(photo
of orchid by LC Teoh) (photo
of orchid by LC Teoh)
* Latest contribution
listed first
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Title
: Redeemed.
I
A spiritual drifter
tossed by treacherous currents of evil,
planted on sinking
sand,
I turn and turn in
the deepening mire
of chaos and confusion
which reigns in my heart.
Sucked deeper and
deeper into the whirlpool :
of ignorance ,disobedience
and idolatory ;
I try to resurface
but alas-
an overpowering force
of darkness drags my soul
into the bottomless
pit!
I splutter and cough,
suffocated in sin,
I call out, reach
out.
A loud, crashing silence
envelops the air,
My faith has shipwrecked.
II
The air is still, all
is quiet;
A ray of light- it
shines, it dazzles.
A glimmer of hope
for me?
Worthless, selfish
sinner that I am !
Why do you not let
me sleep?
Or wallow in
my oblivion?
III
A gentle whisper, words
of persuasion urge me on:
Awake sinner and rise,
For I am who I am;
Sleep no more, open
your eyes and see,
For I am your God
who loves you
and will never forsake
you.
Let me be the throne
of your heart,
not your will but
mine;
Let me shape you,
mould you,
Be cleansed and healed;
Drift no more my child;
plant your feet firmly
in my Word,
For you are mine and
I will never let you
go.
Written by,
Sasi
14th February 2002
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My Small Sacrifice - by Seow Pall Yong
Many people say the Christian life is a difficult one to live. I found the saying very true recently when my Year One son, Su-Meng brought back his mid-year exam answer scripts. When he started school at the beginning of the year, I was rather worried for him because he only attended kindergarten for the first four months and then he refused to go anymore. Furthermore, he was born at the end of December which made him such a baby and a ‘manja’ one compared to the rest of his classmates. I wondered how he would be able to catch up. So, I was pleasantly surprised when he managed to get into the best class after an initial evaluation test. That meant a lot to me because I knew that special attention and better teachers were give to students from that class.
When Su-Meng sat for his mid year exam recently, I prayed very hard for him that he will do well and be able to remain in that class. We were very happy to see that he did very well indeed in his tests. In fact, it was quite certain to us that he would probably get first place. Needless to say, he was esctatic. Suddenly, all too soon, I discovered a small mistake in his BM paper which the teacher had overlooked. From then on, began an awful struggle within me. I didn’t have to ask the Lord what to do. I knew what the Lord wanted me to do and what Jesus would have done had He been in my shoes. I would have to persuade him to tell his teacher about the mistake. The implications were painful. With his marks reduced, his position would go down. I hated myself for having to spoil things for him. I felt like a traitor. The worst part was when the thought came to me that I might even be robbing him of his only chance of being first in his class. I thought to myself: If only I hadn’t gone through his papers and discovered the mistake. And if his mother was some non-Christian, she would probably have just let things be. It would be so easy to do that! His reaction, when I told him about it, was one of angry protest and utter disappointment. Such an outburst made things worse for me. But I knew that it was a sacrifice God wanted me to make.
When I finally succeeded in persuading him, part of the heartache subsided. But each time I focused on the thought that I have brought him unhappiness, I felt a stab in my heart and it brought a tear to my eyes. That evening, the care group in my house watched part of a VCD entitled ‘The Beginning’. When it came to the part where God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, I found myself identifying with Abraham. Sure my sacrifice was nothing compared to Abraham's. But the pain and the hurt were there; only Abraham’s was umpteen times more intense.
I prayed and the Lord taught me to focus on Him instead. I dwelt on the thought that I will be pleasing and obeying a loving God who is real and faithful and that the more it hurt to obey Him, the more pleased He will be with my act of obedience. It may be just a small thing but the Lord expects us to obey Him in all things. I am now more convinced than ever that God’s standards for us, His children, and His expectations of us, are very high.
The unpleasant feeling still comes back once in a while but at least now I can thank God that He has helped my young son to understand the importance of honesty and obedience to God. And this, I know, will be one of his many lessons towards becoming a God-fearing Christian. Yes, it is difficult to live a victorious Christian life. But the Lord knows that and that’s why He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us in our feeble efforts.
15th
May 2001
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YOUR PROPERTY ~ Author Unknown
A tax assessor
came one day to a poor pastor to determine
the amount
of taxes the pastor would have to pay.
The following
conversation took place:
"What property
do you possess?" asked the assessor.
"I am a very
wealthy man," replied the minister.
"List your
possessions, please," the assessor instructed.
"First
, I have everlasting life, John 3:16.
Second,
I have a mansion in heaven, John 14:2.
Third,
I have peace that passeth understanding, Philippians 4:7.
Fourth,
I have joy unspeakable, 1 Peter 1:8.
Fifth,
I have divine love which never faileth, 1 Corinthians 13:8.
Sixth,
I have a faithful precious wife, Proverbs 31:10.
Seventh,
I have healthy, happy obedient children, Exodus 20:12.
Eighth,
I have true, loyal friend Proverbs 18:24.
Ninth,
I have songs in the night, Psalms 42:8.
Tenth,
I have a crown of life, James 1:12."
The tax
assessor closed his book, and said, "Truly you are a
very
rich man, but your property is not subject to taxation. "
Contributed by Faith Teoh, 18th April 2001
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"Do
not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume
and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselvers treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume and where thieves do not
break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also." Mathew 6:19-21
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Poems - Written by Fay Liang Fei Siang, edited by Karyn Nair
You Are The One
Life is hard without
Your love
Life is broken
without Your grace
Life is meaningless
without Your presence
And there is no
future without Your blood
For Your cross
gives me the hope
For Your word
gives me the joy
For Your promises
give me the strength
And You give me
the water of life
You are the one
Making this life
meaningful
You are the one
Making this life
full of rainbows
And You are the
one
Making the rhythm
of this life
Rhythm Of Life
There is one desire
To worship and praise You
To sing and honor You
To be in Your presence forever and ever
This is my rhythm of life
To worship and praise You
For there is nothing greater in this
life
Besides worshipping and praising You
(16th April 2001)
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Last week I attended a funeral service. The husband of an old friend suddenly collapsed and passed away. It was so unexpected that at the service, his eldest son, still in secondary school expressed regrets that he had been so busy with his activities that he had hardly any time to spend with his father especially in the days before his sudden death.
It dawned upon me that the stresses at work although at times seemed intolerable were not important after all. I need to pause in my hectic pace & reflect on my priorities. What are important in life?
My answer is my family and my personal relationships. Have I put aside sufficient time to spend with my loved ones, enjoying moments together & expressing our love & care for one another? Or have I being so engrossed in my career & urgency of daily activities that moments of sharing & caring have been reduced to the minimum?
Priorities are different for each person. What are important are also different. But while we still can, we need to sort it out & act on it so that there will be no regrets when it is too late.
SCChan
13th April 2001
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As I was going through my things , I came across a Birthday card a dear friend of mine gave me about 20 years ago. I would like to share the thoughts from the card with you:
"Recipes for Happiness"
Take a CUP of
KINDNESS
mix it well
with Love,
Add a lot of
PATIENCE
and FAITH
IN GOD ABOVE,
Sprinkle very
generously
with JOY and
THANKS AND CHEER-
And you'll
have lots of
"ANGEL
FOOD"
TO FEAST ON
ALL THE YEAR !!
Helen Steiner Rice
more "recipes" ?
Stop wishing
for things
you complain
you have not
and start making
the best
of All
that you've got!
If you desire
to be happy,
Don't think
of the things that you dread,
Just give up
"Supposin' The Worst Things"
And look for
"The Best Things" instead!
Never borrow
sorrow,
Never step
into tomorrow -
Just take care
of today
and let God
lead the way !
The more of
everthing you share,
The more you'll
always have to spare,
For only what
you Give Away
Enriches you
from day to day !
Just start out
today
with a smile
on your face
And make this
old world
a happier place
!
Helen Steiner Rice
I pray that these 'recipes ' would be as helpful and encouraging to you as it was to me then and is now.
Anna Anbalakan (20th January 2001)
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Candle and Star
Like the candle
I want to burn
To give light
to the world
Though each
burn causes so much pain
Like the star
I want to shine
To light up
the darkness
Though each
shine is so dim and weak
I want to crucify
All the pain
I have
I want to crucify
All the sorrow
I have
For the world
lets me down
But Your love
lifted me up
It is Your love,
O God
Melting all
my bitterness
It is Your
grace, O God
Making me stand
firm
It is Your
faithfulness, O God
Molding me
into Your image day by day
Heartbeats Of Life
It is easy to
say that I love you, Lord
But it is so
hard for me to read Your Word
It is easy
to say that I want to be your disciple
But it is so
hard for me to share with your sheep
It is easy
to say that I want to be faithful
But it is so
hard for me to put it into action
O my Faithful
God,
Though I have
failed you so many times
But you never
fail me
O my Loving
Father,
Though I have
turned away so many times
But your arms
open widely for me
For I’m not
worthy to have your love,
But you chose
to give
To this prodigal
son that you love
It is your
love that gives the heartbeats of this life
Let this beat
continue for your mission
And it is for
you and you alone.
The Cross
When I turn my eyes to the cross
I see the joy of carrying my cross
Though I have to go through the valley
And yet I still rejoice
For my satisfaction comes only from
the cross
Which has been nailed into my heart.
Let it be nailed
Let it be nailed
Nail it to each of my cell
For my eyes only focus on You
Only the nails in Your hands
Give me the joy for carrying my cross
Let it be nailed
Let it be nailed
Nail each heartbeat with your mission
For I live my life only for You
Let the heartbeats of this life
Be the instrument of Your love
(14th January 2001)
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The Cake
A little boy is telling his Grandma
how "everything"
is going wrong... school, family
problems, severe
health problems, etc.
Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake.
She asks the
child if he would like a snack, which
of course he
does. "Here. Have some cooking oil."
"Yuck", says the
boy.
"How about a couple of raw eggs?"
"Gross, Grandma."
"Would you like some flour then? Or
maybe some baking
soda?"
"Grandma, those are all yucky!"
To which the Grandma replies, "Yes,
all those things
seem bad all by themselves. But when
they are put
together in the right way, they make
a wonderfully
delicious cake! God works the same
way. Many times we
wonder why he would let us go through
such bad and
difficult times, but God knows that
when He puts these
things all in His order, they always
work for good! We
just have to trust Him and, eventually
they will all
make something wonderful!"
Author Unknown
=====
"Whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men." Colossions
3:23
(Contribution from Joy Teoh 8th January 2001)
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"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28
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I might not ever scale the
mountain heights
Where all the great men stand
in glory now;
I may not ever gain the world's
delights
Or win a wreath of laurel
for my brow;
I may not gain the victories
that men
Are fighting for, nor do
a thing to boast of,
I may not get a fortune here,
but then
The little that I have I'll
make the most of.
I'll make my little home a
palace fine,
My little patch of green
a garden fair,
And I shall know each humble
plant and vine
As rich men know their orchid
blossoms rare.
My little home may not be
much to see;
Its chimneys may not towers
far above;
But it will be a mansion
great to me,
For in its walls I'll keep
a hoard of love.
I will not pass my modest
pleasures by
To grasp at shadows of more
splendid things,
Disdaining what of joyousness
is nigh
Because I am denied the joy
of kings.
But I will laugh and sing
my way along,
I'll make the most of what
is mine today,
And if I never rise above
the throng,
I shall have lived a full
life anyway.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain" I Timothy 6:6
5th January 2001-CSC
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For today I
would like to share the benefits of using a Connection Planner in daily
quiet time. It was given to me as a Christmas present from my hubby.
For some of us we have problems with quiet time. Besides discipline in maintaining it, we have problems finding suitable guidebooks. Although some find it easy to just meditate straight from Bible reading, most would find guidebooks helpful. Some of these books provide Bible verses and thoughts based on the verses. Others provides Bible study to cover the Bible over one to three years.
The Connection
Planner (by The Bible League - can be bought at Glad Sounds Ipoh) combines
1. Bible readings
for the day with questions directed to the passage & to ourselves
2. Prayers
for "seven connections" - personal, marriage/friend, family, small group/friends,
church, kingdom, world. There are spaces for one to jot down prayer items.
One of these 7 connections is expanded each day for more detailed prayer
list.
3. Section
on thanksgiving & praise
4. Confession
5. Prayer (to
do) List
6. Schedule/
Notes for the day
7. Three options
to read the Bible - overview, whole Bible or New Testament in one year
For 3-6 blank spaces are available for one to jot down the items for prayer. Also a column to mark if items under 5 & 6 are carried out, not done or postponed.
By SC Chan (2nd
January 2001)
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