Influence

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like stars in the sky, and the lilies of the field -- simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.
-Oswald Chambers

Answered Prayer- in God's Way

"I asked for strength --

and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom --

and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity --

and God gave me brain and brawn to work.

I asked for courage --

and God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for love --

and God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted --

I receieved everything I needed.

My prayer has been answered."

Simply Trusting

Help me to trust when things are not going my way, O Lord.

Help me to trust when I see not.

Help me to trust when I feel not.

Help me to trust when I hear not.

Help me to simply trust my Heavenly Father.

Help me O Lord!

He is the Giver of all good things.

He has given me His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Won't my gracious Heavenly Father freely give me all things?

God wants the best and nothing less for me.

He loves me.

He even has the number of hair on my head numbered.

How can I doubt?

Help me with my unbelief Lord.

"You shall call, and the Lord will answer;

...the Lord will guide you continually,

and satisfy your soul in drought,

and strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

Isaiah 58:9, 11

Nearer, Still Nearer

Nearer, still nearer close to Thy heart

Draw me, my Saviour, so precious Thou art

Fold me, O fold me close to Thy breast

Shelter me safe in that "Haven of Rest,"

Shelter me safe in that "Haven of Rest."

Nearer, still nearer nothing I bring

Naught an off'ring to Jesus my King

Only my sinful now contrite heart

Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart

Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.

by Lelia N. Morris

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4.13

God is more than enough!

Childlike Love

credit: ridewiththewind

If our love were but more simple

We should take Him at His Word

And our lives would be all sunshine

In the sweetness of our Lord.

- Jim Elliot

big or small

Trust the Lord with all my heart,

lean not unto my own understanding,

in all my ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make my paths straight.

Proverbs 3.5-6 (NASB)

"It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without his counsel. He loves to be consulted...Consider no circumstances too clear to need His direction. In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let Him be supreme." Charles Bridges

waiting and knowing God

Bahman Farzard

You're waiting for the day to be swept off your feet,

Dreaming of the blessed hour, when two hearts will meet.

It's easy to get caught up, lost in wishful thinking,

But a dream is just a dream until it becomes reality.

Let thine eye be single; guard your heart faithfully,

I know what is best, trust and abide in Me.

'Cause true love only comes from truly knowing Me.

I have a perfect plan - My child, wait paitently.

You are a king's princess, though maybe still a child,

With love I give these words:

Dream of Me and wait awhile.

-Jaclynn Robinson

national day=

the fireworks season is approaching! :)

Faithfulness

this is the fourth week of the school term! it seems that time flies. another one month, 3/4 of 2011 has passed! it is time to take stock of what the Lord has done.

recalling the precious words of Ann Judson, "O may I have grace to be faithful, in instructing these little immortals, in such a way that is pleasing to my Heavenly Father." Help me to be faithful with the 20 little ones!

++

this little fellow here has returned from the land of liberty!

i am really thankful to the Lord for allowing us to spend some quality and meaningful time together.

watching kungfu panda on iphone

it has been enjoyable watching him grow; having seen him cry when he was an infant and slowly growing to a young handsome boy of 3 years now!

two heart-treasured anecdotes to pen down lest old age gets ahead of me :P :

a week ago at 0000hrs while I was putting him to sleep. we were reading Genesis, as requested by him, "I want the oldest book of the Bible to be read!"

Leo: Ganma, I want to poo! (after I smelled a fart.)

Me: Okay let us go to the toilet!

in the toilet, after 10 minutes of trying to poo and no evident poo came out.

he was narrating to me his life story while trying his best to poo!

Leo: Ganma, I do not want to poo already. I want you to sleep!

Me: That is nice of you, but if you have to poo, you got to tell ganma ok?

Leo: Ok! I will play toys now. You can go and bathe and sleep.

Me: No Leo, you got to sleep because we have got to go to church tomorrow morning!

Leo: silence

2nd May 2011 at 2030hrs at The Marmalade Pantry with my JC ex-classmates. we proceeded to the toilet as Leo wanted to poo. seems that all interesting conversations occur in the toilet! he was almost bursting into tears because he had trouble poo-ing.

Leo: Ganma, I am trying to squeeze!

Me: Yes come on, you can do it! You are strong Leo.

Leo: Yes, I am. let me show you my muscles. (stretches and flexes his "biceps") I will squeeze!

Me: Well done! You must have eaten spinach huh?

Leo: Yes, Leo is strong! My stomach is throwing tantrums that is why it is painful!

i thought that was quite a creative way of putting across his feelings of anxiety when he was experiencing a stomachache. :)

a good reminder!

Dear Lord Jesus,

after reading through articles on empathy in young children, I think i have a very low level of empathy!

i need to cultivate and grow in the grace of empathy.

isn't that what the Lord has commanded me to do, "to be merciful just as He is merciful" and "to have compassion?"

Mrs Cullers taught me that when I was in Taiwan.

:)

Heaven on Earth

"Little faith will bring the soul to Heaven,

but much faith will bring Heaven to the soul." - Charles Spurgeon

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky.

I don't know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.

hello and welcome!

Perfect Peace

God has made us for Himself,

and our hearts can never know rest and perfect satisfaction until they find it in Him.

-Hannah Hurnard

I cannot expect my desires to be fulfilled in any man because only God is perfect.

prayer

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

1 John 5:14-15