Criticism- No big deal !

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
-1 Corinthians4:6,7 (NKJV)

Lessons from Paul

1. Paul knew he was not required to be perfect, only faithful. He was comfortable with himself as a person faithfully trying to do God's will.

2. Paul put the criticism in perspective. He knew that his critics were not competent to judge him. They did not, and could not, know his heart or his motives.

3. Paul remained humble rather than defensive. Even though his conscience was clear, he understood how blind we can be to our own flaws and failings.

4. Paul understood that his actions were being srutinized by Christ, not in a critical way, but to find things in his life to praise. So he was not discouraged. He remained eagerly committed to pleasing the Lord.

- Excerpt from The personal growth bible, NKJV, Nelson 1710

Experience with Sungei Buloh

A wonderful day at Sungei Buloh with amazing creatures ( of which some I have never seen before ) and of course my friends-in-christ! All in colourful shirts. Of all creatures, I like the squirrels the most as they are agile and special. It was my first trip there and I wondered why I had never heard of such place in primary school. Perhaps Pulau Ubin was more popular then. Trained to be a keen observer of LiFe in its various forms. =)

The healing hands of forgiveness

The blessings of forgiveness

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my inquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the inquity of my sin.

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You.
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

-Psalm32:1-11 (NKJV)

I am touched by God through a verse that He spoke to me. I felt blessed by it as I wondered whether His hand is on my daily affairs. Although it was directed at David, my spirit is refreshed by it.

" Then Nathan said to David, " Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you."
-1 Chronicles 17:2

Integrity first

Leading the Pack [ Last week]

DISC. Four teams altogether. I was in the D group and we played the stock-market game. Results were shown on transparency without making known the respective teams.

4X - All lose $1.
3X 1Y - ( X wins $1, Y loses $3)
2X 2Y- ( X wins $2, Y loses $2)
1X 3Y- (X wins $3, Y loses $1)
4Y - All win $1.

There were 9 rounds altogether. At round 2, each group sent out a member for business discussion and a promise was made such that all could be winners. However, towards the end the agreement was breached as one group opted X instead of the agreed Y. This drew an unison of sigh from all. Another discussion known as the "gentleman agreement" was made. Again, it was breached by a different group. There was a high level of mistrust generated by breaching of the initial agreement.

Lessons learnt:
Credibility and integrity maintain a business in the long run.
Trust once broken is hard to earn it back.

God favours the righteous

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

He who listens to life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.

He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.


To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.

All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

-Proverbs 15:28-33 ; 16:1-3

Vision from God

Rhema

Interesting subject.
Its definition can be found in this website :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhema.
" The test of the authenticity of a Rhema from God is ... God will not speak a word that contradicts His written word, the Scriptures, so there is a built-in safeguard to prevent misinterpretation."

Be a DreamWorker

Ideas must work through the brains and arms of good and brave men, or they are no better than dreams.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pathfinder

Tin Woodman of the Wizard of Oz. That may have well described me at the moment. No heart. No oil. Quest for a heart.

Sometimes I have doubts about christianity and I think it has very much been sabotaged by politics and institution. If it is true, it shall stand all testings, including my period of searching and even doubting. Not that I know little of the bible but I find that there are so many interpretation/versions to it. What disturbs me is...

1) Fighting among churches and no general sense of unity. Division and discrepancies of beliefs. It seems that being "more right" really matter alot.

2) Is there really one way? Does it take away personal responsibility in the name of "the will of God"?

Well, that's not life is all about. Life is ...

This blog will be suspended for a while till I find a path that has a heart in it. =)

Right words heal and uplift

A man finds joy in giving an apt reply- and how good is a timely word!

The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.

-Proverbs 15: 23-24

Freedom to fly

" Come to the edge," he said. They said: " We are afraid." " Come to the edge," he said. They came. He pushed them... And they flew.
-Guillarme Apollinaire

We must reserve a little back-shop, all our own, entirely free, wherein to establish our true liberty and principal retreat and solitude.
-Montaigne, French philosopher

Experiment with Cooking

Cooking

Step one:
Research at local library for suitable recipe and necessary ingredients. Borrow the books.

Step two:
Go directly to nearby supermarket to buy ingredients within a budget.

Step three:
Kitchen. Experimentation takes place. Wash-cut/chop-cook-serve.

Attitude problem

Bochup. Take no thought. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Inspire. To inspire is to "give breath". Thank thee for the inspirations all around!

Spiderman-3: The choice is US!

Spiderman-3. Not bad! Every life has its own story and lives intertwined. Spidey-turned-evil- then-returned-back. Action has its consequences. Sometimes rather serious. A matter of choice. Choose well.

Gentleness,my dear !

Quick, quick! Blog this at the eleventh hour. I was brought to SGH colon cancer awareness outreach today! Since my coming preceptorship was at National Cancer Centre, I felt that it was a good chance for me to learn. Lucky draw. Stations. Souvenirs- Hershey, vitagen, etc. I dropped the lucky draw coupon into the box without collecting my goodie bag. Oh no!!! Then all my queuing would have come to a waste. I asked the staff and I was glad that he believed me and gave me 4 stamps. Haha, Ask and you'll receive! It works. I met up with two friends and I realized that I am quite strong-willed.

" Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
- Matthew 11:28-30

Gentle: Considerate or kindly in disposition, amiable and tender.
Humble: Marked by meekness or modesty in behaviour, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.

A story springs to my mind concerning the Sun and the Wind. The two were comparing with each other and they wanted to find out who was the best. They took on a challenge that was to make the next passerby take off his coat.

The wind blew forcefully. The young passerby grabbed his coat nearer to his body. The wind kept blowing, hoping that it could blow away the coat or somewhat make the man take it off. All this backfired.

It was the sun's turn. It let off its warmth. The young man felt it and started perspiring. Soon it took off his coat and bathed in the warm sunlight.

Let's mediate on gentleness for the coming week. May all people be in good health always! Yea~*

Sometimes it is best to let go...

There was a boy whose hand got stuck in a vase and he was unable to pull it out. His father demonstrated to his little son, telling him to open his palm, straighten his hand and pull it out. " No, I can't! I'll lose my penny. " He was thinking of breaking the expensive vase to save the penny he was holding on to. Well, that will be penny wise but pounds fool. By letting go, he can have both the penny and the vase.

Deep appreciation

Yea~* I received a call from Rulang Primary again. Another day with little kids! Another day of learning. I think it is a blessing as I'll have more income to buy nice clothes for work. Blessed by a sister, Jingyi, also! Thanks. A pink blouse for work. Well, I am wearing that today! Teaching and tutoring. I have slight sorethroat and strepsil pain relief does not work well for me. Well, may my voice be loud enough today! Keke, off I go...


The Lord's Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, glory and power forever and ever. Amen!

Be gentle with words

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

-Proverbs 15:1-5

Let the wise listen and add to their learning

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-
let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-
for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.
If they say," Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul;
let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those wo go down to the pit;
we will get all sorts of valuable thing sand fill our houses with plunder;
throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse"-
my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths, for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.
How useless to spread a net in fill view of all the birds!
These man lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain, it takes away the lives of those who get it.

-Proverbs 1:1-19

Power of prayer

" More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. "
- Eg. ThE MiRaCuLoUs StaIrcAse.

May you be well in Jesus' name always!

Be blessed. Thanks be to God!

Love is the way

During the session, self-introduction was required and each person had to state a positive statement. I was amazed that I came up with " Love is the way." Other statements made by others include "No pain, no gain" , " Nothing is impossible", "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent" and so much more. Simple statements and some of them are cliche. Yet I think it is not easy to live up to the spirit of those statements at times.

The TME worn a pink tie and admitted he felt nervous. I couldn't sense that as he did a really good job. Perhaps he was trying to allay the fears of others. I was slightly nervous but it is normal. No big deal. Can turn the nervous energy into enthusiasm. I learnt a lot by listening too. I heard some nice phrases like " pots of gold at the end of the rainbow". I had never seen the end of a rainbow. My friend, priscilla, used to send me pictures of rainbow and sky from Germany and Perth. Let's walk towards the end of rainbow to find that pots of gold!

I backed off from a gathering last week. My God! My Milo clique. I think I am too superstitious at times and anyhow interpret signs. In Jesus' name, I dropped that! Conflicts are very common, especially without communication. At times, it gave rise to misunderstandings. Lucky me! Two days later was the Pfizer trip. I travelled there by bus 182 since Tuas was near Boonlay interchange. The rest took the school bus. It took an hour. Almost lost my way. I asked for directions from others. The worst thing that could ever happen in life was receiving wrong direction. I was walking in a wrong direction for some time before I enquired from someone on a lorry. Lucky me! The uncle offered the ride and my intuition told me it was ok. Then off i went to the destination. I was visitor 001. The security guard commented that I looked as if I was there for sightseeing or shopping. I did not bring along my wallet and IC. The school bus lost its way and so I sat alone in the room to wait. Finally they came and my friends sat with me. We toured round the company. The tour guide was very interesting. Ya, I think so. Pfizer was in the inner part of Tuas. Another lady told me that it was nearer to Malaysia compared to Singapore. A souvenir of bookmark- leafshaped was given to each person. I like the bus trip back. Not sure of the reason. Inward smile and slight giggle.

I used to have a bus trip back from JB to Singapore. I was so happy that I laughed all the way from one country to another. Hearty laugh.

Equally blessed on that evening.

The following day I went to the gym at Jurong West Sports Complex. Oh no!!! Some of my classmates were there. Funny. What a coincidence! I went to run the treadmill on autopilot mode. I was on it for 40 minutes...

Later in the afternoon I am meeting Cindy to shop for formal clothes. I vented my frustrations to her once and at the end of the conversation I knew one thing. The answer is always within and that I just want a listening ear. I have too much directions from outside that it blocks clarity. I really want understanding and not solutions. So much easier to sort things out on my own. I love her a lot.

I watched Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron last year on vcd. It came to my mind. I think Spirit has a good spirit. I forgot the plot. But I remembered Spirit.

This entry is a little without head and tail! Its body is still there. =)

Blessed soul and spirit,

gems

God helps me to say it well

I have the honour to be the Table Topic Master at Frontier Community Centre near my house. It is voluntary. There are various roles and I have yet to try this out. Table topics train speakers to think and speak fast and creatively. Well, I printed out six pictures- A happy cartoon, Frowning toddler, Famous picture of the young woman/old lady, The road less travelled, Free to Dance advertisement with a cool dancer and Snakes & Ladders. It is a lucky pick. Wonder what will they talk about from there? And this reminds me of Moses..

Moses said to the Lord, " O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

The Lord said to him, " Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? NOW GO; I WILL HELP YOU SPEAK AND WILL TEACH YOU WHAT TO SAY." -ExOdUs4:11-12

Actually God was quite fierce over there. Wow! Got character. I think He gave Moses a wonderful opportunity and experience of a lifetime. Not forgetting that He was and still is a helper. He is my helper too.

Blessed day! Thanks be to God.

A few days in an hour

Actually my life is very simple- filled with simple stuffs. What is extraordinary about it is the way of doing it. My style. Inspired by God.

Ever heard of this phrase from the bible- "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." If you know this phrase and its bearing, I think you are familiar with the bible. If not, I will not give you the bearing but you read up more. Haha.

Oh well. I thought of tidying up my messy room for a long time. Bits by bits a day and then I started to slack. Just moved back from school and so a lot of stuff to put in place. Lazy me. Not focus at one-shot clearance. Then, suddenly I had an idea. I challenged you to clear up within an hour!!! It must be the commander from my headquarter. Ok. 7pm. On the mark, GO! My mum was back and she tempted me with the dinner. I almost left my work but took a U-turn to my room and shut the door. I have principles, haha. Nearing 8pm, my speed of clearing accelerated. A neat and tidy room at a few minutes past 8pm! Yea~* So you can see that a few days of work was finished in an hour. A thousand years in a day.

Hope you are blessed. Thanks be to God!

Build with joy

" If you build it, it might fall down." - SARK

An image of a child building sandcastle springs to my mind? It may topple or be washed away by waves. Nonetheless, do you still remember the joy of the child when she goes about building the sandcastle. It is with that joy that I'll build my dreams.

Sometimes failures and doubts march past my mind. Hey guys out there, you will be my supporters ok. Witness the topple, the fall and all but believe with me the finished work is marvellous! Keep building.

Not a second to be wasted! See you again and be blessed always! Cheers. =)

The Beginning

This is where my dreams begin...