"The Lord will guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

-Isaiah 58:11-12

was basically thinking through some stuff while brushing my teeth in the morning. and this came to my mind: keeping the main thing the main thing.

not something new, but yeah, it's like something finally snapped within me. what's my 'main thing' at this very moment, or rather, season in my life? do i know what is that main thing so that i can keep it the main thing?

right. feels confusing isnt it. interestingly, today's sermon brought me to explore philippians a lil more. and an a-ha moment occurred.

philippians 3:5-9

is all about focus. absolute focus. and it means, 'letting go of nice things that don't matter', as defined in the maxwell leadership bible.

Paul had a sharp focus. he discarded not only the things he once counted as gain, but he would rather lose it all if that allows him to gain intimacy with Christ.

Jesus told Martha- "only one thing is neccessary".

quoting from the maxwell bible- people base their decisions on a variety of things:

1. The Ultimate: first things first.
2. The Urgent: loud things first.
3. The Unpleasant: hard things first.
4. The Unfinished: last things first.
5. The Unfulfilling: dull things first.

Paul exemplifies a leader who focused on the Ultimate everyday. how about us? how about me?

i have a tendency to do the loud things first, and even sometimes, dull things first.

so what can i do?

as suggested by john c. maxwell.,

1. Work on yourself. -You are your greatest asset or liability.
2. Work on your priorities. -Fight for the important ones.
3. Work in your strengths. -You can reach your potential if you do.
4. Work with your colleagues. -You can't be effective alone.

great life lessons to learn from Paul.

going a little cross-eyed with doing up the darebin blog. but praise God, at least what was supposed to be put on it turned out readable. haha. hope to add more stuff along the way! a stepping stone!

check us out @ www.hopedarebin.blogspot.com

i promise you i have decided and am convicted today that IT is not my stuff. i seriously think that i have not much of a "rapport" to say with htmL, xmL, or whatever Ls. haha. i hate it when it goes out of alignment and they tell me that the codes are "not closed properly". WHAT's not close properly; WHERE's not close properly, i have no idea! haha. man. i need some dummies course.

but anw, praise Him. it manage to fall into some alignment somehow.

now i shall go do something else- cutting the pork belly into cubes as instructed by Atom, and marinate them. so she can cook tmr's church dinner. haha

now, that's another task i think i will take a long long time. hmmm.

with God, all things are possible. -matthew 19:26.

yea, amen. haha.

Something about worship.

"The authenticity of worship resides not in the composer of a song, but rather in the heart of the singer”-Batsirai Chada

how true.

i say,

the authenticity of worship resides not in the composer of a song (or worship leader, christian artistes etc.) , but rather in the heart of the worshipper.

i stumbled upon shenteng's and peiru's blog on missions. was previously on a sleepy mode, and when i viewed their testimony online, i am so touched by their hearts to do something great for Jesus!

and i went on to read their blog- chronicles of ecuador. Christ is indeed working in their lives over there, and using them greatly to impact the south americans!

and of course, their support and encouragement for each other in Christ's work! sweet!

the verse peiru quoted spoke heaps too- 2 Cor 12

9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You are my delight!

we were walking across the road aft lifegroup at uni a couple days ago, and the university security van drove past us.

and it read "obama university"

novel ways to communicate the news. :)

this song just came to my mind as i quieten my heart for the night.

honestly, i havent listened to this song since the time i went to penang, which was a year and half ago.

you-tubed it. and saw how mel greene sang for this. and it's almost like she is preaching it to me that yes, life now is so uncertain and fragile. we need to share to our loved ones, that they really need to know that they have an opportunity to taste and see, the love of His. and He is more than a story, more than words on the page, of history.

and truly. this song is my prayer for the night.

Avalon- Everything to me.

I grew up in Sunday school
I memorized the Golden rule
And how Jesus came to set the sinner free
I know the story inside out
I can tell you all about
The path that led Him up to Calvary
But ask me why He loves me
And I don't know what to say
But i'll never be the same
Because he changed my life when He became...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything, everything to me

We're living in uncertain times
And more and more I find that i'm aware
Of just how fragile life can be
I want to tell the world I've found
A love that turned my life around
They need to know that they can taste and see
Now everyday I'm praying
Just to give my heart away
I want live for Jesus
So that someone else might see that He is...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything
And looking back over my life at the end
I'll go to meet you saying you've been...

You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
You're everything to me
Lord, you're everything to me

birthday came; and birthday went. nevertheless, it marked an important journey for me. and it was a good and simple time. i enjoyed it.

i think the year as a 22 was probably the life's greatest learning lessons so far- of course, i know that there will be more along the way. it's a year filled with so much challenges, excitement, laughter, and definitely tears.

and so now. looking forward to a growing 23.

anyway, i thank the Lord for such a journey. couldnt ask for more.

i had a rather happy day today. i think a simple life, is quite a fulfilling life on its own. went to the supermart, browsed through Word, got home for dinner, watched amazing race and news.

listening: mark schultz- walking her home.

i finally bought his cd. i have thought about it for a whole year. haha. o well. :) no regrets.

5 days ago- i was battling with the coldest night of all at 5degrees. i squirmed in the bed and had sore muscles.

5 days later- i was still battling with the weather, the hottest at 30degrees.

man, when will it come to a nice equilibrium! haha.

my delight; You are my delight...

it's one of rhema's nightly lullabies. her room is just beside mine. and i listen to it almost every night.

read her bible today too. the children's one. was refreshing, colourful, and insightful. how great are the hands of those who pen and draw the bible with such creativity, simplicity, yet not losing it's full meaning.

from the bible, i finally could remember the names of the twelve disciples. haha. i am going around to ask people to name the 12 disciples now!

saw on shirley m's blog that a good laugh, a good sleep are the best cures in a doctor's book.

i think i am regressing bit, like an infant since i came back melb; i seem to need at least 10 hours of sleep before i feel kinda satisfied. 12 hours the best; but rare are those days.

and yeah, a gd laugh is what i need too. :))

was reading a devotional blog. and it was uplifting to the heart.

"garment of praise". from Isaiah 61:3

it was an entry of what are we clothing ourselves with day to day. we make decisions- major or minor every single day to choose what to put on on our physical body.

what about choosing what garment to put on, on our spiritual body?

Colossians 3:5

1Peter 5:5

my prayer, is that i'll be able to consistently clothe myself with a garment of praise, in every season, in every circumstance. amen.

Desert Song- Brooke Fraser, Hillsong.
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

blessed birthday suettty ho on children's day!!

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

Psalms 19:8-9

not sure where i heard this or saw this from, but yea, it must have hit me loads when i saw/heard this cos i have hurriedly typed these words into my mobile and saved it in my drafts.

now clearing my drafts, reading this brings a renewal and refreshment to what 'community' means.

In a world of flawed communication, community is possible through understanding others.
In a world of painful alienation, community is created by accepting others.
In a world of broken trust, community is sustained by forgiveness...

isnt it powerful?

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

can't say enough thanks to all friends. meet ups have been the most enjoyable for me. and a mini impromptu tour around KKH today was great too. thanks hannah ceyu and steph! :))

you guys know who you are, and truly appreciate the friendships and the time spent!

and of cos, not to forget the very very advanced birthday surprise. that was reaallllyyy coolll. :)

being singaporeans, all farewells comes with foooddd. and i have been very much stuffed with food for the past week especially. great delight!

some more packing to go. once again, it's so surreal. i must truly say, i have enjoyed my bit of time much with family. and it's a period of time that i think i've truly spent time with every family member. and so of cos, it makes it harder to bear the thought of going away from home tmr.

o. i shall stop thinking. shall shower. pack up the last bit. sleep.

and how i pray my nose will stop runninnngggg. amen. :)

and a pic of grad last fri w the folks! :) (haha. dad's actually much kinder than what he looks on photos!!)

yesterday, my dad did something small in surprise that actually brought tears to my eyes. i was extremely touched by the simple love of a father.

and just as i was pondering about life- ups, downs, challenges and celebrations, i really must admit that there's more to life than what currently meets the eyes.

before i snoozed off in bed, i was reminded of this chapter in matthew:

Ask, Seek, Knock

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

as i was being updated about the lives of some friends, and seeing how strong they are still in Christ despite what i deem big obstacles in faith, i praise the Lord for such people in my life. i can so see Christ in them.

praise the Lord, and i know that the Lord's protection and guidance willl always be on them.

i often dream dreams. but honestly, i dont often remember the dreams that i dreamt.

but i remembered vividly a tiny part of my dream yesterday. before i heard my mum's voice to wake me up.

i was in this building that looked contemporary. as i walked in, i can't help but to see that at the front of the place, it had a cross, and the three digits of 3 on it. it was either "3:33" or "33:3", i can't remember. but anw. it was as if it was some sharing going on in the place; i can't remember what was shared, but all i remember was a sense of peace, and calmness as i sat in that place with others.

i woke up, and as i brushed my teeth and ate my breakfast, i was thinking of this scene. when i entered the train, i just decided to say a simple prayer, and to spend a lil time on the connect journal.

i was on day 2, which was talking about fanning the flame of the gift of God in our lives. Jeremiah 1:11-19 shares about him receiving his first vision from God, and he is able to interpret it. It further shares that God does not only empower us with gifting and anointing, He also encourages us to walk in our specific calling.

so a snippet of my personal response to the questions of the devotional went like this:

? community welfare

• to have spirit of love, compassion. enduring spirit.

? pw/ intercessory
? restoration ministry?- spirit of compassion...

just as i wanted to close up the bible and connect journal, thought about the dream again. thought of jeremiah 33:3, since i am currently on jeremiah.

an all time m&m: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

not an unfamiliar verse, but certainly, this time round, i felt a deep prompting within me to just pray and mull over the Word, since the Word is already so clear- 'call to me.'

honestly, i dont know what i ought to pray for. not that there's nothing that i want to pray about; maybe there are simply so many that i dont know where to start. the thought of Him telling me 'great and unsearchable things' that i do not know excites me, cos it's so true, there's so much about everything that i always find myself having no answers to. and i am assured by His Word, that as we call to Him, He will find most pleasure in answering us, and talking to us.

as i flipped the pages to read on chapter 33, it was a passage on the promise of restoration on jerusalem from the Lord to jeremiah! how timely!

you know, i haven had this great sense of confidence that it's a direct Word from the Lord to me for quite a while. so, with this time, there was overwhelming sense of comfort within me. in my walk with Christ, as i read the Word, there were occasional struggles to have greater faith to claim what i read, to acknowledge that the Word is for me. everytime, i got to go on and confess to the Lord that i really need mustard seeds of faith to trust that my Lord is a personal Lord, that He will speak to me just like how He spoke to the people in the Bible of the old testament.

and i know that the Lord has never given up on me for this. :)

of cos, it may seem like life are full of coincidences, like i dreamt this, and i flipped to that, here and there. but i always remember something that's shared by someone before-: coincidences are God's ways of remaining anoynomous.

all i know is that everything that's being placed in our lives adds to the bigger picture of our lifetime. i've encountered great things today; similarly, i was really upset over an incident. i took really, really long to get over it, in fact.

but i praise the Lord for the great things, and for the encounter with this particular stranger. i give thanks for them (not easy thou. haha. i am still human.). but i am really convicted that God has purposed them, and there's a season and reason for everything that's happened. amen.