I refuse

I refuse to be discouraged,
To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
And here's the reason why:
I have a God who's mighty,
Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
And I am on His team.
He is all-wise and powerful,
Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God remains the same.
My God knows all that's happening;
Beginning to the end;
His presence is my comfort;
He is my dearest Friend.
When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God;
Into His arms I go.
When circumstances threaten to rob me of my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast,
Where all my strivings cease.
When my heart melts within me,
And weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.
The great "I AM" is with me.
My life is in His hand.
The "Son of the Lord" is my hope.
It's in His strength I stand.
I refuse to be defeated.
My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me,
As through this life I trod.
I'm looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God
I'm resting in His love.
I give God thanks in everything.
My eyes are on His face;
The battle's His, the victory mine;
He'll help me win the race.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..=)

What If?

What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?

What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain?

What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if God took away his message because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?

What if the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?

What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?

What if God would not hear us today because we would not listen to him yesterday?

What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?

What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives?


Precious Lord, thank you so much for Your great faithfulness and unfailing grace that You grant to us every single day of our lives without fail. Thank you for being all that You are to us..a mighty, prayer-answering God..an amazing and beautiful Saviour. Great and powerful is Your name..and thankful are our hearts to love You as our blessed Redeemer, our God..

So Little Time

So little time to say the things
You'd really like to say -
Before you even find the words,
The time just slips away.

So little time to do the things
You feel that you must do.
So treasure, like the purest gold,
The time God's given you.

So little time to dream your dreams,
For youth has passed its prime,
And all too soon you realize
That there's ... so little time.

So little time to reach the height
To which you're bound to climb,
For swiftly pass the waning years,
And there's ... so little time.

So little time to pass regrets,
And less, to make amends,
Yet God can heal the deepest wounds
In chosen, cherished friends.

So little time to share God's love
And beauty here on earth,
And know, before His endless time,
Their meaning and true worth.

Oh, yes, there is so little time
To seek the hidden door
That opens up to Heaven's time,
Where time's forevermore.

~ Author Unknown

For what is your life?
It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away..

~ James 4:14

The Race

"Quit, give up, you're beaten"
They shout at you and plead
"There's just too much against you
This time you can't succeed".

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failures face
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene
Or just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being

Children's race, young boys
Young men, now I remember well
Excitement sure, but also fear
It wasn't hard to tell

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race
Or tie for first, or if not that
At least take second place

The fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he could be the one

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boy's desire

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd
Was running near the lead and thought
"My dad will be so proud"

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped

Trying hard to catch himself
With hands flew out to brace
And amid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face

But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face
Which to the boy so clearly said
"Get up and win the race"

He quickly rose, no damage done
Behind a bit that's all
And ran with all his might and mind
To make up for the fall

So anxious to restore himself
To catch up and to win
His mind went faster than his legs
He slipped and fell again

He wished then that he had quit before
With only one disgrace
"I'm hopeless as a runner now
I shouldn't try to race"

But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father's face
That steady look which said again
"Get up and win the race"

So up he jumped to try again
Ten yards behind the last
If I'm going to gain those yards he thought
I've got to move real fast

Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten
But trying hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again

Defeat, he lay there silently
A tear dropped from his eye
There's no sense running anymore
Three strikes, I'm out, why try?

The will to rise had disappeared
All hope had fled away
So far behind so error prone
A loser all the way

"I've lost, so what", he thought
I'll live with my disgrace
But then he thought about his dad
Whom soon he'd have to face

"Get up" the echo sounded low
"Get up" and take your place
You were not meant for failure here
"Get up", and win the race

With borrowed will "Get up" it said
"You haven't lost at all"
For winning is no more than this
To rise each time you fall

So up he rose to run once more
And with a new commitment
He resolved, that win or lose
At least he shouldn't quit

So far behind the others now
The most he'd ever been
Still he'd give it all he had
And run as though to win

Three times he'd fallen, stumbling
Three times he'd rose again
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end

They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place
Head high and proud and happy
No falling, no disgrace

But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line, last place
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race

And even though he came in last
With head bent low, unproud
You would have thought he'd won the race
To listen to the crowd

And to his dad he sadly said
"I didn't do too well"
"To me you won", his father said
"You rose each time you fell"

~ Cara-May Harvey

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 3:13-14

Tell God

Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell God your troubles, that God may comfort you; tell God your joys, that God may sober them; tell God your longings, that God may purify them; tell God your dislikes, that God may help you conquer them; talk to God of your temptations, that God may shield you from them: show God the wounds of your heart, that God may heal them. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. Talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration say just what you think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.

~ Francois Fenelon

Dearest Bros and Sisters - Eric, Cheryl C, Bernice, Alex, Whee Kok, Eugene P, Anne, Cheryl T, Chia Wen, Cherie and Jean..=)

Thank God for the many showers of blessing at our Zooo outing..all of you shine and rock, keep surfing and serving with love..love yall :D!

A new beginning from God

A new year, a fresh start..
On pages clean and white
I surrender the pen, dearest Lord
Your Will for my life
Please freely write..

One thing I desire to do, Lord,
Is to forget those things that are past
Reaching towards things ahead,
Things of eternal value that will last.

Lord, help me press toward Your mark
The prize of Your high calling
In Christ Jesus awaits.
Focussed and ever progressing
Towards Your plans and purposes
So glorious and great.

He is truly great; who is great in the love of God.

He is truly great, who is humble in mind, and regards earth's higher honors as nothing.

He is truly wise who counts all earthly things as dung, in order that he may win Christ.

And he is truly learned, who renounces his own will for the will of God.

~ Thomas à Kempis

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

~ Psalm 111:10

Dearest Lord Jesus,
Please take my lips, and speak through them; take my mind, and think through it; take my heart, and set it on fire.
In Your precious name,
Amen.

Thank Heaven..:)

For all the little friendship things
Between just you and me.
For the closeness way deep down,
That comes with trust and honesty..

For the ordinary, everyday,
"Just-called to say" surprises.
For the promises you keep,
And "cause-you-love-me" compromises..

For the "tell-me-all-about-it" time,
And hugs I get for free.
For not having to be anything,
But dear, imperfect me..

For the thoughtful words you say,
That are the wind beneath my wings.
For the instant burst of happiness,
Your laughter always brings..

For the "it's-no-bother" favours,
And your "you-can-do-it" cheers.
For the reassuring voice that says,
You'll be right over here..

For "I love you", "I forgive you",
"And I'll be there till the end".
For the day God blessed my life
With such a very special friend..=)

~ Emily Matthews ~

From the heart of a hermana..=p

The following message below is specially dedicated to every amazing sister & wonderful gal buddy that the Lord has so graciously placed in my life to be a humongous blessing and an amazing inspiration for His glory. Thank God so much for each of you..just want to take this moment to say that i love you my sisters. The Lord knows who each of you are and from my heart, i truly praise Him for all that He will accomplish for, in and through each of you in the wondrous life plan He has in store for you. The only life worth living is that which is lived for Jesus Christ..may all of you continue to shine on and make this year count for Him! =)

My dearest Sisters . precious da jies & xiao meis .

The following article reminded me of the importance of seizing the day and cherishing the friendships/sisterships that the Lord has so graciously blessed us with. Trusting that it will touch your heart too.

I want to cherish my friends

I have a group of close friends from junior college days. Once, we pledged to meet in Paris, for a reunion in 20 years.

One of us made it to Paris this year - the year we all turned 40. He sent an SMS to say he was on the Champs Elysees.

As one plunges into a career or starts a family, the tendency is to be embroiled in the day-to-day and to spend less time with friends.

Someone you could have been best friends with 30 years ago, could be a virtual stranger today.

Often, they are the easiest, unfairly, to flake on.

Among this group of friends, we are not all in the same country. A few have dropped out altogether.

Somehow we manage to see each other - some of us every week, but most of us, at least every year. And the thing about old friends is that you no longer have any expectations of each other. All you have is affection and a sense of familiarity which brooks no judgment.

You know each other so well that you make exceptions and accommodations for each other without thinking about it.

Over the years, I've made new friends, some of whom I love dearly. Some I've let down and disappointed (or vice versa) and we have to re-find a level which is comfortable for both parties.

But it seems almost impossible to offend the friends of your youth.

You've done it already and we've moved on.

Research has shown that, for women specifically, friendships are more than a way to pass time or share common interests.

The bonding women do counteracts stress. Their friendships are also a reason, experts think, that women live longer than men.

It's that time of the year to take stock of the one gone by and think about how to live the one to come.

Next year, I want to cherish my friends, old and new, and be good to them. The unexpected passing of a colleague last week brought home grievously how we take each other too much for granted.

Life is too short and uncertain to wait for a reunion in Paris.

~ Sharon Loh

(The Straits Times, Mind Your Body, Dec 27, 2006)

Life is too short for me not to cherish the amazing blessings that each of you are to me. Thank you so much for being a precious and special part of my life. Every prayer or word of encouragement uttered, every wonderful time of fellowship together, every 'festivity' or 'just because' gift given from your heart, every piece of advice/rebuke offered, every laugh or joke shared, every falling tear shed, every song sang together, every hug exchanged, every secret whispered, every smile given, every email sent, every card written, every ounce of sister love flowing from each of your hearts to mine..from the bottom of this 1 heart, I utterly treasure and will treasure every single thing that each of you have done for me..always. Thank you so much for being truly beautiful in God's eyes and mine in all that you are..your words, your ways and your example. May He bless you and your families so abundantly in the new year ahead..may the year 2007 be an outstanding year that will count for eternity - may it see us loving unconditionally as Christ loved and cherishing every single thing that He has blessed us with.

A very blessed new year to you, my sisters for eternity..

The best is yet to be, because He lives, and loves and keeps thee..=)

Lots of love,
daph

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

~ Proverbs 17:17

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop. Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it. This is forever friendship. When you're down and the world seems dark and empty, your forever friend lifts you up in spirit and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full. Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times. If you turn and walk away, your forever friend follows. If you lose your way, your forever friend guides you and cheers you on. Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay. And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete because you need not worry. You have a forever friend, and forever has no end.

~ Unknown

Friends are an important part of your life. Treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories.

~ Dave Brenner

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

~ Galatians 6:8-9

Memories

Dear God
How I thank You
For thousands of beautiful memories
That have become a growing history
Of Your supreme goodness in my life.
Thank You for misty memories
Flaming memories, trailing memories.
Thank You for wonderful memories
Quiet, gentle memories
Pink-tinted memories
That live on and on
To gladden sombre days.
Thank You for memories that have rooted me
Stabilised me, sensitised me
And toughened the inner fibre of my being.
In Your honour, dear God
I erect my Monument of Memories.
For Your glory alone..
You who are
My living bright Reality
Every single moment of my life.

~ R.H. Calkins

Hey my dear Bros and Sisters-in Christ,

May the Lord bless each of you with even more beautiful memories and shower upon you great and precious blessings in the new year ahead. May the year 2007 be an outstanding year which will see each of us progressing on victoriously for God. Have you tasted the amazing goodness of the Lord last year? Well, it is only going to get better..because He lives! =)

O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

~ Psalm 98:1