My God & Godson Warm My Heart

Woke up at 9am with a heavy head..don't know what has happened to me recently. Has been having this headache for past 2 weeks :(
Whispered a prayer to my Healer & almost instantly the heavy head felt lighter & "floating". TQ God for healing me. You are the greatest physician! Best!

Brought Gab to KK & Stef's church reception (Stef, you are super cheo!), then met Jerel & Shiyun for their wedding prep. Today was a wedding day for me & Gab. Amazingly, Gab can really tong with the betrayal of his red eyes & listless look. One touching thing he did was while on the way to Toa Payoh for his Thomas & Friends, he told me to drive carefully when he saw me yawning in the car. Then he asked me "Godma, are you very tired? We go TP for awhile then go home then you can go back & rest." What a sweet boy! Haha..somehow my tiredness was swept away by his gestures.

At the age of 4+, he has melted someone's heart..truly how powerful is 1 Tim 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Gab, godma loves you!

L.O.V.E.

As i was preparing for the Meeting God's lesson on "God is Love", i was overwhelmed by the degree & dispensity of God's love to me despite of my shortcomings & weaknesses. I can only say:

TQ God for sending your son,
TQ Jesus for giving your life &
TQ Spirit for saving my soul

I have read couple of love quotes & saw these 10 favourites.

They are pretty cool, so check this out!

Favorite Love Quotes #1
Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Franklin P. Jones

Favorite Love Quotes #2
At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.
Plato

Favorite Love Quotes #3
Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost

Favorite Love Quotes #4
If you have it [Love], you don't need to have anything else, & if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have.
Sir James M. Barrie

Favorite Love Quotes #5
Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
Henry Louis Mencken

Favorite Love Quotes #6
Love is a friendship set to music.
E. Joseph Cossman

Favorite Love Quotes #7
True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.
Erich Segal

Favorite Love Quotes #8
Love is a canvas furnished by Nature & embroidered by imagination.
Voltaire

Favorite Love Quotes #9
They do not love that do not show their love. The course of true love never did run smooth. Love is a familiar. Love is a devil. There is no evil angel but Love.
William Shakespeare

Favorite Love Quotes #10
Like the measles, love is most dangerous when it comes late in life.
Lord Byron


Cool quotes right?
Finally, i summarise with Barbara De Angelis's sayings
"Love is a choice you make from moment to moment."
"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver."

The love of God transcends all, so swim & spa in it:)

How about Being a Snail?

In line with what i had shared about bull & bear yesterday, now is the snail's turn! I was watching the News last night & as usual the newscaster was rattling on the world events. Then suddenly..there was a report on this Snail Competition that captured my attention. Usually we will hear on different kinds of competition, but NOT SNAIL COMPETITION.

Haha..i was amused & amazed simply because it is an unusual competition watching snails competing with each other to cross the finish line, when they are super duper slow. To think you have to watch them patiently, even the tortorises can crawl faster than them. Interestingly, have you seen snails get themselves entangled? YES! It's ENTANGLED. Don't be shocked because i literally saw 2-3 snails entangled with each other & it is really comical.

Some interesting facts on snails:

1. The largest land snail ever found is 38.1cm long & weighs 0.91kg
2. Some snails have been known to live up to 15 years
3. Snails are hermaphrodites which means that they have both male & female reproductive organs
4. Snails usually travel on irregular paths, often traveling in a circle
5. Snails reply mainly on their sense of touch & smell when finding food because they have very poor eyesight
6. Snails cannot hear
7. Because of the suction created by their slime, a snail can crawl upside down
8. The fastest snails are the speckled garden snails which can move up to 0.05km per hour
9. Garden snails hibernate during the winter & live on their stored fat
10. Garden snails breathe with lungs

Wah..no wonder it takes ages for them to complete a race. To contextualize this,

Are you someone who has been travelling on irregular paths & in a circle? You need to refocus & realign yourself back to God, as he will direct you & make your path straight. Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him & he shall direct your path straight. You do not need to run in circles anymore, but run forward to pursue what God has in store for you ahead.

Are you someone who has poor eyesight & cannot hear properly? You need to be watchful lest you fall into temptation. You need to hear what the Spirit says lest you miss the Rhema & Will of God. Pray this: "Open my eyes Lord, I want to see Jesus. To reach out & touch Him & say that I love Him. Open my ears Lord, & help me to listen. Open my eyes Lord, I want to see Jesus."

Don't be a snail in your walk with God.

p.s. Please please please! Don't torture the poor snails but appreciate them as the beautiful creation of God.

Are You A Bull Or A Bear?

I was reading the financial papers, then came across terms like bearish, bullish markets. Wow..it is amazing how God can even use these to teach me some valuable truths, so i decided to pen it down & share with you. Are you a bull or a bear?

A BULL MARKET
A bull market is characterised by enthusiastic & sustained buying, where the buyers will bid in competition with each other to produce a rising market.
Someone who is optimistic about the market & interest rates
Someone who sees share prices rising & interest rates falling
Someone who reinforces those trends with activities
A bull attacks its opponents by thrusting its horn up into the air
When the trend is up, it is a bull market!

To personalize this, a bull speaks of optismism, confidence, improvement & valuability.

A BEAR MARKET
A bear market is characterised by sustained fall in prices & it does not look like recovering quickly, where the sellers undercutting each other with lower offers to produce a falling market.
Someone who believes prices are heading down or interest rates heading up
Someone who claws the prices down
A bear attacks its opponents by pounding its claws down on the ground
When the trend is down, it is a bear market!

To personalize this, a bear speaks of pessimism, lack of confidence, deterioriation & valueless.

At times, you can be a bull or a bear.
You are a bull when your life is smooth & peaceful. You are then a bear when your life is packed with tons of problems.
Is it possible to be a bull throughout the crosses of life? YES! It is possible because we have God.
To become a full-fledged bull, many times we have to become bears first. During the bearing process, our characters, perspectives & experiences will be deepened + enriched to help us in becoming bulls.

You can be a bull by becoming a bear first. Agree?

Take It All

Really enjoyed the last 2 videos that are uploaded by "upendy".
Besides "I M Yours", gonna load this video "Take It All" reminding us to give ourselves completely to God.

In the midst of preparing for the coming India missions trip, God reminded me again to let Him take control. Don't use my own wisdom in preparing the teaching materials, but pray for His wisdom & creativity. I just do my part & He will do the rest. It works! Now i have finished two modules & one more module to go. Hip hip hooray :) TQ for your promise!

I M Yours

When i first heard this song quite some time ago, once again i was assured & comforted to know that i am God's precious child. Nothing & no one can rob away this bond between my Daddy & me (you). Hold on to the promise that you belong to Jesus, Who calls you out of darkness into his marvellous light. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, so be assured & comforted that YOU ARE HIS PRECIOUS & HE IS YOUR GOD.

Mighty to Save

I always enjoy watching cartoons & graphic animation. A cool idea to worship God with this powerful song + watch its animation.

Saviour, He can move the mountains. My God, He is mighty to save. Forever, Author of salvation. My God, He is truly mighty to save. Enjoy! Please worship God too :)

Blogger in Action

Changed my blog template.
Changed my profile.
With "Christian" backdrop.
With nicer layout & presentation.
Learn how to use certain functions thru the guidance of a wonderful angel..(ah ning)
Now i am ready for action to blog again with a new look, new style, new format. Stay with me folks!

It was a day lined up with appointments..from follow up, lunch, hospital visitation to praying together, even at dinner. Yet i enjoyed the proess because i like to meet people, not staying in the offce & stuck in front of the one-eye monster. I love what i am doing now, because it is somehow balanced where i could relate to people & do administrative things. Pray for me that God will use me as his mouthpiece to bless & serve others. I want my remaining days of 2008 to be a year of meeting needs & blessing lives.

Wow..Lem is leaving for Aust soon & i didn't even have a chance to meet up with him, not even seeing him at the Youth service. Haha..anyway bro i believe you already have a great time here, not just spiritually but physically too :) LOL go back Aust must train already & please lor..eat lesser..LOL i think you will because the food here is more enticing & yummy. Bless you bro!
Erm..i also wanna thank people like Sheng, Jonathan, Ant & Brian, who have brightened the office with those laughters & lame jokes. i enjoy chatting with you guys & i feel younger too..LOL! Though Jonathan has left for MOE, Sheng & Ant back to school soon & Brian for army, you have coloured my working days for the last 2 months. TQ bros!

Learn to appreciate one another & don't take each other for granted.
Treasure the times together.
Laugh when one is happy (a merry heart does you good like a medicine:)
Cry when one is sad (lend a shoulder to cry on:(
Pray when one is needed (carry the burden :)

Artistic God

I love to see interesting stuff and i happened to come across this website (http://martin.ice.org/Beautiful_Things/) ..Thanks for uploading such beautiful pictures! Appreciate!

Some have really weird names..Check this out!

1st pic: "Beefsteak Plant"
2nd pic: "Prayer Plant"


3rd pic: "Aluminium Plant"
4th pic: "Butterfly Bush"


5th pic: "Red Hot Poker"
6th pic: "Wax Plant Flower"


:) These are beautiful & unique creations of God. He is indeed creative, artistic & incredible! Look around & appreciate the beauty of nature.
You will be amazed at the awesomeness of our God, with the right colours & right shapes matching to His masterpieces :)

TQ God!

My Favourite Country

My favourite country is Switzerland.

I was there with my parents in 2001 & i fell in love with this beautiful land.
The peaceful & scenic places..
The friendly & courteous people..
The cooling & nice weather..

Share with you some pictures. I want to go back again..LOL!

Anyone keen?

UNBELIEVABLE

I was reading this powerful testimony & it really blessed my heart.
One of my favourite authors, Rick Warren, whose wife has contracted with cancer. Yet he is not defeated but trust in His purposeful God. Unbelievable faith!

Look at what he said "When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God,if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we are called human beings, not human doings." Unbelievable hope!

Unbelievable quotations:
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

Many times we think our problems are overwhelming, we forget He is our problem-solver. In fact, many people out there are going thru even worse times than us.
Catch the spirit of Rick Warren - The unbelievable trust & unshakable faith in GOD!

F.I.X.

Woke up on this gorgeous Sunday morning at 6.45am..
Another week again..

Wow time travels so fast that i still reminscenced what i did last Sunday..
Anyway, did the usual routine stuff of getting yourself ready for church.. Haha..what if one day i walk into the church with my pajamas, hair messy with eyes half-open. How can it be right? Haha..better don't say too quick..who knows it MIGHT HAPPEN leh!

From services to CET to SR meeting to making funeral arrangement & finally back home, i was reminded what the speaker mentioned about engaging ourselves in programs & committees, yet losing sight of Jesus. Once we are distracted, we lose the sense of purpose that God has appointed us to do.
It's not the program.
It's not the committee.
It's fixing your eyes on Jesus.

Friends, don't waver though the waters may be rough.
Stay focus and fix your eyes on J.E.S.U.S.

p.s. TQ kids & Kel's beloved cell members for making my day (you know who you are:)

Elaine, You Really Blog?

Today, this is the question that was posted to me by a couple of people, where they were quite amazed that i blog. If you have been reading my blog, you should remember my 1st blog's title was "Elaine Chua Made History - She Blogs!"

I believe in the power of words & people of this generation express themselves in different ways. One effective way is blogging. You can read the blogger's thoughts, ideas, passion, experiences & struggles. It enlarges your capacity to understand the person better & then connect to him or her easily. It also creates avenues for encouragement, sharing of thoughts & ideas, frustration & relationship building. Hey, if you happen to read this, start blogging & it is fun (oops..i hope so:)

Do you think i am the first pastor to blog?
Haha..maybe i made history again.
ELAINE CHUA MADE HISTORY AGAIN..SHE BLOGS!

BIG NEWS

Hooray..PETROL PRICE DROPS BY 4 CENTS PER LITRE!

1st reaction: shocked
2nd reaction: unbelievable
3rd reaction: faster cheong to pump petrol tomorrow :)

Just imagine:
Many drivers are surprised by the drop of price because it has been climbing up for couple of months & therefore find it hard to accept the reality. Many have been paying steep prices under their noses with the increasing rates of ERP and gantries. Well, drivers..just be kiasu this time round. GO & PUMP PETROL BY TOMORROW BEFORE THE PRICE GOES UP AGAIN!

What kind of BIG NEWS do we expect for the next 5 months plus?
Increment in pay? Extra bonuses? Beijing Olympics? More weddings? Or me getting attached?

Nah..for the Bethelites, the BIG NEWS is EXPECT FOR CHANGES because we are the change agents & we can maximise the potential God has given to us. We may not know what will happen, but we know God will orchestra the changes because He is the Conductor & we are the players.
Remember: God also keeps a calendar for Bethel & He will make all things beautiful in His time including the changes.

Jiayou, change agents!

The Power of Language

Language is a powerful tool of expression, communication & connection.

Expression in terms of verbalising what you want to say to the other party in his or her own particular language.

Communication in terms of speaking sense to the other party without scratching each other's head over what has been spoken.

Connection in terms of building common understanding and breaking barriers between one another.

This whole month of interpretation at the TPM is a definite challenge because i have not been doing it for past 1 year & most of the time i have been using English as the medium of communication around me.

(haha..of cos mandarin is still part of my communication tool with friends..though i must tell you it's whole lot of difference when you are up there on the stage INTERPRETING. LOL)

With fear & trembling, i picked up the mic, stretched my big ears (make sure i dig my ears the day before), opened my golden voice (did i sound sweet?) & let it all out. Haha..this reminded of the scene when Moses said "LET MY PEOPLE GO", i felt like "LET MY WORDS FLOW". That was literally my prayer! Of cos, the Holy Spirit never fails & He just gave me the very words in my mind to interpret in faith, though there were times of stammering & err..ing!

Two things i had learnt:

1. I will bless the Lord at all times with the language (mandarin) on my lips, so that people can connect without barriers.


2. I will depend on the Lord for anointing & revelation, so that i can communicate & express with the language on my lips.

I am still trusting God in this aspect as i have 2 more weeks of interpretation. Haha..well another 2 more weeks of fear & trembling..& 2 more weeks of "suffering" under my "sweet" voice (super thick skin hor? well..bear with it. You have no choice. Oops LOL)

Be a Busybody

After last week's episode of "stress", busyness & deadlines, this week seems to be quieter. Haha..somehow i think i am more productive during those bbbuussssyyy moments..contradicting hor? On one hand, complaining so stress so stress, on the other hand, feeling so "free" so "relaxing". Haiz...

I enjoy reading & pondering over the provoking issues raised up in the 40-days prayer booklet.
"How many of us shy away from situations when we need to be busybodies?"
"Do we stand for people who have suffered racial discrimination, verbal abuse, sexual harrassment or unfair treatments?"
"Have we become the 'mind-your-own-business' generation?"

Wow, seriously these questions pound on me real hard.
"Busybody" with a noble cause! Reminded me of Mother Theresa, who has penetrated through race, language, barrier, poverty, suffering & illness, to demonstrate the love of God. I may not be as noble as Mother Theresa, but i can do my part in my small world.

Gabriel In Worship

This video was taken at one of the church camp services in 2006.

Inspiring & amazing to see at the age of 2, this boy has imitated the art of worship by watching his daddy, mummy, uncles, aunties, gor gor & jie jie worshipping God.

No matter what age, gender, size, personality & differences, EVERYONE can worship! What counts is YOUR CHOICE TO WORSHIP & THE FOCUS OF WORSHIP.

T.H.A.N.K.S.

Wow..Woke up with packets of dreams again..

With sufficient sleep, refreshing bath & proper attire, I am ready to start the day for He makes everything beautiful in His time.

Car engine warming up..2 passengers waiting..all geared to go church & worship the Lord at the early hours of Sunday morning. Haha..but WAIT..we went to feed our stomach first before it could become very "nasty" & start to sing in the middle of the service.


Cool!
Elaine Chua is ready to PREACH man..walking up to Canaan Centre..heading into Room 6A..
(nah..deep inside of me scared, nervous, 'butterfly' effect:)
At the end of preaching, what can i say? HE IS EXALTED & I AM JUST HIS MOUTHPIECE. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SOLID!

T.H.A.N.K.S to our God with

A heart of gratitude

• Because God bestowed me with wisdom & authority in preaching at Eng Svc 1.
• Because God anointed me with creativity & clarity in teaching the Book of Acts L1.
• Because God healed me of this persistent headache since Fri.

A heart of appreciation

• Because God blesses me with wonderful people in my life & ministry.
• Because God knows when and how to supply my needs.

A heart of worship

• Because God deserves the highest praise & honour.
• Because God uses me to pray for 2 sisters at the altar call & give a word to a brother.
• Because God walks with me whenever i go through tears and joy.

How true it is when Jim Elliot said "He who is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." My friends, render your service to the Lord. Build on people & values that last because you will store heavenly treasures that will never rot.

PROVOKING

Some provoking questions for consideration:

Abstracted from the 40-days season prayer booklet

The great buffet

Have we reduced Christianity to a great buffet & ourselves, the self-serving customers? Do we pick & choose whatever we fancy from the Word & skip the parts we don't like?

The great trap

Are we merely going thru the motions of church, cell group, community outreach, conference & so forth, running hither & tither, just for show, just to stay in line & appear involved, but our hearts aren't really in it anymore?

The great farce

Are we hot heads & cold hearts? Are we in the crisis of inconsistency, sheer hypocrisy or spiritual schizophrenia? Are we promoting & pleasing ourselves rather than God?

The great reality

Are we working on our salvation, not as a ticket to heaven but as a force for personal & community transformation?

The great promise

1. Remove the yoke from among you
2. Stop pointing the finger & speaking evil
3. Feed the hungry, satisfy the afflicted

THEN

1. Your lives will glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
2. The Lord will guide you continually & satisfy your needs in parched places.
3. You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.
4. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

Friends, ask the Lord to help you prioritise your time, energy & resources for the benefit of the distressed poor. Ask for eyes to discern felt needs. Beyond words, ACT! Go, MEET THAT NEED.

Stressful Wed Gleeful Thurs

Wow..SUPER STRESSSSSSSEEEEEDDDDD!
Facing tons of work to complete within this week is really...(don't know what word to describe). HELP ME GOD!
With only God's grace & strength, i guess doing one by one will be the best.
Let me share with you the work LOAD:

• Task 1: Complete Meeting God L5 (deadline: Thurs)
• Task 2: Complete Sermon (deadline: Fri)
• Task 3: Complete Book of Acts L1 & L2 (deadline: Fri)
• Task 4: Prepare for CLT (deadline: Thurs)
• Task 5: Finish Regional Monthly Report (deadline: Fri)

Crazy right? How to finish? i think my blood pressure has gone up to don't know what level, then my eyes are as dark as the panda bear (maybe i will win the title of "darkest eye bags" award). Really cannot make it leh..jialat man! HOWEVER, the magic key is TO PRAY & ASK GOD FOR WISDOM IN COMPLETING THE ABOVE TASKS!

He proves to be faithful. These are the testimonies:

• Task 1's date of completion: Tues
• Task 2's date of completion: Thurs
• Task 3's date of completion: believe that God can help me finish by Fri
• Task 4's date of completion: Wed
• Task 5's date of completion: Wed

Definitely it is not me, but my faithful and wonderful God who has & will never fail me when i am in trouble. He is my tower of refuge whom i can run to & find shelter (same for you too :) It has been a victorious week, though it is just Thursday. My heart already leaped with joy when i experienced His tenderness & support in the midst of stresses & heavy workloads.

My friends, whenever you face any situation, CALL UPON HIS NAME & HE WILL ANSWER YOU. Rest assured that He will not fail you because HE IS GOD.

What Happened on Monday?

Something happened on Monday!

Guess what..the 3 musketeers {mejacpaul) drove up to malacca for a day trip. Doing something out of the norm & LOL out of the country. Besides chonging without stopping from sin-mal, we were busy eating, shopping, visiting historical sites like a-farmosa, st paul's church & taking pictures by our one & only photographer (guess who?).

After the chicken rice ball meal, the small episode of finding our way back to the highway ended our exploration trip. What did i gain? hmm..hmm..hmm..

• know ms jac and mr paul better (wanna know their secrets? hehe..shhh..cannot say :)
• recall my long-lost knowledge on the history of malacca (used to study this in secondary school days..wow..that is like long time ago..oops..don't say too much else reveal my age :)
• gain some weights? (haha..i hope not..must weigh liao :)

When we were on the highway back to sin, the surrounding was SUPER dark especially when we looked behind. The only lights came from the big trucks & the fast-racing cars including ours. With the car lights in front, we just sped forward.

1 spiritual lesson:

• as long as you keep focusing on the front view with the light in your hand, you still can move forward with the light shining in the midst of even the SUPER dark surroundings.

2 scriptures:

• Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise Your Father in heaven
• Phil 3:13b Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead

Don know when will be our next outdoor trip again..but anyway i have enjoyed myself..thanks paul & jac for being part of this lovely memory & chapter of my life.