Overflow With Hope

I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy

If you have been reading my blog from the beginning, you may have read this post "I Will Carry You".

Angie Smith, a mother who discovered at 20 weeks that her baby Audrey would not survive, chose to carry her to full term and gave birth to her, only to lose her shortly after 2 1/2 hours....

Angie, her husband, Todd and baby Audrey

She wrote a book on her grief, and most unbelievably, her joy too. You can get her book now @ amazon.com!

Ever since I found her blog Bring the Rain, I have been checking back and to my pleasant surprise, she is DUE for another child!

What actually makes me write this post is her recent entry: PERMISSION TO HOPE. Please click on that to read and do look out for the picture at the end of her post!! ;)

An amazing piece of sharing, God gave her courage and permission to hope that the little life in her right now at 10 weeks, is going to make it! Amen!!

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may Overflow With Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


I have always love this song written by Angie Smith for her baby, Audrey Caroline. And the video featuring memories of the life of baby Audrey:



I Will Carry You

There were photographs I wanted to take
Things I wanted to show you
Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes
Who could love you like this?

People say that I am brave but I'm not
Truth is I'm barely hanging on
But there's a greater story
Written long before me
Because He loves you like this

So I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All my life
And I will praise the One Who's chosen me
To carry you

Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to His voice
And He says...

I've shown her photographs of time beginning
Walked her through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her like this?

I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All your life
And I will praise the One Who's chosen Me
To carry you

Job 1:21
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

And I will praise the One Who's chosen me... to carry you...

祢是我的一切

演唱：赞美之泉
词曲：曾祥怡
专辑：似乎在天堂

主祢是我所有的一切
我心深深地爱慕祢
耶稣，主耶稣
我的良人，我爱祢

You are everything to me, Lord Jesus
I'm so deeply in love with You
Come Lord, Jesus come
Be my Lover, be my King

Everything, Lord, in my life

嗯～～～～

我爱祢

芳心之弦

是先有鸡呢，还是先有蛋？答案很简单：是先有鸡！因为起初，神创造天地和其中的活物．．．

創世記 1:24-25
神说 ：地要生出活物来，各从其类；牲畜、昆虫、地上的野兽，各从其类。事就这样成了
於是　神造出野兽，各从其类；牲畜，各从其类；地上一切昆虫，各从其类。　神看着是好的。

你是否有留意到我的博络格多了个华文名？

~芳心之弦~

如何... 赞吧？！：）

其实是先有“芳心之弦”的。当时被邀为教会华文部的《吗哪月刊》投稿，在投第三回时，主篇建议在月刊里为我设立一个固定的小角落好让我定期分享，所以我就取了这名。 那，“芳”呢，是我的名嘛，“芳心之弦”就指触动我心弦的事。可惜当我取了这名后，却再也没有投稿了。。。 其实，我是有东西要分享的，只是没时间完成每一篇。真是可悲！

前后只投了“三件事”和“芳弦之猫”， 而那些写了一半就放弃的就有“芳弦之死”，“芳弦之信主”和“芳弦之神迹奇事”！

唉~~

后来要开始写博络格时，因为是以英文为主，所以就把这宝贝名字译成“Strings of My Heart”。

Strings 嘛，是指音乐器材的弦，比如六弦琴，手提琴，竖琴及二胡，都是我喜欢的 String Instruments! 弦的长短，粗细，通过不同的按法，用弹的或拉的，把一个个动听的音符编制成一首首动听的歌... 有轻快的，有忧伤的，也有激动的！

希望能借这博络格把所有触动我心思的事一一分享。

因为现在想要偶尔用华语写写博络格，所以就把原有的名给放上去。

就这样咯~

Maru!!

I've always like this quote:

"God made the cat to give man the pleasure of petting the tiger." ~~Fernand Mery

If you haven't know me yet: I LOVE CATS!

Sorry for shouting, hehe! I really, really think cats are the coolest animal God ever created! Since I was a little girl, I like to play with the strayed cats in our void deck, pet their heads and tickle the chins, play "catching" with their tails while they sleep!

I don't understand how some of you are afraid of cats, haha!

Now that I'm a grown-up, and know that strayed cats are actually dirty as they sleep everywhere they go, I seldom pet them anymore... I even stop my girls from touching them :P

I do hope to meet someone who keep cats as pets... so I can always visit them and play with their cats!

I have been visiting this blog created by a Japanese girl who has a pet cat named Maru. He is a Scottish Fold and he is so, so cute! He likes to play, sleep and play some more! And just like my friend, ANgie, he has just published his very First Book, Title: "I am Maru."

He is so COOL~

I found this blog in early April and was glued to it! There is update almost everyday which I totally enjoy! The owner has also started to put in English subtitles for the readers. The little dialogue which she posted with all the fun pictures of Maru has always made my day! Just like this one:

ぴったりですよ。
This is fit for me!

Also, you get to see videos of Maru in actions! And my favourite of them all is this:

"I like Maru's folded forefoot before jumping."

Too cute!!! Oooooooh, he is quite a popular guy and got himself a trophy of YouTube Video Awards Japan 2008!

The trophy~

I shan't write any further... just go check him out: MARU

"Umm.. why not?"

Genesis 1:24-25
And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

I Will Be Here

Philip, remember this song "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman?

12 years ago, today, you told me that you actually secretly practiced this song and wanted to sing for me on our wedding day... but you were not confident enough and instead, played the song on CD when we marched in for our dinner reception... Thank you, Philip, I was touched and still am... the fact that you had this thought of doing something for me and the fact that you had tried, I'm touched!

This song just melt my heart, I know that you mean ever word of this song, even till now.

12 years of marriage, you have always been here for me, even when the laughter turns to crying during my darkest moments; through the winning, losing, and trying, we have been together, you have always been here for me, thank you for loving me(it's not so easy, I know... :P) and I love you too :)

As sure as seasons are made for change, our lifetimes are made for years. Give us another 12 years, and I know that we'll still be together... 'cause you will be here.

I thank God for you, Philip - my dear, dear husband :)

Found this video uploaded by a mom dedicating the song to her children, the pictures are so beautiful! Except that it ended abruptly which might be a little distasteful to you who dislike abrupt ending of any song, hehe :P Anyway, it's still very nice~ enjoy!



Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear,
I will be here.

If in the dark we lose sight of love,
Hold my hand and have no fear,
'Cause I will be here.

CHORUS
I will be here when you feel like being quiet;
When you need to speak your mind, I will listen.
And I will be here when the laughter turns to crying;
Through the winning, losing, and trying, we'll be together,
'Cause I will be here.

Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the future is unclear,
I will be here.

As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years,
So I will be here.

CHORUS
I will be here, so you can cry on my shoulder;
When the mirror tells us we're older, I will hold you.
And I will be here to watch you grow in beauty,
And tell you all the things you are to me;
I will be here.

I will be true to the promise I have made,
To you and to the One who gave you to me.

As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years,
So I, I will be here.

We'll be together and I will be here.

I found another clip which embedding was disabled by the user, he dedicated this song to God. The interesting thing is, he uploaded pictures of benches, read BENCHES, many-different-types-of-benches, for the entire song!

Reminds me of the benches I placed in my FarmTown Maze Garden, haha!

I have always wanted to walk with you in the park, sitting on the benches, basking in the sun, listening to the bird singing, watching the ducks in the pond, and talking till the sun sets! Maybe we can do that when "the mirror tells us we're older" and when Mrs. Empty-Nest-Syndrome comes knocking on our door, haha!

Do click and watch it here: I Will Be Here by Gary Valenciano - Benches!!

Blessed 12th Wedding Anniversary!Luv you~

Our wedding verse: Song of songs 8:7
"Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned."

妈妈的宝贝

今天无意中在听赞美诗网推荐的专辑“鲜声来了”的时候，被这首超感动的歌“妈妈的宝贝”给吸引住，重复听了好几回，听得我眼角都湿湿的。。。

歌里有一段很美的词：

宝贝，可知道你的笑，你的眼泪
是我一生中最大的幸福和伤悲

这段歌词让我想到我的三个宝贝女儿， 当我看见她们开心的笑容时，我的确感到十二万分的幸福！而当我看到她们伤心流泪或生病时，我就会感到心好疼啊~

嗯，来个幸福的确据， 就拿昨晚来说吧：
Tiffany 在面包片中央咬了个小圈圈，非常的兴奋！而当我要帮她和面包拍照留念时，Theophila 跳进来凑热闹， 还比了个“得胜”的手势。

哈！哈！

其实，Theophila 当时正发着高烧且肚子疼，疑是患了stomach flu... 之前还在学校把刚吃进肚子里的蛋糕（同学生日）给吐出来。。。从照片里看不出她生病吧！感谢耶稣的医治，今早已完全好了。：）

前几晚和小宝贝 Thaddea 读（玩）一个“躲猫猫”(peek-a-boo)的玩具小册，她超喜欢的！在最后一页 Piglet 的“BOO!" 时，她就会放声大笑， 可真是超级无敌可爱啊！！



我是幸福的咯！感谢主!！

Psalm 127:3
Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

詩篇 127:3
儿 女 是 耶 和 华 所 赐 的 产 业；所 怀 的 胎 是 他 所 给 的 赏 赐 。


这首歌也让我想到我的妈妈。歌的最后一段是我好想对她说的：

我会一直爱你,永远的爱你
爱我的，疼我的妈妈

我的母亲超疼爱我了！当然啦，她也疼姐，妹妹和弟弟，这是毫无疑问的。不过，在这就拿疼我的来说吧：

一次聚餐，因为我必须喂宝宝吃麦片，而无法动手吃大闸蟹。妈妈就帮我选了一个大闸蟹夹子， 说要帮我去壳，无情的我却对她说 “不用了， 不敢吃你的口水！”妈妈马上说“放心，我只用手剥。”随即就用尽全身的力气，又敲又打又用锤子砸，当中还不小心把爸爸的茶水杯子给打翻，弄湿了桌布和爸爸的裤子，还得麻烦侍应生把地拖干。。。好不容易除去大夹子的壳，把肥滋滋的蟹夹子肉递到我眼前， 哇~~~ 你说，我怎么能不感动呢?! 打开大嘴， 咻！一声把肥蟹肉给吞进肚子里，间中才咀嚼了两下下。心想妈妈在剥壳之前是否有舔了舔自己的手指。。若有的话，那这蟹肉不就沾满妈妈的口水？！ 啊~~ 我太没良心了，亏妈妈那么的疼我，我还嫌她不卫生！我太不懂得感恩了 :P

聚餐照片：老爸，老妈，和阿boy

照片里的妈妈并不是不开心，她的脸一直都是这样“臭”的，每每朋友见到她，都会说我妈妈很凶，但是她并不凶哦， 只是不常挂着笑脸 :/ 看她小盘子里一堆的蟹壳吗？那就是妈妈疼我的证据咯。呵呵！

谢谢你，妈妈。我爱你！

Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

以弗所書6:1-2
你 们 作 儿 女 的 ， 要 在 主 里 听 从 父 母 ， 这 是 理 所 当 然 的 。 要 孝 敬 父 母 ， 使 你 得 福 ， 在 世 长 寿 。 这 是 第 一 条 带 应 许 的 诫 命 。


就让我把这首歌献给我的三个宝贝 和 我的妈妈！



演唱者朱小山的声音好好听。曲优，词美，充满爱的一首好歌！值得听了再听~ 想重复的听这首歌？那么就学我点击这里：

NON-STOP PLAYING

赞美诗网也提供了“ 媽媽的寶貝（My Baby）” 的創作背景！
製作人　拾雨　詞／曲／朱小山
演唱　朱小山&佳音兒童合唱團 (蕭佳欣　蕭佳琪　安藤聖峻　張仲彣)

2004年初春，當我正在學校琴房練琴時，一位學妹得知我會些許簡單的創作，跑來找我，她說：「我的媽媽，生了很嚴重的病，她似乎隨時都會離開我，可否幫我寫一首唱給媽媽聽的歌。」學妹寫了一封十多頁給媽媽的信，在那堆疊濃厚情感的文字中，我看見學妹的媽媽曾說：「女兒呀，我親愛的小寶貝，妳可知道妳的笑妳的眼淚，是我一生中最大的幸福和傷悲…」上天所賜予人類這份偉大的母愛，令人為之動容。屬於此首歌的畫面，油然而生。

這首歌完成後，不只安慰了學妹與她母親的心，同時也安慰著我。

我的媽媽有一個百寶盒，那裡面有她最喜歡髮飾、原住民傳家的手環，以及她的結婚戒指。我曾問媽媽：「媽媽，妳最寶貝的是哪一件飾品呢？」媽媽在盒子裡翻了又翻、找了又找，最後拿出一個塑膠作成的手環。「哈哈哈!」我咯咯地笑了出來。「媽，這不是我小時後我送給妳的禮物嗎？」我不好意思地問著，媽媽看著我、手握住那塑膠的手環，回答我說：「寶貝，這是我最寶貝的禮物。」剎那間，我才發現，我是媽媽最寶貝的寶貝。

謹以此首作品，獻給每一位偉大的母親，以及每一位媽媽的寶貝們。謝謝我可愛的母親，以及疼我照顧我長大的已故外婆、祖母、啞巴奶奶，歌詞的最後一句，也是我的真摯回應。


宝贝，宝贝，不要怕
即使人生路途坎坷
我也会陪在你的左右
并轻轻对你说

一千遍爱你
一万遍爱你
爱哭的（Theophila)，爱笑的(Tiffany & Thaddea)宝贝

我会一直爱你
永远的爱你
爱我的，疼我的妈妈

Sun Above the Clouds

Broccoli – Checked

Celery – Checked

Fruits (Navel Orange/Fragrance Pears/SL Grapes/Golden Kiwi) – Checked

Gain IQ Stage 3 Growing Up Milk Powder 1.8kg – Checked

Abbott 3+ Grow Up Milk Powder 1.8kg (Vanilla) – Checked

SMOO Packet Milk (Vanilla and Strawberry Flavor) - Checked

St Dalfour Spread – Pineapple & Mango – Checked

Kellogg’s Cornflakes – Checked

Nestle Baby Brown Rice Cereal Tin – Checked

Samba Chili Lemon Tapioca Chip – CHECKED!

ALMOND GOLD Milk Chocolate Bar by Whittaker's – CHECKED!

I LOVE groceries shopping!

I dislike the fact that I have less than an hour to get it done, plus carrying heavy FairPrice plastic bags in both hand, though.

98% of the stuff I get are all for my lovely girls, and I guess you know which 2% is for Daddy and Mommy – me.

Once a week I’ll have to make a trip to NTUC FairPrice which is about 5 minutes walk from my office, rain or shine, hot or cold, without fail. Sometimes I may need to make 2 or 3 trips there!

No complaint. I'm SO loving it! Ooooooooooh, the purpose of this post are these:

Check out the plane!
Love the clouds!

Aren't they awesome?? I saw those beautiful sun rays while walking back to the office after my grocery shopping. I had to put down the bags of groceries on the pavement in order to take these pictures... so glad I captured it! :)

I love looking up into the sky. I got really excited when I see the sun bursting through the clouds! I've forgotten how many pictures I took of such sighting.. and it always ring a "song" in my mind :)



I was so glad to find this on YouTube, it has sooooooooo many nice pictures of the sun behind the clouds with rays shining forth.. awesome!

Even when you feel dark and gloomy, the sun above the clouds is always shinning. It never changes.

God never changes! He is Faithful and True! God's love for us is great, higher than the heavens and deeper than the ocean! Praise the awesome God!

Psalm 108:4
For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

千年不变的道理

嗨！与你分享我所喜欢的一首歌：耶稣爱你




这世界　有个千年不变道理
那就是耶稣爱你
在世上　没有任何的逼迫患难
能使我们与神的爱隔绝

你是否愿意同为神的儿女？
一生让耶稣爱你
在世上　没有任何的困苦愁烦
能使我们与神的爱隔绝


Yes! The Truth is: JESUS-LOVES-YOU :)

And this Truth never changes and it happened some thousands of years ago, when the Son of the Living God, suffered and died and shed His blood and satisfied God that sins got its right punishment!

My sister used to have a T-shirt that she likes for the longest time! It has a print on it that read:

I asked Jesus how much He loved me
He answered, "This much"
Then He stretched out His arms and died for me.

Whatever trials you might have gone through, persecutions, tragedies, whatever difficulties or anxieties, Jesus understands and He is waiting for you to run into His arms of LOVE~

My deepest desire is that e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e, from the youngest child to the oldest man/woman, embraces this Truth~



Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Graduation Memory

Today is the day my Firstborn - Tiffany, has her Kindergarten Graduation photo shooting. We buzzed around like the honey bees just to get her ready for the big SNAP, which will have her dressed in a graduation gown and cap!

I woke up early to get Tiffany washed and changed into her school uniform. Tied up her hair into 2 phony tails, combed her bang, and all the while teaching her how to *S*M*I*L*E* :)

Then I remembered my own graduation photo, so I went digging into my file and was so happy to see it in the very first plastic holder, I saw myself(some 30 over years ago!) holding a scroll and looking ever-so-smart in my graduation gown and cap!

Lydia @ 6 years old!

Looking Smart~

Check out that bandage on my index finger, lol!

Check out my ear rings, hehehe ;)

I'm so touched that my mom kept this for me, and I'm so glad that I'm keeping it too... it brought back memories and it warms my heart just looking at this pic... I'm gonna keep Tiffa's and make sure 30 years later she'd be able to see her Kinder's graduation photo like I did today.

Looking at myself in that pic, especially my eyes, I see such confident! Wish I have been that confident in all of my life :P

Check out that bandage, no Tinkerbell's print on it, haha! Just a simple plain brown plaster... Oh, looking at my left index finger now, there's this long scar round the finger tip... I remember it was quite a deep cut when I tried peeling a sugercane with a kitchen knife! Nearly lost my finger :P Thank God for preserving me!!

I was nearly drown in a swimming pool when I was in Primary school, still remember that vividly! God took care of me even before I came to know him some 10 years later from there... COOL~

Jeremiah 1:4
The Call of Jeremiah
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

God may not have appointed me as a prophet.. but He did choose me to be His child before I was even born! That said, before I was being formed in my mother's womb, God already knew me and loved me... YAY!! *Happy*

Hey... YOU too! God knew you before you were being formed in the womb... do get to know this God who loves you so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, for you ;)

Ahh... I hope my Firstborn gives her best smile today!

Growing in Grace

What is GRACE?

Someone gave a pretty good explanation:

GRACE is God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

"Growing in Grace" was the theme of our Church Camp this year. We didn't make it to the chuch camp because of obvious reason: "$ No Enough" :P

Still, thank God that we get to learn about the theme when sharings were overflowed from the camp into the prayer meetings and subsequence Sunday services.

Also, some campers were called to present the theme song and here they are:

edited for protection of members' privacy...

except for Desmond, haha!

Theme Song: "Grace that is Greater than All Our Sins"


Heavenly!! (Recorded and uploaded by Pual Chua)

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Chorus
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Some of the brethren in this group were joking that they can be called the "100 Years Old Choir" as the age of all of them would add up to more than a 100, haha!

Pastor shared a humbling experiece about how he thought he had covered all the bases on the grace of God through Jesus Christ and was very happy with his work, but he came back from the church camp to discover that he has totally left-out the gracious God - our Abba Father!

The verse which Pastor used to greet the campers throughout the camp mentioned about grace from God our Father, which he totally skipped and only focused on the Lord Jesus Christ... quite a humbling experiece I must say so for our dear Pastor, but glad that he is humble enough to listen and learn from the Holy Spirit :)

Galatians 1:3-5
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

AMEN!

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

ABOVE ALL

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Song presentation by Daniel Lau, our church Elder's one and only son :)

Gave a short exhortation before he sang...

Once again, Daniel played and sang so well... Praise the Lord!



That was a short clip I took with my humble-handphone. See below for the full version of the song, a LIVE worship with Michael W. Smith which interjected with photos that compliment the song. It helps to bring out the impact of this beautiful worship song:

Jesus is above all

and He loves us above all~

Enjoy!




Jesus...
Like a Rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all


2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.


Dear Lord Jesus,
You became poor for me, thank You.
Please help me to love You always.
And forever!
Amen!

An Invitation to Sing

I received an invitation from Sarah Tan, who happened to be my sister and the one who led me to Christ, to sing a beautiful song!

Pastor has been asking around for people to give song presentation, he even invited a Jew who visited us twice, to give a song special! Let's hope that he won't be frightened off, haha!

Anyway, this beautiful song is entitled "祢爱永不变", which means "Your Love Changes Not".

And, WOW, I found a video clip on YouTube which was very nicely done. It uses scenes from "The Passion of Christ", which is a controversial movie full of violent and has a very strong Catholic background, which I am NOT for it, but I'm amazed at how it portrayed the sufferings of Christ. It rend my heart watching how my Saviour was willing to suffer for me in order to save me from hell.

Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

羅馬書5:6-8
因我们还软弱的时候，基督就按所定的日期为罪人死。为义人死，是少有的；为仁人死、或者有敢做的。惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神的爱就在此向我们显明了。



祢流出宝血, 洗净我污秽
将我的生命赎回
祢为了我的罪, 牺牲永不悔
显明你极大恩惠

我深深体会, 祢爱的宝贵
献上自己永追随
或伤心或气馁, 或生离或死别
愿刚强壮胆永远不后退

哦~
祢爱永不变, 从今直到永远
深深浇灌我心田
或天旋或地转, 经沧海历桑田
都不能叫我与祢爱隔绝

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

羅馬書8:38-39
因为我深信无论是死，是生，是天使，是掌权的，是有能的，是现在的事，是将来的事，
是高处的，是低处的，是别的受造之物，都不能叫我们与神的爱隔绝；这爱是在我们的主基督耶稣里的。

Thank You God for Your Great Love for us. You loved us when we were still sinners, ugly, sinful and undeserved.

Thank You Jesus for Your Sacrificial Love for us. You took our sins upon Yourself and died on the cross for us!

Thank You Holy Spirit for opening my eyes and heart to see and receive the Love of God!

Update: This song was later suggested by my dear hubby to let Peter and Tong Hak sing instead... because they have known what is "经沧海历桑田" and will definitely present it well.

I agreed to even though I have kind of "fallen-in-love" with this song, haha! Sarah even thanked me for "releasing" this song to be sung by Peter and Tong Hak... Hey, she really didn't have to, 'cos I truly agree with what hubby said: With they younger son, Ezra, fighting against Leukaemia, they really have been through storms~

I'll certainly take a clip of their presentation, but it would be next year then. Almost all Sundays until the end of the year were taken up by song presentations from the Music Dept. to teach us new worship songs and also by some special one like yesterday's Communion Special by Daniel Lau(started solo on "阿爸天父") who sang "Above All". I will write an entry on that this week, stay tuned! :)

Abba! Father!

Last Sunday was Father's Day. When I was in the church, the term "Abba, Father" was mentioned extensively throughout the worship.

During testimony, someone stood up to thank God for her earthly father, and at the same time she wished God - her Heavenly Father, a blessed Father's Day too. How sweet was that, I thought.

The senior Youth gave a Father's Day song special: 阿爸天父(Abba, Father). It was a lovely song and I was touched by it... 阿爸天父~ 阿爸天父~ 从我心深处呼求你名字~

My thought were brought back to when I just accepted Jesus as my Saviour. That was the time when the Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, became my Abba, Father! Awesome!

This word "Adoption" came to my mind when I was pondering on the awesome truth of being able to call God my Abba, Father. I was being adopted by God when I opened my heart to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so glad that out of the multitudes, God chose me and saved me and brought me into His wonderful light. Through faith in His Son - Jesus Christ, I have received the Spirit of adoption and become a child of God. And I can call Him: "Abba"! WOW!!

Romans 8:15-16
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

Abba is an Aramaic word which means "daddy" or "papa". What Paul is saying is when we accept Jesus as our Savior we are adopted into God’s family. We become His children and He becomes our heavenly Father. The relationship is so deep and so personal that we can call him "daddy".

Some pics and clips from the special:

Daniel starting solo

The Senior Youth

Daniel played and sang so well~
(Hear Thaddea harmonizing in the background, haha!)


The group~


Hmmm... Thaddea didn't allow me to take a decent video of the presentation, so here's a clip of the whole song by SOP that I found in YouTube, enjoy!

The song that captivates my heart:



Thank You God that I can talk to You intimately, to have You as my Daddy, my Papa, One Who is merciful and loves me unconditionally.

Blessed Father's Day to my Heavenly Father ~ Abba
Thank You for loving me and taking care of my everything!

Blessed Father's Day to my earthly father ~ Dad
Thank you for loving me and taking care of my earthly needs!

Also...

Blessed Father's Day to my spiritual father ~ Pastor Joseph
Thank you for loving me and taking care of my spiritual needs!

Hey... I have 3 daddies! Yay!!

To all my friends: God can be your "Abba, Father" too~

Talking eCard

Philip sent me an eCard with the following message:

"Dear Lydia, blessed birthday. One more year and you'll be turning into a flower. Woman 40 is a flower. However, beauty is fleeting and charm deceptive but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Though we are losing our outward beauty as time passed, may we grow inwardly to be more like Jesus. Lastly, just want to say that you'll always be beautiful to me. I love you. Muah! From someone who'll love you always, Philip, your lover."

Sweet~ Didn't know I'll be turning into a FLOWER next year, though!

Anyway, Philip wanted me to copy the message and paste it in a link which has a cat who can talk! (Choose a male voice and preview!) Very cute! The part when it goes "Muah!" was too funny!

If you have time, try it out!! You may like to type in other message instead. I type in the following, chose a female voice(Valerie!), preview it and it was hilarious!

"Aww... thank you Philip, you are so sweet! Smoochie! I love you toooooo!"

Here's the link: BlueMountain Talking eCard

Have fun!

Update: Okay... we just made the cat speak in Mandarin(ni how ma, wo i ni.) and Teochew(lur ja ba buay), haha!

I'm 39!

Today I celebrate my 39th birthday~

I look forward to what God has instored for me as I step into the last year of me being in the thirties. I hope to do something exciting for the Lord before I enter into the BIG four-zero... something that will make me smile whenever I look back at my 39, something that would be sweet and savoury :)

I remembered when I turned 35, I was feeling sober by this verse in Psalm 90:10 - "The length of our days is seventy years — or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away." If my life span is 70 years like what the Psalmist said, then I would have lived(used up) half of it... what am I going to do with the other half left??

I wonder would I have the same sentiment again when I hit the big 40 next year, being sober thinking of having left with another half of my entire life span if I were to have the strength to live a neat 80 years... hmmmm...

ANYWAY, if God called me home today, then all these thoughts are but just a waste of time! Being SOBER is GOOD, as long as I move on and stop dwelling on it and rot, that is, nope!

I neeeeeeeeeeeeed to LIVE LIFE to the fullest by LIVING LIFE FOR MY GOD! What have I been doing with my past 38 years huh? HUH??

Seize the year, Lydia!

Seize the time!!

Seize the moment!!!

My prayer, O God, on this my 39th birthday, according to Psalm 90:12 onwards:

Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom. Have compassion on me - your child. Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days. May your deeds be shown to me, your splendor to my children. May the favor of the Lord my God rest upon me; establish the work of my hands for me — yes, establish the work of my hands.

In Jesus' gracious Name I humbly asked.

Amen and Amen!


Blessed 39th, Lydia!

Have fun in the Lord with your dear husband and children today :)

Perhaps Today!

~ The Rapture ~

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." ~ 1 Thess 4:16-18

Titus 2:13 says "while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,"

"You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Luke 12:40

The Rapture, which is the Second Coming of Jesus is an established fact. It is a promise that Jesus gave us when he said in John 4:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

I may not have the priviledge to be at His First Coming which had happened some 2000 years ago when Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, Israel, but I have the greatest definite priviledge to participate in His Second Coming! Glory!!

Even if I were to died before the Rapture takes place, I would still be a participant, in fact... "the dead in Christ will rise first!"

Totally Awesome! =)

The Imminent Return of my Savior, my Lord Jesus Christ, means that He could return at any moment, at any time, it is even at the door!

Perhaps today is the 2nd Coming! While there is no "Perhaps" in regards to the event of His return, the "Perhaps" here is refering to the TIMING~

Following is a super-nice poem written by J. Danson Smith. I SO love it! Hope you like it too :)

PERHAPS TODAY
(The unedited version)

Today? Perhaps! Perhaps today!
The Lord may come and catch away
His ransomed Church, His blood-bought Bride
To take her place at His blest side,
When dead and living saints shall share
One trumpet summons to the air.

Perhaps today! Yes! He may come
And call us to our Heavenly Home,
That wonderous place beyond compare
Which He, in love, doth now prepare--
Our Father's House! How sweet! How blest
To be forevermore at rest!

Today? Perhaps! Tis true! Today!
Ere nightfall we may be away,
Transported Home! How blest! How grand!
Transported Home to Gloryland!
One twinkling moment, then to be
With Him for all eternity.

Perhaps today! Then why the fear?
Tomorrow we may not be here!
The thing so dreaded may not come
Till we are safely gathered Home!
The threat'ning storm-cloud may not break
Till, in His Presence, we awake.

Perhaps today! Oh, lonely soul,
Thy heart shall reach its longed-for goal;
The fellowship, the joy, the bliss,
Which now thy heart doth sorely miss,
Perchance may be thy heart's delight
Ere closes in another night.

Perhaps today! Then much-tried saint,
Look up, nor let thy spirit faint;
The stretching road thine eyes may see
May never be traversed by thee--
One moment's space and then above,
To find thyself in cloudless love!

Perhaps today, afflicted life,
Thou shalt be taken from the strife,
From all that hatred to thy word
Which comes as thou dost please thy Lord.
And then, ah then, how shall the pain
Compared with all thou then shalt gain!

Perhaps today the fight will cease,
And then, eternal wondrous peace!
The evil hosts which rage and roar
Shall reach us there? NO, nevermore!
O blessed hope, to them be free
For ever through eternity!

We'll meet again - perhaps today
The dear ones who have passed away--
The loved ones who now softly sleep
When Jesus now doth safely keep,
Oh wondrous joy to meet them There
At that blest union in the air!

Perhaps today this mortal frame
With all enfeebled nature's claim
Shall be exchanged, and we shall own
A "temple" where shall not be known
A sense of weakness or decay,
Or strength that surely ebbs away.

Perhaps today we all shall stand
At Christ's tribunal, wondrous grand--
There gathered through redeeming love,
All ransomed, yet to have Him prove
Life's service, and to gain reward
Where life or labour pleased the Lord.

Perhaps today! He'll come most sure!
This hope He means to keep us pure--
To have us watching, ready, free,
Untrammeled with iniquity,
That we may meet Him without shame
Or conscious sense of guilt or blame.

Today perhaps! Perhaps today!
Yes, He may come! Then watch and pray!
This "blessed hope" keep much in view,
Nor deem it dead, though taught by few.
And be as urgent as you may
In winning souls, while 'tis "Today"!

~ Written by J. Danson Smith~

Published in the book, Maranatha Bells,
by Arno C. Gaebelein,
Copyright 1935

I SO look forward to meet the Lord in the air and the transformation of my lowly body to that of Christ's glorified body at the Rapture!! Can't wait~

We are called to be ready at all times for we do not know when Jesus will return for us. What is known is that He promised to return. The Lord keeps His promises.

May we be ever ready to meet the Lord Jesus in the air.

May we expectantly await to meet the Lord in the air.

May we pray fervently from our hearts, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus."

不住祷告! Persistent Prayers!

A very nice song that reminds me to pray, pray, pray! :)



我以禱告來到祢跟前，
我要尋求祢。
我要站在破口之中，
在那裡我尋求祢。

(副歌)
每一次我禱告，
我搖動祢的手，
禱告做的事，
我的手不能做。
每一次我禱告，
大山被娜移，
道路被鋪平，
使列國歸向祢。

主我是軟弱及無助，
祢卻是我的力量。
祢以親切的手引導我，
那就是我的得勝。


A simple translation of the song:
I come before You in prayer, seeking You.
I stand in the gap, there I seek You.

Everytime I pray,
I moved Your Hands.
Things that prayer can do,
I can't do it with my hands.
Everytime I pray
The mighty mountains are removed
The paths are made straight,
And the nations turned to You.

Lord, I'm weak and helpless,
but You are my Strength.
You lead me with Your Hand
and that is my Victory!


Very nice song indeed! Pastor was sharing in the prayer meeting about "The Parable of the Persistent Widow" in the context of Jesus' Second Coming.

Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'

"And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"


Dear Lord, I want to be found faithful in praying for my children, for my loved-ones, for the salvations of my friends, for the world, for everything that You have put in my heart to pray, when You come again for us. Yes, faithfully and persistently praying until Jesus returns at the Second Coming!

I don't want to be fooled by the devil who has been discouraging me to pray. Lord, please help me to never give up praying. Help me to be persistent!

Satan hates to see us praying because he knows that prayers move the mighty Hand of GOD that's why Satan is trying his utmost best to distract us from praying, making prayers look boring and pointless... But, NO! I don't want to be fooled by the devil! So Lord, this is what I pray:

Help me to be "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."(Romans 12:12)

Help me to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."(Ephesians 6:18)

Help me to "devote myself to prayer, being watchful and thankful."(Colossians 4:2)

Help me to "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

In Jesus' Name! Amen!!

Life Without Limbs

~ Nick Vujicic ~

Philip came across this video which is very inspiring and shared it with me, needless to say, I was inspired! Hope it blesses you too. This man is a christian born without limbs and by the grace of God, he is now serving God and has become an encouragement to others. God can use our adversity for His own Glory. Amen!

You may like to visit his website here at The Official Nick Vujicic Web Site.

Also, I copied and pasted his Life Testimony here so you can read.

A Remarkable Story of God's Grace

It says in James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

It seemed like a tall order to “count” hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but “pure joy” when my birth date arrived. My parents were Christians; my Dad was even a Pastor of our church, so that verse was quite familiar to them. However, on the morning of December 4th , 1982, in Melbourne, Australia, the last two words on the minds of my parents was "Praise God!". Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. Having no answers at all, the doctors were completely shocked and taken off guard!

The whole church mourned over my birth and my parents were absolutely devastated. "If God is a God of love, “ they questioned, “Then why would He let something like this happen, and especially to committed Christians?" My Dad did not think I would survive for very long. But, tests proved that I was a healthy baby boy with just one hitch, I’d been born without any limbs.

Understandably, my parents had strong concern and evident fears of what kind of life I would be able to lead. The first big hurdle was for my parents to be at peace, trusting that God was still fully in control. It took a number of months and a lot of tears, questions and grief before coming to terms within their own hearts. God provided them with the strength, wisdom and courage they would need through those early years. Soon after that, I was old enough to go to school.

School was really enjoyable for me and I really tried to live life like everyone else. But, it was in my early years of school where I encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because of my physical difference. It was very hard for me to get used to. In spite of this, with the support of my parents, I started to develop attitudes and values which helped me overcome these challenging times. Though I knew I was different, on the inside, I was just like everyone else. There were many times when I felt so low that I wouldn't go to school in order to avoid all the negative attention. With encouragement from my parents, I began to ignore the bullies and tried to start making friends by just talking with some of the kids. Soon the students realized that I was just like them. Starting there, God began to bless me with new friends!


Many times I felt depressed and angry because I couldn't change the way I was, or blame anyone for that matter. In Sunday school, I learned that God loves us all and that He cares for us deeply. At that stage in my childhood, I could understand His love to a point. But, as you can imagine, I still got hung up on that fact that if he really loved me, why did He make me like this? I wondered if I’d done something wrong and began to feel certain that this must be true. Otherwise, I thought, God wouldn’t have made me the only weird one out of all the kids at school. Feeling I was a burden to those around me, I sensed the sooner I’d just go away altogether, the better it would be for everyone. So, at a young age, I wanted to end my pain and my life. But I am thankful, once again, for my parents and my family who were always there to comfort me and lend me their strength. Thankfully, a real turning point arrived!

Due to the emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying, self-esteem and loneliness, God began to instill a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they might have in their lives. Turning my struggles into something that would glorify God and bless others, I realized my purpose! The Lord was going to use me to encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams.

As I grew older, God continued to prepare my heart and teach me to seek Him. One of the first lessons that I have learned was not to take things for granted. With a wake-up call around the age of twelve, I realized just how much God had blessed me. My foot, what I’ve termed “my little chicken bone” I had been taking for granted. But it serves me well. God had freely given to me and so much with my loving family, and so many other blessings, I realized “Why should I still complain?” God directed me to Romans 8:28 and there I found this, "And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him." Wow! That verse really spoke to my heart. It convicted me to the point where I’m confident that there’s no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence and that these "bad" things happen in our life to make us more like Christ.

In James 1:3 & 4, it reads, "...know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Enlightened through God’s Word, I felt complete peace rush in, knowing that God will not let anything happen to us unless He has a good purpose for it. At the age of 15, I completely gave my life to Christ after reading John 9. In this chapter, Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was "so that the works of God may be revealed through Him." I truly believed that God would heal me so I could be a great testimony of His awesome power. As I grew in Christ and in spiritual maturity, the Lord gave me the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something within His will, it will happen, but in His timing…not ours. And likewise, if our prayers are not within God's will, then I know that He has something better. His purpose became clearer to me and now I’m fully convinced and understand that His glory is revealed as He uses me just the way I am. And even more wonderful, He can use me in ways others can't be used.

Now twenty-five years old, I’ve completed a Bachelor’s Degree in both Financial Planning and Accounting. Also, I’m active as a motivational speaker. Again, my number one passion is for souls. I just love to go out and share my story and testimony wherever opportunities become available. Over time, I’ve developed messages that relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge today's teenagers. The Lord has used me to speak in the corporate sector as well. For more information on Nick's presentations, go to "Nick's Ministry".

In recent years, I’ve learned to become independent and can now take care of all my personal needs. I’m able to do everything from brushing my teeth and combing my hair to dressing up and taking care of my personal hygiene, including shaving. I get around the house by jumping around and, outside the house; an electric wheelchair assists me. For recreation, I enjoy swimming, fishing and playing soccer.

Passionate for reaching out to the youth, I’m constantly ministering in schools from elementary to high school. Ultimately, I make myself available for whatever God wants me to do, and wherever He leads, I follow, for I’ve learned to trust Him fully.

Achieving goals and pursuing dreams is something I’m actively pursuing on a regular basis. Some of these include becoming the best witness I can be of God's love and hope, to become an international inspirational speaker and to be used as a vessel in both Christian and non-Christian venues. These goals are, even now, being realized. Other aspirations of mine yet to be realized is my desire to modify a car that I can drive, to be interviewed on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and share my story, and to write several books. With anticipation, I look forward to starting on the first of these this year. Not surprisingly, the title will be, "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!"

Many would think these goals were too far-fetched. However, I believe that if you have the desire and passion to do something, and it's within God's will, you will achieve it in good time. As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason at all! What's worse is putting limits on God, who is well able to do all things! We put God in a "box". The awesome thing about the power of God is that if we want to do something for God, we must refocus. Instead of concentrating on our capability, our attention needs to shift to our availability. For, the Word of God is clear; it is God working through us. Without Him, we aren’t capable of doing anything on our own. Once we make ourselves available for God's work, guess whose capabilities we rely on? God's! Philippians 4:13 highlights this point well, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God has a truly great purpose for your life!

As far as your unanswered prayers, remember that God is Faithful. What are we to do when we are seeking but not finding? Jeremiah 29:12 states, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord.

Take courage my friend for the Battle is the Lord's. Let me urge you to keep striving for the truth. The truth, found in Jesus Christ, is what will set you free. It’s His peace, reigning in your heart, that will give you true freedom from the fear and doubt that has previously resided there. May the Lord bless you as you diligently seek Him and grant you Godly wisdom and strength through your journey.

Lastly, if you know of an audience which may benefit from hearing Nick's story, please contact us at support@lifewithoutlimbs.org. Also, watch the updates on our websites and see if I’ll be speaking your area!

In Christ’s Service,
Nick Vujicic

"As far as your unanswered prayers, remember that God is Faithful."

I really like what he said about God's faithfulness and our unanswered prayers. Many times I focused on my unanswered prayers and silently complaint in my heart... O God, please forgive me! Please help me to remember that You are Faithful!

Dear God, please help me to be faithful to You till the end. Amen!

《生命的内容》

生命何其短暂，刹时就消失无踪
好像云雾，也如流水
没有人掌握它

灵魂却是永远，得永生或是沉沦
在于今生，正确选择
你是否有把握？


来！快信耶稣，他能除去你罪
赐你永生活命，免至灵魂沉沦

生命不计长短，在于生命的内容
信靠耶稣，灵魂得救
生命就有意义

最近传来许多不好的消息。。。不是这位朋友开刀， 就是那位同事重病。顿时使我想起以上的这首诗歌 《生命的内容》。

初信主时，好喜欢这首诗歌， 记得那个时候，一直唱， 一直唱！ 在房间里弹着吉他大声大声地唱。在洗澡时也放声唱。和弟兄姐妹聚集时，也一定一起唱着这首好听又有着极大能力的诗歌！

因为好希望全家人，全座组屋的人， 全世界的人，都来信耶稣，得永生！


雅 各 書 4 : 13 - 14

你 们 有 话 说 ： 「 今 天 明 天 我 们 要 往 某 城 里 去 ， 在 那 里 住 一 年 ， 做 买 卖 得 利 。 」 其 实 明 天 如 何 ， 你 们 还 不 知 道 。 你 们 的 生 命 是 甚 麽 呢 ？ 你 们 原 来 是 一 片 云 雾 ， 出 现 少 时 就 不 见 了 。

James 4:13-14

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

I have been receiving some bad news recently, either this friend of mine is going for an operation, or that colleague of mine was diagnosed with cancer. I thought how fragile life can be...

A song came to my mind which I loved to sing, again and again, when I first believed in Jesus Christ and became a Christian. I sang it in my bedroom playing the guitar, I sang it in my showers, I sang it with brethren in our gatherings! It is so meaningful and so powerful!

I just love it because I wanted my whole family, all my neighbours and the whole world to come to faith in Jesus, to receive life everlasting!

The song went something like this:
LIFE is so short, suddently it disappears.
Like a mist, or a rushing river, none can control it.

But SOUL is eternal, salvation or demnation.
It's this life's decision, do you have the confident?

Come! Believe in Jesus! He can wash away your sins.
And give you eternal life, that your soul escapes demnation.

"Eternity is but a breath away"... let's make the right choice before it it too late~

永恒就在一息之差，让我们做对的选择，以免为时太晚啊~

Before a word is on my tongue...

Psalm 139
O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

This is one of my favourite Psalm. It tells me how wonderful my God is and how He knows me and loves me! God is omniscience; He k-n-o-w-s all things. He knows the secret thoughts in my heart and is familiar with all my ways; even before a word is on my tongue, He knew it already! How awesome! God is omnipresence; He is e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e, I can never run away from Him! God is omnipotence, He can do all things; nothing is impossible for Him!

My God is a God of blessings and I have many sweet encounters of His wonderful blessings. I took pictures of the blessings to record what He has been doing for me and the most recent one was the Sugar-Roll-Blessing :)

Sugar roll is my favourite! That afternoon when I went past the bakery shop during lunch hour, I was eyeing their sugar roll. It used to be $0.80 per piece, but now it is $0.90, an increase of 10cents. I know it's not much, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy it for my own indulgence. I need to spend less for my children's sake. So I walked away with saliva pooling in my mouth, haha! Then, back in the office, to my pleasantest(if there's ever such a word) surprise, my colleague, Max, came over to my desk and gave me this:


He said, "Nahh, give you half, I can't finish all." HUH?! He couldn't finish it all? Such a small piece of sugar roll, and which man could only manage to eat half of it?! I was speechless! WOW! I made myself a cup of coffee and savour every little bite of my precious sugar-roll-half :)

MORE from last year:

July 2008. I told Philip that I suddenly developed a strong liking in green apple flavour Vitagen, but it seems like they only sell all purple grapes flavour in a pack which is more popular. I wonder they ever sell green apple flavour in a pack.... Then we forgot about our conversation. During that same week, when the Vitagen auntie came knocking on our door in the afternoon, instead of taking out 2 mixed-flavour packs which we usually would buy from her, she took this out and asked Philip whether he fancy to buy all green apple flavour Vitagen pack:


I came home to this wonderful surprise and I just have to snap a picture of my all-green-apple-flavour-Vitagen-pack! :)

August 2008. It was near mid-autumn festival and I was thinking of eating a green-tea red bean paste mooncake on my way to work. Then I saw it in the office pantry!! Can you see the round redbean paste embraced by the green-tea flavoured paste covered with brown skin?!


I was so touched that I was near crying when I carefully sink my teeth in... what more could I ask?

Nov 2008. Xmas came early when everywhere you turned you could hear either the jinggling song or the dreaming song, lol! I love fruit cakes, top with icing please! My favourite desert of the season. And I have it again, in the pantry again!


No icing this time but almond slice, why not? I like crunchie almonds too! :)

Dec 2008. Went to work without taking my breakfast. A female colleague, Juliana, came to my desk and with two hands she presented me this nutricious beancurd in soya milk by Mr bean:


Either she bought extra or she didn't feel like taking breakfast. She never tell me why, just said, "Eat lah." haha! Thank you, Juli! And thank YOU, God :)

CNY 2009. Usually my colleagues would bring the goodies, that they couldn't finish, to the office so we could help them clear the stock, but to have difficulty in finishing the ever-popular cum expensive BBQ pork slice and the ever-crsipy prawn roll?? Can't be! But it was so:





Here is a song composed using the words from Psalm 139, Simply beautiful! I like to listen to it over and over again, and think about my wonderful, wonderful GOD!




主耶和華，你已經鑒察了我。
我坐下，我起來，你都已曉得。
我行路，我躺臥，你都細察，
你也深知我一切所行。

我舌頭上的話，你沒有一句不知道。
你在我前後環繞著我，按手在我身上。
這樣的奇妙，是我不能測透，
你的至高你的尊貴，是我永遠不能所及。

我可以往哪裡去躲避你的靈？
我可以往哪裡去逃，可躲避你的面？
我若展開清晨的翅膀飛到地極，就在那裡，
你的雙手也必引導我。

Nods!

Thaddea @ 12 months!

I have more clips on Thaddea nodding her head to questions like "Is mommy pretty?" LOL!

All of Grace

Last year's theme for our church was "ALL OF GRACE. ALL OF GOD."

Yes, it was a year of God's wonderful grace, magnified particularly in my life and in the live of little Ezra Lim.

God graciously healed me of breast cancer, it is a MIRACLE that has given me a chance to live for my Lord and I'm very grateful for that.

For Ezra Lim, it is also by God's grace that he is still living today. Diagnosed with ALL(blood cancer), he had gone for the 3rd round of chemotherapy. It is tough for a 7-year-old boy, the side effects of vomiting after the treatment was too much for him to bear. He was angry with God initially, but now he thank God for His grace which saw him through and will see him through many more treatments to come.

The testimony of little Ezra was amazing. His mommy shared how they were able to reach out to many foreigners whose children, some as young as 2-year-old, are also having ALL and came to Singapore for treatment. Ezra made friends with the children and showed them around and telling them not to be scare of the hospital. And his mommy would talk to the parents, encourage, pray and share with them about God's grace.

Tong Hak(Ezra's mommy) testified how her life was changed from busy giving tuitions, sending Ezra to school and going on vacations during December holidays... to reaching out to people as far as from Vietnam! It is bitter sweet for her, seeing her son suffering is difficult, but being able to reach out to other souls with God's love is so wonderful.

Ezra came to the Watch Night Service on New Year's Eve, he is still the same active boy just like before, only that most of his hair has fallen off from the treatment and he needs to wear a mask to protect himself as his body resistance is low. You can spot him in this video clip, he appeared briefly at the 30th sec.


The musicians were practising for the worship and the song was "Power of Your Love", Daddy was playing the drum-machine, it's a machine because it is not the real drum, just some key pads that you hit with your fingers, haha! I was actually taking a video of Thaddea drinking water, I love that she likes to drink water, so not like her two sisters whom we need to pester them to drink more!

Ezra's daddy gave a song special with a group of brethens that night which I didn't get to record it down. But thank God that they presented the song again on Sunday.


Jonah, Ezra's only brother played the 二胡 which sounded so NICE! I was in the Chinese Orchestra when I was in Secondary School and I played the 二胡 too! So imagine how I melted listening to this song... even Thaddea who was sitting on my lap was so still, she was captivated by the 二胡! :)

若不是主的恩典
If Not For The Lord’s Grace



若不是祢的恩典
(Nah Um See Le Eh Woon Diam)
If not for Your grace, O Lord

我根本不敢来见祢
(Gua Goon Poon Um Kha Lai Gi Le)
I will not dare come before You

若不是祢的恩典
(Nah Um See Le Eh Woon Diam)
If not for Your grace, O Lord

我想我活不到今日
(Gua Xiu Gua Wah Buey Gao Kin Jit)
I would not live till to this day

是祢的恩典使我得救
(Si Le Eh Woon Diam Sai Gua Teck Giu)
It is Your grace that has redeemed me

是祢的恩典给我能够更爱祢
(Si Le Eh Woon Diam Ho Gua Eh Dang Keng Ai Le)
It is Your grace that makes me love You even more

副歌
主耶稣我感谢祢的恩典
(Zhu Yah Soh Gua Gum Xia Le Eh Woon Diam)
Lord Jesus, I really thank You for Your grace

主耶稣感谢祢每次给我机会
(Zhu Yah Soh Gum Xia Le Dah Bai Ho Gua Gi Huey)
Lord Jesus, thank You always for giving me a chance

主耶稣感谢祢赦免了我的罪
(Zhu Yah Soh Gum Xia Le Xia Bian Liao Gua Eh Zuey)
Lord Jesus, thank You for pardoning all my sins

是祢的恩典, 是你的恩典
(Si Le Eh Woon Diam, Si Le Eh Woon Diam)
It is Your grace, it is Your grace

因你的恩典, 一生奉献
(Yim Le Eh Woon Diam, Yi Seng Hong Hien)
‘Cos of Your grace, I offer my life

My Hokkien is less than a bucket of water, haha, but I really like how the lyrics of the song came with the english pronounciations for the hokkien words... pretty interesting!

Ahhhh... thank You GOD... for your GRACE!

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Watch Night Service

It's our custom to attend the church's Watch Night service every New Year's eve. Service starts at 9pm and we were encouraged to fast on that day which was suppose to be our church's quaterly fast and pray day. Usually we'd go for supper after the service but now with 3 kids on-tow, we'd rather go home and eat instant noodle(our very first meal of the New Year, haha!) after tucking the children up, by then it was 2am in the wee hours of the new day! :)

We have thanksgiving time opened to the floor after worship. Anybody can go on stage to thank God for the year that was about to end. Some may also give a song special. There were no fireworks when we count down into the New Year but glorious Praise and Worship unto God for the brand New Year! After which we entered into covenants with God. Very meaningful and very nice. I like the idea of being in the House of God at the dawn of the new year :)

Not many attended...but the presence of God is so wonderful!

Daddy wrote the following and intended to go on stage to share but he didn't get a chance to do it. He was able to thank God still on the first Sunday of the New Year during testimony time in the service. I'm gonna copy and paste it here for memory and for the glory of God :)

A thanksgiving for the year 2008 by Daddy, Philip.

Thank God for...

• Thaddea. She is an unexpected gift from God. God is Sovereign.


• Lydia(mommy truly =D) who is still with us and healthy.


• Surgery I had that taught me to take care of my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.


• Providence which teach us to learn faith.


• Humility to accept help and gifts from others.


• Lesson learnt to be thankful and to appreciate what we have when we are in need.


• Mountain and valley in spiritual life. God is faithful.


• Music Ministry. Thank God that I can return to serve in this ministry after a long period.


• All the people who have been a great help and encouragement to us.


• Timely word when I felt so directionless and had achieve nothing all these time: "To be successful in God’s kingdom is to be faithful in where God has placed me."


• Year(2009), though there is much uncertainty, God is faithful and we trust that He is holding our tomorrow.

Praise the Lord. Amen.

Yes! Thank You Lord!!

他們哭了

I was reading James 1 this morning and verse 27 stood up...

James 1:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Every baby deserved a loving parents. If not a loving parents, then at least a caring nanny, or a doting adoptive parents. To love, cuddle and take good care of them. I cannot imagine us without our baby Thaddea, or worse, Thaddea without us...

I always wish that I have more money to sponsor a child or two in an orphanage or fostercare. Right now, I can only pray for them. May God brings every orphan into a forever family who will love and care for them forever~ Amen!

These children sang of the invisible Hands of Jesus. Though they cannot see Him nor touch Him, they knew that He is always there, wispering ever so softly to them. O, they knew deep in their hearts that their Lord Jesus is always there with them.

It was the nail-pierced Hands of Jesus that have touched and comforted their broken hearts. It was the soft gentle words of Jesus that once again filled the hunger and thirst of their hearts.

Praise the Lord!



雖不見祢，觸不到祢，
但是我知，祢正在對我低語。
哦！主耶穌，哦！主耶穌，
我深知道祢一直就在這裏。
　
是祢的手，釘痕的手，
重新撫慰我那破碎的心田。
是祢聲音，溫柔話語，
再度填滿我心靈中的飢渴。

记得初信主时，我也哭了。是主的大爱感动了我，叫我的眼泪一直流，一直流。主啊，谢谢祢救我灵魂，赐我永恒的生命。谢谢祢为我被钉十架，流宝血洗净我。

詩 篇 103:1-2
我的心哪，你要称颂耶和华！凡在我里面的，也要称颂他的圣名！我的心哪，你要称颂耶和华！不可忘记他的一切恩惠！

寶貴十架 ~ Precious Cross

On the first Sunday of the new year 2009, a Communion Sunday, I was deeply touched by the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ.

Throughout the service, as I prepared myself to participate in the Holy Communion, even though Thaddea was quite a handful, she always is, :P, in my mind I kept thinking of Jesus dying on the cross for me.

I must have been on Jesus' mind when He braved the cross. His love for me was so great that He bore with the pain when the nails were being hammered into His hands and feet.

Lord, thank You for bearing the cross for me. The punishment that I deserved, You took it upon Yourself. This is too much for me to grasp... I'm overwhelmed!

When I think of the cross, I see Your great love for me. I see the blood You shed on the cross, so precious and so powerful! Your blood washed away my sins and gave me life everlasting!

You are God's perfect sacrifice, once for all, to reconcile me to God. Thank You Jesus, my Lord, my Saviour!




1 Peter 3:18
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit."