Makinoda

A family friend of more than 20 years visited us again in December.  We were blessed that this bond of friendship lasted so long.

Xmas gift from Japan

I am BLESSED

When I look back over the years, I smile and say to myself :  "I never thought I could do it and I did.  I overcame all the struggles, those rude people, the pain, the heartache, the hurt and the challenges that tried to bring me down.  Thank you Lord for giving me the strength."  I am truly blessed.

Occupied Beach Street

Today we managed to spent an hour brisk walking along Beach Street.  

Every Sunday, Project Occupy Beach Street will temporarily barricade major streets adjacent to Lebuh Pantai for family-friendly, community activities that the public can be a part off.  This is in conjunction to the State government's initiative for Penang Car Free Day.

Discovering each other

Some people marry and then years later realize they don't really know each other. It's sad but understandable. Falling in love focuses on surface issues like physical attraction, looks, and charm. The kind of love that makes a marriage strong and resilient is based on a deep knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the real person inside.

Even if the two of you married knowing only the superficial kind of love, you can still pursue a richer, deeper relationship. Set aside time to talk about your dreams, and practice trusting each other with your secret, hopes and fear. Learn to know each other as friends. Your journey of discovery will open up levels of intimacy you never imagined possible.

[Extracted from Moments of Peace in the Presence of God for Couples]

What is your Christian life like?

Consider what Jesus said in John 10:10:  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (NASB)

Jesus did not walk the earth to start a religion.  He came to accomplish a specific mission - to provide the means by which mankind could become united with God.

** Luke 12:15:  "And he said unto them,  Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (KJV)

And Luke 9:25 :  "For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?" (KJV)

"abundant life" - Jesus offers us does not refer to material wealth.

A fulfilling life is not one chocks full of events, people and achievements but is about taking better care of your health and spending more time with your loved one.

10 ways to Love

All love starts with God (1 John 4:19)

Treasures from ancestors

Mum's Wedding set 1960

Chinese Wedding
Traditional Tea Ceremony Set

British Tea set

Singapore in August

We went exploring some of Singapore parks and trials in August.  We visited Henderson Waves and MacRitchie Tree Top Walk.

Henderson Waves is built as a bridge, mimics the undulating shape of a wave, curving and twisting along its entire 274-metre length.  Its form is anchored by steel arches and filled in with curved ‘ribs’ – slats of Balau wood, a dense hardwood used in heavy construction and which is found only in Southeast Asia.

Henderson Waves

Henderson Waves

Henderson Waves at night

Henderson Waves at night

Singapore Jubilee Decorative

MacRitchie TreeTop Walk

The bridge is 250m long and gives you abirds eye view of the forest canopy.  Singapore is a bustling city full of skyscrapers but you would never imagine it from your viewpoint on the bridge.  Not a single building is visible from the bridge, just trees, plants, birds and different wildlife in their natural habitat. You can also enjoy panoramic views of the verdant greenery of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Mac Ritchie Tree Top Walk

Mac Ritchie Tree Top Walk

Generational Sin

Do the sins of our ancestors have an effect on us today?  Scripture asserts that past generational sins have ripple effects that reach the children:  The Lord "punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation" [Exodus 34:6-7], and "those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors' sins they will waste away" [Leviticus  26:39].

Your parents and family members have probably had the greatest influence on your development, including the patterns of sin.  Even without your knowledge, there may be influences or examples that family members modeled for you, which then became accepted as 'normal'.   Parents will often replicate the unhealthy discipline habits of their own parents, despite promises that they will never repeat their parents' mistakes.  From anger, gossip, extra-marital affairs, and drunkenness to physical and emotional abuse, every family will exhibit their own hidden idols.

But the good news is that Jesus has the power to free you from the transference of bondage from previous generations.  Jesus was made a curse so that we would not be cursed [Galatians 3:13].  We must identify those sins and repent of them.  Even unresolved conflicts within the family must be dealt with in order for healing and reconciliation to happen.

[Extracted from LIVING  Life February 2013]

Blessing down south

When we are in God's big family every where we go we are blessed. The Tay's invited us to a sumptuous lunch before taking us for a tour to their church Moriah Bible Presbyterian Church in Simei. 

The following day, the Tan's family treated us to a dinner at IMM.  We were truly blessed in Singapore.

Steamboat celebration in Singapore

We were blessed to a home cooked steamboat dinner cum birthday celebration.

Covenant Relationship

Marriage is not simply a contract, but rather, a covenant relationship in which a man and a woman are united together as one in order to accomplish God's purpose for their lives.  That is why Genesis 2:24 states that a man becomes united to his wife "and they become one flesh."  Marriage is the only covenant in the Bible that allows two people to be perfectly joined in all areas of life, from the physical to the spiritual.

God designed the opposite sexes to complement each other.  He wanted a man and a woman to be joined in marriage so that they might each give to the other what each one lacked.

The daily parts and pieces of marriage do not automatically fall into place as loving and living with your partner takes daily determination and practice - and the giving of oneself for the good of the other.

Since God created man and woman for each other, it follows that the best advice on marriage is in the Bible.

Man was the only creature God created alone in the Garden; all the animals were made male and female and had mates.  However, human beings were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and given eternal soul (Genesis 2:7) and a mere mate was not sufficient for man's emotional and spiritual needs.  Thus, God planned a man and woman to be more than mates - to be helpmates.

Marriage is a joint venture between two people who lives as one.  It is not two distinct corporations doing business under the same roof.  

Children are such a source of enrichment and blessing in a family that young people should plan early on having them and work toward that date; otherwise you may cheat yourselves out of the blessing of parenthood and thus be disobedient to God's command that we  " ... be fruitful, and multiple, and replenish the earth ..." (Genesis 1:28) 

 

How can we conquer our sins?

John makes it clear that Christians do not have to sin.  "I am writing these things unto you that you may not sin" (1 John 2:1 NASB).

The secret of victory over sin is found in the phrase "walk in the light" (1 John 1:7)

To walk in the light means to be open and honest, to be sincere - with God, with ourselves, and with others.

But walking in the light also means obeying God's Word (1 John 2:3-4). "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).  To walk in the light means to spend time daily in God's Word, discovering His will: and the obeying what He has told us.  

Obedience to God's Word is proof of our love for Him.  There are three motives for obedience.  We can obey because we have to, because we need to, or because we want to.

A slave obeys because he has to.  If he doesn't obey he will be punished.  An employee obeys because he needs to.  He may not enjoy his work, but he does enjoy getting his paycheck!  He needs to obey because he has a family to feed and clothe.  But a Christian is to obey His heavenly Father because he wants to - for the relationship between him and God is one of love.  "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15)

Flee from sin

Why is it that so many believers fall into deep sin?  Why are so many Christian marriages broken by adultery?  It is because believers still have much to learn about sin.

Sin, by nature, is seductive and deceptive.  Sin, when it causes havoc, rarely is understood as the source of the evil.  It is the master con artist that is the champion of disguise.  It is the mirage that never gives what it promises.  It has people all over the world chasing after water that will never satisfy.

Believers are told to flee from sin.  Whenever there is temptation, the believer is called to flee.  However, too often, we do not understand the evil and deceptive nature of sin.  We like to flirt with it.  We like to go as close to the line as possible.  It is because sin still looks desirable for us.  We still believe the promise it offers.  But learned believers see the mask.  They see the mirage for what it is - nothing but lies.  Lastly, they see sin as the reason that put Jesus on the cross.

Sin is not to be taken lightly.  Believers need to learn to hate sin and whenever tempted, to flee.  Sin is the reason we need to be saved, because we cannot save ourselves.  That is the first lesson for the believer, and this lesson needs to be reinforced every day.

[Extracted from LIVING Life April 2013 - Joel Yoon]

Gratitude

According to psychologists, one of the keys to happiness is gratitude.

Grateful people have higher level of happiness and optimism as well as lower levels of depression and stress.

Gratitude is a key component of the Christian faith.  It is a sign that the Christian understand grace.  It is focused on Christ and what He has done for us.  God is not glorified by our action but by our faith in His action.  It results in happiness and contentment.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough and more.  It turns denials into acceptances, chaos to order and confusion to clarity.

The best things in life are the eternal riches that come from God's goodness and grace in Jesus Christ.  We do not hold them in our hands, but in our hearts - David McCasland.

Gratitude fuels expression, which is exactly what Psalm 107 describes in verses 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 26, 27, 31.  As Scott Thomas writes, "Success, or lack of success, is a false indicator of God's love for me (Job 10:12-13) ... If your performance is saving you, then you are in effect, denying the gospel.  "Our works, our performance, do not save us.  To some, God gives wealth and success.  To some, God gives poverty and hardship.  The test, so to speak, isn't about what we have, but what we DO with our circumstances.

4  Elements of true thanksgiving found in David's song (Psalm)
a)  remembering what God has done
b)  telling others about it
c)  showing God's glory to others
d)  offering gifts of self, time and resources


Gratitude is a choice.  It is only when you choose to be grateful that you actually become grateful.

Steamboat dinner at Feng Huo Guo

Trying out a new steamboat outlet along Jalan Bawasah, Penang.