One Down Four to Go

Philosophy paper done! I must really thank God. I think I more than survived the paper when I realized just the day before that I HADN'T DONE nearly 40% of my readings. But then again, they were supplementary. I was just worried that I won't be able to sleep, because, knowing me, I'm a mugger and I just have to read everything, supplementary included. LOL

The Lord pulls me through every situation, through the mud and the dirt maybe, but while I complain about my dirty clothing, I forget to see that He is covered in leeches.

Thank you Lord. One down, four to go. For His glory and His alone.

Stand For Something!

To quote a very good "black" church friend of mine, he once told me, albeit jokingly (but now that I've thought through it, it's so true):

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything.

I don't want to fall for everything. I only want to fall for Jesus, and whatever good things He will bestow upon those who place their trust in Him.

For those of you who've been praying for me, even though you had no idea what I was going through, thank you. I feel so much better now. I had allowed jealousy and pride to take over me, and in many ways I made things worse for myself. I had judged, compared, and accused wrongly. So it's my fault, and I'm slowly learning to deal with it. Things might not look good in the future from any normal person's perspective, but who is to say that God's plans are not the best? But thank you all again. I didn't think that I would survive this wave of emotions, but God is really good. Again, He has saved me from the depths, allowed me to taste how Jesus feels like every time we sin, and restored me back to normality. Who knows what lies in the future for me, for us? Only God knows.

Thank you Jesus. Thank you thank you thank you. Back to mugging for exams. +)

Wise Words from a Wise Bear

bear™ says:
why rely on your pride to impress someone & at the deepest end of our heart fear that one day we will lose him / her[?]

Wow. Food for thought for me. I really need to give my pride to God, even if that's the only thing I have left. Every single part of it, even if it means I'll no longer be special in the eyes of the world, or have nothing to impress my beloved.

Thanks bear. I wish I could give you the same amount of encouragement that you've given me when you're down. God bless you and protect your fragile heart.

Time for me to thrash things out with God now. Hear from me soon y'all.

I Will Sing

Lord You seem so far away
A million miles or more it feels today
And though I haven't lost my faith
I must confess right now
That it's hard for me to pray
But I don't know what to say
And I don't know where to start
But as You give the grace
With all that's in my heart

Chorus:
I will sing I will praise
Even in my darkest hour
Through the sorrow and the pain
I will sing I will praise
Lift my hands to honor You
Because Your Word is true
I will sing

Lord it's hard for me to see
All the thoughts and plans You have for me
But I will put my trust in You
Knowing that You died to set me free
But I don't know what to say
And I don't know where to start
But as You give grace
With all that's in my heart

Beautiful Feet

Today, someone told me how her ex-boyfriend used to criticize her toes for being ugly and deformed. Well, I had a good look and it appeared to be pretty normal. Nothing else was mentioned after that. It just ended as a funny little joke.

But before I started to blog, and was wondering what on earth could be interesting, this situation sprang back to mind. Three verses in the Bible talk about beautiful feet. They are:

Song of Solomon 7:1
How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman's hands.

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Romans 10:15
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Interesting! Now those are good ways to get beautiful feet. The first one talks about the beloved of the king, the second and third talks about good news. Some people go to doctors and manicurists to get something done about their feet. However, in my opinion, the much cheaper way to get beautiful feet is to tell the good news! And the good news can only be that of the salvation promised to all who believes as stated in the Bible.

Beautiful feet is interesting! I believe that missionaries who travel far and wide to spread the gospel don't exactly have the most beautiful of feet. Their feet are probably laden with dead skin, dead bugs, rough sand and sticky mud. Their feet probably have the scars of whips, holes caused by piercing, or contain broken bones. How could such feet be beautiful in the eyes of the world? Some might not even be considered "feet" in the human sense of the word. But in the eyes of God, these feet sure are beautiful.

I want my feet to be beautiful in the eyes of God. After all, it is only His opinion that matters. And I only have to share the good news! And to top that off, only beautiful feet get to wear beautiful shoes, those of the gospel of peace, as mentioned in Ephesians 6:15. And isn't it peace that the world needs today? Good news that brings peace to the individual. Come, be a bearer of so wonderful a promise, and have your feet made beautiful by Him today.

The Old Has Gone, The New Has Come

Suddenly, so suddenly, some of the things, vices all, that I used to enjoy in the past, I don't now. It's funny. I realize first-hand now, that when you trust God to give you the best, the little evil things that you use to rely on for self-identification and gratification in the past just simply fade into the background. It's so beautiful, so marvelous. And they're not coming back. I just know it.

Last night, Ilango told me that he is kind of pessimistic that any evangelical program that the church or the youth group undertakes is not going to work. The target audience for these how-to seminars don't have the sense of urgency or a heart for the lost. Well, it's is nice to see that Ilango has really matured during this period while seeking God for direction for further studies. I just pray that the other youths will also learn to put God first in their lives, and oh, the potential of transformation! The dreams that can come true! However, this sense of urgency and heart for the lost is not something that the leaders can teach or transmit. As leaders, we must pray for these to grow and swell in their hearts, and this, only God can do. We will not give up on the people, we will continue to provide avenues for them to evangelize and give the world their testimony. We will leave the rest to our Almighty God to handle. His will be done.

I've been inspired by Michelle's lesson on fasting, and thus I've also started a time of fasting and prayer for two things: healing and guidance. Healing not for myself, but for someone close to me. Guidance for the both of us and the relationship that is to come or not. And I'm beginning to feel the effects of fasting. So much temptation and fear, so much distractions and worries. And she is not taking it well too. The illness is striking back like never before, and she is suffering I know. But we will stand strong and claim the Bible's promise that He will not put us under more temptation and stress than we can bear, and if ever this happens, He will provide a way out. The fasting is only ten days, and today is day two. But I'm beginning to waver, and the strength I need to pray, I must rely on Him to provide. I'm hoping that He will also make the illness more sufferable for her, but eventually He will take it away in His mercy and grace. As for the answer and permission for a relationship, we haven't actually heard anything, but we're beginning to see so many commonalities and "perfect fittings". To me, it is wonderful, unheard of, and really unbelievable. I actually thought that girls like these don't exist in this world. And now God just puts one right in front of me. I'm like woah. But no hurry, we want to hear God's voice in this, and we believe that He will make His answer clear and recognizable. In the meantime, we will continue to pray together and cultivate a lifestyle of total dependence and wholeheartedness in loving Him.

Heavely Father, give us strength. Pray for me during this fasting period, and for her too. When it is all over, I'm sure she will be more than willing to share about the miraculous healing that will take place. =) Amen.

Blogskin Change

Whee finally found time to change my blogskin. About time too, was getting a bit bored of the old and mushy one, thought it would be good to find something more explosive and loud. Haha... I've been wildly happy the last few weeks. It's been a long time since I've felt exhilaration, on cloud nine... It's an old feeling, foreign, but welcomed. However prayer is still a must-have, and if God is not present, there will be no advancement.

Into a new battle, Lord. You lead, I'll follow. And the prize is waiting. I know she is. =)