Marriage is a 3nity

Before I headed off to the Singapore Indoor Stadium with Ian & Kae, I had found time to blog about some thoughts I had recently on self-help and letting go. Experiences of attacks that we've had recently have been shaking our vessel, but we remain safe as we abide in our Daddy God =) It is amazing how Pastor's sermon today echoed the thoughts I had blogged about - that in Christ, all curses and strongholds we have are FINISHED! =) It was an affirmation that the Rhema Word had come from the Holy Spirit as I blogged about how we learned once more to let go and trust Him after the anxiety attack we had last night. Extract from my notes which I will tidy up and post later on tonight after bringing Kae back to my parent's place - Men cannot change themselves = only Jesus can transform from the inside out! Our will power can only go so far. Where there is a Vill there is a Vay - way to death. True transformation can only come from the grace of Christ Jesus. Men brings about h...

One cannot deny that self-help books have always been popular and is growing in variety. I was at a local book store a few days back and there are more self-help books in comparison to the number of books on the love of Christ and His victory in our lives at that shop; and even then Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra somewhat found their place on the Christian Living shelf!! =p (Faints!) I wrote a letter in to the management of the bookstore to inform them of their shelving mistake and I hope something positive comes out of it. =) I know of so many Christians who are Christians in name, but not full in their knowledge yet, who would buy Tolle and Chopra's books thinking that they truly are Christian, then swallowing their contents up hook, line and sinker. I hope that this simple act of writing in will bring awareness to people that not every book that has Jesus or God on its cover is Christian. Similarly, let's filter the worldly facts that we hear in the news, from doctors and ...

We know how every true child of God, who comes into this relationship with the Lord Jesus, immediately assumes a new sense of positiveness in life. Before that, it is all so negative, is it not? Even the positives of this world - things in which the world glories or finds its pleasure - are all negative, and everybody knows they are. They must have, and have, and have, in order to try to overcome this negative element that is in everything. In Christ that negative gives way to a positive . Most of us can testify that union with the Lord Jesus has given to life a positiveness and a purposefulness. That comes in at once. When anyone is saved, born again, you see them assuming a sense of purpose in life; a new meaning to things has been introduced. "Called according to His purpose" - a sense of mighty Divine purpose comes in with Christ, it is found in Him. - T. Austin Sparks (1888- 1971) I just found this quote above online. I was looking for information on who Watchman Nee is...

Grace means God must do something for me. Law means I must do something for God. Forgiveness is like having a bath. Righteousness is like wearing a robe. For the purpose of emptying us, the Holy Spirit allows us to meet with difficulties that we cannot overcome with self. This teaches us to rely on Him. You see, God must hollow us out before He can fill us. Never answer Satan by boasting of your good conduct, or by bemoaning your sins, but answer always and only by the blood of Christ. It is our wholly sufficient defence.

What shall we then say to these things If God be for us who can be against us? - Romans 8:3 1 The words "be for" represents the original Greek word "huper" which means exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond on our behalf; chief concern. That took my breath away - did it take yours away too????? I read this definition 10 minutes ago and I am still chewing on it and taking in all the abundant "nutrition" this little bit of manna has for me. =D I mean WOW... it is His chief concern to be exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond to go and conquer our everyday giants for us, on our behalf! Who am I to deserve all this??? Selah. I am His child redeemed by the blood of His Son, our Saviour King! =) May I not forget WHOSE I am and WHO I am IN CHRIST whilst I rest in His victory with each daily battlefield of the mind. Another wonderful reason to rejoice and worship His wonderful majesty!! If He is for us, we WILL prevail! Who would set the briers and tho...

My Fathers Heart - Rachael Lampa Let everything that breathes Praise You The earth, the sky, the sea Praise You Just as nature shows to us Your blessing Soon I find my heart Confessing My love is not my own It all belongs to You And after all You've done the least that I Can do Is live my life In every part Only to please my Father's heart Love is all You need To heal us Flowing from the heavens, Jesus And with one voice we'll sing Together And this will be our song Forever

Do not rashly beget an Ishmael lest he become the greatest enemy to Isaac. - Watchman Nee In our lives, we so often hunger for success to come and to come faster sometimes we try to take the "shortcut" to what we feel will help us attain our goals. BUT so often, this self-striving and decision to DIY leads us deeper in trouble instead. I like Watchman Nee's quote above to remind us not to strive in our lives by our own wills but to wait patiently for God's blessings in our life to bear fruit so we can harvest it. Sometimes our self-striving actually prevents us from receiving God's blessings! Seeds do not sprout and grow and bear fruit instantly like the orange tree trick Edward Norton's character did in The Illusionist (hence the movie title) =D. They take time to take root and grow from stage to stage before they can bear sweet fruits. It all takes patience and understanding that God does not operate according to our "cut off" time but according to...

For the life that wins is not attained, but obtained. It's not a life changed, but rather a life exchanged. It is not suppression, only expression. It is frankly not in you yourself, because it is in Christ who lives in you. The life which God gives and you receive at the time you believe in His Son Jesus Christ is such a life. It is a life that overcomes sin, provides intimate communion with God, and is full of satisfaction and power. It is already in you, waiting to be explored by you. The secret towards experiencing its power is to let go of yourself and let Christ live instead of you. This requires a childlike faith. Then shall you more than conquer through Him who loves you. - Watchman Nee :)

There's a comfort in this darkness A familiar road though i know that you are no good for me you're a false alibi you hypnotize and you keep tempting me to throw away eternity Time to wake-up and shake-up 'cause you've kept me right under your spell for too long your promise is empty go dig your claws in somebody else 'cause it won't be me i'm leaving leaving this path behind don't need your sympathy i'm leaving don't try to change my mind it's a new day, a new way change is never easy enough but i'm not giving up see i'm growing and i'm sowing seeds of life beyond this shell i'm going to be free breakout from this cell leaving, leaving this path behind don't need your sympathy i'm leaving don't try to change my mind i'm leaving this path behind shake my faith you're never gonna break me take my strength you're never gonna make me turn my back away from the truth i won't play your games i'm nobo...

"Lead Kindly Light... Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene ; one step enough for me." - from an old hymn called Lead Kindly Light. Some days, I feel that old impatience creep up on me; the part of me that wants to know what's round the bend or at least, take over the steering wheel so I know what is most likely up next. I think that is something we all experience because of our sheer human curiosity. But I look back and see that all those times I took the wheel, I'd get into "collisions", "near-miss accidents", "full-on crashes". However when I allowed my Daddy to take the wheel, He'd drive me safely through the obstacles. He has the most current traffic report and knows how to manouvere us round crazy curves. He is no Speed Racer at times, but slow and steady wins the race - it all works out beautifully under His careful & loving navigation. I picture His car now and the "Baby (that's me) on Board...

21st Sept 2008 - Sermon Notes Ps Lian Men and Brains joke - There were 3 men who were on a hike and then midway through the hike they met with obstacle, raging river... currents strong and the men decided to pray to God for help. 1st man prayed and asked God for the strength and power to cross the river. His prayer was answered and he was given strong arms and legs. He struggled and swam against the river in 2 hours and was totally faitgued from the effort. 2nd guy prayed for strong arms and legs, plus right tools and His prayer was answered - he had strong arms, legs and a rubber dinghy. He rowed against the tide unceasingly and he reached the other bank in 45 minutes - also tired from the effort. 3rd guy prayed to God and asked God tojust give him the brains to cross this river. God looked at Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel - How to give Men brains????? He derived at the solution, and poof, God had to turn the 3rd guy into a woman! The 3rd guy, or woman, looked around, saw ...

Looking at the mountain of writing to be done (and it keeps growing - which is not all bad actually) and keeping an uplook instead of outlook as I do what I have to in the natural as He takes care of the rest... =) Found this song today by Selah and it is edifying me as I press on, running the rade, fighting the good fight in Him and only Him. Praise You Jesus! =D The joy in the LORD is my strength. Hallelujah! Press On - Selah When the valley is deep when the mountain is steep when the body is weary when we stumble and fall When the choices are hard when we're battered and scarred when we've spent our resources when we've given our all In Jesus name we press on In jesus name we press on dear lord, with the prize clear before our eyes we find the strength to press on --------------- Extra note: I watched this after the above song and I tell U I puddled like nuts. I have not watched the Passion of Christ movie in full yet, but everytime I see these images ( in the video be...

I have never heard of Lifehouse till today. Yes I know - swakoo. Andrea sent me a beautiful skit played to their music. and Ian told me they seem to be a secular band. BUT I found this song and I knew they are Christ led... =) The lyrics moved me to tears. It has been a pretty tough battlefield of the mind recently and this song ministered to me so beautifully. So many visuals flooded my mind and amidst it all, I saw Him walking on water, hand outstretched to me in the storm, ready to lead me out of the mess and the noise into His Shalom. how long have I been in this storm so overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form water's getting harder to tread with these waves crashing over my head if I could just see you everything will be alright if I'd see you the storminess will turn to light and I will walk on water and you will catch me if I fall and I will get lost into your eyes and everything will be alright and everything will be alright I know you didn't bring me out her...

"Grace is the light, our loving heart is the film, Jesus is the person who fills the lens of our soul, and soon a heavenly photograph of his character is produced." - Charles H Spurgeon As a baby Christian of what is coming to 5 years (I do not consider my RC days as being saved or being Christian), I have looked back at the photographs of my soul over the years captured in old blogs, old memories and literally old photos, and feel surprised how far things have changed from those days. In the past, I would say I was darker, gloomier, more fatalistic, falling apart at the seams half the time. I cussed. I swore. I stole. I was lost. I disobeyed. I hated. I angered. I gave up. I grumbled. I chose always to see the negative spaces in life and not the positive ones. I was using some cheap ISO 50 film then - less sensitive to the Light. I had to be in the light to capture anything at all. The moment I stepped out of it into darkness, the photo would just be an inky blackness- Like ...

Yay!!!!!!! Yi Pin Xiu just won us the gold in the 50m backstroke (Women's s3)!! She won a silver just a few days back for the freestyle event! =D It was so funny because I was waiting for the news to come out on ST but could not find it so I went to the paralympics page. About 10 minutes later, the news finally broke on the ST website. =D Pin Xiu, Theresa Goh and Laurentia Tan's tenacity really wows me. I was researching on Pin Xiu when I saw this - Pin Xiu’s condition is still deteriorating, and so is her eyesight, which has been affected by a nerve condition brought about by the syndrome. However, she continues to stay positive , and her love for swimming has, not once, subsided. I think what is inspiring is that she continues to do the natural - swimming - despite all the "giants" around her... and the giants tumble around her because she stands up against them fearlessly. We have so much to learn from these Paralympians... =) To see Pin Xiu's winning swim go t...

“The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else—we are the busiest people in the world.” —Eric Hoffer The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. Anxious people are always trying to live ahead of where they currently are. They spend today trying to fi gure out tomorrow and the result is the loss of simplicity. God expects us to trust Him with tomorrow just as He instructed the Israelites to do when they crossed the barren wilderness, pressing toward the Promised Land. Practice living one day at a time; give yourself—your thoughts, your conversation, your energies, every part of you—to the day at hand. Develop an ability to give yourself to what you are doing. You will sense an awareness enabling you to enjoy the current activity, instead of going through e...

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31 I guess I was like Ugly Duckling somewhat when I was younger. I had been told I was a duck and that I quacked, not honk. I would watch the swans enviously - grace was their middle name - and which I were swan too. I tried to fit in with the other ducks but I was ostracised because I was just too different from them. They had pretty, multicoloured feathers arrayed in beautiful designs - but my feathers seemed drab in comparison. I tried to find love and acceptance in all the wrong places, trusted the wrong people. I cried myself to sleep like the Ugly Duckling each night. I saw myself the way the world described me to be like I agreed with them because I didn't know better. I fell into an icy crack on the cold and frosted ground one day, whilst running away from the wintery landscape, and there I...

Yesterday Ian and I went out for a dinner to celebrate Life - to celebrate the Day I found out about my expecting Kaelen, as well as to celebrate how everything in our lives have been blessed and will grow in blessings despite initial feelings of doom and gloom. I found out I was pregnant the day Sept 11 occured in USA... and each day since has become brighter and brighter. It's been 7 years already - so fast - and God's timing is perfectly perfect and His blessings bring no sorrow. Hallelujah! I love you Kaelen - very very much... MUACKS!

Very bemused. Just opened my "Daily Devotional" yahoo mail inbox to see this - which reminds me of my panic button post. A strong reminder from Daddy that He is always here for us to call on Him, not just when we are in dire straits. =D He is our very present help in the face of trouble. Hallelujah!! =) September 11, 2008 A Dime in my Pocket Karen Ehman "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long ." Psalm 86:3 (NIV) Devotion: Do you remember pay phones? My kids are just sure I'm ready for the senior citizen's discount when they hear me speak of them. But maybe you're one of my fellow 'old folks' and know exactly what I'm talking about. They hung on the walls at restaurants and airports ; in shopping malls and at gas stations. When you needed to get a message to someone back home that the ball game was over or the outing was finished, you dug for the dime your mother (being the proper parent she w...

I was checking out Joyce Meyer's latest mag (it is now bi-monthly instead of monthly), when I came across this - As our Father, God wants us to know Him, to fellowship with Him. He doesn’t want to be the button we push only when we have an emergency. We can’t have the mindset, Well, I better pray now because I am really in trouble. Whether we know it or not, we are in trouble all the time. - Joyce Meyer I thought about how Pastor once spoke about how there is no such thing as a free thinker because when a plane is going down, people cry out to God for help. People tend to believe in being self-sufficient until things really go awry. As a writer, I feel fed-up whenever I need to rewrite and clear up some other writers' mistakes from earlier drafts. So imagine how it must be like for our Heavenly Daddy when we make choices that cause us to end up in a mess and He has to be the "clean up" crew. Thank God for His being good all the time and for His unconditional ...

By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. - Ps 119: 105 (MSG) I have a night light at home. It has a motion sensor and a light sensor. We place it at this particularly dark corridor that leads to the bedrooms. I have a bit of night blindness (that I reject in Christ!) and Kae is kinda scared of the dark (like most kids - and again we reject this fear in Christ!)... so the night light serves as a tool to help us see where we are going in the night. =) Similarly, when all around us seems dark and stormy - and the trials of life gets too overbearing - and we cannot see beyond our nose, we need to turn on a light. We need to go to our Spiritual Torchlight - the Bible! Psalm 119:105 says it well - His Words are like a map, they help us see if we are walking in the right path and if we are heading along the right way. His Words give us understanding so we will not become lost as we navigate the twists and turns of life. And if that is no...

Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand. - Ps 139:5 YLT You are all around me—in front and in back— and have put your hand on me. - Ps 139: 5 NCV I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. - Ps 139:5 MSG Jesus has sealed me by His blood. My Abba has placed me in the Ark that is His Son. No evil can come near me or my loved ones or my home because we are in the Secret Place of the Most High. =) I am reassured, blessed and protected. My LORD surrounds me - a truly impregnable fortress. AMEN! =D

I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). - John 10:10 I've finally made my first foray into "vandalizing" my nice new journal. I can never bear to write in these pretty books. =) Sighs and grins. Recently, we've been feeling a bit blue-sy and under attack career-wise. Altho' God's provision has never and will never fail us, the Devil's been launching more attacks because we refuse to turn our eyes away from Jesus. We were especially hard hit last night after the gala premiere of a new local movie by a first time local director. The show was far better than we expected and has raised the bar one notch for us and the featuring film we are planning for. (It just dawned on me that the higher the notch, the greater the grace for our film - the greater His glory! HALLELUJAH!) The air felt thick and chokey after we stepped out of the Cinema as we also found out that due to some things I cannot discuss on...