Boring day in class right now.
Whatever the faci is saying sounds like background noise.
It seems that no matter how much I sleep, I will still be tired...

Today just don't seem right.
And I know why.
Haiyer. ):

♥ 9:26:00 AM

I’m forgiven, because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well, Your spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

I’m forgiven, because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well, Your spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
That You, my king, would die for me
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor You

Amazing love, how can it be
That You, My king, would die for me
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do I honor You

I’m forgiven, because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well, Your spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

♥ 9:42:00 PM

I can't believe this.
I can't believe you.
I can't believe myself.
I can't believe this will happen to me.

-.-

But I will believe God.

(:

♥ 9:55:00 AM

JASLYN.SING!
(This post is delicated to YOU!!)

I still remember the very very first time you invited me for a Christmas service in 2007! I rejected it because I was not interested! But in 2008, after much introduction about a foreign God named JESUS who sets us free (by Grace), I was once again invited to church by you! (: & I accepted the invitation. :D

I still remember the very first visit, being greeted by the ushers, being awed by the auditorium, getting to know awesome people and seating down somewhere in the middle section of the church of green chairs. I remember being shocked at the culture where everybody jumps up and down, I remember being touched by Jesus for the very first time. Crying for no apparent reason! I remembered feeling stupid for crying. But after that day my heart was open!

You know my share of secrets and often made cards for me. I still keep them till this day! I remember your long list of smses that you would send to me to encourage me, long talks over the phone despite your pre-paid being low.

There are also times when I don't understand why do you do things in a certain way. I remember being mentally annoyed that you would ask me to attend services on both saturdays and sundays. You even called me to attend cg on thursday nights. (E4 era!!) You even encouraged me to speak more to others but it caused me to be awkard.

After we transferred to E30, we spent lesser time together.. But I know I am always in your prayers (: And I know you think of me constantly! :D I am amazed by your strength, your convictions in Jesus. Despite after so many persecutions and things happened, you are still standing strong in Christ, serving God!

Being led by you is indeed a privilege because I learnt a lot from you. And I know you are hard to contact due to circumstances, but I will not fall away! Instead, I will keep chasing after you! I will bombard you with smses and emails if they are the only ways to update you about my life!!

My heart is filled with so much love and thanksgiving to God for such an arrangement that I would find my purpose in life. To love others and to be the salt and the light to the world... (:

Lord, I just want to lift up Jaslyn into your hands. God, I want to thank You for such an awesome leader in this House. Lord, although we may be busy with our personal lives, God I pray for this relationship to never end. Jesus, I pray for Your hands of guidance to be upon her life. I pray for her life to be filled with Your blessing. God, I pray that as she sacrifices to You, Lord I pray that You will be faithful to her and bless her multiple times. Whenever she faces persecutions, Lord, I pray for Your love and presence to be near her.

Lord. I pray that I would learn to follow in her ways and serve You faithfully for the rest of my days God. Whenever I have negative thoughts about my leader, please remind me that she is also learning, just like the rest of us. Lord, I pray that you will remind me of this post that I have posted up today.

Jesus, I lift Jaslyn's life into Your hands once more. I just want to say I love You.

In Jesus' name.
Amen.

JASLYN, I LOVE YOU!!!

♥ 6:48:00 PM

City Harvest Church's newest album totally rocks the house! Woooo!
God is indeed creative!
Hallelujah! (:

♥ 6:34:00 PM

God is a creative God! (:

Emotions as WeatherAlthough most people in the country wouldn’t agree, we in Southern California have been having extreme weather conditions for us: rain and mudslides. You could almost say we’re so used to mild conditions that we become afraid of what others would call “real” weather—weather wimps. Being afraid, ashamed of, or embarrassed by your feelings is like being afraid of the weather, because emotions (tears, panic attacks, angry outbursts, withdrawal, depression, elation, lust, romantic excitement, euphoria) are the weather conditions of the inner self.

Certainly there are weather conditions that are fearsome, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, exploding volcanoes and fierce fires, and we need to control these if we can, and protect ourselves from them. But, like the weather, most emotional climate conditions are pretty mild.

My clients have found it very helpful to use the metaphors of weather to understand how natural and normal all feelings are. Here are my thoughts on the basics of emotional weather. It’s a concept I'm just working out, so please share your ideas and reactions.

Sunshine
Your smile lights up your face the way the sun lights our day. Smiles, too can come from behind clouds or after emotional storms. The smile signals that all is well, pressure is equalized and the coast is clear to be out and open and have some fun.

Rain
Like rain, tears can be stormy or just a light sprinkle, and feel angry, cold, dreary and sad, or even come through the sunshine. Rain often follows a change of weather pressure, and tears can be the result of release of inner tension. People frequently cry from relief that they've been heard or that they can see a solution where there appeared to be a problem. Those who suffer from a trauma or a loss normally cry a little after the first shock of finding out, as the awful pressure of the news is absorbed and the grief sets in.

Rain first carries with it the dust suspended in the air, and then washes everything clean as it continues. Emotional rain, too, can first be painful, and then begin to bring release and clarity. A “good cry” is one that really lets go of the held feelings and continues until relief sets in.

Rainbows
When you allow the tears to flow until your natural smile returns, you will feel hopeful again—hope is the rainbow of our internal climate. Like a rainbow, hope doesn't exist until there has been a disappointment, and the disappointment has been accepted completely enough to let the sun shine once more. That smile, coming thorough sadness, brings with it a renewed feeling of hope.

Storms
Sometimes reluctance to express unhappiness or discomfort builds pressure that eventually releases in a rush, like a storm. Violent storms shake things up, just as strong anger does. Anger that is allowed to get out of control is as destructive as a hurricane, but anger that is expressed in healthy ways can "clear the air" just as a storm does. The aftermath of a healthy, not too violent storm allows us to appreciate the pleasures of calmness.

Cloudiness and Fog
Emotionally, things are not always very clear. It’s normal to feel foggy and unsure, or depressed and dark from time to time. If you can remember it's just your emotional climate, and explore it to discover the cause, the fog will lift, the clouds will part, it may rain or storm a little, but the sun will eventually come out again. Normal depression that is not allowed to take its natural course, not opened up to let the fresh air in, can turn into emotional smog, or internal pollution.

Smog
Emotional smog, like the weather kind, is just the normal cloudy/foggy conditions with man-made junk added. We call it clinical depression. Everyone is down from time to time, but those who attack themselves when down, or have others around who pollute their internal atmosphere with criticism or shaming, become smog-bound, and can't clear up their internal atmosphere. Letting in the fresh air of interest and the warmth of emotional support allows the fog to lift, and the sun to come out again.

Internal Conditions
If you try paying the same amount of daily attention to your internal conditions as you probably do to the weather report, and begin to regard your feelings as naturally as weather, you'll become much more emotionally comfortable. Like weather, your feelings are easier to accept and live with when you manage them, respond to them and don't try to resist them or deny them. If you understand your feelings as weather, you can have many lovely inner days.

Your Sense of Emotion
Human attributes, we are taught, include five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Only in science fiction do we read about a sixth sense, which is usually depicted as a psychic sense. If you think about it, however, your emotions are your real “sixth sense.” Just like your other five senses, your emotions register data about the external world. With your sight, your eyes take in data about colors, shapes and relative sizes of the things in the world around us. Touch tells us how things feel, how warm, cold, soft, hard, sharp or smooth they are.

Your emotions tell you what others’ feelings are. We can sense, in an almost psychic way, how someone feels at a distance, without being told. By comparing what our other senses tell us about others (smiles, frowns, tension, “prickly vibes,” relaxed breathing and an indescribable type of data we call empathy) with what we know about our own inner feelings, we draw conclusions about what other people are feeling. Without being told, we know when someone is angry, when someone has strong positive or negative feelings toward us, and when we are loved.

With conscientious practice, people can improve their use of senses, such as being a wine taster, reading braille, refining your sense of color as an artist, or learning to tell different fabrics by texture. Certain people, such as psychotherapists and actors, practice and refine emotions until they can sense very small changes. As a psychotherapist, I “read” my clients’ emotions and give them feedback to help them sort out emotional confusion. “You say you’re fine, but you appear to be angry,” I might say to someone who is disconnected from his feelings.

Sight is an external sense—we only see what’s outside us. Touch, however, is both internal and external. We can feel food go down our gullet, on occasion we can feel our own heartbeat, and we can feel muscle cramps and movement from inside the body. Emotions are a sense that is simultaneously internal and external. To our emotions, it’s as if there’s no limit to our bodies, and our skin is transparent. We feel our feelings on the inside, and yet they reach out and touch people and tell us what they’re feeling, too. It is a type of psychic sense, especially to people who develop it.

Just as your sight helps you navigate the roads, avoid obstacles, and choose the best route, your emotions are the sense that help you navigate the paths of relationships. If you are knowledgeable about your feelings, and your sensitivity to others’ feelings, you can be much more effective in all your relationships, maximizing your love, your intimacy, your emotional well-being, and your happiness.

Practicing Emotion
You can refine and sensitize yourself to your feelings by “tracking” what you are feeling on a daily basis: Just stop a few times each day and ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now?” Once you get comfortable with that, you can spend some time people watching, and guess what they might be feeling. You won’t know if you’ve guessed right unless you ask, but just practicing paying attention will sharpen your skills.

From It Ends With You: Grow Up and Out of Dysfunction (New Page Books, 2003) © 2004 Tina B. Tessina

"You reached out to take my hand, but You touched my heart instead"

Because God is a creative God, I can boldly proclaim that I am too! :D

♥ 9:54:00 AM

What a great day. -.-

Had every intention to skip class today because today is going to be oh-so-tough. And Wendy arranged to meet the cg @ 9am!! :D But in the end, it was switched to 5pm!! D:

Woke up at 5.30am usual, did the usual routine & rushed down by 6.25am. I waited for 10 minutes to realise the bus was not going to show up. Had to ring dad up to send me down to the busstop to catch the 6.50am bus.

Well, I'm in class now... Meeting the rest @ whitesands after school!
I cant waitt :D

♥ 8:09:00 AM

I dont know why.

♥ 1:41:00 AM

ITS FRIDAYYYY!!! (:

♥ 12:18:00 PM

Keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
- Dinah Craik

♥ 8:30:00 AM

Two Sunsets
Taken From: http://www.whatistruth.info/story23.html

We stood on the brow of the hill gazing out over the valley beneath us. In the distant west the sun sank quietly and serenely toward the horizon. The purpling shadows of the hills grew longer in the valley. The clouds overhead, which scarcely seemed to move, were in broken, fluffy masses. As we gazed upon the scene, the sun as a mighty king in stately majesty and resplendent glory sank to his evening repose. The clouds caught the afterglow, looking as if a gigantic brush had swept across the sky scattering gold and orange and crimson and purple. The sun had gone, but the glory of his vanished presence still lingered in the beauty of the clouds.
At the close of another day we stood on the same hilltop. The sun was hanging low. The purpling shadows lengthened in the valley. The sun did not sink in glory tonight, but passed out of sight into a bank of dark and threatening clouds. The voices of the day were stilled. A solemn and foreboding hush seemed over all, and our spirits felt the general gloom. There was no afterglow. There was no resplendent painting of the sky. All was somber and gloomy; nature seemed to await what would come, in expectancy and awe. And as the darkness fell, we saw a gleam of lightning play across the distant cloud.

How like the sunsets of some lives were these two sunsets! In my mind, unfading while I live, are the memories of two life-sunsets. When but seven summers had passed over my head, my little sister and I were at a neighbor's two or three miles from home. In the early twilight a horseman came galloping down the road bearing the fateful news that Mother was dying. Quickly placing me behind him on the horse and taking my little sister in his arms, he galloped away through the early night.

When we arrived at home, we found the house filled with neighbors. Upon her bed lay Mother with pallid face. Through the hours of the night we watched by her bedside. About three o'clock in the morning she asked them to sing that old song "Shall We Gather at the River?" With choking voices and tear-dimmed eyes the little band of neighbors sang the song. The eyes of the sufferer gazed stedfastly above. A heavenly light beamed forth from he countenance. A smile of joy was upon her face. Presently she called the sorrowing relatives one by one and bade them a last good-by. I fell upon my knees by her bedside and sobbed out my childish grief. She turned and looked fondly down upon me and, laying her hand upon my head, said, "Charlie, be a good boy and meet me in heaven."

A little while she was quiet. Then her life's sun sank to its rest. But the afterglow of that beautiful life still shines in that community. Circumstances later took me far away; but after sixteen years, I again stood upon the scene, and over and over during my stay the neighbors told me of her beautiful Christian life. Many a time during those years when I was tempted to do evil, I would behold that scene again, and those last words of my sainted mother would ring in my ears; they stood as a bulwark between my soul and evil.

The same afternoon that the message so dreadful came to me grandmother visited a neighbor who was drawing near to his life's sunset. When she came back, she told what passed while she was there. The man was a skeptic. There was no life beyond the grave for him. There was not hope of reunion around the throne of God. Grandmother spoke to him of his approaching end and asked him if he was prepared. His answer I shall never forget. Young as I was, it struck me with terrible force. With a look of deepest melancholy on his face he said, "It is taking a leap into the dark."

A few days later he passed away, and he and mother lie there in the little country cemetery waiting till the voice of the Son of God shall call them forth. But ah, the difference between those two life-sunsets! One left the glorious hop of a Christian shining forth, tinting the sky with beauty; the other's sun sank into a dark cloud of despair, lighted only with the lurid glare of the lightning of God's wrath.

Reader, what will be your life's sunset? Will it be serene and calm and peaceful, lighted up with glory from the throne of God, or will it be dark, without a promise or ray of hope? You are fast hastening to that hour. It may be nearer than you think. If you live without God, you will die without God. Take a view of yourself, now. Would you like for your life's sunset to find you as you now are? If not, what assurance do you have that it will be different? Good intentions will never change it. Good desire will never change it. God only can make you ready for that hour. Unless you seek him, you too will take a "leap into the dark;" for you there will be only the "blackness of darkness forever." "If ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart."

♥ 12:08:00 PM

Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns

Oh, what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
You'll never win."

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

Oh, what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
Of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe
'Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth
And I will listen to You..
Oh, You are the Voice of truth

♥ 2:20:00 PM

Isn't it Amazing
by: Olivia Newton-John & Sun Ho

Shadows of the past are here again
Bittersweet intentions like sunshine in the rain
Secrets still suggested in each step
But there's mercy in the echoes for all the tears I've wept
For every time I've crashed inside
Or fallen on the broken pieces I've locked inside

Isn't it amazing that the dawn arrives each day
To sweep across the darkness with a hope that finds a way
Isn't it amazing when every mountain seems so tall
That here I am another day taking on the mystery of it all

So many times I've climbed upon a wall
To dwell amongst its ruins aching from the fall
Lost within the open ends of life
Then found beneath its riches, courted by its heights
The dark and light of life collide
And grace that I don't understand is here by my side

All … every moment
All that every day gives
It all comes to this
That to love is to live

Another day, another way
Another step, it's so amazing
I'm here today, my heart can say
Another day, it's so amazing

♥ 11:34:00 PM

"BLIGHTED BLOSSOMS"
Taken from: http://www.whatistruth.info/story4.html

In our yard, a few feet from the door stands an apple tree. In the early spring I watched its swelling buds from day to day. Soon they burst forth into snowy blossoms, beautifying the tree, and filling the air with fragrance. There was the promise of a bountiful crop of fruit. In a few days the petals had fallen like a belated snow. As the leaves unfolded and grew larger, there appeared here and there a little apple that gave a promise of maturing into full ripened fruit. But, alas! how few apples there were compared with the number of blossoms with which the bough had been laden! Most of the blossoms had been blighted, and had fallen to the ground leaving nothing behind.

"Ah," thought I, "How like these blighted blossoms are so many of the desires and hopes and plans of our lives! How many of our aspirations are never realized! How many of our plans fail! How scanty the perfectly matured fruit in our lives, when compared with the blossoms!" When we consider this, how barren our lives often seems! How little we seem to accomplish! How little our lives seem to amount to.

Every truly saved heart longs to serve. The redeemed heart loves, and love finds its joy in service. How much there is to be done all around us! and how eagerly we would take up the task of doing it! How much we want to accomplish for the Lord! but ah, how little we do really accomplish! How many blossoms of desire we possess! but how little fruit of real accomplishment! Seeing this, we sometimes become dicouraged. It does not seem worth while to try to do the few little things that we actually can do. Do the best we can, so many of our blossoms will be blighted---so many of our plans will fail; so many of our hopes will not be realized; so many of our desires will not be fulfilled. We can rejoice in those that are brought to fruitage; we can rejoice in those that do mature; but how about the blossoms that fall and seem to leave nothing behind them? Do they bud in vain? The blossoms on that apple-tree which were blighted, and died, were just as beautiful and just as fragrant as those which bore fruit. They served a very real purpose, and so do the hopes and purposes that we cherish in our hearts, even though we never see their fruitage.

David was a man who loved the Lord, and out of that love came a desire to build the Lord a house. That desire was never realized by David. Making it a reality was left to others. Nevertheless, David's purpose was pleasing to the Lord. In his prayer at the dedication of the temple, Solomon said: "And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And the Lord said unto David my father, "Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart." (Kings 8:17-18) God did not despise the desire, even though he did not permit David to carry it out. As God was well-pleased with the desire of David to build him a house, so he is well-pleased with those worthy desires and purposes of our hearts that are never carried out. Whether it be circumstances or surroundings that hinder us, whether it be a lack of wisdom or of ability, whether if be the pressure of other duties, or even if God gives the task to someone else, there is, nevertheless, beauty and fragrance in the desire that is in our heart to do him service.
We must not become discouraged and give up hoping and desiring and planning to do something for the Lord, even though so many of our plans fail and our hopes become blighted. We know that it is the sap flowing upward through the tree that produces the beautiful fragrant blossoms.

Likewise, God knows that it is the love in our hearts that produces the desire for service; and that love is precious in his sight. Do you sometimes feel that there is so little, oh so little! that you can do for the Lord? Does your life seem to count so little for his kingdom? and do you long to be more useful? That very longing is as the odor of sweet incense before the Lord. If you are prevented from doing the things that you would gladly do, if circumstances shut you in like a hedge, if you seem weak when you would be strong, you can still do something. The more of these blossoms of desire you have, even if they never reach fruition, the more your life is beautified, and the more the Lord is pleased. These unfulfilled desires work to ennoble our character and to enrich us, provided we do not spend our time mourning and lamenting because we cannot put them into action.

There is, however, one danger which we must be careful to shun. Sometimes people have their hearts so set on doing some great things that they miss the little things, the little opportunities that lie close to their hands. Life is made up of a "round of little things". The great things only happen at rare intervals. But it is being faithful in little things that makes us ready for our opportunities for the great things, when they come. Christ said "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." The little things are not spectacular; they do not attract much attention, but they are the things that make up life; and if we are true in these little things, God will trust us with some greater things by and by. It is not wrong to yearn to do more; but that longing works evil if, in our reaching forward to greater opportunities, we neglect what oppotunities we have. It is the fruits we are able to produce, not their blossoms, that count at the harvest.

Let us, therefore , strive to do all that we can; and if we cannot do all that we would, let us remember that the blossoms that are blasted are not in vain. They serve their purpose. They are well worth while; and if we go resolutely and steadfastly on, we shall at last hear the Master's voice say to us, "It is good that it was in thine heart." How sweet these words will sound in our ears! How they will soothe our feelings of disappointment at not having done more! Let us press on, therefore, and not be discouraged because we do not see our hopes and plans realized in this world. Let us be strong and of good courage, knowing that God knows all about it. Let us thank him for such privileges as we have, and make the best of our opportunities.

♥ 8:18:00 AM

This is my cry to You!! (:

I draw near to You (Hillsongs United!)

I draw near to You
You draw near to me
You're calling me on
To a higher place

As children run
To their Father's voice
You give me open ears
To hear You call

That I may live
By Your word
To be all I'm called to be
I call on Your name
I need You my God

That I may live
By Your word
Wholly devoted to You
I call on Your name
I need You my God

I draw near to You
You draw near to me
Let me hear You speak
To me Lord

♥ 8:18:00 AM

Bigger Heart; Bigger LOVE!! :D

How To Fertilize Love
Taken from: http://www.whatistruth.info/story19.html

Love is the greatest thing in earth or heaven. Out of it flows most of the things that are worthwhile in life. Love of relatives, love of friends and love of the brethren (1 John 3:14) make life worth living. There is no heart so empty as the heart that is without love. There is no life so joyful as the love-filled life. Love puts a song in the heart, a sparkle in the eye, a smile on the lips and makes the whole being glad. And God's love is greater than all else. He who has God's love has a continual feast. There may be sorrow and care and suffering in the life; but if there is love, it lightens all these.

Sometimes there is not the love for the relatives that there ought to be. Sometimes there is not the love for the brethren that should characterize us. When we realize this and feel our lack, the question naturally arises, "How can my love for them be increased?" Plants cannot grow without fertility; that is, the soil must contain the elements necessary to growth. If these are absent, they must be supplied, or there can be no harvest. This is equally true of love; it must be fertilized if it is to grow. Do you realize that you are lacking in love for someone? Do you manifest as much affection toward your conjugal companion as you did in days gone by?

There are very many things that may choke our love in the home. One of these is the lack of kindness. If you have grown less kind in your feelings, in your actions, and in your words, love cannot thrive. Kindness is one of the best fertilizers for love. Do you show the same consideration for the feelings and tastes of your companion as you used to show? There are so many people who have two sets of tones in which to speak, and two sets of manners in which they act. They have their company manners and their family manners. When they have company, the voice is soft and pleasant; the manners are agreeable and kindly. They treat their friends with the greatest consideration; but as soon as their friends are gone, the pleasant voice changes into crossness or harshness and faultfinding, and the pleasantness of manner disappears. In how many homes is this true! The greater consideration, the greater kindness, is due the home folks. Otherwise, love cannot flourish. If you wish to have love for your home folks, you must show them the consideration that is due them.

Some professors of religion are like the catbird. When it is away from its nest, it is one of the sweetest of the northern warblers, and so it is often called the northern mocking-bird; but when it is close to its nest, you will hear only a harsh, discordant note. It has not sweetness in its voice while at its nest. Some people reserve all their kindness, tenderness, and sweetness for those outside the family circle. Is it any wonder that love dies in such a home? If you realize you do not love some one enough, begin to consider his desires. Begin to show a special interest in him. Watch for opportunities to be kind to him. Try especially to be agreeable, and you will soon find that this reacts upon yourself; in a short time you will find your love increasing; and the more you follow this course, the more your love will increase.

I have been asked if we should love all saints the same. Some have even taught that if we were right in our souls we would love one of God's children as much as another. This, however, is not possible. Even Jesus loved some of his disciples more than others. There were three--James, Peter and John--who were closer to him than the others; and of these, John was most beloved. He calls himself "that disciple whom Jesus loved." If love for the brethren depended solely on spiritual things, then possibly we might love all the same; but it depends to a great extent on other things as well. Jesus loved John much because of John's loving nature. We love those most who seem to us most lovable. We are drawn most to those whose dispositions and characters and interests appeal most strongly to us. There are those who are saved, who, because of their faults or unlovely dispositions, repel us rather than attract us. We will not find ourselves drawn into the same close relations with them as with the others. There is danger of a twofold nature. On the one hand, we are liable to love some so much that we become partial towards them to such an extent that others will feel that we do not value them as we should. On the other hand, there is danger of looking at the unlovely qualities in another until we lose sight of the good that is in him, and grow prejudiced against him until it becomes hard to feel the proper love for him.

If we realize we do not love some of the brethren as we should, let us cease looking at the unlovely things, and look for the good things, the noble qualities. Seek out these things, keep them before the mind; overlook the faults and failings and unlovely traits. Begin to show special kindness, make it a point to speak to these brethren kindly; show an interest in them. Watch for a chance to do something helpful: go out of your way to do them favors. Possibly you own coldness has much to do with their attitude and feelings. Be as genial and sunshiny toward them as you are toward your closest friends. Some reserved natures need sunshine to open them up, just as do some flowers. Have you not seen flowers open up in the sunshine and threw their fragrance upon the breezes, and then, as a heavy cloud suddenly overspread the sky and the dark shadows fell, quickly close up? It is just that way with some natures. If we radiate sunshine, they unfold their beauties to us; but if we are cold and distant, we are permitted to see only the rough exterior. Love begets love. If we so act that love in us may grow and develop, we shall be loved in return.

Love cannot survive carelessness, indifference and neglect. These things are poison to the tender plant. We can easily kill the love in our hearts, or we can cultivate and increase it till its blossoms and fragrance are the delight of our lives. If your love is not what it ought to be, try fertilizing it with kindness, gentleness, and self-sacrifice, and take away the weeds of selfishness, carelessness and indifference. You will find that love will grow and increase, and become sweeter and tender with the passing days.

♥ 8:15:00 AM

Intended to update this yesterday. But the internet connection was bad. ): Thus I am copying everything from my report! WAHAHA

I want to share the revelation I recieved from God on Tuesday... My 2nd day of school. (: This class definately is a place way out of my comfort zone!! I was seeking Him yesterday, asking why did He place me in such a horrible and noisy class...and he dropped these verses into my heart:

Salt and Light
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)

And

3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:3-9 (NIV)

As I read it over and over again, I felt God telling me that just because about 95% of the class are malays, that does not mean I should stop shining God's light. In fact, I should shine even more for God. (Because Muslims have the least chance of knowing Christ) God is not meant to be hidden, but shown to the world. And as I continue to shine His light, during these four months, these students would be curious about why I am so different.From there I would sow seeds into their lives and hopefully, one day these people would come to know of Christ. (:

God also warned me not to let these words be stolen by the devil and let it multipy!! :D

God is very faithful to me (: I was praying for new friends in class and I managed to make accquatiance with some of the Chinese girls in class. Turned out that the both of them were in the same block and level as me in my previous semester! Except that we were in different classes. (:

I pray that these 4 months with this class would really bring me up to a whole new level. Although things are becoming slightly better now, I pray that I would take things for granted but let me depend on God throughout. I will not be satisfied until I become a confident speaker just like Pastors! I want to speak like them- the way they preach on the stage! (: Please keep me in prayers!

p.s: I realise a way to draw closer to God is to do things I've never done before! Step out in faith! Amen! :D

♥ 8:10:00 AM

I love reading about God's love (: Draws me closer to Him. <3
I love Jesus!

When God Withdraws Himself
Taken from: http://www.whatistruth.info/story39.html

A mother sat quietly in her easy chair. Upon the floor near her was her little one playing--piling his blocks one upon another, then throwing and laughing in childish glee. He was all absorbed in his play. The mother gazed upon him with her eyes beaming. Presently she began to call him, "Baby, come to Mama! Baby, Baby, come to Mama!" but he played on unheeding. Again she called, but he paid no attention; his mind was occupied with his own affairs.

Presently the mother quietly slipped from her chair and went into an adjoining room, out of the baby's sight. He did not notice her go. He supposed that she was right there and that he could go to her at any time; but happening to glance up from his play, he saw that the chair was empty. The laughter ceased at once, and a cloud came over his features; he turned and looked all around the room, but his mama was not in sight. He saw only a stranger sitting in an easy chair. A pang of startled fear passed through him, and he began to cry and call very earnestly, in his baby way, for his mama.

It brought a quick response. The mother leaving her concealment, rushed to him quickly, picked him up and hugged him tightly to her bosom. His chubby baby arms were clasped about her neck as though he would never let her go. Soon the tears were gone and the baby's face lay against that of the mother, while the joy of the mother-heart caused the eyes to shine like stars.
Now, the mother did not go away from the child because she did not love it, or because she thought that it did not love her; but she wanted to draw his attention away from its little concerns to herself. She wanted to show her affection for it and to receive its baby caresses in return.

Like that little one, we sometimes become so absorbed in our own pleasures, our work or some little personal interest, that God cannot attract our attention. His father-heart yearns for a season of communion with us. He wants to show his love to us and receive, in return, our love and communion. But we do not heed him; we are too busy with other things; and so he quietly withdraws himself, and we become aware that we are alone. With that presence gone, how lonely we feel! How dark that world suddenly grows! How quickly we lose interest in the things that held our attention before! How we yearn for his presence again! How our hearts reach out for him! How our tears start! We think, "What have we done that caused him to leave us? Have we grieved away his Spirit? Have we sinned against him?" But ah! He is not gone far; he is just beyond our vision. He is watching; he is waiting for our hearts to be drawn back to him.

The mother would not have left her child if by leaving, she would have placed him in danger. She did not mean to stay away. So God knows that to leave us thus is not to expose us to danger. He is watching, waiting anxiously the moment when he may return, and ah! When he does return and takes us in his bosom, what words of comfort he speaks! What tender affection he shows! And how our hearts are melted and poured out in thanksgiving and adoration before him! If God apparently withdraws from us, it is only because he sees that we need to be left alone for a season. He sees that the heart must be drawn away from selfish interest; and when this is accomplished, he comes back and reveals to us anew the fullness and richness of his love.

♥ 8:23:00 AM

What it means to trust in the LORD
Taken From: http://www.whatistruth.info/story2.html

Throughout the Bible we are exhorted again and again to trust in the Lord. We are warned againts trusting in princes, in riches, or in ourselves; for all such trust is vain. Trusting in the Lord is represented as being safe, as blessed, and as producing very desirable results. In it is our blessed hope, our strength, our safety, and our help.

But what does trust mean? It does not mean carelessness or indifference. Just to let things go and say, "Oh I guess it will come out all right," is not trusting. Just drifting heedlessly with the tide is not trust. Neglect is not trust. Trust is something positive. It is a real something, not a mere happen-so or maybe-so. It is a definite attitude of soul and mind, a realization of our own need and of God's suffiency. It is the reaching out and anchoring of ourselves in God.

The soul who really trusts is not driven about by every wind. The waves beat againts him as they beat againts the anchored the anchored ship, but they can not dash him upon the rocks: for he who trust in God is strong, because he has the strength of God.

Trust does not mean shutting our eyes to facts. There is no such thing as "blind faith." Trust looks at things as they are. It sees the dangers that threaten, and assesses them at their true value. It sees the nedd, and does not try to disguise it. It sees the difficulties, and does not discount them. But seeing all this, it looks beyond and sees God, its all-sufficient help. It sees him greater than the needs or the dangers or the difficulties, and it does not shrink before them.

There is no fear in trust: the two are opposites. When we really fear, we are not fully trusting. When we trust, fear gives way to assurance. Fear is tormenting, How many there are who are constantly agitated by fear! They fear the devil, trials, temptation, the wind, lightning, burglars, and a thousand other things. Their days are haunted by fear of this thing or that. Their peace is marred and their hearts are troubled. For all this, trust is the cure. I do not mean to say that if you trust, nothing will ever startle you or frighten you, or that you will never feel physical fear in time of danger; but in such times trust will bring to us a conciousness that the Lord knows and cares, and that his helping presence is with us.

When John Wesley was crossing the Atlantic Ocean from England to America to become missionary to the Indians, the ship on which he was sailing encountered a terrible storm. It seemed that those on board would be lost. Many were much alarmed and were in deep distress. Wesley himself was one of this number. In the midst of the storm his attention was attracted to some Morovians who sat calmly undisturbed by the dangers about them. Wesley greatly wondered at their untroubled appearance. He inquired why it was. Their reply was that they were trusting in the Lord and that they had in their soul the conciousness of his protecting presence and care. They felt no fear because there was nothing threatening that a Christian had need to fear. Mr Wesley did not have such an experience, but what he learned from the simple-hearted people caused him to seek a similar experience.

There is no worry in trust. When we worry about anything, we have not committed it to God. Trust takes away the anxiety. So many people use up a large portion of their energy in worry. There is always something troubling them. Their days and nights are full of anxiety. Worrying becomes a fixed habit with them. Peace and calmness and assurance find but little room in their lives. The cure for all this is trust. Trust brings confidence. Trust whispers to our souls that there is no cause to worry. It tells us that God holds the helm of our vessel. It bids us to be of good courage, assuring us that God is our refuge and strength, that our lives and all are in his hands, and that he will work out for us the things that are best.

O soul, stop worrying and trust. It is so much better. If you find yourself worrying, stop right there. Take your eyes off the things that trouble you; look up, and keep looking up till you see God and his infinite care for you. Remember that when you worry you are not trusting, and that when you trust you are not worrying. Worry depresses, discourages, and weakens. It never helps us in any way. It is always a hindrance to us. God wants to bring into our lives a peaceful calm like that of a summer evening. He would have us without anxiety, as care-free as the birds or the lilies. It is trust that brings us this experience. Will you not trust? "Casting all your care on him; for he careth for you."

There is no murmuring in trust. When all is trusted into God's hand, it brings to us a feeling of satisfaction concerning God's dealings with us. We can sing from our hearts, "God's way is best; I will not murmur." When we trust it is easy to praise. When we trust, the heart is full of thankful appreciation. If you are inclined to murmur, it is because you do not trust.
There is no feeling of bitterness when things do not go as we think they should, if we are trusting. Bitterness comes from rebellion, and there is no rebellion in trust. Trust can always say, "Not my will, but thine, be done."

In trust there is peace, the peace of God which passeth understanding. There is calm in the soul of him who trusts. There is no doubt in trust, for doubt is swallowed up in assurance, and assurance brings calmness and peace.

Trustings brings confidence. It permits us to see God in his true character. It causes us to realize the greatness and tenderness of his love. It gives us a conciousness and tendernes of his love. It gives us a conciousness of his might, and through it we are sheltered under his wings. By it our enemies lose their power, our dangers, our terrors. We have a conciousness of safety, and that brings rest. He has said, "Ye shall find rest unto your souls." He who trusts finds this soul-rest. God has not given us turmoil and trouble. He has said "In me ye shall have peace"; and again, "My peace I give unto you." Are not these precious promises? Are they true in your life? God means that they shall be. Trust will make them real to you. They never can be real until you learn to trust. Trust is the root that upholds and nourishes the tree of Christian life. It is trust that causes it to blossoms and to bring forth fruit, and the more fully you trust, the greater and richer and more profuse will be the fruits of your righteousness.

I have told you something about trust, but I now wish to speak of some other things that belong to trust, Trust implies submission. Very often God fails to do things for us because we do not permit him to. We want to plan for ourselves. We want things to be done in the way that seems best to our finite wisdom.

Too many of us are like a woman whose husband recently said that they had often gone driving together, that their horse would sometimes become frightened, and that when it did, his wife would also become frightened and would almost invariably seize the lines. Thus, he would have to manage both his wife and the horse, making his task doubly difficult.

How many of us are just like that woman! When anything threatens, we became alarmed and try to help God. We feel that it is not safe to leave all in his hands and let him manage the circumstances. Our failure to submit to him often complicates matters, and it is harder for him to manage us than it is to manage the difficulties. To trust God means to keep our hands off the lines. It means to let him have his way and do things as he thinks best. It may be a hard lesson to learn, but you will hinder God until you learn it.

"It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). If your life is submitted to him, he will work in you to will as well as to do. He will help you do the planning as well as the working out. He will aid you in the choosing, no less than in the doing. If you can not submit to him thus, you have not reached the place where you can trust. You must first learn to take your hands off yourself and off circumstances; then trust will be natural and easy. How can you trust him if you are not willing for him to do just as it pleases him? When you have submitted all and he has his way fully with you, then the blessed fruitfulnes of trust will come in your life.

Trust also implies obedience.It means working with God to produce the results. We can not sit down and fold our hands in idleness and expect things to work themselves out. We must be workers not shirkers. The man who prays for a bountiful harvest but prepares no ground and plants no seed will pray in vain. Faith and works must go together. We must permit God to direct our efforts and command our efforts. We must be willing to work when he wants us to work and in the way he wants us to work. Our attempts to trust will amount to nothing if we are not willing to obey. Right here is the secret of many people's trouble; they are willing to obey so long as the thing commanded is what they themselves would choose, but when it is otherwise they are not so ready. Our obedience must be full and willing, or we can not trust.

Trust implies patience. Even God can not work everything out immediately. We are told that "ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise"(heb 10:36). So many times we want the answers to our prayers right away. If they do not come thus, we grow impatient and think God is not going to answer. There is no use trying to hurry the Lord; we shall only hinder him if we do. He will not work according to our plans, but according to his own. Time does not matter so much to the eternal One as it does to us.

A brother once came to the altar in a meeting. In telling his trouble he said, "When I want anything done, it has to be done in a hurry," Many other people can not be patient and wait, They want it now. This is a great hindrance to their faith. The Psalmist says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" (Ps 37:7). We are not only to wait patiently for him to work his purpose, but we are at the same time to rest in him. Some people can wait, but they can not rest at the same time. They are uneasy and impatient; they want to hurry the Lord all the time. The result usually is that their faith does not last very long. You must add patience to your faith to make it effective. If you really trust, you can be patient. It may not always be easy, but the more perfect your trust, the easier it will be to be patient.

When Luther was summoned to meet the diet for trial on a charge of heresy, his friends, fearing for his life, tried to persuade him not to go; but declared that he would go even if there were as many devils there as there were tiles on a housetops. He trusted God, and that trust gave him an unwavering courage. Three Hebrews trusted God, and the fiery furnace could not even singe their garments. Daniel trusted God, and the hungry lions could not touch him. Many thousands of others have trusted God with similar results.

But trusting God is an active, positive thing. A passive submission or surrender to cicunstances is not trust. Trusting the Lord to save means to definitely rely on him to do it; to confidently expect that he will do it. This leads directly to the confident trust that he does do it. It brings the conscious assurance that it is an accomplished fact. We are not left to doubt, to hope, or to guess; but we have a positive trust that brings a positive results.

The same is true of sanctification. A positive faith brings a positive experience; and so long as our faith remains positive, the experience remains positive. It is only when faith begins to waver and doubts appear that the experience becomes uncertain. If you will maintain a positive faith, God will take care of your experience. Here lies the secret of continous victory. There maybe conflicts, but faith is the foundation of sure victory.

Trusting the Lord for healing means more than refusing to employ a physician and to take drugs. People who do not trust God at all often refuse to use drugs. They may at no time during their sickness really exercise an act of faith for healing. They simply surrender to existing conditions and hope that it will come out all right. In many such cases nature will overcome the disease and the person will recover. The "prayer of faith" however is positive; it saves the sick; it brings healing. Sometimes the sick person, because of the mental effects of his sickness, is not able to exercise faith; but when he is able, faith will be an active, positive thing with him, if the desired results are to follow.

It is safe to trust in the Lord. Isaiah says, "I will trust and not be afraid"(Isa 12:2). That is the way God wants us to trust. He would have us be confident in him. But sometimes we get to looking at circumstances, and they loom up so threateningly before us that in spite of ourselves we tremble and shrink before them. We believe that God will take care of us and help us, but we can not quiet our fears. Our feelings are very much as they are when we stand just outside the bars of the cage of a ferocious wild beast. We know it can not reach us; we know we are safe from those powerful teeth and claws; but still we can not help having a feeling that we should not have were we somewhere else. When he comes to our side of the cage, we shrink involuntary, but still we trust the iron bars and do not run away.

The Psalmist tells us what to do when we have such fears. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee" (Psa 56:3). Still keep trusting. God will not chide you for the fears you can not help, but only for those that come from unbelief. Trust in God. It is the safest thing you have ever done; and he will never fail you.

♥ 8:06:00 AM

I WANT to be updated!
DON'T let me know everything at the LAST MOMENT!
If I am THAT important, include me IN!

♥ 1:44:00 PM

New class, new timetable.

W14D

Monday:
T201-1-W14D-A
Creative Concepts

Tuesday:
B216-2-W14D-A
Marketing

Wednesday:
G102-8-W14D-A
Cognitive Processes and Problem Solving II

Thursday:
G104-3-W14D-A
Contemporary Issues in Culture and Aesthetics

Friday:
C111-4-W14D-A
Web and New Media Communications

♥ 1:50:00 PM

An eventful day yesterday :]

A last minute arrangement to meet up with Tingy to go down to Yangy's house to surprise him with Children Day's presents. (Yingygy's share was supposed to be passed to Tingy) Had a great time catching up with her alone as we walked down to grandma's house. Spotted Songy, Yingy-gy & Yangy walking back from Loyang Point - but they didnt see us. It was so cute seeing them walking in a single file from the oldest to the youngest!

Tingy & I headed down to Loyang Point's ShengSong supposely to buy drinks but we ended up buying 2 packet of pocky biscuits for the 2 cousins. Headed to Yangy's home and passed them the presents. They were quite delighted to get them. :] Yangy and Yingygy started to share about the presents they got in school while Songy demanded for his share -_-"

Crapped abit more with the cousins before we headed to Loyang Point again to have ice cream and fries! =3 More crapping & waited for Trixie [TWIK] to come by. Ate more fries & ice cream. Went back to Yangy's home to play Tai-Di. I watched them play throughout the entire game. Songy came in 1st once, the rest belonged to Twik!! Hahah!

Had dinner with the cousins also and played another 2 rounds before Twik & I had to leave cus of her exams...

Seriously love the gathering of the GYs (: There's always so much surprises and fun!!

Sigh. The next 2 years is going to be hard for reunions.
2009- Tingy's A level
2010- Yangy & Yingygy's PSLE
2011- Trixie's O levels

I wonder if we will still have as much fun as we have now the years down the road... I really hope we do. :]

♥ 10:59:00 AM