Monday, April 30, 2007
i am utterly shocked at myself...
i actually managed to forget a dateline! and the best thing, i only realize it 1/2 hr AFTER it was due.
Well done lydea.
There were so many things that led me to doing something that is totally out of character for me. I've always prided myself in putting academic first. Although I am now learning to put God first, I am pretty sure that God doesn't want me to be neglecting my studies either. My advice to people have always been, "God brings you here to study, your duty first and foremost is to be a good student, not a good OCF com member or church member."
Then again, the reason why I have been so busy is not just because of OCF. I was actually so preoccupied with doing the assignments due today (I honestly would puke blood if I have to write another sociolinguistics and bilingualism essay) that that I had a quiz due yesterday totally slipped past my radar. I also forgot to write it down because I only knew we had one like a couple of days before. Given the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that I forgot, but still, its really not something I am accustomed to.
My housemate says I am quite calm about the whole thing. Oh well, I already missed the dateline, there is really nothing I can do about it other then to pray and trust that God will provide. My lecturer is letting me take the test, but currently there is some problem with the website (as usual) so I can't access it as yet. I'm gonna get penalized for being late as well, but better late than never.
The verse that kept ringing in my head this morning was: "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.
The reason eludes me as to why God allowed me to forget (note the difference: God did not CAUSE me to forget, but everything that happens is under God's jurisdiction, good or bad). Or why I had to go through what I went through at the beginning of this year. So far, 2007 has been a pretty rocky year, injecting some excitement to my otherwise monotonous life. I can only think that God is rocking my boat, sending storms my way, pushing me way out of my comfort zone, so that I can experience His peace amidst the chaos. So that I have no choice but to lean on Him and not on rely on my own strength. Because honestly, no matter how strong I may be, there's gonna be a breaking point somewhere.
It has not been easy relinquishing control (I'm quite a control-freak) but slowly (and hopefully surely) I am learning to trust that God knows what is best for me. When trials come, leaning on my own understanding to make sense of the situation is pointless. Certain things just defy logic, I think most people would just attribute it simply to bad luck. But despite everything, I know I am secure in the loving arms of my Father, who is always there for me.
So dear friends, if anything, please pray for me. Pray especially for wisdom - I need lots of it =)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
people have asked, what did i do on my 21st birthday? well... on 18Apr2007, i woke up at 925am, still a little exhausted from the camp that ended the day before. i did my laundry and went to the library do some research. after doing some work, i went to qin's place for dinner, and then came home to do some more work.
ok, before any of you start feeling sorry for me, herez how i celebrated my 21st:
On the last day of camp, 17 apr, my lovely group surprised me with a camp t-shirt with all their birthday greetings written on the back of it. They were trying to surprise me, and although I sort of knew what was going on, I was terribly touched when presented with the tee.
on the 19th, i had a potluck party at qin's place, with my coursemates and a couple of friends who stay on campus. yup, this was the surprise party that wasn't very successful because i came to know about it. but it was really awesome having so many friends with me to celebrate my birthday and not forgetting delicious food (i tell you, we all become good cooks once we come overseas to study). thank you once again to everyone who came! i truly thank God for allowing us to forge frienships with one another.
lets not forget the bbq at suria's place on the 21st. even though there were some misunderstandings about the time and place, it was still a blast. it was like a triple celebration, suria's housewarming, david's (another guy from flinder's ocf) birthday and mine, all rolled into one. there were so many people, and i was glad that the ecamp com could come even though i only told them about it a couple of days before. it was good that they were able to surprise david because that boy didn't even invite anyone to the party! there was loads of food as well, i think dennis brought a whole cooler bag of chicken, and insisted on barbequeing it till it was beyond 'chao-tah' (for those who don't get the pun, the ecamp's theme was 'beyond').
if you are interested to know the presents i received as well as pics, keep a look out on my photo blog. i'll be posting photos as soon as i can as im now suffering the consequences of playing too much during the hols. back to assignments!
Friday, April 06, 2007
First, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all my friends who were planning a surprise party for me. I really appreciate all the effort you all have put into the surprise. THANK YOU for making me feel so special and loved. I thank God for friends like you all - I do not know what studying here would be like without each and every one of you.
Really really very SORRY for all the confusion and stress I brought to you all. SORRY that I did not trust you all enough to plan a party for me, and thus went ahead planning my own. SORRY that the surprise was spoilt because you all did know how else to deal with the mess I made.
Today is Good Friday, a day for thanksgiving, to thank God for giving us the most precious gift – His Son. Went to church for the Good Friday service, something which I do not do in Singapore (an apology to Rach if I caused you to stumble in any way). Wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, but since Dennis could give me a lift, I just went. And as usual, I came home filled with gladness that I went to church, as I do on Sundays.
I love church here, in a way I never felt back home. Its not the music that are 100 decibels louder, or the way it looks more like an exhibition hall than a church or the fact that I am surrounded by ang mohs (aka Caucasians). But I love how the Word of God is not only preached, it is also lived. Messages here have a life of their own, never failing to touch me every time I hear them. I marvel at how it always seems so appropriate and relevant to me. Worship is also spirit-filled and you can just feel the presence of God.
The sermon was short and sweet. Initially I wondered if Pastor Gary could have offended the non-Christians in our midst by cracking this joke of how an atheist was complaining that we Christians get all the holidays – Easter, Christmas, etc and how atheists had none. Then the atheist’s friend replied: “Why don’t you celebrate April 1st?” Pastor Gary went on to quote Psalm 14:1 – The fools says in his heart, “There is no God.”
In sharing the gospel or preaching God’s word, we sometimes worry over offending others. But one thing we must never be afraid to do is to proclaim the truth. The truth includes things like sin and judgment that are not pleasing to the ears, but nevertheless still have to be preached. Because without knowing what sin is and how we “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), then we can never understand the meaning of grace.
We celebrate Good Friday to remember the greatest act of grace. Did you know that Christ’s death was predestined before God created the world (Revelation 13:8)? When God created the world, He knew Adam would fall and all the heartache that mankind would bring Him. But because of His great love, He still lovingly made each and everyone of us and sent His Son down to die for us.
Often people blame Adam for their own sinful nature. True, “as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin. (Romans 5:12)” But likewise, “those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)”. At the end of the day, it is your choice – death or life.
Think about this: Jesus was born to die. His main purpose here on Earth was to die for our sins on the cross. However, we are all born to live. We are all given the chance to accept God’s grace and His gift of eternal life. A gift is something we do not need to work for, we just have to open our arms to embrace it. Are you willing to accept this gift?Where would I be without the cross?
Where would I be without the blood you shed for me?
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities
