Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble

That frustrating feeling when you are nowhere as good as you used to be. Seeing people around you doing drills that are supposed to be doable for you.

Was it a mistake going back to the training squad?

Thumb oh thumb, please recover. 

Losing my arm and fingers strength within a short span of 3 months sucks, really sucks. That sense of helplessness and agony, sigh.

Patience, Charlene, patience

Have faith that things will get better.

It will, it has to.

Find the Strength You Need in the New Year

Almighty God was the source of my strength. He was the strength of my life.

This is the truth of Scripture. Our God is an awesome God — a God of ultimate strength.

The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! — Psalm 68:35

Trust in the Lord forever, for in… the Lord is everlasting strength. — Isaiah 26:4

If God is your strength, and yet within you there is weakness, what do you do? Just believing what the Bible says about the might and power of God doesn’t overcome weakness. The apostle James reminds us that “even the demons believe – and tremble! — James 2:19

The great truth is this: You don’t have to beg God for strength, and you don’t have to look for strength. God is looking to give His strength to those who need it and will receive it!

So how do we overcome our weakness with His strength?

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. — Isaiah 40:28-29, emphasis added

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. — Isaiah 41:10, emphasis added

If you translate these promises from the Old Testament into the language of the New Testament, you hear the apostle Paul exalting,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. — Philippians 4:13

God has all the strength you’ll ever need. And God desires to make His strength available to you.


OT Year 1 Tri 2, bring it on

Whatever good things we build end up building us

How time flies and it is the end of 2018. Looking back, this is certainly a year of many 'firsts' and changes.

1. Being (almost) fully independent -a huge leap of faith
2. Baptism -the dying of old self and risen with Christ in me
3. Being a full time university student in SIT -losing sleep, rushing assignments, encountering irritating teammates/course mates etc.
4. Getting 1st for SUNIG 2018 and team of the year -yay to the chance of representing Singapore for Asia Pacific University
5. Getting a pass for Anatomy and Physiology when I thought I will fail because the topics I studied were not tested. Yet getting a D for Psychology when I expected an A -shit happens, Murphy's Law zz
6. Underwent a surgery to repair my grade 3 ligament tear with general anesthesia -ligament was torn for 2 years without knowing. Being on cast with wire and stitches in public restored some faith in Singaporeans humanity 
7. Spending Christmas and New Year in Singapore after many years being abroad during these festive seasons -it have been really warm. Where are you, my chilly winds?

Being an allied health student is really no joke. My social life plummeted, my life revolved around the different modules, I never see the light whenever I leave SIT (on the verge of staying overnight), my eye bags and dark circles are turning me into a panda (hopefully not my size) and Anatomy and Physiology are constantly encouraging me to take the withdrawal form. I am ok with Physiology but not Anatomy. The latter is obviously testing and pushing the limits of my goldfish memory. I mean, I failed my OPSE but hey, I am not upset. In fact, I kind of expected it. The worst news? There will be more throughout these 4 years -never ending amount of anatomy. That's the, er, basic of an allied health student I guess.

But it's ok. God will bring me through it. If He puts me there, He will see me through it. Let 2019 be a year of strengthening faith, building resilience, encouraging perseverance and spreading positivity. Bring it on!


But first, let me enjoy nua-ing around for the last week of my holidays (sobs) until the next term begins. I'll miss you, my holidays, and I'll see you in April (double sobs)

The seed dies into a new life, and so does man

A little information on baptism...
Baptism gets its meaning and its importance from the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in our place and for our sins, and from his triumph over death in the resurrection that guarantees our new and everlasting life. Baptism has meaning and importance only because the death and resurrection of Jesus are infinitely important for our rescue from the wrath of God and our everlasting joy in his glorious presence.

Romans 6:3–4Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

In Romans, faith is the means by which we are united to Christ and justified. But we show this faith — we say this faith and signify this faith and symbolize this faith — with the act of baptism. Faith unites to Christ; baptism symbolizes the union.

I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer me who lives but Christ lives in me.

Pressing Through the Pain

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. — James 4:8 NKJV

Does it ever feel like the heartbreak in your life is trying to break you?

I understand. I really, really do. I’ve been in that place where the pain of heartbreak hits with such sudden and sharp force that it feels like it cuts through skin and bone. It’s the kind of pain that leaves us wondering if we’ll ever be able to function like a normal person again.

But God has been tenderly reminding me that pain itself is not the enemy.

Pain is the indicator that brokenness exists.

Pain is the reminder that the real Enemy is trying to take us out and bring us down by keeping us stuck in broken places. Pain is the gift that motivates us to fight with brave tenacity and fierce determination, knowing there’s healing on the other side.

And in the in-between? In that desperate place where we aren’t quite on the other side of it all yet, and our heart still feels quite raw? Pain is the invitation for God to move in and replace our faltering strength with His. I’m not writing that to throw out spiritual platitudes that sound good; I write it from the depth of a heart that knows it’s the only way. We must invite God into our pain to help us survive the desperate in-between.

The only other choice is to run from the pain by using some method of numbing. But numbing the pain never goes to the source of the real issue to make us healthier. It only silences our screaming need for help.

We think we are freeing ourselves from the pain when, in reality, what numbs us imprisons us.

If we avoid the hurt, the hurt creates a void in us.

It slowly kills the potential for our hearts to fully feel, fully connect, fully love again. It even steals the best in our relationship with God.

Pain is the sensation that indicates a transformation is needed. There is a weakness where new strength needs to enter in. And we must choose to pursue long-term strength rather than temporary relief.

So how do we get this new strength? How do we stop ourselves from chasing what will numb us when the deepest parts of us scream for some relief? How do we stop the piercing pain of this minute, this hour?

We invite God’s closeness.


For me, this means praying. No matter how vast our pit, prayer is big enough to fill us with the realization of His presence like nothing else. Our key verse (James 4:8) reminds us that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. When we invite Him close, He always accepts our invitation.

And on the days when my heart feels hurt and my words feel quite flat, I let Scripture guide my prayers — recording His Word in my journal, and then adding my own personal thoughts.

One of my favorites to turn to is Psalm 91. I would love to share this verse with you today, as an example for when you prayerfully invite God into your own pain.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. — Psalm 91:1

Prayer:
Lord, draw me close. Your Word promises when I draw close to You, You are there.

I want my drawing close to be a permanent dwelling place. At any moment when I feel weak and empty and alone, I pray that I won’t let those feelings drag me down into a pit of insecurity. But rather, I want those feelings to be triggers for me to immediately lift those burdensome feelings to You and trade them for the assurance of Your security.

I am not alone, because You are with me. I am not weak, because Your strength is infused in me. I am not empty, because I’m drinking daily from Your fullness. You are my dwelling place. And in You I have shelter from every stormy circumstance and harsh reality. I’m not pretending the hard things don’t exist, but I am rejoicing in the fact that Your covering protects me and prevents those hard things from affecting me like they used to.

You, the Most High, have the final say over me. You know me and love me intimately. And today I declare that I will trust You in the midst of my pain. You are my everyday dwelling place, my saving grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

And with that I close my prayer journal, feeling a lot less desperate and a lot more whole. I breathe the atmosphere of life His words bring. I picture Him standing at the door of my future, knocking. If I will let Him enter into the darkness of my hurt today, He will open wide the door to a much brighter tomorrow.

Dear Lord, in this moment I draw near to You and I invite Your closeness. Help me to experience Your presence today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.



With that, praise God, I've survived the hectic week 1
and more to come....

Do I feel behind?

I’ve spent the better half of my life feeling just a little out of step.

When I was in secondary school, I consistently felt behind. I hit milestones behind all my other people. Adding to my chronological behindness, I was also just a little late to the game as far as catching a vision for post-polytechnic life. All my friends seemed to know they wanted to go to universities before I’d ever given it a thought. Everyone else had ideas about what they wanted to be, and I just wanted to take a nap.

I could copy their actions, but I didn’t quite get the gist of what was supposed to be coming next. Suddenly I was flooded with vision and ambition. I wanted to be a therapist. And if that doesn't works, I wanted to be in the media industry. I wanted to think about the future. And my life suddenly sped into hyperdrive.

I lived the next few years on fast-forward, a completely different person than I’d ever been. Before, I’d never thought about my career; suddenly I was daydreaming and mapping out ten-year plans. Earlier in life, if you’d asked me, I would have told you I don't really know. I am just going to try this this that that. But then everything was moving so fast, and I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on.

You can probably guess where this pattern went next. Suddenly I am thrown off course. Right now, I am back to where I am: square one. I mean like, there are so many of my peers out there who have already graduated with a degree (some already married!) while I am going back to being a full time student. Come on, I am probably going to be one of the older students around. How did I get so out of sync? Was behind the story of my life?

But you know what? It’s all good. I’ve learned this one thing about the Lord: He is always on time. And I’ve learned this about life: the ground beneath my feet is sacred, and it’s ground for Him to work and grow me.

In God’s kingdom, I am never behind or out of sync. I am always enough for the season He’s placed me in—because He is always enough, and He is always meeting the needs of His children.

Raze the old to raise the new

It has been a good 2 years and honestly, to withdraw halfway is a waste. Despite all the sacrifices, I think it is a good preparation for what may come because the road ahead will definitely be tougher.

 Seeing my results, I think I can do feature writings well but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

40 more days to a new beginning.

I don't know what is going to happen or where this route will lead me to,

but I choose to put my faith and trust in God.

4 years

Let's do this

💪💪💪

Loving (Literally) Everybody

Love Everybody, Always

“Love one another.” What is simple often isn’t easy; what is easy often doesn’t last. 

It was a lawyer who tried to set up Jesus. This lawyer asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. I think he was looking for a plan, but Jesus told him about his purpose instead. He said it was to love God with all his heart and soul and mind. Then in the next breath, Jesus gave the lawyer some unsolicited but practical advice. Jesus told him he should love his neighbors just like he loved himself. Sometimes we see these as two separate ideas, but Jesus saw loving God and loving our neighbors as one inseparable mandate. They were tied for first in Jesus’ mind. I think Jesus said these things because He knew we couldn’t love God if we don’t love the people He surrounds us with.

Simply put, we can stop waiting for a plan and just go love everybody.

There’s no school to learn how to love your neighbor, just the house next door. No one expects us to love them flawlessly, but we can love them fearlessly, furiously, and unreasonably.

We’re not supposed to love only our neighbors, but Jesus thought we should start with them. I bet He knew if our love isn’t going to work for the people who live close to us, then it’s probably not going to work for the rest of the world. Jesus didn’t say who our neighbors are either. Probably so we wouldn’t start making lists of those we don’t need to love.

Each of us is surrounded every day by our neighbors. They’re ahead of us, behind us, on each side of us. They’re every place we go. They’re sacking groceries and attending city council meetings. They’re holding cardboard signs on street corners and raking leaves next door. They play high school football and deliver the mail. They’re heroes and hookers and pastors and pilots. They live on the streets and design our bridges. They go to seminaries and live in prisons. They govern us and they bother us. They’re everywhere we look. It’s one thing we all have in common: we’re all somebody’s neighbor, and they’re ours.

This has been God’s simple yet brilliant master plan from the beginning. He made a whole world of neighbors.

We call it earth, but God just calls it a really big neighborhood.

What often keeps us from loving our neighbors is fear of what will happen if we do. Frankly, what scares me more is thinking about what will happen if we don’t. Being fearless isn’t something we can decide to be in a moment, but fear can be overcome with time and the right help. We can bring all the game we’ve got, but only Jesus has the power to call out of us the kind of courage it takes to live the life He talked about.

Saying we love our neighbors is simple. But guess what? Doing it is too.

We don’t think Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor” is a metaphor for something else. We think it means we’re supposed to actually love our neighbors. When joy is a habit, love is a reflex.

 

God didn’t give us neighbors to be our projects; He surrounded us with them to be our teachers.

Our friends do things like this for us. They help us see the life Jesus talked about while giving it to us in smaller pieces — sometimes just a teaspoonful at a time.

Selfless love has the power to transform even the darkest places into meadows.

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.

Finally an end to the month long FBT League 2018. Heavily invested my weekend for this league. Thank God for the mental and physical endurance for the full games of 3 periods of 12 minutes because it has been so long since I last played a full game. Wasn't expecting to win anything since there are stronger teams but yay to God for 3rd place.

Not the best season but let's come back stronger. For now, use this break to recover and rest well.
(Hello my weekend...)

So....I am going to try my hands on volleyball, heh.

God's ❤

Matthew 3: 13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Another timely reminder of God's overflowing, self-giving love -God is love.
Thank you Jesus

Divine Delays 🕗

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. — Romans 5:3-4

For the past several years, I have flown several times. And I would love to say every flight is an easy trip. But you and I both know — especially if you fly a lot, too — that your schedule is subject to all kinds of potential interference. Whether it’s long lines going through security, weather delays, chasing down lost luggage, waiting on maintenance to repair a plane, or the flight crew arriving late, anything can happen.

Through all the unexpected delays I’ve experienced, I’ve learned patience and perseverance. Neither of these qualities is my strong point, but God is always faithful to use our circumstances to strengthen the areas where we are weak. He is so faithful to use whatever is at hand to grow us, to keep us on course, and to get us to our destiny. And if we get off course, He’s faithful to help us make an adjustment and get headed in the right direction again.

As you walk through today, let any divine delays strengthen you. Let them challenge your thinking and mature you. Let them keep you on the right course to reach your destiny.

God, I know that You orchestrate my path, and You’re there in delays and schedule upsets. Please grow me and stay with me as I stay flexible this season.


As I embark on a new journey, I know that all is in His timing. It may be late in this world's timing but never in His for He is always on time.
Thank you Jesus

Finding Blessings in Brokenness

Often when tragedies strike or hard times engulf us, we ask, “Where’s God?” In asking this question, we make the assumption that God must not have known what was about to befall us or else, if He were powerful enough, He would have prevented it. Or we assume that God must not love us, because surely if He loved us, He would keep us from all hurtful times and hard experiences.

We might think that, but none of that is the truth.

This is the truth: God knows. God is powerful. And God loves.

Blameless, Upright, and Broken

When we experience difficult times or feel great inner pain and turmoil, we usually try to assign blame. We say either, “The devil caused this” or “God caused this.”

The greater likelihood is this: the devil caused it, and God allowed it.

Consider the Old Testament story of Job, who was described as being “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Yet God gave Satan permission to “strike everything [Job] has” (Job 1:11), but not Job himself.

God allowed Job to suffer incredible loss for reasons that were God’s alone.

Throughout Job’s pain and losses, however, God never abandoned Job for even a moment. He knew at each step of the way how greatly Job was being afflicted. And our sovereign God was overseeing this refining of Job.

The good news for us anytime we find ourselves being broken is this: our sovereign God is overseeing the refining process in our lives. He sees the beginning and the end. He has a good future designed for us, and ultimately heaven awaits.

We can be sure that our period of brokenness is not the end, but rather, a passage and a process to a rich, new beginning.

Yes, God knows. God is powerful. And God loves.

God Always Acts Out of Love

The motivation behind everything God does in our lives and everything He allows to enter our lives is love.

God is never acting in anger or wrath when He breaks us. Rather, God moves in our lives because He loves us too much to see us continue in our sin, remain in a lukewarm spiritual state, or go unfulfilled in His purposes for our lives. God moves in our lives so that we might change, grow, and become both spiritually mature and whole in spirit, mind, and body.

Chastisement Versus Punishment

God’s love prompts Him to chastise us when necessary. Chastisement is God’s method of disciplining us. God’s purpose is to lead us to confront, remove, or change those habits, attitudes, and beliefs that keep us from growing into the full stature of Christ’s likeness.

Punishment is for unbelievers. It is an expression of God’s wrath against those who have rejected the only Sin-bearer who can save a sinful person from that wrath. Our holy God cannot tolerate sin. He must eradicate it from His presence. The unbeliever is in an awesome, terrible position — totally exposed to God’s wrath.

Punishment flows from God’s wrath; chastisement flows from God’s love.

And God loves us so much that He longs for us to reflect His very nature and, literally, to be the body of Christ on the earth today. The chastisement we experience is a means of refinement: just as refining removes the dross and impurities from metal, so God strips us of the sin and the faults that keep us from being made whole.

God Does Not Want to Break Our Spirits

God’s purpose is not to break our spirits, but rather — and for our good — to break the stubbornness of our wills. He does this so He might effect His will in our lives.

A good parent knows that a child’s streak of stubbornness and pride must be broken. The breaking of a child’s stubbornness is not done to break the child’s spirit, but rather, to help the child grow up to be a productive, law-abiding, generous, and loving spouse, friend, parent, citizen, and member of the body of Christ.

Just as a parent breaks a child’s stubborn pride and willful disobedience, so God seeks to break within us the pride and disobedience that keep us from being loving, generous, Christlike people.

God Does Not Delight in Causing Us Pain

Just as it is not God’s desire to break our spirits, neither is it God’s purpose to cause us pain.

Our heavenly Father, the sovereign God, has a purpose in allowing bad things to happen, and His purpose extends not only to my life alone or yours alone, but to the lives of many people whom you and I may influence and help.

If we believe Romans 8:28 to be true, we must believe it to be true for all circumstances in our lives:

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Whatever it is that we may experience and however we may be broken, God has a good end for us.

We must never limit God’s ability to redeem even the worst, most pain-filled experience in our lives and turn it into something worthwhile, something that is good for us and that glorifies Him.

Regardless of the source of our pain, we must accept that God knows, God is powerful, God loves, and God is at work. We may not be responsible for what has happened to us, but we are responsible for our response to it. We must ask ourselves, “How can I walk through this pain? How can I benefit or profit spiritually from this?”

God’s Design

Where is God? He was with you at your first taste of pain, He has been with you in the darkness, He continues to be with you, and He will be with you as He uses this experience to do His refining work in your life.

So ask God to reveal to you what He is doing in your life — and what He desires to do for you, in you, and through you as the result of your brokenness.

Ask Him to help you see your brokenness in light of His great design for your life.

The Love of the Cross✝️

 

Focused on the Cross

For the joy set before Him [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. — Hebrews 12:2

For the joy set before Him… that’s us! When Jesus was on the cross, the joy that kept Him going — the passion that fueled His endurance of pain — was knowing the freedom His death, burial, and resurrection would produce in our lives.

Nothing demonstrates God’s love more powerfully than the Cross.

Jesus wasn’t forced to die. He wasn’t overpowered, outnumbered, or tricked into it. He chose the Cross because He loves you and me. Jesus’ passionate love for us took Him to the Cross — with its pain, humiliation, and complete separation from God — and then on to the resurrected life that means victory over sin and death for you and me. What passion!

Throughout our lives, we have opportunities to show God we love Him. Again, we do these things not to earn His love but in response to His unconditional, unstoppable love. Because our hearts burn with the same kind of passion that lives in Him. So, activate that passion in your life today. Worship Him passionately. Seek Him first passionately. Share His love with your family passionately. Reach out to others passionately. Let’s turn our lives, our families, our communities, and the world around for Jesus!

What amazing grace! What indescribable love! Jesus, thank You for dying on the Cross for my sins — and teach me to live a life of passionate thanks.

Amazing Love

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. — Ephesians 3:17-18

If you need a light in the darkness today, ponder God’s amazing love for you: 

As He knit you together, He loved you (Psalm 139:13). 

Before you could choose Him, He chose you (John 15:16). 

When you were broken, bitter, and blaming, He made you whole and showed you the sweet taste of forgiveness (Psalm 103:8-12). 

When you had no hope, He became your hope (1 Peter 1:3).

When you were too busy with the cares of this world, He interrupted you to show you what is eternal (Psalm 90:4). 

When you were lost, He found you, rescued you, and showed you that His mercy and justice will prevail (Luke 15). 

When you were disappointed, He taught you that disappointments can bring you to appointments He ordained (Romans 8:28). 

Then, in His ultimate act of love, Jesus owned the Cross — He made a way for us to be with God. Now you are empowered to know His love and bring His hope to a world desperate to know Him.

Lord God, Your love is overwhelming. Show me how to share Your light in the darkness.
 

Keep It Shut: Our Words Matter

Sparks, Squabbles, Spats, and Such: Our Words Matter

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. – Proverbs 18:21

Words are one of the most powerful weapons we have. They can be a sharp sword or a soothing salve, and can change someone’s life in an instant!

Words are powerful and they have consequences.

What starts as a little spark can become a booming blaze, as in the Colorado Black Forest fire of 2013.

James 3:2-12 tells us this about the tongue:
• It can corrupt our whole body.
• It cannot be tamed.
• It cannot pour out both what is bitter and what is sweet.

Luke 6:45 states that the mouth speaks what the heart is already full of. We need to learn to “mind our spillage.”

Our tongues are fire. From where will they be lit: above or below? Are our words a sword or a salve?

Let’s learn to pause before we pounce; to not say something permanently painful just because you are temporarily ticked off.

Perhaps we need a “force quit” feature for our mouths...



A timely reminder indeed,
Thank you God

Trust in the Lord with All Your ❤

Understanding will never bring you peace. That’s why I have instructed you to trust in Me, not in your understanding. Human beings have a voracious appetite for trying to figure things out in order to gain a sense of mastery over their lives. But the world presents you with an endless series of problems. As soon as you master one set, another pops up to challenge you. The relief you had anticipated is short-lived. Soon your mind is gearing up again: searching for understanding (mastery) instead of seeking Me (your Master).

The wisest of all men, Solomon, could never think his way through to Peace. His vast understanding resulted in feelings of futility, rather than in fulfillment. Finally, he lost his way and succumbed to the will of his wives by worshiping idols.

My Peace is not an elusive goal, hidden at the center of some complicated maze. Actually, you are always enveloped in Peace, which is inherent in My Presence.

As you look to Me, you gain awareness of this precious Peace.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5-6

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. — Romans 5:1

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. — 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Trust me by relinquishing control into My hands. Let go, and recognize that I am God. This is My world: I made it and I control it. Yours is a responsive part in the litany of Love. I search among My children for receptivity to Me. Guard well this gift that I have planted in your heart. Nurture it with the Light of My Presence.

When you bring Me prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Me. Speak to Me candidly; pour out your heart. Then thank Me for the answers that I have set into motion long before you can discern results. When your requests come to mind again, continue to thank Me for the answers that are on the way. If you keep on stating your concerns to Me, you will live in a state of tension. When you thank Me for how I am answering your prayers, your mind-set becomes much more positive.

Thankful prayers keep your focus on My Presence and My promises.

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth! — Psalm 46:10

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. — Colossians 4:2

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. — 2 Peter 1:3-4


What a timely reminder. Let go and let God.

2018

I know this comes a little late but...

2018
A year of change
A year to take a leap of faith

What Would Jesus Say on Social Media?

 

If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! – Proverbs 30:32

Here it is, translated for social media: “If you are tempted to slam someone online or brag on Facebook or send off a nasty tweet, turn off the screen and walk away!”

That’s it in a nutshell, but maybe we should spell out some rules of thumb that might keep our thumbs and fingers from wandering off into slander, arrogance, or combativeness.

1. Pray Before You Post 

My friend Suzanne wrote a great online devotional in which she talked about how many people run to check their Facebook page first thing in the morning. She encouraged her readers to instead make sure they consulted their “Faithbook” first — the Bible. How true this is! Perhaps if we spent time ingesting words of truth before we switched on the computer, we might not write things that are unkind or hurtful. At the very least, we should whisper a prayer before we post, asking the Holy Spirit to tap on our hearts if we are tempted to post anything online that would not glorify him.

2. Imagine the Recipient Sitting Next to You 

The Internet is so impersonal. We see tiny little thumbnail photos of people. We see words typed out on a screen rather than hear them spoken out loud. The pixels-and-pictures environment almost compels us to be rude because it lacks the subtle social cues — the wince, the moment of quiet — that tell us we’ve crossed the line. We feel empowered and also have a sense of anonymity as we tap, tap, tap away on our keyboards. But if a flesh-and-blood person were sitting next to us with eyes we could look into, perhaps we would state things differently. Before you post, ask yourself if you would say things differently if the person to whom you’re writing were actually sitting next to you.

3. Remember: When You’re Online, You’re Also on Stage 

Unless we send a private message, our online words are available for others to see. Twitter followers see what we tweet. Facebook friends, and the friends of those on whose walls we post comments, also see what we say. And hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands, of people can see a comment we leave on someone’s blog. This reality should certainly cause us to pause before we post — especially if there is even a remote possibility we might later regret what we write. If I say something in person to a friend and am later convicted I was wrong, I can go back to my friend and apologize. However, if I post something on social media or comment on a blog and later want to retract it, I have no way to chase down all of the people who might have seen the original comment. Just this fact alone should cause us to really weigh our words before we type them out.

4. Ask Yourself If You’ve Earned the Right to Address the Subject at Hand 

If friends on Facebook are hashing through a hot-button issue of the day, do you have any expertise in the area, or are you only slinging an underinformed opinion? We can’t always be an expert on every topic at hand, so when we aren’t, we might do well to refrain from commenting at all.

5. Ask Yourself If You Have a Close Enough Relationship with the Person to Warrant Offering Your Opinion 

It both irks me and makes me laugh when I see who hops on my page to offer their unsolicited opinions. Suddenly, people I haven’t heard from in years pop up on my screen offering their pixelated opinion about something I’ve posted. They give me specific instructions and pointed advice on what I should believe about a particular topic. This always surprises me because I don’t have a close relationship with these folks. Why do they think I will take their advice or value their perspective on my issues when they have not been a close friend or confidant?
Would they be responsive to unsolicited advice if someone they knew years ago suddenly walked up to them on the street and started telling them what to believe and how to act? If you’re tempted to dole out unsolicited advice to anyone who’s not a trusted friend, then I encourage you to resist the temptation!

6. When You Do Speak, Let Your Speech Be Laced with Grace 

No need for snark. No need for angry words or critical comments. Our mamas were right: If we can’t say something nice, we shouldn’t say anything at all.

When we do speak, we can choose to be gracious rather than accusatory or negative. Our words must glorify God and not just exalt our own opinions. 

We should be especially mindful that there are people whom we don’t know who might be viewing our online speech. Here is a great guideline from Scripture:

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:5-6 

Excerpted from Keep it Shut by Karen Ehman, copyright Zondervan.

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always

Thank you Lord, this win is yours. 

I wasn't expecting to win but through Your guidance, the women's team clinched the champion title.

Well done people, all the hard work and countless suicides paid off! Though there were matches where some of us did not perform, I'm glad we got each other's back(s) and side(s). Compared to last year's SUNIG, we did better and the chemistry among the team is obvious. Thank you for giving me a chance to play with you people. I know my attendance is one of the worst due to work and school but you guys ladies accepted me.


God, I hope that I shined for You through this competition. Thank you for the mental and physical strength to last through the matches. Casting my nervousness and fears onto You while drawing strength and peace, knowing that You are there with me, with us.

Everything that I have and everything I became is because of the strength of the Lord, and through him I have accomplished everything. Not because of my strength. Only by His love, his mercy and his strength.

The speed of the boss is the speed of the team

SMU Invitational 2017

Sort of a last minute decision to join this mixed competition.

It wasn't easy because we were there literally for 12 hours, mentally and physically drained from the waits and matches. Great job on maintaining the winning streak for all of the mixed competitions we have participated in so far.

Well, I didn't really perform but it has been a good recce session as SUniG 2017 will be held there. Thank you to the rest of the team for covering my front, back and sides. Age is probably catching up to me, haha! Maybe it is time for me to retire and let the younger ones take over.

But yay to being champion and thank God for strength and support.

#teamjesus

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind

It's pretty scary to know how quickly time flies.

It has been 2 years since I have started my career in the social service sector. Honestly, I have never seen myself going into this industry, more so being a youth worker especially after working 1 year in Dunman Secondary School. 

But look, God does wonders. This is not a route that I would have chosen for myself. This job was practically God-given and I will always be thankful for that. However, there is always an end to everything.

I have gained a lot during my time here, from colleague and intern-turned-friends to the art of handling youths. These are valuable experiences that I will keep close to my heart. I have grown a lot to the point where it is time for me to venture into another area- an area where I have always wanted to serve and that is the elderly. 

I applied for different fields, some related to my current studies, some related to my current job. I prayed (still praying, actually) for God's plan to be revealed, I prayed (and again, still praying), asking God not to open so many doors so that I will not get confused, I prayed (yes, still praying) and gave (still giving) thanks for the blessing showered. 

31 July 2017 is the end of the YDC chapter in my life.

1 August 2017; what come may.

I am excited to start another journey, a new chapter.

Yes, I am fearful of the unknowns but I have God on my side

and He is all I need.

#teamjesus