Darlington Art Festival

We had an amazing time of worship this morning at the Darlington Art Festival.  It is a community event in a small hillside suburb called Darlington.  The place is beautiful, old beautiful houses surrounded by a mountain of trees. 

Ps. Rod from the local community church invited us to open the festival this morning with some praise and worship whilst people are setting up and crowd starts coming in. He did mention that the community is quite stand off ish towards Christianity.  They don't really wanna have anything with it. But he thought it'd be a good idea to just open the festival today with some praise atmosphere and bring God into the community through our praise and worship. 

It's been on off raining throughout the week.  We haven't had the best weather this week.  Even this morning as i was driving there it was raining and gloomy.  I wasn't sure how the day will pan out.  It even crossed my mind that they might cancel the festival due to bad weather. 

I arrived at the venue at about 8.30ish, half an hour before we were meant to start. I put on V's jacket coz the weather was quite cool.  But then as we continued setting up and practicing, the sun started to shine....

At 9 am we started our first song. People started arriving. I noticed most of them sat down and watch us like we are some sort of band performing,  but some of them actually stood up and worshipped with us, which was great to see. 

We had about 40 minutes worth of worship and the atmosphere was lifted, the sun was shinning so gloriously warming us up that I had to take off V's jacket and my own layer of cardigan.

I prayed and believed that the words and the good news of Jesus that were spoken through the songs this morning will be like seeds spread on the ground. God's words are never spoken in vain or for nothing. We will one day reap what we sow and these people will seek God and filled up our English service.

Isaiah 55:11 NLT

It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

The worship session was awesome. God was there. He blessed us with the most glorious sunshine and a beautiful morning and atmosphere of worship.

Soon one hour was over and we left. Right after we left the rain started pouring..... I feel terrible for them but at the same time wishful that it spoke of God's blessings over our service this morning.

Overall it was an amazing outreach and we believe that when we give God the small that we have, the Lord will multiply and use it for His Kingdom.

A seed that gives life

A seed that gives life - A seed that gives life - Parable of the sower. 

Luke 8:4-15 NIV

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."
When he said this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."  His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
"'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'  "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.  The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.  But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Luke 8:5 NIV

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; 

Luke 8:6 NIV

Some fell on rocky ground, ...

Luke 8:7 NIV

Other seed fell among thorns...

If you think about it, why would the sower throw seeds wastefuly like that? 

We might think that the seeds might be cheap and worthless. 

Or the sower was crazy? Or unwise. 

In many sermons we've been taught that the seeds are the words of God. 

However, if you dig into this carefully... 

"it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up". 

"it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture".

"thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants" "thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants" 

All these are pointing to Jesus.
He was 'trampled on',  was under scorching sun, and thorns was on his head. 

The SEED is His own son, JESUS.

If something is so precious and worth a lot. You won't waste it would you? 
Exactly. 

So the sower, God, knows exactly where he was sowing. The seeds were so precious, they are not to be wasted. 

He PURPOSELY sow them on PATHS, KNOWING that the seeds aren't going to grow. He PURPOSELY sow them on PATHS, KNOWING that the seeds aren't going to grow. 

He PURPOSELY sow them on the rocky grounds, KNOWING that they won't grow. 

He PURPOSELY sow them amongst the thorns, knowing that they won't grow.

Each of the SEED is worth so much!! But the sower purposely sow them on what seems to be impossible grounds to grow anything. 

Why????

Each of those grounds represents us, human beings. 

Most of us are imperfect, flawed, sinful, full of evil, bad, similar to those rocky grounds and thorns. 

The reason God, the sower, sow on us, invested in us, gave us the knowledge of His Son Jesus, is because no matter which kind of ground we are, we are WORTHY in God's eyes, to receive the gift of eternal life and abundant life, because of the person JESUS. 

Think about it..... The SEED is Gods own son, and the different grounds are us. But God doesn't think sowing on us is a waste, because He thinks we are WORTH IT.

Will you accept His gift?

God bless you. 

ABCF English service, Sun 5th Aug 2012, Ps. Victor Moe.

Malaysia holiday review & notes to self.

With such poor memory I thought it will be helpful for us if I just write my own travel journal to remind us of what we liked and didn't like from this holiday.

Penang was good. The island is beautiful, with hills and the beach all on the island. People are friendly and helpful, including the retail assistants, they're not too pushy.

Hard Rock hotel was awesome. Definitely a family hotel, great pool and free kids club. Hotel room and facilities feels 5 star. The room is contemporary and modern. We had the hill view room on Level 3 but there wasn't much view because it was kinda blocked by another part of the hotel that looks like a maintenance site. It wasn't very nice, but we were hardly in the room during the day to see the ugly view. There were some rooms with balconies that goes straight into the pool. We might book one of these next time.

The kids pool have 3 slides of assorted sizes, greatly entertaining. In the arfo they organised kids pool volleyball game, and one evening we had movie by the pool. There were lots of English speaking kids, a lot of them from Australia. Naomi managed to make friends with girls her age everyday (with my help, I'm taking some credit of course). There were other sections of the pool that's quieter and feels more tranquil and peaceful, away from the kids pool.

We have brekky every morning in the Pizzeria restaurant (part of the hotel), facing the beach. Food was average but we cant be bothered going out in the morning as shops are only open after 10-11ish. Overall it was a great experience, and we would not hesitate to come back.

Night market is about 10 mins walk from Hard Rock hotel. The goods sold there aren't necessarily cheaper than in the shopping centers. You need to bargain hard, but then you feel bad coz they know how to be nice to you and how to make it sound like they're not making any money if they reduce the price. So I'd rather shop in a proper shopping center.

There's plenty of food stalls along the night market. The restaurant right across the hotel is not the best but not too bad. Depends on what you order. Gerny Plaza lower ground floor has plenty of food choices. We ate cheesy baked rice from one of the store coz we thought it would be like our favourite baked rice from Desert House in Melbourne but its not even close. It was terrible.
The durian wrap from a small desert stall was yummy, and another stall sells the Asian ice cream sticks with lots of yummy Asian flavours like green tea, black sesame, durian, etc, but my favourite is the corn flavor. Mmmm... yum.

NTS: Gerny plaza is much better than Queens bay Mall.

The hotel was in Batu Ferringhi and it is a bit far from everywhere. We caught a taxi to Gerny Plaza, which is one of the biggest mall in Penang, and it costs RM30 (A$10) one way, took about 25-30 mins. There's another big mall recommended by the staffs called Queensbay mall but we don't like it. We like Gerny Plaza better. Queensbay is older and quieter. The shops aren't as good as Gerny, plus its further away. We wont go there again next time.

Penang Hill was beautiful. Definitely worth the long trip.

There were plenty of places offering massages at very reasonable prices. One hour body massage is only around RM90 (A$30). I tried Thai body massage but I didn't like it. Its like she was 'poking' me everywhere on my body. I also had reflexology and the Chinese man seems to know more about my health and my sleeping pattern more than me. He pushed his thumb on a particular spot on my foot and I told him that it hurts, and he said I don't sleep well. If you know me well enough you'd know that even a bomb doesn't wake me up!  Massages were hurting more than relaxing. I won't do it again.

NTS: Thai massage and Reflexology hurts!!!

Kuala Lumpur

KL in general is dirty, people are unfriendly and unhelpful, including retail assistants. In some places they are very pushy, like in Chinatown, but in other places they look like they don't want to be at work. People don't have manners. In places where you have to queue up, some will push in like it's normal.

Renaissance Hotel was good, its part of the Marriott chain of hotels. It was in KLCC, near the twin tower and right across the monorail station, Bukit Nanas, 2 short stops away from the shopping destination, Bukit Bintang. The train ride only costs RM1 (A 30 cents) per person one way.

We booked for the superior room in the East wing but was offered an upgrade to the deluxe room in the West wing (apparently the more 'upper class' wing) for just RM80 per night (A$25). The deluxe room in West wing is nice and spacious. The pool is massive and looks and feel resort- ish. Plenty of guests sunbathe around the pool everyday. They have Happy Hour promo from 5-7 pm daily, buy one get one free cocktail and wine for RM32 (A$11), great value!

The hotel gym does Les Mills classes! Pump, etc. But I was too lazy :-)  The gym was very good size too.

Overall the Renaissance hotel is very very good, feels 5 stars and luxurious. We won't hesitate to come back here.

Sunway Lagoon was definitely our KL highlight. It was fun, great atmosphere, lots of rides and slides. So worth spending the day there.

We then moved to Furama in Bukit Bintang just for a different experience. We got a free upgrade from deluxe to to the executive suite, not sure why but we are certainly grateful for it. The hotel lobby is nice but the room feels very budget-ish. Although it is advertised as 4 stars and the price isn't that much cheaper than the Renaissance hotel, it certainly doesn't feel 4 stars to me. It feels more like 3 stars. I think it's the choice of furnitures, the thin doors and walls, you can hear people walking pass the room, and the smell. It smells like smoke/cigarette even though it is a non-smoking room. I'm glad they upgraded us for free. If this is the exec suite, I cant imagine the superior room! The pool is nice but small with only two day beds but the view is quite slum-ish. It's facing the small suburban street and old public housing buildings.

However, on the last day we were suppose to check out by 12 noon but Naomi fell sick. She kept vomiting since she woke up in the morning. One of the duty manager went out of his way to book us an appointment at the closest clinic, drove us there wth the hotel car, waited for us there and took us back to the hotel. We extended our checkout to 6 pm with no extra charge (normally RM150 - A$50). Now that's what I called quality service.

The hotel is about 10 mins walk from Berjaya Times Square shopping centre which is pretty nice with good varieties of shops for all types of budget. There's another big shopping center in Bukit Bintang called the Pavilion but thats more upmarket and full of international brands. Nice to browse but not to shop. We ended up shopping in Sungei Wang. It certainly feels more budget-ish with the shops Being so small and tightly squeezed next to each other, but here we found plenty of cheap shoes, clothes and fashion in general.
Our fave shopping centre has to be Berjaya Times Square. I even found my favourite shoe store there.

Genting Highland is a waste of time and money. The place is dirty and doesn't look like its been maintained well. People don't speak much English and generally not helpful at all. The rides were lame and waste of money. We went to the 4D cinema, from outside there was no queue, but as soon as you entered, there's a massive queue and a 45 mins wait. The 4D movie itself was good but was only about 20 mins. I won't come back to Genting. We really had a horrible day, we could not wait to get out of that place.

Overall Malaysia is good and cheap, but maybe we'll try something different next time.

Malaysia... Penang night market.

We went to the night Market last night.  It's about 1-2 km street long of just stalls selling all sorts of things from food to underwear. 

V needed a pair of thongs and we found the one we liked. With this kinda place it is very 'touristy', so we've been told to bargain, and so I did. When we asked the salesman how much the pair of thongs are he said Rm 20, which is close to A$7. So I bargained in Malaysia, which is the local language.  The salesman started asking where we are from etc and we started a conversation. It's so touching to hear how hard some of them work,  yet how little they earn really.  I mean for goodness sake, the amount of money they earn weekly to feed their family I often waste just on My daily cups of coffee. Yet we are all the same.

We are all human beings, and we do not choose where we are born or who our parents are or what the do for a living. Sometimes we take for granted how blessed we are living in Australia, where no matter which family you are born into you have the same chance to education and success as everybody else. 

Anyways he ended up giving me the pair of thongs for Rm12 which is about A$4, but because he was so friendly and he connected with us, we gave him Rm15 anyways. Lesson for all the salesman in the world... Connect with your customer and she'll buy anything of you!!

This morning the verse of the day says...

Matthew 6:24

24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

I guess this reminds me that God creates us to be blessings for others. To be an extension of His loving heart, helping hands, and saving feet. If we love Him, the fruit of that is that we will love people more than we love money and possession.  Money we can always earn, but chances to bless others are God given and He just wants to see if we love Him more than we love our possession.

Which one do you love more?

Movie by the pool.

19:22
7.20 pm
We're about to see a movie by the pool. Not for too long though coz apparently there is a pretty good Night Market just around here.


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Msia: Naomi wants a friend

18:07
6.13 pm,
God is good, even to the lil one. Naomi prayed for a friend to play with this morning and He gave her two ! They're from Perth too. A 9 y.o girl and her 7 y.o brother. They're so nice to her. Now I can finally relax :)




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Malaysia part 2

10:15 Hard Rock hotel, Batu Ferringhi, Penang.

10.31 am..
My flu got so much better, praise God ! I actually can breathe !

The hotel is very nice. Met my expectation. It's a bit high to be honest with you, so I was afraid to be disapointed, but I'm actually quite happy..
The pool has lots of cool slides. There is kids club. Bedroom is decent size and quite stylish. 
Breakfast this morning is ordinary. Although they catered for all sorts of taste and custom. So they served curry as well as toasts for brekky.. And as usual Naomi and V had rice n curry for BREAKFAST while I have my simple toasts and baked beans.  Id say she's more Burmese than Oz.

Today we plan to simply relax by the pool, give Naomi the fun and love she deserves. After having a busy mum n dad throughout the whole year. Plus we need to make up for having left her at home for the whole week while we were at Hillsong and I left her 4 more days after that for a work trip to Sydney.  The poor girl hasn't seen her mum for nearly 2 weeks.


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Malaysia

13:37 KL airport
Today we arrive in kL and we had our first meal. Its hot and humid, but just how I like it..

I was attacked by the flu but I just kept proclaiming healing in Jesus name. I am believing that Jesus had began the healing work. My body just need time to manifest the healing. I refuse to believe anything else.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.



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Light of the world

Matthew 5

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

God's created us as 'light' in this world, and a light is not exactly something you can hide. Even if you hide them under a table, you can still see the radiant. On Sunday God opened up my eyes and reminded me again the reason why I'm here, the purpose of my life. What we think is an 'accident' or a 'coincidence' I believe is not an accident/coincidence in God's eyes. Everything happens for a reason.

On Sunday Ps.H was meant to preach in the English service. Due to an accident, he was late for approx 40 mins. After praise & worship he was meant to go straight into preaching, but because he wasn't there yet, V had to buy some time. First he called brother R to sing, then he gave some announcements, then he just started to talk and he rambled on for a few mins. That's when I realized that I could use the time to share some testimony and give God some glory, so I did.

I shared Proverbs 3:3-4

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

I shared about how God has worked in my career life, and His favor has brought me to where I am now.

At the end of the service, some people came up and thanked me for my sharing. They said they were encouraged by it. Thanks to God. I just believe that if He has given me that opportunity to share, even if it's only to speak to one person, so be it. Let thy will be done. I'm just glad that I was able to shine His light.

But not only that opportunity bless others (even if it's only 1 person), it blessed me more than anything. Because at the end of that I realize that after all, there was definitely a reason, a purpose, a divine plan, on my existence. I know I have believed this all my life, but to come to a realization again on my whole existence, is a fresh reminder, encouragement and a blessing!

I am the light of this world, because of what He's doing in my life. His light cannot be hidden. Even if I try to hide his glory, it will eventually reveal itself. His light that is in me will shine, because that's just the nature of God's light, and it is in every single one of His believer, you and me.

Today I was excited to start the week. It does not matter anymore whether I'm no.1 at work or not.
It doesn't matter anymore whether I win every competition or not.
It doesn't matter anymore whether I get recognized for my work or not.
What matter is my attitude of surrender to God. He has me here for a purpose, and that's to glorify His name. Whatever it takes.... I'm ready, to surrender this life, for the purpose of His kingdom.

So that if I were called to go 'home' tomorrow, I have done things that matters in the eternal life.

My daily experiences, my daily learnings, the people I meet and I serve, on a daily basis, EVERYTHING happens for a reason, and He is always IN CONTROL over everything.

In the end, I just believe that if we let Him take over, to use our lives for His purpose, He will then meet our every need. Everything!

I love walking with Him. It's so exciting, because everyday something new can happen, something new is revealed, something new glorifies Him. Every week is a testimony of His love, His grace and His mercy. This is what I live for! :)

Acts 20 (NIV)

24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the taskthe Lord Jesus has given me —the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Pallazo Versace, Gold Coast

I've just found out today that I won a luxury trip to Gold Coast from work :) Honestly it was when I least expected it. This year so far has been such a blessed year for me. I totally don't deserve all these goodness God's showering me with. I have nothing to say apart from God's just being faithful and keeping His promises.

I went through a couple of tough years in 2010-2011 where I demoted myself at work, had two miscarriages, had some tough times financially, and my faith were being challenged a few times. Through it all, it was His grace that carried me through, gave me humility, gave me strengths and kept the faith inside of me.

This year, all I've done is proclaiming His goodness, day by day. Despite of good or bad circumstances, I kept declaring His faithfulness, His love, His goodness, all the time. In everything that I do, I do it to glorify His name. I only wanted to give Him the best and be faithful in the smallest things, like coming to church on time, mopping or washing dishes at church. I wanted to be faithful in my giving, no matter how broke we were. I wanted to be faithful in my worship and in giving Him the praises that He deserves, no matter how I feel.  I wanted my life to simply be used to glorify His name and promote the fact that a God, an all-loving God, no condition, no pre-requisite, no requirement, EXISTs, and He exists to simply love us and want to be loved by us.

The result is AMAZING..... this year, in a span of 3 months, I have been promoted at work, met & work with some really awesome people at work, won a few competitions,  and now... to top it up: won an amazing luxury trip to the Gold Coast!

God is good, all the time. Even when it looks bad, He is good. Declare His promises... He never lies. He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

Here are some of His promises for us who believe: 

Malachi 3: 10 - Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Jeremiah 29: 11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord

Matthew 6: 31 - So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the unbelievers run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Ephesian 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 

Proverbs 3: 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 3: 9 - Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 


So to those of you who believe, I encourage you, dig into the Words! There are some amazing promises there waiting for you to claim, and declare them everyday of your life! Don't ever loose sight of God's faithfulness :)

... and to those who don't yet believe... well all I can say is... give Him a try, He's been waiting for you ;)

Grumbling

I don't know about you, but I don't like whining babies or children. I find it annoying, and it certainly isn't the best way of getting what they want from me. Naomi knows that we have a 'no whining' rule at home. When she start to whine, she knows that she's not going to get what she wants. So she's learnt to 'negotiate' he way to everything now :) Yeah... smart move, but it's just a tiny bit annoying when I find myself giving in just coz she actually makes sense and had all the right reasons. 

Lately we've gone through some tough times and I've had to remind myself not to complain or grumble. As I went through it, I was reminded of the story of Moses and the Israelites in the desert. 

If you read from Exodus 14 - Numbers 14 (you may skip some bits and pieces in the middle), you'll find that throughout the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Israelites again and again grumbled against God. 


The Israelites were captivated in Egypt as slaves for hundreds of years. I can't imagine living as slaves being good. They must've been praying for a hero, a saviour, a rescuer every single day. From generation to generation, they must have been praying. Finally, after so many years, so many generations, Moses came to rescue. Empowered by God, he led the Israelites out of the slavery in Egypt. 

The destination is a land full of milk and honey, land so prosperous you can grow anything and it will live and bear fruit. It's the land God's promised His people a long time ago. The catch is... they need to travel through the desert to get to the other side, and this is where the grumbling began.


To have been able to escape out of Egypt was a miracle in itself. God sent ten different plagues or disasters so that Pharaoh would let these people go. God did great things so that the Israelites could witness with their own eyes His great mighty acts. They've seen water turned into blood, plagues of frogs, boils, flies, locusts, and many more. They've seen all Egyptian firstborns died while the Israelites' firstborns survived. They've seen thunder and hail, and they've seen the RED SEA PARTED!!! How much more did God have to show how mighty and able He is??? 

Despite of having seen these miracles,... 

When they ran out of water, they grumbled against God (Exodus 15:24). With great patience, God asked Moses to threw stick into a bitter oasis so they can drink. 

When they ran out of food, they grumbled again (Exodus 16:3). With great patience, God threw manna/bread pieces from the sky every morning and provided them with their daily bread. 

When they ran out of water again, you'd think they would just trust in God's provision and ability, but NO, they complained and grumbled again (Exodus 17:2). Without anger, God asked Moses to hit the rock with his staff and water came flowing out of it. 

When faced with challenges to enter the promised land, once again they grumbled against Moses and God, and repeatedly they said they'd rather be left to die in Egypt! 

Just reading this makes my head boil with anger.... what a bunch of ungrateful people! 

God's rescued them out of bondage, but instead of getting appreciation and thanks, all He got is complaints and grumbled one after another. They complained against the very thing they've been praying for their whole life! It sounds like they really did prefer to be in living in slavery! 

Finally God's had enough. Right at the gate of the Promised Land, right near their destination, God said He would not let these ungrateful people enter the Promised Land. 


Numbers 14:26-29
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron. "How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. Now tell them this: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me...


Because when they complain, they always say something along the line of God wanting to kill them in the wilderness. So God did to them "the very thing he heard them say". 


I don't blame Him, I would have killed them a long time ago! 

Thank goodness God is so patient and loving, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. 

Throughout the past 6 weeks we've been trying to lease out our Melbourne house, and for the past few years we've never had any issue. Normally we could get new tenants as soon as the old tenant left, but this time around week after week passed by and after about 6 weeks we still didn't hear any good news. 

We wanted to sell our Audi, so that the sale proceed could help us cover the costs while it's vacant, but even that was a struggle in itself. 

So we ended up spending weeks just on our knees, praying for both of these issues to be resolved. 

It wasn't easy... Every single day we have to remind ourselves not to be like these Israelites. We had to make a conscious decision to keep thanking Him daily, to keep believing in His ability, in His love, in His great plan for us. We chose to stay positive, to stay in faith, to stay serving Him. We chose to believe that He was able. That with a click of His fingers, everything will be resolved. That all these difficulties happened for a reason. 

Thank God after about 6 weeks, just a few days ago, our battle ended. In the same week, we received good news for both our Melbourne house and our Audi (it was sold!!!!!). It was honestly like a massive stone was lifted off our shoulders. It was a celebration! It was a victory! We finally saw the light!!! The praises and the faith paid off, we didn't end up staying in the 'wilderness' for any longer. 

Do you know that.... the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Jericho) was suppose to take only 11 days, but the Israelites spent 40 years because of their attitude. So I didn't want to make the same mistake as they did.

See this map below (taken from  http://www.keyway.ca/htm2001/20010411.htm):

The red line represents their journey/route through the wilderness. 

"YOUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES HOW LONG YOU STAY IN THE WILDERNESS" Joyce Meyer. 

Grumbling and complaining doesn't do anything good for you. Just like Naomi could not get what she wants by grumbling or whining, so can we with God. I'm sure He has a lot of patience and He's very loving, and He might still give you what you want even though you grumble a lot, but you might get there quicker if you just praise Him and make Him happy instead :) 

When you want something from someone, you 'bribe' them with kindness, not make their ears hot listening to your whining and complaining. That will give you the biggest chance of winning. 

So today, whatever you're grumbling about... can I just remind you of what happened to the Israelites in the desert when they grumbled against God after what God had done for them. My suggestion is... try counting His blessings, you'll find that your list of blessings might actually be much longer than your problems. If it's not.... well my friend, time to take a look at yourself. How long have you been grumbling for? Maybe it's time to try praises and smiles, your 'dark tunnel' might soon come to an end :)

If you do not know God, or you're still doubting His existence, may I challenge you.... SEEK HIM and you shall find Him! He wants to be found by you. He has loved you long before the creation, and He has a great plan for your life, here and in the eternity. He's just waiting for you to accept Him into your life, as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you want to find out more, Joyce Meyer has a very simple teaching on Salvation. Visit her website: http://www.joycemeyer.org/EverydayAnswers/BecomeAChristian.aspx and check it all out for yourself. 

Good luck and God bless you! 

  

Soul Surfer

Have you seen this movie called Soul Surfer??? If you haven't, I highly recommend it. I was boiling my eyes out watching it at youth summer camp. It's one of the most inspiring stories ever told.

It is based on true story of a thirteen years old surfer called Bethany Hamilton, who lost one arm from a shark attack and still manage to fulfil her dream of becoming a pro surfer.

After the tragedy hit and she lost one arm, she didn't loose her strongwill to surf again.  "I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13) is her motto.

Her success didn't come easy. As you can imagine, surfing with one arm isn't exactly a piece of cake. But God truly helped her to see things with the right perspective. Right after loosing a regional surfing tournament, after she gave up on surfing, she went to Phuket, Thailand, to help World Vision assist the tsunami victims. There she met people who've lost everything, including their families. Only then she realized how blessed it is, and that life isn't just about surfing. Most importantly... It is about love. Love surpasses everything.

One powerful message this story tells is 'perspective'. If you look at a photo of an object way too close, say down to the pixel, it is hard to tell what the actual object is. Only if you zoom it out then you can see the whole object and only then it makes sense.

Our lives and circumstances can be a bit like that too. Sometime we might not understand our circumstances, or situation or why bad things happened in our lives. But one thing we should trust is that God sees the big picture, and the big picture is always a plan to prosper us, and not to harm us.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord...

What challenges are you facing today?

What has just been taken from you that you don't deserve to loose?

If a thirteen years old can be a pro surfer after having lost one arm, you too can overcome your challenges and losses! Trust Him because He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Eph 3:20)

Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Naomi's (non??) generosity

This morning on the way to church, we drove past  a local coffee drive-through. Naomi asked me if I can buy her a bag of cookies. I said no, because each cup comes with a cookie anyway, and she had to have a proper brekky.

So we got a cuppa each and there were two cookies between us. As soon as I got my drink, she said, "mummy can I have your cookie too?" Being a nice mum I said "sure" and gave her my cookie. So she had two!

A few minutes later, I asked her, "Naomi, can I have a cookie please??" Straight away she said no. So I pleaded for it, and she finally said "okay, only half ok?"

I said, "If you give me one I can buy you a bagful!!"

Instead of giving me one, her response was ... "When???"

By that time I had in my mind 'geez man! This kid really know how to bargain with me, doesn't she?'

I said, "Tomorrow".

Even after that this is what she said, "Promise?????"

Hmmm... That probably shows how bad I am at keeping my promises, my own daughter doesn't even trust me.

In the end I said, "Nah.. don't worry Naomi, you can have them all". In my head I'm  thinking, 'you failed the test!'

This is embarrassing to admit, but when it comes to giving, aren't we a bit like that as well sometimes.

Do you believe that God will provide? He is more than able to meet our needs and fulfil the desires of our hearts. But do we trust Him? Or are we a bit like my 6 y.o?? Asking when, how, and seeking for a written contract that God will provide for our needs if we give him what we have now?

God is the source of our living, our income, our health. He has blessed us with so many good things in this life. When it comes to giving back to Him, we can be a bit calculative. We want to make sure we will have enough for all our needs first, for eating out after church, or to fill petrol, or for tomorrow's coffee money, etc. and then we give Him the leftovers, the spare change.

If Naomi had said yes with a delightful heart the first instance I asked for that cookie, I would've given her the cookie back and give her the biggest kiss and bought her another bagful!! Simply because that act of giving, combined with generosity and love, it just blessed my heart so much. The fact that she loves that cookie so much yet she was willing to put her desires second in order to please me, that will drive me to want to bless her more.

It is the same with our Father in heaven. The Bible told us the following story:

Mark 12:41-44 NIV

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

When it comes to giving, God doesn't need your money. He doesn't need your spare change. He simply wants to be blessed by your heart's attitude, and He loves seeing you eager to please Him. Because of that He will be moved to bless you even more. Even without our gifts, God already wants to bless you anyway because He is our Father. Which father doesn't care about his child's needs?

So today I just want to challenge you.... Have you been giving to Him generously? Have you sacrificed anything in order to give? Have you been giving with a joyful heart in thanksgiving of what He has done??

Let's bless His heart and be blessed... :)

Jesus, our oxygen.

John 20:30-31 NLT

The disciples saw Jesus did many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

John 20:31 AMP

But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [through Who He is].

I have been pondering upon this verse for a few hours. I read up some commentaries but i still dont quite understand it fully. I understand that the scriptures are written so that people may believe in Him, the messiah, the saviour. There are so many proof of miracles done by God through Jesus, His son. The gospels are written by his disciples, who bore witness to what Jesus had done, His power and what He was able do, His loving heart, His compassion for others and His desire to come closer to all sinners, the imperfect, the flawed, which is us, normal people.

When we believe in Jesus, we "may have life through Him". To me, it means having Jesus as the our source of our being, source of our lives, our joy, our strengths, our compassion for others, .. we draw our everything through Him.

It's like when we go diving we wear oxygen mask. It is only through that oxygen that we are able to breathe and stay alive. The oxygen is what we need to stay alive, without it we won't be able to stay alive and enjoy the underwater scenery which is the whole purpose of diving.

This life that we have is a bit like that. Living in this life is like diving underwater, and to those who believe, Jesus is our oxygen. Through Him we have our lives, the lives that God gave us. What I mean by that is we are sinful being, and by the standard of God's holiness, we deserve to be punished to death. But God has given His only son, Jesus, as a sin sacrifice for all of us (whether you believe it or not) Jesus has died for your sins (yes, YOU, whoever you are, whatever you've done) so that you may 'escape' God's wrath and continue to live.

Through Him, we can have true joy, peace and happiness, the type of happiness that is truly from within despite of our external circumstances. The type of happiness that doesn't depend on alcohol, or money, or power or anything else.

Through Him we have our health because Jesus healed the sick. He loves us and He has compassion, and He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

Through Him we have all our needs because He is our Father. Like every other father, He wants to make sure we have all that we need, and often what we ' want' as well!

Through Him, we can truly enjoy the underwater scenery!!

That's all I got for now.

I believe throughout the week as i chew upon this, god will reveal more of what His words means to me. Because He is my shepherd and i am His sheep, and I can hear His voice. Because i am His child, so im sure my Father will want to reveal Himself to me more and more, daily.

One Verse a Day

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Today marks the beginning of a new year. With anything new, consciously or not we tend to make a resolution. It may not be only on New Year's day, it could be anytime we begin something new.

For eg, when we move to a new house we might set a brand new rules for the kids (no drawing on walls??). Or perhaps we'd say to ourselves, "im gonna water the garden everyday so my new backyard doesn't end up looking like a jungle again" (talking from past experience).

Or perhaps we've just started a new job. We might decide that this time you're not going to be romantically involved with anyone from work, or maybe this time you're going to work harder and pursue a career progression within the company.

Whatever it is we are starting new, we have the tendency to make a small resolution.

So today, in celebration of a brand new year, my NY resolution is one Bible verse a day, followed by a devotional journal entry.

It's not a new resolution, it is a repeated one from last year. I didn't manage to fulfill it without fail but I didn't stop after one failure. Everytime I stopped, I gave myself a new beginning. Every Monday is a beginning. Every first day of the month is a beginning. I just kept restarting everytime I failed. "We only really fail when we quit trying", I read that somewhere.

Because my NY resolution is one scripture a day, I think it is important to firstly ground myself in the WHY.
Why do I need to read the Bible???
Hence I've picked this particular reading plan about why we have to read the Bible. So everyday for the next two weeks, you'll find that my verse is related to this theme of WHY READ THE BIBLE.

Having done this (although quite inconsistently), I find that the Bible is just so full of promises for those who believes. Whenever we face certain circumstances, there's always a verse and a promise from God that will get us through. If only we'd believe.

Whatever your situation is...
Are you sad?? Lonely?? Sick?? Poor?? Being betrayed?? Loosing your faith?? Needing a partner?? God already has a promise for you for this particular area in your life. You just need to search for His promises and start declaring them because He never fails. He never lies, He's the same Jesus that healed the sick, raised people from the dead, comfort the sad, and love the outcasts. He's the same yesterday today and forever.

I ask that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Paul's prayer for the Ephesians, Eph 1:17-19 NIV).