I trust in you!


For Lord, you are my refuge, my tower of strength
My hope is in you, secure I stand,
You will deliver me, your truth will be my shield,
Jesus, you cover me, in your love no fear will prevail.

No evil, nor terror, no arrow, nor plague,
Shall ever come near me;
For you are my safety, my hiding place,
Jesus, I trust in you!

No evil, nor terror, no arrow, nor plague,
Shall ever come near me;
For you are my safety, my hiding place,
Jesus, I trust in you!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

At last, the sun's shining again. Took the opportunity to open the windows and air the rooms. A nice break from all the wetness. The warmth of the sun felt nice on my face.... ahhh... beautiful morning.

Ran into the elderly ex-neighbour couple from the old place. The usual here-and-there.... then a little about the family problems they face. Well, their little grand-daughter is a very smart and pretty girl, but perhaps the mother was a little too uptight over her studies. Old uncle and auntie felt that daughter-in-law is putting too much pressure on the poor kid. Looks like it's the norm these days. But, bless their hearts. It's so warming to know them, elderly couples who trust and believes in the Lord.

Caught this verse while browsing some books in the mall:

Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. - Psalms 107:23-24

Strange, it's not from a christian book. Interesting. A quick check on Psalm 107, and the familar refrain... "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever." Yes, this psalm had been so familar, but I had not come across this portion. It's a psalm of thanksgiving.

An ex-collegue called to chat late at night. Updated on some of the latest happenings in the office. Sigh~ another staff is tendering her resignation after the year ends. Why? Looks like situation is not getting any brighter there. Changes - policy related to pay structures, work assignments & distributions, datelines, projects.... all too familiar. Well, I thank God that I need not go thru' these.... I am spared the agony!

Ah, what an insight! It is only when one sees and related to the happenings in his everyday life and sees the wonders and works of God's hands there, that one can truely give thanks! Indeed, yes! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever.

Another cold crisp morning....

Another cold crisp morning. The rain doesn't seem to be stopping anytime, and I really hate the cold.... everything's cold............ cold feet, cold drinks, cold toilet seat,.... good thing that I had taken that old quilt for use. The nights were alot more bearable.... lolz...

Last night's calligraphy class was the 2nd lesson in the new series. Four of us had picked the li-shu script-style and we were particularly impressed by old uncle 'Loo'. He showed us his practice piece since last week's class. Wonder if I can learn to write as well as him. The sweet girl with the smiling dimples did turn up for class this week, but zhen zhen and two others didn't. We also had a new student. Not too bad, that makes 8 students in the class. Now, at least the class wouldn't disband because of too few students.

We decided to start our writing practice with the sample words instead of with the strokes. Afterall, it would be very very boring to do the strokes all over again. Well, I wouldn't really minded if there are improvements to the strokes, but seem we are making no progress. So to start practice with some actual characters would be a nice break. Well, how does that look? They said it's good, but I think there's still so much difference from the actual thing.....

well..... patience, more practice please....... afterall, it's the first practice piece.

The love of Christ....

I finally finished reading the book 'A Frank Boreham Treasury' (honestly, I am never a book person). Not all the mentioned 'great names' are familar to me. Some, I have not even hear of, but nevertheless, they definitely had made history. Although, I do not totally agree with some of the passages, but on the whole, it's still a book worth reading. Some of the questions or doubts that crossed my mind was.... was it the stubborn and strong-willed human effort at work in the lifes of some of these 'great' men of God? Definitely, many of these great men had been touched by God and called to the work, but are there also amongst some of them, men who had worked hard at it, because of their own strong-willed desire?

But amongst some of these 'great' men, there is one, which I can relate to. And, he's one, whom I had not heard of, or known before - Adoniram Judson (1788 - 1850).

The text that he holds so closely - To comprehend.... what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Yes, there's so much in the text. And, I suppose only those who have been touched but the love of God would be able to appreciate these words. They resound again and again in our minds and we never grew tired of these precious words. Everytime we are reminded of it, it brings the same and even greater sweetness. Oh, only if we can fully comprehend, (which we would never be able....) to understand, to know, to grasp, to feel, oh, to fully comprehend... what is the breadth.... far wider than we can imagine..... what is the length.... far longer and farther than we can see... the depth, ... far deeper than we can reach..... the height,... far higher than the highest height....... indeed, the love of Christ, so dear, so all encompassing, so amazing, so sweet, so warm, so close, so ...... beyond words....... oh, the love of Christ.

And, how I wish for you all, to know the love of Christ!

Wheels of time........

It rained again the whole of last night, into this morning. It was a warm snug feeling of lying in bed listening to the rain outside the window.

But nature calls, so what needs get done, ...... needs get done. The cold seat wasn't exactly comfortable and jolts back memories of cold mornings years ago :

- it was also a cold morning as I tip-toed down the wooden stairway. nature calls, but the toilet is located downstairs. summer time, Horten, Norway, small quiet town. the sun hardly sets but it's still chilly in the morning.

- it was also a cold morning and the fog hides the city even as we sailed in. for me, it's my first visit to Hong Kong, pearl of the orient. the fog lifted slowly and all of a sudden, I saw the beauty of this pearl. high-rise buildings upon the slopes of a somewhat mountainous terrain loomed up ahead. traditional sailing junks glides past, and the soft chucking of their engines hardly disturbs the serenity. the city seems asleep, still.

- it was also a cold morning and the wind blew the chill into our chattering teeth as we dragged ourselves out of the coach into the orchard. it was only drizzling but the wind made it unbearable. the tour guide had arranged for one of the orchard worker to brief us. a young man, a post-grad doing his Phd but works part-time at the orchard. goodness, he's moving around in shorts while we are all huddled up against each others. it is indeed a memorable tour, New Zealand.









How the wheel of times have churned and turned.


life - milestones and events, 7, 12, 16, 19, 21, 25, 32, 40, 50.........
friends - come, go, come, go, come, go,.......
home - involvement, contribution, progress, development, disillusion, nonchant,.....
culture - learning, understanding, value, nostalgia, preservation,...
world - amazement, bewilderment, tragic, sympathy, love......
memories - good, bad, faded, recollection, refreshed, lost.......

Memories...........

Christmas morning

Christmas morning. Cool, crisp.... but the rain had stopped and the sun's out. It's a beautiful day!

The phone had beeped with the messages from friends, giving the traditional season greetings in the most convenient manner:

• Wishing you a Merry n Blessed Christmas!
• Merry Christmas! Blessed New Year to U & Family.
• May this candle of Christmas bring U & Ur Family d light of peace, love & happiness. HV A BLESSED & HOLY SEASON!
• Wishing you pretty gals and good looking hunks a blessed Christmas and merry holiday season. May the love and joy of Christ be with you.
• dear frens, hv a blessed christmas and happy new yr!
• 'MErrY X'MaS' WiShiNg all UR BeSt WiShes Will Be COme trUe
• Hey! jingle bell, jingle bell. Christmas is around! Let me send u my best wishes & wish u a MErRy x'mas & happy new year!
• As God waters His Creation, May He also sprinkle His wonderous blessings over U. Have a blessed new year ahead.
• Wishing you and your family a merry christmas & a happy new year!
• Have a cosy and a blessed xmas!
• I wish you and your family a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
• may this candle of Christmas bring u & your family d light of peace, love, happiness & prosperity. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
• As God waters His Creation, May He also shower His wonderous blessings over U & family. Hv a BLESSED CHRISTMAS & Great 2007.
• Wishing u and your family a lovely lovely Christmas and a blessed new year.
• Wishing You a blessed Xmas & a Wonderful New Year ahead....
• WISHING U & UR FAMILY MERRY CHRISTMAS! MAY GOD BLESS THE NEW SEASON WITH LOVE, JOY, GOOD HEALTH, PEACE & HAPPINESS....
• Merry X'mas and Happy New Year to u & yr family!
• Merry xmas to you n mall all yr dreams n wishes come true. Cheers :)
• Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year 2 you & your family!
• Wishing You Happy & a joyful Christmas!
• Christ Jesus is the reason for Christmas. May His Presence bless u n your family with Joy, Peace n His abundance of Love during this Season n the New Year. Grace be multiplied to u more n more. Amen
• This tree is my gift of love, peace and joy. A most Blessed X'mas to you & family. "Happy New Year 2007"
• Hello ol'fren. Merry Christmas & a great year ahead!
• Hi. Wish u a very blessed Christmas n prosperous year ahead
• A very merry Christmas to you!
• Blessed christmas n healthy new year ahead. Shalom.
• A Christmas song for u: Jingle pau, jingle pau, Jingle cha siew pau.. Lin yoong pau, tau sa pau.., siew mai and har gau... hey!! Merry Christmas to u! Wif love
• My good friend have a blessed and peaceful christmas and may you find happiness and love in all your endeavours and the true meaning of life
• Merry Xmas & keep in touch
• Wishing u & yr family a Blessed Christmas. May His love n joy fill yr heart on this special day. God bless u :)
• Blessed Christmas, the good lord brings peace n joy to you and your family
• Merry Christmas! May u enjoy the joy & peace that Christmas brings!
• Also 2 u - a wonderful festive celebration and a Happy, Prosperous & healgthy 2007 ahead
• Bro. Have a blessed year ahead.
• May Joy, Love,& Peace b with u this CHRISTMAS! Good health & blessed 2007!
• Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you
• have a god blessed christmas and new year
• MaY tis CaNdLe oF Christmas bring u & ur family light of peace, love & happiness. Have a blessed season !!
• Our lord GOD JESUS shall give u the riches of his blessing, overflow ur barn with fullness of HIS GRACE, n direct ur path 2 success n victory in whatever u do. Blessed Christmas my friend.
• Peace in your Heart, Warmth in your soul, Contentment in Life, Joy in your home. May these Priceless Treasures be yours always. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
• May this Candle of Christmas bring You d light of Peace, Love & Happiness! Merry X'mas n Happy Holiday!
• wishing u a Merry Christmas! May u enjoy the joy & peace that Christmas brings!
• Here's wishing you and your family a peaceful and joyous Christmas.. and a prosperous year ahead. Merry Christmas!!! God Bless.
• Merry X'mas & Happy New Year to u and yr family
• Merry Christmas, best wishes to you and your family. God bless
• Not all Gifts are under the Tree. Some are in the heart. Blessed Christmas & a fruitful New Year!
• May all the blessings x'mas brings, fill your life with special things.
• Wishing you a merry christmas & a happy new year!
• Merry X'mas and a happy, healthy, wealthy and successful mew year ahead!
• Ho ho ho. Merry xmas to you and those close to your heart. May all the good things happen to you in the coming year. Best wishes for the season :)
• MERRY X'MAS! May the gift of joy, health and harmony to you and your family.

Hmmm... think I better start exercising my fingers too. lolz.....

And also, there's those email greetings! Specially nice is one that came just in time, from a long time friend who is in UK now. Just a simple message "Happy Christmas. Best wishes for 2007" and an attached photo of her and hubby seated snuggly with a nicely decorated christmas tree in the background.

Yes, these are good reminders of warm ties, friendship and love. Blessed Christmas to all!

We are the reason!

A panda walks into a café, orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires a few shots into the air. As the panda moves towards the exit and prepares to leave, a brave man steps up and asked "What's the meaning of that?". The panda replied "I'm a panda. Go check it out." Puzzled, the young man looks up the dictionary and sure enough, finds the definition : Panda - Large black-and-white furry bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves. Hahahaa.... but Pastor, that's so lame!

Yes, Pastor told that joke in part of his message. Very often, it is because of a different definition of terms that we fall into arguments and misunderstandings. We have the righteousness of God. What do we understand by it? Righteousness! That's right standing in the sight of God. And this right standing is a grace gift. Given free to us! Given not because we are good, not because we worked hard to deserve it, not because of our position,.... it is just given to us freely, because of love. God's love towards us. And it is given judiciously,... someone had taken our place in the curse and in its state placed us in the position to receive the blessings of God. Such is the love and grace of God.

We are the reason

As little children,
We would dream of Christmas morn,
Of all the gifts and toys,
We knew we'd find.
But we never realized,
A baby born one blessed night,
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives!

We were the reason,
That He gave His life.
We were the reason,
That He suffered and died.
To a world that was lost,
He gave all He could give,
To show us the reason to live!

As the years went by,
We learned more about gifts.
The giving of ourselves,
And what that means.
On a dark and cloudy day,
A man hung crying in the rain.
All because of love, all because of love!

I've finally found the reason for living,
It's in giving every part of my heart to Him,
In all that I do every word that I say,
I'll be giving my all just for Him, for Him!

He is my reason to live!

It's Christmas eve tonight, and my dear friends, do you know the reason for Christmas?

World with no peace, no joy?

Both niece and nephew were here for a visit. First time for them to visit the new home since I moved here a year ago. This sure is some fun. At least it adds to the christmas cheer.

Had lunch out at IMM and took a short look around. Very busy, I guess lots of last minute shopping since tomorrow is Christmas eve already. Well, another Christmas tree, also a real tree, with paper hangings? Oh, these are shopper's wishes....... Osim massage chair, the cost? $10,000... Sony gallery - $3,499... Best Denki, HP Notebook computer, .... the list goes on. Such a great contrast.... we are such a blessed nation. We knew not what poverty, cold and hunger is.

I can't help but ask the question, what would be my Christmas wish? $45 a month for a child?

Today's papers - World with no Peace? World with no Joy? How sad..... it listed:

• 3.6 million people killed in was since 1990 - STRIFE
• 1.1 billion people living on less than $1.50 a day - POVERTY
• 91 million people affected by natural disasters in the first 8 months of 2006 - DISASTER
• 8.4 million children working as forced labourers or sex workers - CHILD VICTIMS
• 39.5 million people infected by HIV - DISEASE
• 1 billion women who have been beaten, coerced into sex or abused - BATTERED WOMEN

Interviews with the prominent leaders of various faiths - Catholic priest, Buddhist nun, Muslim Imam, Toaist priest, Jewish Rabbi, Hindu priest,.... their take on how to achieve world peace and joy... individually reach out, bring it forward; tolerance, non-self, equality, compassion; know God, be close to God; look within for the hope; shine what you can, make a difference; devotion, meditation and prayers..... but, really, will there be real peace and joy for the world?

Shalom..........

Dong Zhi (冬至)

Was reminded yesterday to be back home for dinner. All too soon, it's 'dong zhi' (冬至), the Chinese festival that marks the winter solstice, or arrival of winter. Looks like I will give the fund raising duties a break.

Traditionally, it's observed even more importantly than the Chinese New Year. A little research into the origin of this festival..... it marks the day that the sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and it results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. Wonder how true this is. The festival began as a farmer's festival to celebrate year-end harvest. But for us, it is still being observed as a celebration for family reunion. Beside the sumptuous meal prepared for all to gather round and eat, there is also that sweet dumpling 'tang yuan' 湯圓 which traditionally is a must.

It also apparently had been adopted by many as an important taoist festival. Something about the 'ying' and 'yang' and the dieties returning to the heavens...... (or whatever). For me, it's quality time spent with family around the dinner table.

Well, I guess I didn't lose that much of my chinese culture despite being English educated all these years.

Touching words, touching lifes

Great men of God, and verses that gave them the strength to do what they did.....

Martin Luther - The just shall live by faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)

Hugh Latimer - This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)

William Tyndale - We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

John knox - And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)

Oliver Cromwell - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)

Blaise Pascal - For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)

John Bunyan - Him that cometh to me I will no wise cast out. (John 6:37)

John Wesley - Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)

George Whitefield - Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

John Newton - And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman... and that the Lord thy God redeemed thee. (Deuteronomy 15:15)

William Carey - Lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. (Isaiah 54:2-3)

Thomas Chalmers - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31)

Adoniram Judson - To comprehend.... what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

David Livingston - Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20)

Catherine Booth - My grace is sufficient for thee. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

John G. Paton - Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20)

James Hudson Taylor - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)

Charles Spurgeon - Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 45:22)

Charles Chalmers - And the spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosover will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)

Silver

Started off early today. Uneventful. The donation trickled in but a few came in and just stuffed their donations into our hands without even asking for details or receipts. This is really an encouragement to the few of us. By 3pm, there were also a few child sponsorship signed up. So glad for the children.

Took time off to visit the garden festival. A discounted concession ticket costs $3.50 which is quite steep for an exhibition. The exhibits occupied the whole 6th and 4th floor at Suntec Exhibition Hall. I specially like the entry entitled "A soldier's Dream of Blightly".

"In our world so troubled by war, isn't it good to have a garden celebrating peace? This garden represents life and beauty - nullifying the horrors of war. Peace in our backyard!"

What a cosy cottage. Very English favored. Serene, peaceful and homely. Reminds me of the quiet afternoon we spent at the Old Smokehouse years ago at Fraser Hills. ahhhh......~

Or again, reminds me of that lovely poem we read while in school:

Silver

slowly, silently, now the moon
walks the night in her silver shoon;
this way, and that, she peers, and sees
silver fruit upon silver trees;
one by one, the casement catch
her beams beneath the silvery thatch.

couched in his kennel, like a log,
with paws of silver sleeps the dog;
from their shadowy cote, the white breasts peep,
of doves in a silver-feathered sleep.

a harvest mouse goes scampering by,
with silver claws, and a silver eye;
and moveless fish in the water gleam,
by silver reeds, in a silver stream.

~ Walter de la Mare


Calligraphy class tonight is quiet. We are starting on the second series of lesson. I picked the "Li-shu" script style to learn as it is the most visually appealing. Guess it's going to be a long year of learning from now on. The sweet girl seated behind is skipping lesson tonight.... kinda missed her and her smiling dimples.

I guess better have an early night. That's quite a bit of things done for today.

The rain continued to fall....

It started the night before, rained, and rained, and rained. Came morning, but the rain continued to fall....

But the office had called earlier to say that they needed some help as the original helper were held up. It's a 3pm shift. Well, I could do a leisurely lunch and still be there in good time.

The rain continued to fall......

It was by far the most interesting afternoon. Many stopped by to listen and find out more about the child sponsorship program. Honestly, my wish is that more would sign up the child sponsorship than to give donation for the Christmas gift.... the children in poorer communities in Cambodia, Mongolia, Lesotho, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Ethiopia..... who would be willing to help them?

The rain continued to fall.....

The young man paused to find out more. He shared that he travelled to some of these places before and is convinced to help. Guess he would. Another guy stop and browsed the photo-cards. Yes, Lesotho..... he said he'd been there. Mud huts, poorest of the poor, rough travel by donkey, .... what a insight. The young lady, preparing to enter university next year, wanted so much to help. Maybe not financially but she does have a heart for the cause. The family paused to look at the posters, and gave a donation. Dad said he wanted his kids to know how blessed they were. Another family, the little daughter is sweet and cute, about 4 years old, I guess. They paused and gave too, after finding out about the project. A family, perhaps tourist, paused, and the dad said he works for World Vision too. Was it Canada? wow... great! What joy to meet people sharing a common cause. And all these happened around the beautiful Christmas tree.

The rain continued to fall......

Today, many people had pass by, many of them paused, some stayed to listen, some gave, and a few signed up for a child sponsorship. But regardless whether they paused or gave, the least they can take away with them was......... time to enjoy the tree, ahhhh.... the fragrance of a real pine, touch the branches and the leaves, enjoy the tree. Really, I myself had enjoyed the tree so much. It's Christmas after all. Hope many of them would, in their busy and hectic schedule, take the time to pause..... and like me, get to enjoy the tree.

The rain continued to fall.......

My Bible text

If you ask me, which is my bible text, without doubt it would be :

Romans 5:8 - "But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

This is one of the many verses in the Bible that tells us about God's love towards us. It had kept me company all these years. In those times of despair, it had kept me going. In those times of victory, it had multiplied my joy. In those times of loniness, it kept me company. In all those times, it had reminded me of God's great love and grace towards us.

How good is God to me! No, not because of my goodness, my worth, but that inspite of my sinfulness, my unworthiness, His love still reaches out to me. In that great act of taking my place on the cross, He had save me. Indeed, we can never comprehend, nor fathom the depths of His love. How could He, the creator, the one who flung the stars into their places, the one who paints the morning light on the canvas of heavens, the one who adorns the flowers of the fields with the tender dew, how could He........... chose to take my place!

1 John 4:10 - In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

His amazing grace, my eternal gratefulness! How I love Him.

1 John 4:19 - We love Him, because He first loved us.

He will always be my God!

Glittering Christmas

It is really getting to feel very much like Christmas now. But I really hate the chill. The rain continued from morning, the whole afternoon and into the evening. ahhhh..... a glittering christmas tree at Bugis.

hmmm.... the biography of James Hudson Taylor - The Finished Work of Christ". Wonder where I can get hold of it. His favourite Bible text is => "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" (John 19:30).

I like specially the hymn that Hudson Taylor quotes:

Nothing either great or small,
Nothing, sinner, no;
Jesus did it, did it all,
Long, long ago.

"It is finished!" yes, indeed,
Finished every jot;
Sinner, this is all you need;
Tell me, is it not?

Cast your deadly doing down,
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.

The book I was reading is a compilation of sermons by Dr Frank W. Boreham. Each passage tells of one of the great people involved in God's work and their favourite bible text. I have heard about James Hudson Taylor before, but have never fully understood what gave him the motivation and drive to do such a great and tremendous work in China. This passage gave me at least, a glimpse on this.

Is this day, just another day....

Sunday, but I will take a break from the regular weekend jogging routine. Anyway, the sky's overcast and looks like it's gonna rain again.

A few things to get done today, but let's get brunch. The little girl at the dim-sum counter in the coffee-shop downstairs, had been half teasingly, complained that I had been skipping the morning breakfast.... lolz, well maybe will please her this morning.

Gotta make a run to visit the calligraphy exhibition hosted by our calligraphy teacher. A quick look, not many pieces. I think about 30 odd scrolls. Mostly are in the running cursive script. Poems from the chinese poets, mainly on wine and drunkeness.... lolz... that's the way of the olden days poets. Like many of the pieces, nice.

Thought I could drop by over at Funan for a short errant, but looks like I am running late. The afternoon Service starts at 2.30pm. Surprisingly, no queue! Got a seat in my regular favourite section. The one thing I like about sitting in the main auditorium is that worship is always so 'immersing'. It's a long while since we last heard Pastor Joshua preached. The message is short but he's getting more and more annointed. wow, rejoice!.... 8 salvations for this service! And then a rare treat, a video recording of Booney M in the earlier service. They have such zeal and fervent for God.

Service ended exceptionally early. Dropped by the World Vision booth again. And what an encouragement! The number of sponsors and donations over the past few days were exceptional, especially for yesterday, since it was a late shopping night (Saturday). And even more unexpectedly, the Friday night ended on a very good count although I didn't stayed to see it. The Sunday crowd were alot more casual than the weekdays. Families with children, young couples, groups of teenagers, friends.... many stopped by and we had the opportunity to talk to them. It's also such joy to see the happy faces of children running around the Christmas tree. Bless them!

Relaxed........

Woke up to a bright cheery morning. Normal routines, but guess I would just take it easy today. The past 3 days were tiring for my feet so I think I wouldn't do that weekend jog, but a brisk stroll would be nice in this weather. This gave me time to soak in the scenaries along the canal. I counted some 17 white herons along the banks, and one bigger grey (or brown) heron, standing rather lonesome and very still. Then there's that blue... errr... was it a kingfisher? Seen it couple of times before. Paused to talk to the guy walking his doggie. Found out that the dog's a japanese breed, very well taken care of, with nice furry furs. He pointed out the part on the tail where the golden brown coloration is seen coming back. Seems that the dog had been fond of cooked food (yes, normal rice and stuff)... lolz.. pampered by the previous japanese owner it seems. Not knowingly, he was fed with the normal cooked food which have salt contents and the new owner is now trying to change the feeding habit for it. And of course, the poor dog have to relearn all the commands in English again. "come here", "sit", "wait","shake hands".... lolz... very well done.... errr.... sayonara?.... lolz...

Oh, and also, it's the 6th day of our... 2 meals a day resolution.... wonder how my other friend are doing. Getting hungry? lolz.

Tired, but I have been enriched.

It was another tiring, but really enriching day.

As I prayed shortly around the tree, my thoughts goes towards the children in these poorer communities. Indeed, we have been so blessed in Singapore that many of us do not know what is the hunger, poverty and despair that these children have to face daily. The donation for a gift this season is but only a short relief, but I am sure it will bring them hope, and I can imagine the joy that is so simple and pure, that glows from their heart to the beaming smile on their face.

And I believe it is not only myself who thinks so. The kindness and compassion shown by the generosity of people who paused to listen and gave.... these acts of donating is the least we can do for these children. And I have seen it many times today.... the young man who is already a child-sponsor, ticked almost every item in the list of gifts for the children, then there's a few, mostly couples, who after a brief discussion between themselves came back and donated, and there's the young lady who wanted to find out more about how she too can volunteer her time, also, there's the lady who signed up for sponsoring a child, and also left with a word of encouragement for us. That really brightens my day. And, even a few students who wanted to give something but could not afford to,... well, I am sure their love and thoughts for the children is just as valuable as any gifts money can buy.

I was tired,...... but I have been enriched.

The good and the bad(?)......

Today's encounter..... well, it isn't really the kind of responses that I would consider as extremes, but they did put a lasting impression.

The morning started off rather slow even as the pre-lunch time traffic trickled pass. Shops were just opening and most who passes by are mainly people on their way to work or who are heading for a particular place. The lunch time crowd also hardly paused in their pace towards the end of the mall. It was already pass 2pm when the lady with her daughter strolled over to make the donation. I would say that, this was by far the single largest donation I have seen. It is sure a spirit booster for the few of us volunteers, knowing that there are people with such a large heart for the worthy cause. It definitely would benefit many children in the program. What a blessing!
As the day wore on, the well wished donations built up. Tired, but yet happy.

My shift was ending soon when this guy came by. Stout sized, with this dark sunglasses and rough jacket, looked every bit a ..... well, a rough guy. He said he came specially down to the mall, which is out of the way for him from work or home, to visit us. It was not so much as to donate, but to find out more and to clarify some of his doubts and questions. Obviously it's not a easy one answering his questions since I, myself are not familiar with the organisation. I do detect a sceptical tone within the first few minutes of the conversation. The conversation continued as I sidestepped those questions that I was not prepared to answer. Afterall, I am not a staff but just a volunteer. And interestingly, we touched on other topics including, the many aspects of life - a little on politics, a little on day-to-day observations, some personal views, philosophy,..... and even a little personal details about him. It was by far one of the most interesting conversations I had while here. Anyway, at the end of some 20 mins, he did make out a small donation.

I suppose I am turning out to be a pretty good "fund raiser" after all... hahaha........ but really, this is one of the more interesting aspect of reaching out. The donors are no longer just a fund raising target, but one whom you can relate to, whom you get to know a little about, and one whom you would get to remember, at least for a while... and perhaps to remember in prayers too.

Tree of Life

It is a real pine tree. Unfortunately, the fragrant smell of the tree is now faint, as it had been a full 2 weeks since it was set up. The 5m tall Christmas tree stands in the main walkway of the mall but draws little attention from the passers-by. Not that it was inconspicuous, but rather that most people are too busy to stop by to take a closer look. Many were on their handphone talking even as they walked briskly by. Of those who stopped by for a closer look, are mainly families out on a more leisurely afternoon shopping with the kids. Moreover, Christmas trees are aplenty this season, especially in the malls and they have much more striking and attractive decorations of lights and ornaments. In contrast, this tree is very simply decorated.

The tree is part of the "Tree of Life" project by World Vision in promoting child sponsorships for the children in the poorer countries. Not only for awareness, but also that some would be willing to sponsor one of the some 3,840 children from the poorer communities in the various countries, mainly in Asia and Africa. Photo-cards with details of these children were hanging on this unique Christmas tree. Cards on donations for gifts to these children over this Christmas season is also part of the promotion. And this is why they have termed it as the "Tree of Life" project.

It was a tiring 7 hours for me as I helped to pass out flyers to the passers-by. Not exactly a first time experience for me, though. But it's always a memorable experience. It is harkening to know, as we took a short break at 3pm, that not only donations to gifts for the children came in, but also that 3 sponsorships was signed. If these tiring 7 hours can help to make the world a better living place of these children, I would have made a meaningful contribution.

Today, as I watched the busy people passing by, as I pointed some of them to this 'Tree of Life", some passed by, some paused to look, some gave time to talk to us, some was moved to give, and some signed up,..... I also paused to think, it is also same, the way many look toward that real "Tree of Life", that which is the real reason for this season.

God's promise of protection

I will lift up my eyes to the hills,
From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel,
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The Sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil,
He shall preserver your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in,
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

The sun's out.....

Woke up to a beautiful morning. The sun's out now..... it's such a happy day, bright, shinning, and cheerful. Went for my morning jog, caught sight of a big monitor lizard across the canal, along the park connector. Must be about at least 4 feet long, head to tail, I guess. Then there's that big grey heron which almost goes unnoticed in the background. Were those two, eaglets soaring in the sky above? Not sure, ........

Life..... nature's beauty......

What more can I ask? And I praise my God for these simple pleasures..... it's going to be a perfect day.

Worship Him!

autumn, winter rain....

December period is always somewhat depressing. I hate that year-end feeling, with the rains, the cold, the dampness. Perhaps that is why I chose to use parquet flooring for my bedrooms. It's more bearable, at least without having to squirm when contact with the floor is first made in the morning.

It rained again this morning. Missed my Saturday morning jog along the park connector. Must make the effort tomorrow then.

The cold and dampness reminds me of that cold winter morning in Japan, years ago. The ship had berthed alongside the terminal in Kobe and being the engineering cadet, the bunkering duties fell on me. The role is to watch the fuel tank levels and notify the shore pumps to stop once the required quantity is filled. Simple enough task since taking tank soundings is one of our routine duties. The difficult part is that I have to station on deck at temperatures well below 10 deg C, and I was not prepared for it. The overcoat does little to keep the warmth in. And there was even a light drizzle that fateful afternoon.

The again, I remembered that cold night I spent at Oslo's airport waiting for the morning flight out to Canada. Although it was still summer, but the nights were cold. The airport was closed after 11pm, and we slept at a corner of the waiting lounge. It was still bearable but how I wished for a cup of hot chocolate then. Autumn in Canada was also not any more enjoyable. Even in early autumn when the maple trees were not all dyed red yet, the temperature can drop very drastically at night. It frosted during one of the night and it was a struggle getting out of bed the morning. But the romantic feeling in the evening made it more bearable for those few months in Canada.

Well, that was years ago and I survived that. But now, I think I really hate the cold. And, this is December 2006, Singapore.

Shalom!

The bible study tonight touched on the passage about David and Abigail. The passage is not new to me. But my readings was more on the early part of the chapter - 1 Samuel 25:6

"And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: 'Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!'......

This is the greeting that David sent to Nabal. It was a well meaning greeting, and David's men had been good to Nabal's men, giving them protection in the fields. Nabal ought to have been grateful for the protection and offered David's men something out of his abundance. However, he did not. And David would not have been guilty had he done harm to Nabal after this, for he had repaid evil for good.

Sometimes, I fear to pronouce this greeting of peace... "Shalom!", for I believe, that we too, as God's own, and stands righteous in God's sight. Woe would be to him who heed not such greetings of peace, but continues to deny us our dues, or had meant malice. For the Lord fights our battles.

And so, my "Shalom!" greetings had always been, to be reserved mainly for those who are sincere and blameless in their dealings.

Shalom!

Who is there like you, Lord!

Who is there like you, Lord

Who is there like You, Lord,
Clothed in strength and beauty,
Marvellous, so wonderful in deeds!
You who calmed the tempest,
You who made the blind see,
Mighty is Your hand to deliver me!

King of Heaven,
Exalted above all!
My victory my song,
Great in majesty and glory!

King of Heaven,
You are worthy to be praised!
All honour to Your name,
Jesus reign forevermore!

Awesome God

It was only last week that while browsing a book at a Christmas fair at Amara, I came across a probing question on the diety of Christ while He was on the cross bearing our sins. I had never been bothered by such questions but as I flipped thru the book, the question jumped out at me. Was he still the righteous and holy God when He bearing our sins on cross at Calvary? I pondered but soon brushed it aside.

The answer to the question came sooner than I would expect. Pastor touched on this briefly last Sunday. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. Likeness is,... just simply likeness. It's not "as". I think God takes time in every details in our life. Even that passing thought registers in His eyes and He does not hesitate to reach out. What an awesome God!

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,......

~ Romans 8:3

A 2% discount!

A 2% discount! They actually gave me a two percent discount on my bill!

For once, I had cleared out nicely most of the foodstuff in the fridge. Time to restock. A short trip to the Fairprice supermart and the bill came up to $22.77 but can you imagine, they actually gave me a 2% discount on the total bill! I couldn't believe it! And the discount entry read as..... 2% Elderly! It's 50 cents off on the total bill, but what strike me is that I am now classified as amongst the elderly!

The initial emotion was one of disbelief and followed by a sense of sobering feeling, even as the truth sinks in. They have grouped me into this classification of being the elderly. lolz......... I must keep this receipt for a nice keepsake! On the positive side, this is timely with the impending increase in GST. Isn't this nice? My God is really watching out and taking care of me.

I shared with an ex-collegue on this and he remembered that this discount was given out only on Tuesdays. Well, he said he didn't really bothered about this but it's worth remembering now. He will reschedule himself to get his groceries done on Tuesdays from now on.

The King of Glory

Worthy To Be Praised

You lift me up from my fears and shame,
You raised my soul from the grave.
In Your presence I'll ever stay,
I'll forever sing Your praise.
I'll forever sing Your praise!

King of glory,
My Lord my love,
You have won my heart.
In Your presence I'll ever stay,
I'll forever sing Your praise.
I'll forever sing Your praise!

You're worthy to be praised,
So wonderful,
My King of glory,
Holy is Your name!
Mighty God,
You have saved me!

Saviour,
Saviour,
Saviour,
My Lord......

The bronze serpent

The Cross is the greatest demonstration of the love of God

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

~ John 3:14,17.

Looking away from self to the provision of God

Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."

So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

~ Numbers 21:4-9

Jesus, the true manna

"I am the bread of life. Your fathers are the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the living bread which comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

~ John 6:48-51

You alone I praise!

You alone I praise

My righteousness, my holiness,
Emmanuel, living in me.
Merciful King, to you I sing,
Matchless in worth, you're awesome in deeds!

You alone I praise,
the lamb upon the throne!
You alone I praise,
and make Your glory known!

You alone I praise,
the keeper of my heart.
You alone I praise,
Jesus, Lover of my soul!


Indeed, it's You alone, Jesus that I praise..... and You alone, Jesus, are worthy of all my praise. How apt the words of the song. My righteousness and holiness, is in You.

We will never be able to understand and comprehend why the creator is willing to take that place on the cross for His created. A mighty God who took on the humble human form to work out the redemption plan for such unworthy beings! Such mercy and love, when you consider how mighty He is. He who sets the stars in their places,.... He who was, from the beginning of time. Yet, He chose to come for me. Not only coming for me, but to come is such amazing manner. It is awesome, and Him alone, I will praise!

The bread and wine

IRC friends offered various suggestions for the cough and sore throat that seems to be the prelude of a flu. Dissolve a tablespoonful of honey in a glass of warm water and squeeze in two slices of lemon (bright yellow type), they said. hmmm... can worth a try, afterall, the half jar of honey had been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks. A bad habit I have is that I tend to let alot of food expire in the various neglected corners of the kitchen. Well, it almost did the trick. At least the soreness is gone and the cough is clearing up. I still have about 4 spoonful of honey left in the jar, with one bright yellow lemon sitting idle in the veg compartment. But the flu didn't catch on. phew~

But then again, the mouth ulcers have also been bugging me for the last few days,.... from the brushing of teeth in the morning to meal times and tea-breaks. Now I can imagine how a fish would have felt when caught by a hook. I thought a higher dose of vitamin C might do the trick, but it didn't. The remaining stock of oranges in the fridge was converted to squash and gulped down. Not any relief either. Guess it will have to run its course before it heals.

But looking back, I should have taken a simpler remedy. Afterall, it had been preached and taught many times. The Holy Communion is there for our benefits. Why did I forget about it? Not enough faith? Or trusting too much in my own efforts and strength for the healing?

The bread and cup is there for me. But not only for the healing touch, but also the heartwarming reminder of Jesus, His works on the cross, His sacrifice and substitution in my place. I hope I will not forget again.

Oh, by the way, the ulcers is on the mend now. :)