Looking forward to spending 3 days 2 nights away with others. It's always nice to get away and spend time staying together (family camps, youth camps). Nothing compared to occasional meals and meet-ups :) Really looking forward :)

I have been busy being at school, so haven't really made time to blog. Also been doing word studies in preparation for YP classes and it has been interesting, as long as I keep at it. It can get a bit difficult juggling between school work, early hours and word studies.

Been wanting to share what I've learned through the studies but just too busy to blog! Some of them were good new insights, some were good reminders. In a nutshell (and to put it in a really simple manner), it was good :

1) to be reminded that Agape Love stems from God and has more to do with works rather than feelings
2) we can have joy and peace within us despite outer turmoil because this inner joy and peace stems from who God is and so we can rest assured that that will never change. No matter what happens.
3) a lot of the words in the Bible that has to do with patience points towards being patient in suffering, turmoil, tribulations and troubles. Urm, that's all for now on patience less I ter-spill my thoughts for this Saturday's class before I get to teach it! Haha.

Some photo updates :






V-day chocolate cake from the hubby :) Very pretty and nice to eat too :)







One of those days, I just went 'crazy' and wanted to eat Japanese food :p Kinda regretted it afterwards though, because it's expensive, but it was all worth it when the hubby thanked me for the meal (coz I paid, hehe) and said it was a really good meal :)










Hans treated Alvin, LK, the hubby and I to a good dinner (and Alvin belanja-ed Baskin Robbins after that!).








Decisions, decisions, decisions :



And so it will be :




The hubby put my current car up for sale because it was giving me some problems. It used to break down and I will have to open up the hood to restart it, so the hubby fixed a button to press after some time. Then the gear light keeps coming up and the heavy door keeps knocking me on my face >.<

I was initially a bit hesitant to buy a new car because I was scared I cannot afford to tie myself down with monthly payments all over again (for 9 years!) but God is good and my father is such a sweetheart :) so ta-dah! My dad's gift to me :) I love him SO much. Always have, always will. I've got the greatest dad in the whole world! Both my heavenly Father, and my earthly daddy. *hugs*




TCS performance!!! Looking forward to another artsy-fartsy thingy (the last one was Witches in Singapore!) tomorrow with the inlaws, the awesome foursome and Lingy! (inspired by her calling 'Pingy' and 'Loony'!)

Various issues have troubled me of late - mainly things I see around me, either amongst people I know or pictures on FB - the Lord's Name being used in vain, a brother who twists his words ever so easily and believes in his own lies without any signs of being bothered about it by his conscience, premarital sex amongst Christians as if they don't know that the Bible does not condone it, unmarried couples portraying appearances of evil by going off on holidays together alone (whether or not they share the same room, no one knows)...

It troubles me a lot, whether or not I say anything about it. I can spend a whole day troubled by it and having it stuck in my head :(

The thing is, just as rampant as such troubling issues are, what probably aches more is the general response of people quoting Matthew 7:1 - "Do not judge".

And so, instead of judging (since that's what the Bible says!), we should just close one eye (or in some cases, both eyes!) and let things go. Sweep it under the carpet, don't talk about it, and let's pretend everything is fine and dandy and we're all happy with whatever the other person is doing. Don't judge. Hush. Shhhhhh.

:p

Have we forgotten how Paul told the Corinthian church to expel the immoral brother from amidst them? Isn't there a Bible passage somewhere which speaks of how we should correct and rebuke those who are sinning? James 5:20? 1 Timothy 5:20? Luke 17:3? What about the prophet Nathan who corrected David for committing adultery with Bathsheba?

I read an article which said that correction is different from judgement. We are called to correct and rebuke when we see a brother or sister sinning. That's one point of view, I guess.

The other morning when I was troubled by this, God lead me to open the notebook where I wrote last year's Family Camp notes, and it was about the 7 different kinds of judgement. Allow me to share it here.

1. Judgement based on what is seen
2. Judgement based on conscience.
3. Judgement of motives.
4. Judgement in relation to gross immorality.
5. Judgement of common issues of life.
6. Judgement needed.
7. Judgement of the prophets (the Word spoken or taught)

Some of the 'judgements' above fall under the category of 'do not judge' or should be carefully judged because they are things we cannot see - like motives. We cannot see the heart of men and should not judge things which cannot be seen.

But there IS room to 'judge'! Things like 'in relation to gross immorality' and basically, whatever that can be seen which is obviously wrong - immoral behavior, indecent living and people doing something in public that is obviously wrong! Correct in love. And to the person or the elders, the biblical way. Not gossiping behind their backs :p

I think a lot of times, we don't like stirring a hornet's nest. You mind your own business, I'll mind mine. But is that what God wants us to do as a family of God?

I believe the onus is on us to recognize wrongdoing and react accordingly, as God leads and in His timing. Or as in my case now, I'm just pulling away biding my time (and praying almost everyday about it) until the Lord says I should speak. Til then, I pull away because I don't want to be associated with wrongdoing nor come across as if I'm condoning the behavior.

No, I'm not holier. I'm not better. I'm not 'gooder'. I'm also a sinner. But I've been saved by grace and I hope to be changed day by day to be a better child of His.

He calls us to 'be holy' as He is holy. That's the standard we're aiming for. Not in a 'greater than others around us' manner, but in a humble, broken spirit. After all, we have a testimony to maintain for His glory, not ours.

My leisurely read at school when I'm done with marking books and class preparation :p

1. Picnic at Sepang Gold Coast

It's my second time here. Thought of a half day picnic with the hubby on FT day after sending Guna off at the airport. It's was nice :)




















2. MidValley with church friends

It's been ages since I've been to MidValley and I don't like driving there because parking is horrendous, so it was good that LK drove there...haha ;)




I loooooooove pancakes!



My first gongcha :p


3. Bowling with the girls
Whenever I say girls, I usually mean Grace and Bekah ;) Hehe.



Waffles for breakfast





The push game I loved. See them pushing each other?











Bowling

















And super yummy and cheap set lunch at Friday's! (Cheap coz the 3 of us ate 2 sets since our tummies cannot take too much food :p). Main meal plus bottomless drinks plus the cute mini desserts above! I love TGIF :)

Congrats! I'm SO proud of you! He reached the peak of Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in South East Asia, this morning! Even with an impending shoulder operation.

He sent me this photo just a few minutes ago and I almost wanted to cry in the office, seeing that he made it to the peak this morning. My hair actually stood on end a bit because I felt so happy for him and so touched.

Jia you, the rest of you MtK climbers. It's the most wonderful feeling - being on top of MtK, looking at the different peaks and seeing the vast sea below. I loved it when I, by God's grace, climbed to the peak many years ago. So glad you all can experience that too now :)

The great Taj Mahal. Magnificent and beautiful, isn't it? Shah Jahan (or whatever his name is, I malas to google search) built it for his third wife, and there are many people who marvel at how great his love was for his wife that he would ask for such a beautiful memorial to be built for her.

Some might even quote such examples of love to their partners as the standard by which their love for them should be.

Today, I learned something new. Something terrible, but new. My colleague said over lunch that after the Taj Mahal was constructed, Shah Jahan gorged out the eyes of the architect who designed the building because he didn't want him to build any other building as beautiful or more beautiful than the Taj.

That's horrendous. It just reminded me of how sinful men are. How totally hardened our hearts can be. What kind of a man can, on one hand, love his wife so 'magnificently', and then on the other hand, have the heart to gorge out the eyes of the architect who built him such a beautiful building?

*shudders*

It was yet another reminder for me of our wretched sinful self, and how we need the Lord Jesus.