rejoice

eyeball-to-eyeball

today during our fellowship, we studied Hebrews 10. n one of the key points is the importance of meeting together with bro n sis in Christ. we listened to a part of pastor John Piper’s sermon on v23-25. n he mentioned 5 points.

1. we r commanded to meet together regularly

2. do not get into the habit of not meeting tgt

3. increase the frequency n seriousness of our meetings as the Day draws nearer

4. when we meet, empower one another to love, to love intentionally, to have thoughtful intentions

5. strengthen one another in the promises of God, help one another battle unbelief.

this acts as a good reminder to myself, it makes me thk abt what’s the purpose of our fellowship grp n what i shld bring with me everytime i meet them. n sophia shared abt the importance of seeing one another eyeball to eyeball. indeed by looking into one’s eyes, u can relli know a lot abt what this person’s thking n his/her feelings. r we too used to indulging in our own worlds, that sometimes throughout an entire fellowship time, we din even haf any eye contact with any bro or sis? these verses remind us to relli look at our bro n sis, consider them, n thk abt how we can empower one another towards love  n strengthen one another in our faith in God.

n the other learning is frm pt 3. the word “seriousness” relli got me thking abt how we shld conduct our bible study. as sophia said, it’s v easy to attract pple to cell grp by making the contents easier n simpler. but here it says abt increasing the seriousness of our meetings. our regular fellowship is not a game, n it shld nt become merely a habit. but we have to constantly be conscious of  why r we mtg n what we shld do during our mtgs.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider, how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let  us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” — Hebrews 10:23-25

anw, it’s xmas month!!!

In His time

this song reminds again that God has His own timing for everythg, and “He makes all things beautiful in His time”

here’s the song:

In His time      In His time

He makes all things beautiful in His time

Lord please show me every day

As you’re teaching me your way that you do just what you say

In Your time      in Your time

You make all things beautiful in Your time

Lord my life to you i bring

May each song i have to sing

Be to You a lovely thing

In Your time

^^

this sem is gg to be short……

because at least 4 out of my 8 modules this sem will have exams in the last week of dec instead of 2nd week of  jan. initially it was just 2 compulsory mods’ exams  that r being pushed forward, now it’s gg to b 3, n my elective mod exam is also gg to be in the same week. e idea of having 4 exams all in one wk relli stressed me up at first. that means i have to start revision in dec. hehe but looking on the brighter side, i can finish exams earlier n maybe go back sg earlier! my jan wun b packed with exams oso. then of course, less time to study might affect exam performance. so i must work hard from now on. haha, to me, the sem onli started after i came back from the children’s village.

i know i shld update on e trip here. but i’m too lazy to retype everythg all over again here n i’ve shared many times with many pple, be it verbally or thru emails. hmm shall  juz share e main pts ba.  it was a great experience n many lessons learnt during the short 8 days. the greatest lesson learnt is that God’s plan is always e best, n certainly better than our own plans. many times, we can have plans for many thgs, n we ourselves might thk that it is a relli great plan, but that might not b what God has prepared for us in the end. we are really thankful for God’s guidance throughout the trip. we see how much God loved the kids there, n we are encouraged by all the sisters n brothers who r taking care of these kids 24-7.

我们爱，因为神先爱我们。约翰一书4：19

“然而，不要照我的意思，只要照你的意思。” 马太26：39

this r the 2 verses that kept ringing in my head when i was there. n during that 8 days, i was doing matthew for my QT. every day, God has a msg to tell me. just to share a few here.

 马太22:37 “耶稣对他说：你要尽心、尽性、尽意，爱主你的神。这是诫命中的第一，且是最大的。其次也相仿，就是要爱人如己。”  23:11-12 “你们中间谁为大，谁就要作你们的用人。凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。”

24：35″天地要废去，我的话却不能废去。”

25：12″所以，你们要警醒，因为那日子、那时辰，你们不知道。” 21：”好，你这又良善又忠心的仆人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把许多事派你管理，可以进来享受你主人的快乐。”  29：”因为凡有的，还要加给他，叫他有余；没有的，连他所有的也要夺过来。”  the phrase “良善又忠心的仆人” kept appearing in my mind, this is God’s reminder to me to b faithful even in the small things. and also 40:”这些事你们既作在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是作在我身上了。”  when i read these verses, i will thk of the  principal’s husband. we r relli touched by him cos he’s a gd example of a good n faithful servant. though he’s alr 60 plus, he still has the passion to do God’s work. every day he’s out there visiting the poor n the sick, giving sermons or tching bible studies.

this trip relli opened my eyes to the real world out there. there r many who r poor, or sick, n  in need of our help. but there’re just so little that we can do, onli God can bring them real comfort, peace n joy. thus again the reminder to spread e gospel to pple ard us.

the sem’s getting busier for many of us, so let’s work hard tgt! n rmb to rejoice always!

oh one more thg, as some of ur may know, facebook n blogspot r both banned in china. hope they will unblock them soon…

visit to children’s village:D

yay just to share a super exciting news here! me n another sister frm our bible study fellowship will be gg to a children’s village in fujian sanming city next thurs. the trip will be from 1st oct to 9th oct. we will take a plane to fuzhou city, n stay at a hotel overnite, then get to sanming city the next day. frm 2 to 4th oct, there will be a hongkong mission group there, so we will just join their prog. then frm 5th to 8th, we will help to reorganise their library n interact with the kids during their hw time. relli thank God for this chance to go there. though there’re onli 2 of us, God will do great things in the days we r there! I’m relli looking forward to this special experience. Do keep us in prayer:D Pray that we wil glorify Him in all the thgs we do n we wil be a good testimony.

i still remember the time when i was so eager to go for such mission trips a few mths back. but God told me to wait n prepare myself. “If it’s His will, He will surely open a way for me to go.” that’s what i told myself n believed n prayed about. and thank God, this trip is relli His answer to my prayers. God’s plans r always good!父啊，凡事照你的意思，而不是照我的意思。this line that Jesus said to God has always reminded me to follow His guidance n not do thgs according to my own will. cos God is good, all the time！

2 weeks passed, n i’ve alr settled down n get myself into the ” life in beijing” mode. n we will start our bible study session this sun. again thank God for His providence in all areas!

take care everybody! at times, i will thk of the life in sg n reimmerse myself in the feeling of being with u all. okies, shall update more after the trip!

beijing! :D

yup i’m safely back in bj  n a big thank you to caixia laoshi, wx, sk n…yirong(i cun believe he came la!! he totally made my day!), for coming to send me off yst.

 it took me a while to realize that i’m nt in sg alr. the familiar feeling only started to slowly creep in the moment i opened my hostel door. haha guess i’ve been too used to the life back at home for the past 2+ mths. the unfamiliar feeling wasnt this strong after the short winter break. hehe anw, though it took a little bit longer, i kind of settled down alr. going back to the routine sch life in 1 day’s time. hai now everyone’s rather stressed by the bidding of the modules. hope i can get those modules that i have chosen.

haha i must admit that i’m nt the most diligent person, esp when it comes to doing housework. hai… but my room’s super dusty, our feet were totally black after walking ard the rm. so i spent the whole yst night n today afternoon cleaning up. hehe my rm’s much neater n cleaner now! yay!

oh n i’m super happy to have singaporean juniors as neighbours! now me n my rmmate wun b the onli singaporeans at this side of the corridor hehe thk singaporeans have alr dominated 勺园(btw, this is the name of my hostel). there r relli quite a lot of them this yr, n mostly girls. haven gotten the chance to know all of them yet, but i’m sure i will bump into them along the corridor.

anw, din expect it to turn cold so fast, but the wind had been blowing, n it’s the kind of wind that made u shiver.

请容许我这样。。。

“每一次的聚会都不是偶然的，离开了，所以会更加珍惜每一次的相聚。。。”不知道有多少人听到了。我只是想说这句话是真心的。

有个问题，昨天晚上，我有很认真很认真地思考（我真的有！）：为什么在你们面前我怎么都没有什么形象？唉…本来是想有的，怎么说总不能给人一点都没有成熟到的失望感吧。我已经上大学了！哈哈，不过，算了吧！不正是因为自在，舒服，熟悉，才可以如此毫无掩饰地与你们相处吗？

我不想带着难过离开，但是当日子一天天逼近时，心里慢慢沉重了。这里有太多太多美丽的人…好多人离开这里后，总会先想念新加坡的美食，但这里拥有的不只是吃饱就忘记的美食而已，而是不管去到多远都会惦记的人。一直告诉自己，应该带着期待的心情回去，因为在那里有神为我预备的我需要做的许多许多事。这又将是一个成长多多学习多多挑战多多喜乐多多恩典多多的学期。我愿意这么想，我也这么相信。就让我们在祷告中彼此记念吧!

好了，不想写了。因为字词已无法承载太多太多的我的心情。

With all i am

you hold my world
in the palm of your hand
and I’m yours forever

CHORUS
Jesus I believe in you
Jesus I belong to you
you’re the reason that I live
the reason that I sing
with all I am

I’ll walk with you
wherever you go
through tears and joy
I’ll trust in you

and I will live
in all of your ways and
your promises forever

CHORUS

I will worship I will worship you forever

我应该读点什么了

倒数中的空闲的日子

过了下一刻就又少了一天

想过得充实点

所以桌上总是摆着

想看却没翻几页的书

时间在看韩剧或晚饭后的电视节目时溜了

迟钝的我也只是在一切安静后

才突然有空虚感来袭

哈哈能够如此自由闲空就应好好享受嘛

这是每一次的自我安慰

但那些书又在呼唤我了

ubin~finally!

the long awaited ubin cycling trip finally materialized this thurs! it was a relli last min decision. i was so excited when cheryl asked me abt it. i must admit that after being super used to cycling ard in beijing for so long, i actually miss cycling a lot! yay so though the week was packed with gatherings with diff bunch of lovely pple, n thurs was actually the only free day supposedly, i still agreed to the trip!!

and it was indeed a great trip! i relli loved every single moment we had on the island. it was just so great to be back in nature. i simply loved the wind, the trees, the flowers, the sun, the sea, the bridges, the mangroves…basically everythg!! and most imptly the company. though there’s onli 3 of us, me cheryl n danqing, we still enjoyed ourselves lots! oh n chek jawa is just beautiful beyond words! looking at the endless blue-green sea, i relli marvelled at the greatness of God’s creations. once again, i want to exclaim that 这就是天父所创造的世界！我们常常身在福中不知福，忙碌的生活，学业，工作，让我们忘记了感恩，忘记了停下来欣赏这些美丽的创造。能够离开城市， 走进大自然，真的很舒服，很写意，很浪漫，令人陶醉其中，不愿重回城市，不想再被喧嚣的一切包围。

i’m relli thankful for the past week. i had the chance to mt up with diff grps of pple. relli enjoyed all the gatherings

mon- gathering with 2/6 classmates.  it’s amazing how we can actually still mt up after so many yrs. i haven seen some of them for super long la. but everyone’s doing good! yay!

tues- went danqing’s place n had super nice hokkien mee n 豆浆油条with wennie n cheryl, then went with them to marina barrage for picnic tgt with yanner as well. i love the place!! esp the wind! at nite,  i went to have dinner with enci they all, delicious food n wonderful company!

wed- QTwith caixia laoshi at botanic garden frm morn til afternoon, i’m relli thankful for the time spent with her, laoshi, thanks!!! 

 thurs- ubin cycling til late afternoon

 fri-went to visit yulaoshi’s 菜园 with sinyee, cheryl n siewching, n he cooked for us the veg he planted. he’s now got 3 plots of land alr, n there’re all kinds of interesting vegs n herbs there. he’s certainly leading a super cool retired life

sat- had lunch with beijing BS pple, relli happy to see them again in sg! will miss them next sem :/at  nite, DG with jiafeng laoshi n kaising on matthew 3, followed by 团契。lots of learnings frm the lesson n the sermon. again a reminder frm God to share the good news to pple ard me, it might not be easy, but i know this is wad i must do, n i’m sure God will guide me along the way.

2 verses to share here: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means i might save some. i do all this for the sake of the gospel, that i may share in its blessings.” – 1cor 9:22-23 

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” -1peter 3:15

Nope, I haven’t been watching korean dramas

ONLY… hehe yup i have been reading also! finally finished the book that i borrowed frm church library. I’ve learnt much after reading, shall just share a bit here.

Courage and Calling    -Gordon T.Smith

The author states that there r 3 expressions of calling/vocation: general call- to know Christ and follow Him; specific call- a vocation unique to each person, a specific life purpose for individuals; immediate call-our immediate tasks n duties at the present time. in this book, author  mainly focuses on the specific call.

following r some great points in the book:

1. As unto the Lord: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24. and coincidentally, this was the chapter that i read for my QT last nite as well. This is God’s reminder to me to relli do everything as unto the Lord. and in order to achieve this, we haf to keep in mind the 5 elements.

-pursuit of excellence, but not perfectionism

-pursuit of truth, but not bigotry

-pursuit of diligence, but not hectic activity

-pursuit of generosity, but not overcommitted and losing the focus of our giving

- importance of sabbath: a way in which we step back from and find perspective for our work

2. thinking vocationally

-advantages: we are freed from comparing ourselves to others, from artificial standards of excellence, from the burden of pleasing everyone, from urgency and the tyranny of time, to love others.

-2 essential capabilities: retrospection, the capacity to be fully present(this is the second time i heard this phrase, first heard it from the principal of the sch that i was attached to for the past 3 wks. she’s a christian as well )

3. community and solitude (last chapter)

- we need to live in communion with others, to learn to honour one another–to honour without flattery but with a love informed by truth; to learn forgiveness; to learn how to serve and be served, how to give and receive; to love and receive love.

- the greatest gift of community is conversation,which has 2 important elements: listening and speaking. we need genuine conversations that are honest and true, without pretense or posturing.

- at the same time, we also need solitude, that is a place of prayer, of personal and individual encounter with God. The author gives the example of Jesus, who knew what he was called to do.  Refer to Mark 1: 35-44. He had a clarity of purpose and he was not derailed by the needs of Capernaum or the emotional pleas of the disciples. He also set aside time in solitude to pray to God.

- the author suggests that we can keep a jounal to record down our personal encounter/conversation with God. and this will be something that i will start to do, and hope that  i will be able to listen to the promptings of God and dicover what is relli my specific calling from Him.