Monday, February 27, 2006

it's been a looong time...

almost two weeks since my last blog!

my life has been kind of packed, i guess.

most memorable of the past 10 days plus is the staff women's conference at batam from 21-24 feb.

it was awesome!!! =) thanks to those whose support allowed me to go for this conference. it was supposed to be semi-retreat, but i didn't get much chance to really rest, because i was playing for the worship every morning and night. so we would have practice in the afternoon for night worship, then practice after the night sessions for the morning worship... so... yeah tiring... =b bleah

but God was good. He met us each personally at this conference, whether during the worship time, the seminar sessions, or in our personal time with Him.

for me, He met me as I listened to the heartfelt, utterly vulnerable, totally honest sharing of my fellow colleagues, and women that I respect and admire. hearing their own struggles and joys, and how they made God a major part of such times, and how they have GROWN through trials and adversity... all these stories of women of faith - they have inspired me to press on, to TRUST GOD MORE, and to dare to dream.

one woman shared about how she has had to struggle with the pain of seeing her own son turn away from God, and from his family. how she had to make hard choices, to help him learn consequences, and to 'force' him to grow up. through it all, she felt that God was teaching her to trust Him, and to surrender her son to Him, and to me, i was like... WOW...

another woman shared how she and her husband tried for a child for many years, and were unable to. they sought medical help for a few years, even going through rounds of self-injections (for the wife) and treatments... but to no avail. finally, they decided to adopt, and just at the right time, God opened a door for them, and they were able to adopt a girl. and the woman shared how, now, looking back, she doesn't regret a SINGLE THING!!?! that she could see God's hand at work in her own heart, through those years of disappointments, shattered hopes and sorrow... He was asking her to trust Him for His best, and that was her now-adopted daughter, who loves her so so much!

it really tugs at the heart to hear all these stories and more... pretty emotionall draining, in a way, but oh, so inspiring and special.

another major part of the conference was having a Korean leader speak to us on the book of Ruth. I tell you, i have NEVER seen any part of the Bible so indepthly! She took us through the first two chapters only, chapter by chapter. it was amazing, seeing the story, the characters unfold before my eyes! i saw ruth, naomi, boaz, as such real people - not just fictional characters on a page, but real feeling, special people.

one side effect of this is that i've been thinking of maybe signing up for a course of sth that will help me in discovering the Bible even more. i know i can use tools like concordances and expositories... but i've seen how important and crucial it can be to know the root meaning of the hebrew word, the context etc. i'm still prayerfully considering this, because i know taking such a course will take a lot of effort, time and money - all of which are a bit in short supply on the ground for now...

through these 4 days, i also enjoyed the times spent with my room mate, grace. i guess we were kind of together all the time. because we were both involved in the worship times, we shared the room, and we had stuff to talk about. =) it was nice to share honestly and openly with her, to hear her thoughts and feelings, and to just be there for each other. and we had fun in the pool too! heh... she swam laps and i floundered round the edge of the pool to the jacuzzi =b

yes, i can't swim very well.

* * *


yesterday was my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY with mel!!! =)

*claps*

it was really sweet. we had a very relaxed chill-out date at coffee club, and shared about things on our minds, and just spent time catching up with how we're feeling... then it was on to orchard to gai gai for a while. hee... then we had a very romantic and yummy and refreshing dinner at Villa Bali - this very cool resort-like restaurant that he discovered.

it was so surreal and tranquil. really like being at a resort. fountain... trellis vines... rattan chairs... comfy sofas... the sounds of soft music... wooden floors... thatched canopies overhead... candles... koi in the pond...

of course, i kind of spoiled the 'moment' for a while, when my knife which had curry on it (we were eating naan) flew off the table and onto my precious new white dress!!! i yelped, and got very agitated for a while. really felt so urgghhh.... but then, on the way to the loo to rescue the poor white fabric, i was reminded that it's just a dress... but this was an evening to remember, a gift from mel, and from God, to me! so... i cheered up considerably and enjoyed the rest of the night anyways =D

the best date i've ever had =)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

a Valentines' Note to God

My beloved is mine, and I am his.

He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.

He is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,
And this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem!

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.

Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
it would be utterly despised.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;
It's flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame.

Thank You for loving me, Lord. You are my Kinsmen Redeemer, my Beloved and my Precious Lamb. I love You Lord...

Sunday, February 12, 2006

challenges ahead

it's been a pretty busy weekend, meeting people, church and family stuff.

i am thankful for the chance to speak truth and love into a young friend's life. and encouraged by her faith and her desire to seek God. to me, it affirms my decision to become a sunday school teacher - their lives have so much potential, and it's exciting to see God leading them and growing them where they are. i am blessed to be a part of the process =)

it's also a challenge, as i realise that the words that i say now weigh a lot more. it's a healthy fear to have, because i find that i am watching my tongue more carefully, because i want to build up, not break down, edify, not condemn, and speak God's truth, not my own.

and another more immediate challenge is that i'll be teaching the next lesson (this coming sunday) on "Fear". it's scary because i'm preparing from scratch, and i need God to guide me in selecting passage(s) to read, and in how i will structure the time, so that they will be free to share, and to apply truth, and to really understand "fear". as my co-teacher so wisely reminded me, i need to see all sides of the situation, and not think simplistically of fear as either purely good or purely bad.

please do pray for me as i prepare for this lesson. =)

the week ahead is special, cos Vday is here! it's not gonna be some big fanfare for mel and me, because we think it's kinda commercialised and everything everywhere will be overpriced and overcrowded. but we are going to have dinner somewhere simple, not to celebrate Vday, but because this is the day last year that he told me he liked me. so, for that reason, it's a special day for us =)

looking forward to that, and having grace back in the office! may you have a blessed week too.

Friday, February 10, 2006

the learning continues...

it's friday =)

another day of training. i feel so saturated with new knowledge. happy too, because it's so interesting to learn all this stuff about the Bible.

it's been a fun past two days decorating the office too. not like party decor types, but more like aesthetics. like i have about 20 picture frames, and i'm doing various combinations of them for the wall down in band room. it's fun to cut photos, look at old pics, and even watch the guys (thanks alvin and manson!) drill holes in the wall! haha...

it's also stressful cos i'm afraid the hooks won't be aligned etc... eeps!

anyway, some random stuff that i learnt today that is so cool!

1. here's an easy way to remember the OT prophets:

Daniel was a Holy Joe
So were Amos and Obadiah
Jominah likes Habbakuk
Zephaniah comes before Zephaniah
In between is Haggai
And last of all is Malachi

(Jominah = Jonah, Micah, Nahum)

2. Job was written in the time of Abraham!?!

Contrary to what I had believed, the main message of Job is not why God allows suffering. It's about God's sovereignty. Not about why God allows Satan to 'sift' Job, but about how Job learns to trust God even in such times. Not about whether or not suffering is a consequence of sin, but a challenge to trust God and be faithful in the midst of suffering.

3. The books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes are all called Wisdom books, and are all poetry.

Consecutive lines generally fall into one of three patterns:

- same meaning
- opposite meaning
- second line builds upon meaning of first line

we have a quiz coming up next friday. heh heh heh =b

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

my mind is stuffed

it's been a nice couple of days. i've been sleeping at sara's the past 2 nites to look after her dog, Dog. hee. 7days (ie pat, simon, sara, grace and a bunch of volunteers) have gone for a conference overseas, so the boys and i are kind of helping to pat pat Dog and feed her.

she's so cute! all shorn (recent haircut) and mournful looking. aw...

this week also marks the beginning of a month long journey through the Bible. it's really intensive stuff, and my mind is seriously crammed rite now. we have a three hour session every alternate day. so it's been 2 sessions so far...

really really good stuff.

we've covered genesis till esther so far. for every book, i feel like i know so much more about the context, the author, and what the book is all about, how it contributes to the whole flow, what lessons we can draw from it. and i am amazed that there are so many parallels to the new testament in the old! it's like God created lots of metaphors and examples all which pointed towards Jesus, our sacrificial Lamb who paid for the sins of the world!

so i'm looking forward to the many more sessions to come. although it's very draining and tiring, it really is opening my eyes to new things, and renewing my excitement about God's Word.

work wise, it's getting more and more busy, with TURT auditions, prep underway (program development, curriculum and marketing material), and more assignments from staff training side. it's so exciting as i look forward to this annual project, and to the lives that i will meet, touch, and be touched by through the time!!! =)

Sunday, February 05, 2006

movie of the year

i've only watched two movies this year so far. but i already know that tonight's movie will be the most memorable for the year, and one of the best movies i have watched in my life!

i not stupid too.

wow. i can't even begin to express how i am feeling right now.

just very "wow" and moved and humbled and scared and grateful.

i bawled quite a bit. mel was/is so sweet =)

two thumbs up for jack neo!

you should watch it too...

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

happy at work

nothing much to blog actually. just that i had a happy day at work =) it's great to enjoy what i do, and to enjoy even the stressful moments in retrospect, because i know and can see there was a reason for things happening the way they did etc... =) happy day!

it helps that we had a good time of sharing/training this morning, and a short time of jamming on the drums. I LOVE THE DRUMS! hahaha... my left kick is slowly getting there... slow slow... but nvm, it's a start! =)

ok off to HV for yummy dinner wif joy and grace now. we're bunking over at her place tonight for fun! =) joy just moved to HV with a friend. they have a totally cool, cozy, beautiful little flat. AWW...

=) *beams deliriously*