"Up up and away...."

I recently started on a draft for this entry, but when I logged in again, it somehow disappeared. Anyway, decided to start again from scratch though some of the inspiration has probably been lost...

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For those of you who have watched the show "UP" you will probably agree with me that it was truly a hilarious and UPlifting (could not resist it) movie. For the benefit of those who did not catch the movie, it was about a lovely couple, Carl & Ellie, who grew up with dreams of one day becoming great explorers to search for undiscovered exotic lands. One destination they were especially fond of was a place called "Paradise Falls", a cliff overlooking a magnificent waterfall. They dreamed of one day finding and building their dream home at paradise falls itself. However, as they both started to get caught up with the busyness of life, getting married, buying a house etc... their dreams of exploring the world, though not forgotten, began to fade into the background.

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Just when it seemed that they were ready to embark on their adventure, life took an unexpected turn when Ellie, fell sick and died leaving Carl a sad and lonely man. After some years, when Carl was under threat of being evicted from his home, he decides to attach hundreds of colourful ballons to his house, to float away in search of Paradise Falls; an unfulfilled childhood dream that he and Ellie once shared. And so the adventure begins...

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I must say that I was deeply touched by the movie. As I lay in bed that night, I thought of all the dreams that I had since I a young kid. Dreams of becoming a missionary, dreams of travelling the world, people I love.... I felt a tinge of sadness and fear. The fear of waking up one day old and foggy, realising that all I had left was a bag full of unfulfilled dreams, ambitions and neglected relationships. Many times it takes something drastic to rattle us before we come back to our senses and remember of all the things that are truly important to us. So often people only begin to purue the things that are close to their heart when they discover that they are dying of cancer or some other dreaded disease; I am so glad my mum managed to meet the people she loved and see the cherry blossoms in Japan (something she always dreamnt of) before she passed away; things that mattered to her.

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What will it take to move you to do the things that are close to your heart? What will it take before you decide to mend that broken relationship, go on that dream vacation, tell that someone that you love and appreciate her/him, forgive that someone whom have hurt you, do something radical for God?

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I pray that it will not take a crisis, like Carl, before we decide to grab onto all those colourful balloons and live the life and dreams that God has placed in our hearts.

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"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" Jer 29:11

Good Morning Molecules!

G-od
O-ffers us His
O-utstanding
D-evotion to

M-ake us
O-bedient &
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him.
I-nspire others please, and
N-ever forget
G-od loves you!

this is the day the Lord has made

It was starting to pour when I was getting ready for school. I thought, in this rain, I might not survive the usual 10 minutes walk from the MRT to school, so I detoured to the side of the road to flag a cab instead.

Ambling along, came a brand new cab. Got in, gave my usual cheerful greetings to the cabbie and indicated my destination towards Jurong East.

He asked, "which way you want to go?"

I said, "TPE-SLE-BKE-PIE, exit Jurong Town Hall Road to Jurong East."

Cabbie said, "my customers told me KPE much better way"

I said, "that is just going backwards and a much longer way"

Cabbie said, "anyway, I've already missed the turning for TPE, have to go KPE now."

I said, "wait a minute. why don't you make a U-turn and head back?"

Cabbie mumbled and grumbled.

For the rest of the journey, cabbie would make presumptuous remarks and then retract them when I asked him about them.

I usually have quite meaningful conversations with cabbies but that morning was a drag.

It then appeared to me that this guy hears but he doesn't listen.

Don't we all know how hard it is to keep a conversation with someone who doesn't listens but intent on only spewing out his own comments.

As the rain poured, the road conditions slowed drastically. At each junction and turns, I would have to remind cabbie or else he would simply drive on nonchalantly. Each time I prompted him, he would reply with a standard, "is it?"

When we were finally on PIE and I thought I could perhaps steal a couple of winks to get ready for the day's teaching. To my horror when I opened my eyes, we were somewhere in Toh Tuck.

By this time I was really dismayed. Not only was the taxi meter ticking past $30. I am going to be late for class as well.

I asked cabbie why didn't he turn off at Jurong Town Hall road. to which, he again gave a stoic "is it?"

I was fuming by then.

I had to deliberately breathe deep and slow to calm myself down to rationalize my reactions to my emotions.

When I finally guided cabbie to the school, the meter stopped at $35, which was about all I had for the day. Great! No money left for even a drink of water!

I remembered stepping out of the cab feeling absolutely pissed and mad. What's wrong with this man? Can't he tell that I need to be on time for school? (which was why I took a cab in the first place) and why can't he even stop his cab nearer to where I wouldn't be drenched by the rain?

This is so going to ruin my day if it hasn't already!

As I walked past the security post and waved to the guards, a ticker-tape like message flashed across my mind.

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

You gotta be joking. Rejoice? Over what? You should be glad I wasn't scowling. Rejoice?

As I mulled over the flashing scriptures again, then it all made sense!

I WILL rejoice. It lies with my WILL.

I can choose to be angry and upset by the cabbie, or I can be thankful that I arrive safely in the torrential storm.

I can be thankful that the rain has cooled down the temperatures so much that it is so much more pleasant and conducive to teach.

I can be thankful that the route I took was the only route without any road accidents as were reported in the radio.

I can be thankful that God loves me more than enough than to let me simmer in my frustrations.

I started to be thankful.

It is amazing how when we choose to be thankful, there are so many things to be grateful for.

With this shift in my paradigm, my steps shifted into a hop as well.

So much so that when I stepped into class, I was practically skipping.

Of course, when you skip into class, the students notice. The atmosphere changes.

They quizzed me why I was feeling so happy that day. I told them the story of my horrible morning.

We ended up learning together that our lives are always affected by the choices we make. What seemed like a perfect excuse to be grouchy for a spoilt day can be the catalyst for an amazing experience.

Needless to say, I had a fantastic day. Even some teachers who sat in my sessions commented that they was very inspired.

THIS is the day that the lord has made. WILL you rejoice and be glad in it?

"Realtionships 101"

5 Things That Men Should Do More/Less:

1. Spend more quality time (give undivided attention)

2. Share more of our feelings rather than just facts

3. Listen/understand rather than just give solutions

4. Give priority to each other; don't put things above people

5. Learn to be more gentlemanly and romantic; chivalry is not dead


5 Things That Women Should Do More/Less:

1. Nag less - do not try to dictate everything that guys should/should not do

2. Be more logical and less emotional; especially when problems arise

3. Be supportive; make each other look good in public

4. Be specific with what you want; guys suck at guessing

5. Learn to be more secure; confidence is attractive

Seeking God's kingdom

Just a sharing from Kara... since Can! shared a nice story...

Sun's message was a message in season for me... Pst Rick spoke abt how our past failure can cause us to stay in a certain place and be afraid to tread forward... and also how our previous victories can cause us to celebrate for too long that we don't move on to see future victories....

I started off full of energy and strength but as the battle continued, I find hope waivering. I shall learn to walk away from previous failures and take steps forward this week. I can, because God will move my mountains!

As I responded to the altar call, the minister gave this verse to me:

Matthew 6:33 (New International Version)
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

How, Lord? How to seek... I can only do what I know how and wait upon Your response. Really need You to surprise me once again!!!!!

Coming onto my Big Day......

I remember a while ago, I thought to myself... In an average person's lifetime, he/she has only 2 open opportunities to share Christ with friends they care abt on a big scale.

The first would be at their Wedding where close friends would come, unguarded, with no tinted views that we're trying to preach something.

The next event would be at their Funeral, where pre-Christians friends get to hear the eulogy of how God has shaped the person's life and look back at the last words of the person...

I think my last words to all my friends would be:

"See & taste that the Lord is good..." you must get to know the Jesus that I know before you lie in the coffin like me now. HAH!

Seeing more and more of my friends RSVPing on Facebook that they're coming to my church wedding, I feel a sense of excitment! Not because I have beautiful photos or a lovely gown, but because I know it's an open opportunity for them to know Christ. I believe God will start sowing small seeds of love in their hearts as they join in the worship and witness in our matrimony.

I've been inspired to continually look at the wedding as an evangelistic event. It's not just a Randy+Kara-day but the Lord's day! Wanna dedicate that day to the Lord, and hope that people's perception abt Christians will change and they will be more open to Jesus through this event.

Pray along with me! That all my friends who step into the auditorium on 11th July will feel the love of God tugging at their hearts... :)

Looking forward to my Big Fat "Evengelistic" Event!

Thought I'd share this story

Amazing what a little soap will do

Herman and his wife Lucy never miss church... They're never late and they are always there every Sunday and the same goes for weekly Bible Study too. You probably have seen a couple like this in your church. You may even be like them!

Herman is the laid back type. A hard working man, close to retirement, and never one to complain. Lucy, on the other hand, is the gossiping busy body type. She doesn't have a paying job since Herman's income is pretty good, so she just makes it her business to keep up on everyone else's business.

A young couple moved into the neighborhood, and Lucy invited them to their church. They have been going there for a few weeks now and seem like a pretty nice couple as far as everyone can tell. Besides, if they weren't nice, Lucy would have already told the whole town. She keeps a close eye on them.

One morning while they are eating breakfast, Lucy happened to see the young woman outside hanging the wash out to dry. "Well! That laundry is not very clean", she exclaimed to Herman. "That silly girl doesn't even know how to wash correctly." she said as she was standing at her kitchen sink. "Perhaps she just needs better laundry soap." Said Herman.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lucy would make the same sort of degrading comments, and she even told a few of the other ladies in the women's Bible study group. Even though Lucy would have strong words of criticism most every day, she would never go over and offer her assistance. She would rather sit there in the comfort of her 'glass home' and throw stones at the neighbor. And every time it happened, ol' Herman would look on, but he would still remain silent.

About one month later, Lucy was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Well what do you know, she finally learned how to do the darn laundry correctly! I wonder who taught her this?"

Herman said, "I don't know dear, but I got up a little early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

The Bible tells us to remove the beam from our eye when we tell our brother to remove the speck from his eye. (Luke 6:39-42) This doesn't mean we should not judge. We should. Judge a man by his fruit. It is good to know what not to do. But be sure that as you do this, you will also be judged in the same way. Can you handle it? Either way, it is impossible for us to judge what is on the inside of any man. That is something only God can do.

No matter what, we must love. It is easy to judge someone else, because we never judge ourselves on the same standard. We also never love someone the way God does, and the way He wants us to.

Let us consider our ways.

Is Jesus Coming Back Soon?

Today at our office's weekly lunch time fellowship, an American couple who lives in Jersusalem came to share about their ministry in bringing reconciliation between the Jews and Christians. Much of the hatred that the Jews have against Christians stems from the fact that Hitler was a baptized and rather devout Roman Catholic since birth. As such, the association between the terrible massacre of the Jews, during the holocaust, and Christianity is still clear in the minds of the Jewish people.

During the sermon, the couple focused their sharing on "the signs of the times" (the indicators that signal the second coming of Christ); the developments in the middle east, the rebuilding of the temple etc. I was honestly quite cynical about the "signs" that they were enthusiastically sharing about as teachings about the Jesus' return has been preached throughout the decades. Will we really see Christ's return in our lifetime? Is it His second coming really that near?

As I was sat there with my pride & cynicism, I truly felt convicted/rebuked by the Holy Spirit. It was as if the Lord was saying to me...

"it doesn't matter whether you know the exact day and time of my return, what bothers me is the condition of your heart. Do you even look forward (with anticipation) towards my return (longing to see me face-to-face) or are you totally unconcerned and indifferent about meeting with me when I return?"

How would you feel if you went away and your spouse or loved ones never once bothered/cared about when you will be coming home? Painful isn't it. I believe that was how God feels when we are so caught up with our lives that we don't long for His return; in fact there are some Christians who even secretly wishes that He delays His return so that we can enjoy more of what this world has to offer. I am ashamed to say that at times, I am one of them.


So is Jesus coming back soon? Maybe a better question is "does it even mattter to you"?

Have fun in KL!

Our cell blog has been so quiet! My gosh, nobody even blogs here! Hence i shall contribute since I'm bed-ridden and glued to the computer for this week...

Seeing all your emails on your itinerary for the KL trip this weekend, i'm feeling so excited for all of u!! Waiting at Golden Mile for coach, grabbing some rest (if any) and thinking abt what to do when the bus uncle shouts "Berjaya times Square" and u open your eyes... U will definitely have alot of fun!!!!!! All the karaoke-ing, eating and shopping! Wish I could be there too man..

But well just for the record of why I'm not going:

1) I'm currently broke

2) saving 4 my photographic equipments

3) saving for honeymoon(s)

Anyways, here's some of my recommendations of the to-dos when u get there (I'm sure many of u are probably even more well-acquainted with KL):

Shopping:

"The Golden Triangle" - Bukit Bintang area: Sungei Wang plaza


KLCC - my malaysian friend once told me that there's a free tour that goes up to the bridge (connecting the 2 towers) at 10am.. worth a check...

Mid Valley Mega Mall (need to take a train, not within walking distance to your hotel)

Lot 10 - Shop at Isetan (with brands like Mango, SEED etc in there) especially if they're having sale

(Ladies - buy alot of shoes from local VNC... they're much cheaper in KL!)

(I say, don't bother with Chinatown. It's juz a mega pasar malam with fake replications)


My usual-eats:


- Madam Kuan - touted for their Nasi Padangs (abt S$10/serving) - available at KLCC


- KFC - But of coz our neighbour serves up better fried chicken than us


- Kim Gary HK cafe - Thick toasts, baked rice, yogurt drinks


- "CrystalJade" type eatery - at the basement of Plaza Low Yat (u'll pass it if u walk from hotel to Bukit Bintang area)

- HK cafe opp Capitol Hotel - serves nice + affordable noodles, has a chu(1) qian(2) yi(1) ding(1) cartoon mascott outside their cafe

Add to this list of recommendations when u guys come back k?! Have a good trip! ;)

Trust God, Not Circumstances

“On another Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But the Pharisees were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.” Luke 6:6-13

Let’s look closely at the man with the shrivelled hand. This was a deformity, something to be ashamed about. Maybe he kept it hidden in his cloak. Maybe he kept his hand behind his back. But it would have been something he was ashamed of. How did he feel about his hand? Was he angry with God and ask, “Why me?” Was he bitter? We don’t know. But we can guess something about this man’s walk with God from the fact that he was in the temple on Sabbath Day. At the right place, doing the right thing to honour the God he believed. Then imagine this. Jesus stops teaching and looks around. He looks at this man with the shrivelled hand and says “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” Oh, the embarrassment of this! Imagine – it is Sabbath, the synagogue is full and the Teacher asks you to stand up in front of everyone. Every eye is on you. How vulnerable the man must have felt. Then, something ‘worse’ happens. Jesus says “Stretch out your hand.” In full view of the whole synagogue. For everyone to see! That hand that he had probably kept hidden, that hand that was his source of sadness and anger and shame. Yet he obeyed and stretched that withered hand out for everyone to look at. Then the miracle happens. His withered, shrivelled hand is restored! Made whole again! Healed! That which caused him shame now healed in front of everyone and God’s glory revealed! The joy of that moment for this man – can words describe it?

And what did it mean to me? It made me ask myself – what is my withered hand? What shame, guilt, sorrow, weakness am I keeping hidden? What am I being bitter, angry or sad about? And is my heart right with God despite it? God is asking me to trust Him. To stand up, ignore all other eyes, keep my eye only on Him and say “Here, Lord, this is my weakness. This is my shame. This is my worry, my burden.” God is asking me to trust Him with my vulnerability. To trust Him with my pain. To trust Him with my sadness and guilt. And He will heal gloriously. He will reveal His power in my weakness. Our God is awesome.

Father, Hold My Hand

A little girl and her father were crossing a narrow bridge. Afraid that the child might fall into the river, the father said, "Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river." The little girl said, "No, Dad. You hold my hand." "What's the difference?" asked the puzzled father. "There's a big difference," replied the little girl. "If I hold your hand and happen to stumble, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.... "In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. Thank God that we have a Father who will never let us go. Even when we stumble and let go of His hand, His grip is sure and He never lets us go.

God's Yellow Pages

Let your fingers do the walking http://www.divinepeace.com/Yellow_Pages.html

Impossible Is Nothing

Haha no this is not an Adidas ad... but maybe I should sell this to Adidas... earn some money to sponsor my children from there.

Well guys, go for whatever you wanna do because

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

When someone tells you that you can't do something...

Look around....

Consider all options....

Then GO for it!

Use all the things God gave you and be creative!
In the end, you will succeed and prove them wrong!

So folks... remember... nothing is impossible if your heart is willing. For I can do all things through Christ who give me strength (Philippians 4:11)

Will You Eat This Brownie?

Hey peeps, just to share something that I happen to read...

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theatre to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request.

"Aw dad, why not?" they complained. It is rated PG-13, and we're both older than thirteen!" Dad replied: "Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior." "But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us.. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review websites say that!" "My answer is no, and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.

"The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all." The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids.

They each took one. Then their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much." The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening. "That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate."The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech. "But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think."

"Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?" "Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it." "Come on, dad just tell us what that ingredient is." "Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients." "Dad!" "Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is fresh organic..dogpoop."Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror. "DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!" "Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat. "No, Dad...NEVER!"

"And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?"

What a good lesson about purity! Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven - a little bit leavens the whole lump (1Corinthians 5:6,7), faith and sin, don't mix.

Daniel 12:3 says “ those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever."

Matthias

Since young, Matthias did not have any particular big dreams. Perhaps the biggest thing is to be an international speaker for God. He was inspired by a video tape titled 'The Art Of Preaching' by City Harvest Church.

Matthias shared how he used to record his own voice with some background worship music playing and pretended to invite alter calls.

In recent times, he has been thinking of life and death. He would like to widen his perspective and travel the world. Perhaps try more things as the world is so vast.

Randy

From a young age, Randy had an interest in building a successful pet business. At a young age, an idea from an Aunt to breed hamsters for sale turned the light bulb on. He started breeding hamsters and selling them to the neighbourhood pet shop for $1 each.

Randy hopes to setup a proper pet shop selling only hamsters and all kinds of accessories one day. It will include a hamster orphanage too. The name of the shop will be called 'Hamster In The House'.

A more distant dream is to invent a time machine.

Ezen

Ezen dreams of playing the drums one day although she feel's it will be quite an effort to coordinate her hands and feet. Matthias volunteered to enable her dreams this year. I guess we will be having a full band setup for cell worship soon.

On the topic of hands, Ezen shared that she is a very hands on person and not really good with words. Hence, her aspiration is to contribute financially to build a school in a third world country. She believes that donations of food and clothing are only helping and impact lives for a short moment. However, education impacts lives and enables people. She might adopt or sponser a few orphans too.

Her hobby is to make jewellery and hope to set up a business one day. Another area of interest is to become a freelance makeup artist. Ezen also recalled a dream when she was in Junior College to become a physio therapist.

The Barber & God

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen...

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.
Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.
I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.
He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.
"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because
if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Chinese New Year Steamboat Dinner 2009

Cost of Yu Sheng from Soup Restaurant = $18

Cost of Steamboat Ingredients = $10/person
Cost of broken Chopsticks = $2
Cost of a unforgettable Chinese New Year gathering = Priceless

Let's start the soup boiling and grill heating up!

Throw in the Ingredients!

Featuring.....
Jaime,
Our Beloved Professional Prawn Shell Peeler (volunteered)

and...
Our imported foreign talent, BBQist Gina!

Contented, tummy filled Molies

Our wedding BLOG!

Hey guys! Our wedding blog is up! Feel free to visit!!!

http://elevenjuly2009.blogspot.com/

Love, Kara

By the Way...

The link to Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, Really Acheiving Your Childhood Dreams, if you guys haven't watch it.

Devo sharing - WHY NOT?

Hey! Would like to share a simple devotion that struck me as I did my Quiet Time with God this morning.

Many times people, when encountering a difficult situation or battling some issues with God, ask this question: WHY GOD, WHY?

Then I discovered today, the question was WHY NOT? Why not go through the painful situation? Why not battle that I-dunno-what-I’m-doing-here-anymore thoughts in your head? Why not go through pain so that we can learn from pain?

Too many times we’ve heard people say that God puts us through situations/problems to mould us and shape us. It’s as though that’s the BIG excuse we give God when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want it to be.

Personally I do believe that God has placed obstacles in my life to help me learn and strengthen me. And my devotion today helped me see how true it is.

MATTHEW 26:47-56

Jesus Arrested
47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

50Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."[a] Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

55At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.


In the above verse, Jesus knew he was going to be arrested and go through the crucifixion. And die that way so that He may redeem us. He knew that if He called on His Father, supernatural things could possibly take place to rescue Him out of that situation.
However, He didn’t do that. Becoz He knew that was not the purpose God has intended.

When we battle problems, sometimes we hope and pray for something supernatural to happen. When it doesn't, we question God. Coz we do not know what God’s purpose for us is. And the difference between Jesus and us, is that He knew. His purpose was to “take up the cross”and go through the pain knowing that it was for the greater good.

If we have the perspective that God does have a purpose (maybe not as death-defining as Jesus’s) for whatever we’re going through, it would help us to see situations the way Jesus saw His.

So yea guys, chin up, look up, and know that there’s always a rhyme & reason for things happening in our lives (good & bad). It’s a lesson of trust and knowing our purpose to walk the off-beaten road with the Teacher who doesn’t just teaches in classroom settings.

Just a little reflection from me... Happy Lunar New Year!

Dreams by Molecule

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality."

Matthias sent out an email to Prep all of us for a "Show and tell" Session. Everyone is suppose to bring something that represents our dreams for the future.
He believes that this year is a year where we take each other towards our life's dream. We are going to enable the dreams of others!!

Each of us were given some time to share.
refer to the below listings for each of our dreams.

Theme song:

If we hold on together

Dont lose your way
With each passing day
Youve come so far
Dont throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and i

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Somebody is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and i

When we are out there in the dark
Well dream about the sun
In the dark well feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and i

Dreams by Ken

Ken
As a child, he was often bullied. His friends would punch him in the face and whack him like a sandbag, however, Ken retaliated not by giving them back a taste of his fists. Instead, Ken would go to a fruit shop and purchase a few ice Popsicles (also known as "Seng Bao") and hand it to them in return.

Ken has a character of kindness and love since young. He bares not grudges but returns it with love rather than pain.

His dream is harnessed from his character, to give to the people around him, to be a tangible help by reaching into their emotional needs.

He hopes to have a Large house on a ranch, with plenty of space and even horses! A place where people can go over the weekends, to hang-out, share and relax.

To be a host and create a comfortable environment where Man can open-up emotionally and speak freely.

Dreams by Li-En

Li-En
From past to present, Li-En yearns to be a Missionary. She had been inspired by her parents and an anecdote from a young child in the Precious Moments Bible exclaiming "Hey! I want to be a Missionary!".

Travelling to various countries to do Missionary work with *preferably* her Spouse.
She hopes to achieve the below with her mission work:

- work with Children

- Love the unlovable (outcast/poor & needy)
- Start an International Student School

her 1st steps to achieving her dreams is by:
- Learning to love the little children, to have a inbuilt passion for them
- Aim to start opening her house to host gatherings in 2009 to steer her to her direction of starting an International Student School

Dreams by Lee Ling

Lee Ling
Being a quiet child, she longs for an enclosed area where she can have her privacy. She imagines being high up in a tree house made of timber and with hanging ropes to elevate her between the levels. To have a exclusive feeling of being able to see the activity below her but no one being able to see her.

She has 2 Dreams.
1 -> to have a Tree House
2-> to be a Baker:

Being a curious kid as well, she would watch the Baking process of a cake for the exterior Oven glass. Seeing the flour mixture rise from a liquid mass to a fluffy airy cake amazes her like Magic~!

She hopes to start off by continuing and advance in learning baking. In the near future when she gets sick of her current architecture job, she will set up a Baking school. The Baking School will be decked in Miniature furnitures and be a place to inspire kids.

Dreams by Kara

Kara

- Dreams to be a Portraiture Photographer and adding Sugar to the dream would be her having a Studio in her own home.
Quoting & unquoting from a top-notch photographer:
People say that "Seeing is Believing" but to me, i believe that "Believing is Seeing".
Kara feels that this applies to dreams as well. If you believe you dream will come true, you will See it coming true.

- Wants to have a Shelter Home where people with estrange problems or relationships can stay temporarily.

- To set up a Drama Ministry in church to supports the preacher by re-enforcing his message to the congregation through short skits, and also as a training ground for people .

Dreams by Jaime

Jaime

One of the listings in her Lifelist would be to adopt a Panda and name it 小 明.

This dream is actually adopted from her initial dream of being a Gynae, as the wonders on how a baby is formed and delivered fascinates her. She was amused and amazed by this as a kid.

She also hopes to write a Book titled "who 动 my Ham?!" (who touch my cockles?!") - The not so typical Singapore success story of a girl with PHD.
It would be a humor book citing little anecdotes of her life and her food recipes. Food intrigues her as eatting is an experience which engages all her senses.

Her dreams Anecdote would be:
"some people wait for things to happen, some people Make it happen"