In response...
I know I haven’t blogged since the last time you blogged….Yeah but I agree that we haven’t really caught up in a while…It feels that every week we hang out, but we haven’t been sharing much…Hanging out and chilling out doesn’t mean that we have been sharing our deepest thoughts….
I have been struggling in trying to complete my work, and so that I would leave behind a good impression….Afterall, I do want to try to get back in HR in time to come….I know that going to Engineering is an answer that God has for my work situation….I will explain in time to come, but I know that it is the answer now….Because of certain things which are going to happen, but I can’t share now….But I will in time to come….Cos I need to protect some confidential stuff now…..So I guess I feel more at peace about it now…But I know that I don’t have complete peace yet….Because I haven’t spoken to the Departmental Head to find out exactly what I will be doing….But that is okay, I’m going to trust God in this one…. =) But the situation is kinda complicated now…Turns out that the Engineering Division Head is quitting….So I have no idea what is going to happen in Engineering….Will be trusting God on that one too….Because I’m quite familiar with that Division Head, but I guess God wants me to start ground zero again….And I’m willing to go all out for it….Guess I’m more positive about it now, because I know that everything happens for a purpose….Even though I don’t like the idea of it….
For myself, I am finding that I’m comfortable in GBC, learning more and more from the Ecclesiastes sermons, and from what Pastor has been saying in the past few weeks….But I don’t know if I should be uprooting myself still to find another church because I really need a support group my age…My colleagues can’t be as much of a support group that they are now when I go to Engineering….We pray together almost every day now…But it is going to be hard to do so in future…Unless over blog or phone…But we will try to keep it going…But I really need friends and support my age…..So I'm going to see how things go after the missions trip....
As for myself, I have learnt that I will not be anxious about things....About short cutting the process....God's plan will be revealed in His time....It is a hard thing to learn, since I'm generally impatient....But I am learning......So I'm commiting to God whatever He has in store for me in the next year....Be it new work environment, how I will serve in church next year, whether there will be a guy, I should change church...I'm going to trust in God....I just want to break through this level of relationship that I have with Him....In your case, it is being broken....I guess I want to grow closer and closer to Him....Be it being broken in areas of my life which I haven't been, or just excelling to learning more about Him and loving and respecting Him as a Father...I guess I don't want to be treating Him as a friend....He deserves my respect and awe.....
Got a lot to think about...And will have to think more, to prep for BS this week on Ecclesiastes 4.....Are you coming?
reloaded
hey girl..i decided to revive the blog once more..well basically i guess i have things that i want to share.haha. well its just cause we have so much church stuff to go that we haven been able to really share and pray and plus we are such bummers at the end of the week(which is really aweseome stuff!!)so i think this would be a good alternative to just fill you in on some of the things that ive been feeling and learning over the past2 plus weeks or so...=]
well i will just give you a summary because ive reached the stage where i feel more at peace and have refreshed my spirit and stufff...=]
basically ive been feeling ultra low about myself as a person. i felt like i was sucha loser and i just couldnt seem to do anything that i wished i could do. i felt a sense of futility(just like what uncle waikong shared in sermon today)everything just crashed for me. i was in a state of complete self pity. however i clearly read in utmost heights that self pity was a sin. i struggled so bad because i just couldnt lift myself out of that hole i created internally. there were sooo many factors that i pointed against myself as a person and i couldnt deal with the thought of having to continue being the way that i am.
call it Gods realness in my life.
right after my paper on friday. i was in a state of hopelessness. i was really battling between giving up engineering and realising that there was nothing else that i could do. the feeling was quite painful.i knew that i lacked the faith that God wanted me to have... i just couldnt bring myself to see anything good that i can do anymore..yeah and its just this feeling of lostness and no way out. i wasnt even looking for it but i found this particular email about jacob and the blessings of brokeness..
The Blessing of Brokenness
Love Worth Finding
Adrian Rogers
"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a Man with him until the
breaking of the day. And when He saw that He prevailed not against him,
He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was
out of joint, as He wrestled with him. And He said, Let me go, for the
day breaketh. And he said, I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.
And He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And He said,
Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast
thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And He blessed him
there." Genesis 32:24-29
We're going to look at an episode in the life of the patriarch, Jacob.
At the time of our story, Jacob was a fugitive and had been running.
He'd been in the school of hard knocks for twenty years. He believed in
God, but he was out of fellowship with Him. However, we see that God did
not love Jacob for what he was, but for what He could make out of him.
Alone With God
Now, God finally had Jacob where He wanted him, alone. It took a while
because Jacob didn't want to be alone. You know when people are running
from God, they don't want to be alone. They don't want to face
themselves, and they don't want to face God.
But verse twenty-four tells us that finally Jacob was alone, and he had
a confrontation with God. I believe with all my heart that the Man Jacob
wrestled with was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. He was face to face
with Jesus, and they were in a wrestling match. Now, it wasn't Jacob
wrestling with the Lord, it was the Lord wrestling with Jacob. The Lord
started it, and it could have been over very quickly, but the Lord
wanted Jacob to prevail. He didn't want to overcome him. The Lord was
trying to do something with this man that He loved so much.
Broken By God
Finally, when they had wrestled all night, the angel touched the hollow
of Jacob's thigh and crippled him. Now, when a wrestler's legs are gone,
he can't do anything. This is the strongest muscle for a wrestler. Jacob
was crippled; his final weapon was gone. If all his plans and strength
had failed, at least he could have run; but now, he couldn't even run.
God brought him to the place of utter, absolute, complete brokenness and
dependence.
Blessed By God
The Angel said to this crippled man, "Let me go." Ironically, the word
"Jacob" means "that which grabs, that which holds." Jacob was still
grasping, but this time, for the first time in his life, he got a hold
of the Lord. He said, "Oh God, I need You. God, I will not let you go
except You bless me." God had been waiting to hear those words for so
long, and at that moment, something wonderful took place.
The angel asked Jacob for his name. God knew it, but He wanted Jacob to
confess his name which further meant "liar, cheater, crook, fraud,
schemer, and deceiver." Then, God gave him a new name, Israel, which
means, "a prince of God." He became a prince with God because he finally
came to the end of himself. You see, God wanted to bless Jacob, not hurt
him. God crippled him that he might crown him. God broke him that he
might bless him.
Do you know why many of us are not yet truly blessed? We have not yet
been truly broken. Men throw broken things away, but God never uses
anything until he first breaks it. You'll never show me anybody who has
been or will be mightily used of God who has not been broken. There is
no blessedness without brokenness.
Leaning on God
The rest of his life, Jacob had to use a crutch. This wasn't just
something that could be fixed and put back. He had to have a staff to
lean on. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:21: "By faith Jacob, when he was a
dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped leaning upon the
top of his staff." Here he was 147 years old and still leaning. Jacob
had finally learned to lean. He realized that he was stronger leaning
than he was standing on his own two feet. He worshipped leaning, and
that's the only way you'll ever worship.
and i was just so stunned that it helped me get over the weekend. i knew exactly what it felt to be broken in my own way. because ive felt so low about so many things so many times. i know what it feels like to be helpless .
but God didnt stop there for me, He knew that i needed more help. He placed the sermon exactly where i needed it to be. The Valley of disappointment. i was so teary inside my heart because i felt that God really really knows what ive been struggling with. Not only that, he sent uncle ronnie to share and encourage stuff to help me gain more insight to things and realise and learn more stuff internally. it was beautiful. it was really God touching my heart to tell me that i dont have to fear ,that i need to have bigger and bolder faith, that His ways are higher than mine, that He chooses how He wants to reveal His power.
i gained this new found strength to continue to learn to love myself and at the same time learn more about myself. i think what pastor prayed today was so apt for me. i really want to learn more about myself through this missions trip and really know what doors God is going to open and what He is going to close.
Also, i realised that i look forward to church. i look forward to coming to GBC. i feel so refreshed there. i finally dont wish to go to another place. im feeling so blessed that i can even be in GBC to learn so much. even though there were and there may be difficult periods of times, but it hink that God has been so faithful to GBC and i too must learn how to be faithful to it...=]
ok enough said..thats pretty much how ive been. in conclusion, this week im just going to take time to chew on all that ive learn and internalise it.
if you have time to blog then do so ok!
hope that youve been alright..haven spoken or shared with you in a while...take care and love you
jiam
Finding peace...
Learning to find peace and rest in God....Even Peixian drops me a note from Cornell to remind me that I need to "REST" in God....In everything that I do....Amazing right? Talk about you talking about rest, Cecil sending me stuff on rest, and now even Peixian saying about rest....
I found a lot more peace about things, especially the exams, after studying for it...Less panicky, and able to trust in God for whatever grades that I get....Wanting As is still there, but I know that God will grant it if it is meant to be....
I prayed today again to find courage to tell people around me....Yesterday night, I sent two prayer requests to the Brooklyn Tabernacle church website.....And I said to pray for Kenneth's health...I really wished that he could be healed completely....The cool thing about this church is that they will pray for 30 days continuously for people....And the other person I said to pray for was Jo-Ann....That now she has moved to NYC....God will touch her and break her down somehow....And she will turn to Him....I don't know how...But I will trust God....
For myself, I must learn to open my mouth like you and share the gospel too!
Okay, going off to Macs soon to study....You take care, see you tonight! GAMBATTE!
............
sigh..me too..i read it and i really prayed for courage about sharing the gospel to people..i mean everytime i look around me i feel so sad that almost everyone that i see around me are going to leave this world not knowing jesus and being able to go into heaven..sigh.
i had to facc e this courage thing before and it took me time to really learn how to just open my mouth..and the only person that ive managed to share the gospel with is just tommysan..and i dont know how he has taken that in...sigh.
im feeling so meaningless again.somehow this week i just feel so listless..i really want to be able to be more driven..im just getting more tired by the day..oh sigh.
anyways. i believe that we just have to trust God in all things..and that i have to learn how to gather up my courage to talk about God..infact sometimes when i speak to other chrisitians..i just cant stop talking about God...sigh.
oh wells..
anyways i hope you have studied well
take care
jiam
Way too selfish...
Read PDL Day 37 today...And you know...I think I'm way too selfish...I don't even have a real urge to want to share the gospel with the people around me...Like I feel worried about being rejected, and I don't know how the story would touch them and their lives, and I'm worried about so many things about myself that it ain't right anymore....I'm not trusting in God...And I'm not even thinking hard about sharing the gospel with them....Maybe I really don't have enough love for them....
Thus I prayed for Jo-Ann...I really love and care for her a lot...And yet I just don't know how to reach out to her....I prayed for Esther, another friend...Who attends church, but I don't know whether she is saved and she is marrying a Christian....
I still don't know how and who to share my testimony with...You know something, I really only like helping people who are Christians who have backslided in their faith....Sharing about God to non-believers is really something that I have never felt for before...And now I know that I'm being kicked into doing it....I have to do it and God is really causing me to realize that I need to grow in this area...To really love the people that I want to reach out to....
I really prayed that God will make me less selfish and have more love for others....
My Reply...
hello!
well i have been bad too with updating you about PDL....so no worries....
i really think that reading the SHAPE bit has helped me out quite a bit..i feel that i've been in my comfort zone...not really serving people for serving people but rather serve people with my own interests at heart...and that is not true service...so i really need to think about serving people with pure intentions....and NOT grumble about it....even though i want to help ken...yet i'm thinking about own time and how i need to study...hence i may not be so giving...a bit selfish...and i need to correct that...cos i may not be spending the time wisely anyway studying...cos i'm so distracted....so i really need to pray about it....
i need to pray about exams....and not worry...i'm becoming a worrywart like tiu...cos the more i feel that i need to study and get the As, the more i panic....so i really need to STOP worrying....and honestly...i don't want to worry...but i need to spend the next 5 days really just consolidating and being serious about studying....so will really need prayer about that....we are going to pray on sunday before church again? i'm excited to learn thai this week...though i haven't figured out who to practise my wordless book with...can i practise with you? =)
i'm really glad that you worked things out about our church for now...that you will stay....and help to build up another CG....i know that our church doesn't meet a lot of people's needs....we really need to pray about it....i don't know how we can survive much longer like this....not very good.....so let's put that down as one of the things that we have to pray for?
here i am again
hey ade ade ade..haha
im in school now and been replying all blogs and stuff like that and i decided its time to reactivate this once more..haha..pardon me for not visiting this place as often as i wish i could but then again i see you more often than i come here so its cool!hhah..i foresee us using this more when i leave for aussie again..hah.
anyways im reaadin my PDL more dilligently now.hah..and im at chapter 35...that correct?haah..
but its been a really excellent journey doing this book and im sure it was for you too..
i dont recall whether ive shared with you someof the chapters that really spoke to me..i think i did mention to you the chapter on shape and stuff like that..but seriously..chapters 30 to 35 has been so beneficial to me..in all instances..im in the processs of really discovereing my shape and everything...and its so exicting when i read about how Gods handicraft in each of our lives is so extraordinary...beginning to realise more and more about why stuff happens and just embracing them as part of the big plan that i cannot see...its so exicitng!!hahh
ok like the biggest most recent thing that ive learnt is that God has placed me in CEE with the knowledge that i can do it which is why im there...He knows that he has given me the gifts to handle it..i just need to dig them up and develop it and put in the needed work to perfect it and groom it...and in terms of my confidence..God has really made me realise that its not that im misplaced in engin, its that i have that gift and i just never knew it!!haah...cool right??!!!
and the latest thing ..is the role of being a servant...been reading eccl after sunday ..and i learn so much about it...like the time for everything..that day i tookhome that..and it was so beneficial to me..vicky confirmed it more when she told me to take one thing at a time...because in all things i try to rush through and just wished and wished that i could have them now...one area of patience that i had to learn..yeah..it was neat..then also feeling that everything is meaningless..like how i kinda feel that shopping is meaningless..i mean i dont think i will never ever shop again but as in...it doesnt have to be done all the time...and im not ruled by it anymore...but now i was asked by someone in the week what i find meaningfull.and i realise that its the act of serving...the very act of givin others more thought and helping people and just lvoing them its so meaningful!! and one eg of the week is ken!! i know that he probably needed so much help just having to mark all those scripts and stuff like that!!haha...anyways yeah its been really exciting learning about these kinda stuff...
okok i have class now..gtg...
ill speak with you soon!
its me once more
hey hey..i know im suppose to be blogging about PLD... ihave been doing it dont worry...i skipped chapter21 but ill go back to it soon..where are we suppose to be at..ithink chapter22 is just so super powerful..
i decided to just blog about how things have been for me recently...yeah i have been thinking alot about the very nature of fellowship..i mean it has been a reoccuring theme everywhere i go..i dont know but i just feel so sad whenever i look at our church youth and young adults..what support is there in the first place??? i mean to be honest..if it werent for you keeping contact with me in the past year..i would have really felt that GBC is none other than a superficial and "acting nice" church. to be honest, when i think back about my farewell and how there were so many people that i cant all recall who were praying for me...it issad to note that i only talk to you after all..i mean barn and tiu as well but you know..i tell you my stuff regularly and stuff like that..which is why i am really just super grateful for you...really..i appreciate how youve been there all this while just really watching for me all this time when i was in australia...i dont know how things would be if yu hadnt...i mean im not saying that i require so much attention but then its sad to think that whenever one from our church leaves overseas for whatever reason...more often than not...they are fast forgotten and no one really supports them in the way they need it most-prayer. i tink about it and im just sad.
ive been talking to God about this quite a bit..i really find no support in our church..and theres just really a small and almost non existent support group that is very encouraged in a church ( like that written in the PDL) ..im not surprised that my next trip back would be really strange...i just dont feel great...i really wish to change church so badly...i mean i know that in some ways its called running away but in more ways than one, i somehow feel that if its so important to have a chrsitian fellow ship i dont know why i aint putting myself in one...haiyarh..yarh..in any case, the thought of leaving mayseem the best but at the same time its equally hard to leave your comfort zone and never return...you know what i mean? yeah...sigh.
im still praying. my mom says im silly because after all im going back...but somehow i feel..going back means that i would really need more than that...aiyarh..i also dont know if what im saying is really the best way to think...yeah.
well, im thankful that i have maryann and vicky as well..because they are the ones that i can really share my walk with and everything..yeah..so oh wells..without them i also dont know how man...i know for one that when i do return im going to be finding a cell group in which i can join and grow hopefully...
anyways, hope that you are doing fine yarh..tell me more about your shanghai trip when you can...take care!!
