God Disciplines Because He Loves Us

I just came back from a time of fellowship with some siblings-in-Christ. We had a simple dinner at a coffee shop and then desserts at a couple's place in Bishan. I am glad for the time spent with them as it took the attention off the things that I have been dealing with the past two days or so.

After that a dear brother and I, as we were heading home, walked and talked about things. I appreciated his willingness to listen to my struggles and offering counsel accordingly.

I praise the Lord for giving me people to encourage me during this time of struggles in my pilgrim's journey.

This morning before I went with mum and dad to the hospital, I was watching a VCD on the testimony of a brother-in-Christ by the name of Kelvin Soh. It was his song that comforted me yesterday when I was at a Christian bookstore.

He was a drug addict who had been in and out of prisons and rehabilitation centres for the past twenty years. He was released in 2002. His mum left him when he was a boy. His dad was a drug addict himself and had seldom the chance to take care of brother Kelvin. He was basically looked after by his grandma.

He took up the habit of taking drugs and sniffing glue from his dad. When he did not have money to buy the controlled substances, he resorted to stealing from his grandma who kind of gave up on him after a while.

Brother Kelvin's life changed when one day he was given a Bible when he requested from a prison warden for something to read. He chanced upon a passage from Hebrews 12:5-6. Those verses made him realised his life could not be transformed by his own effort. Only God could. He disciplines and rebukes because He loves His children. It was here Kelvin gave his life up to God. From then on, he was transformed. Even while in prison God used him mightily to reach out to his fellow inmates. He continued to serve God after he was released.

He met a sister-in-Christ one day whom he came to love deeply and eventually took her as his beloved wife. Now they are serving the Lord together. His wife basically accepted Kelvin as who he is - his past, his character, his all - and God is now using them powerfully!

His grandmother also came to know Jesus as her personal Lord and Saviour after seeing the transformation in Kelvin's life. The grandson she once thought was condemned is now a changed man. This made her realised that the God Kelvin serves is very much alive and real.

Watching this video presentation served as a rebuke for me that there is no such thing as someone being beyond hope. With God there is always hope. I also learnt that there is no such thing as small or big sins. A sin is a sin. When Christ died on the cross, He did not die only for the big sins of man. He simply gave His life as an atonement for man's sin. Period.

In this world, be it convict or not, all have sinned and fallen short the glory of God. A person who has never been imprisoned does not mean he is not guilty of wrongdoings - at one point of our lives, we probably would have committed a sin. A lie is one example. This simply tells us that we are no different from those who have been convicted before. So we are all the same and Christ died for us all and not some.

This testimony of brother Kelvin has opened my eyes towards my view of people in general. I prayed and asked the Lord to forgive me for the way I have judged some people. By judging, I have already sinned. It is time that I learn to see others with the compassionate eyes of God - to love and accept them as God would.

Thanks be to God for the above-mentioned. I am moved to use one of brother Kelvin's songs when I lead next Sunday at the 11:15am service. The theme for that day's sermon is on grace and this song I am considering speaks about grace. The only thing is the song is in Chinese but the service I am leading is in English. I guess God can still speak through the language barriers. Well, I shall pray and let God move me accordingly.

Before I end, I want to praise God for the church member who was admitted into hospital on Sunday. Yesterday I shared his heart-rate were exceptionally high and his temperature was fluctuating. Well, this afternoon his wife called to inform me that everything is back to normal and that this dear brother-in-Christ would be transferred to a normal ward.

Thanks be to God for the power of prayer! His health condition was sent to the church prayer network yesterday. I believe God has heard the prayers of His people on behalf of this brother!

I guess I shall stop here and share further tomorrow.

To God be the glory!

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:5-6

God Is My Refuge And Strength

I brought mum to see the gynaecologist and from the prognosis, it is 80% confirmed that the growth on her womb is cancerous. A biopsy was taken. Results will be released next Tuesday. The test is also to determine the severity of the cancer. The specialist discussed with mum and dad about the option of removing the womb. They are open to the idea. It is very much dependent on what stage the cancer is at. If it is Stage Two and above then other treatments will also be needed since the cells have spread to other parts of the body.

Mum and dad went home after the consultation. I am now at Coffee Bean in Ngee Ann City. I decided to spend some time here to read the books I bought yesterday and also to write some thoughts down in this blog.

Last night after I wrote my blog, I spent some time with dad. I wanted to make sure he was coping well with the news. He said he was worried and never expected a fall would suddenly reveal such an illness. He said he was not prepared at all. I tried to show him another way of looking at the whole incident - I basically told him we should all be thankful to God that it was from the fall that the family got to know about the growth. If not, things would have been as they were and the cancer cells may have spread on. That could have made matters worse.

I could see tears welling up from his eyes because I know dad loves mum tremendously despite of all the quarrels they have had throughout their marriage. I also know he does not want mum to suffer as we have seen how trying it was especially for my late Aunty Grace, who died of cancer 11 years ago.

Anyway, I also shared with him my favourite verses from Philippians 4:6-7. I told him we can only trust God to lead us from here on. I also encouraged him to pray regularly - to focus our eyes on our God Almighty than on the illness itself. We interceded for mum after that. He choked a couple of times while submitting to God his petitions.

I went out for a walk with Sasha after that. I was thinking of grandma. I am struggling whether to break the news to her. I am still seeking the Lord in this - it is tough to let her know that her one and only child left is sick. Her son died when he had an infection in his early twenties; her younger daughter succumbed to cancer when she was in her late 40s. Grandpa died when he was in his 40s too. I do not know how she would cope should she know that another of her loved one is ill. I have a very strong sense that I need to let her know - it is only fair. I just need to have the courage to do so. I am also praying that God will give me the right words to comfort her after that.

Well, I am thankful to God for sustaining me since yesterday. Mentally and emotionally I am feeling rather drained but I will continue to trust that He will help me press on. I also pray that He will give me wisdom to deal with matters as they come in the next few days.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Counting The Grace Of God

Today is a day of hospital visitations. I went with mum to collect her medical report. Well, a growth has been found where her womb is. The doctor suspects that it may be malignant. Tomorrow I will be bringing mum to a gynaecologist to seek a second opinion. I do not know exactly what my feeling is toward this revelation. I guess the time spent with God last night kind of prepared me for any bad news that I may receive today. This was one burden I shared with the Lord when I sat by the stairways.

I asked mum how she felt after receiving the report. She said she will leave it to God. I wanted to pray with her so we walked to the Botanic Gardens. We found a bench and we took the time to pray. I read to her my favourite verses from Philippians 4:6-7. I hope the passage has allowed the both of us to be assured that God is in charge and we shall leave Him to direct us accordingly.

I have broken the news to dad and my brother. Dad is not taking it too well. I decided not to reveal the news to grandma as I do not want her imagination to run wild. She has already lost two of her three children. I also do not want her to worry unnecessarily due to her old age.

I cannot deny that the whole afternoon, after sending mum home, I was thinking about her physical condition. I decided to go out. I headed for SKS Bookstore. It is just so amazing how great God is. I think He knew I needed some comfort and assurance. When I stepped into the store, the first thing I heard was a Chinese song sung by a local artiste, Kelvin Soh. He was an ex-drug addict who turned his heart to God and is now ministering to the inmates.

My competency in the Chinese language is not that great but the gist of the song spoke about counting the grace of God. The song further mentioned that every time we count His grace, they fill our eyes with tears because He is a God who never fails and that we should continue to trust in Him.

I really needed that comfort and it came so timely. Thanks be to Him for that! I bought the CD and I have attached the song to my blog. May the Lord bless and encourage your hearts as you listen to it.

I spent a considerable amount of time at the bookstore. I needed to buy some books for the workshops that I am conducting for the Youth Ministry (YM) Retreat in two weeks' time. I praise the Lord for allowing me to buy two books which I think will aid in my preparations.

After the purchase I walked to the Singapore General Hospital to visit the brother-in-Christ who was admitted on Sunday when he felt some discomfort around his chest after the service. He has bile duct infection and since Sunday his heart rate has been beating exceptionally fast. His temperature has also been fluctuating between 38.1 to 39.9 degrees Celsius. He is still in the High Dependency Ward. His wife is also not doing too well physically. Her tendonitis and trigger fingers are acting up and have caused a lot of discomfort. I hope the Lord will make her well as she needs to take care of her husband during this period.

After talking to the couple for a while, I prayed with them. Again I shared my favourite verses. I really hope the Lord will heal the both of them soon and that they will lead normal lives again.

I headed home after that. When I came back I was very hungry. It did not occur to me that I did not eat anything the whole day. I am thankful that God sustained me throughout.

I have another thing to share and again I want to praise God for His grace. I took a bus to SKS Bookstore and after alighting at the stop, I realised I left my newspapers and PDA on the bus. I tried to chase after it but it was too late. I sprinted to the other side of the road realising that the bus would be making a loop but just missed it when the traffic light turned green and it drove off. I pleaded with the Lord to help me. Just then a taxi came by and I flagged it down. I told the driver to give chase and after a few traffic lights, he managed to. I went up the bus and was so thankful that both items were still on the seat. Hallelujah!

I got back the items at the expense of my left knee. It is very painful now. I guess it is because of the running. I just took some medication and hope they will help cause the pain to subside.

I did not go for my driving lesson again - there was no time as we spent quite a while at the clinic with the doctor - enquiring about the various options.

Well, it has been an eventful day! Both pleasant and unpleasant things happened but thanks be to God still for them!

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Corinthians 2:16-17

Putting Away Childish Things

I came back not too long ago from a two-hour walk-a-jog with my doggy. We covered a few places and just before we headed home, I went to a quiet place by a private estate to spend some time with the Lord.

In my communion with God by one of the stairways, this word "childish" came to my mind. I may be a 35-year old man but I must confess some of my actions and views towards certain circumstances in my life are just not mature at all. I guess it is time to grow up and not be so petty and wilful. It is funny to write this down but it is something that I have to learn. I praise God that He is teaching me to overcome this shortcoming of mine.

I felt a sense of peace when I told the Lord to help me change some views of mine towards people and things. I know I cannot fight this alone and only He can help me along this path of learning and transformation.

When I was on my way home from the interview, I was standing in the train. In front of me was this lady probably in her late 40s and she was in a wheelchair. Her face is slightly deformed. When I looked at her, she turned her face away. I was prompted to speak to her but I could not find the chance to as she was not looking at my direction. I basically said a prayer for her. When the train was about two stops away from mine, the lady managed to turn her head. I smiled at her and wished her a very good afternoon in Mandarin. She smiled. We did not talk at all but I was glad she smiled. I hope that made her day.

Yesterday after the 11:15am service, while I was walking out of the Worship Hall, I saw some siblings-in-Christ surrounding a brother-in-Christ. He was experiencing some discomfort around his chest area. Initially we thought that he might be suffering from a bad gastritis attack. But after giving him some food and drinks, he was still shivering and feeling weak.

His wife suggested sending him to the Accident & Emergency Department to have his chest checked. I agreed with her decision as we did not know then whether it was really just a gastritis attack.

This morning I was told by the church office that the brother-in-Christ is in the High Dependency Ward as it has been diagnosed he has an infection of the liver. I pray the Lord will heal him soon. It broke my heart when I saw his wife crying yesterday when her hubby was wheeled into the ambulance.

Anyway, I know healing is already in the process and in God's time, the brother-in-Christ will recover.

It has been a long day for me - to God be the glory for everything!

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 1 Corinthians 13:11

God-Sent!

I just came home from the scholarship interview. I think I did badly. I fumbled quite a bit. I just could not concentrate properly. I basically tried my best to compose myself and answered the questions accordingly.

I was unable to sleep the whole night (do not know why) and was awake since 5am. Anyway, thanks be to God for pulling me through the two-hour session.

This morning is the 'O' Level Chinese examination, I hope my God-sis and everyone else were able to handle the paper.

I went to Peninsula Shopping Centre to have a sister-in-Christ's Asics shoes changed because the initial pair was too small for her when she tried them yesterday in church. I am very grateful to mum's ex-client who is always so accommodating. He ran out of the size that my sister-in-Christ wants but he managed to ask another shop for it. This is the second time he has done this. He could have simply taken the easy route and said he could not help it since the sizes ran out. He did not do that. Instead he took the effort to enquire for me and managed to obtain a pair. I praise the Lord for this dear gentleman.

Anyway, before I went to change the shoes, I went to Vivocity for a while to order a big pack of dog-food for Sasha. While I was walking to the MRT station, I met a dear pastor who was once the Pastor-in-Charge of my church. He is one of a few who have made a great impact in my life especially in my growing-up years.

After we shook hands, he asked me whether I was okay. I was quite surprised when I heard that question. He said I looked weary. It is his off-day today and he might have some plans made but he chose to spend some time with me over a cup of coffee at the food court. We fellowshipped for about 30 minutes.

The time spent together, though short, made me feel better. Thanks be to God for sending this dear servant of His to comfort and counsel me in my time of need. As I am writing this encounter now, I am truly amazed as in how the both of us did not plan for this to happen but when it did, there was edification.

A dear friend called to ask whether some of her notes we used for the workshop on Saturday are with me. As I was not sure, I told her I would revert when I reach home. When I was in the train, I prayed about this. Well, I managed to find them - they were mixed up with my pile of notes. I just notified her about it. Praise God!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Wait Upon The Lord

I just came back from the Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) Rally in National Stadium. Throughout the time I was smittened by something close to my heart. It hit me real hard that I broke down before the Lord. I just am not sure what His will is for me in this burden I am carrying. It has been for a few years already. I just kept quiet as the rest of the people in the Stadium sang - I just wanted to listen to the words of the songs and find comfort in them. I shall leave it as that - this is something that I am seeking the Lord as I go through this pilgrim's journey. I guess I shall continue to wait upon Him.

During one of the segments where the people were encouraged to pray for the family - I cried as I prayed for three things: one was for the Lord to teach every one in my family (myself included) to release any grudge, unforgiveness, anger against one another; two was for me to cherish my family and not take them for granted. Mum's weak health lately has caused me to open my eyes that my family will not always be with me forever. Now when there is still chance for me to love them, I should not waste the opportunity before it is too late; three was for my brother's salvation. I pleaded with the Lord to have mercy on him and that God will give me the courage to reach out to him. It is just so tough but I shall not use this as an excuse.

I also spent time praying for some people whom I cherish close to my heart - I hope the Lord will minister to them in His time and divine ways. I have done all I could, the rest is up to God to touch their lives.

I guess that is all I want to share for today. I was very hungry when I came home. Just ate some food I found in the kitchen.

I need to sleep early as I have to go for my second interview tomorrow morning. This will be tougher than the first but I shall just give my best. May His name be glorified in whatever I say and do.

Well, thanks be to God for the tears and prayers uttered at the GDOP Rally. It was a time of refreshing and seeking for me.

"Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior." Psalm 27:7-9

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14

Confidence In God, Not Flesh

This morning when I woke up, after reading my dear friend's sms, I submitted to the Lord everything that I am to do today. Her reminder in the message about God being able to see the both of us through and help us do well in conducting the Facilitators' Course basically opened my eyes to let Him lead us accordingly. I submitted to Him our fears and insecurities.

Now that the day has come to a close, I want to say a big "thank you" to my God Almighty and Faithful Friend! I am truly very grateful to Him for seeing my dear friend and I through the workshop.

When we were binding the course materials in the church office, she told me that the nervous feeling I shared with her last night had now been passed to her. She was having the jitters. Funnily it was my turn to assure her that all would be well because I had already surrendered to God our needs.

We prayed twice before the course commenced. You know what? Everything went smoothly. My friend and I were able to keep the flow going as we taught from one segment to another. We did not fumble much. In fact, I enjoyed myself tremendously. I hope my dear friend did too. :)

The chance for the both of us to work together allowed me to know her better and to see some new things about her. Just a while ago we basically messaged each other to affirm one another.

Once again, praise and glory be to our God Almighty for being so good to the both of us! :)

God was also good to me and mum. After I wrote the previous blog and while waiting for my friend to arrive in church, grandma called me to come home quickly. She said something broke and asked me to rush back.

I grabbed a cab home. I realised that the needle of the syringe that mum used for her diabetes jab broke when Sasha, my dog, jumped onto her lap. Good thing the needle did not travel up the blood stream as it would be dangerous if it hit the heart. I asked mum for the rough location she jabbed herself. Thank God I was able to find the broken needle.

After ensuring that mum was fine and grandma had calmed down, I took a cab back to church.

I came back from a concert in The Esplanade called "Scottish Fantasies. I went with my dear friend and her sister. We enjoyed the performance. I also realised a good friend of mine was involved in the concert. She was in the choir.

Interestingly I met my good friend and her hubby and together with my dear friend and her sister, we all went to have a late dinner together in a Japanese restaurant.

Okie, I am long-winded tonight. Anyway, after the meal I got a lift home from my dear friend and her sister. I appreciated that lots!

What else can I say except being grateful to God for His goodness and faithfulness - for making this day, which I thought was going to be dreadful, to one where I enjoyed myself lots! Hallelujah!

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him." Jeremiah 17:7

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15

Finding Strength In Weakness

I am now in the church office, preparing to meet a dear friend to do some final preparations for the workshop we are conducting later for the facilitators. Yesterday we also met up but did not complete our discussion as we were spending some time with two girls from the Girls' Brigade.

When I reached home last night from church, I was too tired that I went to sleep after washing up and messaging my friend to let her know that I am actually quite nervous about today. I guess this week I have been so swarmed with mum's health that I simply had no time to think about what I should say and do later.

Anyway, when I woke up this morning, she reminded me that we are doing God's will. He will surely see us through and help us do well, not for our glory but His. That was great comfort to me and I guess I will have to let God use me accordingly and let the Holy Spirit speak through me.

Yesterday I also had to play the drums for the band. We were rehearsing for tomorrow 11:15am service. I was not really in tune with the Spirit and the team members as I was simply distracted. I tried my best to keep pace and thank God all went pretty well. I know I will be able to focus better tomorrow and I am actually looking forward to serving God and His people.

Well, I shall end here for now. My friend should be coming soon. I guess I will write again later in the evening. May the Lord lead and guide me in all I do today.

"... "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." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Seek The Prayer Of Others

I was supposed to go for my driving lesson this morning but I decided to cancel it. I was tired after staying up to watch the Liverpool-AC Milan Champions League Final with some brothers-in-Christ. I was also not really in the mood to go for the lesson - not due to the defeat of the Reds but just that lately I am too drained physically, mentally and emotionally.

Well, as mentioned above, Liverpool lost 1-2 though they played quite well. I do not know why but I was not too affected when the referee blew the final whistle. I got a lift home from one of the brothers. I basically slept after washing up.

Though I slept at around 5:30am, I could not sleep further after waking up at 10am. I basically cooked lunch for mum, dad and grandma. After that I went to run some errands and spent some time at the Coffee Bean branch in Ngee Ann City.

I decided to prepare for the facilitators' course. Well, I did not do as much as I would love to but still I thank God for allowing me to have an idea of how to conduct the whole workshop. I am still not too confident. So is my dear friend who is co-leading with me. I guess we will just have to trust God to use us as instruments.

God-Ma just called from New York to ask about mum and I updated her accordingly. It was quite timely for her to call because lately I have exhausted all avenues to ensure that mum is okay. I just needed Ma to advise if I had missed out anything. Anyway, I guess I have to wait for the rest of the medical results to be released next Monday before I know what steps to take next. We talked for about 30 minutes and I appreciate that.

One thing she advised me to do struck me - she asked whether have I asked my siblings-in-Christ to pray for mum. Well, I did not tell too many people because first of all, I was quite sick and tired of always doing that. Every now and then there is this, if not that, happening either to me or my family. Quite tired of always telling people to keep interceding for me.

Anyway, it was a wake-up call for me. Just a while ago I messaged a couple of people especially my accountability group and a few others to pray for mum. My apologies for having waited till now to solicit for prayers. The past few days I was just trying not to think too much about what had happened.

Well, I shall end here. I am trying to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow will be a better and refreshing day! Thanks be to God!

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:13-16

Refresh Me, O Lord!

I am writing this blog now at Starbucks Coffee in Cathay Building. This is the first time I am patronising this branch and I must say it is more conducive than Coffee Bean in Ngee Ann City. I guess this will be the place to come the next time I want to get some work done.

I brought mum to see another doctor this afternoon, recommended to me by a doctor-friend. Mum has indeed lost weight since Sunday - two kilogrammes in all. That's quite a lot in a span of three days. Probably she has not been eating much as she has not been having good appetite lately. Mum was tested for her sugar level and the specialist suspected it could be her diabetes acting up. There is a bit of water retention on both legs. She has been given some medication and I hope they will help improve her condition.

The past few days I have trying to prepare for the facilitators' training to be held this Saturday but just could not get into the swing of things. I am basically distracted and troubled over mum's physical condition. Anyway, I hope to get some preparations done from tomorrow onwards.

I decided to go out to catch some breather after sending mum home and cooking dinner for the family. I will be staying out till next morning as I will be joining some friends to watch the Liverpool-AC Milan Champions League final. I am not as excited as I was two years ago but I guess I will still go watch it.

I am actually quite exhausted - I hope the Lord will refresh me soon.

Oh yah, I have a thanksgiving today. I do not know whether I wrote this before in my previous blog. I asked a brother-in-Christ to try to salvage the data from my crashed hard-disk. He gave me a scare last Friday when he told me he had misplaced it in church. On Sunday he still could not find it. Then yesterday he called to inform me that he had found the hard-disk and he was also able to retrieve the data. All these while, the disk was in another brother-in-Christ's car. Thanks be to God! This has been one of my prayer items for the past few days. Truly He has heard me!

I guess that is all for today. Praise the Lord for today!

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Serving One Another

I was just talking to a dear sister about her wedding plans on the MSN. It was quite funny as she described to me the dilemma she is in as to whether she should spend lots of money on her ideal gown or not. I tried my best to help her in this by sharing different perspectives but I do not know whether I made things better for her. :)

It is always interesting to hear the joys and headaches couples have when they plan for their weddings. As a Wedding Coordinator to some of them, I would usually try my best to advise accordingly and hopefully that will aid them in their decision-makings. I also learnt after helping out in several weddings that being a coordinator also means being a prayer warrior for them - that God will show them what they need to do and still find peace and joy in their plans. Ultimately God is still the WEDDING PLANNER! :)

This evening I heard from a dear brother-in-Christ that not all blogs should be taken seriously when we were talking about this topic. That kept me thinking as to why he made that conclusion. Is it true? I am a blogger myself and I sure hope in whatever I have shared, they were all from the bottom my heart. But that remark served as a good reminder for me - that I need to always be truthful in what I share.

Anyway, the both of us met up to discuss about an interview that he has to attend ths Friday. I hope my advice has helped him in some ways.

We met another sister-in-Christ while my brother was buying Ben and Jerry's ice cream in Cathay Building. We sat down and chatted for a while.

I went for my driving lesson in the morning and I should be able to sign up for my test-date after my next lesson! I do not know whether I am looking forward to that. I have mixed feelings because my past failures in this attempt to obtain that piece of plastic still haunt me occasionally. Well, I guess I shall take it one step at a time and keep trying. The worst thing is to give up, which I did 7 years ago.

So much for that. Mum is still not feeling better. I am very worried for her physical well-being. She still feels weak and I hope it is because of the urine infection and nothing else.

One thing I want to give thanks to God for - grandma finally spoke to me when I came home just now. I was surprised when she asked me whether I had eaten or not. I joyfully replied that I had not. Praise the Lord that things between us are improving.

One more thanksgiving item. A dear friend asked me yesterday to find out for a sister-in-Christ the price of a pair of running shoes that she is interested in. I enquired with an ex-client of my mum's and I was offered a good deal but the only problem was that the size that the sister wanted has been sold out.

I prayed and asked the Lord to provide a solution to this. I requested to mum's friend whether he could get a pair from another shop in the same building. He said he would try. He called a while later to inform me that he managed to. I told my dear friend about it and we were happy that the size was available. Praise the Lord!

Well, I shall end here. Thanks be to God for everything!

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

God Will Carry Me Through

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart. There are just so many things that I need to deal with today - I had to bring mum for a full-body check-up to ensure that everything is okay after her fall yesterday; I had to deal with my notebook problems; I had to curb the pain in my tummy which I hope the new ulcer found a couple of weeks ago is not acting up.

I felt so overwhelmed by all the above-mentioned that I needed to go to the park where it was quiet to surrender my troubles and burdens to Him.

I felt better after that as I was reminded that I was not the only one dealing with the struggles but God was and is still by my side to help me. He is truly omnipresent.

I brought mum to the hospital where they did some x-rays and scans to ensure that her bones are okay. Praise the Lord none was broken during the fall. She has urine infection which probably is the cause of her lethargy and discomfort. The rest of the results, like blood and stool tests, will only be out next week. I hope everything will be fine. She seems to have lost weight but it may be just me being too uptight.

As for my notebook, the past two days I have been clueless as to why certain softwares did not work even after re-installing them. This morning after I prayed and when I was waiting for mum at the clinic, it dawned upon me that maybe I had missed out on some steps. In my mind, I knew what those steps were and I quickly jotted them down in my PDA.

When I came home from the hospital and after cooking lunch for mum and grandma (Sigh. We are still not on talking terms though I did take the initiative to greet her and all), I went to follow the other steps that I might have missed out. Truly the Spirit was there to guide me and guess what? The notebook is working perfectly well now. I still have a few softwares and configurations to deal with but that can wait till another day.

I took some medication for my tummy and now it is much better. I hope the Lord will take care of the ulcer for me and that it will not be aggravated in any way.

Despite of the many issues I had to deal with today, there was something good that came along in the afternoon. Regarding the scholarship that I was recommended, I had passed the first round of interview. I have to go for the second one next Monday. I am not too anxious about this as I will take the outcome, no matter what it may be, as a blessing and experience for me. I have decided not to place any expectations on this as I find them pointless to let these worry me unnecessarily.

Well, it has been an eventful day. What I thought would be a long and dreadful day ahead when I opened my eyes this moring has now come to pass. It was not that bad afterall and I have the Lord to thank for.

Truly He has made all things possible. A phrase that I thought of - "Problems coupled with prayer allow my eyes to be focused on God and not the struggles."

Thanks be to God!

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up." Psalm 71:20

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Going After The Heart Of God

Since last night I have been trying to re-install all the softwares into my notebook but the process has not been going as smoothly as I wish it would. Even as I type now I am reformatting my hard-disk. Somewhere I might have made a wrong move and I pray this time round everything will go well.

Mum has not been feeling too rosy since her fall. She has been feeling rather lethargic. I hope nothing bad happened when she fell. I just prayed for the Lord to take good care of her now that she is asleep and that tomorrow the doctor will be able to tell us whether everything is okay.

This morning at the 11:15am service, my very first Sunday School teacher, who taught me about God when I first came to church, was the guest-preacher. Her name is Mrs. Joyce Seet. I knew her more as Sister Joyce Chew. Yup, she has the same surname as me.

Anyway, today is the Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) Sunday. Joyce preached on "Becoming Authentic - Women After God's Own Heart." Though the message was addressed to the women, the lessons can also be applied in men's lives as well. It was quite relevant to me and I praise the Lord for the timely reminder.

In order for Christians to go after the heart of God, there are three masks that need to be taken off.

The first is the Mask of Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy basically starts when we lie to ourselves about what we are really like. The character of an individual is basically who that person is when no one is watching him. That statement is so true. To overcome hypocrisy, one has to practise consistency so that who we are in public does not contradict who we are in private.

The second is the Mask of Competition. A competitive person is eager to be more successful than other people. Just as much as competition is not bad in itself, there is a need to be careful that it should not rule the way we live or the way we view others or start comparing ourselves with them. To overcome this, there is a need for us to practise community-living. This will allow us to view each other as equals and that we do things to complement and supplement one another. This is especially important in ministries. At the end of the day, we need to excel in what we do for the glory of God and the edification of the body of Christ.

The third is the Mask of Self-Pity. Self-pity is a feeling of unhappiness that we have about ourselves and our problems, especially when this is unnecessary or greatly exaggerated. The way to deal with this is to practise contentment - being satisfied with things as they are and not let circumstances or people affect us.

Christians basically need to train themselves to follow God's heart - the story of Mary and Martha showed us that Mary chose to do the right thing by listening to Jesus when He was at their place. Martha was too busy to basically sit and listen. But all of us have a choice and it is up to us to decide what our heart's desire is.

Well, in applying the above lessons to my life, I basically need to overcome hypocrisy - even at this point of my pilgrim's journey, I still struggle with this. I basically need to be real before God and every one else at all times and not just some times.

I also need to release past hurts, bitterness and resentment in my life so that I do not fall into the trap of self-pity which is so easy to let it affect what I do and say.

I guess that is all I want to share. I am still dealing with my computer problems. I really need God to intervene here and advise me accordingly.

Alright, time to go. Have a blessed week of adventure ahead!

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." 1 Peter 2:1

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11

Humans Can Be Insensitive At Times

Sometimes I really do not understand people at all. I came home around 5:30pm and Grandma was sitting on one of the couches when suddenly the Sasha jumped onto her lap. She was not too happy when it did that and she pushed it off the couch.

I commented to grandma not to do that as it might hurt one of doggy's legs. Because of that, she remarked that I might as well not buy the dog for her. That got me really agitated as it was mainly because of grandma that I got Sasha and now she tells me this. Moreover she was the one who wanted it.

Then I tried to explain to her why I was angry and now she refuses to talk to me.

What it this with humans?! I really am tired of being good to people at times. Why give me this attitude when all these while I am trying to be as good a friend to those I know and hold dear to? Why is it that in the end I become the bad person? Being shunned and ignored by the very people I love.

Anyway, I went to my room after trying to talk to grandma. I took some time to pray and asked the Lord for forgiveness if I myself had bore grudge against grandma and a few other people. I also prayed for mum. She had a fall this afternoon and her tail-bone is quite painful now. I will probably send her for a check-up tomorrow to ensure everything is okay.

Well, I guess that is all I can do for now. I am still in the process of installing all the softwares needed for my notebook.

I had wanted to write about some lessons I learnt today at the service but I shall leave that to another time when my heart and mind are more settled.

No matter what, thanks be to God for the above incidents.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Put In A Difficult Spot

I am now in the process of downloading all the softwares into the new hard-disk of my notebook. I am glad so far everything is going well. This morning when I went to buy the hard-disk, I prayed and asked the Lord to give me a good deal for it. After walking around, I purchased the disk from one of the shops that I usually patronised and am very pleased with the price.

I hope I will be able to get everything settled by tonight but if it is impossible, then I will carry on tomorrow. I would like to have an early night because tomorrow I will be teaching at the Youth Ministry and I need all the energy to do so.

Yesterday I promised to share a confession and I will do so now.

This week I struggled to do something which I felt I should not have done but in the end, I gave in. Since last week my brother was in China on a business trip. My brother is a non-Christian and he buys 4D every weekend and Wednesday. As he was away and mum was down with flu, I was asked to buy for him instead. Dad does not bet so he was out of the option.

I was in a fix as I really did not want to do the betting for him. I struggled but in the end, I decided to do so for him out of my obligation as a brother.

When I was walking towards the betting station, I felt really awkward as I feared other members from my church might bum into me. Though my conscience was clear that it was for my brother, I also did not want to create any misunderstanding or stumble any of them especially those who are younger in the faith.

Anyway, I was hoping there was no queue but a queue there was. It was quite a funny sight as I kept lowering my head, trying to use my cap to hide my face, just in case. I was glad my turn came. I quickly made the bet and left.

The above-mentioned sounded as if I detest the betting of 4D. Frankly I do not. I chose not to do it as I do not wish to be a stumbling block to others.

Initially I hesitated in writing this as I do not know how others would react but I decided to go ahead as this is part and parcel of life where sometimes we may be placed in a spot.

Well, will I do it again? Nope. Unless if it is really of no choice.

So much for that. I am not feeling too cheery today but I thank God for pulling me through. I am just trying to understand people's behaviour and why sometimes they behave in a certain manner especially when it is kind of negative. It affects me because I wonder whether I have offended them or not.

Anyway, I have prayed about the above struggle and I left it to the Lord to help me understand. It is very draining emotionally but I guess I will have to go through this to understand my friends better.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." 1 Corinthians 10:31-33

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17-18

A Day Filled With Adventure

I have been trying to get my notebook to work since morning but to no avail. When I booted it up after arriving in church at around 9am, there was a weird sound from the hard-drive. I have this feeling it has died on me. The sad part was I have not done a back-up of all the data to an external drive. I just hope I will be able to retrieve them when I ask one of my brothers-in-Christ to check for me later in the evening.

I had wanted to do a lot of things today but it seems like it is impossible now. Anyway, I shall give thanks for this experience.

One main thing I am grateful to God for was this - yesterday I finished preparing for Sunday's Youth Ministry (YM) lesson and it was saved in my notebook. I thought initially I was unable to retrieve it but after some attempts, I was able to do so. Guess what? It was the one and only file that I was able to transfer to my thumb-drive before the hard-drive stopped reading altogether. Thanks be to God for that.

Okie, I wrote the above three paragraphs at 3:35pm and it is now 7:20pm. the four-hour lapse was due to the fact that I had to make a hospital visit to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). I went there to see an elderly church member who was admitted last week when she fell and now she is unable to control herself. She is basically mentally and emotionally unstable.

As she is a Peranakan, I decided to converse with her in Malay and I was glad she was able to respond. What saddened me was this - I believe this dear sister-in-Christ needs healing of past emotions. I believe she has a lot of things in the past that had affected her - hurts, disappointments, grudges, anger, unforgiveness, etc. It is my prayer that the Lord will deliver her from all these so that they do not weigh upon her.

I guess there are many individuals in this world who have the same struggles as this lady and there is a need for us to release our past emotions so that they do not become a bondage now. If not, they will accumulate and eventually cause one to blow up and break down when he or she cannot handle the pressures of hurts and disappointments anymore. Let us be reminded that God is always by our sides and we need to release anything that we do not feel right to Him so that He can carry our burdens with us.

I am reminding myself too because I have past emotions that I have not fully surrendered to God. Sometimes they do bug me and I guess I will have to let God take care of these struggles.

Anyway, time now is 10pm. As I was writing the last paragraph in the church office, I was called upon by the Worship Team to help them in the drumming aspect. The drummer who was supposed to be rostered just came back from Bangkok from a business trip and could not play. The youth drummer was unsure of some of the songs. I had to help them out and thank God all went well eventually.

I am actually home now. I am very tired. All that I had planned to do I did not do. The breakdown of my notebook caused a lot of inconveniences but thank God He allowed me to get over it pretty quickly. Then I was planning to do the powerpoint slides for this Sunday's lesson but in the end I had to assist in the hospital visitation which I did not regret going. Then when I came back from IMH, I had wanted to finish this blog and do the powerpoint slides but was asked to help in the band. I would like to do them now but I do not really have the energy to do so.

I guess this is one of those days that almost every schedule went haywire but I guess God has His reasons for making all these happened.

I actually have one confession that I intially planned to share but I shall leave that to tomorrow now. I managed to gather the courage to do so after sharing with the accountability group. I guess I want to write it down on this blog so as to be as real as I can about this pilgrim's journey that I am on.

I shall stop here. I have not eaten my dinner yet - shall see what the fridge has.

To God be the glory for this day full of adventure!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"... give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

I was in Coffee Bean for the longest time today - from 11am to 5:30pm. I thank God for the time well spent. Three things happened during that 6 1/2 hours: I completed my lesson preparations for this Sunday's Youth Ministry (YM) teaching session; I spoke to one guy called Gordon; and I also spoke to one lady, who is a playwriter, by the name of Gwenalyn.

I got to know the above two persons when I needed them to look after my notebook when I had to go to the restroom a couple of times throughout my stay at the cafe.

Gordon is a model-in-training who was waiting for his girlfriend. We did each other some favours when we needed to answer nature's calls. He was interested to know what I was doing when he saw me reading some notes and earlier when I was writing my blog.

Well, I shared with him that I blog almost every day. He was interested to know what are some of the things I write in there. I basically told him any one whom and everything that I encounter on a daily basis and also the lessons God taught me for the day. I also let him know that I write about the struggles I face in my journey.

He asked whether I could give him the name of my blog and I wrote it down for him. Gordon, if you are reading this - just want you to know that it was a pleasure to have known and spoken to you. :)

As for Gwenalyn, I did not really speak to her much as I did not want to give her the wrong impression. She was also interested to know what I was doing. She was commenting that I was quite intense when I was at the computer. I smiled and basically told her I was planning for the YM lesson and needed to get it done before the weekend arrives.

In return I asked whether those were scripts that she was reading. She acknowledged that and said she was preparing for the the Singapore Arts Festival, which is coming up, between 25 May and 24 June. We spoke a little about drama and she invited me to attend the festival. She asked me to give her a call so that she will reserve some complimentary tickets for me. I thanked her for that!

Well, funnily when I got the table at the cafe, I did purposely leave an empty chair. I praise the Lord I got to speak to two persons today - though they did not sit on that chair but still I am glad I managed to interact with Gordon and Gwenalyn.

For the YM lesson planning, this week's focus is on the Ten Commandments. To keep this short, I was reminded that God gave us commandments and instructions because man, in general, tend to be forgetful especially in what God has done for them. In rebelling, man begin to wander aimlessly and we also allow other gods take over the rightful place of God. Laws like the Ten Commandments and other instructions in the Bible basically allow man to be mindful to put God first in everything they do.

Well, I am glad to be reminded of this because it is indeed very easy for me to forget about God's goodness and faithfulness in my life.

I guess that is all that I want to write for today. Thanks be to God again for His guidance!

"Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always." Deuteronomy 11:1

"But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22

Keep Encouraging One Another

I am now in Ngee Ann City Coffee Bean. I decided to come here to prepare the Youth Ministry (YM) teaching session for this Sunday. I decided to blog first before I get down to do the lesson preparations.

I went for a run earlier. I could not finish the distance I initially planned to cover but I am still thankful I was able to complete whatever my body could endure for today.

Well, as always I would talk to the Lord as I ran. I spoke to Him about the burdens and troubles in my heart and also my concerns for a few people.

As I was interceding for my siblings-in-Christ and friends, I was just wondering to myself whether from today onwards, I will just do that without making other moves like asking them how they are and all. Sometimes I feel by probing I affect them more than be of help to them.

There were several occasions where I got negative reactions from people. Just as much as I am burdened for them, I also do not want them to be irked by my being a "busybody."

I feel times have changed that nowadays showing care and concern is more a nuisance than an encouragement. I feel that in this current individualistic environment that we live in, there are the majority who do not like people to invade their privacy and sadly, this happens also in the Christian community.

Sometimes I do not know how to be a brother-in-Christ or friend to another anymore. Where I was once appreciated for what I did for my brothers and sisters-in-Christ and friends, I am now being shunned and sometimes seen as a pest.

But does this mean I stop doing what I used to do? This is the dilemma I am in.

Lately, I have been hearing statements being made like: "Let him be. If he chooses to live like that, it is his life."; "That guy is condemned, beyond hope!"; "Hiyah, he does not need my help!"; "The world is like that now, we cannot make much of an impact."; "I give up!"; "This church is like that. No point trying to do the right thing. The people will never learn."; "What's the point of wasting my time on him?"; "I am sick and tired of loving!"; "Forget it! It will never work!"; "It is better for me to mind my own business. What makes you think he needs my help?"; "Helping others is not my cup of tea."

In my heart, I know I should continue to do what I have been doing but how far will my tolerance last me and how much hurt and disappointment can I endure? Already I am on the verge of washing my hands off people's lives but I kept asking the Lord to help me press on.

It is depressing to write the above-mentioned but I thought I need to share these thoughts. What is the relevance of the church in the current world we live in? If I do not start thinking about this, my life as a Christian is of no significance anymore. Already the church itself is not practising love for another as much as she should, what makes us think we can make an impact outside the four walls of the church?

Where is God in all these? Is the Word of God of no power anymore to touch the lives of His creation?

Anyway, for the encouragers, I think we need to press on in doing what is right and good in the sight of God; We need to stop passing judgment on people too easily; we need to keep praying for the people we love and care for and ask God to use us accordingly to bless these persons; we need to ask ourselves what would Jesus have done in a given situation with a particular person; we need to put aside pride and prejudice when helping others; when helping others, do not think of self. Do not think of what we would gain out of it; we must also understand that problems do not always go away immediately. Patience must go hand in hand with them; remember that God is the ultimate One who will change the lives of the persons whom we want to help. We are just His instruments but we must always be available for Him to use us.

As for those of us receiving encouragements, be opened to help from others; just as much as we are struggling, consider the feelings of those who are trying to help us; be thankful that there are friends who want to be there for us; just as much as we can pray to God to help us in our struggles, be mindful that He sometimes use others to minister to us and to answer our prayers; we need to appreciate love and care from others though sometimes we feel we can handle problems on our own.

Well, my sharing above may not be conclusive and I may not always be right in what I have written. Even as I jot these thoughts down, I am also reflecting and evaluating on the points I have made.

I am at this point of my pilgrim's journey where suddenly I become unsure of my role as a brother-in-Christ and friend to another. It affects me because every one whom I consider as my friend means a lot to me.

May the Lord continue to show me new insights as I seek Him. Thanks be to God!

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:9-21

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9

"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 1 Peter 3:13-17

God Knows Best - Seek Him

I just came home from a time of fellowship with two dear brothers-in-Christ. We went to this nice Italian restaurant for our dinner. One of the brothers wanted to try the food which was apparently featured in the newspapers not too long ago. We ate and caught up with one another as we shared about what God has been doing in our lives - basically the joys and struggles of our walk.

I am thankful to God for this gathering as I needed to share with them some of my burdens so that they can pray for and with me. I felt a release when I filled them in on some of my concerns and troubles.

This morning I went for an important meeting which may affect my immediate future. I went for an interview for a scholarship and this is the first round of three. That is if I pull through today's session. It was a long 1 1/2 hours and I was grilled with a lot of difficult questions which I basically answered truthfully. I could have sweetened it with a few other points but chose not to.

Anyway, no matter what the outcome will be, I will give thanks to God for giving me this opportunity and honour to be recommended by my superior and shortlisted by the board. I shall wait for the next notification, if any were to come.

Well, I did not really lose sleep over the above-mentioned but there were jitters last night as I kind of fear things like interviews or having to meet a group of people to be grilled. Just before I slept, I took some time to pray and I felt better after that.

I did not share this with too many people but just now, one dear sister shared with me over the MSN that she prayed for me this morning. I was encouraged to hear that. Though it was only after the interview that she told me, I am very blest to know someone actually interceded for me. Now that I am involved in planning for her wedding, I shall do my part in praying for her and trust that God will guide us in the preparations leading to her big day early next year!

This afternoon while I was having lunch in the canteen, an ex-student of mine came by and joined me. We caught up with one another and in the process, he shared with me some of his struggles in his life. I basically listened to him and occasionally shared with him some pointers. I did not expect this to happen but I am glad I was able to play a part in someone's life today. Yet another empty seat in my life taken by this young man.

I also took up the courage and told him, just before we departed, that I will be praying for him. I know he is not a Christian but I believe God will still listen to my prayer requests for this person.

Well, thanks be to God for this long day - He has again pulled me through it.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. " Proverbs 16:9

Life Is Fleeting; Start Living

I mentioned in one of my previous blogs that life is so fleeting when two National Servicemen died when a plane crashed into the building they were in.

I was just watching the news on the television and today in two separate incidents, two Singaporeans were killed by falling trees - one, a middle-age mother, in Bukit Batok Nature Reserve and the other, a Singaporean teacher-in-training, in Mount Ophir, Malaysia.

The news showed one of the victims' son looking for her in the park when the police asked him to identify a body. When he saw it as his mum's, he broke down. It was painful to see him crying. Two days ago, he celebrated Mother's Day with his mum and now she is gone. :(

I came back at around 8:30pm. I went to a couple of places to run some errands and also to a hair salon in Toa Payoh to collect a bottle of shampoo and a tube of conditioner for my dear friend. I had to do so personally as I know a hairstylist working in the salon.

I bought some groceries and toiletries before heading home.

I am actually very tired now as it has been a long day. I went for my driving lesson in the early morning. I think if all go well, I should be able to book my driving test by next week. I never knew I would come so far in my pursuit to obtain that plastic card after seven years of break since my last test. Got a few people to thank for in encouraging me on. Thanks be to God for them.

Anyway, I went to church after that. I was hoping to do the Youth Ministry (YM) lesson preparation but was not able to as I had a couple of others things to deal with. One was to meet my Senior Pastor and a Mission Committee member; then I had to meet the Lay Ministry Staff overseeing the Missions Ministry; then I had to go for lunch with the office staff (had a good meal and fellowship with them); after lunch I had to meet my dear friend to discuss about the facilitators' training session.

By the time all these were done, it was already almost 5pm. I was also very drained by then.

I am quite disappointed with myself today - I told myself not to do some stuff and yet I still did them; then those stuff that I was to do, I did not. I hope I did not affect any one in any way.

Well, so much for the vague-ness. I think I shall stop here. I have an important meeting tomorrow. I hope the Lord will lead and guide me accordingly.

"O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." Psalm 144:3-4

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath." Psalm 39:45

One Seat Taken Tonight

After cooking fish porridge for mum who is still unwell and preparing mee goreng (Indian fried noodles) for grandma and dad, I decided to go out for a while to catch a breather. I headed for Borders Bookstore at Wheelock Place to browse through some Photography magazines. After that I walked along the whole stretch of Orchard Road to look at people and also to speak with the Lord.

It was a refreshing time and I needed that. While I was walking past Ngee Ann City, I saw an old man sitting alone on one of the stone-benches. I sat next to him and had a chat with the uncle.

His name is Mr. Chang. He has not worked for 10 years already. Once in a while he goes to Orchard Road alone. I asked him why he likes coming to the town area and he told me he reminisces the time he had with his late wife while they were working in the old Ngee Ann Building back in the 80s. She died of cancer 15 years ago. She was then only 45 years old. Mr. Chang is now 68.

They were both active members of the Ngee Ann Kongsi, a foundation that is actively involved in educational, cultural and welfare activities in Singapore. They both used to have lunch together and he was telling me that they enjoyed shopping in the old C.K. Tang Building. I could see a mix of happiness and sadness when he related their love stories.

Though I am not married but I guess I could understand the feelings in his heart as I listened to him. It is always difficult to lose a loved one especially when the love is so deep. Uncle Chang also showed me a photo of his wife.

I had to end the chat with Mr. Chang abruptly as I got an overseas call from my God-Ma. I shook his hands and thanked him for the conversation we had. I gave him my mobile number so that he can call me should he want someone to talk to. He smiled.

I walked on as I spoke to Ma. She called to update me on some information I requested for. She also wanted to catch up with me further since yesterday was a little too rush when I called to send her my Mother's Day greetings. She was busy serving in church then. Well, I had a fruitful conversation with her. Thanks be to God for that.

Anyway, I am glad I went out for a while. I prayed for Mr. Chang after talking to Ma and before I reached Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. I thank God for letting the empty seat in my life be taken by Uncle Chang today. I wonder who will be the next person sitting on it tomorrow.

I bought some groceries at Carrefour in Plaza Singapura before heading home.

I shall go wash up now. I pray tomorrow will be a productive day for me as I prepare for the Youth Ministry (YM) lesson and also to discuss with my dear friend about the training session.

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:2-6

Just One Of Those Days

I woke up this morning, not feeling right. I also do not know how else to explain it. It is the no-mood-to-do-anything kind of state. Perhaps it is the Monday blues. But then I should not be feeling this way as I do not have to work today.

I made a conscious effort not to show too much of this lethargic feeling as I was meeting my dear friend and another sister-in-Christ in the morning to do some stuff for them. I hope they are pleased with my work. I hope I did what they requested for.

Anyway, I was just wondering - when I am in the above kind of mood, should I show it when I am in the company of my friends or just hide it? I struggle with this sometimes because I do not want to let what I am going through at a given time to affect others. Just as much as it is okay to show it, if I could control that mood, I think I would rather let it stay within me.

I just came back from church not too long ago. I initially planned to do some lesson preparations for the Youth Ministry (YM) session this Sunday. I also needed to meet my friend to discuss about a training session that we will be conducting for the facilitators prior to a youth event on 2 June.

I managed to read the materials for the YM lesson and some thoughts were running, and they still are, in my mind as to what I should do.

My friend informed me that she did not have the time to meet me to discuss about the training as she needed to go out and make payment for the early-bird registrations of the above event.

Since I was unable to think of anything for this Sunday's lesson, I decided to go home. Then I met the same friend when she was driving out of the church in her colleague's car. They offered to give me a ride home but I declined as it was not on the way. I also did not want to hold them and their plans up.

A while later she messaged me to apologise for the last-minute change of plan. I told her it was okay. The only fear I had was that she might misunderstand that I was angry, which I was not.

Anyway, I share all these because I am afraid I might have caused a misunderstanding here. I hope to prevent misunderstandings as much as I can. Already I have one major conflict with a dear sibling and I do not want to unnecessarily cause another. I also realised that tensions usually happen with the people I am closed with so I have to be careful.

The above-mentioned sounds a little too paranoid. Maybe I am lately but however I can, I shall take precautionary measures to not let anything trivial escalates to something I cannot control. It is a sad, tiring and painful process.

I guess I will end here. Just one of those days for me.

Leave An Empty Chair Wherever You Are Seated

Today is Mother's Day. I wish all mothers reading this blog a very happy and God-blessed Mother's Day!

I gave mum one of my most personal gift on this special day - my flu bug! :( When I came home from church I realised she was down with flu and sore throat. Never knew this bug is so potent. It has hit three of us in the family already - mum, bro and me. I pray the bug will literally stop there and not spread to grandma or dad.

As my bro is away in China, the family did not go out and celebrate. Instead I cooked some of mum and grandma's favourite dishes yesterday. I also got them a cake. I hope they enjoyed the simple meal together.

I will be calling my God-Ma soon to send her my wishes! It is now in the morning in New York - shall wait a little while later before buzzing them as I believe Ma and Pa are in church now or on their way to church.

Anyway, I am listening to the news update on the television about the two National Servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces killed in Taiwan when a fighter aircraft crashed into the building they were in. My heart goes out to their families. It is my prayer that God will comfort them during this time of mourning. Life can sometimes be so fleeting - one moment they were alive, the next they are gone.

I am also praying for the other two seriously-burnt servicemen that God will stabilise their condition and heal them completely.

The above accident reminded me of a note I received from a stranger a couple of days ago. This kind lady emailed and commented how come I have so many lessons to share in my daily blogs. Well, I guess the only time I will stop learning is when I was dead. If all of us are more aware of the things we do and say, of our surroundings, and of the effort we make to reflect about life, there will bound to have precious lessons for us to keep and share.

I am still learning not to take life for granted and live it one day at a time. I really do not know what would happen to me in the next step I take or the ticking of the next second or the typing of the next alphabet on this blog. I guess while I am still alive, I had better take the opportunity to learn some new lessons and to bless others with them!

During service this morning, I learnt a lesson about living an empty chair in my life or during my meals or when I am seated anywhere. What a weird lesson, right? It sounds and looks like one but I am going to make a conscious effort to practise this.

What is the empty chair for? Well, it is for those who do not have one to sit on; a person who does not have the means to buy a meal; a lost child (need not necessarily be someone young) who do have a family where love can be showered upon him - basically for someone in need.

As shared in my recent blog, there are many of these people, even in this prosperous island-nation. We just have to open our eyes and there will definitely be one not far from sight.

I will share my encounters or experiences during the week on this practice and see whether this lesson can be used powerfully for the ministry of God's creation and for the glory of His name!

This morning God answered a prayer which I really did not expect anything to happen when I shared with Him a burden last night pertaining to the lesson I was to teach at the Youth Ministry.

I shared with Him about my fears that the youths might have more doubts than affirmation of their faith after the session. The topic I was to teach was on the resurrection of Christ and the hope it offers. The whole idea was to prove that the resurrection of Jesus happened. Though I had all the points prepared, I guess there was still the human fear within me.

You know how it was answered? I did not have to teach about it at all. The debate I planned on this topic was carried out by the Youth Ministry Mentors (YMMs). I thank God they did a good job in sharing the points for and against the motion. Then I showed a movie clip on the crucifixion and resurrection.

It was here a dear brother, who is also the Assistant Pastor of my church, requested whether he could speak after the clip. He told me he would like to conclude the session. I agreed and this dear sibling-in-Christ rounded up the session for me!

Wow! God indeed provided in my time of insufficiency! I did not even hint to my Assistant Pastor about my fears and there he was, standing in front of the youths, sharing about his views. Hallelujah! God truly is awesome!

Well, I shall stop here. To God be the glory for today! Here's to a brand new week of adventure ahead! :)

"'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40

The Lord Heals

I have not been able to update my blog yesterday because when I came home from a course, I was so sick that I slept from around 7pm to this morning. I did not even have the chance to consume my medication and dinner. That was how bad I felt.

I praise the Lord for making me almost well when I woke up. Though my throat was a bit irritating and my flu still there, I definitely felt better compared to yesterday.

The course that my dear friend and I attended was okay. It was about setting up small groups in a Youth Ministry (YM) and also being a mentor to the younger ones. Though I was feeling really weak the whole of yesterday, I am thankful that God allowed me to press on and learn certain precious lessons.

This course was also a prelude to a major event to be held on 2 June 2007 where youths are encouraged to attend. Hopefully through this event, they would be challenged to form small groups and from there, account their lives to one another.

My friend and I are supposed to train some facilitators prior to this event and it is our prayer that the Lord will use us accordingly and impart the lessons accurately.

After the course ended in noon, my friend and I went for lunch and we headed back to church after that.

I continued with my lesson preparations for this Sunday's YM session. I am more or less done with the planning but I still do not have peace in my heart. My fear is that the lesson will create more doubts than affirmation in the faith of the youths.

Anyway, at the end of my preparation, I just went to the Fire Escape Stairways and spent some time in prayer. I asked the Lord to bring about a clear understanding of the lesson with the help of the Holy Spirit. That gave me some peace as it reminded me I can only prepare that much. The rest is up to the Spirit to convict and minister.

So much for that. Today I kind of struggled having to deal with something which sometimes makes me feel discouraged and also guilty about. Ever had this experience where you cannot accept a person (be it the inner or outer aspects) and when he (using this as a generic term) is in your presence, you put up a front and hence disallow the person to come into your life?

It is a sad thing that I sometimes commit or even experienced myself from the way other friends treated me. By behaving in this manner, it basically stops the person from knowing you better or develop the friendship deeper. It also kind of puts the person down especially if he knows that it could be due to his characteristic or physical imperfections that this is happening.

I am working real hard to stop this in my life as I feel it is not edifying. It is my prayer that the Lord will help me be more sensitive to others. It is tough but it is something that I pray I will be able to overcome and learn. I definitely need the Lord to help me in this!

Well, anyway, thanks be to God for this day and for healing me. I have many other things to share but not now. Perhaps tomorrow when I write again. :)

"Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight." Psalm 119:33-35

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." Romans 15:7

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

God Answers Prayers

I shall keep this short as I am unwell. The whole day I have been battling with flu, fever and sore throat. I thought they would get better after taking some paracetamols but that did not help.

In the evening, I decided to see the doctor and obtain some medications so that I will be well by tomorrow. I have a course to attend and I do not wish to let these bugs stop me from learning something new.

I was in church from the late morning as I wanted to finish up the lesson plan for the Youth Ministry but I still could not. I have about a third left to prepare and I believe by Friday I should be able to complete it.

I was struggling because it is not easy to explain the resurrection of Christ as in its authenticity. But I am thankful to God for granting me insights which in the end I managed to put everything into perspective. I shall not be sharing them now as I am not in the right frame of mind to do so.

Anyway, I have something to give thanks for and it is amazing how God answered my prayers and lifted my burdens.

I needed to present an item to the the Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) regarding a memorial fund which the committee intends to close as it is of no use anymore for its intended purpose. As we want to do it in a manner sensitive to every one involved, I was not at peace for a suggestion that a couple of leaders asked me to do as I felt the funds will not be put to good and effective use.

Anyway, while I was at the clinic waiting for my turn to see the doctor, I said a prayer and told the Lord to provide a way out if it is what He deemed proper. I left it as it was.

Then during the meeting when it was about to commence, a dear brother approached me and showed me a statement in which will allow that fund to be used for other purposes. I presented it to the rest of the leaders and we were given the mandate to look into the matter further and proposed an alternative to the usage of the funds.

I was so happy when I heard that. A few of my committee members were very happy too. I take comfort that God heard my cry and He answered me accordingly.

Before the meeting I also asked a dear friend to pray for me in this area. Truly the Lord has granted our requests!

I guess that is all for now. I shall go and sleep. I pray I will be well by tomorrow morning.

To God be the glory!

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15

There Is Power In Christ's Resurrection!

I just came back from a dinner appointment with some siblings-in-Christ to celebrate a belated birthday for one of the Lay Ministry Staff. It was quite interesting as we made it a surprise for her. All these while she did not suspect anything even to the point of fetching her to the restaurant on the pretext that we were sending her to meet a friend (who was also part of the plan) at a MRT Station.

Anyway, I praise the Lord for the time spent together - all 11 of us. As it was a buffet, we ate quite a bit. There were lots of meat. Having taken so much of them, I think I will be a vegetarian for a while. I got to know some of my brothers and sisters better - thank God for that. I was also shocked to see a sister being able to eat so much - she ate at least three times the amount I had. The amazing thing is that she is still so slim. Wow! Unbelievable! If I had consumed as much as her, I would have ballooned into a elephant!

I spent the whole day in church trying to prepare for the Youth Ministry (YM) lesson for this Sunday. I am supposed to teach on the resurrection of Christ and the hope that it gives to all who believe in Him. Though I can just speak on this topic, I thought it would be too boring for the youths.

I was unsure what to do - I basically went to the Fire Escape Stairways and took some time to pray for some inspirations. Thanks be to God for giving me an idea but it requires the assistance of some of the Youth Ministry Mentors (YMMs).

I called the YM Coordinator and spoke to him about it. I needed this dear brother to contact the rest. I hope those YMMs I suggested will be able to participate in a debate on the motion, "The Resurrection of Jesus Gives Us Hope". Well, I will pray from now till Sunday that all will go on fine and that the youths' faith in the Lord will be further strengthened after learning more about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I praise the Lord for allowing me to prepare for this topic because it reminded me that the Christian faith rest heavily on Jesus' resurrection. If He did not rise from the dead, then God would be powerless and we would be lost forever, following the teachings of a dead guy. Now it affirms in me that if God can raise Jesus from the dead then He has the power to do anything. This then gives me the ability to place my hope fully in Him as I know He has the power to help me in every area of my life! Isn't that amazing? Very refreshing thought!

I am quite tired. I shall go to church early again tomorrow to finish the lesson preparations as I may not have the time to do so on Thursday and Friday as I have a course to attend. May the Lord be my Guide.

Thanks be to God for today! :)

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28

Make Good Out Of The Bad

This morning I met a group of dear brothers-in-Christ for a time of fellowship over breakfast. One of them, during our conversation, asked me how come lately I sounded troubled in my blogs.

Well, it is true. That is due to the fact that I have been going through a period of trials - with people; thinking about my future; burdened by some matters in the ministries I am involved in.

I guess in my pilgrim's journey, there will bound to be ups and downs that I need to experience. It is of no doubt that I am going through a period of lows - hence my blogs have not been especially bright.

Well, this is part and parcel of life here on earth. I do not mind going through this time of trials because I know I can learn something from it. I pray the Lord will open my eyes and mind to the lessons that He wishes to impart to me.

So much for that. Just now I thought it was already morning when the time was only 11:15pm. The whole of today I have not been really too well physically. When I came back from the grooming centre for my doggy, I had dinner. After the meal, I was so lethargic that I decided to sleep, though I know it is not good to do so with a full stomach.

Then my brother came back around the time I mentioned above and I woke up suddenly. In my blurry state, I saw him in his working clothes and asked whether he was going to work. I even questioned why he was wearing the same set of clothes. He gave me this "huh" look and told me the time. It was then I realised it was still night. :)

Today I have been pondering on this word, "Pessimism". What sparked this thought was due to the fellowship I had with my dear brothers-in-Christ. We were discussing whether is it wrong for one to be pessimistic. Well, the meaning is basically "a tendency to expect the worst in all things".

I guess it is not bad for one to be pessimistic but the thoughts that the individual has must not cause him to react to all things negatively but instead to make something good out of them. Basically looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.

I always feel it is beneficial to be pessimistic at times as it allows an individual to see the worst of a situation so that after having that knowledge, he will be able to avoid certain pitfalls and find solutions to overcome obstacles.

I guess there is a reason for God to create some individuals to be more pessimistic than others. It is, in my opinion, to complement one another so that every one can see the best and worst of things and together they will work hand in hand to deal with them. This can be applied in friendship/relationship, at home, at work, in school, ministries at church, etc.

I can be pessimisitic at times but over the years, through my accountability to some siblings-in-Christ and friends, they have allowed me to see things differently. I praise the Lord for providing these persons as they have opened my eyes to see the hope in the worst of things. :)

I guess in this journey that one travels, we need to basically help one another. In doing that we can complement and supplement each other whenever possible and make this road of life easier to trot.

May the Lord also be our help.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light." 2 Samuel 22:29

Love Covers A Multitude Of Sins

This morning I taught at the Youth Ministry on overcoming conflicts. Though it is the examination period, I am very encouraged that many youths turned up.

Teaching this topic was especially tough for me because I am going through one myself with a dear sibling-in-Christ. Throughout the session, I taught with a heavy heart. As I was encouraging my younger siblings-in-Christ to learn to deal with tensions, I was also asking myself how else can I overcome my own relationship breakdown?

The voice of the devil was still loud as I taught but I thank the Lord for allowing me to focus. In all the sessions I have done, today's is one of the toughest for me. Looking back now, I am grateful to God for pulling me through it.

Anyway, I am reminded of one thing which I pray the Lord will help me not commit - that is bitterness. Once I have this feeling against anyone when in conflict, I have already allowed the evil one to lay a foothold in my life. It is that easy to feel that way but I am glad God reminded me to continue to love regardless of any problems I have with my brothers and sisters-in-Christ.

Well, I will continue to hope in the Lord that He will teach me to deal with conflicts in a positive manner. Above all, in a way pleasing in His sight. I am still learning about this aspect of my Christian walk. I dislike confrontations and having to overcome tensions but if I need to, I pray I will do it correctly.

I do not know why but I am feeling quite lethargic now - have been coughing a little since afternoon and body has been aching. I hope these are not symptoms of me falling sick.

Thanks be to God for today.

"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." Ephesians 4:25-27

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

A Time For Everything

Sometimes I feel I am too hopeful in some of the pursuits of my life. Sometimes I wonder whether should I just give up and perhaps, just perhaps, my life would be less burdensome.

Every single day I pray and submit to the Lord the desires of my heart. Some of the requests, I have been praying for several months already. Frankly these items I felt led to keep on praying because I found peace in believing that one day God would answer them.

There were areas of my life where I have prayed before and I knew I needed to let them go, which I did. I guess maybe I am too impatient and want things done my way, my time but of course I also know they would not happen because God knows best. He basically makes all things beautiful in His time.

Sometimes I wish God would just tell me clearly what is in His mind. There were occasions where it was very clear regarding some areas but not all the time, I experience this. So does that mean for those areas that are still unclear that I should persevere and keep on seeking Him? I guess so, in my opinion.

Anyway, I am sharing this not because I am doubting my God Almighty. It just makes me wonder what is it that He wants me to do at the end of the day? How would I be sure that I am doing the right thing?

Well, I pray He will continue to give me the discernment.

I praise the Lord for guiding me throughout the day. I managed to complete and confirm my lesson preparations for this Sunday's Youth Ministry (YM) session. I hope my younger siblings-in-Christ will be blessed in what I am to share. Again, may the Lord be my help.

I had dinner with some friends at Bedok Hawker Centre before a dear brother-in-Christ dropped my dear friend and her sister at a chalet in Changi for their Alpha Weekend.

After that I went back to church to attend the Worship Team rehearsal. I took that time to guide a dear brother in his worship preparation for next Sunday. It will be his first and I thought I should give him some pointers so that he will not be too anxious. I hope I was of some help to him.

Anyway, another brother gave me a lift home when all was done. Praise the Lord for that!

I guess that is all!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." Ecclesiastes 3:1-14