Rays of enlightenment

The last few days have been encouraging for me.

For despite the difficult situation and circumstances around, finally i could regain what seemingly my lost in first place. That’s my initial simple childlike faith and fervent zealous straight-forward passion and love for Jesus. There are many of my former self which eroded simply by the many hardships came along lately. And took several days to resolve back to the simple passionate young man i’m used to be.

And began to thank God for all the precious gifts around the dark situation. For wonderful auntie who’s looking after mum. For wonderful friends who help in any ways they can for the recovery of mum. And for the many prayers answered that each day and especially yesterday there’s great progress to mum’s recovery. For finally she could move her thumb… Praise God.

To the simple questioned asked on me the nite before…”Do you believe God can heal your mum?” With my whole heart, Yes, i do believe that. And more than all these things, i was reminded of the beauty and necessity of ‘process’. That through all the steps and progress and times and days….God is forming in me a new attitude and awareness of His work, power, character. And that’s wonderful. He’s no longer God whom i know with my limited knowledge few months ago…but the one who increasingly opening my horizon and understanding of Himself. Giving me surprises and yet gently caring me through the process.

As what Paul echoes in one his letters, the more i’m glad in weaknesses, for when i’m weak, then i’m strong. Surely His power is made perfect in weaknesses. And His grace is sufficient.

Often we want a quick answer and instant relief. However, it’s been months for those things. And things remain dark and gloomy if not uncertain. However, with new assurance and understanding of who He is, and His whole character and purpose…..I’m strengthened to face the unknown future. To him who holds tomorrow, we can place our hands. He is both trustworthy, and able.

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3 weeks in Surabaya

Tomorrow will be third week my stay here, and will be 2.5 months since mum’s first stroke attack. Thank God for the many things have happened in between. There are many things still to be done, but there are also many things settled. I still remember that 2 days ago I could record 12 items to give thanks to the Lord.

Even in midst of difficult situations, and times when I asked the question: “Why?”, He won’t let me down. Thankfully that this few days I could have more time on my own, as many things settled and I get more used to the routines.

For those who know me… it’s been 3 weeks i’m in sby. And life has been very hectic for the last 3 weeks. Hoping that now I could have more time for myself, to think through certain difficult issue, as well as finding back my rhythm of walking with the Lord. So that when I’m back to sg again next year, I could enter it with a refreshed and renewed spirit, instead of tired and downcast soul.

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First Moments

Well, writing this for various reasons 

Some for memory keeping, the others for those who wants to know, and also others to know that i’ve kept her well :p

The list is not exhaustive, but at least it covers the minimum 

The first 2 weeks, the following has happened:

1. The first quarrel, over a very simple miscommunication.
Lessons learnt: 1. Chatting is bad way of communicating. 2. When
not sure, ask!! Don’t assume.

2. The first dinner prepared by pen2x 😀 – super yummy

3. The first running in the rain to catch a lunch

4. The first dinner on the floor – because we didn’t bring house key

5. The first red roses – 

6. The first natural date – on hill top seeing the harbor & day turned
to night, and many lights came alive

7. The first trips to hospital – seeing dentist, neurologist, and
physioterapist

8. The first lunch with my colleagues

9. The first lunch with church friends

10. The first visit to Bible Study group

11. The first shopping groceries together

Ok..)
Glad for all those moments 

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Crossroad

Tonite as I was preparing for this Sunday, a passage on Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac. God provided a ram as substitute. So that Isaac need not to die.
However, many years later, when Jesus walked to the cross. God didn’t provide a ram as substitute. Jesus was the substitute Lamb. He’s the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. He’s the substitute for the whole world.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life.

God who loves and witholds nothing.
Shall i withold anything back from Him?
God who loves and spare not His Son.
Shall i spare anything for His sake?

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Bus story

This morning, as usual, i was expecting the bus coming soon, so that I won’t arrive late at office. As far as i saw, not a single bus is coming. Hahaha…okie…today gonna be late…

But suddenly, a bus is coming. A bus that could send me to my workplace. However, it’s not the red bus that I was expecting. It’s a black bus. No wonder that i didn’t see it coming. For i’ve been expecting a red bus, not black bus.
However, it still answer to my need, a bus that arrive soon and going to that direction.

And i realized that i’ve been fixing my eyes so hard on my own solution. Forgetting that God could bring deliverance in different forms and ways. Certainly there’s nothing impossible for God. And He’s not limited to answer my prayers in the exact way as i had thought the answer should be. 

The black bus that came in replacement of the red bus i’s waiting. Certainly reminded me that i’ve been looking too hard 

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In relationship life

Finally the day comes.
Penpen arrived and will stay here till …
Somewhat it’s like a dream.
The days felt like a holiday.

Somewhat life is different now.
A taste of attached life …
Still i can’t tell
Which one is better

Will go through a lot of transitions in coming weeks & months.
Lord help me, and help us.

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Imago Dei

Recently as there’re so many “bad” news that I read, saw, and heard. From the cyclone that hit Myanmar and caused 100,000 deaths (or even more). The increase of oil & food prices. The sufferings of friends and their families…..I can’t but ponder….what’s man?

There’re too many cases to pick and I can’t but ask myself. What’s the value of man?
Is it by their sustainability? MeAning that we decide someone no longer fit to live when the person cease to be sustainable?
Or is it by their productivity? MEaning that we decide someone no longer fit to be a person when he/she no longer able to contribute to life?
Or is it by their relationship to others? That when someone no longer has any families/friends, the person stop being part of human race?
Or is it of no values? Since there’re 6 billions of people anyway. Why someone should be considered special? Hence a person’s life is not of any value, and so the loss of a life, has no remorse/sadness.

I remembered what we taught few weeks ago. Because man & woman are created in the image of God (imago dei), therefore nobody should show contempt to anybody else. Even an old useless ugly man/woman, are a man/woman created in the image of God. And showing contempt to God’s bestowed valuable creature is amount to detesting God himself.

No wonder that in other parts of Scripture, He spoke:
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.

~Isaiah 46 : 3 – 4a~

From womb till tomb, we remains precious.
In God’s mind, we do not devalued when we grow old, useless, ugly, and sickly.
He who carried us from the womb.
He also who will carry us when our hairs turn grey.

Take heart therefore,
though the world has many ways to value man
God values us best
In the image of God, HE created us, man and woman.
That will not change.

I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.”
~Isaiah 46 : 4b~

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On the run again

I always feel good whenever on the run
Really enjoy running

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Frustration of Delay

Last 2 weeks were quite frustrating at work. Many new projects came in….to be completed in short time, and then once completed, “my” customer delaying the approval…….

Frustrating because when they came…all were “urgent” requests….but once the good delivered…….no approval of completion ……..:) And of course, my boss evaluate me based on the approvals…..:)

Only today i understood the reason. For one of the projects got a bug. And thank God it was not approved. For having an approved project with bug is far worse than pending for approval projects 🙂

Ok,…….lesson learnt today……not become frustrated, when there’re delays of expectation or things not according to my plan…:)

But yah…..certainly God has always better plan. He sees further than what I could see.

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Living in Reality

🙂 In response to somebody’s remark about a bad & a good life, here what some points i managed to think through. You may agree/disagree.

The reality of suffering.

It’s one of the most profound and debated topic in all circles. How can a good God allow suffering? Or will God make people suffer? If God in control, why did He allow suffering (the natural disasters, poverties, hungers, diseases, etc)?

There’s 3 ways at least for me to answer that honestly.

1. Suffering is the consequences of this fallen world. As fallen world (bcs of man’s sins), it’s natural to expect disease & disasters. Hence it’s expected thing. And consequences of man’s sins too….that we see crimes, poverties, and hungers …. for the selfishness of the rich some and the jealousies of the poor.

And to this aspect, I give thanks to God who promises of a new world. The world he will create when Jesus comes again. The new world where there will be no more disease, death, disaster, and tears. A perfect world

2. God not only allows suffering as part of human’s life. But He sticks to the rule, and he played this ‘game’ fair. There’s no better description than this fairness. That Jesus lived and experienced sufferings more than most of us ever experience. He was beaten, stripped, nailed, hanged on the cross, pierced…..and those happened as results of people’s conspiracies & betrayals. God allows suffering, and he tasted it to the fullest. He didn’t skip / escape it …..

3. Last, the knowledge that God knows our sufferings, and He cares. I think that’s the last defence i can put up, when all my mind and rationalization has far gone. The fact that God knows (even when a bird falls or a hair drop, God knows) and God cares (when Saul persecuted Christians….Jesus confronted him as he’s actually persecuting Jesus himself).

When i cannot make sense of suffering, the comforting this is that God knows, and He cares (as the book of Job fully answers that about suffering on good people) that God’s wisdom is higher than ours and He knows what He’s doing.

So in the face of sufferings, a Christian view of life should not be pessimistic …. and it should not be cursing & swearing to God. For all this will one day gone, and God cares even in the midst of suffering.

And when good things happen:

1. A people that giving thanks & praise to God

2. A people that acknowledge God as the giver of all good things

That may in bad times or good times …. our lives give glory to God

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