Give Us Clean Hands
G D/F# ©1997 Generation Music |
Taken from http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics1/GiveUsCleanHands.htm
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Give Us Clean Hands
Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Books |
| Genre: | Religion & Spirituality |
| Author: | Dwight Hill |
All the great excerpts about the market place experiences I've posted in my blog comes from this wonderful book. It's does not panders or soothes our battered souls at the work place, but challenges to rise up above our circumstances, wherever God has places us.
May you be blessed by the reading of this book
Facts of the Matter
http://www.factsofthematter.org/
A weekly letter of encouragement and challenge to business and professional men and women.
on the Crucible
THE CRUCIBLE
The other morning I wept through breakfast with a businessman who has been whip-lashed into financial oblivion in a "down economy" through circumstances beyond his control. Highly capable in his field of expertise, he has chosen to tough it out and pay off his creditors rather than declare bankruptcy and walk away from debt.
Another friend who recently lost his wife through a sudden, devastating attack of cancer, is now left to raise their two younger boys.
And a third, who was falsely accused of sexual incest, has endured years of litigation, coupled with unimaginable financial and emotional stress; only to be vindicated by the eventual recantation of his accuser.
Today, each of these men exhibit an uncommon spiritual depth and intimacy with Christ, unknown to them prior to their "crucible" experience.
It was C.S. Lewis who observed that "God whispers to us in our leisure, but shouts to us in our pain." Someone has sagely noted that "God rarely uses a man greatly until He hurts him deeply" - including His own Son.
Before his devastating losses, Job was indeed a righteous man (1:1-5), but it was only after the agony of his "dark night of the soul" that he made the greatest journey of his life. The 18 inches from his head to his heart:
"My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you." (Job 42:5)
So, where are you today? Cruising above the circumstances of life in blissful affluence and good health?
Or do you find yourself in the crucible of adversity through a state of affairs allowed, or orchestrated, by our loving Heavenly Father who cares infinitely more about the development of your character than in the comfort often afforded through easy circumstances?
"Now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (I Peter 1:6,7)
QUESTION: If you are in the middle of a "crucible" experience, are you choosing to praise and thank Him for the wonder He is working in your soul?
From August 01 entry in Dwight Hill, Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace, IMprint Edition, 2004.
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cru·ci·ble 
Listen: [ kr
s
-bl ]
n.
- A vessel made of a refractory substance such as graphite or porcelain, used for melting and calcining materials at high temperatures.
- A severe test, as of patience or belief; a trial. See Synonyms at trial.
- A place, time, or situation characterized by the confluence of powerful intellectual, social, economic, or political forces: "Macroeconomics . . . was cast in the crucible of the Depression" (Peter Passell).
[Middle English crusible, from Medieval Latin cr
cibulum, night-light, crucible, possibly from Old French croisuel, cresset ; see cresset.]
Above definition taken from http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/c/c0773700.html
Saturday, July 30, 2005
on Discipleship
IN DISCIPLING PEOPLE, WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY VALUES WE SHOULD SEEK TO BUILD INTO THEIR LIVES?
Is it to help them to develop a strong prayer life, or a disciplined pattern of Scripture memory? or to be a faithful witness to the lost? Very possibly, but...
Infinitely more basic is to help them form rock-ribbed convictions in three fundamental areas (I Corinthians 13:13):
FAITH - Does your "disciple" believe God?
Does he (or she) demonstrate faith in God by a willingness to lay it on the line when the chips are down, even to the point of climbing into the fiery furnace (so to speak), as did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? (Daniel 3) Does your disciple authenticate his faith by demonstrating congruency of life between the secular and the spiritual? (Psalm 24:3,4)
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him... The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." (Hebrews 11:6; John 6:29)
HOPE - Does your disciple have a "Pilgrim Mentality"?
Is his primary focus on the temporal or the eternal? Does he, by his life demonstrate the fact that he understands the transitory nature of our earthly existence, and the importance of investing in the eternal?
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth... looking for a country of their own... longing for a better country - a heavenly one..." (Hebrews 11:13-16-NKJ)
LOVE - Does your disciple live a life of selfless sacrifice?
Has he been so impacted by Christ's love that he is compelled to live a life of loving service rather than selfish indulgence?
"For Christ's love compels us... that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him, who died for them and was raised again." (II Corinthians 5:14,15)
By the way, you and I both know that the way you build these qualities into the life of another is by modeling them first in your own life.
From July 29 entry in Dwight Hill, Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace, IMprint Edition, 2004.
Friday, July 29, 2005
on Do you want to get rich?
DO YOU WANT TO GET RICH?
George is young, aggressive, astute in business, and... getting rich. He claims to be a believer in Christ. And probably he is.
But I notice that when I broach the subject of winning the lost and investing time in people's lives for the kingdom of God, his eyes seems to glaze over and his attention wanders. In my gut, I get the impression that George is being seduced by the love of money, which as we know "is the root of all evil." (I Timothy 6:10a)
So... let me ask you a question,"DO YOU WANT TO GET RICH?"
Clearly, God tells us not to put in the effort: "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." (Proverbs 23:4) (Also consider Proverbs 15:27, 23:5, 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)
But if you do, then here's what you can look forward to:
~ You will "fall into temptation and a trap."
~ You will fall into "many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction."
~ You run the risk of wandering "from the faith and [piercing yourself] with many griefs." (I Timothy 6:9,10)
Just where is your focus? On money? Or on knowing Jesus Christ?
It cannot be both, because:
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the other and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money... For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." (Matthew 6:24,21)
Jesus reassured us that if the pursuit of Him is our primary focus, He will provide for our material needs:
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)
God may in fact endow you with wealth. The difference is that when He gives it, it is void of apprehension:
"The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no anxiety to it." (Proverbs 10:22)
QUESTION: Do you want to get rich? Or do you want to know Christ? It is either one or the other. But It cannot be both.
From June 29 entry in Dwight Hill, Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace, IMprint Edition, 2004.
picture taken from http://www.americanroyalarts.com/ViewMain.cfm?IDNo=1902
Thursday, July 28, 2005
美女か野獣
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Our God Reigns
Our God Reigns
G/B C D ©1974, 1978 by L.Smith/New Jerusalem Music |
on Inner Chaos or Inner Solitude
INNER CHAOS OR INNER SOLITUDE
One reason we struggle with time alone with God is our apprehension over facing ourselves. The confrontation with our inner life may simply be too painful to face. Thus, we shield ourselves from solitude by an endless array of T.V., people, phone calls, books and scheduled time pressures.
As a result, our lives have become absurd, (which in Latin means "deaf"), incapable of hearing the voice of God. Knowing God requires the spiritual discipline to shut out the world for regular times of solace in order to listen to His voice.
When we do learn to listen, we become obedient, (which in Latin means "listening"). Thus, when we begin to discipline our lives, we start to move from a life of absurdity - spiritual deafness - to a life of listening - a life of obedience.*
"It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that." A. W. Tozier
We cannot know God without disciplining ourselves to make room for inner solitude. This was Jesus' pattern with His Father, and it must also become ours. At the heart of prayer is obediently listening to God through His word and the inner prompting of the Spirit.
We need to begin by setting a daily time and place for God; writing it in our calender as a daily appointment. Preferably in the morning. (let's face it: By evening, most of us are brain dead!) Start with 5 or 10 minutes. Choose a small portion of Scriptures, say 3-5 verses. Read it slowly, pondering, and jotting down observations; co-mingling meditation and prayer as we talk over our insights with God.
Over the days, weeks, and months, the appetite for this quiet connection with God will grow to the point where we do not want to live without it. No longer will we feel we are wasting our time. When this happens, the inner chaos, noise, anger and frustrations will begin to give way to inner peace and tranquility.
This is the beginning of knowing the Living God.
From July 28 entry in Dwight Hill, Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace, IMprint Edition, 2004.
*Credit to Henri Nouwen, The Genesee Diary, N.Y.:Walker, 1985.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
on the new NLB building, the letter versus the spirit of the Law and receiving the Holy Spirit
argh, this is the 3rd time I'm writing this blog entry! 
lets hope I can get this up before Murphy's law strike again.^
Was at the new NLB building on Monday. My friends all know me as a book freak. I love to go the library to chill out and read books. So imagine my delight when they told me there's a "new 16-storey library building, with 5 levels for reference section." So I rounded up a couple of other book freaks and went there to check it out on Monday. It's just besides the Bras Basah Complex on North Bridge Road, right smack in between City Hall and Bugis MRT station. Real great place for working professionals to drop by for a lunch time quick read. 
But I must say I don't fancy the interior layout of the public borrowing section. One thing it's underground, on Basement level 1. Secondly, the lighting makes the place looks drab. No doubt the books are really new, but the new place didn't get to me as when I first visited the community library at Jurong East library. 
the reference section from level 7 to 12 is another matter though. Big, spacious, and splendid wonderful materials for research. and the environment's pretty conducive too, even though there are still those who desecrate the sanctity with their mobile ringtones and loudly whispered conversations and giggling. 
So me and my 3 other friends spent almost 7 hours there, from 10.30am till about 5-ish. For lunch we went over to Kiliney Kopitaim nearby. Fabulous chicken curry, especially with the lightly toasted french loaf bread. Ended it off with a cuppa of "kopi kau" and kaya toast for desert~ simply heavenly! 
Over lunch, me and my kakis talked about following the letter of the law versus the spirit of keep the laws. To put it in a nutshell, should we do what the Bible tells us exactly to do, or can we interpret the stuff in the Holy Book. It all started out when one of the girls described a unique case whereby a man divorced his wife not on grounds of adultery. She believed with all her heart that the man cannot remarry without committing adultery, as according to God's word.^^ Then my guy friend replied that sometimes we cannot apply the law strictly to the letter, as sometimes we need to see what's the spirit behind in apply the law. I guess his concern is that we can't just do things per se without searching our hearts for the right motives. From there, we opened a can of worms onto other issues of tithing, abortion and other stuff.
As usual, I was the listener, clarifying points when needed. Both have got their valid takes: One believe we should be consistent in applying God's Word, and not compromise with every situation; the other believe we should not apply His Word without sensitivity and empathy, and become modern-day Pharisees. Ultimately, we need God's wisdom in applying His word in our lives.
After we left, me and the guy friend went for another round of kopi. Asked him a question which another friend posed to me: Is it possible to not receive the Holy Spirit, and thus not have eternal life? Because my primary reaction was to give the standard answer: " How can that be la? You prayed the sinners' prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit into your life after accepting Jesus' gift of eternal life. So how can say no have Holy Spirit?" But somehow, I sense that answer didn't quite cut the cake. So I asked this fellow brother of mine, and he gave me "in another case" scenario, whereby people received Christ first, and the Holy Spirit at a much later time.# So i've learnt something new again that day. Really must thank God, for the people He places around me, to give me both questions and answers. 
ok, i'm gonna try upload this now; let's hope it dun crash out on me again...
“ [By Faith ] Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ”- Hebrews 11:1
^My fault la. Somehow always accidentally closed this window before uploading the blog entry. Maybe it's a sign ... of me being an idiot of not writing my previous entry in Word doc. first. One word: L O S E R....
^^ See Holy Bible, New Testament, Book of Matthew, Chapter 5 verse 31 till 32 (Matthew 5:31-32), Matthew 19:3-11, Mark 10: 2-10.
# See Acts 8:14-17, whereby the people in Samaria receive the Holy Spirit only after the apostles had prayed for them, even though they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
on Non-toxic Christianity...
NON-TOXIC CHRISTIANITY^
Most professed followers of Christ live a "non-toxic" brand of Christianity. That is, their "Christian" lifestyle tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. Their lives exhibit little, if any, self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, an otherworldy outlook, a zeal for souls, or a fear, as well as, love of God. There is little guilt and no punishment, and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain.
Let me propose five root causes:
1. Religious Individualism - We have come to believe that religious authority lies in us rather than in the Bible or in church leadership. Thus, we have become our own final court of appeal as to what is right or wrong: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." (Judges 17:6)
2. Shallow Superficiality - Most of us have only a scant acquaintance with Biblical truth, because our exposure to, and understanding of the Scriptures lacks discipline, focus and scholarship. If the word of God is not spoon-fed to us in "touchie-feelie" bite-size portions, we soon lose interest.
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what they want their itching ears want to hear..." (II Timothy 4:3,4a)
3. Religious Consumerism - Exercising our 'divine right' as religious consumers, we buy as much Christianity as we seems to want. The cost is low and consumer satisfaction seems guaranteed. If our present religious "provider" fails to cater to our whimsical fancy, we flutter across town to one that will.
4. Cultural Christianity - Our values, norms and modes of interpreting reality have been entirely emancipated from any dependence on God. Overwhelmed as we are by the pervading culture, we have accommodated our beliefs to fit in with its norms and values to the point that our Christian witness has lost its authenticity. Thus, the persecution mentioned in I timothy 3:12 is alien to our experience: "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted."
5. Frenzied Materialism - While we slave away at obtaining the "finer" things in life, we openly profess a strong distaste for materialism. Yet we have become amazingly adept at learning how to deliberate an uneasy union between the spiritual and material.
QUESTION: How would you evaluate your brand of Christianity? Is it of the non-toxic variety that offends and affects no one? If so, what changes do you need to make at this point?
From July 24 entry in Dwight Hill, Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace, IMprint Edition, 2004.
^Most of the ideas were adapted or quoted from Thomas C. Reeves' book, The Empty Church: The Suicide of Liberal Christianity. Published by Free Press (A division of Simon & Schuster), 1996.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
on moderation and slacking...
MODERATION
"Men driven by ambition often succeed outwardly and fail inwardly.
"Their outward resources multiply at the cost of their spiritual energy. Yet they go blindly forward with small consideration that happy leisure is worth more than drive; for nothing belongs to us excepts time. Precious existence is squandered in stupid drudgery.
"Overwork is the mother of greed and the substitute of boredom.
"Be not crushed under success; and be not crushed under envy! To be so is to trample upon life and suffocate the spirit. Enjoy a little more, strive a little less. The wise man extends his life's work to prolong his life."^
At age 70, can you imagine anyone lamenting: "If only I had spent more time at the office and less time at home with my wife and kids!"
Hardly.
So... just what is success?
Well, to win the track and field event known as the "pentathlon," it is not necessarily triumphing in any one of the five events that guarantees the prize. Rather, it is adequately excelling in each event well enough to garner the highest aggregate score.
So it is in the game of life": Success may be defined as placing God at the center of our lives, and then balancing the remaining competing demands:
Family - Ministry - Career - Personal, and _______________ (you fill in the blank)
Like a teenager surfing the waves of Waikiki, maintaining balance in life is the continual act of adroitly adjusting to life's changing demands and circumstances. The ability to understand the balance, and then respond by making the necessary adjustments is only possible by maintaining a clear orientation to Biblical values and priorities.
Perhaps Solomon's wise counsel is appropriate here:
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." (Proverbs 23:4)
From July 22 entry in Dwight Hill, Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotions for the Marketplace, IMprint Edition, 2004.
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SLACKING
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys - Proverbs 18:9
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^ Baltasar Gracian, as adapted by J. Leonard Kaye in The Wisdom of Baltasar Gracian, Pocket books, 1992, page 152. Baltasar Gracian was a sixteenth century Jesuit priest!
In Good Company
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Comedy |
For a more detailed synopsis, go here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385267/
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
on a glorious day at the beach...
ha, that was not an image of the East coast park beach. Then again,in my mind yesterday, it came close to that la. Not because of anything the "gah-men" is doing in cleaning up the polluted beach side; more of God's grace in providing a wonderful weather and His presence for me at the beach...
Woke up early, as usual. Received an sms from a friend who said he can't go, cos' of insomnia the night before.* Was out of the house in a jiffy by 7.20am, because made my preparations the night before mah.** Caught the bus 966 from opposite Marsiling MRT station and took me around an hour to get there. Set up my place by the beach by 8.45 am. Proceeded to worship Him. Really thank God for the wonderful weather. It was still overcast when I just stepped down from the bus. But by the time I finished laying out my mat, i started to see patches of blue through the clouds. Soon the sun came out. Amidst the crashing waves and moving of the winds, I really feel a sense of closeness to Him. Broke out in song*** and read aloud from the last 2 chapters from Job, reminding myself of His majesty and splendor.
A friend came earlier than usual - she hitched a ride from her aunt, so was there quite early. talk cock sing song with her - get to know a little more about her past, her dreams for the direction the cell group is growing, her own dreams. As usual, i did the "listener" thingie, sit down, shut up and listen. I don't really like to talk about myself, i prefer to let others do the talking. Then my other 2 friends came by too. We started cycling around 10.30-ish. went down the usual path to Bedok jetty and beyond. By the time, the sun was really out, and we really enjoyed the sun (as crazy as that might sounds; must be all the vitamin D that our skin is synthesizing that's making us happy people...).
Were famished by the end of the ride, cos i did a morning fast mah. Went ahead to eat lunch, without waiting for the last friend to turn up.^ one of my friends wanted to go roller-blading,m bu the rest of us were just too stoned after the meal. so went to sit by the beach to rest a bit first. talk more cock. brought up my book about cheese (yea, it's a good book ok, so no CHEESY comments about my reading habits...) My friends were all lamenting why no wine and cheese then to savor at the beach. I just kept quiet. Hey, i'm no Jesus, can't turn no water into wine and turn sand into cheese. 
so i just let them lamented... what a good friend i am...
after my friend went off blading into the sunset (figuratively, of course; you dun get no sunset at 2.30pm), we continued to wait for "Patrick" to turn up. He finally showed up at 4-ish. Thankfully we didn't wait for him to have lunch... But he did showed us a great place in parkway parade to eat freshly-made ice cream. We ordered a "party of 5" - wafer with 5 scoops. We chose durian, soursop, peach, rum & raisin and mocha choc. then we sat down in the nearby cafe, and talk about movies & tai tais. after that, they went to the nearby hawker center for dinner while i went home for dinner. Bo pian, promised momma be home liao, by 8pm. anyway, my back was feeling all pringly and raw, plus had a mild headache. So din wanna sit through dinner with my friends having the migraine look.^^
ok, time to stop writing, my bro need his laptop. Closing tansmissions...
In His Time (^^ > ) a-jack
“ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. ”- 1 John 1:7
*wasted, should have just dragged him out. the weather was PERFECT for sleeping. Only hazard of doing that is you might end up being a lobster, like me...
** Boy Scouts' motto:" BE PREPARED
***worship song. reused songsheet from last week CG. No, i dunno any secular song that celebrate nature, except "Heal the world", "We are the World" and "Saltwater". Anyway, they are not appropriate for the occasion, and i can't sing them well anyway.
^ hahaha, this last friend to arrive very the cute. message another of my friend at 8am in the morn to tell him he will come later. then called us again at 11+ to ask us where are. then called us at 1pm to tell us he just stepped out of his house. 2 of my friends were peeved that he took so long - that they keep jibing him to take a cab down. To which this last friend say "dun want lah!" after that, my friends commented that this late friend is Patrick personified from "Spongebob SquarePants" the cartoon. Ever since, I can't remove the association from my head...
^^ something like "Blue steel" from Zoolander, but with more heartfelt raw pain, you know what i mean?
Beach photo from below site:
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
on my hours after the 1st 3 hours of official 1st day of unemployment...
ok, gonna write proper blog entry now, the "akan datang" part from the previous entry. After finishing uploading the blog entry, got a call from my brother. They were stuck in the downpour, and required umbrella express delivery. So had to leave house. Thank God the rain tapered down to a slight drizzle. As I was walking back home with them, I noticed the monsoon drain besides me was aflood with gushing waters. Been a long while since I seen the sight. I actually slowed down my walk and relived my childhood days of enjoying the rainy days beside the monsoon drain. Yea, nostalgia at my age, my brains must be turning to mush. But just an indescribable peace and joy arise from this experience. Dunno why leh, but I give thanks for that. Oh, and the OST from "Be with You" was running through my brains...
helped mama with some house-chores, then went to attack the Crabb-y book again. Chapter 3 is on Natural passions, while chapter 4 is on Supernatural passions. More furious highlighting ensued. Here are the more notable quotes I lifted from the book:
"The historic church taught that the chief end of people is to glorify God and enjoy him forever; the modern church too often teaches that the chief end of God is to gratify people."
"Neither indulgers nor conformists have a passion to know someone or something bigger than themselves. Nor do their lives have any purpose higher than self-preservation."
"We have to acknowledge that our hunger for God comes from him and will not be completely satisfied on this earth. The deepest pleasures of life don't satisfy - they point us forward. Until we attain unity with Christ in heaven, an inconsolable longing for more will remain in every human heart."
"We are given to excesses in opposite directions. Either we shy away from the supernatural, or we expect its manifestation on demand. Perhaps the balance lies in an eager openess to the Spirit's movement, an anticipation of his presence that listens for the sound of the blowing wind but never shakes the tree or get the leaves moving."
after that, ate my mum home-cooked bee-hoon. man, home-cooked food still taste the best, especially even more so when it's freshly made. Went to the regional library at Woodlands civic center after lunch. read some magazines and books - decided that I need to read other literature besides Christian one, to catch up with the worldly stuff.* Friend called up - he's on leave today. Went over to Causeway Point to meet him. Did catching up over Ya Kun kopi. Nice to just sit down and "la kopi", really. waited for another friend to come, before we hit the pool table for a relaxing session of verbal jabbing, people watching and crazy pool skills**. The sound system in the pool parlor was blasting away at an unbearable volume. Think I gonna ban playing at that same table for a while. And today my performance plainly sucks big time - din even do my usual "tyco" shots... "sigh" age is fast catching up
went for scrumptious waffle treat at Gelare after the pool session. Hey, it's Tuesday, might as well take advantage of the "1/2 price for waffle" promotion. More catching up, more "talking cock". Then came home for 2nd round of scrumptious fare. My mum made the fried tau-pok thingie. So glad I didn't have to lie - they were Japan-hour "oishhhiii-nnneeehhhh"! did the washing up after that (what to do, last one to have the meal at my household does all the washing up ) then decided to come online to break my MSN fast*** and update this blog again.
Hmm, think i better stop now... Sleep earlier tonight, tomolo gotta go to east coast park early to enjoy the cool refreshing morning sea breeze.
In His Time (^^ . ) a-jack
“ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ”- Isaiah 41:10
* yea, I was like reading on the latest computer gaming magazines, GQ and "DK Top 10 Fact books"...
** yea, you just never fail to see the strangest things or hear the weirdest comments in a pool parlor. Don't believe? Go into one and see for yourself... 
***You heard it right, i'm doing an MSN fast, cos it's good for my soul. Not doing a total fast, just during the day time. If you need to contact me urgently, it'll be easier via sms.
P.S. all the pics you see of the lush underwater scenery has been taken from my mentor's web-page. I better acknowledge him before he starts charging me $2.40 or $3.60 again ..
Monday, July 18, 2005
on my 1st 3 hours of official 1st day of unemployment...
How should Jack have spend his 1st morning in a more constructive manner?
dumb la, should just go back to sleep till past noon...
Do I care? "dig nose"
waaaa, so spiritual meh? real or not? Don't lie ah, wait 'kenah' struck by holy B.B.Q. leh...
Not doing enough! Should wake up at 4am, and start praying...
Great, brother. Keep the faith going. I'll be praying for you and with you.
dumb la, should just go back to sleep till past noon...
0
Do I care? "dig nose"
0
waaaa, so spiritual meh? real or not? Don't lie ah, wait 'kenah' struck by holy B.B.Q. leh...
0
Not doing enough! Should wake up at 4am, and start praying...
2
Great, brother. Keep the faith going. I'll be praying for you and with you.
1
ok, stream of consciousness style entry:
6.15am: "Seow ah", why wake up so early? can go back to sleep what? Body too used to waking up at this time. Woke up to wake up my sis, and to switch on electric kettle to boil water.
6.30am: Since I'm up, should I go jogging? but then sky so red, wind so big... anyway, what happen to "bible before breakfast" promise? Scan through 2 chapters of Proverbs; argh, why all the verses about fools I can identify with?? I so "jia - lat meh"?? Cannot take it ah... Read daily devotional, blur blur, read the Jun 17-20 entries thinking they were for this month. talks about impact others through life evangelism; spiritual adultery ( I GUILTY ); and surviving prosperity. sis finally woken up. chatted withe her a little, hear her grumble about NAFTA test. Chums, wake up call for me to go train for my IPPT?
6.50 am: Left house to go update my bank account passbooks. the song "Knowing You" kept repeating in my brains:
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own
All I once though gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now compared to this
Chorus:
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.
Updated my passbook. Argh, salary not in yet. Got to "eat air suck grass"* for a while. Ran all the way home cos started to pour like crazy...
7.20am: Reached home saw sis STILL has not left house yet. Dad woken up by noise in the pantry, then went to market to buy bread. Had my breakfast, and starting to read a book I have but never touched in the past. "Moving through your problems toward Finding God" by Larry Crabb. Din touch it in the past, cos' cover looked crappy,, title sounds crappy and the author's surname sounded like that too. ** But once i started reading, i can't stop...
8.30am: Mum woke up, reclaim her territory of the living room by watching the morning news on TV. So I have to relocate to her room and continue reading the book. Used the green highlighter a lot already - highlighting a lot of the passages. Got my memory verse of Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith, it is impossible to please God, and anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seeks him" (NIV)
Also studying about Enoch through the 2nd chapter of the book. The difference between living out your alloted years and walking with God.
9.30am: Dad went out to work. Mum left home with brother, saying she gonna make the "fried tau pok" thingie that she had learnt from TV. Praying that it'll turn out nice, so that I won't have to lie later but dun have to la, my mum got amazing knack for cooking. Nice to have the house to myself, so here I am writing on my blog about the 1st 3 hours of my jobless state.
ok, time to go back and hit the Crabb-y book again. More updates "akan datang"...
In His Time (^^ > ) a-jack
“ I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. ”- Psalm 119:7
* figuratively hor, dun want to start another crazy slimming fad...
** Lord, forgive me of making fun of other people's name. Mine's not fantastic either, i mean, i can't even sing, and my name is Kien Seng...
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