potpourri
Have not been writing and so much has happened since my last entry... haih! all lost again!
I just finished compiling some christmas-ie songs for singing at my family's christmas eve dinner at my mom's place. One of my sisters love to sing and has for some years now, been trying to persuade us to join in during christmas and new year.... to her great disappointment, we are usually not obliging and she very very poor thing loh! ok, this year, i shall do my bit and get ppl to join in... see how it goes!
My christmas shopping has not been fun or inspirational this year. sigh! more obligatory than any year before, sadly... I don't usually get good pressies this way... I had waited till too late to begin shopping and also, I am feeling that I'm sending my kids the wrong idea about christmas... and then my sis sent me that article about "We are what we think" by Linda S. Mintle which told me that I am missing the point of it all as I plan and shop for christmas! Time to re-think this "spirit of giving" thing already...
Also, a big big thing cropped up! THERE'S A RAT RUNNING LOOSE IN MY KITCHEN!!!!!!! And my larder has been infiltrated! I've had to throw away much of my food like maggi, spaghetti, bisquits (ALL of them!) and spices, packets of sauces, nuts, etc.... what a big waste! Now, I am in the midst of deducing its whereabouts...it could either in my kitchen cabinet crevice which i have since sealed (and if seal is broken, I know where it is!!!) or it has left my kitchen and should return tonight, by which time, I have a mousetrap ready and waiting!!!! Muah haha! Ok, I admit it! I shall not have a good night's rest until that scoundrel has been nabbed!
Oh yah! Both my dog and cat have been proven absolutely, utterly, completely, disgustedly, hopelessly, USELESS when it comes to rat catching!!! SOB! CRIES! For what I feed them!!?!
Catch stupid flies, bugs and lizards!!! Bah Humbug!
What else huh? Oh yah! I was very glad to have Pastor Daniel and his family speak to us last Sunday! What a pleasant and unexpected surprise! I am especially happy about it since they were our camp speakers and I felt that it was so fitting that they should speak to us at the close of the year too! Of course, they are absolutely inspirational as they live their lives SO SO SO SO SO UTTERLY COMPLETELY JOYFULLY dependent on our God! How rich they must be! I was also blest by what he shared and am also meditating on some of the verses he left in my brain, "My beloved is mine, I am my beloved's", etc... the thing is i had been thinking thru Matt 7:7- about "Ask and it shall be given ..." right thru to "do onto others what you would have others do onto you..." on Saturday and thinking about what it must be like to receive whatever we ask from the LORD and having such an intimate relationship with him that we would know what NOT to ask, like selfish things.... and how to reach that place...
I feel that the continual, constant message and witness of Pastor Daniel and his family is just that... to have such an intimate relationship with Father God... It is just so beautiful.. and yet how many of us can do just that? Be willing to commune with Him constantly, willingly, unconditionally, longingly... Oh, but woe is me... as I have failed in this area most miserably!
Yes, I do take these things seriously and believe that all of us must strive to be just that kind of a son or daughter... no exceptions... I am simply ever thankful and grateful that He still accepts us nonetheless and when we go to Him, He is always welcoming and never condemning! I pray that I shall be more passionate about Him with each day that passes....
This is no pet answer but more a resolve of how I would like to be in my relationship with Father God...
To Pray for -
Uncle Lim
Swim Coach Sam Tan and family who I have invited to Christmas Dinner Party 26 dec
Wai and family
Yee and family
Lonnie and ryan
To do list -
Get joel's uniform
Joel's sandals and school shoes
Icing the cake
Konyaku for eve dinner
See Connie, Irene, Mary T Lee
Prayer items for first cell meeting 2005
Practice skit and christmas worship songs
1 comment:
I think I should exercise more wisdom in this area as sometimes when we give, it may not be to the betterment to the recipient....
Eg. giving to my kids MORE toys even if they are educational when they already more than enough toys thus giving them the impression that things come easy, they don't ever have any "wants"...
Have included the article I talked about for you to read...
It is long but a timely reminder for people like me...
WE ARE WHAT WE THINK
By Linda S. Mintle, Ph.D.
I used to be a consummate Christmas shopper. By the time December hit, I
was way ahead of the game. I would have a mountain of bargain finds,
admired goodies and toys to die for tucked away on a shelf just waiting
to be wrapped and stowed lovingly under the tree. I found that shopping
ahead spread the financial burden throughout the year and helped me
avoid the last-minute holiday shopping rush.
Sounds like a plan, doesn't it? I thought so, too, until several years
ago. Something happened that made me rethink my supposedly brilliant
strategy.
It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a
creature was stirring, but I felt like a louse! The tree looked bulimic
-- only I was the one who had binged. Brilliantly wrapped packages were
bulging from every available nook and cranny.
I slumped to the floor and thought, "We have only two children. There's
enough here for 10!"
My husband and I stared at each other. We realized that things had
gotten out of hand. We had to ask ourselves: What message are we giving
our children?
One by one we started dismantling the swollen pile. This present can
wait for a birthday, this one for next Christmas, this one for a special
reward for hard work.
Finally the stack looked sensible.
Right then and there, we made a decision. In the future, Christmas gifts
would be limited to three types: (1) A gift really desired; (2) a needed
item; 3) something educational. Of course, our children hated the idea
and hoped we would eventually come to our senses.
We haven't.
And we've seen a change. No longer is Christmas an endless list of
"wants." There is a new emphasis on cherished gifts. This represents a
stark contrast to the disturbing trend among kids today to feel entitled
to get whatever they want, whenever they want it.
As I've listened to children move through the hallways of our house,
I've heard the chatter of "more." "We have more videos than you." "I
have a CD player in my room." "You don't have your own phone line?" "I'm
asking for a laptop." "You need a cell phone to look important."
They get it from their parents. My favorite is the mother who proudly
boasts that her daughter will outdo everyone in the neighborhood. She
will have the best of everything -- before everyone else. The daughter
knows this strategy and is horrified if anyone beats her to the material
punch.
Not understanding her conscious intention to overload her daughter with
"stuff," I naively asked, "Aren't you worried you're spoiling her?" The
blank stare she gave me was enough to answer my question.
One summer the hot ticket was a scooter. Everyone on our block ran to
the stores to buy one. My kids asked, but they knew what was coming:
"Tell me again why I should run to the store to buy you a $100 item?"
Materialism not only distorts the meaning of Christmas but also creates
ungrateful kids. It's time to stop the madness. Instead of a new
scooter, take your kids to a soup kitchen and let them serve. Visit a
homeless shelter or a hospital children's ward, and put things in
perspective.
I know what I am saying isn't new, but we need to hear it regularly.
It's so easy to indulge our kids this time of year. But we need to
examine our motives.
Is our overindulgence related to guilt from being absent or unavailable?
Is it an attempt to communicate love, compete with others, create an
identity or look successful? Is it the result of idol worship, a lack of
self-restraint or misguided thinking?
When I see kids quickly open presents and throw them off to the side
without even a thank you, I know something is wrong. When little Suzie
tells me Christmas was no fun because she didn't get what she wanted, I
am concerned. The Grinch hasn't stolen Christmas; our ungratefulness has.
Christmas is about God's giving His Son as a glorious gift to mankind.
Don't clutter that gift with so many others that He gets lost in the
fray. This season teach the children in your life to cherish the gift
they already have -- Jesus.
© Copyright 2004 Strang Communications Co.
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