Christmas madness!!!

Whew! One down - 3 more to go!!! social events, I mean......
Just organised a steamboat party at my place on the 19th of Dec.....was truly a mad mad rush...finished my night float on Saturday morning...started shopping for ingredients.....woke up at 0700 hours on Sunday to get fresh seafood from West Coast Market...then it was zipping here and there to find a steamboat pot and collect my Christmas log cake from TCC @ Anchorpoint!!!!
Then, had to dash back home to start cooking the stock for the steamboat and cut, wash and prepare all the ingredients........
Finally, all that was left to do was to wait for the guests to come....I was a bit disappointed though....some people either didn't get back to me or promised to come and then just 'fong fei gei' at the last minute....and even those who came, were pretty lukewarm in their response and was just happy to stone in front of my TV watching ' Yes Man'!!!! Talk about being antisocial.....
The worst part - they came, they ate, they left......no one even bothered to offer to help clean up after everything!!! I was indignant to say the least! Hmmph!!! This will be the first and last time I invited anyone to my place for dinner......people from work I mean.......ungrateful bunch of people who always take me for granted!!!!
And then the whole night I was thinking about Mr X who didn't come....was a bit disappointed initially but then realised it was because he wanted to spend time with his sisters who came from overseas...valid reason I guess...then started dreaming about all sorts of weird and impossible stuff....
I still can't quite get my head, or rather my heart around the fact that he is a self- professed atheist....I just can't....but I guess it's not hard to imagine since my own dad is one himself!!!! It was just difficult to accept......and then today I had a little jostle of words with this atheist - I guess he was just upset with Christians at work who made a huge fuss about being on call on Christmas....and was saying that our religion does not call us to not work on festive seasons....and I agreed with him....its not a big deal to work on Christmas....our faith does not depend on celebrating these festivities anyway....but I am sure some Christians will stare at me like I am crazy!!! hahaha....plus he did mention that surely no religion will state that we should not heal on a festival day....which I also agree!!! He should read the Bible and realise how radical Jesus was as a religious person!!! ;)
Anyway, whether Mr X acknowledges it or now....he does hold many values as those that Jesus exhorts us to do....so mebbe, just mebbe, he isn't that far off from embracing the truth and the light!!!

Shocked and disappointed......

He said, ' Aiyah! Why you so religious wan?!? No need to be so religious wan! I'm an atheist! '

Me: ' Huh?!? We are just going for dinner and a lil acapella concert after that! How is that 'religious'???? We just like to hang out with each other....'

That was the conversation I had with Mr X today. He was a guy that I had coffees with the entire of last month .....and also that late dinner one friday night...which lasted into the wee hours of the morning!!!!

I fancied him - to say the least. And 2 of my close buddies have kinda approved after seeing his picture on FB. But.....these friends aren't Christian....so I always take their advice/ approval with a pince of salt....I dun really expect them to understand the whole 'unequally yoked' business anyway.....Help me!

But today's confrontation was a bit of a shock....unexpected and disappointing....I had expected him to respect my religion...to support me....but instead of that, he ridiculed it....and exalted his position of being atheist......Why?!?

I really wanted to say to him :

- You don't know what you are missing in life
- You just don't get it do you?
- What's the point of wanting to do volunteer work with Unicef/ MSF/ etc if whatever that you do doesn't have a lasting impact after you leave???

Just because I don't share his atheist view...just because I did not want to spend time with his friends....just because of all these small lil' things, he ridiculed my faith......I was angry....fuming mad actually......but what can I do???

I can only pray that he will open his heart to Jesus...that the Holy Spirit will do a work in his life that no human being can....that the Holy Spirit will open his spiritual eyes to see his own humane-ness, lostness and blindness.....and that someday, he will accept Jesus as his own personal Lord and saviour.......

Until then, I have decided to stay away from him for a while.....to take a breather and re-evaluate my life and re-examine my heart....to understand why the Bible says -Do not be unequally yoked! .... and to ask the Holy Spirit to guard my heart and mind always......

Lord, I need You to give me the strength to walk away...the faith to trust You for the best life partner that you have prepared for me....and the peace that this will come to pass in Your time, not mine.....

The Recipe for Peace

The Recipe for Peace
How God can provide calm when busyness and stress threaten to take over
Teresa Turner Vining


My husband and I had just returned home from a hectic shopping trip. As Erik pulled into the driveway, switching off the engine, we were suddenly surrounded by the silence of the night. We sat in the darkness, reluctant to give up the first quiet moment we'd experienced that entire day. I sighed, tired from the day's activities and the thoughts of the responsibilities tomorrow already held.

A question formed on my lips, but I hesitated to speak it aloud. It was a question that had been increasingly occupying my mind, but it didn't seem like one a "good" Christian should ask.

"Where's the peace?" I finally whispered. Erik glanced quizzically in my direction. "I mean, is this all there is to the Christian life?" I continued. "Doesn't the Bible promise something about 'peace that transcends all understanding?'" Erik didn't reply.

This question continued to haunt me long after that evening. Worn down by each day's responsibilities and worries, I longed to be enveloped in the "peace of God"—that deep serenity of soul where calm and joy grow. But I had to admit, in the many years I'd been a Christian, I couldn't say that peace had characterized my life. Was this "peace" the Bible spoke of just some cold, distant theological doctrine, or something I could actually experience now?

Several days later, I read Philippians 4:4-7. I was surprised to notice for the first time that this passage that speaks of the "peace of God" also states clearly how to obtain it: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. … Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (italics added).

While I was familiar with these concepts, I had to be honest—I wasn't actually practicing them. Did I really rejoice in the Lord always? Was my life characterized by gentleness? What about being anxious? Wasn't I the one who lay awake at night worrying about how I was going to get everything done the next day? Was it really possible for a person to live as the Scripture described? Since my heart longed for peace, I decided to test this "recipe" to see what would happen.

During the next few weeks, I was amazed at the impact those verses had on my life. As I tried to obey the commands of Philippians 4, I experienced a calm that transformed my perspective and gave me new vitality. To help remember these steps to peace, I created the acronym TLC.

T—Thank God in everything.
"Rejoicing always" means being grateful to God—no matter what. We must choose to believe God's good, and choose to rejoice in that goodness.

When I began attempting this, the best I could muster was remembering to at least be thankful for the "good" things. I started building a habit of saying two-second "thanks prayers" throughout the day. "Thanks for the cool breeze." "Thanks for that encouraging call from a friend." As I practiced this, I began to see more for which to be thankful.

This finally led to my being able to give thanks for those difficult things in my life—something I hadn't been able to do before. That forced me to acknowledge that no matter how bad things look, God would work all things together for good just as he promises (Romans 8:28).

I remember one night in particular, when God gave me an opportunity to test thanking him in all things. I was facing an impossible work deadline, and home responsibilities kept piling up. Every night I crawled into bed exhausted, trying to figure out how to squeeze just a little more into each day.

At 2 a.m., I heard my 10-month-old son's cry. When Zephan awoke in the night, it always meant the same thing—another ear infection. "No!" I protested. "This can't happen—not now."

I felt guilty for selfishly thinking of how this inconvenienced me, when I should have been thinking of my son. But that didn't change the facts: Zephan wouldn't be able to go to the babysitter's for the rest of the week. I might as well kiss good-bye the thought of sleeping for the next several nights. I had no idea how I'd get my project done.

Rocking Zephan in his room, I felt my emotions rage. How could this happen? Didn't God realize this was the absolute worst time? Then I remembered the thanksgiving command. It took me some time to find the words, but as I stroked Zephan's feverish face and consciously decided to be thankful for being able to care for him, the room around me seemed to become a sanctuary. I felt the comforting presence of God's peace allowing me to actually savor this moment.

L—Love those around you.
The second command in Philippians 4 is to "let your gentleness be evident to all." When I first read this, I wondered, What does this have to do with personal peace? But when I attempted this step, I was surprised by its power.

Concentrating on showing gentleness to those with whom I came into contact cast my life in a new light. It took my focus from myself and put it on others. And it kept me relying on God, because loving responses invariably didn't come naturally—especially when I was running late with a hungry one year old who was trying to eat through the yo-gurt containers in my shopping cart, while the slowest clerk in history made mistake after mistake in ringing up the groceries. Let your gentleness be evident to all. … Let your gentleness be evident …

One day my sister and I had an argument, and I felt certain I was right. However, even as I silently rehearsed a sharp rebuttal, God reminded me of this principle. How can I show gentleness in this situation? I wondered. The answer to this question totally changed my response to her and brought an inner peace that was now becoming more familiar to me.

Allowing God's love to flow through us gives us joy and purpose despite our circumstances. And these first two steps work together. When we get the first step down—having an attitude of thankfulness—it's much easier for us to react to others in love.

C—Commit worries to God.
We've all heard we shouldn't worry. Often my silent response to this concept is something similar to a teenager's remark, Yeah, right! Worrying seems to come as naturally to the human race as getting the hiccups—and about as difficult to cure.

But, fortunately, God's Word doesn't just tell us not to worry. It gives us practical instruction on how not to worry. "Do not be anxious about anything," it says, "but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I found I struggled with just deciding not to worry. But at least I could decide to pray—especially when this verse tells me exactly how—with thanksgiving.

When I was pregnant with Zephan, my physician told us our baby might have a mentally debilitating disease. Although he assured us this was just a possibility, I was heartsick. All my dreams for my child's future seemed to hang in jeopardy, and I had trouble concentrating on anything else. But I needed to commit this worry to God.

Doing that, I found, was a process, not a quick fix. But as I progressed in the process, true to God's Word, I felt an un-explainable peace. I wasn't sure God would spare our baby, but I became increasingly convinced that even if he didn't, he'd use the circumstance for good. A few months later, Zephan was born without any health problems.

Of course, the only thing that makes all these steps possible is being convinced of our heavenly Father's tender loving care. We can only be thankful in everything because we know he loves us. We can only truly love because he's shown us his unconditional love. And we can only commit our cares to him because we know he tenderly cares for us in every detail of our lives.

Some time after taking on the challenge of Philippians 4, I was traveling to help someone move when it suddenly struck me what a difference this Scripture passage had made in my life. I was still busy. I still had family, work, and church responsibilities. But somehow life was different—I was different. While it's happened subtly, I know now how it feels to be enveloped in God's peace—and I thank him for it.

Teresa Turner Vining, a freelance writer and speaker, lives in the Kansas City area.

I'm forever grateful....

Whew!!! What a relief!!!!

That was the thought in my mind on the 20th of November 2010 at 0100 hours....I was frantically checking my results online every 5 minutes whilst being on call and in between clerking patients......the stress and frenzy of it all was almost too much to bear....people were asking me already how I did....but the results were not out yet!!!!!

Then , at 1AM, I clicked again on the button and there it was!!!!

PASS!!!!

Thank You Lord! I really really am grateful!!!!

Looking back, it is not about how smart I am or how many patients I have seen ( I did that during my 1st preparation and I did not make it!)....this time round, I saw minimal patients and trusted God for His loving goodness, so that at the end of the day, I can not say that it was my own might or strength....but that it was by the grace of God!!!!!

What can I say at the end of the day???

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME ; and ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!!!!

Amen to that!!!

Am still in shock and disbelieve, but I am convinced that He cares more than I will ever know or comprehend!

Thank you Lord once again!

As the stress sets in for the last part of this race...

19th October 2010

D-Day ......as the date looms nearer and nearer....for some strange reason, I don't feel as scared or stressed as I did for my 1st attempt for this MRCP PACES exam......It's probably thanks to everyone out there who is praying for me...praying for victory.....

Was reading the Daily Bread Devotions today and this verse struck a chord in my heart:

" I will go before you and level the mountain;
I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron."

- Isaiah 45: 2

Indeed, He goes before me and prepares the way....I only need to trust in His goodness and plans for me. Amen!

The Single Life

The Single Life: Your Mission (If You Choose to Accept It) - Susan Ellingburg

So maybe a missions trip is out this year, or maybe you've been there, done that. Maybe you, like many singles, have, um ... commitment issues ... so you don't want to sign up for a shift in the children's ministry.

Maybe you already helped build a house for a needy family, served meals at the mission, and you're not the street corner evangelism type. So what kind of "missions" work is left for you to do?

Plenty.

Look, I'm not trying to take you on a guilt trip—I promise! I'd just like to point out that missions opportunities don't always come wrapped in trips to a foreign territories or as part of organized events. There are any number of things you can do on an as-needed (or "as you can") basis. No passport or special skills required, just an open heart and a willing spirit.

For today's discussion, I've divided these opportunities into three types.
Hands On - these are face-to-face activities that require some interpersonal interaction.
Hands Off - these are 'once removed' kind of activities that may require interaction, but from a distance
Sleight of Hand -these are mission projects done "secret agent style" where no one knows it was you (except you and God, of course).
Let's begin with the ones most people find the scariest, shall we?

"Hands On" Missions
First on the list, that staple of church work everywhere, visiting shut-ins. You don't have to drop in unannounced only to sit there making awkward conversation with someone you don't know. Call ahead. Offer to bring a meal, then share it with them. Ask if they have anything you can do around the house or take a game to play. If your shut-in is elderly, ask them to tell you about their life. You may make a new friend and learn something in the process.
Then there's the flip side of shut-ins: caretaker relief. I know single moms whose dearest wish is just to go grocery shopping without their kids. Caring for aging parents can be exhausting; a few hours away can give the caretaker/child the strength to go on another day.
What about putting in a few hours at a local charity? Maybe they need their storeroom organized or help stuffing envelopes or something. It can't hurt to call and ask.
Of course, there's always good old-fashioned neighborliness. If you know someone who, for whatever reason, doesn't have the time or money to deal with their yard, offer to mow the grass or trim the hedges. Drop off a (disposable) plate of cookies with a friendly note. Stop and say "Hi" when you see them in the yard. Does that qualify as "missions" work? Darn tootin'.

"Hands Off" Missions

This kind of thing is a little less frightening for the shy among us and can be a fun outlet for creative types. This category covers things like:
Sending a note or a card to someone. Could be someone you know, could be someone you've always admired, could be a random soldier ... never underestimate the power of written encouragement.
Take reading material, games, or movies to shelters, nursing homes, or places like Ronald McDonald Houses.
Many local hospitals need donated baby items for mothers who don't have basic necessities. If you're crafty, you could even make a blanket or outfit for a newborn in need.
Nursing home activity directors always need birthday cards, anniversary cards, thinking of you cards, etc. You don't even have to know any elderly people, just get creative with paper and glue (or pick up a few boxes at the store), then drop them by a local nursing home. The activities director will be thrilled.

"Sleight of Hand" Missions

I've done missions/giving of all kinds and my experience has been that the secret method is by far the most fun. Doing good anonymously is a kick! When you can only giggle about your good deed with God, it becomes something personal between the two of you. It also decreases the occasional awkwardness that happens when one party feels beholden to another.

Anonymous gifts tend to be of the monetary kind, but may not be your only option. Still, I'd like to share a few ideas for sharing the wealth (or sacrificial giving, depending on the current state of your bank account) to several types of needy souls:
Anyone: Cash is always good. You never know what bill may be going unpaid. Alternatively, you could pay someone's electric bill one month, slide a grocery store gift card into purse or pocket, or make arrangements to pay for an oil change. (Car maintenance can go out the window when money is tight.)
Job Seeker: Gift certificate for dry cleaner, nail salon, shoe shine stand, or barber shop. Help them dress for success and they'll feel more confident at that next interview.
Financially-Challenged Family: Gift card to cover movie tickets (don't forget the popcorn!) for the family. When money is really tight, the chance to feel "normal" even for a few hours goes a long way. Or send them dinner fixings (this can be a little tricky to pull off in stealth mode, but you'll find a way).
Suffering Single: A restaurant gift card to a spot frequented by the singles group will allow them to take part in after-church fellowship without wondering if anyone will notice they only had water along with the free chips and salsa.
These are just some ideas to get you started: You'll think of more, I know you will. And when you do, why don't you share them in the comments section below this article? One of those ideas may be just what someone else is looking for.
Finally—and this is important—once you give a gift, let it go. You no longer have any claim on it, so you have no say in how it's used. It's possible the recipient won't react the way you wanted or do what you expected with your gift. That's OK. Just remember, you don't know the whole story. As they say at the end of each Iron Chef battle, "Put it down and walk away." And be happy in the knowledge that when you've done something even for "the least of these" you've done it for the Lord.



Susan Ellingburg is a natural-born Texan who sings at every opportunity, reads as much as possible, and cherishes every day she gets to spend with friends. She's a serious foodie and not-so-serious gardener who is determined not to let being single stand in the way of living an amazing life. Read Susan's blog at TastingGod.wordpress.com.

**This column first published on September 16, 2010.

FAITH DECLARATION @ Grace AOG, 12th September 2010

This is the faith declaration at church today.....

No matter what I face, I declare:

I am a victor and not a victim.
God is a God of justice.
God is shaping me into Christlikeness.
The pains of the past and present will turn to the glory of God.

I defeat Satan's discouragement.
I count my blessings and know that God has never forsaken me.
I stand on the promises of God and His unconditional love for me.
I know Jesus will not leave me nor forsake me. He is in my heart.
I know the Holy Spirit is more powerful than every satanic spirit.

I am a vehicle of blessing.
God doesn't waste my hurts. Just as Christ was wounded for our sins,
God uses 'wounded healers' to touch lives. He will use me.
God rejoices over me with singing and dancing.
I am Christ's ambassador, even to a hostile situation.
I am forgiven and have eternal life. I have Christ in my heart.

I have a steadfast hope.
It is not wishful thinking.
It is in a God of justice.
It is in a miracle working God.
It is in a victorious Saviour who conquered death.

I declare: God will be glorified.
God has won, and Satan has lost!

Wow!!! That's powerful writing from Ps David!!!!