Interests:i'm interested in anything! except for maths.. dunno lar..what ever comes my way, i try to handle it..but i LOVE music and i love talking to people..though i need my space at times. Expertise:expertise..erm..not sure la..
imagine God creating the world/people even though He knew that mankind would sin and turn against Him..
imagine God allowing His Son, Jesus Christ, to humble Himself to live on Earth as a man.
imagine Jesus' agony while at Gethsemane (not My Will, but Thine), waiting and knowing that Judas his disciple would betray Him and hand Him over to the pharisees.
imagine mankind, instead of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer, had scorned and nailed our Creator to the cross..
imagine even after enduring torture, being spat at and insulted, Jesus Christ while hanging on the cross said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".
imagine the agony of Christ when God the Father had to turn away from Him because the SIN of the world was upon Him.
imagine Christ resurrecting on the 3rd day! Death is conquered! He is our mediator, between God and Man. He intercedes for us.
imagine God's everlasting Love for us.
imagine the angels rejoicing when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for what He has accomplished on the cross and is saved from the devil's grasp.
imagine God as our heavenly FATHER. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
honestly, sometimes its hard to imagine or even understand why God chose to give the ultimate Sacrifice, His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.. to undeserving people like us. but He did.
For God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
He was crucified to set me free. I was bought with a price - His death for my (eternal) life. Now I am His and He is mine..
Lest i forget Gethsemane... lest i forget Thine agony... lest i forget Thy love for me... Lead me to Calvary.
just when i thought that this stage of my life was over... it comes back and haunts me again.
i actually found this "psalm" in my cupboard as i was looking for some old notes. but hey, its always good to have a laugh, and well.. i really going to cling on to this psalm/prayer for the next two years!!
THE STUDENTS' PSALM
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not flunk; He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying. He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break; He restores my faith in study guides. He leads me to better study habits For my grades' sake. Yea, tho' I walk through the valley of borderline grades, I will not have a nervous breakdown; For Thou art with me; My prayers and my friends, they comfort me. Thou givest me answers in the moments of blankness; Thou anointest my head with understanding. My test paper runneth over with questions I recognize. Surely passing grades and flying colors shall follow me All the days of examinations; And I shall not have to dwell in this university FOREVER. AMEN!!!!
I know Christmas has passed.. but I recently reread this short story which really touched my heart.. and i think the lesson behind this story can be applied to us throughout the year.
the title of the story is actually called "Trouble at the Inn", but i've decided to change the title to "You can have my room". you will see why. I was teaching a Grade 2 class in London, Ontario, Canada, and was asked to produce a Christmas pageant. Some people thought what happened ruined it, while others considered it the truest Christmas story they had ever seen. You be the judge.
After much thought and tact, I gave out the various parts for the pageant. One problem was Ralph. He was a big boy for nine years old and should have been in Grade 4. Besides being big, he was clumsy, slow-moving and slow-thinking. He was well-liked by all the children, especially the younger ones - he acted as their natural protector. Ralph wanted to be a shepherd with a flute. I told him I had a more important role for him. As the innkeeper, I reasoned, he would not have too many lines to remember. His size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more impressive. We practiced and practiced, each child feeling his importance to the success of the evening. The auditorium filled with family and friends for the yearly school extravaganza of a stage filled with exuberant children. But no one in the audience or on the stage was more caught up in the magic of that night than Ralph. The play progressed without any major mishaps until Joseph appeared, walking slowly, tenderly helping Mary to the door of the inn. He knocked hard on the wooden door. Ralph was ready and waiting. "What do you want?" he cried, pushing the door open with a rude gesture. "We are looking for lodgings." "Look for them elsewhere." Ralph looked straight ahead, but he spoke with conviction. "The inn is full". "Kind sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary." "There is no room for you." "Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and must find a place to rest for the night. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired." Ralph looked down at Mary. There was a long pause. The audience became tense with embarrassments. "No, begone!" I coached. Ralph just stood there. Three times I prompted him from the wings, each time louder than the last. The angels backstage with me were becoming anxious too. At last, Ralph automatically repeated the words he had learned in those long weeks of practice: "No, begone!" Joseph sadly placed his arms around Mary and started to turn away. The innkeeper did not return to his inn as directed. He stood there watching the forlorn couple, looking perplexed, with his mouth opened, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, this Christmas pageant became different from all the rest. "Don't go, Joseph. Please don't go," Ralph called. "Bring Mary back." His face brightened with a big smile. He stretched out his arms.
"You can have my room"
And my eyes filled with tears. The glory of God shone about them, and in only a moment, the choir of angels entered caroling their Christmas Song.
I think what struck me most in this story was this sentence alone - "You can have my room". Now that 2010 is creeping around the corner, many people are thinking of new year resolutions and ambitions. But have we ever stopped to tell our Lord Jesus Christ, "You can have my room (my heart). Come in."
A verse comes to mind as I have been preparing myself for the new year, and that is 1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
I know that i'm entering a new phase in life, come 2010. And honestly, i am nervous. But i have the Lord's assurance that everything will be ok (Philippians 4:13 - "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me"). I pray that the Lord will teach me to fully depend on Him.
Truly, to God Alone be Glory.
We resolve to know Nothing else but Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, and Him crucified We resolve to know Nothing else but Jesus Christ The Lamb of God, and our sacrifice To come to God by grace alone Through faith alone in His blood, spilled for us
Singing soli Deo gloria To God alone be glory To God alone be glory Singing soli Deo gloria To God alone be glory To God alone be glory In Jesus Christ
We resolve to live For nothing else but Jesus Christ To know the One who is our life We resolve to live By nothing but Your Word alone Your strength alone, for Your will alone To make our goal to please You alone Worship You alone, our God And our King
Maker of this heart of mine You know me very well You understand my deepest part More than I know myself So when I face the darkness When I need to find my way I'll trust in You Shepherd of my heart
Keeper of this heart of mine Your patience has no end You've loved me back into Your arms Time and time again So if I start to wander Like a lamb that's gone astray I'll trust in You Shepherd of my heart
You're the beacon of my nights You're the sunlight of my days I can rest within Your arms I can know Your loving ways So let the cold winds blow Let the storms rage all around I'll trust in You Shepherd of my heart
Giver of this life in me You're what I'm living for For all my deepest gratitude You love me even more So as I walk through valleys Listening for the Master's call I'll trust in you Shepherd of my heart ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This world of human heartache Hurt all around Who's gonna care for the broken ones? They sail a sea of sadness Sometimes alone Where the wind and the waves overcome They need a place where they can come in from the danger Find a little shelter Rest secure and warm
Chorus: They need a safe, safe harbour Haven in the mist of the storm Where there's freedom to conquer The questions and problems And fears are lost in love There's assurance and healing and blessed believing When they find the Lord is always enough In a safe, safe harbour Safe, safe harbour
It seems the hardest struggle for any man Is facing the darkness inside of him But give them sanctuary, filled up with love Where the light of God's truth shines within They'll know a place where they can come out of the darness They'll find the grace of Jesus In the refuge of His arms
EeLing, Wei Chiew and I finally got to have a short holiday together. we've been planning a getaway for so long, but it never materialized till now.
Saturday (21/11/09) we went to Genting Highlands (thanks WeiChiew for driving!), stayed at Highland Hotel (thanks EeLing and dad for booking the room). err.. and i brought loads of junkfood which nobody ate. cis!
we had an awesome room. looked around the plaza for potential things to do/places to go for dinner. then we went out into the open. waiting for snow. hahaha.. it WAS actually quite cold. realized that none of us brought cameras, so we experimented on our handphones. not bad.
went back to our room to NAP (heavenly). had dinner, then we went out once again, still hoping for snow to blanket the floor. took more pictures. decided that we didn't want to die of pneumonia, so we went to the arcade for a little while before heading back to our room to freshen up, watch tv (Toy Story 2. hahaha) and ate somemore (mini junkfood and fruits). read the bible and slept.
Sunday (22/11/09) started our day worshipping our Lord God Almighty with songs. (we didn't really organize this, so we forgot about guitars and songbooks). then we read the book of Jonah and did some sharing and reflection on this past year. then we prayed for one another.
Reflection: this year has been rather trying. some of you know what i've been struggling with.. and i know the Lord has been teaching me patience and to depend fully on Him.
and one question that i've been thinking about is: have i made a positive impact in my life/other people's life this year? have i grown spiritually?
i guess i'm just tired from all the activities that i've been involved in. its time to step back and surrender everything to Him, and to rely on His strength, not mine.
i'm so thankful for His Grace and Providence so that i can study my masters next year. as i reflect more, i realize i need to balance what i want (my rights), and what is right before God's eyes.
anyway, coming back down to KL was quite saddening, honestly. we had to leave the nice cold weather, and come back to reality. it was actually quite refreshing to get away from the distractions of city life/work and just recuperate and enjoy each other's company. leaving Genting, we knew we were coming back to our hectic lifestyle.
we've sorta agreed that this should be an annual retreat. for us to spend quality time with each other and with God.
i thank God for this privilege to out with them, and i know we all wished that the retreat could have been longer. but whatever it is.. God is Good.
