Teared when I saw Sun on stage today. I was so touched to see her all happy and going from glory to glory. To me, she's not just a celebrity - she is to me a living testimony of how God can use someone who chooses to obey Him. As a member of CHC for the past 5 years (Hmm, not that long, but not very short either), I saw, heard and prayed over the challenges she faced over the years.
Her life literally screams 1. Your dreams can become a reality. With God, all things are possible!! 2. It is possible to be a christian who can love God, love people and have fun. 3. It is entirely possible to be a christian who can affect social change! 4. Hard work is very important. 5. Never listen to the critics. Get better, not bitter.
Dear Ling, Please do not give up on your calling. I've never left you nor forsaken you - even in the moments when you felt that I might have left you, I have not. I will not. Just as you went through many past challenges trusting me, it is the same now and in the future. I have created you to be a person of influence with unique gifts and talents. You can do it! Don't say you can't. Let's keep walking. I'll never let you walk alone. Remember the first joy, the first love.
I am happy to be who I am. I am happy with the way God created me to be. I recognise that sometimes I am too straightforward for my own good. So that needs to be changed.
Yet in fact, I'll not hesitate to say that I find it hard to tolerate whiny people. They literally turn me off - the situation doesn't get better just cos you whine, the situation gets better when you choose to grow up. Oh well, it's the whiny people that teach me that I need to enlarge my heart and be more patient. Isn't it fascinating that there can be so many twists to the same situation?
Hmm.. Lord, teach me to walk in Your ways. Show me how to live.
But otherwise, Ai Ling is still a happy girl!
Love the social work buddies and the guys in gek. We spend lunchtime laughing away. Love doing the CMF project too!
I still haven't written to Project Streetwalker. Oh they've got research going too! Ai Ling, pls take action!
Matthew 6 - the words of Jesus from The Message Bible
27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament by Kay Redfield Jamison.
Kay Redfield Jamison is an American professor of psychiatry and writer who is one of the foremost experts on bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression), from which she herself suffers. She received a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA and joined the faculty there. She has been named one of the "Best Doctors in the United States" and was chosen by Time magazine as a "Hero of Medicine." She was also chosen as one of the five individuals for the public television series "Great Minds of Medicine." [Courtesy of Wikipedia].
While waiting for a friend to be done with her hair at a hair salon in Toa Payoh, I decided to visit the library with the intention of borrowing An Unquiet Mind by the same author. Couldn't find that book but found this instead. It'd be interesting to read about the association between bipolar disorder and artisitic temperaments. Read the first 30 pages... amazing stuff. Shall post about it later. Certain parts are kinda heavy though.
I love to read! Is there a profession that pays people to read?
Was talking to a friend recently. She mentioned that many of her church friends have left church and she feels like she's the last one left standing.. and she asked God "why must it be me?"
But why not?
I've been pondering and thinking about it in my heart... went through some intense moments the past 2 weeks.. and also saw the results of September Blast. HX once said that it is indeed not easy to be in CHC. I agree. Having been here for 5 years and seeing many lives changed [for better or for worse], I decided that even if I'm the last one left standing, I'll doggedly follow Jesus. My destiny is tied to the church, my destiny is tied to my Creator. Leaving Him means leaving my dreams behind and not allowing myself to fulfill my highest potential. That cannot be an option for me.
Let's dream the highest dreams! Be a dream-builder! Hear the voice of faith!
Was corresponding with my field tutor. He commented I am far from mediocre.
I thought he has great faith. I am flattered but I am also aware of the areas I need to improve in.
I want to be more courageous.. like David when he stood up boldly and challenged Goliath.
I want to be more dynamic.. like Jesus in His ministry. He is always very progressive and forward-looking. No amount of setbacks or potential setbacks seem to hold Him back.
I want to be the best social work student I can be and I am going to be the best disciple I know how to be.
I decide that God is good, God is always with me, therefore, I don't have to be held back by a sense of helplessness. He has given me a sound mind to enable me to navigate through the uncertainties and the anointing will teach me ALL things.
The world waits in anticipation for the person who can hold to his or her principles without being a tyrant and who is tough enough to bend without breaking. - David Foster
