Little sis

Didn't put any pic for a long time.
so here's one.

Minzhen and me.
dunno why, just a cute little sister in Christ,that came after HuiLi (last sis harvest fr Christmas 2004 - beloved sis, close and touching moments before i moved on to Adults congregation) that i click with.


hah, can see Shirley (Sim) at the back.;P

there's many more whom I just met/bumped into after Planet Shakers concert this month (Aug) like Asleigh.

blog more on them next time..

Hope Sem & Ministry

Sender: Subject:
CCHM Grades for Inner Healing & Forgiveness course


Just caught this heading in my Yahoo inbox. And my heart really jump a beat or came to a halt for a few sec. I thought. hah. not becoz of the Subject but the NAME of the sender!!! Also the unexpectedness of it and the grades. muahhaa
Knowing the instructor's quite strict and not as merciful bro Tsum Tze Wei,
you won't know if you'll be getting a F or something and it's not impossible.

Was a scary email!
Hhaha.
anyway, thank God. Though didn't get any As....:
----
Hi Doreen,



Your grades:

Attd - 5% - 4.00
MCQ1&2 - 20% - 20.00
MCQ3 - 10% - 10.00
Research - 20% - 20.00
Grp - 20% - 16.00
Reflectn - 10% - 6.25
Scripture - 10% - 4.75
Log - 5% - 5.0
Total Grade - 100%- 86.0

'VERDICT': B+

Well done.





Blessings

---------

Lost much marks to the Scripture memory test - which was down to every punctuation and , . " "...

Grades aside, what i enjoyed was the enriching and learning experience, exposure and knowledge through the course. Foremost understanding of self, and people, awareness of the spiritual and emotional realm. think i blogged bout this bef.

---------------------------------
This 3rd and last Semester, I'm taking only:
Principles of Bible Study. (with fellow CG mates - that's nice!)
Enjoy the slow pace and easy digestible course on studying God's Word.
I forgo or forgone, the Basic Counselling Skills & Techniques for this Sem already..
Also Old Testament survey last Sem.
Will try to catch them up this few years..
Dunno how long more, some or most only repeats every 2 years.

---------------------------------


MINISTRY (Church level):

-Officially came out (They call it quit!) of NETs ministry. (It's already evolved to
be called Registration,Payment/Info counter or something though)

- joining Hope 15th Anniversary church Choir - 16 Sep! :)

- Still stuck (in a good sense) with BLM (Biz Life Ministry) - see what I can still learn or what and how I can contribute still.

Cont' to flow or see God's direction in this and plus other future ministry.

Birthday Blessings and spiritual blessings in disguise

For 23 Aug, Wednesday

Came back yesterday to my office to find many more gifts and a few cards on my desk. So sweet. My dear colleague YY has gone to Taiwan, and the Taiwan colleagues bought me gifts for my birthday, so sweet.
Dear Patricia (a sis in Christ) gave me a card with 'Prayer' hands and many crosses on it and a nice sea shell heart shaped 'jewellery' box with a very nice white heart-shaped pendant neck piece. A simple accessory and easy to match.
Shan shan and Wendy Wu (a very new colleague) together bought me a 'diamond' necklace packaged in a very nice cute small flowery red hear-shaped box with ribbon.
While my dear YY colleague got me a hair clip made of 'barnacles?!' argh.. Bit geli but has purple shells around it to make it look like flower. I like the purple but the barnacles still look geli. I may wear it though..
And a very nice card.

Then in the eve, a new friend Zhang Na met me for dinner to pass me a nice pair of butterfly shaped like purple ear rings!
Looks quite nice.

Thinking why all accessories. I went back to M'sia and bought quite some accessories already including many many pairs of ear rings (need to find silver ear rings).

Anyway, above are some nice surprises for me.

However on the same day, my 'acting' HR/ office administrator told me that my CPF will be 24% from this Aug/this month.
Huh.. Is it? I didn't realize. 1st year for PR is 9%, 2nd year 24% and 3rd year 33%.
Oh ok.. Yah. Already 1 year. I was taken a backed by this fact that my salary's gonna be cut by.. $300?

I went to check CPF Board website.
1st year: employee's contribution - 5%
employer's contribution - 4%
2nd year: employee's contribution - 15%
employer's contribution - 9%
3rd year: employee's contribution - 20%
employer's contribution - 13%

Hmm ok, hoping not all the 24% will be cut from my salary. Coz Employer's suppose to contribute a partial amount. So the 24% is all from me or not?
But I calculate my current pay, seems like 9% is deducted from my salary leh..

Need to check my pay slip again, check my coming pay slip and clarify if any disparities.

Above is like a blow to me, wanting and needing more pay from God and now I got a pay cut (although it goes to the long term account). Deeply saddened, troubled initially and challenged in faith.

I kept calculating my budget again and again yesterday to see how I could survive.
Very concerned though in my heart trying or believing God will make a way and put thing into place.
- 1 remedy action is to pay off the remaining pledged CBFund in advance (since my computer loan repayment only start this month and the accumulated funds can be used rather than sitting there), and hence I can channel the extra 100 into my monthly expenditure. Else I'll only be left with 150 upon minus-ing 150 for (minimum) transport and HP bills.
Pathetic rite? Hahah.


The days before God showed me the verse:
Hebrews 10:36 - You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

24 Aug 06
Today I was thinking -
God's continuing to do His work on me in this 2 areas - relationship and finance,
So what needs to be done for this 2 (or any areas)?

To be filled by, to be trusted and surrendered to Him.

Subconciously I have been thinking, what will of God that needs to be done..? or am I doing, or not doing..

The only 'God's will' that came to me today was the verse:
'Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.'
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

P/S: Oh,btw, my boss was busy busy since he came back and I haven't approached or initiated any up front confrontation with him yet about my job promotion aspect. And what I can Expect!
Seems negative but I still wanna believe and pray for God to work.

Wanna continue reading Ps Cho Yonggi's 'A/The Fourth Dimesion' book on spiritual realm Prayer!
Powerful principles to apply after I discern if it's biblical!

17 August 2006

17 August 2006

Today's my Birthday.

Today my eyes are filled with tears. Becoz of 2 areas of my life I feel sad/down.
[I know God will not disappoint me. And I hope that God's goodness will be shown to all (ppl I know) despite now. It will be shown when the time comes]


Afternoon my mother told me my grandmother passed away.
Double tears.

I'm taking half day leave from work.
....
Thank God- i get 3 days compensation? days off from work.

New Thumbdrive!

Wonderful!
Just received a thumbdrive from the company! One of my forgotten wish/need list come true.

My personal little memory 64MB IBM thumbdrive's already full! Didn't do spring cleaning that's why.

Though for a long time felt the company should be providing the staffs with that, coz there's a need for everyone to function too, hence..
FINALLY! (for everyone too)
What a blessing. (this is only some material blessing)

Problems problems problems…
problems in relationships, problems in career

Wanted to say 'what a b***** mess!!' '

BUT..

As what God reveals in His Word, we can and should see it as
Training training training..
Build up muscles and strength.. In area He want to build you up

One of it for me: Managing conflicts properly/ independently (not too dependent on other people but more to God hopefully)


James 1:2-4 >
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you 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."(NIV)

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (The Message)


1 Thess 5:16-18. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

So with this I can turn my despair and pain into Joy!
I can also smile in my heart in midst of this training to look on the positive side, though things hurt. And it's tough..
can feel that I'm bit more stronger this time from the muscles built last time on the above area.
Now is to continue to exercise it.. So it can be developed to the to the fullest working potential. Complete, in Christ-potential.

Besides this, still have other underlying and other issues or mess to sort out. (And oh what a mess.)
Like trying to grasp to a FULL understanding and conviction of a certain principle in handling BGR the best and God's way.
Want to get hurt then learn? By my own/old way, already can get hurt but still not yet birth or reap fully the consequences, that's why don't feel pain.
My shepherd trying to warn and teach me coz she knows how hurting it can be. The extend of hurt...

Ai, how??...
Only by God's grace to see me through and His mercy. But die die disobedient will surely reap the consequences.
Your heart and feelings can EASILY lead you astray..

Job: may the name of the Lord be praised!

Wednesday/Thursday:

How would you feel if the only and very thing you wanted and asked God for specifically was taken away right before your eyes..?
You placed your hope and trust in Him and you asked Him

In the morning, just came across the verse:
Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

But yet, he didn't give you what you asked or prayed for sincerely..

What if it's only something as simple or innocent as a piece of bread or a cake? Not only that, you also see your only 'precious' thing begin to swift away, or taken away. And I'm not even talking bout my job yet.

Disappointed..
How would you be able to praise God at that moment? To know and acknowledge that God is still good?

and upset..
When grief and pain snuff your heart and you are fighting tears, (and the times when pain escalates from your heart to your neck)


Upon thinking, God is a Father who give good gifts, and why he didn't give?
was because what I asked for wasn't good for me at the point in time!
(because the thing is bad for me, He's working something better in me e.g. discipline- keeping to my fast? wanted to show me something and/or He has something better in store).

And you try to console or reconcile yourself using this all circumstance encompassing verse "..in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" - Romans 8:28, to see the light of things.

Even the blog I wanted to send was not able to be sent out!


Nevertheless,

Job (in the bible Old Testament)
- his sons and daughters captured and taken away, the house collapsed and killed yet his other sons and daughters, his servants were murdered, his cattle and camels destroyed and stolen. (4 disasters in a row).

In modern times, that would be like your children attacked and taken hostage and killed by terrorist, your house was blew away by tsunami or bombed, and your workers, cars, possession and children killed all at once….

But Job upon that moment:
Job 1:20-21 -At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell down to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.
And said:
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."







God, you can take my job away.. But let me be just like Job.




Footnote: Job was a man who was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. (Job1:1)
The Disasters that befall him was incited by Satan to God to test him.

But instead of accusing and cursing God, he bowed down in worship and praise God.

the Title I would like: In likeness of Job - may the name of the Lord be praised!

Pasir Ris. 1 Aug 2006

Went to my aunt's place on Monday nite.

Though every time spent there is only about 2-3 hours, thank God for a nice fruitful time.
My cousin shared bout her new job woes. First time she shared so much to me or deeper.
My cousin Judy was 1 of the names I wrote on the Easter outreach card, but due to distance and circumstance, didn't really able to outreach to her so much.
But thank God for the relationship building and progress.

Besides, had a nice home prepared carbonara ham pasta dish, (carrot potato chicken) soup and bitter gout (both with chicken) dish. Oh not to mention Thought the night would just end up like that.
My uncle came back late from library.
(last time every time, would try to share to him something on Jesus Christ the Saviour and living truth when I see him, and he would engage me or vice versa on some discussion topic).
I believe and will continue to pray that this family (with my uncle, aunt and cousin Judy) will come to know His love for them.

Quite amazed, coz I found a foosball? Or mini table soccer table right in their living room! (found out their good friend Uncle Bob bought it for their grandson Ryan)
Wah..so fortunate. Ended up trying to play a few games with my uncle. Aiya, I was so lousy in that that I lost so many goals to him. Had enough of losing and then went home feeling so sleepy the entire way..