randomly, was just reminded of this story once more-


One day, God handed two people a piece of blank paper and told them to write in that piece of paper what they wanted Him to do.

The first one wrote a list of things that he wanted God to do. The second one wrote nothing.

Nothing? Nothing!

Both handed the piece of paper to God. God asked the second "My child, why didn’t you write anything?"

The second answered, “God, I've left it blank for you to tell me what you want me to do.”

i think i am an understudy of 'karang-guni'.

how did i manage to have so many papers and stuff in just one year! hahas.

anyway, it was also a joy to do some spring cleaning. found cards that people wrote a year ago here and there and everywhere. and each time i see one, it warms my heart to read them again.

i even felt like crying reading some. it touched my heart, and spoke to me right here right now. i'm amazed, how timely these words of kindness and encouragement can come. God knows when i need them.

thanks for all the encouragement. and all your prayers.

i know that i have been held stronger cos of you guys praying and remembering me.

true enough, i can't thank Him enough for placing me here, and surrounding me with people and friends to sharpen one another in Christ.

back to basics:- i recalled how i simply trusted, and how He answered.

so i know for sure, there's no rush- when i trust, He guides. and He will do so ever beautifully.

journey of faith for the past year.

in ministries-
p+w; prayer and intercessory.

in heart-
great joy in His providence, and greater capacity to love even when i know it can be hurting sometimes. still fail time to time. Maybe He is teaching me more about the Father's heart of unconditional love.

in character-
growing in strength and resilience; at the same time, increase dependence on the Lord.

in family-
grew in appreciation of what my family has done to love me in ways that i do not see in the past. the quiet love. and their quiet discipline that shapes me. thank you Lord for blessing me with them, for them setting a great example so that i may follow.

in friendships-
am thankful for all the friendships forged. and they are going stronger, and sturdier. i rejoice in them, cos i know the connection of it all is Christ. the unbreakable link and bond.

in leadership-
always awed by the servanthood-leadership of eric+atom. i know that God will add onto them more and more, and MORE for the KOG! Praise God for baby rhema too; i look forward to serving the Lord with her.

in household-
have been a great memory living in Southern Rd with the sg girls. i'm glad that we have spent the year together. a huge contribution to my personal growth and i enjoyed the times of sharings and living, and all the tears and joy.

in you-
i can't say enough. you are a beautiful creation in the Lord, and i look up to you. thanks for bearing me in love and sharing with me all that you have.

praise You Lord, for all things.

nearly fell off the chair when i saw this on- the ever-used Facebook.

HAHA.

brought back good memories thou. :) the table-tennis days. and the coach i love-chen wen.

thats why i always treasure the bat i have. thou its old and cracky, but its a gift from her. used in her glorious days as she said. hahas.

HAHA. looking at the photo, many things change, but one thing seems to remain constant..

my skin colour. :))

This post from Jeana over at the blog Days to Come is enjoyable. :) and it's encouraging.

enjoy. :)

Things that Don't Make Sense to Me

1. How having four children quadrupled the love I have for my kids instead of dividing it into four.

2. How focusing on meeting my husband's needs results in my needs getting met.

3. Why having a lot of "me" time tends to make me more self-centered, not less.

4. Why serving other people makes me more content, not less.

5. How spending time with God usually results in me accomplishing more that day, not less.

6. Why exercising gives me more energy, and not exercising makes me more tired.

7. How submitting to God's will brings freedom rather than confinement.

8. Why things that taste good often are not good for me.

9. Why having fewer things makes me enjoy them more--and vice versa.

10. How I can know all of these things are true and too often behave as though they are not

water baptism tmr! :) carl and agnes; alice and binod! praise the Lord!

my first time to witness baptism in a bathtub. contextualised! winter's too cold for outside.

so praise the Lord! Baptism is not dependent on the seasons and not just reserved for sunny summer!

work was great today. rhema was around, with lukie too. i love them. the child-like disposition of each child.

praying they will grow up, strong and healthy- physically and spiritually. can't wait to see rhema taking steps!

her 1st birthday's soon. :)

how time flies.

Proverbs 23

12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

14 Punish him with the rod
and save his soul from death. ^[c]

15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad;

16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.

18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.

19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and keep your heart on the right path.

20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,

21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth and do not sell it;
get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

24 The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him.

25 May your father and mother be glad;
may she who gave you birth rejoice!

26 My son, give me your heart
and let your eyes keep to my ways

last lap!- presentation of the research.

:) pray that it will be great!

i woke up feeling like the world around me spun a thousand times.

nausea. and fatigue.

and i slept for 10 hours already!

why is it still so bad.

low blood pressure?

i need to gulp water now.

last lap for the final assignment of uni. then final-year proj presentation. then uni's done. mind's a lil' boggled with how to put all the stuff into writing. but guess its praying for His wisdom and just do my best. partnership with Him.

and,

so surreal. it's almost a year.

tlp loaded some pics on facebook, and yeah, looking back, i've never really wrote about the peeps in cg much. time zooms here flies there. hahas.

freshman orientation in uni. :) at the back from left, eric- our 'boss' the darebin church coordinator, anth- the president of Campus christian movement, logan- the boss of student group hahas.. and in the front: tlp- the '19-year-old' housemate, maggie- the sacrificial and encouraging sister, suet- the 'sleeps-little-but-always-so-energetic housemate', and lastly me.

dinner after caregroup. :) guy in black with blue stripes on his arms- that's danny, the big guy who's a great cook.
and here's some more missing peeps. Simon right in the front- the faithful bro who can walk miles and miles. in clockwise, Carl- the new bro who's into looking at who got longer toes. Agnes in pink- a new sis in christ too, and an ever cheery energetic lady whose laughter is infectious. Chris- need not say more-she's awesome. and the guy between Anth and Eric, that's Leo, a new bro in Christ too who is doing his best to know the Lord. and will forever remember the classic deed he did when we asked for his prayer needs before he knew God. :"just help me say hello to God." :)

that's my family in student group. more to come of the church. :)

now, back to work. :)

muffin-top;

thank-you.

sacrificial and selfless.

learnt a great deal.

looking forward to what's ahead.

ahead, and ahead.

thank-you, and many more thank-yous.

just ate a mandarin orange that christine gave me randomly on wed.

as i ate, i was touched and reminded of the many things that she has done so far, that has greatly blessed my life.

thanks chris, you are a blessing to CCM, and your overcoming spirit in Christ, amazes me.

the prayer with you gripped my heart. the heartbeat for your people was so strong. and am so awed by your humility to surrender everything to God's hands.

and just like the orange, the fruits that you bear in your life are always so sweet, so peace-filled. :)

thank you chris.

"Dear Lord, please make my words sweet and gentle because tomorrow I may have to eat them"

- from a Business Comms textbk. :)


Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.- 1 Timothy 4:12

bought a good book at op shop at sunshine coast ytd for the flight back to melb.

'Not in the Common Mould'- about the life of a man David Lithgow, who went to empower people in Papua New Guinea.

was truly encouraged, cos firstly, Papua New Guinea is Hope Melb's inheritance; and secondly, his life possess so much that i can learn from. Diligence and single-mindedness were his mantra, and his humility and strength in Christ allowed God to use him wherever he went. Although circumstances were difficult, he was often blessed, cos he loved and he gave whatever he had.

anw, back fr the bris trip, and photos up when i get them! :) twas a great time shared with what God has created. Was reminded when i saw a church banner down at Gold Coast- Look Around, God is EVERYWHERE! it really shouted out to me, to give the nature around me a closer look, cos that's how God shouts His love and His presence to me.

3 weeks to home. :) am definitely upbeat, yet i have lots to leave behind for a moment during the time when i will be away. but it will be all good.

cos, absence always makes the heart fonder. :)

Heart's Heaven

Dear love- like velvet to my tired head,
Soft evening-tinted fragrant garden grove,
Soul, spirit thrown into the sweet still air,
To love and satisfy my own, Dear Love!
Cold earthy me, by call of love awoke,
I come, I take; nor yet not give to thee
Thine own, and mine; our spirits blended, one;
In warm, rich peace, my arid questing slaked.

-David Lithgow

count-down to gold coast;

a good time for a 'restoration' break (before we face what's ahead in the weeks to come); haha though its really unwise of us to plan it plonk in the middle of the craziness of school work.

but, thank God, it didn't clash with any of our major dates too. awesome.

am not so much looking forward to the worlds though, but really upbeat about the snorkelling at great barrier reef.

and just be away fr the cold melb and enjoy the warmth of sunny brissie.

flu, flu go away.

and all you in exams; i pledge to pray as i play.

saw this off a blog; check out this wedding dance.

bride in converse.

fun. ;)

at least, this made my night a lil' brighter. :)

be strong.

be stronger.

it will not be numbness i promise. it will just be a higher tolerance for the pain.

will get there. will get there.

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate
And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?
By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign,
Or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”

So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting… for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want – But, you wouldn’t know Me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint;
You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there.

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.
You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save… (for a start),
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for Thee.’
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!

So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft’ may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, ‘WAIT.’”

~Author unknown

beautiful. stumbled upon this and it hit me. especially the part: All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have what you want – But, you wouldn’t know Me...

and the final bit of all..:My most precious answer of all is still, ‘WAIT.’”

i thank You Lord for the stretching my heart, to experience Your love in pain; power when i was faint; and seeing You work despite times of despair; and trusting You during my down times and knowing You are there.

in my eyes, perhaps, the waiting has been over. and its great relief and joy. but somehow it just stirred within me and i had this impression, to continue to work hard and pray even harder to understand His heart- it's not over yet. wait, and the best is yet to be.

Praise God. and i rejoice in this!

thank-you Lord for this timely reminder to continue to do everything with You.

amen.

A devotional;


INCLINE YOUR EAR TO ME, AND COME TO ME. HEAR, AND
YOUR SOUL SHALL LIVE; AND I WILL MAKE AN EVER-
LASTING COVENANT WITH YOU.
( ISAIAH 55:3 *NKJV )

Dear Mingxiu,
Our Heavenly Father appears to us in many different ways, and
often we may not even notice.

Now it is written; WHEN HE UTTERS HIS VOICE--THERE IS
A MULTITUDE OF WATERS IN THE HEAVENS: "HE CAUSES
THE VAPORS TO ASCEND FROM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH;
HE MAKES LIGHTNING'S FOR THE RAIN; HE BRINGS THE
WIND OUT OF HIS TREASURIES." For; THE VOICE OF THE
LORD IS OVER THE WATERS; THE GOD OF GLORY
THUNDERS. ( Jer 51:16 ) & ( Ps 29:3 )

Now, Today's Message...

The man whispered, "God, speak to me," and a meadowlark
sang.

But, the man did not hear. So the man yelled, "God, speak to
me" and the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said,
"God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.

But the man did not see. And, the man shouted, "God show
me a miracle." And, a life was born.

But, the man did not notice. So, the man cried out in despair,
"Touch me God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon,
God reached down and touched the man. But, the man brushed
the butterfly away ...and walked on.

The man cried, "God, I need your help!" And an e-mail arrived
reaching out with good news and encouragement. But, the man
deleted it and continued crying.

I have found this to be a great reminder that God is always
around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted
.... even in our electronic age ...

So don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the
way that you expect.

My instructions were to send this to people that I wanted God
to bless and I picked you, Mingxiu. Please pass this to
people you want to be blessed as well.

Expect the unexpected...and Have A Happy Day!
---Author Unknown

Child Dementia.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s37727.htm


"..As time goes on and the brain begins to fail more and more seriously, it's possible for a child to be alive, but no longer to relate. And this is a very sad part, one of the tragedies of dementia is that you lose the child emotionally, and in your relationship with them, before you actually lose them physically. There are the four things that I think parents have to face. The first thing is they have to face that pervasive uncertainty, all the things that are so hard to understand, to know, because we know so little about it, even though we've known for a long time many of these different diseases.

The second thing is the disintegration of their humanity. When you've got a young child who you've come to love and know, and their personality, and then you watch that personality being dismantled, piece by piece, that disintegration process, and one parent said to me very clearly, she said, 'I feel like I'm falling apart, piece by piece.'

The third thing is that over all of this is the prolonged sense of the Damocles Sword hanging over the child. That is, everyone knows at some stage they're going to lose this child.

And the fourth thing is that many of these conditions are genetic. And so you may have more than one child affected. So you've gone through all this tragedy, and often you've already had your children by the time the first one's diagnosed, only to know, 'I've got to face this again.' From the moment that there is some certainty, many of the parents begin to prepare for the loss within. They have to be able to play with their child, love their child, they have to be able to nurture their child's education, knowing that within a period of time, that education will probably be completely lost..."

today's JG (joshua generation) was refreshing. about praise and worship. we had a study on 2 Chronicles 5 :1-14.

sing a new song to the Lord everyday, every moment!

Psalms 33:3
Psalms 40:3
Isaiah 42:10
Ephesians 5:19
Psalms 96:1
Psalms 98:1
Revelations 5:9
Psalms 144:9
Psalms 149:1
Revelations 14:3

it brought to me a greater boldness, and freedom, to sing unto the Lord your heart, your here-and-now.

i have heaps to give thanks for. i know its bad of me to give thanks only when i see it. i pray i can grow to give thanks in all circumstances. give thanks.

thanks ma and pa and sis. thou i dont think you will ever see this.

and thanks to my churchies who have been supportive in prayers.

and thanks to a dear friend who has been ever assuring.

and all thanks to Him who made it possible.


i pray that i may not take everything for granted, but to continually keep my eyes on you, and my being in prayers and praise.

help me to know that this is the beginning of all hardwork that's ahead, and you will have your perfect plan for me, to fulfill Your will.

there's really freedom in surrendering, and it feels so good. praise the Lord.

the shows at 11.30am have been increasingly great. :)

i enjoyed ytd's: Yesterday's Children. it was talking about a lady from US who had recurrent dreams about this Irish lady of the 1930s, and she knew every single detail of their lives. She finally unites the children of the Irish lady, who were seperated after their mum's death. When they finally united, they were already well into their eighties.

Today's: Mom at Sixteen. a great educational show about teenage pregnancy. it portrayed the struggles of a teenage mum, Jacie, and how the world's media lies that premarital sex is not a huge responsibility and doesnt hold much consequences.

great company for school work in the cold morning.