Thank You, Lord

I was looking out of my window at home this morning.  Thanking God for a brand new day. Thanking God for His hand of love.

Lovely Singapore Quarry

Last Saturday afternoon, Monte and I had a good time at the Singapore Quarry.

Journeying with Our Maker

The pursuit of God drives us to press on and embrace everything God has for us. Our merciful God shapes us daily.  

He pulled us out from the miry clay and gave us life eternal. He speaks to us daily. He transforms us powerfully. The life and light of Christ comes shining through us. 

Collectively, we become a mighty beacon for the Lord. We shine forth God's glorious light. We bring hope to people in despair and desolation. 

The richness of God's grace and His tender mercies spur us on. He grants us strength and tenacity. We can only go as far as He allows to venture.  

As we journey through perilous pathways, we are fearless because He is with us. 

He unfolds His purposes and plans to us. We walk in love and submission to our maker. He who began a work in us will bring it to completion. We serve a faithful God.

Monte has penned some lyrics to a song entitled The Love of God is Overflowing

The love of God, is overflowing

It reaches to, the deepest sea.

The love of God, is overflowing

It rises up, for you and me

The love of God is overflowing

Like a fount, that's pure and free

The love of God, is overflowing

It's flowing down, for you and me

I put in a simple melody and we used it at the end of January this year when Monte was preaching at His Sanctuary.  The Lord granted a wonderful time of ministry that day.

We enjoy ministering together.

The little that we offer to the Lord may seem small in our own eyes but the Lord can use what we have in our hands.  Serving the Lord reaps bountiful blessings and joy.  We can only abandon ourselves completely to the Master in love and total submission.  God is so good.

Eliska, My Beautiful Niece

My mother with Eliska

Eliska

Eliska

Servants of the Lord

Last Sunday, Monte was preaching at His Sanctuary.  We had a wonderful time of ministry.  Our hearts are overwhelmed by God's goodness.  

We minister at the church twice yearly.  Every time we are there, some warm and cheerful elderly ushers would welcome us.  We love seeing them.  Their love, enthusiasm and loving service is heartwarming.  God has given each of us talents, gifts and abilities for service.  Long ago, I read about an individual who would faithfully prepare and wash communion cups in church.  What may seem small in the eyes of man means a lot to God.  Everything that we do with a sincere and grateful heart reaps boundless blessings from on high.  God sees our hearts, He empowers us to love and serve because we are all servants of the Lord.

El Shaddai

El Shaddai


How can we ever fathom how God can dwell in us, mortal earthen vessels that are prone to fall and fail.  God almighty came into our lives and shine His glorious light in us to reveal His glory and splendour.  When we focus on the greatness and awesomeness of God, all our earthly challenges melt at His feet.  He has raised His banner of victory for us.  He is the glory and lifter of our heads.  We extol our great King who reigns for all eternity.

EL SHADDAI

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonia

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

We will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

Through your love and through the ram

You saved the son of Abraham

Through the power of your hand

Turned the sea into dry land

To the outcast on her knees

You were the God who really sees

And by Your might

You set Your children free

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonia

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

We will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

Through the years You've made it clear

That the time of Christ was near

Though the people couldn't see

What Messiah ought to be

Though Your Word contained the plan

They just could not understand

Your most awesome work was done

Through the frailty of Your Son

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonai

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai,

Erkamka na Adonai

I will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

El-Elyon na Adonai

Age to age You're still the same

By the power of the name

El Shaddai, El Shaddai

Erkamka na Adonai

I will praise and lift You high

El Shaddai

Courage to Press On

Someone once said that tough times do not diminish the presence of God. 

The harsh realities and the stresses of life will not hinder us from pursuing the Lord. God has given us a fighting spirit. He has given us supernatural strength to overcome.

He beckons us to journey with Him. He reveals His love to us. He is with us. He bears our burden. He gives us strength and hope to persevere. He gives us courage to press on.  

He opens our eyes to endless opportunities and possibilities. He brings hope in our despair. He sustains us by His amazing grace. He pours His love on us unceasingly.

In our limited capacity, we can never fully comprehend the full extent His love. Love so deep and intense. Love so pure and rich. Love that overflows. Love personified. Love crucified.

His Divine Providence

A few days ago, we received word from the Society of Pentecostal Studies that Monte’s paper has been accepted for its 42nd Annual Meeting in conjunction with the Wesleyan Theological Society, hosted by Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, March 21-23, 2013.   (http://www.sps-usa.org/meetings.html)

The Conference Theme is "Holiness".  The title of Monte's paper is “Patterning the Pentecostal Via Salutis to the Classical ‘Three Ways’ of Spiritual Formation: An Ecumenical Model for Developmental Sanctification”.

Our hearts are filled with great joy because this honour and privilege is not something we take for granted.  Memories of how God providentially met us last year when He opened the door for Monte to present his paper in Virginia, USA came rushing into our hearts and spirit.  We experienced first hand how the Lord miraculously provided for every cent necessary to make the trip.  This time round, the joy is inexpressible.  We can only stand in amazement because He is simply awesome and great. We believe in His divine provision.  We know that He has all the resources we needed.  We are thankful and we know that He is more than enough for us.  We are grateful for the opportunity to see God work on our behalf and we are mindful that the Lord is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can imagine and hope.  We see His hand of love.

Journeying with the Lord is amazing.  We do not want to embark on any other journey except for the one that God leads us on.  We persevere in love and hope because He speaks His strength, grace, and love into the depth of our hearts.  We bow in humble adoration to our great God who is faithful and true.

Blessed to be a Blessing

Because of God’s great love, His heart beats constantly for people.  He ministers to people through each of us.  Sometimes, He prompts us to contact someone.  We make a phone call; send an email, a card or a letter.  At other times, He puts certain individuals on our hearts and gives us the privilege to pray for these people.  When God sensitizes our hearts, we become a vessel that carries His love to people who are desperately in need of the touch of God upon their lives.  They may be facing a catastrophic disaster, depression, overwhelming circumstances, spiritual attacks or a crisis.  Despite of our inadequacy and limitations, the Lord opens our eyes to see what He can do through our willingness to share, love and care.  We have tasted His goodness, we have seen His glory; we have been blessed to be a blessing. As we cry out to the Lord, we offer everything within us to the master in total abandonment.  We offer our lives back to our life giver.

Come Out of Our Comfort Zone

God calls us out of our comfort zone. He draws us to Himself. He calls us out to shape and mould us. He wants us to hear His heartbeat. He wants us to taste His goodness.

And our heart’s cry is “Lord! Make me pliable in Your hands.” The greatest work that God does in our lives is in times of greatest anguish. We are compelled to confront our pain, fears, and anxiety head on. The Lord begins to speak into our lives. He speaks hope and courage into our hearts.

He begins to restore hope in our bleakest moments. The peace and presence of the Lord cushion us from life’s harshest blow. 

The psalmist found the inner strength to sing and declare the praises of the Lord in his darkest hour. God comes in His love and power to embrace him.

 

God’s clarion call for each of us is a call to intimacy. The embrace of God brings us great comfort and solace. This is a call back to the heart of God. 

In His presence, He gives us peace and  tranquility. He floods us with hope and strength. He brings wholeness and restoration. Our hearts leap with unspeakable joy because His love is better than life.

Open Door of Ministry

Monte posted this on Facebook last night

"Tomorrow morning I am away 18 – 21 June 2012 on my first mission venture to Vietnam. There I will deliver for some believers in an emerging work there, a series on "Missions in the book of Acts." What the Lord has now given me to share from Luke-Acts is, a trinitarian shaped theology / model of ministry:
1. Ministry in the way of Jesus – Imitatio Dei.
2. Ministry in the Mission of God – Missio Dei.
3. Ministry in the power of the Spirit – Virtutis Dei.

For the healing of all nations—
In all upper rooms; on all tongues—
Breathe fresh winds;
Let fire fall.
In our hearts, send flames of love.
With visions of the Kingdom—
To all creation— may healing flow.
In the name of Jesus— let healing flow."

Monte has arrived in Vietnam. We thank God for the open door to minister. Serving and loving God and His people takes on new significance when we see the smallness of our strength and the greatness of God's power. It is an awesome privilege to be part of what God is doing in the hearts and lives of broken people. The Lord pours forth His spirit on us, His sons and daughters, and He declares His everlasting love for all who call on the name of the Lord.

His Awesome Presence

The presence of the Lord is the safest place in this whole wide world. For it is a place of tranquility, serenity and peace. In today’s fast-paced living of deadlines, targets and quotas, many are suffocating in stressful environments and conditions. It perpetually leaves very little time for us to rest let alone time for family, friends, hobbies and recreation. Many competing demands require our endless attention. Yet in the midst of all that is happening in and around our lives, we hear the Lord beckoning us to enter into His rest.

His presence drowns out all other competing voices and demands. In His awesome presence, He brings us comfort and strength, hope and joy, restoration and wholeness. Our sole desire is to hear the voice of the Lord, the voice that assures, affirms and builds us up to excellence and greatness. His presence strengthens us to persevere in the face of unimaginable trials and tribulations.

The Lord calls us to deeper commitments in loving and serving Him, He pours Himself into us so that what flows out of us reaches the deepest needs of people. In times of our greatest desperation and need, a miracle takes place and we find grace to love and serve without reservation. The love of God compels us to do the impossible. The love of God motivates us to go another mile all for His glory.

Amazing Mickey

He Meets Our Needs

We moved into our existing flat in Sengkang in August 2001.  My friend contacted me to say that her sister had bought a new refrigerator and asked if we would like to take over the existing one.  We were more than happy to do so.  The refrigerator is still in good working condition up to today.  It has not broken down once all these years.  We are grateful for the Lord’s providence.  We are also thankful to my friend and her sister.

As God’s children, we experience the hand of God in everyday living.  He meets our needs.  He protects us from seen and unseen dangers.  He reaches the inner recesses of our hearts and makes us whole and strong.  He nurtures, develops and empowers us.  He gives us undying hope, faith, unspeakable joy and peace that passes understanding.  In Him we live and move and have our being.  We cannot live without the Lord and as we abandon ourselves to His loving embrace, our hearts leap with vibrant joy.  We are thankful to be alive to taste His goodness and His grace.

His Faithful Promises

The glorious rainbow radiates the beauty and glory of the Lord. It captivates our hearts. 

The rainbow in the Bible is a sign of God’s promise, a sign of His covenant with us.  

God uses the rainbow to assure His people that He would never ever destroy the earth with the flood like the one in Noah's day.

The Scriptures remind us of God's faithfulness. We know His goodness and grace. We know His sustaining power and love. 

We have every reason to persevere to the end because He is Immanuel, God with us.  He walks us through the highest mountain and the deepest valley. He assures us of His abiding love and presence.

We serve a covenant making and covenant keeping God. He is faithful till the end. He keeps every promise. 

He spoke the universe into existence. He is the beginning and the end. He holds all things together. He unleashes His power and grace. He saturates us with His presence. 

The great God who commands nature. The great God who split the Red Sea rules and reigns in all eternal. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is the Lord of Hosts. He is our conquering King who reigns forevermore.

The Beauty of the Lord

We see the beauty and glory of God in all the earth.  The blooming flowers, the chirping birds, the graceful swans all speak of the glory of Him.  All creation declares the glory of the risen King.  The shots in this note are photos which I had taken from my home.  I will never find two photos that are similar because the cloud formation and weather change all the time.  I am amazed at the greatness of God just gazing at the sky.  The God who made heaven and the earth, dwells in earthen vessels and chooses to work through us.  He is a God of faithfulness, a God full of loving kindness and tender mercy.  We declare His everlasting love over all and see His love at work in everything we do.

The Lion and the Lamb

“There is a within you a lamb and a lion.  Spiritual maturity is the ability to let lamb and lion lie down together.  Your lion is your adult, aggressive self.  It is your initiative-taking and decision-making self.  But there is also your fearful, vulnerable lamb, the part of you that needs affection, support, affirmation, and nurturing.

When you heed only your lion, you will find yourself overextended and exhausted.  When you take notice of your lamb, you will easily become a victim of your need for other people’s attention.  The art of spiritual living is to fully claim both your lion and your lamb.  Then you can act assertively without denying our own needs.  And you can ask for affection and care without betraying your talent to offer leadership.”

Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love

Within each of us, a lion and a lamb coexist simultaneously.  Sometimes, the lion in us emerges and at other times, the lamb in us spring into action.  We will minister in authority and strength under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  The Lord grants ability to minister powerfully in His anointing.  This awesome strength and might can only come from the throne room of heaven.  The newfound fearlessness and boldness replaced all crippling fear and intimidation.  We now wage a spiritual wage fully armed with God’s powerful armour.

On the other hand, we bring comforting words and gentle love to needy people in dire circumstances and predicaments.  The tenderness of Jesus radiates from us to touch someone.  We may be ministering to a mother grieving over the death of a child, a cancer-stricken man who is at the verge of death or a life ravaged by dark and deep depressive oppression.  The Lord makes us a lion and a lamb. 

The human mind can never comprehend how it is possible for the lion and the lamb to lie side by side.  The lion and the lamb are vastly different in character and temperament but the Lord is able to use both sides within us as long as we are willing and available.

Labour of Love

Two Fridays ago, Monte and I brought a friend over to our place for dinner.  Monte cooked up a storm.  It is long been known that cooking for people is a labour of love.  He prepared pasta and stuffed our faces that evening.  We had a wonderful time with our friend.  As I was very tired, I went to bed right after our friend left.

The next day, I woke up to find all the dishes done.  For your information, that was a lot of dishes to clear.  I thank God for Monte.

The Glory And The Lifter Of Our Heads

The experiences the Lord allows us to go through are purposeful. The pain and struggles are real. The sense of helplessness and despondency drive us to our knees.

God is always with us. He is Immanuel. He lifts us up with hope. He shows us the way out. He helps us to overcome. He fills our hearts with expectancy and hope. 

God leads us to His desired pathways. He leads us to a place of rest. He leads us to a place of wholeness. He speaks strength into us and restores us.

We soldier on with full confidence.The Lord sustains us through the journey. He keeps us safe. He directs our paths and shows us His plans and purposes. 

He prods us on with love. He sees what lies within each of us; a fighting spirit. A warrior who finds strength in God alone.

Faith burns strong and free in our hearts. God's greatness and matchlessness flood our hearts.  

He is the glory and the lifter of our heads. He is the reason why we rise with hope each day. We sing the song of the redeemed. We serve a mighty God. The glory of the risen King shines majestically. Our God reigns!

Missing Eliska

My niece, Eliska, has gone to Mongolia with her maternal grandma for about three months. I am missing Eliska.

God is Actively at Work

We plant a seed in the soil and ensure the soil is moist throughout the germination process. With sufficient light and water, we expect growth in due season. A tiny stem and leaf will soon sprout out. Germination takes time. There are no quick fixes and instant results.

In many ways, the Christian life is like this little seed that goes through germination. Just because we do not see any visible stem or leaf emerging from the soil, it does not mean that growth has not taken place.  

The glaring inactivity of the surface of the soil may cause us to wonder if anything is actually working.

When we go through trying times, we loose focus and faith. We tumble through the maze and spiral into deep despair.  

The reality is God is actively at work in our lives. He orchestrates our circumstances to bless us. We may not see immediate visible signs. We keep persevering by the power of His Spirit. God inspires faith in us to believe Him for the miraculous.

By faith, we know that we are in the safe hands of our maker and He will come through for us. When we do not see any tangible growth and result. We persevere in holding on to the promises of our faithful God. 

God propels us to greater height and depth in Him. He works His purposes through us. The times we spent travailing in prayer are the most awesome times because they build faith.  

The Lord surely makes good use of the germination process to mould and make us to be more like Him.  

We journey on with great expectation in Him. He blesses us beyond our wildest imagination. We wait patiently in persevering love.

To Be Where He Is

The following is an excerpt from Henri Nouwen's book entitled The Inner Voice of Love. 

He said, “This book is my secret journal. It was written during the most difficult period of my life, from December 1987 to June 1988. That was a time of extreme anguish, during which I wondered whether I would be able to hold on to my life. Everything came crashing down – my self esteem, my energy to live and work, my trust in God…everything. Here, I was, a writer about the spiritual life, known as someone who loves God and gives hope to people, flat on the ground and in total darkness...What had happened? I had come face to face with my own nothingness. It was as if all that had given my life meaning was pulled away and I could see nothing in front of me but a bottomless abyss...The strange thing was that this happened shortly after I had found my true home. After many years of life in universities, where I never felt fully at home. I had become a member of L’Arche, a community of men and women with mental disabilities. I had been received with open arms, given all the attention and affection I could ever hope for, and loving place to grow spiritually as well as emotionally. Everything seemed ideal. But precisely at that time I fell apart.”

Nouwen passed on in September 1996. His writings lived on to bless many people all over the world. 

His brokenness and love for the Lord permeated through his life and his writings. Many would have hesitated to share such deep and painful experiences but not Nouwen. 

The Lord uses Nouwen’s life as an open book to show His glory. Especially to those who are in pain. The painful experience, the dark and deep depression that Nouwen went through became a channel for the Lord to shine His light on all who desire to see His face and know His love.

It is just amazing how Nouwen felt so at home at L’Arche. In the natural, L’Arche is the most unlikely place for anyone to like. To some, it is a place of sadness, a place of forgotten people, a place of pain and anguish. 

The Lord led Nouwen to L’Arche and through his time there, he wrote powerful books that are widely read by many today. 

Sometimes, God brings us to the most difficult places and surroundings. We may not fully comprehend the reason. When we are where He wants us to be. He floods our hearts with peace and joy. No matter how hard the ground is, God will help us to flourish.

Thank You, Lord

Monte posted this on Facebook on 7 May 2012. It read: “Jee Fong began today her final ACTA programme titled "Design and Develop a WSQ Facilitated Training Programme." I am proud of her for persevering through the programme, and she is now on her final module. This final module is by far the most intense, but she has already has a plan on going about her final project. Do keep her in prayer!”

I am blessed with a wonderful husband who does everything he can to help me develop not only spiritually but also in other areas such as my vocational life, growing and developing solely by the Lord's grace and enabling. God wants each of us to reach our fullest potential in every area of our life. In all that we do we want to bring glory and honour to His name. He empowers and infuses us with unimaginable capacity and wisdom to achieve results that comes by His empowerment.

(ACTA - Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment)

Cute Little Eliska

My niece, Eliska, is growing up so fast.  She is so adorable.

Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

Today, Monte and I have entered into the 13th year of our marriage.  Monte was born in California and I in Singapore.  The Lord allowed our paths to cross and brought us together to build a life in Him.

Monte always shares with others that he came to Singapore with two suitcases in 1989 and today the Lord has blessed him with a wife and a home here.  The Lord has blessed us beyond our wildest imagination.  We can never out give Him.

Monte has blessed me with the best years of my life.  I enjoyed my single hood but I have to say that I enjoy my married life far better.  As a couple, we have gone through many mountaintops and dark and deep valleys.  We emerge from each challenge empowered, enriched and triumphant.  The Lord has never failed us.  Our focus of Him sharpens over time because He reveals His faithfulness and wonders in every aspect of our life.  We do not put our trust on anything except Christ, our solid Rock, our eternal and faithful God.  God and God alone will take His rightful place on the throne of our heart and we will not venture anywhere that He does not lead us.  We seek His favour and blessing because He gives the best to everyone of us who rely completely on Him.  Our hearts are overwhelmed by the goodness and mercy of the Lord and we declare His everlasting love and faithfulness.

Embracing People

"My mother used to collect stray people the way some people collect stray animals.  She never did it on purpose, it's just that she'd meet someone who was sad or lonely or without  a home for a short time, and the next thing I'd know it that Mrs So-and-So would be joining us for supper.  After we had stopped living on the boat, we moved into my grandparents' home on Long Island.  It was a large house, with two spare bedrooms even when all our family was at home.  People who had fallen on hard times, recovering alcoholics and homeless and jobless foreigners - my mother welcomed them all.  For the years I was in secondary school, I can't remember a Thanksgiving dinner without at least a few extra guests, some speaking only broken English and some dabbling their eyes off and on throughout the meal.  My mother would let them talk, cry, eat and sleep, eventually, after a few days or weeks, they would be able to sort out their lives, and move on."

Christina Rees, "The Divine Embrace: Discovering the Reality of God's Love.

Christina Rees, "The Divine Embrace: Discovering the Reality of God's Love.

His Loving Kindness Is Better Than Life

Words are not enough to express the depth our love to our Maker. Our limited vocabulary is incapable to express our deep adoration for the Lord’s goodness.  

The loving kindness of God is better than life. We cannot live for a moment without Him. As the deer pants for water, our soul yearns for the Lord.  

His love comes over us like a mighty river. Washing over us over and over again. Love so deep. Love so refreshing. Love so strong.  

His pure and infinite love is unending.  In our frailty, He empowers us. His sure and abiding presence flood our hearts.  

He is all we ever needed. We worship the almighty God with total abandonment. We stand in His awesome presence and declare His faithfulness and goodness. 

We trust solely in His promises. He is our praying answering and covenant keeping God. 

His love is everlasting and unfailing. He walks with us through every dark valley. He pours His Spirit upon us and renews us daily in His love.

Jealous Mickey

Since the arrival of my niece, Eliska, last November, the attention is now on Eliska and Mickey is jealous.  Sometimes when my father tries to play with Eliska, Mickey will show signs of jealousy.  He actually tries to get my father's attention.  Mickey is amazing and interesting.  It's fun just to watch him.  Sometimes, his mind is running at a thousand miles an hour.  

Slowing Down

About two weeks ago, Monte and I were on our way to MacRitchie Reservoir.  On our way, two beautiful cats caught our attention.  While we took their pictures, we were amazed that they kept still and gazed at us.  Whenever, we see a cat, Monte will love to pat and cuddle it.

In the hustle and bustle of living in Singapore, we take time to chill out.  We make a deliberate attempt to slow down.  We make time to smell the flowers, time to soak in the beauty of God’s creation.  Very often, we will lie down on a beach somewhere and gaze into the night sky.  These moments are moments when the Lord will flood our hearts with His goodness and greatness.

We love to enjoy a good cup or Kopi-C Siew Dai or Teh-C Siew Dai (coffee or tea with evaporated milk and less sugar) along with good reading materials at Toastbox and coffee shops.  We just find it relaxing.

We love to walk in the nature reserves like the board walks in Changi, Lower Seletar Reservoir and MacRitchie Reservoir.  Besides that, we love to take long walks.  Oftentimes, we will be praying while we are walking.  God is so good.

Happy Birthday, Monte

Today is Monte’s birthday.  I am very encourage and thankful for every birthday greeting on Monte’s Facebook wall.  I thank God for the blessing of journeying with Monte all these years.  I am blessed with a God fearing man.  Our life together is simple yet so rich.  Our life is rich because of the Lord’s involvement and work in us.  We know that as long as He is with us, nothing else really matters.  All we want to do is to abandon ourselves into His loving embrace.

I pray for the Lord’s favour, grace and strength on Monte as He pursues God with all of His heart, mind and soul.  And that the consuming love of God will envelop and empower him to reach out to all that God has in store.

Lou Hei

This Lunar New Year is a memorable one, Monte and I had two sessions of Lou Hei.  This is where Yu Sheng, raw fish (e.g. raw salmon) is mixed with shredded white radish, carrots, red pepper, ginger, lime tree leaves, Chinese parsley, ground peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Chinese shrimp crackers and five spices powder.  The dressing such as plum sauce, honey and oil is spread liberally on top of all the ingredients.

Our first session took place at a former cell group gathering and the second after Monte preached at His Sanctuary.  We have enjoyed ourselves having fun in tossing the ingredients in the air.  What we appreciate most is the time of fellowship with people.

God is the Strength of our Heart

Yesterday, we had the privilege to minister at His Sanctuary.  We had a great time of ministry.  God is the strength of our heart; we continue to depend on Him.

We were caught by surprise when the church took a special offering to meet the cost of Monte’s upcoming conference in Virginia, USA.  You may read more on it at http://jeefong.blogspot.com/search?q=conference

God has gone beyond our wildest imagination.  He continues to lead us on the path He has laid before us.  As we thread on it, we can only say that God is amazing and His mercies endure forever.

How Great is Our God

 

“The earth is tilted at an angle of 23 degrees to its orbit, which produces our seasons.  If the earth were not tilted just so, vapors from the oceans would have moved both north and south, resulting in uninhabitable continents of ice.  Evidently, if the moon were only 50,000 mile away form earth, instead of 200,000, the tides would be so huge that all the continents would be under water.”

Christina Rees, "The Divine Embrace: Discovering the Reality of God's Love.

Our master designer, the maker of heaven and earth is so awesome.  How great is our God!  This world will never produce a better designer than our great God who holds all things together.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and in Him we find all that we need in life.  When we go through rough terrains, all we need to do is to focus on the Lord and He builds faith in us to conquer every battle.  Our smallness and frailty vanish and we magnify Him who is invincible, majestic and strong. 

Monte and I love to sit on the beach and gaze at the awesome night sky.  Soaking in the glory and beauty of our great God is pure delight.  In the tranquility and stillness, the Lord comes through to us as our dependable, reliable, loving and unfailing God who is ever faithful.  He is invincible, majestic and strong.

Embracing God

"In the fable about the blind men and the elephant, the first blind man grabbed hold of the elephant’s trunk and announced that an elephant is like a snake.  The second man felt the elephant’s leg, and declared that an elephant is like a tree.  The third caught hold of the elephant’s tail, and exclaimed that an elephant is like a rope.  The fourth leaned against the elephant’s side, and swore that the elephant is like a wall.  Who was right?

They were, of course, all right, and yet their partial understandings about the elephant  did not add up to the whole truth about the elephant.  In fact, their individual perceptions did not even add up to a realistic description of an elephant.  In a way, that could be said to be like theology; blind men telling each other about the bit of the elephant that they have got hold of and making suppositions about the rest of the elephant.

It’s awfully difficult to describe the whole truth about God.  Some descriptions might be more true or accurate than others, but all descriptions are incomplete.  The truth of God is always greater than what we can say about God.  If anyone tries to tell you that they have got God all sewn up and neatly packaged, don’t believe them.  God is infinite, as love is infinite.”

Christina Rees, "The Divine Embrace: Discovering the Reality of God's Love."

Whenever I think about this powerful parable, I am reminded of the importance of being open to hear and learn from others.  We are different and we see things from different angles.  God also reveals Himself to each of us in His special way.  Knowing God is an unending pathway and journey.  As God unfolds Himself to us, we learn to submit and position our hearts to embrace Him and all that He pours lavishly into our lives.

Eliska

This is a photo of my lovely niece, Eliska, at birth on 9th Nov 2011.

Wounded Heroes

The book Wounded Heroes was written by Elizabeth R. Skoglund.  It is a wonderful book.

In the book, Skoglund shared on how God’s servants triumphed over emotional pain. The secret laid in discovering how God enabled His children to deal with life's situations and challenges.

A great man of faith that Skoglund included is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, he became the pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church.  He preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000.  Spurgeon was also known for his printed works. Nearly all of Spurgeon's printed works are still in print.

Though Spurgeon was so prominent in the ministry, he was plagued with deep depression. It surfaced when the church was on fire one time. Skoglund recounted: ““The service began, ran a few minutes, when suddenly a cry, “Fire! The galleries are giving away, the place is falling!”  A terrible panic followed; seven were killed, many seriously injured. Spurgeon’s grief over this almost unseated his reason. He was immediately hidden from the public; spent hours ‘in tears by day, and dreams of terror by night.’  A depression deepened upon him form which he never fully recovered.”

Another giant of faith that Skoglund cited is Amy Carmichael. Amy Carmichael (1867–1951), a Protestant Christian missionary in India founded the Dohnavur Fellowship. She gave a home to over one thousand children.

Carmichael gave them a future in their bleak circumstances. God used Carmichael greatly; we would never have imagined that she had struggled with health problems and loneliness in her time. She persevered and kept her faith in the Lord.

There were other great men and women that Skoglund shared in her book namely Hudson Taylor, C.S. Lewis, Isobel Kuhn and others. They were people who possessed great faith and yet there were areas in their lives that revealed their humanness and vulnerability.

The book reminds us that God is awesome. He is at work in our broken lives. We have our weaknesses, inadequacies, shortcomings, failures, discouragements, depression and setbacks. God comes and rescue us. He frees us to worship Him. He continues to mould and make us into the finest pottery. He sees us with our full potential in Him.  

The beautiful thing is that the Lord works through our vulnerability, weaknesses or even physical handicaps.  

No challenge is too great for God.  He breaks down every barrier and helps us to overcome and triumph in dire situations and conditions.  

All He wants is our brokenness, humility and willingness to love and serve Him with no reservation. The baby steps we take today will lead us into boundless trajectories. The Lord leads us to conquer great mountains. He is with us when we are in the depth of deepest valley.