Archive for June, 2010

Ps. Joseph Prince’s Thought of the Day

God, who holds time and chance in His hands, is the only one who can put you at the right place at the right time.

I subscribe to Ps. Joseph Prince’s devos/notes on Facebook. And man, they really do speak into my life! Koko has always been listening to his sermons coz he gets his sermon CDs but I discovered him on iTunes! So I just subscribe to podcasts. I like the way he preaches though I call him the pastor who spits into the mike when he preaches coz he has that much enthusiasm when he preaches! I find that very captivating and inspiring because he knows when and what to emphasize.

Today’s note reminds me of a sermon he preached about letting go. I specifically chose to listen to that sermon on my birthday because I did not want such a happy day to be taken away from me. So the first thing I did when I woke up on that Sunday was, have my ice cream breakfast/”cake” from J then listen to the podcast while I was getting ready. It helped quite a lot. He was talking about a dream that he had once, about a menorah (see picture) and the source of the light. He saw that the supply was coming through something like rubber piping (my own description) and it was flexible. But worries/things we hold on to will stop or in a way, kink the pipes so that the flow would stop and the supply would stop. It empowered me.

Blogging this makes me want to listen to his sermon now.

Many times I just want to give up because this has taken a toll on me. I don’t think anyone really knows what I have been going through, and still am going through. What a total let-down.

But something caught my eye today.

You’ll never find the right person if you don’t let go of the wrong one.

I always think, Why? What did I do to be treated like this? and I just want to say “Sorry” for what I can say sorry for. sigh. Feel like trash because I get treated like it.

Don’t be reluctant to show mercy

Posted by Rick Warren

(Taken from here)

When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won’t give up in despair. 2 Corinthians 2:7 (CEV)

“Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time.”

We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track. We need to offer mercy to each other and be willing to receive it from each other.

You can’t have fellowship without forgiveness because bitterness and resentment always destroy fellowship. Sometimes we hurt each other intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but either way, it takes massive amounts of mercy and grace to create and maintain fellowship.

The Bible says, “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13 NLT).

The mercy God shows to us is the motivation for us to show mercy to others. Whenever you’re hurt by someone, you have a choice to make:

Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution?

You can’t do both.

Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.

Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time.

Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time.

The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability.

Sukiyaki – 4PM

An amazing word of truth (via Journey Deeper Into God’s Word)

“Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD”. We are called human beings, not human doings.

Well here I am in New York, arrived last night, head is seriously fuzzy.. long flight, jet leg – I will be ok! My wife sent me this interview with Rick Warren which just really touched my heart big time.  So I hope it does the same for you. Rick is the author of  the mega successful 'Purpose Driven Life' suite of books and is pastor of Saddleback Church in California.  It was recorded back in 2005 in an interview with Paul Bradshaw. Here tis: Ric … Read More

via Journey Deeper Into God's Word

Is There Life After No?

Is There Life After No?.

She was far from fine. But she took that agony to the only person who could understand it. And at the feet of the God she could share her agony and outrage with, she was well. She was able to be real. Her answer didn’t dismiss her loss. It simply put it in the context of God’s ability to respond.

life lessons from the walker family

Something I’ve learned from watching Brothers & Sisters’ season finale:

The end of a chapter could mean that something BIGGER is on its way.

“A step backward means it is a step forward in the other direction.” ~ Me

M4M. 🙂

Unfinished chapter

“After you’ve done the best that you can do and you’ve spent all the passion, courage and effort you have, but things still seem out of reach, then this is the time for you to ask God if what you’ve tried to achieve is what He wants you to have. Because sometimes we waste our time chasing something that is not meant for us, while we ignore what God has prepared for us.”
Written in 2010 by Johni Pangalila — Australia,

from Motivateus.com

It’s not wise to leave things unfinished!

Buhbyee

housecleaning?

No. 1 rule: Don’t have a “secret dirty closet” like Monica (in Friends) does.

It is easy to just sweep dirt and messes under the rug, coz everything else looks neat and clean but one day that rug is going to be so full it will start to uncover what’s underneath. And you will start to realise that there is still that mess to deal with.

Out of sight, out of mind, right? Not.

+1

Just an addition from last night:

Something else I’ve been thinking about is how God doesn’t want us to settle. Sometimes we think we’ve got it going and what we have is best for us but once we have those self-sufficient and we’ve got it going thoughts that God usually challenges us to give it up 😦 But that’s only coz he has something much better in store. 🙂

Another random: My joints are clicking everywhere 😦

blahblahblah

Ok, brace yourselves for a regurgitation of the thoughts running through my mind for the past week and more..

The other day I was thinking back to my school days, and I remembered this one particular incident where I needed some extra cash to pay for costumes for the Nativity Play. I asked daddy for an advance on my pocket money, with the promise of paying him back for it. And even though he didn’t really say anything to object, I knew that he gave without expecting me to pay him back for it. And it dawned on me that God is the same! Many times we “test” him like “God, if you do/give thisandthisandthis then I will do/give thisandthisandthis.” But God doesn’t want it! If he chooses to give it’s not because he expects something in return, because it’s just in his nature to give. And we can never match what or how much he gives!

This season is making me realise how much daddy loves me, and how much I love him!

LG today was awesome. I think it’s coz for once it’s super in-line with what I was experiencing today, before LG started. I was preparing to share with the seekers group, and I felt quite strongly “Faith to believe”. Though I was really really nervous (it was my first time!) and I think I repeated myself a gazillion times and I may not have shared eloquently or it seemed quite unprepared anyway..Anyway, worship was just what I needed. A reminder. Before LG I was at home, worshiping and just praying in tongues for some reason I just felt the need to..And had a quiet moment. A first in ages! Song of choice, which has been running through my mind lately is Kim Walker – I need you more. And I absolutely LOVE Kim Walker! Just adds that extra oomph in quiet time, coupled with her spontaneous songs (free worship). Spoke so much to me today about how great God’s love is. Today a friend posted on her FB status:

The more you realize how much God loves you, the easier surrender becomes.

So totally agree with that. Lately I’ve been updating my sermon podcasts and I’ve added Ps. Joseph Prince to my list. (Which reminds me I need to add Joyce Meyers too!) Have also been reading some notes posted on FB by other known pastors/leaders from other churches, including Ps. Joseph Prince and also a NZ pastor, Mark Brown. And they’ve been really helpful. Been having revelations upon revelations. 🙂 So back to sermon podcasts – the other night before I slept I decided I’d start this new “habit” of listening to sermons before sleeping (hasn’t really been followed through completely but…getting there!) and the first podcast I downloaded from Ps. Joseph Prince’s channel was about boasting about & relying on God’s love, which is infallible. Read 1 John 4:16. Hm, I think I should keep this new habit…..

My PC is making me dizzy :S so I’ll end here

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