Laughter

For years, it has been acknowledged that "laughter is the best medicine".  The Bible recorded in Proverbs 15:13 - "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken". (KJV)

Laughter is free and anyone can produce it, anywhere and at anytime.

Cheerful people cope with illness better, said Carsten Niemitz, human biologist from Free University of Berlin.  Eckhart von Hirschhausen, a German comedian pointed out that laughter is a protective mechanism against mental illnesses.  Dr Amit Sood of Mayo Clinic in the US said, studies show all kinds of benefits from laughter - from better immunity and coping skills, lower stress, better relationships to improved digestion".

"When you laugh, you're joyful - you're living in the moment"

True happiness begins deep inside and emerges on our faces. So be happy and laugh !!!

Proverbs 17 : 22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Philippians 4 :4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Anxiety ...

One in 20 people is thought to suffer from some form of anxiety disorder at any time.  Anxiety may not be life-threatening, but long term habit of worrying about almost everything, may limits a person's horizons and complicates life.

Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth.  Anxiety is not the same as fear.  It is a feeling of fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing.  It is often accompanied by restlessness, fatigue, problems in concentration, and muscular tension. [From Wikipedia]

There are two types of anxiety : positive anxiety and negative anxiety.

A positive anxiety is the kind of anxiety that motivate us or prepare us for things we have to face, and sometimes give us energy to take action when we need to.

An anxiety becomes negative when it interferes with our day-to-day activities and we are not able to make good decisions.

Philippians 4:6-7 said  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

1 Peter 5:6-8  "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enermy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

So we need to learn to let go and let God take over our live, for He cares and hold our tomorrow.  

Remember your parents

Jesus replied  "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?  For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'  But you said that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it.  Thus you nullify the Word of God for the sake of your tradition.  You hypocrites!  Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:  "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teaching are but rules taught by men."  (Matthews 15:3-9 NIV)

With the emerging social ethos, people are becoming less religious and more secular.  The growing personal quest for self-actualisation and worldly success overrides the importance of relationships and family.

The cultural norms and values of yester years are experiencing a paradigm shift, moving away from the rigidity of traditions and conventions towards practicality and expedience.

So we need to remember what is written in  Exodus 20:12  "Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
 
If you do not honor your parents your worship is in vain.

The Lonely Life

This thing called life is an awfully long journey.  For some, it seems an endless trip, filled with thankless responsibilities and relentless tasks, disappointments and deadlines, and daily demands.

I think the most painful word in the English language is "alone".  How ' ironic ' - statistically speaking, it should be impossible to be lonely on planet earth.  After all, there are more than 7 billion of us roaming around on this earth.

All of us, at one time or another, have tasted the bitterness of being lonely, being all alone in the world without a companion with whom to share a thought or a part of our life.

We often see lonely people in every city; thousands of them trudging the streets all by themselves and tasting the dregs of loneliness. That is their regular way of life.  It doesn't seem right, but it is a fact.

Well, there is only one solution, of course. Make friends. Friends are the only solution to loneliness. Many people are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
Jesus is our Friend. Just like to song "What a Friend we have in Jesus"....

LONELINESS  COMES  WHEN  WE  FORGET  ABOUT  THE  ONE  WHO  IS  ALWAYS  WITH  US.

God Blessing

God's intention is to bless men  [Genesis. 1:27-28  So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.   God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”]

 -  then why are people not bless?

a)  because they do not know (ignorant) about it

b)  because they do not want it (choose not to be bless)

c)  because of their "status" - from being a child of God to a child of the devil.

                                         - from blessing to curse because of man's sin.

Malachi. 2:2

If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings.  Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

Blessing can not be obtained :-

a)  by grabing or snatching

b)  by doing good deeds or earning it through good speech BUT

c)  it is given (or bestowed) by God.

Galatians. 3:13-14  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Real blessing cannot change and will last. With this blessing there is no worry or stress but peace and joy.  It is given by God - Proverbs. 10:22  The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

Mother

"A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking, it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking" - Helen Rice

A mum is the one who believes in you - even when you have trouble believing in yourself.

She's the teacher who, more that anyone else, teaches you how to live.

She's the friend who's there when other friends walk away.

She's the nurse that nursed our pains and cheered our gains.

She's our chef, our maid, our chauffeur, our biggest fan,  and our best friend.

She's struggled for us, cried over us, fought for us, put herself second for us, hoped the best for us and has driven herself insane with worry for us but never has she asked for anything in return because she loves us and did it all on love alone!

Most of us take our Mums for granted but there are people who have lost or have never even seen theirs.  If you have a loving Mother who did all of this for you, you are very lucky, never devalue her worth because one day, you'll wish you hadn't!

A CHRISTLIKE EXAMPLE IS THE GREATEST GIFT PARENTS CAN GIVE THEIR CHILDREN

Prayer

Prayer is simply opening our lives to God, acknowledging our total dependence on Him. Prayer is not limited to a segment of our lives or to a scheduled event in our days.  It is an attitude of receptivity and openness which permeates our lives and to which God responds eagerly.  It is living in the presence of God, always in the process of being reshaped and re-created by Him.

The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to allow Him to change us.  It is to discover and do God's will, not to obligate Him to do ours.  The purpose of prayer is that God's splendor will be displayed on earth as it is in heaven.

[Extracted from "The Praying Life" by Jennifer K.Dean]

The numbers of prayer rally taking place recently due to the coming GE13 is a good sign of Christians unity in Malaysia.  Groups of individual and churches have been holding prayers for peace and righteousness to prevail in our beloved country never seen before.  This is a good sign of better things to come.  Christians are now more aware of their moral responsibilities .

The Bible says a lot about believers' duties as citizens.  We are citizens of two kingdoms: one temporal and earthly, the other eternal and heavenly.  We are called to participate in both the culture and politics of The City of Man, as this world was called, while primarily focusing on the Kingdom of God.   "When Moses commanded the Israelites to appoint God-fearing leaders, he wasn't just talking to a handful of citizens who felt like getting involved ...  And modern Christians are under the same obligation to choose leaders who love justice ...  Today, in our modern democracy, free citizens act as God's agent for choosing leaders, and we do it by voting.

Prayer is not the believer moving the heart of God, but God moving our heart.  When our prayers are full of worship, they are like sweet smelling incense before God.

Worship is not limited to singing praise songs.  It is simply, ascribing worth to something, and this, we can also ascribe worth to God through our prayers.

Gracious gift of Sabbath

The Sabbath is not about just doing nothing all day.  It is not about sleeping in and doing no work.  It is about active resting: a rest that helps us reflect on and recognize who God is and what He has done, a rest that renews us as we participate and enjoy God and the life He has given us.  It is a rest that is centered on worship of the living God.

John Pipers states, "God's purpose for us on the Sabbath is that we experience the highest and most intense joy that can be experienced, namely, that we 'take delight in the Lord'"  

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27

[Extracted from LIVING Life -June 2012]

Care Cell

The cell is the basic structural, functional and biological unit of all known living organisms.  It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing and is often called the building block of life.

The word  cell  comes from the Latin  cella, meaning "small room". [Wikipedia]

Invited a brother to share at our monthly home cell today.  At this gathering, we were able to learn about God  (Psalm 119:105) and meet with God  (Hebrew 13:5).  A healthy community can also be established through fellowship with one another  (Hebrew 10:24-25).

Fellowship Is God's Way of Accomplishing His Plan of Glorifying Christ

Dragon Fruit at Green Haven

^Daytime

Daytime - bud

Night time

Night time

Bud - Night time

Taken on 15 March 2013

The splendour of God's beautiful creation -
Dragon fruit from the bud to a beautiful flower.

The Dragon fruit flowers will literally bloom in a matter of hours, so if you're patient, you can witness the entire process.

On March 15, we noticed this flower bud 'standing' upright and we believed it is getting ready to bloom.
On March 16, we went out again and saw the flower had started blooming.  At about 1030 pm, we started snapping photos of the flower partially bloomed.  At 11-30 pm, the flower bloomed was at its fullest.

At 11-30 pm 16-March-2013

From a beautiful flower into a
glamorous fruit
         On 12-April-2013

Ripen fruit on 14-April 2013