all i want for 2009 is..

to hear Your voice..

so much have happened this year.. as i think about what has happened the past 2 years, things that happened during childhood also came to mind.. that God has actually been in my life since young, without me really knowing, that i've had His favor since that special moment in kindergarten..

and as i think about 2009, the things that i would like to do.. (so many.. haha) i realize that the only thing that matters most is for me to hear Your voice..

just as i'm thinking about hearing Your voice being all i need.. i came upon this website that helps in hearing God's voice (was actually just browsing random christian graphics from the net.. or so i thought.. :P)
>> godtalkstoyou.com (image source)
thank you Lord for always being there for me and telling me so clearly !! :)

The Lord is my shepherd

Like a Shepherd
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman
Friday, December 26 2008

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart (Isa 40:11a).
Sometimes we can see Christ modeled in the most unusual ways.

Gerry, our neighbor, is a shepherd to the neighborhood dogs. Once Buddy, the roving black lab of the neighborhood discovered that Gerry was a wellspring of treats by simply pushing open his broken front door, he began bringing other dogs on his visits. They made themselves welcome in his front foyer.

One of them was an older cocker spaniel named Joe Cocker. But unlike Buddy, Joe didn't leave after thirty minutes. He ended up staying for two days! Finally Gerry called the name listed on his dog tag and found out that his owner lived up the road. As Gerry started to walk him home Joe stopped as soon as he reached the hill because he was too weak to climb it. So Gerry picked him up and carried him home. It was not a short walk and Joe was not a small dog.

Day after day this routine continued and I was amazed at how much Gerry grew to love that dog. He'd let him stay at his house for days at a time and Joe was content to just hang out with him and loved to sleep on top of his dirty laundry. Then one day Gerry got a call from Joe's owner to let him know that Joe had died. When Angie called Gerry to see how he was, he choked back the tears as he talked about him.

Jesus is often referred to as the good shepherd in the scriptures and his followers are referred to as His sheep He carries close to His heart. There are times in our lives when Jesus knows that we cannot make it up our own hill in life. It may be because we are facing financial ruin, debilitating health or insurmountable grief. But no matter what the reason, we can trust that Jesus is there to carry us.

Allow Him to pick you up so you can find rest in His arms and comfort in hearing His heartbeat as he carries you close to his heart.

a new slate for 2009

why do i weep so much when You tell me You love me
i can never comprehend Your love for me
how you've made me and called me
and see me as precious and beautiful

they say i've grown so fast and am trying to outrun You
how could i ever run ahead of You..?
all i wanna do is love you and follow You all the days of my life,
and pray that my thoughts will please You,
that my heart will always yearn for You with fervor
and that my actions will glorify You

do i really wanna grow up..?
i wish i could be Your little baby forever
and be cradled in Your embrace always
but i know You have the best plans for me
and i do want to walk where You lead me
i want to tell the world of Your goodness
and shout to the world that salvation belongs to You

i will cry like a baby for Your love overwhelms me
i can't do anything else but weep
when i know how much You love me
who am i that You've come and saved me
that you know me and my naughty deeds and yet still rescued me
and keep reminding me of how much You love me

i will grow and learn to walk boldly
for i know You are watching over me
and will help me when i fall
that You want me to soar with You
and not be afraid
for Your great big hands are upon me
and Your love will carry me and see me through each day

***

was very touched at today's service
pastor cynthia talked about forgiving and forgetting and starting on a new slate for 2009
so overwhelmed by God's love again

my first xmas party as a christian

last nite we had an early xmas get-together at sulian's place..

we had a great evening playing name games, autograph bingo and getting to know each other better over dinner, catching up on what we've been up to lately and sharing funny food stories

this party was held to celebrate xmas, which is all about Jesus, His love, joy and peace that He wants to share and give everyone.. so we shared briefly about xmas, and watched a video testimony of God's amazing love and grace shared by Neville Tan, an ex-secret society gang member who encountered God in prison and gave his life to Jesus.

it was a touching testimony and many of us could relate to the amazing peace and love that was experienced by neville when we receive Jesus into our hearts and dedicate our lives to follow Him.. after the video, sulian shared her testimony and every word she spoke was just perfect.. it was such a simple and great testimony.. then everyone also shared thoughts that came to mind and it was wonderful because we could sense the things that were said were close to our hearts, it was amazing how everyone opened their hearts and shared personal stuff from the depths of their heart.. it felt really good to hear what each and everyone had to say

everything that everyone said flowed so beautifully, and we could feel God's presence so strongly, there was such a great sense of peace

we are thankful and glad for everyone's presence at the party, for open hearts and for making time to celebrate and share thoughts this xmas together, special thanks to siow kee, sulian and daxiong for gamely planning and doing this together and especially to God for bringing us all together and guiding us along.. for giving us the right words at the right time and for loving us all so much

really looking forward to the next get-together session.. to share a yummy brazilian recipe that i've recently gotten from Rosa.. heavenly cheesebread :)

to East Timor with love

recently returned from East Timor..
started a blog in tetum-english to share God's love for the people and children of east timor, and to continue to learn the language..

prophetic painting