The most enjoyable time of the year

is spent ALONE. 

Right after a weekend of being sick and ALONE.

ALONE ALONE ALONE ALONE ALONE.

Bah Humbug.

I know i'm sick

But i don't care! 

I'm going out. 

At some point of today.

Or else i might go insane. 

Like a cooped up dog. 

Woof.

Cheers to butt bruises and loud singing

I only look like this after two long weeks of final projects and one week of exams, hahaha. Taken while rolling around in afore mentioned boot.

Observing Joshua in the car behind us through the rear windscreen glass. Due to the smallness of the image, you miss out watching the semi amused expressions on the driver's and passenger's faces.

A real fun way to start your holiday?

Falling sick and having no one around to take care (read:manja) you.
Hu hu hu =(

So i'm sitting here, alone, with a hot cup of honey and lemon, sniffling til the cows come home, infecting everything on the desktop with my sniffled tissues (ha, padan muka mei for leaving me home alone too) and squinting at the screen out of my teary eyes.

Not to mention having a meeting later. ended up not going -.-

I lead such an exciting life. Sigh.

It's all over

And it starts again on the 5th. Evil vicious cycle.
In the meantime, will be trying my best to recover from strange heart pains and crazy work hours, regulating sleep and eating patterns, and trying my best not to kick myself when i don't get things right.

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Apart from all that, i think i really like to go caroling. There's something fun about the big group of people singing together, harmonizing and playing instruments that just rocks! Although variety and practice would be helpful, it's always nice to just jump right into it.

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Did you know that sitting like illegal immigrants in someone's car boot (albeit a big boot) can give you butt bruises? Impossible as it almost is to get bruises on the behind, there's something about rolling around the car boot that works.

Panic sets in

Staring a manic week of exams. So stressed. Just hope to get through this week alive!

edit: I was hoping to be less nervous one hour after writing this. I'm not. ARGGHHHH!

edit after my exam: Phew. Only four more days to go.

edit on Thursday 18 Dec 08: One more day, just one more!!!

A smart blonde joke

A cop pulls over a blonde, and says, “Ma’am, you were speeding. May I please see your driver’s license?”

“Oh, well, you see officer, I don’t have a drivers license,” the blonde replies. “I never really had the time to go to the DMV and stand for hours in line…and anyway, all you get are terrible pictures.” The slightly taken aback cop says, “Well, then, may I see your proof of registration?"

“Well, officer,” the blonde says, “this isn’t my car. I wanted to borrow it from my neighbor, because it’s so much faster than mine and I was late for a wedding – that’s why I was speeding – but he said no really rudely, so I hit him over the head with a tire iron and stuffed him in the trunk.”

The horrified police officer backs away and calls for backup, and the police chief himself comes out, along with a squad, to see about this.

“Ma’am,” says the chief, “may I see your driver’s license?” The blonde hands it to him and it hasn’t expired or anything, everything’s okay. “May I see your proof of registration?" The blonde hands that to him, and it’s her car, and everything’s okay. “I hate to bother you,” the chief says, “but may I look in your trunk?”

So she pops the trunk and there’s nothing in there. The chief comes back to her window. “We’re sorry, ma’am. The officer over there said that you didn’t have a driver’s license, this wasn’t your car, and that you’d killed a man.”

“You know what,” says the blonde, “I bet he told you I was speeding, too.”

I miss the happy carefree days

and i miss my grandma.

Embarrassing

Do you know any friends, who happen to be part of a couple? Do you know the ones that smooch and snuggle and schmooze it all up right in front of you? 

I think it's gross. 

Married or not. 

Eurgh. Some things, should be kept way behind doors. 

End year reflections part1

As i reflect on the year that has past, i look out for what's changed, for good and for worse. A few good changes by the grace of God would include being open to learn (a lot and about a lot of different things), learning how to be humble and accept constructive criticism and change for the better, knowing more about what it means to be a Christian, and what it means to be a Godly woman and so much more. I've made and pursued a lot of good friendships (although i regret not having more time to pursue all of them). Also made some drastic life changing decisions (and most worked out for the better). So as a whole, this would be the first year i can look back on without too much regret for a wasted year =)

Also a good time to review my 2008 resolutions and see how i score...

• Increase time spent in prayer & Bible study
• Learn to be more patient
• Pursue good healthy friendships
• Make effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle: eating well, sleeping sufficiently and other things pertaining to keeping a lifestyle that glorifies God.
• Start journalling again

I didn't do thaaaat badly, did i? *grin* All except for maybe the journalling one, but i just said start journalling, not journal regularly! Hahaha. 

Christmas isn't Christmas.

The brownies have all gone. That's a good sign =) I have hope. 

It's nearly Christmas. I'm not going gaga over Christmas presents that i have yet to buy and not wondering if people will buy me presents. I'm not imagining up what to wear to Christmas service nor do i really care. I'm not putting up decorations nor do i even know where to find them in my house. It doesn't "feel" like "Christmas". Maybe that's cos i don't know what Christmas is supposed to feel like...

super brownies

The thing that makes this brownie super?

1. They were not burnt. (very important)

2. They turned out really yummy! (2nd most important)

3. It wasn't a ready made brownie pack!

4. It was fun doing it with my sister.

There's only about half left now, i've been giving away big brownie chunks to everyone. This was practice! Cos i'm gonna be baking a cake soon and i really don't want to burn that.

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It's funny you know, nobody really says, "Wow, that's great!" when you successfully bake a cake, where everybody says, "Wow, that's great!" to an A grade. Seems slightly lopsided if you ask me. I'm telling you that nobody remembers if they got an A grade when planning a good healthy meal for themselves and/or their family in the future. Doesn't mean don't work hard or study smart, but i guess some priorities need to be adjusted :)

When you're super busy

You will have no time for any dramatic issues. You will not be interested in dealing with dramatic issue either, even if you have the time. You'll only be interested in finishing up all the work already on the load and continue to avoid adding more things to the load, like said dramatic issues. However, i find that dramatic issues only pop up when you are super busy. Well, they can wait until i'm done. It is hard to find a loving response when you have no time on your hands to think about anything else. God help me.

When inspiration hits

Inspiration comes slowly

And it gets quite tiring waiting for inspiration to happen. 

In light of things

It's always good to reference articles that are helpful in a particular time of trouble or just when you need to be reminded... especially if it reminds you of the Gospel's implications with regards to whatever trouble or situation you're facing =)

Here are some good articles for your reading pleasure:

• The Bible called me Stupid
• Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend
• An Idiot’s Guide to Correction

Worth reading for anyone who is interested in investing themselves in people's lives and for all of us, because we all need loving correction.

I don't like being corrected. Who does? But it's part and parcel of growing in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us with the truth of the Word and enables us to obey the Word. That doesn't mean it's easy :(

Cooking is fun-er now

It's a tranference of interest. Nope thats not it. It's an expansion of interest. You know how i've always liked making stuff, the interest just expanded to include food. It's been fun! Especially if you have friends to do it with! I appreciate the fact that friends scream in mutual surprise shock omg-i-can't-believe-i-just-did that when you accidentally drop your egg yoke into your egg white only mixture. Or need four eggs when you only have three. Or be ready to bake and find that you don't have baking paper -.-  

I'll shamelessly spill that up until recently, i hated it. I still am fearful of the heat, the oil burning my skin and extremely sharp knives slicing the tips of my fingers off but the interest keeps on growing (although if i could find mittens that extend to my shoulders to cover my arms while i'm cooking, i would definitely use them). I never thought i'd be the so-called "domestic maternal grandma" type, but what the hey, i can sew, craft, and now cook. 

Next thing on my list - cleaning. Maybe gardening. Hahaha now those are things that i'm positive i'll never like. 

If at first you don't succeed, maybe you're doing something wrong.

Well well well, here we are at the second attempt at cooking! Thank goodness my lunch date, also known as the poor guinea pig had cancelled, so that i could take my time and taste it first hahahah just in case. At least if it didn't taste good, i would have ordered pizza or something =P

This thing today came about from a pact to start eating healthier (and no, even chinese food from the mix rice place doesn't count as healthy). I guess there's nothing better than home cooked food. That however only counts if home cooked food (at least from my home) tastes good too. 

Anyway, today's recipe is Sausage with Cabbage and Corn Saute from RealSimple magazine. I show no pictures of the process because i felt abit too jakun to take pictures, might as well just concentrate on making the food taste nice. Besides, the pictures of my dish wouldn't have turned out as nice as the one from the site, as above *grin*. 

So a few healthy details about this meal:

1. I used olive oil. Apparently, it's much healthier than normal oil, longer life expectancy and something about chronic illnesses. I don't care, it makes food smell nicer. Extra virgin is the healthiest quality apparently.
2. The recipe gives a 60:40 ratio of veggies to meat. And it helps that the veggies taste so yummy! Who knew balsamic vinegar could make veggies taste so nice!

Well, try the recipe for yourself to find out how good the veggies are. And oh yes, a side note: Even though Italians and Mexicans speak almost the same language, their sausages DO NOT taste almost the same. So go look for the Italian sausage instead of being lazy like me =) 

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Going over to Lydia's place soon to bake pavlova again! I love pavlova! Well, let's hope and pray i don't embarrass myself by burning it. Again. 

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edit: Try and finish up the veggies fast. They discolor the dishes. 

Love me, love my hair!

My long neglected hair had a well deserved bubble bath and indulgence. 

Reminds me of relationships. You have to take care of it, and regularly, and give it a break sometimes. Otherwise, it'll grow wild, out of your control and shapeless. The thing is, you've got to shape it with the right things, or it just gets messy or look cheap. 

So here's a timely reminder to take care of your hair, health, and husbands.

Being busy

Having a lot of things to do makes me busy. 

And i'm busy, a lot. 

And it kinda sucks.

Cos i don't get to see my friends more, spend time at home without working on something...

Although it's also been kinda good.

It's made me realize the necessity of waking up early and sleeping regularly.

It's made me realize the prudence of making good schedules and keeping to it, although not being confined to it.

But i'd be kidding if i didn't say that i still wish i had more time on my hands.

Well well, look at the time. Got to go. 

I still hate cockroaches

Remember this post? 

And the sordid ending, where it eventually got swept away into the bin?

Here's how i like all cockroaches...

Taken before being swept away.

The Peasant Princess

Have you ever heard sermons in your own respective churches on the Song of Songs before? Well, if you haven't, hear these, by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. Click the images to go to the Peasant Princess website and watch the videos. Honestly, the images were enough to drag me over there, but the videos were a pleasant not-so-surprise. Play the Whac-a-fox game after you've heard the third in the series, The Little Foxes.

(all images from peasantprincess.com)

Ha ha happy

not exactly enough to make me happy, but these little sayings on bumper stickers from Melissa's FB wall are pretty funny.

(all images from gettyimages, edited by me)

the picture says it all

I hate cockroaches

My sister and i were sitting innocently enough doing stuff on the computers when suddenly, out of nowhere... A GIANT HUMONGOUS KING OF ALL COCKROACHES descended upon us. 

We proceeded to collapse into fits of debilitating fits of laughter and disgust and fear of all things creepy crawly (or at least i was). This woke mummy up and she came out to check on us. 

She waged war on the cockroach for us, cos we were pretty useless, hiding behind a towel (me) and a dictionary and japanese grammar (my sis). She was fearless on the hunt. 

Although she never managed to complete the job (she haha disintegrated into the same debilitating fits of laughter, turns out she wasn't that fearless after all), i love my mummy for trying. My dad who woke up when all three of us girls became useless writhing jellies laughing our heads off, had to complete the dirty deed and proceeded to lecture mummy for not setting a good example for her daughters =P

My opinion is: cockroaches, lizards and all other forms of creepy crawlies belong solely in the husband/daddy/man of the house department. 

The moral of the story is: Don't leave windows open big enough for cockroaches to get in.

the end.

A dedication in humility

Thanks be to Jesus, who suffered death to redeem us from sin and the wrath of God, for giving up himself to be our credit of righteousness, undeserving as we are. In this we have our confidence, in this we have eternal hope. 

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

Thanks be to God who's grace is so obviously evident in every little particle of life, in mine, forever teaching me and showing me His character, in perfecting me. It is grace and God's grace alone that allows me to be more and more like His son.

Thanks be to God, who forgives us our sins, by the gift of His son. He teaches me to trust in the Gospel, reminding me in the life of a woman who forgave "Many times over...", that God has forgiven me so much, so that i too can forgive much. 

"He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more. He overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case. He does not expect perfection in the creature, and, therefore, he is not disappointed when he does not find it. When our virtues become more mature, we shall not be more tolerant of evil; but we shall be more tolerant of infirmity, more hopeful for the people of God, and certainly less arrogant in our criticisms."(CH Spurgeon)

For a beautiful woman;

whose children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her.

God's grace gives me another day with you

I feel like life just kicked me in the shins. Hard.

So many things, so many feelings, and there's always the temptation to emo.

Then God reminds me of His grace and in His grace, He gave me friends who write terrible things to slap you in the face -.- Just kidding! It is a well written reminder for me not to emo.

edit 1.00am: Actually the temptation is not so much to emo, its to escape and run away. Hide, forever and ever. Forget all about everything. But essentially the same thing lah. Sometimes i chase this elusive 'escape' so much, i forget about God and the freedom i have in him.

Oh! These days all of God's grace i see in my life, in other people's lives... It overwhelms me into abundant joy, tears and thankfulness. I thank God that He is God and i am not. 

Oh, my mind is so jumbled, i can't put proper words to all the thoughts and feelings. And putting an end to this random word vomit is a random song: 

Some folks don't get it 
But we never fret it
'Cause we know that time is our friend.
It's plain to see 
That you're stuck with me 
Until the bitter end.

Some folks cant stand it
They say time is a bandit
but i take the opposite view
cause when i need a lift,
Time brings a gift
Another day with you...

Borrowed words

From people more witty than i, to express all i want to say, because i can't.

“Sickness, like any other weakness and trouble, should force us to stop, to face ourselves, and to look for the Lord. It’s a chance to find sins we have been too busy to notice and…a chance to find a quickened need for Jesus’ mercies and a deepened delight in God.”

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah."(Psalm 68:19)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

"We dare not speak on God's behalf to explain why He allowed these particular acts of evil to happen at this time to these persons and in this manner. Yet, at the same time, we dare not be silent when we should testify to the God of righteousness and love and justice who rules over all in omnipotence. Humility requires that we affirm all that the Bible teaches, and go no further. There is much we do not understand. As Charles Spurgeon explained, when we cannot trace God's hand, we must simply trust His heart."

"Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15)

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen; For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Gum election project

Gum Election is a guerilla art project which started in New York City in October 2008. It should encourage people to vote on November 04th and also not to spit out their chewing gums carelessly on New York Cities already dirty streets. 

I thought this was pretty good as an effort to clean up the streets! 

For the obvious hate encouragement, not so much.

The Most Important Issues in the Elections - John Piper

Although this is specific to America, the principles apply to us here in Malaysia too.

The 25th Oct Wedding

My view from the cheap seats, more specifically behind the drum set. All the other hot spots were claimed by the professionals hahaha.

Close up onto the groom's smiley face.

The Ultimate Wedding

Yesterday i was at a wedding. The most beautiful part of the wedding, was when the groom teared when he saw his bride walking towards him and i couldn't help but reflect on how much more beautiful it will be when we, the bride of Christ, approach the Bridegroom on that day. 

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

This classic wedding text from Ephesians 5 shows how much Christ, the Ultimate Bridegroom, gave for his bride, his church. He gave himself up for her, to sanctify, and cleanse her, to present her blameless and holy. How much more should we, the church, submit to Christ, responding to His great love for us.

Caught this on Mel's site

Just because

everyone always needs something funny.

My solid rock

Recent events have led me to sorrow, and as i drove home today in the dark depressing and constant rain, i remembered this song, that sings of Christ, the Solid Rock upon which i stand. And i'm reminded of grace, and how glad i am to have a Rock to stand on, to have something to believe in and to live a life based on it, something to take and make a stand on, because all other ground, is sinking sand. 

Edward Mote, a pastor and hymn writer, penned his most famous work 'My Hope is Built on Nothing Less' which is best known for the refrain 'On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand'. He was well liked by his congregation in Horsham and they offered him the church building as a gift. Mote replied "I do not want the chapel, I only want the pulpit; and when I cease to preach Christ, then turn me out of that." Just prior to his death, he said: "The truths I have been preaching, I am now living upon, and they do very well to die upon."

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

(Refrain)
'On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.'

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

FunkyMonkey: Good Listening

Upon hindsight, i realized that these tips to listening better helped in other parts of life too, not just listening to sermons. It has certainly helped me in listening to people in normal conversation. Of course, you don't go jotting down everything your friend says while in the conversation, that's just weird. But key things/comments are worth writing and remembering, also to be checked into at a later date. 

Just a hint

of what went on in Zi's coolest ever 21st bday party.

A little rant

Ahhh, a breath of fresh air, the sun and the sights! Being out here in the wide open, gazing into the horizon, the potential! The life! This is living! Not being imprisoned in a tiny cell, grasping for daylight through the bars on the tiny window. 

I've broken out. It seems illegal, but who cares! I'd rather be on the road and on the run forever than be in that tiny room another minute. Look! Birds! A whole flock of them! I feel like i'm flying right beside them, soaring with the wind, carried along by freedom and hope...

As i come back down to earth, i realize that honestly, all the trauma is still shackled to me. I still have the scars around my wrists and ankles from the chains that bound me to the wall. Everytime i look at them, i can feel the hopeless dejection suppressing me, like literal chains binding me so hard i can hardly breathe. 

But that only happens occasionally, and i know with time, my wounds will heal and my mind will clear. All i know is to live in hope.

My lifeline

My phone is dying a slow death. Not that slow, but the sort of death where it's still kicking its last leg but you know that death is on the horizon. I've been stressing over the fact that i'll have to shell out money to get a new phone straightaway cos i can't live without my phone...

BzzZZzzWWwtt! Re-wind! 

"I can't live without my phone..."

Ah the dependency on something other than God to organize my life and hook me up socially. I can live without it and lately i've realized that i actually like it when my phone is silent. (In case you were wondering, i don't use any tone but silence now) Peace is elusive with a phone around. Besides, nothing (ABSOLUTELY nothing) beats meeting people face to face. All this emailing and phone call business, it helps up communication but at the same time it downs REAL communication as well.

So maybe i'll not get a new phone straightaway. And remember to depend on God more than my phone.

p.s. If people really want to get me, they have my email address or house number anyway. 

Good Listening

In continuation to Good Sermons, i thought it is common and completely unfair to put the whole responsibility on the preacher to preach. For someone to preach, there must be someone to listen. Quoting girltalk, "If our pastor, whom God has called and gifted to preach, spends many hours studying God’s Word to share it with us, shouldn’t we be humble and diligent to review and apply that truth?"

Having listened to many sermons among other sorts of speeches, here are some things i found in my process of being a better listener:

1. It is never helpful to switch off during a sermon (bad or not).

   It is easy to pay attention to a good sermon. It is even easier to switch off to a bad sermon. However i've found that it doesn't do us any good to switch off to anything. What does help, is by listening attentively and learning to identify what the preacher is trying to say in his sermon and checking that up with Scripture. I can't really say it better than this, when Paul and Silas went to Berea in Acts 17, where they received the word with all eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 

   Why is it important to examine everything that we hear so carefully? Because preachers are only human. That's why we need the church, to serve God together and serve each other. It is our responsibility to make sure that all our fellow members of the family of God stay faithful to Scripture. And you can't really do that if you're not paying attention to the speaker. 

   1 John 4 says,

   Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

   You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

2. Always take notes.

   This always helps me, especially if i find it hard to pay attention. By jotting down stuff that the speaker mentions, it helps me to focus and even if i don't manage to figure out what he's trying to say, i can always look back at my notes and figure it out at a later time or ask questions where i don't understand. It also helps in the process of checking Scripture to make sure what the speaker says is true. I can't really check with Scripture if i didn't write anything down, and i would be going on my memory alone, which is faulty and often misremembers details.

3. Preach to yourself.

   If indeed you have checked with Scripture and found it to be a bad sermon, preach the sermon to yourself. NO, not the bad one, but figure out how a sermon with such a topic or such a text should sound like. It helps to try and figure out what the original readers were supposed to understand from the text and then in light of the Gospel, figure out what God intends for all readers to understand. And any Christian can do this, reading and understanding Scripture is not some miraculous talent only bestowed on preachers. We've been given the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit helps us understand what God is saying to us.

This is also not an exhaustive list, just the basic few that help me listen better. That concludes my tiny two-part post. However, a few last words before i end - read the Scriptures faithfully, always check all that you hear with Scripture and don't be discouraged in reading Scripture. In conclusion, a reminder from Paul to Timothy (emphasis mine):

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
 

If you put these things (ref:verse 4) before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Suggested reading : What is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti M. Anyabwile

Good Sermons

A little introduction to a two-part post i've been writing:

For all the preparation the preacher does (or not) before gathering up the guts to speak to us, i'd hope that he'd have prepared a good sermon. And a right response to that sermon (good or not), would be good listening. 

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I'm no preacher, but i am a more than once weekly pew/seat/floor warmer, sitting at the feet (or on a chair) in front of a speaker. After listening to these speeches for a while, there'll come a point where you take note of the difference between good sermons and bad ones (that is, if you've been paying attention - read about that in the sequel to this post). 

A few things i've found helpful in a sermon:

1. A good preacher preaches a sermon that draws your attention not towards himself, but points to God.

   That's the whole point of preaching at the pulpit, to quote someone wiser than me, "to hold the microphone for God." Long life experiences, funny anecdotes and other such things shouldn't distract from the message God brings. 

2. It is good to teach and explain Bible passages (expository/explicatory preaching).

   Where better to start than with Scripture to hear God speak? It's great when the Bible is explained to us on the pulpit, in direct opposition to using Scripture here and there to support a cause/ulterior motive/just your own message. We should hunger for what God is saying, not what man wants to say.

3. It is necessary to help people understand biblical theology.

   It's great when i get help in understanding how a text from the Bible relates to me and salvation etc. Since the Bible (both the testaments) shows God's unfolding plan of salvation climaxing with Jesus Christ on the cross, we should seek to understand any given text in the Bible within God's whole plan, revealed to us in Scripture. The Gospel should remain the center of any message, always the climax, never the footnote or postscript.

It's not an exhaustive list and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but these are things we all need to hear on Sundays and everyday. We all need to remember and be reminded of the cross all the time - whether from the pulpit or elsewhere - and make it a point to live a Gospel-centered life, not a gospel sidelined life.

I should update my blog more often

So in lieu of my upcoming durian runtuh of backdated posts, here is an endorsement to go and check out something worthwhile, it's the 9marks blog - highlighting the 9 marks of a healthy church. Check out what it means to be a church, and what a church should look like. 

Read everything!

I hate that irritating bass beat

I was woken up rudely by irritating bass beats of some inconsiderate idiots music at 4am. It played all the way on from there til 8am. I should know. I was up the whole time. I've heard more techno-ish, house, whatever kinda of stupid dingbat songs than anybody should in a whole lifetime.

Here's the thing: I realized during that 4 hour period how passive men have become. I'm guessing men used to defend hearth and home, protect their women and children, do the he-man thing. They used to gladly join the army for crying out loud. They were willing to sacrifice their lives and time and effort for the good of the country, their people and families. 

These days, can't even get them to get out of the house and tell these idiots off. My dad was a hero lah. He went out to check them out, but apparently there were a lot of people so he came back. That's okay, at least he tried. Which is more than i can say for the rest of the men living on my block. Useless bums. No wonder women want to do things themselves sometimes. Cos you're not doing it. 

Yes, this does not apply to men in general.

Yes, this only happens when i am rudely awakened.

Yes, it stops here. 

The music hasn't stopped by the way. The volume is lower but it's still playing.

I hate those irritating bass beats.

Jog my memory

Me + Dust = Bad

I thought i'd practice some housekeeping today, since i dropped my handphone from my loft bed into an obscure spot and had to rescue it from near death by dust. So out came the vacuum and gloves and mop. The spot is now clean-er.

I made a discovery while i did the cleaning. It was like a Eureka moment. I managed to get an equation out of it.  

Me + Dust = Bad

To be honest, i discovered this a long time ago, when my mum could still force persuade me to clean my room and change the covers. Everytime i changed the covers, i'd get a nasty hayfever and i won't be able to see out of the teary slits my eyes become or smell because my nose would be all stuffed up AND runny at the same time. 

Back then, my rational conclusion is that i'm not made for housework and i should make my future husband/maid clean everything. Now, my more rational conclusion is that i should probably keep everything clean at all times so the dust won't pile up and overcome my silly nose.

Dust, oh dust,

Hate you, i must.

why can't you just self combust.

Read Books, Not Blogs

 

 

Sent to you by funkymonkeyerin via Google Reader:

 

 

Read Books, Not Blogs

via The Blazing Center by Stephen Altrogge on 9/29/08

My friend Tony and I have been having some good conversations about blogs. I like blogs. I write one for crying out loud. But Tony has freshly reminded me why I want to be reading much more from good books than I do from blogs. Here's a few reasons why.

Books Require More Reflection From the Reader

When I sit down to read John Owen, my brain needs to be fully engaged. His deep theological arguments go on for pages and require intense thought and reflection. When I'm done reading Owen my ears are dripping brain fluid and my heart is warm with truth. Reading a good theological book is like having a deep heart-to-heart conversation with an incredibly godly person.

Generally speaking, blog posts are quick bites. Usually weighing in at 400 words are less, they don't require the same type of intense, heart-searching thought. I want to read more books because they don't pander to my television-created short attention span.

Books Are the Result of Much Reflection By the Writer

Writing a book is like giving birth, except without the intense pain and the hospitals and a baby at the end. Seriously though, writing a God-honoring book requires hours of hard work, deep thought, and prayer. They're the result of many hours of meditation on the word of God. When I sit down to read a book by John Piper, I know that I'm reading the words of a man who has thought long and hard about what it means to follow Christ.

Blogs require much less work by the writer. On a good day I can bang out a blog post in thirty minutes. They're not the result of two years worth of sermons or hundreds of hours hunched over the sacred text. I hope they're rooted in scripture and encouraging to the saints. But books flow out of person's life, blog posts flow out of a person's current thoughts.

Books Bring Accountability

For a book to be published it must go through a gauntlet of tests. It must be approved by a publishing committee that trusts the author, it must be scrutinized by an editor, and it must be endorsed by reputable people. This process in a sense holds authors accountable.

Blog posts can be written by anyone at anytime in anyplace. No credentials needed. No accountability required. All behind the beautiful anonymity of the Internet.

So will I keep reading blogs? Certainly. But hopefully not at the expense of good books.

 

 

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Useful little sayings that i should remember

It's a start of a collection. Which means i only have one so far.

1. Pull off plasters fast. 

Only a masochist would want to extend the pain. Just do it already!

This will also suit for other occasions in life, not just when you have an actual wound on your body.

Jesus Inside

Apparently i'm beautiful. That's a separate issue but on the topic of beauty, i figure even beauty on the inside doesn't count for much, cos of sin. No one is really beautiful on the inside. What makes someone beautiful on the inside, is Jesus. 

So annoyed

I burnt pavlova number 2. This is too much. Am now sitting here, smelling sweet stuff in the air slash carbon urgh-y smells. I'm never baking again!

The Pavlova Story

Yeah, so here's the thing:

Get all the ingredients (ask mum to get it so it's free!).

Firstly, preheat the oven to 130 deg C (that's 130 degrees Celsius for us noobs at cooking, and if you own a microwave oven, that means pressing the "bake" button until the little red numbers reach 130.

After you've got the stuff, here's the next thing you need to do : Learn how to separate the egg white from the egg yolk. You cannot have any egg yolk in this thing.

Method 1: My friend Alison suggests cracking the egg into your hand so the yolk stays and the white flows through the gaps between your fingers into the bowl.

Method 2 (which was the method i used, since i'd rather not have the eggy gooiness in my hands): Crack the egg into half, keeping the egg yolk in one side of the shell, and pouring the white out slowly - this is an accident prone method. You might wanna practice first.

In the end, i managed =)

The unused egg yolks (they disappeared soon after tho, no idea what happened to them)

Chuck the egg whites into the "whisker" - haha, the whisking machine or whatever - and whisker away! (Medium high, according to the recipe)

Then, you'll need to measure out the sugar (the pavlova ended up way too sweet so i'd probably put in less sugar than what the recipe prescribes next time). Check whether the eggs have been whisked to soft peaks (sorry, no pictures, it all happened too fast!) and then toss the sugar in a little at a time until it's all in.

Let it keep whisking til it becomes "hard peaks" (it'll look very nice and smooth and you can pinch a little of it between your fingers to check if the sugar has completely dissolved).

Then, sprinkle the vinegar and cornflour into the mix and fold in (this means not simply stirring the mix together, there's some intricate hand-eye coordination to this thing that i haven't quite figured out yet, but essentially it's mixing it all in slowly)

Then plonk the mix onto your pan (lined with baking paper) and do whatever with it. I was just gonna plonk it in a big blob right in the center but mum made me do some design thingie that looked like a real cake. I didn't like the looks of it but well, it's really up to you. 

You need to leave it in there for an hour and 15 mins (i suggest not waiting in front of the microwave oven like i did. It is NOT like TV and it gets mighty boring after a while).

When it's done, it'll look brown and yummy smelling, although my cake looking thingie ended up quite lopsided but who cares! It didn't BURN! Woo hoo!

You'll need to leave it to cool (mum says: pls take it out of the oven to cool, don't leave it in there, you dingbat!)

It should feel hard-ish on the outside and nice and marshmallowy on the inside when it's all done and ready for decorating!

I put whipped cream and strawberries on top of mine. (Word of warning though: you need to whip whipping cream slowly, too fast and it'll curdle and look funny and be really wet. One of my guinea pigs said it looked like i was putting scrambled eggs onto the pavlova). Add the granulated sugar and vanilla essence to the cream to make it taste good!

Last but not least, dig in! Cos this baby doesn't last very long, and the fresher it is, the yummier!

I've got enough for a second batch for next week, de-lish!