N430 - The Fun Godly Family

Rightly Interpreting the Bible by Ron Rhodes

2012-02-10T19:00:00.000+08:00

Methodology

The word "method" comes from the Greek word methodos, which literally means "a way or path of transit."

Methodology in Bible study is therefore concerned with "the proper path to be taken in order to arrive at Scriptural truth."

This clearly implies that improper paths can be taken.
Of course, proper methodology is essential to many fields of endeavor. A heart surgeon does not perform open heart surgery without following proper, objective methodology. (Would you trust a heart surgeon to operate on you who told you that he intended to discard objective methodology, instead opting for a subjective approach - cutting you where he feels like cutting you?)

Improper methodology in interpreting Scripture is nothing new.

Even in New Testament times, the apostle Peter warned that there are teachings in the inspired writings of Paul "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16, insert added).

This verse tells us that mishandling the Word of God can be very dangerous. Indeed, mishandling the Word of God is a "path" to destruction.

Contrary to the practices of some false teachers in Corinth, the apostle Paul assured his readers that he faithfully handled the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:2). Paul admonished young Timothy to follow his example: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, italics added).

A Foundational Truth: God Created Language for a Purpose

A plain reading of Genesis indicates that when God created Adam in His own rational image, He gave Adam the gift of intelligible speech, thus enabling him to communicate objectively with his creator (and with other human beings) via sharable linguistic symbols called words (Genesis 1:26).

God sovereignly chose to use human language as a medium of revelational communication.

If the primary purpose of God's originating of language was to make it possible for Him to communicate with human beings, as well as to enable human beings to communicate with each another, then it must follow that He would generally use language and expect man to use it in its literal, normal, and plain sense.

This view of language is a prerequisite to understanding not only God's spoken word but His written Word (Scripture) as well.

The Bible as a body of literature exists because human beings need to know certain spiritual truths to which they cannot attain by themselves.

Thus these truths must come to them from without - that is, via objective, special revelation from God (Deuteronomy 29:29).

And this revelation can only be understood if one interprets the words of Scripture according to God's original design for language - that is, according to the ordinary, plain, literal sense of each word.

Seeking the Author's Intended Meaning

Instead of superimposing a meaning on the biblical text, the objective interpreter seeks to discover the author's intended meaning (the only true meaning).

One must recognize that what a passage means is fixed by the author and is not subject to alteration by readers.

Meaning is determined by the author; it is discovered by readers.

Our goal must be exegesis (drawing the meaning out of the text) and not eisogesis (superimposing a meaning onto the text).

By using eisogesis instead of exegesis, a Marxist interpreter could, for example, so skew the meaning of the U.S. Constitution that it came out reading like a socialistic document.

Cultists have done the same type of thing with Holy Scripture.

They so skew the meaning of the biblical text that it comes out saying something entirely different than what was intended by the author.

Only by objective methodology can we bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of the biblical writers.

Indeed, our method of interpreting Scripture is valid or invalid to the extent that it really unfolds the meaning a statement had for the author and the first hearers or readers.

The Importance of Context

A woman entered the Democratic primary for governor of the state of Texas. She was convinced that the Bible had told her she would win the nomination. When she received the official list of names from the primary she saw her name printed last. Then she read in her Bible, "Many that are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30). On the basis of that verse she thought God was telling her she would win. But she lost. This amusing story illustrates the need for interpreting Scripture in its proper context. Taken out of context, the Scriptures can be twisted to say just about anything.

Seeking the biblical author's intended meaning necessitates interpreting Bible verses in context.

Every word in the Bible is part of a verse, and every verse is part of a paragraph, and every paragraph is part of a book, and every book is part of the whole of Scripture.

No verse of Scripture can be divorced from the verses around it. Interpreting a verse apart from its context is like trying to analyze a Rembrandt painting by looking at only a single square inch of the painting, or like trying to analyze Handel's "Messiah" by listening to a few short notes.

The context is absolutely critical to properly interpreting Bible verses.

In interpreting Scripture, there is both an immediate context and a broader context.

The immediate context of a verse is the paragraph (or paragraphs) of the biblical book in question. The immediate context should always be consulted in interpreting Bible verses.

The broader context is the whole of Scripture.
The entire Holy Scripture is the context and guide for understanding the particular passages of Scripture.

We must keep in mind that the interpretation of a specific passage must not contradict the total teaching of Scripture on a point.

Individual verses do not exist as isolated fragments, but as parts of a whole.

The exposition of these verses, therefore, must involve exhibiting them in right relation both to the whole and to each other. Scripture interprets Scripture.

As J. I. Packer puts it, "if we would understand the parts, our wisest course is to get to know the whole."

The Importance of Historical Considerations

Historical considerations are especially important in properly interpreting the Word of God.

The Christian faith is based on historical fact.

Indeed, Christianity rests on the foundation of the historical Jesus whose earthly life represents God's full and objective self-communication to humankind (John 1:18).

Jesus was seen and heard by human beings as God's ultimate revelation (1 John 1:1-3).

This is why He could forcefully claim, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also" (John 14:7).

The apostle Paul, when speaking with the religious men of Athens, affirmed that the reality of the future judgment of all humanity rests on the objective, historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17:16f.).

This evidence is recorded for us in the New Testament Gospels, documents that are based on eyewitness testimony and written very close in time to the events on which they report.

Based on how people respond to God's objective, historical revelation contained in Scripture, they will spend eternity in a real heaven or a real hell.

Making a Correct Genre Judgment

A "literal" approach to Scripture recognizes that the Bible contains a variety of literary genres, each of which has certain peculiar characteristics that must be recognized in order to interpret the text properly.

Biblical genres include the historical (e.g., Acts), the dramatic epic (e.g., Job), poetry (e.g., Psalms), wise sayings (e.g., Proverbs), and apocalyptic writings (e.g., Revelation).

Obviously, an incorrect genre judgment will lead one far astray in interpreting Scripture.

A parable should not be treated as history, nor should poetry or apocalyptic literature (both of which contain many symbols) be treated as straightforward narrative.

The wise interpreter allows his knowledge of genres to control how he approaches each individual biblical text.

In this way, he can accurately determine what the biblical author was intending to communicate to the reader.

Now, even though the Bible contains a variety of literary genres and many figures of speech, the biblical authors most often employed literal statements to convey their ideas.

Where they use a literal means to express their ideas, the Bible expositor must employ a corresponding means to explain these ideas - namely, a literal approach.

A literal method of interpreting Scripture gives to each word in the text the same basic meaning it would have in normal, ordinary, customary usage - whether employed in writing, speaking, or thinking.

Without such a method, communication between God and man is impossible.

Interpret the Old Testament in Light of the New Testament

God gave revelation to humankind progressively throughout Old and New Testament times.

He didn't just give His entire revelation for all time to our first parents, Adam and Eve, or to Moses, the Lawgiver.

Rather, as time went on - as the centuries slowly passed - God provided more and more revelation that became progressively full so that by the time the New Testament was complete, God had told us everything He wanted us to know.

In view of this, a key interpretive principle is that one should always interpret the Old Testament in view of the greater light of the New Testament.

The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber richly furnished but dimly lighted.

The introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not in it before; but it brings out into clearer view much of what is in it but was only dimly or even not at all perceived before.

The Old Testament revelation of God is not corrected by the fuller revelation which follows it, but only perfected, extended, and enlarged.

Again, then, the Old Testament should be interpreted according to the greater light of the New Testament. The Old Testament is much clearer when approached through the lens of the New Testament.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit

Scripture tells us that we are to rely on the Holy Spirit's illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11).

It is the Holy Spirit's work to throw light upon the Word of God so that the believer can assent to the meaning intended and act on it.

The Holy Spirit, as the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13), guides us so that "we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12).
This is quite logical: full comprehension of the Word of God is impossible without prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God, for He who inspired the Word (2 Peter 1:21) is also its supreme interpreter.

Illumination is necessary because man's mind has been darkened through sin (Romans 1:21), preventing him from properly understanding God's Word.

Human beings cannot understand God's Word apart from God's divine enablement (Ephesians 4:18).

This aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry operates within the sphere of man's rational capacity, which God Himself gave man (cf. Genesis 2-3).

Illumination comes to the 'minds' of God's people - not to some nonrational faculty like our 'emotions' or our 'feelings' [like a 'burning in the bosom'].

To know God's revelation means to use our minds.
This makes knowledge something we can share with others, something we can talk about.

God's Word is in words with ordinary rational content.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit in interpretation does not mean interpreters can ignore common sense and logic.

Since the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), He does not teach concepts that fail to meet the tests of truth.

In other words, "the Holy Spirit does not guide into interpretations that contradict each other or fail to have logical, internal consistency."

It must also be kept in mind that the function of the Holy Spirit is not to communicate to the minds of people any doctrine or meaning of Scripture that is not contained already in Scripture itself.

The Holy Spirit makes men "wise up to what is written, not beyond it."

Indeed, "the function of the Spirit is not to communicate new truth or to instruct in matters unknown, but to illuminate what is revealed in Scripture."

The Example of Jesus Christ

Jesus consistently interpreted the Old Testament quite literally, including

the Creation account of Adam and Eve (Matthew 13:35; 25:34; Mark 10:6),

Noah's Ark and the flood (Matthew 24:38-39; Luke 17:26-27),

Jonah and the great fish (Matthew 12:39-41),

Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15), and

the account of Lot and his wife (Luke 17:28-29).

In his book The Savior and the Scriptures, theologian Robert P. Lightner notes - following an exhaustive study - that Jesus' interpretation of Scripture "was always in accord with the grammatical and historical meaning. He understood and appreciated the meaning intended by the writers according to the laws of grammar and rhetoric."

Jesus affirmed the Bible's

divine inspiration (Matthew 22:43),

its indestructibility (Matthew 5:17-18),

its infallibility (John 10:35),

its final authority (Matthew 4:4,7,10),

its historicity (Matthew 12:40; 24:37),

its factual inerrancy (Matthew 22:29-32), and

its spiritual clarity (Luke 24:25).

Moreover, He emphasized the importance of each word of Scripture (Luke 16:17). Indeed, He sometimes based His argumentation on a single expression of the biblical text (Matthew 22:32,43-45; John 10:34).

Is the Bible Alone Sufficient?

That the average person can understand Scripture without having to rely upon a church for the "authoritative teaching" is evident in the fact that Jesus taught openly and with clarity, and expected His followers to each understand His meaning. Recall that following His arrest, Jesus was questioned by the High Priest about His disciples and His teaching. Jesus responded:

I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said (John 18:20-21, emphases added).
According to Jesus, those who heard Him would be able to clearly enunciate what He had openly communicated.

There were no confusing or obscure meanings in His words that required an "authoritative interpretation" by a church.

In keeping with this, the apostle Paul instructed young Timothy: "From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).

This verse points to the complete sufficiency of Scripture in the life of a believer.

Jewish boys formally began studying the Old Testament Scriptures when they were five years of age.

Timothy had been taught the Scriptures by his mother and grandmother beginning at this age.

Clearly, 2 Timothy 3:15 indicates that the Scriptures alone are sufficient to provide the necessary wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ.

The Scriptures alone are the source of spiritual knowledge.

Then, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that all Scripture is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

This verse does not say that Scripture as seen through the lens of the Mormon church is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof," and so forth.

It is Scripture that does these things. And the reason Scripture can do these things is that all Scripture is inspired by God (vs. 16a).

The word inspired means "God-breathed." Scripture is sufficient because it finds its source in God.

It is noteworthy that the phrase thoroughly furnished ("that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished") means "complete, capable, fully furnished, proficient in the sense of being able to meet all demands."

Scripture alone makes a person complete, capable, and proficient.

Scripture furnishes all that one must know to be saved and to grow in grace.

Correctly Handling the Word of Truth

Jesus said His words lead to eternal life (John 6:63). But for us to receive eternal life through His words, they must be taken as He intended them to be taken.

A cultic reinterpretation of Scripture that yields another Jesus and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-9) will yield only eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15).

thank God that we have Him.

2012-02-09T00:44:00.004+08:00

Quiet time tonight was filled was Thanksgiving.

I heard myself uttering, " thanks God that I have you in my life. Without You, I am nothing." How true is this! God filled me with this realization of how much of dependence I have on Him. Really, looking through my life, if without knowing God, I do not think I will be still surviving in this society...

Thank God I still have you. Please help me to continue to cherish all that you had given me, including You.

Noah's Ark - Part 3

2012-01-31T21:00:00.000+08:00

The Story Lessons (for Children)

The entire story of Noah's ark is told in three chapters in the book of Genesis. If you plan to teach this lesson in a single session, you will need to focus on the major points of the story. First, Noah was a "righteous man," unlike most of mankind. Second, God planned to destroy the entire world in a flood and to spare only the righteous. Third, Noah was obedient and built the ark and filled it with animals according to God's instructions. Fourth, God sent rain for 40 days and nights. Fifth, when the flood waters subsided, God sent the first rainbow as a promise He would never again destroy the world with a flood.

A major point in the story of Noah's Ark is that God was going to destroy the entire earth in a worldwide flood. It's important to explain why God had decided to do this. The Bible said that humanity had grown so completely evil that God regretted even creating mankind. However, God took care of the few righteous people on the earth by providing a way for them to survive. Make sure to distinguish between wickedness and righteousness and to point out that God did not hate people. He hated their sins and made a way of escape for those willing to obey Him.

The animals of the ark are the lighter side of Noah's story. God instructed Noah to take pairs of every kind of animal living on the earth. An interactive Bible lesson for children could include a discussion of what kinds of animals they can imagine were on the ark. They could then draw pictures of Noah and his family selecting various animals.

The Bible says that after the flood waters receded, God laid out some specific criteria that the survivors were to live by. He put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant He was making to never again destroy the earth with a flood. A Bible lesson on this aspect of Noah's story could include a discussion about rainbows and an explanation of what the word "covenant" means. A Bible lesson for younger children can include making a rainbow as a craft project.

Noah's Ark - Part 2

2012-01-30T19:30:00.000+08:00

Some interesting little notes

1. The sacred inspired text tells us Noah and Shem lived 500 years after the flood and did not die until after the birth of Abraham.

2. The flood is a historical event known to all ancient men because the four couples who were on the ark populated the entire earth.

3. This is why the oldest archeology on earth records several different flood stories that have spectacular parallels with the true Genesis account. These include the Sumerian Eridu Genesis: (2150 BC) the Akkadian Epic of Atra-Hasis (1635 BC) and the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh (1150 BC) These and the 500 other "flood stories/myths" that are found in every corner of the earth, are what you would expect given the fact of Noah's Ark and the global flood. The best candidate from the one who was on the ark in these flood stories would be Ham, the grandfather of Nimrod who build the tower of Babel.

4. There is evidence from both archeology in China and word pictures embedded in the Chinese language, that Noah moved to China and may have been the first emperor. Noah died when Abraham was 58.

5. Jewish tradition has long viewed Shem as Melchizedek, who died when Jacob was 50. Shem was one of the oldest men on earth and was one of four couples who repopulated the earth. If Noah had gone to China as we suspect, then he would appear to be "without father and mother" until Moses came along in 1440 BC and wrote Genesis.

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1. Noah lived long enough that he could be personally acquainted with everyone after Seth down to Abraham.

2. In 2451 BC, it took Noah less than 100 years to build the ark, with the assistance of his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth.

3. About 2275 BC, Ham's grandson Nimrod, built the founded Babylon and built the Tower of Babel.

4. Angered that God stopped them from building the pyramid shaped Tower of Babel, men to Egypt and South America and built more pyramids in defiance to God in 2200 BC.

5. We find 500 flood stories all over the world and the earliest archeologically verified tablet is the Sumerian flood story, dated to 2150 BC, shortly after God created Cuneiform as a language at the Tower of Babel.

Noah's Ark - Part 1

2012-01-29T21:44:00.000+08:00

The Story (Kiddy Version)

After Adam and Eve sinned against God they were thrown out of the garden of Eden. Then they began to have children and all of their children were just like them--disobedient sinners. A few of them however found sight in God's eyes because they obeyed God. The rest were exceeding wicked and cruel. Men did all sorts of wicked things. In those days, there were giants in the earth and violence was everywhere!

God looked down upon the earth that He had created and He was grieved. He made a beautiful earth for man to dwell in peace and righteousness. God lovingly made the earth and the animals and the plants and the stars so that man would be happy. God made man so that they could be friends. But God looked down and saw how man hated God and hated other men. Men were killing each other and taking each others wives. Men loved themselves and not God. They did not listen to His holy commandments, they ignored Him. God was exceeding grieved in His heart. He repented that He had even made man on the earth.

And the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."
But in the whole earth there was one man who found grace in the eyes of the LORD. There was only ONE man who was doing right and obeying the Lord. His name was Noah. Noah was just and He walked with God. He listened to God and did things the good and holy way instead of being wicked like the rest of the people. Noah was 500 years old and had three sons whose names were Shem, Ham, and Japeth. In those days, men lived a long time, but God told them even then that He would eventually set the limits on man's days at 120 years. Not too many people live to be 120 years old nowadays.
God looked upon the earth, and behold, all flesh was corrupt. God said to Noah,

"The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark..."

God then told Noah how to make the ark. He told him to make the ark 300 cubits long--that's longer than a football field! He told him to put pitch on it. Pitch is like tar. It kept the ark sealed up. God also told Noah to make a window on top of the ark and a door on the side of it. The ark was to be three stories high. What a vessel!

Then God told Noah what He was going to do. He said,

"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die."

God was very serious. Men were hurting and killing and robbing and stealing and lying and sinning continually. Only Noah was seeking the Lord. How disappointing. God made man and loved man, but man hated God and His ways. Therefore, God decided to destroy the unrighteous by bringing the biggest flood in the history of the world.

But since Noah was faithful to the Lord, God said unto Him,

"But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee."

In other words, God was going to save Noah and his family from the worldwide flood by placing them in the ark where they would be safe.
God had more instructions for Noah. God cared about the little animals.

"And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female."

God told Noah to bring every kind of animal on the ark--one male and one female, that is a pair. God said that each little animal would come to Noah so Noah would keep them alive. God sent the animals right to Noah! What a sight that must have been. Of course, Noah did not bring fish on the ark because they would not drown from the flood--they live in water!

God also told Noah to collect food for Noah and for the animals for their stay on the ark. Noah had to gather A LOT of food to feed all those people and animals. Noah obeyed God and did everything that God told him to. It took Noah a LONG TIME to build the ark and gather all the food that they would need while they were on the ark. Remember, he had to collect food for himself, his wife, his three sons, and his sons' three wives PLUS he had to collect food for all the animals that were going to be on board the ark.

The ark was completed when Noah was 600 years old! It took 100 years to build it! After it was finished, God told Noah,

"Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."

God went on to tell him to take seven pairs of each of the clean beasts onto the ark and one pair of each of the unclean beasts. He also commanded him to take birds onto the ark by sevens to keep their seed alive upon the face of all the earth. Then God told Noah,

"For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth."

Can you imagine what that was like? To know that in one week, God was going to cover the whole earth with deep, dark water. To know that your neighbors were going to be killed in one week? Noah's neighbors probably laughed at him for building such a huge ark on dry land. The Bible says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness--but nobody listened to him. Nobody believed that God would destroy the wicked. But they were very wrong. They had had 100 years to repent and follow God, but they would not.
Finally the time came for Noah and his family to enter the ark. After they went inside, all the animals followed them. The animals were paired up--the male and his female. This way, after the flood, the animals could make babies and repopulate the earth. There were all kinds of animals--

THE BEASTS like lions, bears, tigers, wolves, squirrels, and cats.
THE CATTLE like cows, oxen, wildebeasts and deer.
THE CREEPING THING THAT CREEPETH UPON THE EARTH like beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and moths.
THE FOWLS like vultures, sparrows, robins, storks, and eagles.

There were rooms and compartments on the ark for the animals. Each animal had a mate. Each male had a female and each female had a male so they could repopulate the earth after everything had been destroyed.

When God made the earth, He made it so man could live a comfortable life, but man did not want that. So God destroyed it all except for the ONE man who loved God. That man's name was Noah. After Noah, his family, and all the animals were on the ark, the LORD shut the door of the ark. And with that, the rest of the world was condemned to die.

It came to pass that after seven days, the waters of the flood came upon the earth. Those were probably very dark days. Have you ever looked at the sky when there is about to be a thunderstorm? The sky is dark and gray with thick, charcoal-colored, ominous clouds rolling in. The wind gets rather warm and quickly blows across the streets, hills and valleys. There is a low rumbling from distant clouds and you begin to look for cover because you know that it is about to rain.

While Noah and his family were safely in the ark, the rains came. They could hear the heavy raindrops falling on the ark. Sheets of rain began to fall all over the world. Noah was 600 years old. It was the 2nd month, the 17th day of the month when the rains came. The waters kept coming down. They prevailed and were greatly increased upon the earth. The huge ark began to float. The once dry land was now covered with water. The people ran for cover, but they couldn't find any. The rain wouldn't stop. Even the bottom of the ocean opened and water gushed forth. The windows of heaven were opened and water came down like a huge waterfall. The water crashed to the ground and swirled and raged and grew deeper and deeper. People and animals were drowning. Survivors ran to the hills and mountains so that they would not drown, but alas, the water kept rising. People screamed in terror and some even cursed God, but the rains still came. It rained for forty days and forty nights.

The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills and mountains on the earth were covered with water! No place to run, no place to hide. All flesh that was outside of the ark died...

Both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. Noah only remained alive and they that were with him in the ark.

The waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days and God remembered Noah and all the living things on the ark with him. So God made a wind to pass over the earth and the waters retreated. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven stopped sending forth water and the rain was restrained.

Five months later, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. It was the 7th month, the 17th day of the month. But there was still water on the earth. Noah stayed on the ark. The waters decreased continually until the 10th month. In the 10th month on the first day of the month, the mountain tops could be seen. Forty days later, Noah opened the window of the ark. Noah sent forth a black raven which flew to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Noah also sent forth a dove to see if the waters had abated from off the ground, but the dove couldn't find a place to rest so she came back to the ark. The waters were still on the face of the whole earth. Noah then waited another seven days and sent the dove out again.

Lo and behold that evening the dove came back and in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. But Noah did not get off the boat. He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again. This time she did not return.

Noah was now 601 years old. It was the 1st month, the 1st day of the month and the waters were dried up from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked and behold the face of the ground was dry. But Noah still did not leave the ark. He was waiting on God's instructions. Finally, on the second month, on the 27th day of the month, the earth was dry and the Lord God told Noah to go forth of the ark. He told Noah to take his wife, his sons and his sons' wives with him. He also told him to let all the animals out so that they can breed abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. And Noah obeyed.

After Noah got off of the ark, he made an altar unto the LORD and took of every clean beast and fowl and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled a sweet savour and the LORD said in His heart,

"I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living as I have done. While seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

God then blessed Noah and his sons and told them to multiply and replenish the earth. In other words they were to have plenty of children so that the population would grow. God told Noah that every moving thing would be meat for him just like the green plants and herbs. God commanded Noah not to eat the blood of animals. He also told Noah that whoso sheddeth man's blood, his blood would be shed. In other words, if one person murdered another person, the murderer would have to die. God did not want any more violence.

God also said to Noah,

"And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, and of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth."

What was the covenant?

"...neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."

So God said that there would never be another world wide flood.
God gave Noah a sign, or token, to show that He would never cause another world wide flood. Do you know what the sign was? It was the rainbow! Everytime you see the rainbow after the rain, it is God's sign that He will never destroy the earth with a flood. God said in Genesis 9:13 and 16--

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."

Do you remember why God destroyed the earth with a flood? Men were violent and they disobeyed God's commands. They were exceeding wicked. Things have not changed today. Men are still violent and wicked. God will not ever destroy the earth with a flood, but the Bible says that He will COMPLETELY destroy it with fire...

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.2 Peter 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

We do not want to be destroyed with wicked men. We want to live with the LORD God.

Believe in Yourself =)

2011-12-13T14:40:00.005+08:00

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were
meant to be there. To serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or
help figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be but when you lock eyes with them, you
know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible,
painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming
those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will
power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of
good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer
stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small
tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere.
Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you
experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned
from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because
they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious
to whom you open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they
love you, but because they are teaching you to love and to open your heart
and eyes to little things. Make every day count.

Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can,
for you may never be able to experience it again.

Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let
yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high.

Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a
great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in
yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go
out and live it.

"If you take your eyes off your goals, all you see are obstacles."

A "Fresh" Reminder

2011-12-10T00:23:00.001+08:00

I learnt a few things which tie up nicely at end of the "lessons" - the divine encounter...

Roms 4:18 (NLT)
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!"

I came across the above verse while i was doing my Bible readings and i stopped short at it and began to read it for a few times and it suddenly drawn on me!

Then today cgm talked about the young to be raised to become leaders... okay, not really in relation to me... but then during discussion, Pastor E mentioned something about keep trusting in God to provide for us and something in around that topic... Also about childlike faith and keep having faith...

Now you can see that these two nights kinda related to each other?! ahaha! BINGO!

To tie everything nicely together... this is the message i got from God for me and perhaps even for some of you :

Besides loving one another and Me wholeheartedly, the next one thing you got to do FIRST is to believe in Me and having faith in Me. And when I said to have faith in Me, I am looking at a childlike faith and not a single moment of doubt to slip in... Faith is trusting even though you can't see it, hear it or touch it. Faith is also believing in the unbelievable! Faith is when you persist to trust in Me like a child trusting his father for something, even though it may not look to be coming to pass, yet you hold on... keep on believing... This is faith. This is loving Me.

Just like my servant Abraham, even though he was of a very old age, but he kept on believing that he will not only be a father to his own flesh but to the many people who would be born into this family... Even though it seems impossible yet Abraham held on... This is faith and I am impressed by his faith.

My dear child, for now, everything seems to be falling apart for you... and everything that you experienced before came rushing back to you again and again... you been asking yourself, lost and confused... why it seemed that you kept getting struck in the same place, unable to get out of this darkness of your life or in particular this path? Why did you always fail when it came to this part of your life?

Think about this before we go on any further... Even though you fail many times, but do we get closer? Even though you fail many times, but have I forsaken you? No! in fact, we grow closer every time! Also, if this is a test for you to be put through, how many times have you actually fail the test and "disappoint" me? Many times! You fail to learn and fail to grow up and to become the person I will like you to be... and at times, it even cost us the bonding we have built...

My dear child, if there is one time you will come forth as gold in this particular test, just like Job, who you always desire to be... that area of your life will become smooth-sailing.... and as I have promised you and the rest of my children that if you are first right with Me, i will answer all your heart's desires! -- Psa 37:4-5

And this time round, you have managed to come through several of the stages... you have grown stronger and we have become much closer... I am happy... Keep it up, my love.

Meet Me In The Stairwell

2011-11-26T01:22:00.000+08:00

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001? Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke-filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Goodbye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is okay...I am ready to go."

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now."

I was at the base of the building with the priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.

Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me...this way...take my hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

Written by: Stacey Randall

Try this

2011-11-23T16:31:00.000+08:00

Bible Brain Teaser

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu, kept people looking so hard for facts, and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books are not capitalized, but the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of the 17, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concenrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there really are the names of 17 books of the Bible in these sentences. (One preacher found 16 books in 20 minutes. It took him three weeks to find the seventeenth one.)

Will You Stay?

2011-11-22T16:00:00.000+08:00

One Sunday morning during service, a 2,000-member congregation was surprised to see two men enter, both covered from head to toe in black and carrying sub-machine guns. One of the men proclaimed, "Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are." Immediately, the choir fled, the deacons fled, and most of the congregation fled. Out of the 2,000 there only remained around 20.

The man who had spoken took off his hood, looked at the preacher and said, Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites. Now you may begin your service. Have a nice day!"

And the two men turned and walked out.

Potter's Wheel

2011-11-21T16:13:00.001+08:00

When you’re troubled and discouraged
In the darkness of the night
When obstruction clouds your vision
And you just can't see the light.

When life’s trials overcome you
And you have nowhere to turn
When you’ve reached the very bottom
There are lessons you must learn.

For the clay is being molded
It’s been twisted, pulled and tossed
It’s been rolled and it’s been pounded
Till the ego has been lost.

He will put you through the furnace
You’ll be tested to the brim
Your life will be in pieces
Till you give your soul to Him.
From blemish to perfection
His hands will form the clay
This human piece of rubble
Must let God have His way.

When you come to Him all battered
In the form of mortal man
When you cry to Him in mercy
You will find the Potter’s hand.
He will grind you, mold and chisel
The friction you will feel
Till He gently carves and shapes you
Upon the Potter’s wheel.

An Unspoken Bible

2011-11-20T16:09:00.000+08:00

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally is wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian recently while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and So Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and, when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, an Elder is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the Elder is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying To themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane.

All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The minister can't even preach the sermon until the Elder does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read."

A Sign of Times

2011-11-19T16:03:00.000+08:00

They lie on the table, side by side The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.

One is well worn, but cherished with pride (Not the Bible, but the TV Guide)

One is used daily to help folks decide. (Not the Bible: it's the TV Guide.)

As the pages are turned, what shall they see Oh, what does it matter?...turn on the TV.

Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree on what they shall watch on the old TV.

So they open the book in which they confide (No, not the Bible.....it's the TV Guide.)

The Word of God is seldom read. Maybe a verse e'er they fall into bed.

Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be... not from reading the Bible-from watching TV.

So then back to the table, side by side, lay the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.

No time for prayer....no time for the Word. The plan of salvation is seldom heard.

But forgiveness of sin so full and free is found in the Bible.....NOT on TV!

The Shadow of the Cross

2011-11-18T16:02:00.000+08:00

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body in the shape of a cross. Instead of diving, he knelt down and asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on. The pool had been drained for repairs.

God's Timing

2011-11-17T16:17:00.000+08:00

God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs.
For example, the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
those of the canary in 14 days;
those of the barnyard hen in 21 days.
The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
those of the mallard in 35 days.
The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven).

The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.

God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!

God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains. Each watermelon has an even number of strips on the rind. Each orange has an even number of segments. Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number. The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather. All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold - all even numbers.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linneus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!

Thus the Lord in His wonderful grace can arrange the life that is
entrusted to His care in such a way that it will carry out His purposes and plans, and will be fragrant with His presence.

Only the God-planned life is successful.

Your will be done Lord

2011-11-16T15:36:00.002+08:00

As a continuation of my yesterday's post, I was sharing on the test finally came upon me to see if I stand forth as gold during the test between my heart's desire and God's will.

I have been praying as according to the desire of my heart with regards to a certain area as i have became sure that i got the right feeling this time... the right desire... perhaps maybe it is not the time yet... In my prayer, as mentioned earlier, even though i prayed with accordance to my desire, i will still end with let God's will be done and i will learn to trust in Him and His timing...

If whatever I posted yesterday was really from God.... then even though it really hurt and it broke me, i will not turn away and dropped my promise during that day of my water baptism... i will stay put, preserve and trust in Him still to bring me the goodness of life and the best for me in the perfect timing.

Honestly, i am just a human and a girl... i do not want to save my ego and said this whole thing is nothing.... in actual fact, it is really painful till today, it happened a while back and i am still nursing and trying to recover... Even though I do not know what's the big plan but this time round, i am really trusting Him and for this, I am glad =)

While preparing for this post, the verse which I committed into memory came into mind :

Psalms 37:4

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

In addition, two posts which i posted earlier on also came into my mind; one of them mentioned that God cannot take away our pain as it is for us to give it up and the pain draws me closer to God and away fro the worldly gain.

In another, here's the link : Not Yet Maybe this God's way of encouragement for me. Maybe confirming whatever i said then was just temporary and it will change with time.

So for now, i should take up my courage and live my life God wants me to live =)

Is this or Is This Not?

2011-11-15T15:20:00.002+08:00

A yet another personal sharing by me...

Recently, I was undergoing some tribulations and at the same time, i was learning to put God's will first and trust in it. So i think the time for the test had finally arrived and here's how the whole story went...

Something was troubling me and it kinda of hurting me in a certain way... perhaps i was unaware. Then this one night, i suddenly just stared at the screen and started the first night of proclaiming it aloud... "God, if XX something something, then please let XX change something." This was not a form of prayer... but one may called it a cry of desperation? It is definitely not a prayer and just a moment of saying it aloud and this whole demonstration, including staring at the screen, pointing and saying it loud for the next 3 days.

Then 4 days after, God showed me that XX changed that something! I tried to steady myself and calm myself down... Is that from God? Or was it purely coincidence? I mean even without including it in my prayer but just a causal kind of remark.. God answered it, confirming it? Is this possible? People always said that God will not answer you if you just made a causal remark...

Anyone? Care to share your thought on this?

Note : Name changed to XX while the incident/request/description changed to "something"

That's a WOW-ed!

2011-10-15T02:17:00.003+08:00

For the past few cg meetings and services, I had not been able to focus... My mind being to everywhere except in the house of God. I dun feel touched or anything... i just felt routined; just like doing something i ought to do thats all... This is real bad and thus on Friday morning, i kept telling and asking myself why like this... what happened and why can't i stay focus anymore... why i seemed to be lacking in fire all over again?!!

I started praying to God and in my prayer, I also confessed... I told God I know that i “没有用"... something like being useless... i have been half-hearted... Yet He still loves me and cares for me... Yet He still tries to show that He is still with me... and I told Him i do not want to be like this...

Upon reaching the place just now, everything was normal and started with a game we played before... then settled down for the praise and worship... During certain segments, my mind in my flesh form trying to slip away to other matters... for a while, the flesh succeeded and I remembered my earlier conversation with God and I reinforced my focus back and surprisingly after a few efforts, i managed to stay in God's presence. It was WONDERFUL!!!

I was back on the ball, with my tongue breaking loose to worship Him and i felt more refreshed and through the testimony sharing sessions, i kinda like understand that God is trying to show me that I have great use for His kingdom and that seeking Him right now is the most important thing of all.... the rest? can leave till i meet my promise to Him, the promise of loving Him wholeheartedly... And thus for now, i should not worry about other matters as everything is in His good hands and great "G" plan already....

I felt real great and yea... hopefully i will be able to break a few bad habits and this focal point and learning to love God even more is here to stay =)

Quiet time - Pray for family, power in your believing and your words

2011-10-12T17:26:00.004+08:00

Finish reading Luke chapters 1-4, then I did my quiet time.

I did my quiet time in the afternoon. My house is empty except for me. So once again I prayed so hard for my family members. Also I prayed for that idol altar to be gone from my house.

Then, a verse came to my mind.

Mark 9:23-24
"If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

I prayed so hard with this verse! haha.

Anyway, I know that I had prayed through. How I know? Because, the way I prayed is different from previously. And my heart was full of joy. Don't know why, it just felt so different when compared to my previous prayers.

Then, some other matters flashed through my mind. Some other verses came too, as I continued to pray in tongues.

I continue to pray on on these matters.

Followed by the Lord's prayer. Oh, sometimes praying out aloud in words with specific items and good English was so difficult. Yet, I managed to do it this time round.

Luke 1: 20
And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

How powerful are our words?
The angel did not want unbelieving words to come out from Zechariah's mouth, thus, he is made silent, until the things that must happen according to God's plan (about John the baptist) had happened.
Please be cautious with your words and guard your heart and lips. Never let what you say cancel the blessings that are in stored for you. Always speak according to God's word.

Quiet time - evangelism Bible reading - warnings, learning, end times

2011-10-08T00:19:00.007+08:00

Quiet time

During quiet time, God led me to pray again for my family salvation. Its the first time

I'm doing my quiet time in my living room. And there was no one in the house other than me. Thus, I suddenly want to just lay hands on all the rooms in my house and pray for all the members in my family. I prayed so hard for them. Yet again, the burden for my family to know God is so strong. Yet I'm pleading for God to save them.

Target is my brother to come Christmas service at year end. Mother to come along with him. I'm to fast and pray.

Then, cellgroup message is on evangelism too, got 2 people shared testimonies about evangelism too. This message is so in line!

Bible reading

God highlight some verses to me as I read the Matthew book.

1) 2 strong 'warnings' for me to remember:

Matt 7: 21-22 (NKJV)
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly ' I never know you. Away from me, you evil-doer!'

- God reminds me to keep on doing His will and obeying His words.

Matt 12:43-45 (NKJV)
When an evil spirit comes out of a man,it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be for this wicked generation.

- God reminds me to let Jesus lives in me, always let Jesus to occupy my house, so that my old ways can never come back.

2)- I'm to learn from Jesus.
-Learnt his gentleness and humbleness.

Mattt 11:29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul.

3)I am to be cautious with my words. My words are important and has power. Never let careless, habitual words comes out from my mouth. Guard my lips. (eg, the way I talk to my parents?? Control your old habit of talking back or raising voice. Restrain and speak well with them!)

Matt 12:36-37
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word that they have spoken.
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

4)Signs of end of the age (Matt 24)

-I have to not be alarm when wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes seems to be everywhere, such things must happen, but the end is still to come. All these are beginning of birth pains.

- I have to keep on loving, keep on standing firm. Because at that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other. The love of most will grow cold.

- I must be careful that no one deceives me. Many will come and claim to be Christ and will deceive many. For false Christ and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles even to deceive the elect-if that were possible.

-Real Christ should be very visible, everyone can see.
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Learn the lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

Even so when you see are these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

quiet time - trained me in my work

2011-09-22T00:15:00.004+08:00

God's blessings:

Numbers 6: 24-26
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

This is the verse that I've highlighted during bible reading tonight.

During quiet time, God once again makes me read back the things that He had taught me before. How much I'm living a double life of a projected image and an actual image of myself. Again, I prayed so hard to Him for a total change in my life, where my image will always be my actual image all the time, and this actual image is to be Christ-like.

And I prayed for Him to teach me to differentiate between knowing the presence of God is in the room vs my own emotions overwhelming with tears. Because, His presence is not about having tears, nor about me being overwhelmed with emotions. The lyrics goes, " I'm not going to live by what I see, I'm not going to live by what i feel.."

Then I prayed so much for my work related things, because my mind seems always to be distracted by them. Then, the real message for today comes to me. I found myself praying a prayer that makes me cry, cos I confess to God that I know this prayer is not within my own ability, but definitely has to be His grace to fulfill:

Deuteronomy 28:13
And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them

To be head and not the tail, I must be doing what God commanded. Love what he loves, hates what he hates.

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me

Luke 22:42 NIV
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Luke 22:46 NIV
"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

Help me to cruxified my flesh, and let your will and not mine be done.
Let your strength be made perfect in my weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Give me wisdom to:
Let me prepare myself like the ants are doing.
Let me have a word that I can cling on to for my this prayer, so that I can be like the spider full of determination and will hold on, stick on!
Let learnt to have more EQ and team work with my workmates.
Let me always run to you like the rock-badger, knowing that my weakness is where i will be strong.

Daniel 6:3 KJV
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Serving God...

2011-09-13T21:40:00.003+08:00

As humans, we usually serve God with our might... our capability and our believed restrictions... We seldom believe in the unseen ability we are called to serve Him in.

We usually serve Him with our might... and by "our might", it simply refers to our energy and our schedule, whenever permit... We will put in all efforts to serve Him during the serving time but after the thing over, we will go back to our usual routine...

We think this make God happy? Hmm... think again... actually not.... In 1 Samuel 12:24 (NIV),

But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

Now, read the scripture again, it was mentioned with all our HEART and not with all our MIGHT...

What it means to serve with all our heart then?

It means we shall love what we are doing, loving the area we are serving in, and loving and wanting to improve on the things that are undergoing in the things we do, for example, in the ministry we are serving in. Serving with our heart meaning we DESIRE to serve and we look forward to every session and not dragging or finding excuse not to go at all... Time and flesh are not factors when we serve...

My friend, take a seat back, think through all this while, have you serve with a heavy heart which made it like serving is a burden to you?

That Amazing Love

2011-09-10T09:04:00.003+08:00

This is a true story of a mother's sacrifice during the Japan Earthquake.

After the earthquake had subsidized, when the rescuers reached the ruins of a young woman's house, they saw her dead body throughout the cracks and her pose was somehow strange as she knelt down on her knees like a person who was worshipping. The collapsed house had crashed her back and head.

With difficulties, the leader of that team managed to put his hand through one of the tiny hands, in hoping that she was alive but the signs were obvious that she was long dead. They left the house proceeding to the next collapsed house.

Somehow, the team leader felt a compelling force to go back to the dead woman again and thus they went back and this time round, he tried to search for the tiny spaces under the dead body. Suddenly, he screamed with excitement, "There is a child! There is a child!"

The whole team worked together to remove the ruins and piles around the dead woman very carefully. There was a 3 months old baby wrapped in a flowery blanket. Obviously the mother had made an ultimately sacrifice to use her body to protect her little boy. The little boy was still sleeping soundly when the leader picked him up.

The medical doctor came quickly to examine the little boy and when he unfolded the blanket, he found a handphone and on the screen was a text message "if you can survive, you must remember that I love you."

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After reading this, the first thought that came into my mind was "Wow! Someone did that for me as well... Someone named Jesus... and the most amazing thing of all? I was not even born yet!" I was full of sweet sweet smile for the rest of that day...

So next time when you think there is nobody who love you... stop and think again...

JESUS LOVES YOU!

so much that even when He could ask the angels to save him from the crucification... even when He was so afraid, He still went through the pain and the insult to show us how much He cares for us =)

quiet time - not a spirit of fear

2011-09-09T23:59:00.002+08:00

Today I was really scared as usual. I'm always like that when school is about to open. Thus, I guessed I'm much more prone to God tonight. Cannot wait to go for quiet time. Yet still cannot concentrate well. My whole mind was on the tasks that I can't do.

Prayers after prayers I prayed.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

In NIV version, it says:
"For the Spirit of God does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline"

Do not be timid. Have self-discipline! God is telling me these.

Although I'm still in fear, but I learned to thank God despite of what I'm feeling.

I thanked God that school is starting again. I thanked Him because I know its yet another time where I be put through trials again. I am to stick with God no matter what happens at my workplace. This time round, I will not fail. I must not fail. Because, in God's plan, I am to be with God.

He demands self-discipline and excellence from me. Be excited! I asked for all the passion and love for my job from Him. I asked for all the capacity and wisdom that I need from Him.

quiet time

2011-09-08T23:18:00.002+08:00

Just managed to say prayers today. Holidays gonna be over. I'm starting to panic. Did not finish the book. Did not fast cos I ate ice-cream just now. Did not do my work. Heart not with God. I want go buy macdonalds now. I want to watch tv. Really sick of veg, tofu and rice these few days...

Sorry for a very not godly post.

quiet time - not to let the grace be wasted, sexual purity, godly sorrow

2011-09-07T23:55:00.000+08:00

Cr: 'Extraordinary' by John Bevere

Quiet time today is good. Unlike the past 2 nights, tonight I knew I focused.

Been reading the book so much. So I found myself speaking out aloud what I had learnt from the book. I spoke and claim so much till i jumped up and down while praying. I know I had to get it into my spirit about God's words to us.

"We beg you who have received God's grace not to let it be wasted." (2 Cor 6:1, TEV)

Some of you may not understand how can one waste God's grace. If you had looked at God's grace like a 'Big Cover-up', those 'forgiveness-only' grace, then I guess you will not understand how it can be wasted.

Because the truth is grace is not only about forgiveness from God. Grace is also about empowering us. As grace is not only for the salvation that we know. Its also God's unmerited empowerment, which gives us the ability to do what truth demands of us in our everyday life, so as to enable us to produce the fruit of holiness in our life.

Then I asked for forgiveness and declared that I will not slip back into my old ways of doing evil again from this day onwards. I will put in effort to imitate to be more and more like Christ everyday. I will keep myself so busy everyday, that I had no time and energy to think or do wrong things that will displease Him. I will have integrity. I will be a person where my word is my bond. I will say what I mean and mean what I say.

".....Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil;....But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God - who chose you to be his children - is holy. For he Himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy."...." (1 Peter 1: 13-17, NLT)

The moment I said this, I remembered my fasting. Oh... oh.. I feel like slapping myself. I had not fast since I ate cake and tibits that day. I had ate meat yesterday. And today I had drank milo and ate french fries. So great for my word is my bond!

I heard myself mummuring out to God, " I'm not a hypocrite!, I'm not a hypocrite, I'm not..." I want to cry.

Why is it when you are so confident, when you are so full of faith in a sense to say something out to God, then something else will come to pull you down.
The past 2 days were really bad. I had no mood for quiet time at all. Then today, I think because I was so happy that's why I managed to focus in my quiet time. I know this reflect something really wrong about me.

Doing quiet time is not about mood. Even in no mood, I must also have stick on and do it well.

Anyway, I was saying, today finally I get to be so confident to speak God's words and decided to REALLY change for good, then boom, something like that come pull me down.

God had shown me so many things and truth about His Word. He had speak to me in specfic areas of my life that I need to repent for good. He had shown me how serious and displeased He is with certain things. And showed me the life that I am suppose to lead.

"For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people. That grace that instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world." (Titus 2:11-12, TEV)

Regarding sexual purity:

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You are doing this already, and we encourage you to do so more and more. For you remember what we taught you in the name of the Lord Jesus. God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin..." (1 Thess 4:1-3, NLT)

It pleases God when we live holy, especially in our sexuality.

"Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality.... [and] knowing the righteous judgement of God , that those who practise such things are deserving of death, not only [those who] do the same but also approve of those who practise them" (Rom 1:29,32)

This strong warning is not just for those who participated in immoral behaviour, but also for those who approve of it! To approve, condone, or look away from immoral behaviour is a grievous offense to God. (1 Sam 3 / 1 Cor 5) Wow...

"God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality... We have told you this before, and we strongly warned you that the Lord will punish those who do that. God did not call us to live in immorality, but in holiness. So then, whoever rejects this teaching is not rejecting human being, but God. (1 Thess 4:3,6-8, TEV)

"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit , and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood , fom things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well." (Acts 15: 28-29)

I know repentance is the complete change of mind or heart. It is when we are deeply sorry that we have hurt the heart of God and are now committed to obeying His desire.

"It was the kind of sorrow Gos wants his people to have.. For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death. " (2 Cor 7:9-10, NLT)

I did not cry. So does it means I don't have godly sorrow? But I know I will truely repent. I must!

Anyway I ask God forgiveness for not fasting and keeping my word. Then I said, "I will fast only tomorrow. Only tomorrow." I know one day is like so easy and not pulling myself out of comfort zone, nor stretching my faith and depending on God. But I rather mean what I say and keep my words than later not being able to do it and be sad. I really need sense of successes than failures now. Let God slowly increase my faith. One day, two days annd so on... Why did I straight away jump to 5 days then? Faintz.

Then I prayed in tongues and words. I knew I'm getting into worship well. I asked God to show me my callings. I claim His word of "Ask and it will be given" And I know asking this is pleasing to Him. So I asked Him to show me my specific assignments in my life for now. I heard someone asked me what I want to do in my future.

I answered:

I want to be a good wife and good mother. I want to be a capable wife like my mother who is good at managing a family, from finances to looking after everything in the family. I prayed that I be able bear the pain of child-bearing.

I want to be able to serve God in evangelism. I want to do missions with my husband. Yes, husband. Just like my uncle who do missions and is deeply in love with God. I want to like my uncle, being so close to God and serving Him. I want to be able to serve something about the Chinese gospel. Yes, in Chinese. I need to start with English first before I can go to Chinese. I prayed all these are not too far-fetched. I prayed to God to increase and build up my capactiy from now on.

I want to see my family being saved and becoming Christians like me. Whole family go church together.

haha. What is my calling? Good question. I'm on my way to its discovery.

As for now, my near future, I do have a few things in my heart, but yet to know exactly what it is: university? SOT? marriage?

Love your enemies , mercy vs grace , grace for daily living

2011-09-06T23:59:00.002+08:00

Cr: 'Extraordinary' by John Bevere

You're familiar with the old written law, "Love your friend", and its unwritten campanion, "Hate your enemy". I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. (Matt 5: 43-45, MSG)

I guess this verses just further supported gl yesterday's blog post.
We are to love the people that we just cannot get along with or like. It says "let them bring out...", with all these people around, eventually all the fruits like patience etc will be brought out from us. They are like our 'trainer'? haha.. Seriously, God really put all these people around us to bring out the best in us.

Another important point, "for then you are working out your TRUE selves, your GOD-CREATED selves". Remember God created us to be just like Him. That is our actual nature! How wonderful! So, we can definitely do it. If we choose to, we can love the people whom we initially cannot get along with. We will get along with them by God's empowering grace.

btw, my quiet time is just prayers. But are really important prayers. Because he showed me some really important things on sin, forgiveness, repentance, mercy and grace.

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confess and forsakes them will have mercy. (Prov 28:13, NKJV)

There is a difference between grace and mercy.
Grace is when we get what we don't deserve.
Mercy is when we don't get what we do deserve.

Eg. (summary, not all are actual scripture words)
Woman who committed adultery is brought to Jesus, Jesus said let those who never sinned throw the first stones. No one threw. He asked the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
"No, Lord," she replied.
"Neither do i condemn you,"Jesus said.
Jesus then said," Go and sin no more."

(John 8:7-11)

Jesus who had no sins had the power to condemn her and execute justice by throwing stones at her.Yet, mercy wins. Mercy is shown when we don't get justice (which is what we had deserved) for our sin.

Grace is the imparted power (which we don't deserves) that frees us from being slavery of sin. The words "Go and sin no more" conveyed His grace, so the woman is empowered.His words gave her the ability to carry out his directive.

"No word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment" (Luke 1:3,AMP)
So His words carried the power needed for fulfillment.

Let us then fearlessly and confidently and bodly draw near to the throne of grace,... that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in good time for every need. (Heb 4:16, AMP)

Mercy is given for our failures and sins that we have repented of. But grace is given to help, empower us. How great is our Father who has given us such a complete and not lacking salvation!

As I was reading the book, author was talking about grace not only has the purpose of grace for salvation, but also grace for daily living. That is not only grace for saving us to go His kingdom, but also the empowering grace that enables us to live a pleasing life to God while we are still in this world, before we go heave.

Then author talks about difference between period of law under Moses and now, period of grace and truth under Jesus Christ. Author starts to gives examples of increase in expectations on us from God. Like in murdering, old times only physical murder then is murder, now if u hate your brother only, also is murder liao. Another example, old times commit adultery is adultery, now, think about it is adultary liao...

Then I start to think of all the sins that I had already committed liao lor... Then I read on and understand actually God is very good to us. In old times, why there is a difference in the expectations of law under moses and now grace under jesus. Cos when without christ's empowering grace, people hearts are so hardened, they simply cannot handled the truth of God's expected demands. So God permitted moses to give the law to constrain behaviour... eg the writting of divorce paper for divorce in the old times. But God's original purpose is when man and woman unite let no one separate, how come moses still give law say can divorce...

Yet law only show our weakness and shortcomings and have no power to change our inner man. Only grace has the power...

As I read on and on, I start to ask God so how? I sinned do much, then how? So now I know all these truths liao, then how? I knew about forgivness and confessing, but I feared, cos "you will reap what u sow" ... Then God asked me to read on in the book.

Wow, then I read about the grace n mercy part. Wow! Seriously, I had forget about the meaning of mercy. Then still got grace somemore.. excellent lah! God really never leave us alone, He really gives us a complete salvation la!

"I just want this... for now..."

2011-09-06T22:54:00.003+08:00

I was thinking about my life... which included my past, my present and my future... in every aspects... like my studies, my career, my friendships, my family relations, my relationships and my commitment to God.

I lingered a while longer on the commitment part... I was just thinking committing self to something is not an easy feat... it is almost like tearing one's flesh apart! haha... exaggerating! To fulfil the commitment requires a lot of DETERMINATION!

I soon found myself asking what have I done and where has my commitment gone to? Suddenly, this came to me :

"Dear gL (actually was my name lah), all i want from you now is your time, effort and willingness. In one word, your commitment, real commitment."

Please get out of my life?

2011-09-05T23:59:00.001+08:00

I reached home about 2.45am and slept at about 3.30am and woke up for work this morning and so for the whole of today, i was in this CMI mode... I was real tired, as a result of the fun we had yesterday at Marina Barrage with the kids... I am trying to explain that i will not have much things to say for this post.... but one thing...

Human beings usually will try to stay away from people they dun like or cannot get along well together de... the bare minimal contact possible... and if really really required, then those mature ones will act professional and talked to that particular person...

Do yo ever realize that yet the above being true, no matter how hard one try to avoid, the more contact you will have that person... Oh God... why huh?

Simple, using this person to train and strengthen you! If you noticed enough, the above is so because there is no love... and i am not talking about that kind of BGR love okay... Because of the lack of love, we will dislike or unable to get along with that person... and so God creating more opportunities for you to love the person....

I got this weird flash-in when I was typing the above ==> the best conclusion? To love that person and so you would not get to need to liaise or work with that person anymore...

You really think so? NO! OF COURSE NOT la! When you develop the love, you will want to spend time with the person already... God... is just so amazing right? =)

Do forgive me if I am sounding incoherent here... because I WANT TO SLEEP!

quiet time

2011-09-05T23:00:00.003+08:00

Today's quiet time is not good at all. Only managed to say my prayers. My heart is not there at all. Yet, today I said a prayer that surprised myself.

Btw, I did not fulfill my fasting today. I ate cake and tibits.. failed.

quiet time- how to do quiet time n the lord's prayer

2011-09-04T23:50:00.003+08:00

Tonight's quiet time is cut short by me because I was tired. I know its really bad.

Was really trying hard to stay awake by standing up. But eventually after being distracted by the CNBLUE posters, I found myself laying on my bed... that's the end of my quiet time then.

Today I was moving around from sitting on bed to standing up. Repeated the same praise song and worship song again and again, yet I know I was not anywhere.

The more I try to pray out words from my mouth, I found the more I paused. There was no peace in my heart. In fact there was fear. I don't know why. I proclaim out " do not fear" several times, but it was not working.

I cannot look for God at all in this state. I was desperate. I cried out to Jesus to give me peace right now pls... I cried out several times and claim his words that when we asked it will be given, so I asked Him to give me peace now and pls let me be calm to do a good quiet time with him....

Suddenly I just want to stop moving my mouth to be quiet and i sat on my bed... I just be very quiet and still. I sang the 'still' song again. But this time peace really comes to me.

I started to ask to want to enter holy place and even holiest of holy, but I found myself unable to bring myself to ask. Then instead, I found myself asking God, " pls teach me again how to do a quiet time that is pleasing to you."

Lord's prayer came to my mind.

I understand praise him not only with songs, but to thank him for who He is to you. He is God, saviour, father, lord, guid, counsel, friend,... then you will thank him for so many things that you realised you can never stop praising him!! Then you then thank him for things that happen today.

I realised it is just like what the lyrics of the praise song is "I will never stop praising you for all the things you done for me.... Jesus you are everything to me.."

I also suddenly understand why when we pray in group, people always start by saying " we tghank God for this opportunity to pray together.." it is giving thanks first as according to the flow of Lord's prayer.

Then ask for his will for you. No wonder its best to do quiet time in morning, cos the day is just starting, you can ask him what he had planned for you today. In fact is every moments of today, cos remember every moments of your life is already written in his book before you are born. Its my duty to go and ask him to reveal it to me, what he had want me to do for that day!

Since its already at night, so I ask for tomorrow. Word 'Diligent' flashed in my mind. He wants me to be diligent.
Then I had to find out more about my callings and specfic assignments so I was speaking in tongues and then singing in tongues... I was finally ushering in his presence.. happy.

Then I saw my CNBLUE poster on my wall. I thought "take it off.. you can only have one idol. Your idol is God".
Wow. I thought I will take it off after my qt... but then, my mind start to have thoughts again...

Haha.. then that's how I'm distracted away... I lay on bed and was not praying in tongues anymore.

I faster ended everything with my own prayer list of things.

Am I disobeying God, just finding excuses? Is it he is really telling something about my posters and things in my room.. this is really something I need to ask him again. Cos recently I got another commitment, I just volunteered to help the Fanclub do resource blog updating work. This will take up a lot of my time too...

Leave it to torrow qt ba...

Open your hands... and let it go...

2011-09-04T10:26:00.001+08:00

There is something which i always hold it dearly in my own hands... this something happens to be my weakest link.... but using my own effort and strength, i been to nowhere... i been through the little ups and many many downs on this thing... Through these many unhappy experiences and unsuccessful outcomes, never once did it ever occur to me that i can't achieve anything by my own strength?!!

Ps 37:4-5 (CEV)

Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart's desire.
Let the LORD lead you and trust him to help.

Ps 37:4-5 (NKJV)
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

In addition, for every thing that turn out negatively, i have the bad habit of trying to understand what where went wrong... i always tried to look for the reasons but whenever there is no answer, i will kill all my brain cells trying to figure it up on my own accord... I have a need to fully understand what is happening and in doing so, i am relying on my own effort to understand... Like i said yesterday, i do not have the patience to wait for the answers to revealed... if they will be revealed...

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)
In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV)

With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment.

Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

I have recently committed a verse into my head... and now I have another two verses! Woohooo!!! The ones in bold will be the versions which I will memorize =)

quiet time - discover the specific assignments/ callings that God had planned for you

2011-09-03T23:42:00.005+08:00

Quiet time is full of tears at the beginning. On my way home was plagued with a sudden depression. Thus, totally needed God, yet also totally prevented myself from reaching out to him. How I struggled to battle those thoughts that were not from him.

I choose commitment and not emotion.
I have self-control and just do the thing that pleasd God.
I choose to believe and keep on holding to God's word.

Yeah! I had successfully did my quiet time!

Cannot help but just kept on praising God and singing praising song. Then just kept on singing in tongues. Praised in tongues.. something that rarely happened. Then just tongues..

I still hold on to the declaration and command that I'm now living for Jesus Christ only. My life is no longer my own. So I can't choose to give up at all. And this life is not living on my own strength, but is filled with God's grace thus empowerment.

I asked Him for a verse to hold on to for my dance. Knowing clearly that it is by his grace and thus plan that I had got in. Asking Him to confirm again it is his assignment for me, so that I will not give up.

He asked to go and discovered what his callings/talents/ specific assignments are for me?
He reminded me that even before I was born, He already had a book written about me. About all the things He had planned for me to do. I was suddenly so touched. Suddenly He reminded me... to look back at the six to eight years that I had missed out with Him... the period when I was saved to now that i'm back with Him again. The specific assignments that I should had done but I had choosen not to... I want to cry... I was scared. What did I miss out? Is it too late to do them now? If now, then i do those things that I'm supposed to had done for the past years, am I going to miss out on what i'm supposed to do now at age 28???
I recalled... I had gave up on university then. He had planned it for me, but I did not do it. He had gave me all the opportunities for dance then, but I gave it up too... God had prepared me as a _____ with purity then...

Writting this post now is too saddening... really, God's plan is the best. Don't ever missed out on his wonderful assignments for you... i'm sad now. Yet, I 'm glad I only missed a few years. I'm don't want to missed anymore... God showed me is not for me to be sad, but he is asking me to go and discovered the thingd that he wants me to do!!

I had said I will fast meat and eat only rice, vegetable, toufu and plain water from tomorrow till friday.
Praying for Him to let me discover what i'm to do in his plans for me and for the verse...

Praised the Lord!
Time to read bible...

Update: verse given! God is faithful... Praise Him!

Matt 25: 15 NKJV
"Talent... is given to each according to his own ability.."

Luke 12:48 CEV
"If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well.but if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better"

Parable of talents:
In regards to what we have, we cannot compare with others. Because God will be equally pleased with us if we work hard. In regards to what we do with what we have, we will be judged. And in this, we bring pleasure or lack of it, to our Father.

Slow and steady wins the race

2011-09-03T08:30:00.001+08:00

Remembering what Pastor Bill had taught us when he was here a while ago... i was hit by depression... In addition to that, I also felt a little down with whatever darn earthly thing happening to me... that earthly thing that is in my life right now happened to by my weakest link...

This aside and going back to what was said during the sermon... one point he mentioned is to experience God myself and to be ready for Him. I am a little shaken because i am afraid and i am a little too "thick-skinned" nowadays... i dun seem to be able to feel what God is trying to tell me or rather... i dun have confidence anymore that whatever was revealed to me was from God or not... I hv no confidence in myself that I will ever be ready...

Till now, one should be able to know which point i was referring to... i was talking about that "I am here God. Use me." I dun feel like I am ready as I have not discover my purpose and God's wonderful plan for me... Oh yes, Pastor did say the discovery to such require a long and hard process and i am just at the beginning of it and thus i should preserve and not give up... when i am not even like 3% into the journey... So i should not so kan-chiong and immediately wanting to fast-forward to telling God that I am ready and asking Him to use... Not yet, steady Gladys... The slow turtle won the case at the end, isn't that so? You will win... you will win your own race...

Have some patience... Isn't this what God been trying train you to have? Patience girl... and preserve... now you need to learn these two virtues to walk better and more efficient in every path you going to take and have already taken... including this path of growing with God....

Dun they always say? "Slow and steady wins the race" =)

quiet time - not be the fool who look into the mirror and walk away

2011-09-02T23:55:00.003+08:00

I was quite distracted during quiet time today. Maybe because I was too happy.. my mind kept having all other images rather than focusing on God.

Actually I felt very familar with God today. Maybe its because I had spent most of my today reading that 'Extraordinary' book. I prayed so hard that I will not just have head knowledge of God, but to truely put His words into practice. Or else I will be a fool... ( James 1:22-25)

Spend lots of my time praising and singing worship songs to Him. And praying aloud in words all my prayers. Really more clear and at ease now, after all the prayers. But prayed lesser in tongues today, cos at the beginning I can't concentrate. But at the end, then the flow came, but I was ending it. Overall, still ok.

I had a good review at my 'The List' today and prayed about it again too. This time, I do have someone in mind to pray for. Praise the Lord!

Also, prayed for our dear cellgroup leader too.

Lastly, just finished 16 chapters of bible! Plan is to finish bible in 90 days... Haha. Well done for day 1!

Keep it up!

My Way

2011-09-02T23:54:00.005+08:00

Everything happened for a reason... Things may seem to be all wrong for one... but take comfort, my child... everything happened, no matter how dark it is, they happened for a reason for a good cause... and most important of all, they are the things which you are strong enough to handle and after this thing is over, you are stronger than ever... Because I will be your strength and your comfort... I am always here for you.

Things go wrong.. or may seem to be going in the other direction, the direction which you do not wish it will happen but then take heed, things is the most perfect when they happen in My times; the schedule as per My plan... They are actually perfect and good.... it may seem all wrong but when the time comes, you will appreciate whatever you been through...

Be strong... Be of good courage....

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Be strong for no matter what storm may come your way... Be of good courage, for any challenges that you may face during this journey... Do not be afraid... take out your courage to face and fight the war... admit your mistake and learn from it... Do not be dismayed for whatever things that dun go your way or whichever break your heart... Come to me... as I am always and readily available to welcome you into my embrace....

"In Jesus' Name"

2011-08-27T00:51:00.003+08:00

today we had a powerful speaker... he was way much respected and liked by many of the mature members of the church and today was a squeeze day with members of the other church as well.

not only that he is a powerful speaker, he is also a funny one... every bad/negative thing he did, he always do it "in Jesus' name" de... haha... and he is very real... not hiding his ugly truth... and he really went through a lot to reach where he is today... throughout the session, though i was super tired but i din fall asleep at all! oh no... was not about to talk about that... haha... what i wanna say initially was that one can see God's grace on him and also how much he went through to get to where he is today. I also see his passionate attraction for the children... You can tell he loves children a lot a lot... perhaps its due to what he couldn't get when he was young... and thus he wanna help as many children and its also in his calling to reach out to the kiddos...

i am not gonna touch on the whole sermon but to pick up a few interesting parts... and i will make this short...

1. if you dun have it, it just means that you dun need it

Wow.. this can be practically applied to a lot of areas and a good way to erm... self-encourage... but this is also true... God will give you whatever you need and not also loaded you with whatever you may not be putting to use... Everyone of us is unique... if something failed, do not be dismay because that just show that that is not your calling and be happy because you are one step closer to your calling and ur outward vision =)

read Isa 6:1-8

2. Seeing Him yourself

When you get to see Him for yourself, not through other people's description or impression of Him, then you will start to see yourself clearly and you may not like what you see... This vision getting is a process, a long and difficult process... not easy... just like a woman who like to have children, she has to go through the 9 months of pregnancy process...

3. Use me

After looking at ourselves and knowing who we are and when we are ready, we can be used almightily by the LORD. Tell Him that you are here and ask Him to use you...

4. "My commitment is stronger than my emotion"

This is saying that once you made a commitment, a promise, no matter what, one should keep it and any action to take should have nothing to do with how one feels... cannot be depend on the feeling at that moment of time.

Every point is great but this very last one seem to be aiming at me for the very recent matter which happened to me... i duno why but i suddenly felt my heart stirred and my mind zoomed into that one matter that really nothing me right then and i felt hot tears... during the head bow and eyes closed time... i teared for a short while though and the result is a heart more still =)

My Sincere Prayer...

2011-07-17T00:00:00.002+08:00

I have a friend, a close friend who is not feeling very well recently... I wrote this especially, hoping to cheer, encourage to show concern for this very special friend of mine... I thought of sharing here... so that for those who are also discouraged or sick... please remember in some where of this world, there will be a person worrying about you and be praying for you... and your Heavenly Father is watching over you as well =)

(please note that i have done some amendment and thus this is not the full version of the message... and the name been changed to CCC)

Psalms 91:9-14

If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

God loves you and when you speak with him, He will be your protector and so whatever bad condition you are having right now will not be against you for too long. Pray, CCC... Pray!

May I also pray for you now...

Dear Father, You know CCC so much better than I do and thus You know his current condition, his heart and the burden which he carries. Lord, I pray that You will be with CCC now as you work in his life. Let Your will be done in his life and bring him to a greater level, a level closer to the CCC in Your amazing plan.

Lord, according to Your promise in James 5:16, You said if we confess our sins to each other and pray for each other, we may be healed and such earnest prayer has great power and produces wonderful results. Father, I believe that this earnest prayer from my heart will yield powerful results because of Your promise. I have complete faith in You to heal CCC and also the plan You have for his life.

Lord, I don't always understand Your ways, but I trust You. I ask that You look with mercy and grace toward him. Nourish his spirit and soul in this time of weakness and comfort him with Your presence. I thank you for the healing, comfort and the blessing for CCC.

Let CCC know You are there with him through this stressing period. Give him strength. And may You, through this period, be glorified in his life and also in mine.

Amen.

-------------------------

If you feel weaken by it, remember you are just a prayer away from God.

Last but not least, "A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones." - Proverbs 17:22

So SMILE today...

Love & Infatuation...

2011-07-16T23:32:00.002+08:00

Are you ready for love and an everlasting relationship? Before you dive headfirst into shallow water and break your neck, test yourself first to see if you're REALLY Prepared.

Satan steals love more than any other one thing, so be sure your relationship is secured in God's love before a committment is made.It is humanly impossible to fall in love! We fall in love with the eruption of our emotions, but not with the other person, which is not the true essence of love.

Falling for this mockery takes us on a roller coaster ride that has an abrupt and painful ending, which is a very foolish undertaking.

When we are delivered into the hands of emotional discord, love is removed in exchange for fear, distrust, unfaithfulness and regret; and we are left to dwell in the earthshaking tempest of our deluge.

Infatuation is indeed an electrifying feeling, but it cannot endure the pressures of the world for any length of time. For its merely an emotion and emotions are not reality, because they change quickly. Impetuously, they take us to the highs of exhilaration, then drop us to the lowest of lows of depression. This emotional, inflaming state of infatuation will change from excitement, hope, happiness and perceived love, to fear, anger and grief. It will leave you confused, bitter and defeated.

Usually we go through a series of infatuations before we settle down, for the enlivened sensations of a sexual encounter seems to be filled with love. But these desires overpower our dedication to Christ so we fail. They are simply feelings that have overreacted.Thus they lead us down the path of broken hearts and dreams and self-doubt. Perhaps we can fool ourselves momentairly into believing these feelings are love, but emotions are fickle and unstable, so they will flicker, fizzle and die out. Infatuation is not love so it cannot last, therefore love never was.Infatuations are filled with foolish and unreasonable passions that prompt only sudden moments of pleasure.

For our energy rises above its normal capacity level, but since it cannot endure the heights of acceleration, it drops abruptly. Its spastic sensations hang us up in a delayed state of mind and cause a nervous reaction, and blocks love from entering.When the heart is touched by love, however, energy gradually rises and stays within its normal capacity level, then lowers to a gentle and agreeable stage. It swings softly, never agitating. Love move harmoniously, rhythmically, like a pendulum. Unlike infatuation that rides for the thrill of speed and rapid twists and turns.

Once our yearning for passion is controlled, loves imposter "infatuation" will be exposed and its mockery will be removed. Then love can enter and a commitment can be made. Only through commitment can we maintain and strengthen our relationships. Love cannot begotten without a definite commitment, because love equals commitment.

Love is not an emotion, its a committment! If you are determined to make a lifelong commitment and cast down everything that interferes, then perhaps you are ready to walk through the doors of love. Until then, save yourself the agony of defeat.Taking responsiblity for the course of action that love demands of us, only then is love able to grow. And the longer a commitment is preserved, the stronger and more enduring the bond becomes. Commitment locks and secures our relationships together, so love cannot fail or resist. It locks out everything that would prevent love from rooting and growing, which provides security, trust and loving affection. Committing ourselves to the one we love binds the control of outside influences, which gives access from one level reach of navigable love to another. It guarantees that our love will remain completely secure against injury and loss.

Love does not happen suddenly or unexpectedly. It grows and growth takes time. On the other hand, infatuation is hasty and is formed by a quick and impulsive decision. Thus before committing yourself to another, be sure there is a mutual understanding, compatible beliefs, maturity, trust and freedom of the souls.If you're not absolutely sure, stand still! Don't jump into anything suddenly or rashly. Move slowly, at a gradual pace, or you may find yourself buried in a lifetime of agony and defeat. Infatuations all-absorbing passions cause uncontrollable sexual behavior. These deceiving passions overwhelm, then our heart and soul is lain bare to a stranger.

Impulsive sex overrides communication, destroys intimacy, and conflicts with moral ethics. It wars against the Spirit, because it disregards God and opposes our innate principals of right conduct."This is the will of God, that you should obstain and shrink from all sexual vise. That each one of you should know how to possess (control, manage) his own body, not (to be used) in the passions of lust like the heathens, who are ignorant of the true God and hav eno knowldedge of His will." (I Thessalonians 4:3-5)

Being ignorant of love and falling for infatuation, the heart is left vacant and shattered, the mind confused. Sexual intercourse outside of marriage is a forbidden fruit, and those who choose to dwell in its decay will eat its debris. When we allow another to use our body for self-satisfaction, there are consequences to pay. When we fail to take control over our body and let satan use it in lustful and passionate ways, babies are born out of wed-lock, we open ourselves up for disease, and lives are shattered. Sorrow and suffering is overtaking the world and crushing the spirit. Disease is spreading rampantly and infesting the innocent, yet we pursue diligently our perverseness. When irresponsible we cast away our soul for sensual gratification and destroy our lives and the lives of those we infest.

God commanded that we control, possess and manage our own bodies. This command is simply to save us from the ravage and torture satan instills when we choose this ulcerated way of life. Everyone has been given the choice of life or death, and when we choose to defy God's wise counsel, we will pay a horrible price for our foolishness.

Infatuation is a fleeting, romantic attachment and possesses with a driving sexual hunger. Ego rules this satrical exploitation with its cunning, self-seeking mind games. Consequently, it forbids love from entering and destroys the value of human existance. It lacks maturity and good sense when we choose to use another for our sexual pleasures. No one is exempt from infatuation, because our ego has so cleverely distorted and twisted love that an entire society marries and divorces from mistaking loves true identity.Then the lonely and wounded hearted go forth, drawn to infatuation, the sensitive and tender. Unhealed, they search for love and move speedily into the arms of another, taking with them their damaged self-worth. Infatuation lurks in the shadows and attacks and captures, and we fall prey for short-lived affairs.

Going forth blindly in search of a relationship with a broken heart is pure selfishness. For we are searching for consolation, not for love. Once the heart is healed, however, then we can receive and give true love, and spare ourselves and another the heartbreak of defeat. We then can go forth in love and present our vulnerabilities, which is neccessary for love, without the fear of being used.

Therefore I urge you to walk slowly in your search for love and let God walk beside you. For He said, "I (the Lord) will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: I will counsel you with My eyes upon you." (Psalm 32:8)

Let Him preserve you from trouble, and pray to Him before the waters overflow, and He will make your thoughts and plans effective. He will look upon you from His dwelling place and fashion your heart and lead you by way of His great power.

Without the love of God enveloped in your heart there can be no love, because God is Love. That's where love comes from...You cannot give or receive love any other way. Without God, you are destined for defeat.

==============================================================

Take your time answering the questions below

1. Explain your definition of love.

2. Explain your definition of infatuation.

3. Do you recognize the difference?

4. Are you letting your emotions rule your relationship, or God?

5. Is fear controlling your decisions, preventing you from creating a wonderful, everlasting realtionship?

6. Are you searching for the smooth easy going swing of love, or the passions and highs of infatuation?

7. Are your intentions upright and honest in your pursuit for love?

8. Are you ready for a selfless life of giving, sharing, compromise and negotiation?

9. Are you mature enough to make a commitment, turning aside all that seeks to steal love?

10. Are you prepared to build up the one you loves confidence and appreciate his good qualities, releasing all critisism?

11. Are you ready to listen attentively when your beloved speaks, and give compassion and understanding?

12. Are you mature enough to keep his/her secrets confidential, appreciating that they trusted you enough to confide in you?

13. Are you ready to give the one your soul loves special attention, putting them first before your friends and others.

14. Are you ready to put his/her needs first, before your own?

15. Are you willing to give your mate the space he/she needs to grow into the person God created him/her to be?

16. Can you make quality time for nurturing your relationship, or will your activities, job and friends come first?

17. Are you willing to watch your tounge so you'll not hurt your lovers feelings, speaking not your mind because you care less?

18. Are you ready to participate in the things your mate desires, although they differ from yours?

19. Are you ready to seek the full fledged power of love?

20. Are you ready to put God first above and beyond all else in your life, so True Love can spring forth and endure?

=====copy and paste from somewhere========

Forgiveness Bubbles

2011-06-02T23:33:00.001+08:00

Thanks for listening to me, God
I need to talk to you
I know you love your children, Lord
No matter what they do

And though I try to do my best
I know I always should –
But I’m not perfect or grown up
Sometimes I’m not quite good

Right now my heart is cold and stained
With dirt and grime and sin
I need forgiveness bubbles, please
To make it clean again

If you wash my heart again
And rinse away the stain
The wicked things I’ve said and done
Will go right down the drain

My heart feels very dirty, God –
Won’t you please scrub it bright?
When you forgive me once again
My heart will be snow white

Please help me keep my heart clean, Lord
And teach me to do right
Help me keep my heart forever
Shinny penny bright

But if I happen to mess up
And need another scrub
I know you won’t forget me, God
Just plop me in your tub!

Lots of folks don’t understand
Forgiveness from above
They don’t know how my heart feels
When it is bathed in love

When I am sorry, you forgive
The problem doesn’t matter
When my heart is brand-new clean
My ugly feelings scatter

I’m growing up, and as I do
You’ll help me through my troubles
I won’t outgrow my love for you
And your forgiveness bubbles

Angela Elwell Hunt
(From the women of Faith Devotional Bible)

The Folded Napkin

2011-06-01T23:32:00.000+08:00

I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie.

He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade.

The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with. I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.

I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot.

After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto his cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag.

If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.

He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine.

Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news.

Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table.

Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a withering look.

He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked.

"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."

"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"

Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is." Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do.

After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I didn't get that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off," she said. "This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup."

She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie".

"Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told him about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me another paper napkin that had "Something For Stevie" scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: "truckers."

That was three months ago. Today is New Years day , the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work.

His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy. I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back.

Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting.

"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!" I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room.

I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins. "First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. I tried to sound stern.

Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table.

Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother. "There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. "Happy New Year!"

Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well.

But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.

Best worker I ever hired.

The Bridge

2011-05-31T23:24:00.000+08:00

There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he could hold to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man's strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety.

But he realized that he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die. He took a moment to make his decision. The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed.

They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.

Now if you comprehend the emotions which went through this man's heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does He feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus Christ?

Baseball

2011-05-30T11:45:00.000+08:00

Bob and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate whose name was Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because Love never fails.

The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up was named Godly wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked, because Godly wisdom never swings at what Satan throws.

The bases were loaded. The Lord then turned to Bob and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Bob said "He sure doesn't look like much!" Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace.

Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen. But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; then it continued over the fence for a home run!

The Lord's team won. The Lord then asked Bob if he knew why Love, Faith, and Godly Wisdom could get on base but could not win the game. Bob answered that he did not know why. The Lord explained, "If your love, faith and wisdom had won the game you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, faith and wisdom will get you on base,...but only My Grace can get you home. My Grace is the one thing Satan cannot steal.

Thankful For The Thorns

2011-05-29T11:39:00.000+08:00

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "Had she lost a child? No - she has no idea what I'm feeling," Sandra shuddered. Thanksgiving? "Thankful for what?" she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The flower shop clerk's approach startled her. "Sorry," said Jenny, "I just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you." "I . . . . I need an arrangement." "For Thanksgiving?" Sandra nodded. "Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'?" Jenny saw Sandra's curiosity and continued. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories, that each arrangement insinuates a particular feeling. Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?" "Not exactly!" Sandra blurted. "Sorry, but in the last five months, everything that could go wrong has."

Sandra regretted her outburst but was surprised when Jenny said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." The door's small bell suddenly rang. "Barbara, hi!" Jenny said. She politely excused herself from Sandra and walked toward a small workroom. She quickly reappeared carrying a massive arrangement of green bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Only, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped, no flowers. "Want this in a box?" Jenny asked. Sandra watched for Barbara's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems and no flowers! She waited for laughter, for someone to notice the absence of flowers atop the thorny stems, but neither woman did. "Yes, please. It's exquisite." said Barbara. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I'd not be so moved by its significance, but it's happening again. My family will love this one. Thanks."

Sandra stared. "Why so normal a conversation about so strange an arrangement?" she wondered. "Ah," said Sandra, pointing. "That lady just left with, ah . . . " "Yes?" "Well, she had no flowers!" "Yep. That's the Special. I call it the "Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet." "But, why do people pay for that?" In spite of herself she chuckled. "Do you really want to know?" "I couldn't leave this shop without knowing. I'd think about nothing else!" "That might be good," said Jenny.

"Well," she continued, "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today. She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she faced major surgery." "Ouch!" said Sandra. "That same year, I lost my husband. I assumed complete responsibility for the shop and for the first time, spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel." "What did you do?" "I learned to be thankful for thorns." Sandra's eyebrows lifted. "Thorns?"

"I'm a Christian, Sandra. I've always thanked God for good things in life and I never thought to ask Him why good things happened to me. But, when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the flowers of life but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted and from His consolation we learn to comfort others." Sandra gasped. "A friend read that passage to me and I was furious! I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God." She started to ask Jenny to "go on" when the door's bell diverted their attention.

"Hey, Phil!" shouted Jenny as a balding, rotund man entered the shop. She softly touched Sandra's arm and moved to welcome him. He tucked her under his side for a warm hug. "I'm here for twelve thorny long-stemmed stems!" Phil laughed, heartily. "I figured as much," said Jenny. "I've got them ready." She lifted a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerated cabinet. "Beautiful," said Phil. "My wife will love them." Sandra could not resist asking, "These are for your wife?" Phil saw that Sandra's curiosity matched his when he first heard of a Thorn Bouquet. "Do you mind me asking, Why thorns?" "In fact, I'm glad you asked," He said. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but we slogged through, problem by rotten problem. We rescued our marriage - our love, really. Last year, at Thanksgiving, I stopped in here for flowers. I must have mentioned surviving a tough process because Jenny told me that for a long time she kept a vase of rose stems --- stems! --- As a reminder of what she learned from 'thorny' times. That was good enough for me. I took home stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific thorny situation and give thanks for what the problem taught us. I'm pretty sure this stem review is becoming a tradition." Phil paid Jenny, thanked her again and as he left, said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life, " Sandra said to Jenny. "Well, my experience says that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, Sandra, Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that we might know His love. Do not resent thorns." Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take twelve long-stemmed thorns, please." "I hoped you would, " Jenny said. "I'll have them ready in a minute. Then, every time you see them, remember to appreciate both good and hard times. We grow through both." "Thank you. What do I owe you?" "Nothing. Nothing but a pledge to work toward healing your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me."

Jenny handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach a card like this to your arrangement but maybe you'd like to read it first. Go ahead, read it." My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear, teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.

Letter From God To Women

2011-05-28T11:32:00.000+08:00

When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being. When I created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils. But you woman, I fashioned after I breathed the breath of life into man because your nostrils are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly fashion you. Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity. From one bone I fashioned you. I chose the bone that protects his heart and his lungs and supports him, as you are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you. I modeled you. I created you perfectly and beautifully. Your characteristics are as the rib, strong yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to the heart. Support the man as the rib cage supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken from his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side, to stand beside him and be held close to his side. You are My perfect angel. You are My beautiful little girl. You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence, and My eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart. Your eyes – don’t change them. Your lips – how lovely when they part in prayer. Your nose, so perfect in form, your hands so gentle in touch. I’ve caressed your face in your deepest sleep; I’ve held your heart close to mine. Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most like Me. Adam walked with Me in the cool of the day and yet he was lonely. He could not see Me or touch Me. He could only feel Me. So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with Me, I fashioned in you: My holiness, My strength, My purity, My love, My protection and support. You are special because you are the extension of Me. Man represents My image, woman My emotions. Together you represent the totality of God. So man – treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her, you hurt Me. What you do to her, you do to Me. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart, the heart of your Father, and the heart of her Father. Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you. In gentle quietness show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.

The Filling Station

2011-05-27T11:28:00.000+08:00

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. He had no decorations, no tree, no lights. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. There were no children in his life. His wife had gone.

He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead of throwing the man out, George, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the space heater and warm-up.

"Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy. I'll just go"

"Not without something hot in your belly," George turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew. Made it myself. When you're done there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said.

There in the driveway was an old 53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked.

"Mister can you help me!" said the driver with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken."

George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold; the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But mister. Please help...."

The door of the office closed behind George as he went in. George went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building and opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting.

"Here, you can borrow my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. George turned and walked back inside the office.

"Glad I loaned 'em the truck. Their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new tires..."

George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The thermos was on the desk, empty with a used coffee cup beside it.

"Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought. George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator.

"Well, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on. "Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either."

He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car. As he was working he heard a shot being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder.

The officer moaned, "Help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention.

"Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The laundry company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound.

"Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease. "Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills.

"You hang in there. I'm going to get you an ambulance." George said, but the phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your police car."

He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting up.

"Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him. "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked.

"None for me," said the officer.

"Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city." Then George added: "Too bad I ain't got no donuts."

The officer laughed and winced at the same time. The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun.

"Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George. "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!" The cop was reaching for his gun.

"Put that thing away," George said to the cop. "We got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need the money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pee shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry.

"I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job. My rent is due. My car got repossessed last week..."

George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Being stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."

"Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn.

"Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other. "That guy works here," the wounded cop continued.

"Yep," George said. "Just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas, boy. And you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems." George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go. Something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. A toy airplane, a racing car and a little metal truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier. "And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that, too. Count it as part of your first week's pay." George said. "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was getting a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor. The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will become a rich man and share his wealth with many people. That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again." The stranger moved toward the door.

"If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the man's old leather jacket and his torn pants turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George, it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."

Ten Guidelines From God

2011-05-26T11:19:00.000+08:00

Effective immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines.

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs to be done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget......

The Frog Race

2011-05-25T11:15:00.000+08:00

There was once a bunch of tiny frogs, who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began…

No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. They shouted, “Oh, way too difficult!!! They will NEVER make it to the top” and “Not a chance. The tower is too high”.

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher….

The crowd continued to yell, “It’s too difficult! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up… But one continued higher and higher. This one wouldn’t give up! And he reached the top.

Everyone wanted to know how this one frog managed such a great feat.

His secret? This little frog was deaf!!

The wisdom of this story is:

Ignore the pessimism of others. It can take your dreams from you. Stay positive.

Thank You, Lord

2011-05-24T11:15:00.000+08:00

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising. Thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so loud.

Thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the picture in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced.

Thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest.

Thank you, Lord, for life.

Scars for Life

2011-05-23T10:59:00.000+08:00

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go." You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not - let you go.

satan-convention

2011-05-22T10:56:00.000+08:00

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do," said the devil: "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted. "Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!"

It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families and friends. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge!

Does "busy" mean:
B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

Come Celebrate with Me

2011-05-21T10:49:00.000+08:00

As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer. It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside they closed the door in my face and I wanted to be with them and share their table.

In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a grand time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" as if the party were in his honor! At midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and do you know no-one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left. Every year it gets worse. People only remember the gifts, the parties, to eat and drink, and nobody remembers me.

I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart. I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements.

Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invite will be left outside. Be prepared because when all is ready you will be part of my great party.

See you soon. I Love you!
Jesus

Empty Chair

2011-05-20T10:48:00.000+08:00

A man's daughter had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

"I guess you were expecting me," he said.

"No, who are you?"

"I'm the new associate at your local church," the pastor replied.

"When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the pastor shut the door.

"I've never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man.

"But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.."

"I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now."

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon.

"Did he seem to die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange, In fact, beyond strange-kinda weird.

Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed."

The Ant And The Contact Lens

2011-05-19T10:46:00.000+08:00

Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff.

In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lost a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it.

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But if you want me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

The Shoe Man

2011-05-18T10:40:00.000+08:00

My alarm went off
It was Sunday again.
I was sleepy and tired
My one day to sleep in.
But the guilt I would feel
The rest of the day
Would have been too much
So I'd go and I'd pray.

I showered and shaved
I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat
In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer
As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me
Touching my own. I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side
I thought, "Why must our soles touch?"
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine
But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: "Our Father"...

I thought, "This man with the shoes
has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched
Even worse, there are holes on the side!"

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.

The shoe man said
a quiet "Amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.
Aren't we supposed to look our best
When walking through that door?
"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought,
Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended
And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud
Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters
His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear
The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering
And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached
Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out
What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft "clink"
as when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me
To tears, and that's no lie
It was the same for the shoe man
For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service
As is the custom here
We must greet new visitors
And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow
And wanted to meet the shoe man
So after the closing prayer
I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark
And his hair was truly a mess
But I thanked him for coming
For being our guest.

He said, "My names' Charlie
I'm glad to meet you, my friend."
There were tears in his eyes
But he had a large, wide grin
"Let me explain," he said
Wiping tears from his eyes.
"I've been coming here for months
And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"

"I know that my appearance
Is not like all the rest
"But I really do try
To always look my best.
"I always clean and polish my shoes
Before my very long walk.
"But by the time I get here
They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."

My heart filled with pain
and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize
For daring to sit so near.
He said, "When I get here
I know I must look a sight.
"But I thought if I could touch you
Then maybe our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment
Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison
I spoke from my heart, not my head.

"Oh, you've touched me," I said,
"And taught me, in part;
"That the best of any man
Is what is found in his heart."

The rest, I thought,
This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am
That his dirty old shoe touched my soul

Am I A Fireman Yet?

2011-05-17T10:36:00.000+08:00

In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukaemia.

Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfil all his dreams.

Now that was no longer possible. The leukaemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true.

She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up?

Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"

Mommy, "I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."

Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix.

She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day.

He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy -- one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots.

They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.

Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station.

He was in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car.

He was also videotaped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the Love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital.

Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that.

We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favour? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system, that there is not a fire?

It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time.

And will you open the window to his room?

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window - 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room.

With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.

With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?"

"Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand," the chief said.

With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.."

He closed his eyes one last time.

Hand Of Hope

2011-05-16T10:27:00.002+08:00

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it. The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practising at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope."

The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person." Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome....incredible ...

A Child's Grief

2011-05-15T10:22:00.000+08:00

Lord you care so much
For the tears of a hurting child
Who has felt the grief of tragedy
Now no longer wears a smile

Unable to clearly express
How much he’s hurting inside
Not fully understanding the pain
Nor knowing the reasons ‘why’

He wants so much to reach out
To someone who will listen
Someone that can hold him close
And respond with godly wisdom

For he just needs a grown up
To know what he’s going through
But often we don’t realize his grief
Because we are hurting too

Let him know you care Lord
And will be there when we’re not
The emptiness he feels within
May be filled with you oh God

May he know you as a father
And know you’re by his side
To come and wipe his tears away
When alone he silently cries

Hold him in your arms Lord
So he will be at peace
Allow us all to give him time
In dealing with his grief

For tears may last all night
But joy comes in the morning
So let him grieve throughout the night
For a new day will be dawning

© By M.S.Lowndes

The Quilt

2011-05-14T10:14:00.000+08:00

As I faced my Maker at the last Judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives, like the squares of a quilt, in many piles.

An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that was our life.

But as my Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares were. They were filled with giant holes! Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I had endured, (which were the largest holes of all).

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Others had a tiny hole here and there, other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune.

I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light and the scrutiny of truth. The others rose each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been.

My Angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, death, and false accusations that took from me my world as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I had spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully; each time offering it up to the Father, in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it had been.

I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with eyes wide. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded through the many holes, creating an image.

The face of Christ.

Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said,

"Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.

Welcome Home My Child"

The True Hero of the Titanic

2011-05-12T01:17:00.000+08:00

John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents on May 29th, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was thirteen years old that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He never knew what it was to "sow his wild oats." He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul in earnest entreaty for men to be reconciled to God.

As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was apparent...he was consumed by the word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply "The Word of God!" After five or six years of toiling on street corners preaching the gospel and working in the mill during the day, Harper was taken in by Rev. E. A. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, England. This set Harper free to devote his whole time of energy to the work so dear to his heart. Soon, John Harper started his own church in September of 1896. (Now known as the Harper Memorial Church). This church which John Harper had started with just 25 members, had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later. During this time he had gotten married, but was shortly there after widowed. However brief the marriage, God did bless John Harper with a beautiful little girl named Nana.

Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life. When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of twenty-six, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps, God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next.......

It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in.

On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.

That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not.

Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Does Hollywood remember this man? No. Oh well, no matter. This servant of God did what he had to do. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends..." John Harper was truly the hero of the Titanic!

Sources for this article: "The Titanic's Last Hero" by Moody Press 1997, Scriptures are quoted from the King James Bible.

Clean Blood

2011-05-11T01:12:00.000+08:00

The day is over. You are driving home. You tune in your radio. You hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It’s not influenza, but three or four fellows are dead, and it’s kind of interesting. They’re sending some doctors over there to investigate it.

You don’t think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you hear another radio spot. Only they say it’s not three villagers, it’s 30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it’s on TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb; people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.

By Monday morning when you get up, it’s the lead story. For it’s not just India; it’s Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you’re hearing this story everywhere and they have coined it now as "the mystery flu". The President has made some comment that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, "How are we going to contain it?"

That’s when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen. That night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program into English: "There’s a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu." It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you don’t know it. Then you have four days of unbelievably, brutal symptoms. Then you die.

Britain closes its borders, but it’s too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and its Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I’m sorry. They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing."

Within four days our nation has been lunged into unbelievable fear. People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about what if it comes to this country, and preachers on Tuesday are saying, "It’s the scourge of God."

It’s Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." While the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made, "Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu."

Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts. It’s as though it’s just sweeping in from the borders. Then, all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It’s going to take the blood of somebody who hasn’t been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: "Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That’s all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals."

When you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they’ve got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home." You stand around scared with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on, and thinking this must be the end of the world. Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He’s yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that’s me."

Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute, hold it!" And they say, "It’s okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. He doesn’t have the disease. We just want to make sure he has got the right type." Five tense minutes later out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another—some are even laughing. It’s the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son’s blood type is perfect. It’s clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying.

But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn’t realize that the donor would be a minor and we need. . . we need you to sign a consent form." You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty. "H-h-h-how many pints?" And that is when the old doctor’s smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren’t prepared. We need it all!" "But – but!" "You don’t understand. We are talking about the world here... Please sign. We - we need it all - we need it all!" "But can’t you give him a transfusion?" "If we had clean blood, his type, we would. Can you sign? Would you sign?"

In numb silence you sign. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?" Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What’s going on?" Can you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn’t just have to be. Do you understand that?" And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I’m sorry, we’ve - we’ve got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Can you leave? Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why - why have you forsaken me?"

And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don’t even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a retentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED! DON’T YOU CARE?"

Is that what God is saying? "MY SON DIED. DON’T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?" Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we begin to comprehend the great love you have for us. Amen.

Dad's Poem

2011-05-10T01:06:00.000+08:00

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
for a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"
she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far

You see he was a policeman
and died just this past year
When airplanes hit the towers
and taught Americans to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
and she saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.

Alphabet Praise

2011-05-09T01:02:00.000+08:00

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

When I say ..."I am a Christian"

2011-05-08T00:58:00.000+08:00

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting, "I'm saved"
I'm whispering, "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way"

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride
I'm confessing that I stumble,
and need someone to be my guide

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong,
I'm professing that I'm weak,
and pray for strength to carry on

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success,
I'm admitting that I've failed,
and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are way too visible
but God believes I'm worth it

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His Name

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority,
I only know I'm loved!

© 1998 - Carol S. Wimmer

A Glimpse Of Eternity

2011-05-07T00:54:00.000+08:00

One night while diving for lobster on the small Island of Mauritius I was stung on my forearm by 5 Box-Jellyfish, which the local Creole fishermen called "invisables" A sting from a Box-Jellyfish often proves to be fatal - as exemplified in Australia where 70 people are known to have died from their stings. Many books quote this particular type of Jellyfish to be among the most venomous creatures in the world.

By the time an ambulance arrived my body was totally paralyzed and necrosis had begun to set into my bone marrow. On route to the hospital I began to see my life flash before me. At this point of my life I was an atheist - but I knew I was nearly dead and I didn't know if there was life after death or whether there was just nothing. As I lay there dying, I saw my mother in a vision praying for me, encouraging me to cry out to God from my heart and He would hear me and forgive me (my mother was the only Christian in our family.) I didn't know what to pray and cried out that if God was real, could He help me to pray. Immediately God showed me the Lord’s Prayer, and for the first time in my life I prayed from my heart and gave my life to the Lord.

Death & Hell

The ambulance stopped and they placed me in a wheel chair and raced me into the hospital. The nurse took my blood pressure twice but could not find a pulse as my veins had collapsed. The doctors tried to save my life by injecting anti-toxins and dextrose into my body, but seemingly to no avail. Within a few minutes I seemed to slip away (apparently life ceased from my body for a period of approx. 15 minutes).

During this time I found myself in a very dark place, not realising where I was. So I tried to find a light switch, thinking I was still in the hospital - but as I reached out into the dark I couldn't touch anything. Reaching to touch my face I found my hand go straight through it. It seemed so bizarre, as I knew I was standing there but couldn't touch any part of my physical body.

As I stood there I began to sense that this wasn't just a physical darkness but that there was something else there. I could feel a cold eerie feeling as though something or someone was looking at me - a spiritual darkness. From the darkness I began to hear men’s voices screaming at me telling me to "shut up" - "that I deserved to be there" - "that I was in Hell". I couldn't believe it, but as I stood there a radiant beam of light shone through the darkness and immediately began to lift me upward. I found myself being translated up into an incredibly brilliant beam of pure white light - it seemed to be emanating from a circular opening far above me (I felt like a speck of dust being drawn up into a beam of sunlight).

The Journey

I entered this opening to find myself inside a long narrow passageway or tunnel - at the far end of the tunnel I could see the source of the light - it was so radiant that it looked to be the centre of the universe. As I continued to look towards this light it seemed to draw me towards it at an incredible speed - I wasn't walking but was being translated along this tunnel towards the source of this light. I watched as a wave of light broke off the source and moved up the tunnel towards me - as it passed through me I could feel a wave of warmth and comfort flood my soul … it was incredible. This light wasn't just physical, but was giving off a living emotion … Halfway down another wave of light - this time it gave off pure peace - followed by another wave - of pure joy. Coming out of the end of this tunnel I found myself standing in the presence of awesome light and power - it seemed as though even the constellations in the universe must find their energy source from this focal point.

As I stood there I wondered to myself if this was just an energy source in the universe or if perhaps there could be someone standing in the midst of this light!!!!! A voice immediately responded to my thought and asked me "Ian, do you wish to return?" Return, I thought!!! Where am I??? As I looked over my shoulder I could see the tunnel going back into darkness.

The Light

I thought - darkness - hospital bed - am I out of my body? - is this real? - am I standing here? - or am I in a coma having some bizarre dream? Am I in my body or out of my body?? (I could cognitively think of the two alternatives.) As I looked back towards the light, it was still there ... I responded "I don't know where I am, but if I am out of my physical body I wish to return." The voice responded "If you wish to return - you must see in a new light." "New light", I thought, "I'm seeing the light." "Are you the true light???" Words appeared in front of me "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)." I had never read a Bible before in my life so I didn't know this was straight out of the scriptures. God is light, I thought - that is pure light - I see no darkness here, I have just come from darkness - I see no evil, no shadows - this is pure light - am I standing in the presence of God??? He knows my name and I didn't tell Him, only God could do that - He knows what I am thinking before I even speak, only God could do that. Then he must be able to see everything I have done wrong in my life ... no ... I don't want God to see that. I felt totally exposed and wanted to move away from the light and go back into the darkness where I belonged. I thought someone had made a mistake and brought the wrong person up. As I drew back towards the darkness a wave of light swept through me ... I felt pure unadulterated Love flow over me. Love I thought, how could God love me - I've taken his name in vain - I've slept around - I'm not a good man … but no matter what I said, waves of His unconditional Love continued to flow over me. I found myself weeping uncontrollably in His Presence. It was so amazing that He had totally forgiven me and accepted me as I was.

The waves of Love ceased and I wondered if I could possibly step into the light and see what God looked like. I was so close. ... I asked if I could step in. ..???.. I heard no response but thought if God could love me so much, He wouldn't mind …. As I stepped into the light I found myself disappear into it as it was so radiant - it had the intensity of laser light, yet you could look directly at it. The light seemed to absorb me into it - the centre seemed to be very bright so I aimed for it - I could feel a healing presence coming off this light that was healing my broken heart ... it was touching me deep inside my heart of hearts where no one gets to see … so beautiful.

God

Suddenly it opened up in the centre and standing in front of me was the most awesome sight - I could see a man standing in front of me, but he was not like anyone I'd ever seen before in my life. His garments were shimmering white in colour - garments of light - I could see His bare feet and His hands were outstretched towards me as if to welcome me. I knew I was looking upon God … as I looked toward His face the intensity of the light seemed to increase 7-fold - you couldn't make out the form of his face as the light was so bright - such purity, such holiness, such beauty. I asked God if I could step closer. I felt I could, I wanted to see His face. Moving closer waves of more Love began to flow towards me, and I felt very safe. Standing, now feet away, from the Lord I tried to see His face - but I didn't know that no man can see the face of God and live. And so, as I moved my face into the radiance that surrounded His face, He moved - and all His Glory moved with Him. Directly behind Him it opened out into a brand new World - green pastures, a crystal clear stream, rolling green hills to my right, mountains in the distance, blue skies above, to my left fields interspersed with trees and flowers. As I looked at the grass in front of me I could see the same light that was on the presence of God was radiating throughout this entire creation - totally untouched by man - perfect creation. And in my heart I knew I belonged here, that God had created me to live here - I knew I was home.

Return?

I was just about to enter in and explore, when God stepped back in front of me, and asked me this question. "Now that you have seen - do you wish to step in or do you wish to return?" I thought, "I don't want to return. I wish to step in. I have no one to go back for and no one has ever loved me, all they've ever done is manipulate me and try to control me ... I have no one to go back for, I wish to step in." But God didn't move, so I looked back behind me to say "goodbye, cruel world", and standing behind me in a vision in front of the tunnel was my mother. And as soon as I saw her I knew that there was one person in my life that had shown me love, and that was my mother, and that she had prayed for me every day and tried to show me that this was the way. In my mind I thought, "if I am dead and I did choose to step into heaven, what would my mother think? Would she know I made it or would she think I went to Hell - because she knew I had no Faith? … I realised that it could break her heart and that she would have no reason to believe that God had heard my prayer in the ambulance and forgiven my sins. … I thought, "how can I do that to my mum, it would be so selfish" … and decided I wished to return.

God then spoke to me and said, "If I wished to return - I must see things in a new light." I understood that to mean that I must begin to see through his eyes of Love, Peace, Joy, Forgiveness, from His Heavenly perspective, not my temporary earthly perspective. Looking back towards the tunnel again I now could see a vision of all my family, and thousands and thousands of other people. I asked God who all these people were, and He told me that if I didn't return then many of these people would not get a chance to hear about Him….

I told God that I didn't know most of them and I didn't love them, but that I loved my mother and wished to return for her. God spoke to me and told me that He loved those people and wanted them all to come to know Him. I asked God how could I possibly return back down the tunnel and back into my hospital bed. He spoke and said "Son, tilt your head, now feel the liquid drain from your eye. Now open your eye and see." And I was immediately back in my physical body.

Back to earth

As I opened my eye, I was lying back on a hospital bed with my right leg elevated, cupped in the hands of the young Indian doctor who had been trying to save my life. He had a scalpel or some sharp instrument in his hand and he was prodding the base of my foot like a dead piece of meat. He wasn't aware that I was looking at him. I thought, "what's that man doing with my foot, what is he doing with that knife!!!!!!" At the same time something seemed to spook the doctor and he quickly turned his head to see my right eye open, looking at him… Terror struck his face and I got the distinct impression that he has just seen a dead man looking at him… My eye wasn't moving much and I could see the doctor thinking to himself that perhaps he had hit a nerve in my foot and caused the corpse to twitch, and that he had the evil eye looking at him or something. As for me, I was trying to grapple with what I had just seen. … Did I just see God, has He just given my life back??? As I lay there I heard the voice of God say "Son, I have just given you your life back." I said if that is true God, could you help me to tilt my head to the left and look out of the other eye, as I was getting sick of looking at the doctor’s terrified face. Strength came back into my neck and I opened my left eye to see a whole bunch of nurses and orderlies standing in the doorway looking at me as if the dead had just risen … As my eye locked onto theirs they began to jump backwards out of the doorway. From what I can ascertain I had been dead for a period of some 15 minutes. I prayed to God that night and asked him to heal me and enable me to walk out of the hospital. That night God completely healed me and enabled me to walk out of the hospital the next day.

I asked God what I had become, as I found my entire life was changing for good. God told me I was a Re-Born Christian and that he wanted me to read His Bible. I had never read a Bible and had never heard about being Born-Again. Over the next 6 weeks I read the entire Bible. I have never been the same, and believe that I saw our Lord Jesus Christ in His Glorified form (Rev. 1 : 13 -18)

Bible Quiz

2011-05-06T00:50:00.000+08:00

Q: What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
A: Psalms 117

Q: What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
A: Psalms 119

Q: Which chapter is in the center of the Bible?
A: Psalms 118

Fact: There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118
Fact: There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118
Add these numbers up and you get 1188.

Q: What is the center verse in the Bible?
A: Psalms 118:8

Q: Does this verse say something significant about God's perfect will for our lives?

The next time someone says they would like to find God's perfect will for their lives and that they want to be in the center of His will, just send them to the center of His Word!

Psalms 118:8
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Now isn't that odd how this worked out (or was God in the center of it)?

When things get tough, always remember...
Faith doesn't get you around trouble, it gets you through it !!

Where's The Piccolo?

2011-05-05T00:46:00.000+08:00

At certain times in life we may feel insignificant and useless. Surrounded by people with greater talent than ours, we are tempted in our weak moments just to settle back and let somebody else do the work. We reason that what we have to offer won’t make much difference anyway. We forget the truth suggested by our Lord’s use of five loaves and two small fish to feed a multitude (John 6:1-14). Each of us has something important to offer in His service.

Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great chorus. About halfway through the session, with trumpets blaring, drums rolling, and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player muttered to himself, “What good am I doing? I might just as well not be playing. Nobody can hear me anyway.” So he kept the instrument to his mouth, but he made no sound. Within moments, the conductor cried, “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo?” It was missed by the ear of the most important person of all.

It’s much the same way with the use of our abilities for the Lord. Whether our talent is great or small, the performance isn’t complete until we do our best with what we have.

-Richard De Haan

The Master needs what you have to offer
No matter if you think it’s small
His work on earth is done through His children
So give Him your best, give your all. –Hess

In God’s eyes it is a great thing
To do a little thing well.

From Our Daily Bread

Good Morning!

2011-05-04T00:43:00.000+08:00

Good Morning, this is GOD I will be handling ALL your problems today.

Please remember ... I WILL NOT NEED YOUR HELP!!!

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD Box (something for God to do). It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it.

Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance, think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful! There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities, remember ... things could be worse. You could be them!!!

Because I do not sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest, my child.

If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away.

Love Eternally, The Lord your God

Dead Ducks Don't Flutter

2011-05-03T00:31:00.001+08:00

Many years ago, a wealthy man went duck hunting with a hired hand named Sam.They took a horse and carriage, and along the way a rim came off one of the wheels. As Sam hammered it back on, he accidentally hit his finger. Instantly he let go with some bad words. He quickly fell to his knees, asking God’s forgiveness. “Lord, it’s difficult at times to live the Christian life”, he prayed. “Sam” said the man, “I know you’re a Christian, but tell me why you struggle so, I’m an atheist, and I don’t have problems like that.”

Sam didn’t know what to say. Just then two ducks flew overhead. The man raised his gun and two shots rang out. “Leave the dead one and go after that wounded bird!” he shouted. Sam pointed at the duck that was fluttering desperately to escape and said, “I’ve got an answer for you now, Boss. You said my Christianity isn’t any good because I have to struggle so. Well, I’m the wounded duck, and struggle to get away from the devil. But you Boss, you’re the dead duck!”

That insight fits Paul’s description of his Christian experience in Romans 7: 14-25. Struggle is one evidence of God’s work in our lives Forgiveness of sin is available, so don’t despair. Remember, dead ducks don’t flutter.

–Dennis De Hann

Struggle, yes, it’s part of living
Nothing’s gained on beds of ease;
But when our heart is set on Jesus,
Struggle drives us to our knees.

–D. De Hann

If Jesus lives within us,
Sin need not overwhelm us.
=Our Daily Bread=

A Thought

2011-05-02T00:30:00.001+08:00

Recently, I was reading on a book when an idea came to me. I thought of writing a piece of article which is relevant to Christianity... One that I called my very own... One very non-fiction one... haha

Need some time to pen it down though...

Meanwhile, I prepared some good ones to share

20 Words to the Wise

2011-04-02T13:23:00.000+08:00

01. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. 02. Dear God: I have a problem. Sometimes, it's me. 03. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional. 04. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. 05. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted. 06. Do the math. Count your blessings. 07. Faith is the ability to not panic. 08. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging. 09. If we worry, we probably didn't pray. If we pray, we probably don't worry. 10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day. 11. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. 12. The most important things in our homes are the people. 13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knots for us. 14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. 15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead. And who knows where he has gone? 16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments. 17. Nothing is real to you until we experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay. 18. It's all right to sit on our pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done. 19. Surviving and living our life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams we seek require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle -- it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck. 20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Genghis Khan and his Hawk

2011-04-01T13:21:00.002+08:00

Retold by: James Baldwin Source: The Book of Virtues ===Something like Happy April's Fool Day=== One morning Genghis Khan, the great king and warrior, rode out into the woods to have a day's sport. Many of his friends were with him. They rode out gayly, carrying their bows and arrows. Behind them came the servants with the hounds. It was a merry hunting party. The woods rang with their shouts and laughter. They expected to carry much game home in the evening. On the king's wrist sat his favorite hawk, for in those days hawks were trained to hunt. At a word from their masters they would fly high up into the air, and look around for prey. If they chanced to see a deer or a rabbit, they would swoop down upon it swift as any arrow. All day long Genghis Khan and his huntsmen rode through the woods. But they did not find as much game as they expected. Toward evening they started for home. The king had often ridden through the woods, and he knew all the paths. So while the rest of the party took the nearest way, he went by a longer road through a valley between two mountains. The day had been warm, and the king was very thirsty. His pet hawk left his wrist and flown away. It would be sure to find its way home. The king rode slowly along. He had once seen a spring of clear water near this pathway. If he could only find it now! But the hot days of summer had dried up all the mountain brooks. At last, to his joy, he saw some water trickling down over the edge of a rock. He knew that there was a spring farther up. In the wet season, a swift stream of water always poured down here; but now it came only one drop at a time. The king leaped from his horse. He took a little silver cup from his hunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops. It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that he could hardly wait. At last it was nearly full. He put the cup to his lips, and was about to drink. All at once there was a whirring sound in the air, and the cup was knocked from his hands. The water was all spilled upon the ground. The king looked up to see who had done this thing. It was his pet hawk. The hawk flew back and forth a few times, and then alighted among the rocks by the spring. The king picked up the cup, and again held it to catch the trickling drops. This time he did not wait so long. When the cup was half full, he lifted it toward his mouth. But before it had touched his lips, the hawk swooped down again, and knocked it from his hands. And now the king began to grow angry. He tried again, and for the third time the hawk kept him from drinking. The king was now very angry indeed. "How do you dare to act so?" he cried. "If I had you in my hands, I would wring your neck!" Then he filled his cup again. But before he tried to drink, he drew his sword. "Now, Sir Hawk," he said, "that is the last time." He had hardly spoken before the hawk swooped down and knocked the cup from his hand. But the king was looking for this. With a quick sweep of the sword he struck the bird as it passed. The next moment the poor hawk lay bleeding and dying at its master's feet. "That is what you get for your pains," said Genghis Khan. But when he looked for his cup, he found that it had fallen between two rocks, where he could not reach it. "At any rate, I will have a drink from that spring," he said to himself. With that he began to climb the steep bank to the place from which the water trickled. It was hard work, and the higher he climbed, the thirstier he became. At last he reached the place. There indeed was a pool of water; but what was that lying in the pool, and almost filling it? It was a huge, dead snake of the most poisonous kind. The king stopped. He forgot his thirst. He thought only of the poor dead bird lying on the ground below him. "The hawk saved my life!" he cried, "and how did I repay him? He was my best friend, and I have killed him." He clambered down the bank. He took the bird up gently, and laid it in his hunting bag. Then he mounted his horse and rode swiftly home. He said to himself, "I have learned a sad lesson today, and that is, never to do anything in anger."

Father's Gift

2011-03-31T13:20:00.000+08:00

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father hadpurchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Sometimes The Day Comes

2011-03-30T10:31:00.000+08:00

Author: Joy Sankhala

Sometimes the day comeswhen you try your level bestto achieve somethingbut you fail

Sometimes the day comeswhen nobody understands youand you feel that you are isolatedfrom the world

Sometimes the day comeswhen you want to help the needybut find yourself unable tobecause of some reasons
Sometimes the day comeswhen you are hungry and have a few bucksbut you see the child laborers and buy food for them

Sometimes the day comeswhen Mom comes up with one answerand Father with anotherand you have to make your own decision

Sometimes the day comeswhen you see that some people ditch othersbecause of their selfishness

Sometimes the day comeswhen you want to tell something to your parentsbut find yourself unable to becauseyou think that they might get hurt or misunderstand you

Sometimes the day comeswhen your friends drift apartnot because you were not able to understand thembut because they were not able to understand you

Sometimes the day comeswhen you want to smilebut can't find a place to even weep

Sometimes the day comeswhen your beloved can't understand your feelingsand leaves you aloneand you look down and feel ashamed or embarrassed

But sometimes the day comeswhen you learn from all your failure and think"Those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly."

Don't look down, look up.
You are one of the persons to whom GOD is closestand He loves you.
Remember GOD also has a son (Jesus) on the earthbut not without sufferings, peril and agonies.

Learning To Listen

2011-03-29T10:26:00.000+08:00

Author: Johnny Silvas

We all know what it's like to get that phone call in the middle of the night. This night's call was no different.
Jerking up to the ringing summons, I focused on the red illuminated numbers of my clock. Midnight. Panicky thoughts filled my sleep-dazed mind as I grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?"

My heart pounded; I gripped the phone tighter and eyed my husband, who was now turning to face my side of the bed.

"Mama?"

I could hardly hear the whisper over the static. But my thoughts immediately went to my daughter. When the desperate sound of a young crying voice became clearer on the line, I grabbed for my husband and squeezed his wrist.

"Mama, I know it's late, but don't...don't say anything, until I finish. And before you ask, yes, I've been drinking. I nearly ran off the road a few miles back and..."

I drew in a sharp shallow breath, released my husband and pressed my hand against my forehead. Sleep still fogged my mind, and I attempted to fight back the panic.

Something wasn't right.

"And I got so scared. All I could think about was how it would hurt you if a policeman came to your door and said I'd been killed. I want...to come home. I know running away was wrong. I know you've been worried sick. I should have called you days ago, but I was afraid...afraid..."

Sobs of deep-felt emotion flowed from the receiver and poured into my heart. Immediately I pictured my daughter's face in my mind and my fogged senses seemed to clear. "I think..."

"No! Please let me finish! Please!" She pleaded, not so much in anger but in desperation.

I paused and tried to think of what to say. Before I could go on, she continued, "I'm pregnant, Mama. I know I shouldn't be drinking now... especially now, but I'm scared, Mama, so scared!"

The voice broke again and I bit into my lip feeling my own eyes fill with moisture. I looked at my husband who sat silently mouthing, "Who is it?"

I shook my head and when I didn't answer, he jumped up and left the room, returning seconds later with the portable phone held to his ear. She must have heard the click in the line because she continued, "Are you still there? Please don't hang up on me! I need you. I feel so alone."

I clutched the phone and stared at my husband, seeking guidance. "I'm here, I wouldn't hang up," I said.
"I know I should have told you, Mama. But when we talk, you just keep telling me what I should do. You read all those pamphlets on how to talk about sex and all, but all you do is talk. You don't listen to me. You never let me tell you how I feel. It is as filmy feelings aren't important. Because you're my mother, you think you have all the answers. But sometimes I don't need answers. I just want someone to listen."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stared at the how-to-talk- to-your-kids pamphlets scattered on my nightstand. "I'm listening," I whispered.

"You know, back there on the road, after I got the car under control, I started thinking about the baby and taking care of it. Then I saw this phone booth and it was as if I could hear you preaching about people shouldn't drink and drive. So I called a taxi. I want to come home."

"That's good, Honey," I said as relief filled my chest. My husband came closer, sat down beside me and laced his fingers through mine. I knew from his touch that he thought I was doing and saying the right thing.
"But you know, I think I can drive now."

"No!" I snapped. My muscles stiffened, and I tightened the clasp on my husband's hand. "Please, wait for the taxi. Don't hang up on me until the taxi gets there."

"I just want to come home, Mama."

"I know. But do this for your mama. Wait for the taxi, please." I listened to the silence in fear. When I didn't hear her answer, I bit into my lip and closed my eyes. Somehow I had to stop her from driving.

"There's the taxi, now."

Only when I heard someone in the background asking about a Yellow Cab did I feel my tension easing.
I'm coming home, Mama."

There was a click and the phone went silent. Moving from the bed with tears forming in my eyes, I walked out into the hall and went to stand in my sixteen-year-old daughter's room. The dark silence hung thick. My husband came from behind, wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"We have to learn to listen," I said.

He pulled me around to face him. "We'll learn. You'll see."

Then he took me into his arms and I buried my head in his shoulder. I let him hold me for several moments, then I pulled back and stared back at the bed. He studied me for a second, then asked, "Do you think she'll ever know she dialed the wrong number?"

I looked at our sleeping daughter, then back at him. "Maybe it wasn't such a wrong number."

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing?" The muffled young voice came from under the covers.

I walked over to my daughter, who now sat up staring into the darkness.

"We're practicing," I answered.

"Practicing what?" she mumbled and laid back on the mattress, her eyes already closed in slumber.

"Listening," I whispered, and brushed a hand over her cheek

The Secret Ears

2011-03-28T10:14:00.001+08:00

“Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped.

The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred.
When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.

He blurted out the tragedy. “A boy, a big boy… called me a freak.”

He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.

“But, you might mingle with other young people,” his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
The boy’s father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be done?

“I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured,” the doctor decided.

Whereupon, the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by.

Then his father said, “You are going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But, it’s a secret who it is.”

The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs. Later, he married and entered the diplomatic service.
“But, I must know!” He urged his father, “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but, the agreement was that you are not to know… not yet.”

The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. It was one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears.

“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut,” he whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”

Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what can be seen, but in what cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what is done and not known.

A Quite Voice Within

2011-03-27T10:10:00.001+08:00

As a teacher of origami, Art Beaudry was asked to represent his school at an exhibit at a large mall in. He decided to take along a couple hundred folded paper cranes to pass out to people who stopped at his booth.

Before that day, something strange happened — a voice told him to find a piece of gold foil paper and make a gold origami crane. The voice was so insistent that Art actually found himself rummaging through his collection of origami papers at home until he found one flat, shiny piece of gold foil.

“Why am I doing this?” he asked himself. Art had never worked with the shiny gold paper; it didn’t fold as easily or neatly as the crisp multicolored papers. But that little voice kept nudging. Art tried to ignore the voice. “Why gold foil anyway? Paper is much easier to work with,” he grumbled.

The voice continued. “Do it! And give it to a special person.” By now Art was getting a little cranky. “What special person?” he asked the voice. “You’ll know which one,” the voice said.

That evening Art carefully folded and shaped the unforgiving gold foil until it became as graceful and delicate as a real crane about to take flight. He packed the exquisite crane in the box along with about 200 other colorful paper cranes he’d made over the previous few weeks.

The next day at the mall, dozens upon dozens of people stopped by Art’s booth to ask questions about origami. He demonstrated the art. He folded, unfolded and refolded. He explained the intricate details, the need for sharp creases.

Then, suddenly, there was a woman standing in front of Art. Was this that special person? Art had never seen her before, and she hadn’t said a word as she watched him carefully fold a pink piece of paper into a crane with pointed, graceful wings.

Art glanced up at her face, and before he realized it, he found himself reaching for the gold-foil crane he’d labored over the night before. Carefully he picked up the gold crane, and gently placed it in the woman’s hand.
Art said: “I don’t know why, but a voice told me to give you that golden crane. The crane is the ancient symbol of peace,” Art said simply.

The woman didn’t say a word as she slowly cupped her hand around the fragile bird as if it were alive. When Art looked at her face, he saw tears filling her eyes.

Finally, the woman took a deep breath and said, “My husband died three weeks ago. This is the first time I’ve been out. Today….” She wiped her eyes with her free hand, still gently cradling the golden crane with the other. Then she said very quietly, as tears streamed down her face. “Today would have been our ‘golden’ wedding anniversary.”

Then the lady said in a clear voice, “Thank you so much for this beautiful gift. Now I know that my husband is at peace.

“Don’t you see? The voice you heard, it was the voice of God, and this beautiful crane is a gift from Him. It’s the most wonderful 50th wedding anniversary gift I could have received. Thank you for listening to Holy Spirit within your heart.”

And that’s how Art learned to listen very carefully, when the Holy Spirit speaks to him within, and tells him to do things he may not understand — now or even later.

Are you listening, my friend? God may be speaking to you.

Just a Mom

2011-03-26T09:59:00.001+08:00

Author: Unknown

A woman, renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk ’s office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. ”What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job or are you just a……?”

“Of course I have a job,” snapped the woman. ”I’m a Mom.”

“We don’t list ‘Mom’ as an occupation, ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, “Official Interrogator” or “Town Registrar.”

”What is your occupation?” she probed. What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out.
“I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.

Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
”Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “just what you do in your field?”

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn’t) in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I’m working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).

But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants — ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than “just another Mom.” Motherhood!

Life Is All About Choices

2011-03-25T09:53:00.001+08:00

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood."

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Michael said.

"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," Michael replied.

"Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Michael continued, "... the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael.

"She asked if I was allergic to anything.

'Yes, I replied.'

The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!"

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
LIVE IS ABOUT THE LITTLE CHOICES WE MAKE EVERY DAY !

Depression Clinical or Self-Induced?

2011-03-24T16:19:00.001+08:00

Author: Allen Steble

There is one type of illness in the world that affects more people than anything else and is very deadly. If untreated this illness could affect everything you do. What is this illness? Depression. Serious depression requires professional treatment. Self-induced depression is something each of us can change.

Everyone's circumstances are different and the pressures we face from day to day vary, but really some of the causes self-induced depression are common: low self-esteem, hurtful thinking and a bad attitude.
Although these affect people on a global scale and cause much heartache, how can we change the way we think, feel, and cultivate a cheerful attitude? Like with any obstacle there will be stumbling blocks, but they can be avoided.

First we must look at ourselves, truly and honestly examining our motives for what we do and what we wish to achieve. If you are dissatisfied because you feel you haven't or can't do anything, then one step is needed - to set goals.

Always start your goals relatively small and easy to attain. Think of them as sand; one grain may be insignificant but as a group they form the beach.

Once you have set and attained small goals for yourself, move on to slightly larger, more challenging goals. Examples might be like competing in a sporting event, studying at college or getting a part time job. And most importantly of all, talk to people about your goals. Talk to people who have reached higher goals, for they can give you much encouragement.

It takes more than just setting goals to be happy. It takes positive thinking. How can we attain this? There are a number of factors that can make us think negatively and one of those is diet.

In my opinion, a person who eats a lot of take out and fast food is feeding their body junk which mostly consists of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar and is generally low in vitamins and minerals. Start by eating better foods, more fruit and veggies, meat products and high fiber meals which give the body much NEEDED minerals. If your physical body is happy, it's much easier for your mental body or "thinking ability" to be happy.

Next, exercise. A half-hour a day is recommended for positive well being. Why is exercise so important?
Because it gets oxygen running around the body more easily which helps us think better and helps us sleep better. If you are having difficulties sleeping, a little more physical work or exercise during the day may be needed.

Thinking is also linked to what we do.

For example: if you do something that you hate doing everyday, it will show in your attitude. This probably explains why so many people are angry in the work place. If you don't like what you do, but have no choice in doing it, try to give yourself some hobbies or activities you really enjoy doing (building lego technic is always a good one for me).

Hobbies are just like lifelong invisible friends. If all else fails, you can turn to them.

If thinking positive becomes that difficult, think back to a time in your life when you were happier, or think about good memories you had, or generally think of things that make you smile.

Remember, everything you wear costs money but to wear a smile is free. A smile can be the difference between an average day and a great day and also offers you some brief exercise (smiling requires the movement of certain facial muscles).

If you follow these steps, positive change is inevitable.

To be happy depends not only on good health mentally, how we think and feel, but also on how healthy we are physically. So start making positive goals, treating your body to healthier foods, and stay motivated in life by doing things you love or think are fun, and thus you can enjoy the precious life you have.

A Box Full of Kisses

2011-03-23T16:15:00.000+08:00

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

Do Not ...

2011-03-22T11:57:00.000+08:00

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.Only you know what is best for you..
Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future.By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you still have something to give.Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other....

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not dismiss your dreams.To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Happiness is a Voyage

2011-03-21T11:55:00.000+08:00

We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another. Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough, and that all will be well when they are older.
Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them. Surely we’ll be happier when they grow out of the teen years.

We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire.

The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not, then when?

Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.

For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start. Real life.

But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.

I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life.

That point of view helped me see that there isn’t any road to happiness.

Happiness IS the road.
So, enjoy every moment.

Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten ounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.

Happiness is a voyage, not a destination.

There is no better time to be happy than… NOW! Live and enjoy the moment

Wise Pray for Your Love

2011-03-20T16:57:00.002+08:00

Lord,I pray for a man, that will be a part of my lifeA man that really loves You more than everything
A man that will take me in the second place of his heartA man that lives not for himself but for U
Face and phsysical attraction isn't important
The most important is
I want a heart that really loves and thristy of U and have a desire to be like Jesus

And he must know for whom and for what he lives
So his life isnt useless
Someone that have a wise heart
Not only a smart brain
A man that not only loves me but also respect me
A man that not only can adore me
But can warning me when I'm wrong
A man that loves me not from my beauty but from my heart
A man that can be my best friend in every time and situation
A man that make me feel like a woman when I beside him

I'm not ask a perfect man
But I ask for imperfect man
So I can make him perfect in Your eyes.
A man that need my support for his strength
A man that need my prayer for his life
A man that need my smile to cover his sadness
A man that need my love so he could feel beloved
A man that need me to make his life perfect

And I also ask
Make me to be a woman that can made him proud
Give me a heart that really love You
So I could love him with Your love
Not love him with my love
Give me Your gentle spirit
So my beauty not come from my outside but come from
You Give me Your Hands
That I always able to pray for him
Give me Your eyes
So I could see many good things in him and not the bad one
Give meYour mouth That fullfil with Your words of wisdom andencourange So I could support him every day Give me Your lips And Iwill smile at him every morning

And I want that when finally we meet
Both of us can say
How great Thou Art
that You give me someone that can make my life perfectI know that You want we meet at the right time
And You will make everything beautiful in Your time
Amen.

When You...

2011-03-19T16:37:00.002+08:00

When you are tired and discouragedfrom fruitless efforts...
God knows how hard you have tried.

When you've cried so long andyour heart is in anguish...
God has counted your tears.

If you feel that your life is on hold andtime has passed you by...
God is waiting with you.

When you're lonely and yourfriends are too busy even for a phone call...
God is by your side.

When you think you've triedeverything anddon't know where to turn...
God has a solution.

When nothing makes sense and youare confused or frustrated...
God has the answer.

If suddenly your outlook isbrighter andyou find traces of hope...
God has whispered to you.

When things are going well and youhave much to be thankful for...
God has blessed you.

When something joyful happensand you are filled with awe...
God has smiled upon you.

When you have a purpose to fulfill
and a dream to follow...
God has opened your eyes and calledyou by name.
Remember that wherever you are orwhatever you are facing...GOD KNOWS!!

N430 - The Fun Godly Family

Rightly Interpreting the Bible by Ron Rhodes

Methodology

A Foundational Truth: God Created Language for a Purpose

Seeking the Author's Intended Meaning

The Importance of Context

The Importance of Historical Considerations

Making a Correct Genre Judgment

Interpret the Old Testament in Light of the New Testament

Dependence on the Holy Spirit

The Example of Jesus Christ

Is the Bible Alone Sufficient?

Correctly Handling the Word of Truth

thank God that we have Him.

Noah's Ark - Part 3

A Lesson on Major Points of the Story

A Lesson on Righteousness vs. Wickedness

A Lesson on the Animals

A Lesson on the Covenant

Noah's Ark - Part 2

1. Noah lived long enough that he could be personally acquainted with everyone after Seth down to Abraham.

2. In 2451 BC, it took Noah less than 100 years to build the ark, with the assistance of his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth.

3. About 2275 BC, Ham's grandson Nimrod, built the founded Babylon and built the Tower of Babel.

4. Angered that God stopped them from building the pyramid shaped Tower of Babel, men to Egypt and South America and built more pyramids in defiance to God in 2200 BC.

5. We find 500 flood stories all over the world and the earliest archeologically verified tablet is the Sumerian flood story, dated to 2150 BC, shortly after God created Cuneiform as a language at the Tower of Babel.

Noah's Ark - Part 1

Believe in Yourself =)

A "Fresh" Reminder

Meet Me In The Stairwell

Try this

Will You Stay?

Potter's Wheel

An Unspoken Bible

A Sign of Times

The Shadow of the Cross

God's Timing

Only the God-planned life is successful.

Your will be done Lord

Is this or Is This Not?

That's a WOW-ed!

Quiet time - Pray for family, power in your believing and your words

Quiet time - evangelism Bible reading - warnings, learning, end times

quiet time - trained me in my work

Serving God...

That Amazing Love

quiet time - not a spirit of fear

quiet time

quiet time - not to let the grace be wasted, sexual purity, godly sorrow

Love your enemies , mercy vs grace , grace for daily living

"I just want this... for now..."

Please get out of my life?

quiet time

quiet time- how to do quiet time n the lord's prayer

Open your hands... and let it go...

quiet time - discover the specific assignments/ callings that God had planned for you

Slow and steady wins the race

quiet time - not be the fool who look into the mirror and walk away

My Way

"In Jesus' Name"

My Sincere Prayer...

Love & Infatuation...

Forgiveness Bubbles

The Folded Napkin

The Bridge

Baseball

Thankful For The Thorns

Letter From God To Women

The Filling Station

Ten Guidelines From God

The Frog Race

Thank You, Lord

Scars for Life

satan-convention

Come Celebrate with Me

Empty Chair

The Ant And The Contact Lens

The Shoe Man

Am I A Fireman Yet?

Hand Of Hope

A Child's Grief