A week's journey... Finale

The last leg of this journey...

I Will Run To You...

Your eye is on the sparrow

And Your hand, it comforts me

From the ends of the Earth

to the depth of my heart

Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose

As angels understand

For Your glory, may You draw all men

As Your love and grace demand

Chorus:
And I will run to You

To Your words of truth

Not by might, not by powerBut by the spirit of God

Yes I will run the race'

Till I see Your face

O let me live in the glory of Your grace

Gotta continue to run... no matter what... Ganti nama sendiri in the below quote!

A week's journey - Part 5

All We Like Sheep

All we like sheep
Have gone astray
Each of us turning
Our own separate way
We have all sinned and
Fallen short of Your glory
But Your glory is
What we desire to see
And in Your presence is
Where we long to be

Chorus:
O Lord show us
Your mercy and grace
Take us to Your holy place
Forgive our sin
And heal our land
We long to live
In Your presence once again

Taking our sickness
Taking our pain
Jesus the sacrifice Lamb
Has been slain
He was despised
Rejected by men
He took our sin
Draw us near to you, Father
Through Jesus Your Son
Let us worship before You
Cleansed by Your blood

Sometimes, teringin wanna be back in His presence...

A week's journey - Part 4

Continue, from last week's journey :)

Great is the Lord and Most Worthy of our praise...

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise
The city of our God, the holy place
The joy of the whole earth
Great is the Lord in whom we have the victory
He aids us against the enemy
We bow down on our knees

And Lord, we want to lift Your name on high
And Lord, we want to thank You
For the works You've done in our lives
And Lord, we trust in Your unfailing love
For You alone are God eternal
Throughout earth and heaven above

He is God. "God" - that word alone means so much. What more can I ask for... He is God. Why do I worry, why do i fret? He is God. Why do I question? He is God. Banyak perkara, actually, I dont have to "worry" about... He is God. God bah tu... created the whole... universe... the whole... "being"... the whole... EVERYTHING... buat apa lah I want to worry? Just leave it to Him... He will jaga... He is GOD.

The Value of MYR50

Taking a break from my "week's journey".

Since early Dec, I've had a need for a new black wedges. Something that's comfy, a tad raised up and that's not too casual for the office. Mid Dec, I finally found the exact one that I have been looking for in Hopoh. Then came the hardest part - how much? It was RM49.90.

At this point of time, I was (and am still) in grave state of broke-ness... So, naturally, I prayed. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed some more. Asking God, for an extra RM50, so I can go ahead to buy, without having to pinch on what I really needed to spend on.

Yesterday, I was rumaging my purse for a name card. Lo and behold, there is was!! MYR50!!! neatly folded, safely tucked away, a piece of "paper" that I had kept for those rainy days,and had forgotten about.

Now that I have the 50... I am having doubts... I don't think I'll get that pair I dream of every night though... coz I'm seriously 150% broke. I think it will go into better use.

What's the value of MYR50 to you? :)

A week's journey - Part 3

Great is Thy Faithfulness...

Great is Thy faithfulness
O God, my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
as Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Summer and winter, springtime and harvest
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Chorus:
Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Your strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine with ten thousand aside.

There are days when I just refuse to wake up... Refuse to face another day - a day that I wished had not come... But, day in and day out there is one thing I know... that He is faithful... morning by morning new mercies I see... His own presence to cheer and to guide... His strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow... Walau seribu jatuh, aku tak akan jatuh, sebab Dia beserta ku... Hang in there...

There is a Ruth Sahanaya version in a concert, but was removed due to the voilation of "the word"... I opt for the Bahasa version in this link, as there is such significance in the words... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARTdmtEmh84

A week's journey - Part 2

You Alone...

You are the peace that guards my heart
My help in times of need
You are the hope that leads me on
And brings me to my knees
For there I find you waiting and there I find relief
So with all my heart I’ll worship
And unto you I’ll sing

Chorus:
For You alone deserve all glory
For You alone deserve all praise
Father we worship and adore You
Father we long to see your face
For You alone deserve all glory
For You alone deserve all praise

Father we love You and we worship You this day
Father we love You and we worship You this day

He is the Peace that guards my heart, my Help, My Hope, the only reason that I will continue to run this race... no matter how many times I fall, even if I wanna give up and stay down for a while, it's OK... I will get up and continue... be it I limp, I crawl, I walk or I run, I will press on... I know that He is there waiting and in Him I find relief.. Keep you head high & Smile, for Jesus loves you!

This is a very old song - 1990 - so, it's hard to get any YouTube link for it... Here's link for the MP3 though...
http://www.mediafire.com/?bwnz1cbm2ue

Aside, Noel got the blue ball for his Lord's Prayer recital - HURRAY for educators with incentives!

A week's journey - Part 1

Since last week, our family has kindda committed to go to English Service after Bahasa. The main reason for this is so that Noel can go to English Sunday School (SS). Not sure how long we can cope with the long hours (8am Bahasa Service, 10.30am English - which also means we have to tabao something to eat in the car in between services). Noel is enjoying his Sunday School a lot. He's a brave little one, yes, he is. Yesterday, during the Praise and Worship (before dispersing to their own classes), he even went infront of the whole SS to recite the Lord's prayer. He was the only one who dared!! His class teacher is all over him too - attentive little one they say. YEAY!! *Sorry, proud mom syndrom! Hohoho!*

I was greatly encouraged by the Praise & Worship songs that were sung in the service yesterday. The trail of songs, led me to once again, hold on to the Strong and Mighty hand of my Father, who is so Great and Awesome. Humans are never secured somehow, perhaps we are designed that way, to forever have this insecurity that only He and He alone can calm. It's a list of... 6 songs... so I'll have a song to share each day (YEAY!)... Let's go on a beautiful journey with Him this week!

Whilst I will learn how to post videos in this blog (erm, how that to dl from youtube??? hehe)... I also will note the lyrics of the songs as there is such weight in the words...

For Who You Are...

Standing here, in Your presence

Thinking of the good things You have done

Waiting here, patiently

Just to hear Your still small voice again

Holy, righteous, faithful to the end

Savior, healer, redeemer and friend

Chorus:

I will worship You for who You are

I will worship You for who You are

I will worship You for who You are Jesus

BRIDGE

My soul secure, Your promise sure

Your love endures always

My soul secure, Your promise sure

Your love endures always

My soul secure, Your promise sure

Your love endures always

At times, I forget.. forget to count my blessings.. forget to wait for Him, to wait and to listen... He doesn't need to shout to get my attention. Just a simple whisper causes me to fall to my knees... in Him, my soul is forever secure... as I stand on His promises that is always, ALWAYS forever will be sure. I don't have to worry... just hang on... Just hang on...

Here's the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdO7PQkALns

Aside, GOSH!!! I write uber long entries!!!

I Have A Dream... A Song to sing..

I have a dream

A song to sing

To help me cope

With anything

If you see the wonder

Of a fairy tale

You can take the future

Even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream

I have a dream

~ABBA~

Once upon a time, together with 3 other very dear friends, we conjured up an idea to open a bakery cum bookshop and we were to call it, "Our Daily Bread". Bread i.e. for the breads, buns, cakes etc. that I so love to bake, and also for the books (Christian books esp.) that we were gonna have in our shop. We imagined, of even having a jamming room set up for the kids to nurture their music talents. It would be cool, to have kids tell their parents, "Mom / Dad, I'm going to be at Daily Bread after school". It would be even cool-er, to have the parents trust us with their kids. Trust that they are in good care, that they are doing their school work whilst also being nurtured in their walk with the Lord. Time passed, the 4 of us grew up. I'm not sure about the rest, but I still have that dream.

Few years back, mom & I sold goodies for CNY. Then, life got too busy for us to a point that we even stopped baking for Christmas. Last year, every now and then, I get orders for my humble cakes (Thanks, boss!) which is like a drug for me to continue my days on :) Recently though, mom and I came up with Bits and Bites... just a list of homemade cookies and cakes that we thought we'd sell for the upcoming CNY. The monster I thought I had laid to rest emerged again. I went crazy wording up "the menu", I felt more excited in these couple of days than I have been in the whole 2009!! The support we've received in form of orders have been overwhelming. I am so grateful for the bunch of people who ridiculously trust us with their CNY goodies (sniff, sniff). Mom had ecstatically began her planning and buying of ingredients.

Perhaps, this little step into the unknown will bring me closer to that dream of mine. Perhaps, I am being shown, what joy it is to be doing something I love (though it means having to carry 15kgs of pineapple filling in my backpack early Saturday morning!). Perhaps, nothing is as fulfilling as giving to others yummy treats made with love (though that also means having the minimal amount of sleep! Here i am still awake at 12 midnite Sunday!). But hey, I am not complaining. On the opposite, I am absolutely overjoyed. Perhaps, like ABBA's song, one day, when I know the time is right for me, I'll cross the stream, into my dream.

Slumber... He doesn't

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.


Being a mom, there are days when I had to watch over a sick child. Over those nights, one, being human, won't be able to stop oneself from nodding, slipping into minutes of slumber.

But My Guide, will never do that... He will hold fast my hands, will not let me slip, will not slumber, even for a milisecond, He's my super SunBlock - who protects me from all element of weather in my life. He will watch each step I make.

Be still, oh my soul. Fear not whatever becomes, He is near.


Aside, Ain't the mountain in the pix grand? Thanks Jane for sharing with me the beautiful shot... (and allowing me to share it here too!)

UP...

Who have not watched this movie? My bad, I've just only recently bought the DVD to watch with my son over the long New Year weekend.

In this movie, Carl (the old man) & Ellie, feel in love since the first day they met, they were still children then, both loving the same "adventure". They grew up, got married, dreamt of having children, found out that Ellie weren't able to be with a child, shifted their focus to achieve their dream of going to Paradise Falls. But "real life" sets in, punctured tires, leaking roof, etc sets them back. They grew old without achieving their "dream" and in the end Ellie dies. All these events were in "fast motion" in the movie, and while watching, I had to explain to Noel on this phase in Carl's life. He nodded his head through my explanation.

Last night as we were going to sleep, Noel asked me.. "Mummy, why in UP the nenek (old Ellie), die and go to heaven? Why she leave the old man (old Carl)?" I was dumbfounded. He caught me off guard. So I told him, "When people are old, they get tired and die and go to heaven. Babies, children and young people too can die, sometimes they are sick and the medicine cannot help, then they die."

Noel: "Will Apu' and Nenek die and go to heaven too?

Me: "Yes, everyone will"

Long pause....

Noel: "I don't want to go heaven Mummy"

Me: "Why?"

Noel: "I don't want to go alone, bah... I want to go with Mummy"

Through eyes glisten with tears, I told him, that going to heaven is "alone" journey... you have to go alone. But when you reach there, there will be people waiting for you. People who have Christ in their hearts.

Once there was a clown who came to our Sunday School and during the service, I know Noel lifted his hands when challenged to accept Christ. But, just in case... I asked him again, if he wanted to ask Christ into his heart. We said the sinner's prayer together and my son fell asleep peacefully.

I don't know what I will do when the time is up for my close and dearest ones to be called home by the Lord... I can't even bear to think about it.... God, please give me strength.

Aside, if you haven't watch UP, please, by all means, do so... but you need to watch the whole movie (from beginning till end), else you'd think it's only a movie about crazy talking dogs!! :)

Passionately in love..

No no... don't get me wrong... nothing about ME being passionately in love :)

Went to fetch Noel from school yesterday... I was there early, so I had time to watch the teacher from afar for about 15 minutes (from AFAR ok... not like at the classroom window... I am NOT one of those moms! hehe...)

She was seated at her table, the children coming up to her one by one, showing her their work for checking. In that 15 minutes, not a single time did she smile to any of those children! Gosh! How can one resist smiling to a little one?? I'm not sure if she even likes what she's doing (let alone love)... I want to know WHY is she teaching if she hates children THAT much to not smile at them; especially when it's only their THIRD day in school!

I know I can never be a teacher. NEVER. I know I will kill the children under my care if I became a teacher. But I really really hope that the teachers who teaches Noel loves being a teacher. Loves opening the children's eyes up to a new world, to introduce them to the wonders of things that were beyond their knowledge. Loves taking the children on a journey. I hope they are passionately in love with their profession. Passionate enough to continue to think of ways to bring out the best in the children. I pray that as my little one embark on this journey, his guide will never, ever crush his spirit.

Aside, am I passionate about my work? Unfortunately, as of now, I can't reply with an enthusiastic "yes".

Another Milestone...

"Mummy, I want to be happy primary 1 rabbit ok?"

We've reached another milestone today... Noel went to his 1st day in Primary 1... Yeah, yeah... in St. Paul...

I tried so hard not to cry... but when his Apu' prayed with him before we left his classroom, I couldn't help but shed a few tears... I must learn not to embarrass my big boy in the future :) Did he cry? Nah!! No Way Jose! He calmly said his goodbyes and observed his new world...

A teacher at St. Paul, who is a churchmember (from English congregation) couldn't believe that he's so big now... yeah, tell me 'bout it... seems like only yesterday I had all those sleepless nights taking care of my baby! Honest to goodness, my heart feels like it's going to burst, for my gratitude for the Almighty's hands and care in our lives. Without You, we won't make it this far. Thank you.

Aside, another person is also embarking on his own journey today... I pray that he, like my happy primary 1 rabbit, will also be excited for the future that lies ahead... have fun Nephew! I am proud of you!! **Note after 3 days: Nephew went for a real hard day's work ride with one of the Trienekens truck and I'm proud to say that he not only survived, he was so positive about the whole experience that I can confidently say, he must have came out of it a better person!"** Bangga eh me ngan ko!