ODB

ODB today is the the same verse that crystal shared with me yesterday evening!

READ: Genesis 3:1-13

The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” —Genesis 3:12

Not long ago my wife asked me to pick up a belated birthday card for her brother. Scanning the rack, I ran across a card with a chimpanzee on the front holding a phone receiver in his hand.

This is what it said: “I better not hear . . . about how upset you are that I missed your birthday. I mean, how do you know I wasn’t in a serious car accident and lying in some ditch out in the middle of nowhere? . . . Well, I may have forgotten your birthday, but I didn’t exactly get any phone calls to see if I was okay. All I know is you better have a good excuse why I didn’t hear from you on your birthday!”

The extent to which people avoid legitimate responsibility is almost laughable, but it is nothing new. When God confronted Adam for eating the forbidden fruit, he chose to blame his wife and God: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12).

When we have done something wrong, we can either accept legitimate blame for what we have done or shift the blame to others. The way that pleases God and results in spiritual growth is to accept personal responsibility for our actions. Irrationally blaming others is no laughing matter. — Dennis Fisher

His eye our secret thoughts behold,
His mercies all our lives enfold,
He knows our purposes untold,
You cannot hide from God! —Ackley


A good test of a person’s character is his behavior when he is wrong.

Bible in one year: Isaiah 25-27; Proverbs 24:13-22

Extracted from facebook today

new song

God gave me a new song this morning for a dear dear friend
and it goes like this

All day
Everyday
soak in Your Love
soak in Your Luuurrrve..
o..
soak in Your Love

i pray that God soak Eng in His amazing love and grace and watch over her and protect her and guide her in all that she does. God is so good and has only the best plans for her, and will teach her to hear Him and see Him and feel Him in her own special way Amen

special prayer

was asked during morning prayers today whether anyone received special prayers during the Father's blessing (at dinner last friday), i almost blurted out that i did (receive a prayer that was really special).. i've never received such a prayer before.. pastor asked me if i was single or had a family, and i knew he was referring to whether i was married / had children etc, i shook my head and told him that i was actually divorced.. must have sounded guilty saying that, it's not been easy dealing with it especially when God explicitly says that He hates divorce.. even though God had reassured me again and again that He loves me and knows my struggles, and answers my unspoken thoughts

the responses i got for my hesitant reply were really encouraging.. pastor's wife said that i should find another (she also prayed for me to be a mother) and pastor said he wanted to pray against feelings of rejection and for a husband for me! a godly man who loves me and would take care of me..

been telling God lately that i want to love only Him, and i do not want anyone or anything to distract me from Him, and been resisting relationships for a long time, now i just wanna do whatever that pleases God, and will be open if God tells me that is ok, that it is what He wants me to do. i know God loves little children, and i do want to raise up children who will love Him and serve Him and follow Him. i do want to be obedient and do anything that God wants me to.. i really do want to be free from the past and to hold God's hand and go wherever He leads, and not fear the unknown

God reminded me during today's service that He is always with me, that i won't ever be alone, no matter what happens, and that i can always run to Him, and He'll be there for me, i was weeping so hard i couldn't even sing, i could only worship with my tears and silent cries from my heart. thank you Lord for sitting me beside this kind lady who gave me tissue. i love you God

old pictures

colleagues were looking for dance costume ideas, rummaged & dug up old pics from dance, particularly liked this underwater slideshow.. :)

children absorb like a sponge

didn't know the games that we play and songs that we sing together (with my nieces and nephew when they were abt 3 years old) had such impact..

..was happily shocked when my 3 yr old nephew started singing "Lord i love You so" spontaneously by himself after i left the room for a while after singing to him some other new songs from our Lord (this is my 1st new song from God, been singing it to him irregularly since June, but didn't know till today that he actually remembers it and can sing it on his own!! coz he's always been just listening quietly and at many times seemingly distracted with his toys or twanging randomly on my guitar as i sing..?!) God is so awesome!

..just realized that my niece still remembers original word games that i had cooked up and played with her when she was younger (~4yrs old) - when we went out today, she initiated the same word game using different words..

..also learnt that it is important how things are done the first time with kids.. they remember it without reminders and they'll keep doing it the same way the next time.. the games we play at the pool and sequence of play follows the way we did it the first time i brought them to the pool.. and they will consider the routine as complete and that it's only okay to leave, when we've done everything as we did the first time.. (although they'll be flexible if it rains halfway through etc)

..fell asleep telling stories to my niece today and woke up with stickers on my face and arm :)
wonder if it's the punchinello story (you are special by max lucado) that started this.. i remember when i first told it, my nephew (just 2 yr old then) started putting star stickers on me as i told the story, without me telling him to..

Hallelujah! my niece designed this beautiful card yesterday all by herself for Jesus! i only passed her the blank card and she instantly figured out how it worked, and also immediately knew what she wanted to do with it.. make a card for Jesus :)

Thank You Lord for teaching us and blessing our days with love for You and fun and laughter, there's so much to share!

Just for You Lord and all that's in Your Heart

An Audience Of One
READ: Matthew 6:1-6

[Jesus] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant. —Philippians 2:7

When I worked as a young journalist for Campus Life magazine, my assistant kept a plaque on her desk with this two-line poem: Only one life, ’twill soon be past / Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Reading that plaque brought me up short every time. Although I believed its truth, how could I put it into practice? How should my faith in the invisible world affect my day-to-day life in the visible world?

According to Jesus, it’s what God thinks of us that matters, not what others think. Jesus instructed us to pray in a closed room, where no one could see us, rather than in a public place where we might get credit for being spiritual (Matt. 6:6). In other words, live for God and not others.

Do we clamor for attention and achievement? Jesus invites us to let go of that competitive struggle, to trust that God’s opinion of us is the only one that ultimately counts.

How would our lives differ if we truly played to an audience of One? Certainly our sense of ego and rivalry would fade, because we would no longer need to worry about proving ourselves to others. We could concentrate instead on pleasing God by living in a way that would attract people to Jesus. — Philip Yancey

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for Thee! —Herbert

Christ is seen most clearly when we remain in the background.

Bible in one year: Song of Songs 7-8; Proverbs 20:21-30

Extracted from RBC ministries

prophetic painting

attended the transformational worship arts conference last week, did prophetic painting and have seen first-hand how the arts can bypass the mind and go straight to hearts, bringing tears to eyes when God shows with words and pictures through people whom we've just met, that He knows our struggles, and that He is with us all the time, even when we don’t feel it or see it.

my first prophetic painting.. received from a new friend i met at the conference


another friend had told me just a few days before that she had a vision from God for me, and i was a big shiny star in a drop of water!! and God has told me before that the great big ocean in my dream represents His Love, it was really vast and all consuming, and it catches me and carries me.. no matter how i try to run away

Thank You Lord! pl Shine in me forever more

wattaday

woke up this morn at 5am, it was God who woke me as usual, coz my alarm was set for 630..

i wondered what God wanted with me so early.. He had a new song for me!!
and my guitar suddenly sounded so beautiful and perfect, not like Sunday when i had a disastrous and fatal tuning session, thought i might have damaged my guitar strings.. it was unusually painful on my fingers that night

i had to play very softly, coz it was early but every note sounded so nice..

and the song goes like this

o Lord o Lord
i want to be
wherever you want me
and i will be there

o Lord o Lord o Lord
lead me to wherever you want me to be

i dunno how to write d chords
which is clearly why the song is from God, not of my own mite

and it goes with another i wrote some time ago.. (written for my 3 yr old niece - she started humming it as she played with her toys, after i sang it to her thrice..)

Obey obey obey
there's nothing better than to trust and obey

it's supernatural for me to be playing the guitar and singing new songs just like that coz i can't even play the guitar! but the day i bought the guitar, God gave me a spontaneous new song! and i just strummed and sang at the same time, God is so good!

and this was the first song God gave me

Lord i love You so do You know
i wanna spend everyday with You
i love You i want You i need You
every moment of my life

no one else might even call it a song, it's probably more like a verse from a song to everyone else, but it's a mighty song to me and the kids i've written these songs for
Thank you Lord!

oh and wat made the day perfect was closing the day with this lovesong.. awesome!! it sounds like a lovesong from God.. and the message is the same as what started my day..


Thanks for making it so clear for me.
Hallelujah Jehova Shammah

facebook has daily bread

Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. —Romans 6:18

On June 19, 1865, over 2 years after President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and read General Order Number 3: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” For the first time, slaves in Texas learned that they were already free. Some were shocked; many others celebrated. June 19 soon became known as “Juneteenth.”

Nearly 25 years after the “Emancipation Proclamation” of the cross of Jesus, Paul wrote to the Roman believers. Some of them still did not understand what it meant to be free from sin’s bondage. They thought they could go on sinning because they were under grace (Rom. 6:15). So Paul reminded them of their status in Jesus by appealing to a familiar fact: Whatever we submit to becomes our master (John 8:34). To commit sin puts us in bondage to sin.

The other option is to be a slave of righteousness. Salvation actually means a change of bondage. As we once served sin, we are now committed to lives of righteousness because of the freedom Jesus provides.

My brothers and sisters, let us become in practice what we already are in status—free!
— Marvin Williams

The Savior can break sin’s dominion,
The victory He won long ago;
In Him there is freedom from bondage,
He’s able to conquer the foe. —Smith

read Romans 6:15-23

Daily bible verse
My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9

extracted from facebook Jun 19 08

Godtube

am deeply touched and encouraged by this testimony. brother Christopher Yuan shared his testimony at our church yesterday & today, was so blessed by his words, and awed by God's presence and love, couldn't stop weeping. think God has given me tears anointing :P



Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"

God's promises are true and good, He is faithful, He knows us and loves us so much! Thank you God!!



Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast.

orb or..

been prompted to write a testimony since yesterday but didn't know where to start
went on the internet, looking for a nice image on "The Lord my healer" and instead chanced upon a blog abt angel orbs

it's the first time i've heard this term
the dust particle explanation seemed logical, it was really quite dusty there but we took lots of pics during the trip and only this one had this circle of light

i only noticed this circle of light in this pic abt a month after returning from our mission trip in nepal.
our team felt the holy spirit moving strongly during ministry, and it was amazing to see how God led little children from the neighbourhood to us and 12 pre-believing children received salvation!

i had never seen this before and thought God wanted to to show us visibly that prayer moves the spiritual realm..
mission teammates who saw it after i asked them to look at the pic again, also thought it had to do with God as we had all felt God moving our hearts then.



whatever it is, we know God is real (because of the amazing love peace and joy He has put in our hearts, because of the personal testimonies He has blessed us with) and that He loves us very much

see God's word about light from bible verse

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will hav the light of life.
John 8:12

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me.
Psalm 43:3

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

1 John 1:5 (New International Version)
Walking in the light
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

"The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalm 27:1

consecration

i was deeply moved by sermon Watchman watchman what is the night? by David Wang, co-author of Still Red on 13 Apr 2008 Isa 21:11-12

Beautiful are the feet of those who carry the gospel of peace..

Take my life and let it be (consecrated, Lord to Thee)


i'm reminded of my return to Christ..
about a year ago when i dedicated my life to follow Jesus..
..only upon receiving the third confirmation of God's calling, during Pastor Michael Ross Watson's sermon on 22 Apr 2008 >>Knowing God's will, now available online

God 1st touched me with a rema bible verse when i was reading the book "Heaven is so real".
God confirmed His calling for me a 2nd time, when the same bible message was recited to me by my 4 yr old niece who didn't even speak nor understand much English then

These 3 confirmations happened within the short span of a week.. God made it very clear to me it was no coincidence.
His Love and presence is amazing and indescribably awesome. I pray for everyone to have a personal encounter with God too.

God's rema verse for me >> John 15:7

i was re-born as a Christian on 21 Mar 2008, Easter Day!

Thank you God

God heals God provides God is faithful

God healed my knee, God healed my mom of her vomit spells, fever and aches
my mom accepted Christ as her savior today!!
Praises to God thank you God!

God is so amazing
I can't thank God enough!!

21 Mar 2008

img source

what is baptism
my baptism falls on good friday

been waiting, and wondering when You'd let me do this.. thank you God!

prayer changes things

many might dismiss them as coincidences, but i've experienced it too many times (and recently, on 3 occassions in a day) to know that they are not.

just yesterday,

as i left for work last morning, i'd remember taking my little orange pouch which carried my cards, which i needed to use daily - ezlink, credit cards, atm cards, membership card, some cash and company access card. (i also remember thinking about God while waiting for the bus and catching myself smiling, as God put nice, happy thoughts in my mind) but as i was boarding the bus, and looking for my ezlink card, i realized that my orange pouch was missing.. i boarded the bus anyway, paying by cash so that i wouldn't be late for work.

i called my mom from the bus and asked her to help look for the pouch. she looked all over the house many times and even went down to the bus-stop, but couldn't find it. as a last resort, i asked my niece to help. she is also a child of God :) she is just 5 yrs old. i gave her specific places to search. she was really sweet and handled the phone as if it i would be hurt if she wasn't careful with the receiver.. saying, i'm now going to put you on the table okay? i can just visualize her putting it down with care before she went to look :) after trying in vain at the foyer seats, living room sofa, bedroom chest, and washer at kitchen, i asked her to help pray for me.. and she started singing! "Jesus loves me this i know.." i was touched and amused and captivated all at once by her spontaneous worship. and while into her second verse, she asked me aren't you going to hang up? lol

so i hanged up with a big smile, and also prayed to God to help my niece. i felt joyful and peaceful even though i had lost all my "important" cards and was already thinking about the follow up actions that i had to take if it's really gone, (i'd have to report lost cards to the banks and police asap, as required for my office access card)

just a while later, before i even reached my office, my niece called back.. saying that they had found my pouch!! thank God

prayer changes things

at work, i met this reader, he was a retiree and he asked me about a publication that would be useful in his research for investment, and i tried to help him, he started sharing with me the logic and importance of investment due to the inflation and rising prices of everything and having to plan for old age, and gave me kind advices to start planning now. the converstaion turned into an unusaully long one, and i though i had better go back to the counter in case other readers needed help. as i made my way back to the counter, he walked along, carrying on about the topic. the conversation at the counter turned into an unsually long one as well. i even had time to pray to God to use me, and guide me in what i should say, as i felt God must have allowed this unusual incident to happen for a reason. when he mentioned unaffordable rising medical expenses, i knew i had to share my recent testimony about the healing of my knee by God, and i did. God healed my knee when doctors couldn't figure out why it became swollen all of a sudden for no apparent reason and i couldn't walk. they had even done tests, x-rays and given me painkillers (which i refused to take as i didn't want to numb my senses) the many bottles of fluids they drew out to lessen the swelling came back almost instantly just the day after. i also shared that i find my peace and joy in God despite the apparently scary and bleak future for many due to the horror of inflation. as i know God will provide. i noticed a visible change come over his face as i shared. i know he has been touched by God deep inside. i saw the worry disppear from his face and in place i saw an expression of peace. he looked so different i knew something has changed in him. God must be working in him. i even invited him to church (strangely i didn't invite him to coos, but invited him to the church that my friend invited me to go to on 8 Mar Sat (tdy) to witness the testimony by an indonesian pastor at www.livingspring.org he patiently waited for me to retreive the address from the website and listened intently as i shared briefly about the pastor's testimony. he commented that it was good to have a belief :) i know God planned for this to happen and will bring him to Christ! thank God

prayer changes things

last night, i was awakened from my sleep by my mother's nightmare. i tried to shake her to wake her, but in vain. and i did shake her quite forcefully, as i was desperate to wake her, but this time was unlike the other times as she usually would come to quite easily. this time, she even kicked in her sleep and her fearful screams were so prolonged, i would have freaked out if i didn't know God. i started praying and as i prayed, i went on to freely worship God (something i learnt at worship training, to create a new song for God) and tears started flowing, i knew God was with me. i prayed for God to be with my mother and to help her and to protect her, and i kept praying and praying even though i was very tired as it happened in the middle of the night. then i saw peace come over my mom, she stopped kicking, and the fear and tightness in her body disppeared and although she didn't really wake up, i knew she was alright and whatever was disturbing her sleep no longer did so. that night, i awoke now and then to check and confirmed that her sleep was peaceful for the rest of the night. thank God!

coincidentally just a day ago, i had handed a little card to my niece, a gift that a friend of mine wanted her to have. it reads "prayer changes things"

this message now rings in my head. thank you God

God hears our thoughts and answers our prayers

been bogged down lately with thoughts abt my father (baby christian) "backsliding" as he didn't seem (to me) keen on attending cell group nor church service (if i didn't accompany him)

i accompanied him to the chinese service last sunday on 24th. he fell asleep during service and kept asking to leave during the altar call prayers, in the end he left first to eat fishball noodles while i stayed on pray.

when the pastor was done praying for everyone, he asked if there was anyone else who needed prayers, and i went out (for my knees were swollen for no apparent reason and i needed healing before nepal mission trip), waited quite a while and almost wanted to leave, but didn't, thank God.

when the pastor asked me what i wanted pray for, i followed my heart and answered that i wanted to pray for my father - he had seemed reluctant in attending cell group and baptism class, and lately even church service, although he had only recently acepted Christ. as the pastor prayed, i was so touched by God's love that i wept and wept. it feels amazing to be loved by God. i wish everyone would come to know God and experience His amazing love personally.

after the prayers, thanks to the pastor who prayed for me, i got in touch with the cell group leader whose home was viewed by my father to be the most conveniently located. on several occasions since, i overheard phone conversation of my father giving many excuses and rejecting invites to attend cell group.

the following sunday (yesterday), i couldn't accompany my father to chinese service as i had to work. i thought he wouldn't go on his and felt sad when i thought about him not going when i don't accompany him. i love going to church to be in fellowship and to worship God, and knows it is what God wants us to do. God never fails to recharge me spiritually and fill me so fully with of His love every Sunday at church

when i returned home on sunday night, my negative assumption about my father led me to shun him in disappointment.

this morning when i woke, i was elated when my father told me that he attended service yeaterday on his own! and he even met his friend who stayed in the neighbouring block at church! i can't thank God enough for bringing my father to church again. and sending him a friend to encourage him along the way! Thank You God!!

love stickers

my left knee's been swollen since last friday for no apparent reason
been referred to 6 different doctors over 3 visits to the hospital and extracted about 13 bottles of fluid from my knee for lab tests, xray and now scheduled for an mri

docs say there is inflammation in my knee but are not sure why yet (thus the mri)
i have to walk slowly to minimize the pain

each day when my nephew comes home from kindergarten, he'll suddenly quieten down and ask me "xiao gu, is your knee ok now?" i ought to record it on my handphone tomorrow if he asks again.. it's so lovely to hear him say that. he's just 3 yrs old! and a usually boisterous one too, its endearing how he returns from school each day, shouting and waving goodbye to the neighbour at the door and then abruptly stop as he turns around to see me in the living room, he immediately changes his tone and asks, almost carefully, in a soft concerned voice, about my knee:)

well, today he did something else.. when i answered that it's better now, but it's still swollen and painful - he said "i know, you need plaster, wait a while, i'll get plaster for you ok?" and he ran very quickly into the room to get plaster, with his socks still on..

and then he "stuck" the plaster on my knee (on the needle wound) with the sticky bit facing up.. (i laughed and turned it right side up) and ran off to play xbox..
my 3 yr old niece followed suit and stuck another plaster on my knee while i wasn't looking.. it's so sweet of them to put plasters on my swollen knee.. :)

singing phobia

i have overcome my singing phobia! Thank God :)

haven't been able to sing in the presence of others (including good friends) since young. when i had to sing with my class during music period at school, i sang so softly, it might have been just lip synch on my part.

i remember 2 traumatising singing incidents at school - once in primary sch and once in sec sch. on both occasions i had to sing solo while the rest of the class listened.. i was so traumatised i don't even know how it went.

when i start going to church last year, i wanted so much to worship God but didn't know how to sing worship songs and was terrified of singing in public.. Thank God for giving me courage to sign up for singing classes coz in singing class, we have to sing in front of classmates while being scrutinized by the teacher (for good reasons). I also bought worship cds to listen to and singalong.

just today, i went for my first mandarin singing comp audition!!
it was unbelievable.. (for me) that i really did it & my knees weren't wobbly!

i didn't manage to find nor download the accompany music for the songs i wanted to sing.. and felt so inadequate at performing the songs that i wanted to back out. the audition time for me was 2pm, i was still mulling over it till 2.35 when i decided to call the school to see if they'd still let me go.. while i was put on hold to check, i was still uncertain if i should go and thought if i was allowed to go despite the time, i'll go! and so i went.. Thank God for the keyboard (oops i forgot to turn off the power..) in the waiting room, playing with it took my mind off my nerves. my heartrate was highest at the moment just before entering the audition room, and my hands at their coldest as well.

but i did it!! another of my to-do's in a lifetime thingy
Yippee!

my father went to church today!

image source: breadonthewaters

hallelujah! God is wonderful and works in amazing ways.

my father went to church on his own today :D
he even went out for prayer for healing and he has decided to go again next week, and regularly, for healing!! thank God

thank God thank God
thank God for the pastors and brothers and sisters who ministered to him, blessed him and prayed for him

i can't thank God enough..

my father has just returned home from church and is now cooking porridge for us even though he has just eaten. this is a first!! praise God!!

Thank you God!!

what i want for the new year

a fren asked me what i wanted most for the new year
this is what i said in reply:

for everyone to know God and follow God, to be touched by God, to experience His love and goodness
wisdom to hear God clearly, and strength and obedience in doing His will
for Him to abide in me and me in Him every moment of my life

i wanna give thanks..

Thanks to God for an amazing 2007 filled with love, joy, faith, peace, hope and more joy..

2007 has been a really amazing year for me. it started tumultously with my life gone topsy turvy and finished with such joyous splendour!

jan 2007 saw the end of a 16 year relationship with the love of my life
i had a really difficult time adjusting when God made me surrender my first love by unveiling my eyes to lies and deceit, and drew me closer to Him, i survived the ordeal without emotional scratches only because He took away my despair, sorrow, depression and in place filled me up with such amazing peace & joy! helping me to see things through His word and helping me learn to follow His will

He has seen to having my broken relationships reconciled, wrongs forgiven, prayers answered
personal experiences of God's amazing love have left me humbly awed

pastor gilbert asked in church today:
have you ever been so deeply touched by God that you can only weep?
have you ever been so deeply touched by God that you have thought about giving all that you have to the ministry?
have you ever been so deeply touched by God that you want to share it with everybody you know one to one?

and my answer to that is Yes, Yes & Yes!

as i count my blessings in dec 2007, i know i have all i need in God

God's love is sooooo good.. i pray for everyone to be deeply touched by God's love and so abundantly filled with God's love that it overflows to people around them

i'm thankful to God for creating the opportunities to share His love and goodness with friends, family and even strangers whom i meet on the street

i'm thankful to God for sending His body (church, brothers and sisters) and little angels (God's precious children) to teach me, encourage me, strengthen me and affirm His love for me

i'm especially thankful to God for bringing my father, auntie and cousin to church on christmas day, touching my father and bringing him to church service on weekends following that first christmas day visit.. hallelujah!

i'm so thankful to God for bringing me to church early this year, filling me so fully, ever since, with His wonderful love again and again even though each time i had felt so undeserving due to guilt, shame, remorse or other reasons

i know i'm in the best Potter's hands and have no other wants

Thank God!

what have i been up to

this question was popped alot this christmas time, as much time was spent catching up with frens..

time flies and it took me a while to recall what i've been up to..

and here's some of the things i've done lately..

music classes - vocal, keyboard
christmas dance performance for kids by kids - choreography, music mixing, rehearsals
acting - cameo (nurse) in chinese drama, singing tree in musical at asian children's performance, sporty titan in corporate skit
baking course - brownie cheesecake, puff pastry with fruits
jewellery making course - art clay silver ring, beaded necklace and earrings
urbankids - sunday school
church - celebrated christmas with my father, cousin & auntie at church!!
friends - chilled out with frens at home / bbq parties with too much good food.. at pei's, sara's, eng's and warren
facebook - got on to facebook, met lots of old and new frens
nieces and nephews - spent much time this holidays going to sentosa, swimming, playing games and such
perfomances - watched legends singing competition, crazy christmas musical by wild rice, the beginning of mad forest by young and wild, a christmas tale by church of our saviour, christmas play and caroling by light tower cell group, christmas celebration service in chinese by church of our saviour
movies - had nightmares after catching lust, caution, even more disturbed after watching the golden compass, the national treasure was relatively more enjoyable..

Merry Christmas!

today's the day of the much anticipated dance performance that the children have been working towards..
i know God will take care of everything and be with the children, but wished i could have stayed to catch them in action. am sure it'd be magical to watch. sigh

hope there'll be videos or photos..

if you are reading this now, these blessings are for you :)


Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com




Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com




Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

every move i make (korean version)

what i'm wearing this sunday

what a blooper.. i won't be able to lead worship for sunday school coz it's supposed to be on 25th, not 24th nov, and i have acf performance on 25th.. double checked with anne last week and she's confirmed that it'd be on 25th, not 24th..
* * * * *
and this is what i'd be wearing for the acf show.. as a singing, talking tree
was tasked to find a dress at short notice and managed to find this lovely dress just last wednesday
quite close to weiyan's designs eh?
what i like about it..

it's simple, not too loud

it has a tassled hem..

it sparkles!

even on the straps..

and i'm to wear this flowery headdress, custom made by a fellow "tree" who kindly made it extra large coz she thought i wanted mine extra huge.. lol
it's lovely and am really appreciative of her efforts

oh look, i've gotten green shoes to match the outfit as well..

worship songs for urbankids

ta da... these are some of my favorites

you are holy (prince of peace) introduced to me by jiayen :) - thanks! (note: it should have been jiayan)
found this on youtube (performed by michael smith)


matt redman's heart of worship - thanks again to jiayen for introducing this song to me :) (note: sorry, spelt you wrongly again jiayan)
see Matthew 15:8-9
"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."
what it is all about..
"No matter how important all of the external things are in our worship, the biggest obstacle in worship is what God has to deal with in us. The biggest problem in worship is our heart..No amount of action in a worship service, no amount of the externals, no amount of religious stuff that we can pack into our lives, no matter how well planned, how beautiful, how much we like it, how good it makes us feel, no amount of that can ever make up for a heart problem in our relationship with God."
see http://www.centralpc.org/sermons/2006/s060115.htm
lyrics and chords at http://www.justworship.com/worshipsongs/heartofworship.html

and this song that i don't know the name of.. i heard this at my niece's kindergarten, and my niece taught me the lyrics :)
it goes like this

i'm gonna clap my hands to show i love you
gonna jum around and sing your praise
coz you are everything to me
your're the best friend that i love
Jesus i love your name (2x)

i'm gonna stamp my feet to show i love you
gonna jump around and sing your praise
coz you are everythin to me
your're the best friend that i love
Jesus i love your name (2x)

therefore in life, Thee pour us high
there's one thing that stays the same, the same
no power of king, can do anything to take your love away (note: this verse is from another song, "absolutely nothing", my niece sang me the whole song, but i couldn't recall correctly)

(it should have been..)
i'm gonna lift my hands up high
coz you died for me
upon he cross
you took away my sins
and shake..

i'm gonna clap my hands to show i love you
gonna jum around and sing your praise
coz you are everything to me
your're the best friend that i love
Jesus i love your name (2x)

i'm gonna stamp my feet to show i love you
gonna jump around and sing your praise
coz you are everythin to me
your're the best friend that i love
Jesus i love your name (2x)

lunch

i made pasta and served it to my dad today. thank God for that. i haven't spoken to my dad for the longest time. thank God for leading me towards taking this little step.

i put him (my dad) on my impact list today and prayed over it. pastor derek led us in the prayer and God has answered my prayer instantly.. now i know why i was prompted to detour to ntuc for groceries after church.

***

my heart jumped when ann asked for a volunteer to lead worship for sunday school on 24th nov. i wanted to, but was afraid i wouldn't know how. as usual, i waited to see who would volunteer. everyone did the same, nothing happened for a while. then sheila volunteered.. me.. i happily agreed. i don't know how i'll go about it yet, but i know God will see me through this.

***

been thinking about learning to play musical instruments (for worship) for a while and finally got around to speaking to serena this morning about buying a keyboard. she readily agreed when i asked her about piano lessons for my niece! thanks to crystal for setting this up. thank God for her phone call last thur, telling me to approach serena for piano lessons for shihui. i'm filled with excitement for shihui and my family. i can see God's blessings on them!

we sang heart of worship again today, this song has been in my heart ever since jiayan taught it to me last last week. it was sung at cell meeting and it cropped up again during the music workshop at nlb learning festival when i spoke to jonathan, who is also a christian and a keyboardist..

i think God wants me to understand more about the heart of worship.. it's more than a song..

sunday school

missed sunday school for 3 weeks due to softball competitions and finally got to go today!
the children were like angels (was with the p1's today), christen told me she had been practising the xmas dance that i'd taught, kovi chatted happily with me and asked "how come i so long never come", another cute little girl whose name i didn't get kept swinging my arms & told me smelled like her mom.. (i'm sure she meant it as a compliment) i was especially touched when the p5 boys (who usually sits at the back) went right to the front of the first row on their own initiative and sat on the floor to take notes of the memory verses. Thank God!

what we learnt at suday school today: Wear the Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-14
10 Be strong in the Lord and in His great power. 11 Wear the full Armor of God. Wear God's armor so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks. 12 Our fight is not against the people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness. We are fighting againast the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. 13 That is why you need to get God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to be strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. 14 So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist. And on you rchest wear the protection of right living.

What we wear for God's armor.
Belt of truth (God's word)
Protection of right living (righteousness thru God)
Shoes of peace (stand strong in the good news of peace)
Shield of faith (to stop the burning arrows of the Evil One)
Helmet of salvation (accept God's salvation)
Sword of the spirit (pray in the spirit at all times for all God's people)

during the main service today, i went out for prayer when the pastor asked those who wanted help in doing what God wants us to do, to go forward for prayer, and i was deeply touched by God's love 3 times in a row, i couldn't stop my tears each time the pastor prayed. (he prayed and stopped and asked how i felt and prayed again and asked again and prayed again) the first time he prayed, i felt hot as tears flowed involuntarily, and also felt peaceful as my tears dried. then as i shared about my situation (why i wanted to do what God wanted), i felt shivers / trembling (like when it's very cold) except that it started from within me (not because of the temperature), somewhere near my heart, and also my feet, i asked the pastor if it was cold, and he confirmed that it wasn't. i shared that i get these trembles when i speak about things that are close to my heart, and especially when it's about God. the pastor prayed again and this time i felt warm around my head and the shivers subsided. i asked the pastor whether i had felt hot because of all the crying, and he asked me if crying while watching sad movies made me feel hot, my answer was no. i also shared that i often cry when i worship, because i feel touched. but when i go out for prayer, i weep so hard that people who don't know what's happening would definitely be worried.. (actually, i don't know what's happening either but i wasn't worried, i'd always felt safe and loved whenever this happens)

i'd been wondering why i always weep so hard (was it because of wrong things i've done or ...?) & God sent a messenger to assure me at sunday school today, kovi had me assured when he shared that when he and his mom was touched by the holy spirit and given the gift of tongue last weekend by God, he and his mom both had tears flowing non-stop as well. he was smiling and happy when he told it to me, it helped me understand that my crying during prayers was not some form of punishment from God for not being able to do all the things He wants me to do, but because i'm touched by His love! btw, adorable kovi is a 7 yr old boy from korea!

God works in amazing ways..

my first vocal class

attended my first vocal class today at music forest, and my teacher is wu jia ming laoshi! (i didn't know beforehand, such a pleasant surprise)
down memory lane >> i remember running to see who was singing on tv when i first heard him sing, he sings beautifully!

and coincidentally, today, he mentioned different reactions to singers, well, he fitted in my category of singers where i'd react by running nearer to take a closer look when i hear them singing from a distance..
i'm so privileged to be learning from him.. and he's good at weaving jokes into the lesson, reminds me of mr kunalan from spe, they both make learning fun for learners.

to think i almost backed out coz it's quite impossible to get there on time after work. i'm so glad i went. am bursting with excitment.

he also mentioned that the motivating factors for taking classes is an influential factor with regard to a student's progress - whether intrinsic or extrinsic (reminded of what was covered in sports psychology)

y did i go for this course? (a question asked during the audition as well..)

i've always longed to sing beautifully since young, but i have a phobia of singing in the presence of others

i had only managed to overcome it recently by signing up and completing a basic singing class at Ark music school, located just across the road from LAdanceconnection, where i used to dance full-time.

i had to sing in the presence of the teacher and 5 other classmates weekly for 12 classes. it was frightful for me, but am glad to have done it.

there was an opportunity to perform at the end of the course but i couldn't summon enough courage to do it.. ~sigh~ i regretted missing the opportunity to overcome my fear of singing in public for an audience and ended up registering for a singing contest at Ark instead so that i could try singing for an audience in public. i chickened out last minute.. ~sighs~ regrets again

then i went for another competition - live the dream - and finally managed to not chicken out of the audition. thank god it was a closed door audition. i forgot the lyrics and had a sore throat (flu virus) but felt a great sense of achievement in overcoming my fear.

thankful that i've had this first audition experience that didn't go well for me as it helped calm my nerves at the subsequent audition that i went to - the one for this vocal course that i'm doing now.. i thought i didn't do well, so happy when they called a week later to tell me i got through. thank God!

well, this longing to sing beautifully has deepened since attending church early this year & i really want to learn to sing beautifully for God

looking forward to this fruitful and exciting learning journey..

what i wanna do next sunday

I'm going to church next Sunday! I've missed church for 2 Sundays in a row & feel awful... Been so torn between going for game and service.. Thank God our games are going to be in the afternoons from now!! Yay

Missed helping out at urbankids sunday school too, sigh