does it burn?

i dare you to move

i dare you to move

i dare you to lift yourself off from the floor

i dare you to move

i dare you to move

like today never happened,

today never happened before

You know that I could use somebody

Dear God,

when times are confusing and i need You, this song seems to be a deep cry from my heart. i wonder if this is how David sounded like when he was surrounded by enemies, confusion and doubt.

Use Somebody ~ Kings of Leon

I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
You know that I could use Somebody
You know that I could use Somebody

Someone like You and all You know and how You speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street
You know that I could use Somebody
You know that I could use Somebody
Someone like You

Off in the night while You live it up I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make You notice
I hope it's gonna make You notice

Someone like me, someone like me
Someone like me, somebody

I'm ready now, I'm ready now
I'm ready now, I'm ready now
I'm ready now, I'm ready now
I'm ready now

Someone like You, somebody
Someone like You, somebody
Someone like You, somebody

Give to Everyday

There will always be a reason to give up, and there will always be a reason to keep going.

The question is, which reason will you choose to focus upon?

Your troubles will get the best of you if you give all your time and attention to them.

But you always have another choice.

You can give your attention to the positive possibilities.

You can choose to focus upon what’s right with life.

There is something you can do in this very moment to create

a little bit of positive value in your world.

Though it may not seem like much, just one small positive action

can have an enormous impact.

Even the smallest step has a clear and unmistakable direction.

When you choose to take action, you choose to take control.

Don’t allow your life to be defined by the difficulties that come your way.

For beyond them all, you have something unique and beautiful to give to every day.

- Ralph Marston

Hey, Mr. Someone

Hiya, guess what?

Had a girl's night (well sort of in a way) and we talked about relationships. What is most funny is that I actually talked about you and just how I view things about the future and what transpires then.

Would it take long for us to get to know each other deeper? Many things are usually put into consideration in a relationship - money, time, effort, maturity, commitment, security, honesty... the list could go on.

I really wonder what you want in a girl? I wonder just how much I fit into your criteria?

Question is: Were we meant to gauge and judge each other in that fashion?

I always fancied that we would discover one another as good friends. See the good, bad and also ugly to be fair to one another. There's no point getting married to someone and then only discovering all their weaknesses and decide that the marriage is a failure and just give up.

I always believed that between you and me, the longer we discover each other and get to know each other, we'd realise that both of us need to help one another grow and progress in life. To be able to plan ahead for marriage, we'd need to organise, plan and determine what we want out of this life together as a team.

I'm not in a hurry. People around me are slowly all finding the person that they love. Right now, I'm just content that you are who you are and that time will take its course and mould you into the man that Jesus wants you to be. One day, we'll meet and it will be worth the wait : )

As much as the walk down the aisle thrills my heart, as much as I've imagined walking down it towards you... the longer walk is when we join our hearts and walk the journey of the rest of the days of our lives together as a team : )

And I'm confident, when we walk... we'll walk by faith not by sight.

I still remember your hand : )

Lord, my heart cries out

Somehow once you've made a decision, God comes in and decides to test your resolve and see how you fare in your commitment to place Him first in your life.

I don't think it was a mistake to read about worship in the book I took with me to Midvalley to read at Coffeebean the whole afternoon while waiting for my movie to start. It's no mistake that this book happened to address my heart more than the usual books touted by those around me.

to transform your mind you need to allow your spirit to take control of it.

and if your spirit isn't worshiping the Lord God Almighty, how much of your mind can be under the subjection of His Holy Spirit?

this week has been a week of mixed emotions, changing of principles and challenging of mindsets.

Almost everyday has been a lesson in itself of perseverence, patience and prayer. i decided for myself that in order to function the best in God's kingdom, certain sacrifices had to be made and certain thoughts and views had to be silenced. again and again i came to the altar and placed myself upon it to hunger for the peace and assurance that I had made the right choice.

did i beg? yes.

did i cry? yes.

did i complain? yes.

did i repent? YES.

somehow, i made it through to today, Sunday : ) maybe some would view these small endeavors on my side as minute and unimportant. But for me, it makes a whole world of a difference! I have won this week's battle - bruised and battered - but I have won with God's grace, strength and peace in my heart.

and somehow, even if i do feel sad... i know it will just be a fleeting moment when I give way to tears before Him and He will be there to pick me up again. even now, as I let them fall, i know at least I have come to the right place to exchange my burdens and once again decide to stand up and go through another day while holding my Papa God's hand and walking together in this life :)

you're the father to the fatherless

the lifter of my head

I see you veiled in majesty

we cry Glory, Glory

we cry Glory to the King

p.s. space has never changed friendships at all as long as the heart doesn't change ( :

Church on Fire

in light of the happenings 24 hours ago... a church was burnt and two others had failed attempts to burn them down.

I have been reading the news articles, hearing people talk about, seeing sms-es circulate telling people to take down their Christian car stickers to avoid cars being smashed, asking my Malay friend what's her take on the situation and thinking about it the whole day and asking God to make sense of this whole issue.

I am saddened to see an issue over one word - Allah - could be taken to a different level by certain parties. After reading some articles and research, I have found that the etymology or origin of the word is debatable. Therefore I wonder if we as fellow citizens together in this nation blessed with so many things should even begin to contend and bicker and instigate violence to satisfy something that could be ambiguous and doubtful in the first place?

is the country's peace and well being worth abandoning in such a fashion?

where has our decision to make 1Malaysia work?

negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku

blood spilled in the days of colonial imperialists for the sake of our independence today.

have we forgotten it?

we owe our forefathers an explanation.

as a Malaysian, I leave it to you as to how one should respond in the face of such times. do we resort to violence, condemnation, demonstrations and picketing to draw support and suffer our unity for the sake of just one word? do the ends justify the means?

I am Christian. I believe in the everlasting God who says that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I believe that Jesus is the only answer to the world. I believe by giving my life to Him, it is the best decision I have ever made.

because in Him i find peace, hope and a future.

i am saddened to hear of the attacks on churches. With all due respect, I do not look at this and decide that my muslim friends are now sprouting horns and tails and look like Satan. Neither do I think that i should react by saying that these people who did these acts of hatred and vandalism be sentenced to hell or basically go into despair in darkness.

the gospel is not this.

if we truly call ourselves Christian, let's walk the talk.

let's fight hatred with love.

let's join hands and battle ignorance with understanding.

let's offer fellowship in the face of animosity.

if we truly preach a gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation, then let us forgive those who have hurt us and not let an act of burning a building spark negativity and resentment in our Christian walk.

lets stand up and be counted as both Christian and Malaysian. it is our responsibility to follow God's commandment of loving others as much as we love ourselves; moreover our duty as a citizen of Malaysia to pray for unity, to support positive moves of our leaders to bring our nation to a higher level of independence and progress.

faces. spaces. places.

It's almost a week into the new year of 2010 and there are loads of hints of how this year is going to play out.

On New Year's Eve, I finally overcame a personal obstacle and even took a step out of it to look at it in the eye and say "no more". It's a personal victory to end the year and start it with a freshness knowing that it isn't going to hold me back again. Go Jesus! The best things is... I can even forgive and let it go : )

The first few days of the new year flashed by and before I knew it, Sunday had came and I was approaching another academic year at Grace Homeschooling Resource Centre or fondly known as GRC by my kiddies and myself : )

smart me got involved in watching a movie that freaked me out badly and I wasn't sleeping well from Friday night until Sunday night itself. Went for an unforgettable Starbucks with a sales exec and a well-cherished friend accompanied with an icom student. The drinks tasted great and were that great because of the laughter that came with them. though the night ended somewhat in a low key, I slept better than the previous nights. thanks Connie, for the prayer and the hug. i actually told God i wanted a hug : )

School started on Monday with me feeling tired out... 80 over kids is something new to me! But somehow, we got through the first day, second day and now the third! Through God's grace for all of us working at GRC I suppose. The scary part of yesterday was having a brain splitting migraine attack and experiencing after so many years of it not recurring - blurred vision. Worst still, driving through the cats and dogs rain yesterday, focusing on the road and avoiding bumps while desperately navigating through near black outs. Thank God, I reached home before zonking out on the couch for 2 hours being dead to the world.

Today, I skipped lunch to avoid the noise and hustle bustle around me. Took a time to just talk to God in the classroom. I remember letting one small tear roll down because I felt so tired, frustrated and useless. If you know me well enough, you would know that I always hope to get the class in order, meet everyone's needs and at the same time have some time to breathe. I felt breathless today and with a tiny bit of migraine still pounding at me, I felt bummed.

But after talking to God, wiping the tears away. I was ready.

Big thank you to Sarah Ti, Vicks, Kathryn (and the sun and moon and stars), Ryan and all the other students whose smiles, hugs and reassurances have made my day today. I totally appreciate the small things you do for me - checking the floor plan, conserving blue tack, holding the science lab keys for me, complaining about your pigtails, forgiving me before I knew I was at fault... not to mention Melissa Yeap for visiting and giving me such a pretty bookmark! So great to be able to see you after so long! :D

I know how 2010 is going to be. It's a year of achievement that's full of knocks and bruises but also...

full of success

full of maturing

full of decision-making for the better

full of learning and relearning and unlearning lessons

full of committing to a higher purpose

but most of all.. and this is the part i like the most...

full of the goodness of God for my life : )

..and i will rejoice in You.. Whoa-oh-oh.. whoa-oh-oh!!!