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

yippee!~

I have been away from my pc for a few days now, thanks to my failed monitor which turned dark and finally bright pink/red on me! so thus, a new monitor is brought home from trusty Low Yat Plaza... yaay!

my new monitor is lovely to look at and even seems bigger (hallo! only 15 inches)! ok, it's complicated unlike the usual plug-ins but after making some adjustments to suit my failing eyesight's satisfaction, i am online...

the week passed by ever so quickly with my usual sibuk things to do. a notable event that i would like to make mention is the bible study course which I attended on friday-saturday. Teacher Wai Keng who I called Sister Siew Keng during prayer at the CLOSURE of the seminar (blek!) was a lady open to comments and change and was willing to listen to the students. She had not taught teens before but she was interested to know if she bored them or not... something i admire about her esp. was her willingness to accept criticism from those younger than herself.

She taught me (am no teen but was blessed anyways! :-P) to approach bible study with less fear. She armed me with a few seemingly simple steps and I now firmly believe that mere mortals can also conduct a bible study!

ok, so i am very un-confident as a teacher... many know that about me already... perhaps it is because i am a critical back bencher myself almost all my school life. padan muka lah!

but then, i think the church has come to a point where bible study is a MUST! we need to be saturated in God's Word and not be satisfied with some little verse, given either over the pulpit or whenever, to tide us over for a whole week!

I know, I know, there's our devotional time with God, but then, it's different from studying God's Word together as a small group, the together-ness in wanting to know God better, not the "I have to do this cos someone expects me to..." and finally, the joy of finding nuggets of truth therein and understanding how things got to be the way they were....

I am reminded of the song entitled, "Believe" which starts with, "I say on Sunday how much I want revival and then on Monday, I can't even find my Bible..... where's the power of the cross in my life...." and these words ring true as I too, am guilty of neglecting God's written Word. Forgive me, Father for this!

I have also been guilty of watering down God's Word and at times downplaying things for fear of "rocking the boat, causing strife, making unpopular decisions, being un-real, being out of date, being aunty-ish, etc." and as the fear of the LORD becomes more real in my life, I need to constantly remind myself that I must not compromise God's Word!

So what shall I do about it? What about His inexhaustible, unconditional, unfailing love? What of that? How shall I balance that with fear of the LORD?

sigh... shall save that fight for another day....