why i am so blessed...

  "ALL OF THE DAYS OF THE AFFLICTED ARE EVIL, BUT HE
WHO IS OF A MERRY HEART HAS A CONTINUAL FEAST."
                ( PROVERBS 15:15 *NKJV )

       We are all Architects of our own future!  The thoughts we
 have today dictate what our future holds for us tomorrow.
 Therefore a person who has positive thoughts shall have positive
 results, just as a person who has negative thoughts shall attract
 negative results in their life.

     Therefore if we start our day by counting all of our blessings,
 and then try to have positive thoughts all day, our hearts will be
 indeed merry!  And as it is written, "A MERRY HEART MAKES
 A CHEERFUL COUNTENANCE, BUT BY SORROW OF THE
 HEART THE SPIRIT IS BROKEN."    ( PROVERBS 15:13 )

     Therefore be thankful for all that you have, for "HAPPY ARE
 THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN SUCH A STATE; HAPPY ARE
 THE PEOPLE WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD!"
 ( PSALM 144:15 )  After all it is then that you will have a
 continual feast!  So enjoy your meal, and by the way, the
 special today is a double helping of God's Love!

     Now may "THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,
 AND THE LOVE OF GOD, AND THE COMMUNION OF THE
 HOLY SPIRIT BE WITH YOU ALL."  AMEN.
 ( 2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 )

my devotion for the day... and i realised i find it hard to count my blessings or to think about the many blessings i
have in my life... it shouldn't be that hard...but everytime i do, i sorta get stuck at less than 10... am i just not happy
about the things i have or have i taken so many things for granted that they don't seem to make me anything much?
well... i am making myself... list down the reasons why i am a blessed person....

here goes...

1. I am a child of God and He loves me very very much. That's my top reason to be happy bout life!

2. I have parents who love me and every member of my family is still alive ( well, it's still one big imperfect family but
  everyone's there)... at least my core family. i can't imagine them not being around... you get what i mean although
  they are thousands of miles away.

3. I have supportive loved ones although some of them are so far away.... mua sayang, darlin, yen, yin, michael dog,
  chris, bunny... who sayang me a lot lot lot lot lot. there are others also and if you don't happened to be named, i
  know you guys care and sayang me lots... thanks loads! *hugs*

4. I don't have to worry bout the essentials of life. well, food, shelter and clothes... okie, sometimes i get very 'fan' bout
   cooking cause i am such a lazy person, so just drink powdered soup...but at least there is such a thing as powdered
   soup to fall back on... easier than maggi mee... shelter, I don't have to sleep under bridges in the cold... i've got a
   super comfy bed, that explains my prolonged absences from the world... I AM SLEEPING.... haha... and a
   wonderful bolster to hug which has a blue chicken little bolster cover... so cute! thanks, sayang! and pink piggy to
   keep me company so i won't be lonely...clothes... i admit are getting a little tight... but o well, i have been shopping
   for the past few weeks... i've got new stuff! wheeee! ( this is quite a lot here... i get quite happy thinking bout these....haha)

5. I am not sick... surprisingly healthy here...with minor bouts of flu....so far, i can run, i can walk, i can jump and shout
  and scream! i am happy i am walking around the wards seeing patients and not lying on the bed being seen by a
  doctor. if i can scold people and wack people, i am very much ALIVE and WELL... that includes bullying people
  who always bully me...

6. Today's a sunny day! hehe... although i didn't go anywhere much except to walk to the grocery shop to buy my
   chicken... the crazy bird didn't peck me... thank God (there's this crazy bird who pecks people when they walk
   around my area...well, i sorta decided i shan't be scared of a crazy bird and i shall punch it or wack it next time it
   tries to bully me... ) i did my laundry... very hardworking of me on a week day... awesome weather to dry my
  clothes... threw rubbish... boiled myself chicken soup... the chinese version... i feel quite accomplished...

7. I got 2 days off from hospital! how wonderful can life be... the consultant gave me 2 days off cause he was going
   for some conference. haven't got any day off for the past 3 weeks... wonderful!

8. I've got a great 5th year in my rotation and she's gonna go through osce stuff with me... how nice! hehe... and
  she's quite keng too...inspired by her... have to learn... to crap it till you make it... and also to have some facts
  and sound smart when presenting to the consultant...

9. Actually the more i type and think bout my blessings, the happier i am getting... life seems to be going pretty
  well... well, it did seem a lot more mundane before i started typing this list... now i feel... quite happy actually... =)

10. It's warm enough to wear shorts today!!! that's stg to be happy about... i haven't wore shorts for the past 2 -3 mths?
    didn't want to freeze my poor butt... hehe... it's back to tracks tonight...well, it's gonna be spring soon!

11. I saw the prettiest purple flowers when i was walking to rainbow halal today... they were alwyas there but today
    i had time to actually 'menghayati' them... a bit itchy fingers wanna pluck...but i didn't of course.... no good in
    killing poor flowers just cause they looked pretty...

12. Hehe... i actually planned to cook tonight... usually i am just too lazy, tired, can't be bothered... one tip for those
    who are bored ,look up recipes online.. can come up with 5-20 minutes recipes which are pretty easy to make,
    healthy and taste good as well! so tonight, i am trying out curry chicken with lebanese bread... fry the chicken
    with chopped onions and a bit of garlic in oil/butter, and then put curry powder... add a bit of water/milk/santan...
    cook till chicken is fully 'masak',,, chop cucumber or line d lebanese/pita bread with lettuce... stuff the bread with
    the chicken... and you are set!!!

okie... time to cook now... i am feeling pretty blessed.... all up for studying... another blessing... i didn't study at all
whole day...should be feeling pretty guilty, but since i didn't i might as well said i enjoyed my day... WITHOUT studying....
la la la!!

p.s: i made it to 12 this time.... =P

how do we reach the hurting?

something i have been thinking bout for some time... because all around people are hurting and the thing is... they might wanna hurt alone... or to be left alone so they can think about things... they might not want me to interfere or know that they are even hurting... and somehow that makes me hesitant to reach out and comfort those who i see hurting around me... or i tentatively reach out and the moment they seem uncomfortable, i totally withdraw and not try again...because i feel, i better not make situation worse and i may not be the best person to do this at all...

how hard can this be? it is... cause i do have a heart to comfort them, to console them... to jus walk with them tru this phase of their lives, and finding myself unable or stuck in some dilemma whether i should or not... is quite disturbing...

and throughout the women's conference on friday and saturday, i felt God breaking my heart.. .again and again... you know sorta like a walnut... i needed breaking... walnut is actually quite a tough nut to crack, you could break your teeth on them, proud to announce my teeth survived the ordeal though... but that's all besides the point...basically people get a nut cracker when they wanna crack walnuts... and in me, there's this toughness that's like a walnut shell... not that i am not tenderhearted about certain things, i do become a watering pot quite often... when pastor jane was talking bout this little girl who has some rare cancer and had lost her eye and needed treatment in Canada to save her other eye and to pray for her... it totally broke my heart, she was less than 10 years old and she had to go through so much already and her father died just before she was diagnosed with this cancer and her mother was at the conference... such a brave woman... do pray for her... although i can't even remember her name...

darlene zschech spoke (that's the hillsongs lady from sdyney... she's awesome, so funny and such joy~!) about standing when all hell breaks loose... and shared parts of her life when things were tough.... the choice to stand.... when you know your mission, your purpose.... and the way she illustrated it... as if the moment you got out of bed and your feet touches the floor. the whole of hell would exclaimed ," OH NO! SHE'S AWAKE". actually that would be so awesome... to freak out all the powers of hell. she's really such a woman fo God. wake up and know why you are here on earth for... to know your mission. another point is to count the cost now. how much we have to give to complete this mission, and to expect trouble... it's not as if the devil is sleeping everyday so to expect persecution when you are living a godly life. Look at what is in your hands... what has God given you.... Joyce Meyers ( i hope i spelt that correctly) said... i am part of the body of Christ and i found i was the mouth!! (slightly paraphrase) because she felt that was what she do...talk!! and darlene shared... she was singing since she was a littl girl and she turn professional in her teens( i think so) but when she met Jesus, she stopped singing because she thought that giving her life to Jesus meant doing something that was hard. singing was too easy for her and she enjoyed it too much. that is so not true. and today she's the princess of praise. she has touched the life of millions through her song... shout to the Lord... to look at what is in your hands, whatever your gift may be.... and use it for God's glory.

super deviated from what i was originally gonna write about... the conference stuff was supposed to be in another post, but as you can see, i am quite distractible... i think i got the main stuff down anyways.... and before i go off to do some serious stusying and research...

there's something i can do for the hurting... i can pray.... if nothing else...

Dear Father,
You know those who needs this prayer right now and You are listening... You see deep in the hearts of those who are crying out to You. And in the midst of their darkness and sorrow, You are doing a good work in their lives... You are changing them for the better. Father, come and comfort them, hold them in Your loving arms until all the tears have dried. grant them strength to hope, to walk through this valley of the shadow of death... for Thy rod and Thy staff will comfort them... like a Good Shepherd bringing His sheep to still waters and green pastures... May they find rest and comfort in You. Love You, Father, in Jesus name. Amen.

church gossip

Subject: Church Gossip

Sarah, the Church gossip and self-appointed arbiter of the
Church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's
business. Now several members were unappreciative of her
activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused George,
a new member of being an alcoholic, after she saw his pickup
parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon.

She commented to George and others that everyone seeing
it there would know what he was doing. However, George, a
man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked
away. He didn't explain, defend or deny--he said nothing.
However, how fitting it was that later that evening, George
quietly parked his pickup in front of Sarah's house and left it
there all night.......

mua hahahahahahahahaha... a bit bad of me but i think quite padan muka...
dem funny... better don't gossip about other people so much... might have
unforseen consequences...

have a wonderful sunday~! =)

sun, sun....SUn!!!

all of us happily sunning in glenelg... thanusha in hot red, raynu with her *big smiles*, sharon looking bit blur blur and i kena sunned to the max... not yet terbakar yet... hehe... 

the sky looks so blue...

that's a pile of dead seaweed we are standing on by the way... at the beach... don't we look happy and carefree? life seems lots better at the beach somehow... with ice creams and the many cute doggies... and great friends to hang out with.... 

Heaven's Entrance Exam

                             HEAVEN'S ENTRANCE EXAM

               A man dies and goes to Heaven. Saint Peter
               meets him at the Pearly Gates and says, "Ok,
               here's how it works. You need 100 points to
               make it into Heaven. You tell me all the good
               things you've done, and I'll award you a certain
               number of points for each item, depending on
               how good it was. When you reach 100 points,
               you get in."

               "Okay," the man says...."I was married to the
               same woman for 50 years and never once
               cheated on her, even in my heart."

               "That's wonderful," says Saint Peter, "That's
               worth three points!"  "Three points?" he asks.

               "Well, I attended church all my life and
               supported its ministry with my tithes and
               service."

               "Terrific!" says Saint Peter, "That's certainly
               worth a point."  "One point?!!  

               Hey, I started a soup kitchen in my city and
               worked in a shelter for homeless veterans!"

               "Fantastic, that's good for two more points, "
               Saint Peter says.  "Two points?!!" the man
               cries.

               "At this rate, the only way I'm going to get
               into Heaven is by the Grace of God!"

               "Bingo, 100 points!  Come on in!"


that's so true... i was screwing my brains thinking of answers as well, sorta thinking... if i got that question when i am
at heaven's entrance what would i reply? well, at least for the parts of my good works... and realised, it's not that much
or at least not enough to warrant an entry into heaven.... only by God's grace and His sacrifice at Calvary may i enter..
... yay!!! thank You, God for being such a good God... or else nobody will enter heaven... and everyone will be stuck
doing exam outside and failing...  by the grace of God... we passed!!!

Numbers 20

Water From the Rock

1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"

6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

13 These were the waters of Meribah, ^[a] where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them.

I have been a Christian for nearly 5 years and when talking to someone dear today, i realised this... I didn't know this was the reason why Moses and the Israelites didn't make it into the promised land. I've always assumed that it was because they were disobedient and that they complained too much in the desert, and made God angry...but i didn't realised it was because Moses decided to strike the rock instead of speaking to it... was it that? it was something more... it was disobedience and dishonouring Him... in the sight of all His people... Moses disobeyed and dishonoured the King of kings... and that bore severe consequences... the judgement of God....

this is certainly a revelation to me... besides the reason why the Israelites were wandering in the desert for 40 years, but also the severity of the judgement of God....

yet another book in the bible came up in my mind....

16Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed^[c]? 19So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Hebrews 3:16-19

Hebrews 4

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.^[a] 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
"So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "^[b] And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."^[c] 5And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."

6It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts."^[d] 8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,^[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

( bold words were what struck me most in those passages)

Today, as I was praying... it was different from usual... I started praying for people I usually didn't pray for, not unless they asked or I knew they needed prayer... I just did... and I prayed for things that I didn't know about, somehow just believing that God knew what they needed and I just have to pray... even without knowing what actually I was supposed to pray for...

and amazingly... God came through... and I am encouraged... even when I didn't know, He knew what they needed.... I prayed God would speak to someone dear to my heart... and comfort and help him through a difficult time.... and that somehow he would remember God's word even as he is going through a bad time...

and He did... answer my prayer...

Thank You, Lord.... and I learnt something more....

'Ye of little faith' me has just received a boost from Him.... I BELIEVE...

for those who are having finals... I am praying for you... God is awesome!!!

p.s: the above passages and the below stuff may seem unrelated. They actually are...bit of a fragmented post... =)