Goodbye

I don't even know who still reads this. But to those who do, thank you and goodbye. This will be the last post here. Because life is what happens while you're blogging. So i shall stop blogging and enjoy life. =)

Shepherds and love

"Shepherding involves knowing your sheep, tending to them, sacrificing for them, and then letting them out to be sheep! If you do your job right, they'll always come back into the gate, because they know you are their Shepherd." ~ an excerpt from a comment.

Just read this, it's part of a comment off someone's blog post. I find this particularly interesting, especially because I have NEVER seen a Shepherd who let's his sheep out of his guidance, out of his care and out of his sight. This sounds eerily like the 'if you love someone, let them go and if they come back to you, they're yours' illustration people give. May I say: THIS IS NOT LOVE. Love doesn't let go, love holds on. 

It just brings to mind the passages in John, especially chapters14-17, where Jesus shows how he is the good shepherd. Verses like John 17:12 "While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." NOT ONE of them lost. I definitely don't see any hint of letting them out of the pen. Even this verse John 10:27 "27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." If Jesus's sheep follow him, I don't see how there is any separation between them, or any letting go of any sort. Jesus is the good shepherd, which quite obviously suggests to me that all who are his sheep, will be kept safe and sound in the shepherd's care, safe from wolves and other harm. 

No good deed goes unpunished

The moral of the story is that sometimes you close one eye. On days like these, you have to close both eyes, for your own sake. In my case, tightly shut, with both hands pressing over them just to make sure they are very very very shut. 

If i were a heavenly being...

...I would like to be a divine traffic cop. With authority to fine on the spot, just by swiping a credit/debit card on my mobile card machine. I would fine traffic cops who initiate bribes. I would be the Singapore of traffic fines.

Some *gwai* thoughts

I pray & hope that one day, our own local theologians would be as well-equipped, gospel-centred and as capable as the kind *gwai lou* souls that have come to our shores to help, and also that as many people would gather to hear them.

Although with much thanks to the many international theologians i've had the privilege of listening to, there's so much to be said about the benefits of having the local guys equipped: local knowledge is helpful, if not of utmost importance, especially in application of the Word into the local context. The delicate details of culture is just hard to grasp, and who knows the ins and outs better than a born and bred local guy.

Sometimes i wonder also about the *gwai lou* effect on Malaysians. There seems to be some 'pukau' effect that happens when we hear white guys speaking, in comparison to hearing our own local pastors. It's weird, but true.

It's pretty exciting to think on the fact that in my church there are many who are eager to take up this daunting but honorable task. It's a good reminder for me, to keep praying for the growth of faithful pastor-teachers here in Malaysia.

Help my unbelief

A good response to our own unbelief, doubts in God's truth and our many questions about whether it is really true, is this cry: Lord, help my unbelief. Not to keep wondering why, not to sit flat on your bum, but to pray deep and hard, and to keep searching the Word of God for the truth that is sure and solid ground.

Help my unbelief - Red Mountain Church

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray,
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away,
And frights my soul away.

I would but can’t repent,
Though I endeavor oft;
This stony heart can never relent
Till Jesus makes it soft,
Till Jesus makes it soft.

Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
My help must come from Thee.

I would but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul as base as mine.
A soul so base as mine.

I would but cannot rest,
In God’s most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
And murmur at it still.
I murmur at it still.

Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
My help must come from Thee.

 

An Open Letter To Moms from Kid President

Haha, this kid is hilarious. Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I have no time to blog, so when i do, it's about something worthwhile.

Do you know who YOU are, if HOW you know HIM, is really about YOU? 

Like i said, i have no time to blog, but this is worth blogging about.

If you love Jesus, the gospel and your church, you need to come for this!  Does anyone even know what contemporary spirituality is? I myself am not 100% sure, and the best way to find out is by coming to this conference about it. Cos what i do know is, whatever contemporary spirituality is, if it's against the gospel of Christ and it is infiltrating my church in teeny tiny ways, i need to know how to identify it so we can protect our churches from these evils. 

I care about my church, do you? 

Love yourself and your church, come for this conference. Register here : http://www.ggf.org.my/fwc/contemporary-spirituality/

or join in the conversation at the facebook events page :
https://www.facebook.com/events/199170140218492/

Revert

This must be the most overused word in the office community. It's sooooo irritating everytime someone uses it to mean 'Please get back to me about it.' or 'I will reply you about it'. So here's what it actually means.

re·vert

   [ri-vurt] 

verb (used without object)

1.

to return to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc.:They reverted to the ways of their forefathers.

2.

Law . to go back to or return to the former owner or to his or her heirs.

3.

Biology . to return to an earlier or primitive type.

4.

to go back in thought or discussion: He constantly reverted tohis childhood.

Since my last post...

Since my last post, I've changed jobs.

Since my last post, I've gone to Thinking Theologically Conference on The Work of The Holy Spirit.

Since my last post, I have been thinking of what to write but have not had the time to write anything until now.

Since my last post, I have adopted the picture below as my theme song.

smArt / 1

In order to keep from losing my creative streaks, i've decided to start a new thread: smArt!, featuring really fantastic artwork that deserves to be aired somewhere other than in the back of my folders and files. 

The first: The Game of Thrones artwork is amazing! The sigils and mottos are pretty cool. 

Even the fan artwork is amazing!

Thursday's Tip: Pizzas

Very easy to make from scratch, dough and all. After you've made the dough, from then on it takes only about 30 mins from prep to the finished product. I used Jamie Oliver's recipe for the dough, with some changes.

Ingredients:

• 1kg strong white bread flour  • 1 level tablespoon salt • 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast • 1 tablespoon caster sugar • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 650ml lukewarm water

Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, make a well in the middle. I poured the water into the well, dumped the sugar, yeast and oil in, mixed it around a little for the yeast to sink into the water and left it for a few minutes. Then mix the flour in from the sides slowly with a fork. When it gets nice and sticky, dump it onto a clean work area and knead the flour into it. You may need to add more flour if too sticky. Put it back into the bowl, cover and leave it for an hour until it has doubled in size. After that, take it out and knead a little bit more, then you can use it straight away or wrap it in clingfilm to freeze.

If using straight away, just roll it out to the size you want on a floured/oiled surface, add your toppings! Preheat your oven to 220*C, and bake it for 10-15 mins or until its crust and cheese is nice and golden brown.

Topping ideas: 

To keep it simple, there are four categories you'll always need, in the order of layering: SAUCE first, VEGETABLE second, MEAT third and CHEESE right on top. Within these you can vary it.
I've also tried this butternut squash recipe, but the squash is expensive, not sure if i'll do it again.

Sauce ideas: Tomato puree, spag sauce, cheese sauce, mushroom sauce, tomyam sauce, pesto, mayonnaise.

Vegetables/Fruits: Pineapples, spinach, zucchinis, tomatoes, shredded carrots, chopped cauliflower/broccoli,  capsicum, chilli, fresh basil, squash, asparagus sliced thinly, brinjals, olives, mushrooms, caramelized onions, thinly sliced apples/pears with honey, sliced grapes, anything else you can think of.

Meat ideas: Pre-cooked minced chicken/beef or anything, sausage sliced thinly, salami, pepperoni, lap cheong, ham, bacon, tuna, anchovies.

Cheese: My usual is mozzarella, but you can experiment with the many varied types of cheese. Parmesan on top of Mozzarella is pretty good too.


The one pictured above has spaghetti sauce, brinjal slices, onions, garlic, capers, red chilli, some dried herbs, pre-cooked bacon, mozzarella. Just layer everything on and drizzle some oil to cover all the brinjal slices. It's the best tasting one so far.

What's the fuss about detergent?

Well, it's cheaper by comparison and fun to make!

I read up on the different recipes out there, and ended up kinda mixing things up here and there. Here's my recipe: (no photos though, I forgot!)

1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap, can substitute with Ivory or any bar soap you like
A big pail with lid (i used an 18liter pail)

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then turn down the heat to a bare simmer.
2. Add in the grated soap bit by bit, stir til no more soap particles left. Make sure its not too hot or it will bubble over the pot sides.
3. When all is melted, turn off the heat. Add in the Borax and washing soda. Stir til smooth (no more gritty crystals).
4. Fill the pail slightly more than halfway full of the hottest tap water (cos i'm making 3 gallons = 11 liters). I did this in the bathroom, using the water heater at almost maximum.
5. Pour the soap mixture into the water, stir well. 
6. I'm not a fan of the smell this detergent gives, so i added about 15 drops of essential oil (bergamot) per gallon.
7. Let it sit for 8 hours or overnight. 
8. After that it would have set into a jelly like consistency, so just stir again to whip it up into a nice liquid.

It is now ready! Just add 1/2 cup to your normal wash, 1 cup for extra soiled wash.

I however would prefer to keep it in a smaller container, and hide this big pail under the sink. So i've added an extra step to this, which is to take out as much as i need to fill a large Ikea glass jar 3/4 full, whip it up in my mixer (also can use the blender for this) and fill the jar with the whipped cream like substance. Add a nice label and i'm done!

If you want to know the technicalities of how much it will save me per year, it continues after the jump.

"It’s important we understand the difference between unconditional affirmation and unconditional love. Unconditional affirmation is what your dog gives you. He never challenges your right to be the center of your own universe. Love is not like that." ~ Ashley Null

Easy breezy Straws

Another super simple recipe, which takes only 15 mins or less to make.

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry
Jam or Cheese or Cinnamon Sugar or ANYTHING else you like!
Some flour for sprinkling
Icing sugar or cheese

Set oven to 200 deg Celsius.
Sprinkle some flour onto surface so that it doesnt stick.
Just roll out two pieces of thawed puff pastry, make it rectangular.
Spread the jam or sprinkle the cheese or cinnamon sugar on to one piece.
Cover with the other.
Slice it carefully into long strips.
Twist and place onto baking tray.
 Bake for 15 mins or until golden.
 All done!
As a garnish, you can sprinkle some icing sugar onto the sweet straws AFTER baking, or sprinkle cheese onto the cheesy ones BEFORE baking.

11 out of 25

another 5 things accomplished. found a good craft storage system, using clear stackable shoe boxes from Daiso, albeit rm5 per box. Have sewn a lot more since my sewing machine came back, made a clown suit, sewn up some curtains and a pair of scalloped shorts is in the works now. Got my hair cut a couple of months back but didn't blog about it til now, in Feb to be exact. Everyone says it suits me more. I'm still not sure. Organized my portfolio, have put together proper photos and documentation of things that i have done. Read 3 new books, the Hunger Games trilogy to be specific. I loved it! Really exciting.

On the way: trying a bread recipe from Jamie Oliver this Weds, fixing up a few pieces of old clothing too.

Two

A small celebration for our 2nd year. Amazed that no one has died yet. Amazed that we're still together. Definitely its not us, but God's grace that keeps us going.

I am not a fuzzy girl

I don't know what to feel about flowers.

Because flowers die.

Sure, they're beautiful... but only for a few days.

Enjoy them while they last, but they aren't going to last long.

Doesn't anyone feel the outrage? Why shouldn't a beautiful thing like flowers last forever? They should stay this way so that everyone can appreciate its beauty and revel in its smell and just adore it.

But they don't. And we can't. Because God has decided to put eternity into our hearts so that we cannot find out what He is doing from beginning to end. All is a vanity, all will die.

These flowers will die.

So i will enjoy this gift from God (and my husband) while it lasts, but wasting not my efforts to further extend its life. A photo will suffice.

Still on the way to 25...

only 6 things accomplished, and we're already halfway to 25. Have not found the gold glittery polish, but replaced with a silver glittery one. Baked the mug cakes for three occasions, once for adrian, once for my growth group and once for the year end christmas party we had at our home. Won a few contests last year, including starbucks drinks and movie tickets. Painted a mural, decided i didn't like the colors, so spray painted it gold. Got a photobook voucher from Adrian for christmas. Lastly, got deep red curtains for the living room.

Still in progress: Found two out of 6 animal figurines, one deer and one frog prince. Still working out the craft storage system, but things are getting more organized with help from Daiso. Taking better photos is easy with my new camera. The dining table is hidden under tablecloths. Still growing old with Adrian.

2012

2011 ended much better than it started.

• My house is more of a home for the two of us now, after a massive cleaning session during my holiday in december, which involved emptying out all the contents of the kitchen, cleaning it out and putting things back properly, and lots of rearranging furniture in the living room. 
• A better frame of mind for the both of us, after the struggle to remain sane, married, godly, alive. More talking. More planning. More serious. 

2012 is looking up. I predict that there will still be struggles for me personally. But i remember this..

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ~Philippians 4:5-6