It’s been a while since my last update here on this site. God is good even when we are struggling to understand what He is doing in our lives. Today, I would like to share our testimony of how good God is. In life, we have problems and challenges to face, sometimes, even on daily basis. But in times, even when we cannot figure out what God is doing in our lives, stay close to Him and hold on to His faithfulness and what He had done for you in the past. Most importantly, trust in knowing who He is.

Monday (August 1st 2011) was Dan’s first day at work with Fresno Community Hospital since he resigned from his former work on September 2009. It was an awesome feeling to make breakfast and sent him off for work knowing that he was in good hands. As some of you knew how much we had struggled trying to understand why God took such a long time to answer this prayer of ours. But, today, we can testify that God’s time is always perfect even though according to some of us, His answer seems late. And the waiting time was excruciatingly painful. Yet, through it all, we finally realized what God was trying to accomplish behind the scene.

For almost 2 years of waiting before Dan’s new job, we had to address several questions.  The fundamental question we had to address at that time was ‘What is God’s direction for both of us?’ We both felt the need to live close to Michelle, so Dan’s focus was looking for jobs in the Bay Area. We had several good prospects coming from huge organizations situated in the Bay Area such as Google, Yahoo, Kaiser. Yet, none of them materialized. As it got harder in the job search process, we began to question if Bay Area was where God would call us to serve Him. We finally widen the search to include Fresno, seeking God that somehow if it was His will, God would provide even when it seemed much harder to get a job in Fresno than in the Bay. Our church intensified their prayers for us as we seek God for His confirmation. And finally on the 15th of July 2011, Dan went for his final interview with 3 panels of interviewers at Fresno Community Hospital. We received the good news on the 18th of July. We believe God has His plan for us here in Fresno and His ministry in store for us, serving in Fresno City Blessing Church. One of our beloved brother in Christ passed away in June. We became God’s answer to his prayers for us to stay and serve in FCBC. We are thankful to our brother’s faith and his consistent prayers for us. We are where we are today was part of his labor of love and care as a leader by example toward us. Thank you brother Denny! We miss you and we’ve not forgotten your kindness shown toward us.

One of the struggle I had at that time of waiting was believing God had forgotten us. Has he truly? It was painful to think that after all He had done in my life both in Singapore and Australia, God would abandon me here in United States. That was the greatest fear I had to deal with during the time I had to wait on Him. Would I become like Job”s wife, instigating my husband to curse God and die? No!! No way!! I was ever more determined to be like Job himself. I had to come to that point to decide as Job did, to honor God despite my inability to comprehend the situation. There were moments both Dan and I questioned God. We had our moments of anger, disappointment, anxiety, confusion. All the classic emotions you can name them, we’ve got them and fought with them. But, each time, we could do nothing but ultimately surrender ourselves to God and His Sovereignty. Was it a tough journey? Honestly, it was a painful growing process. But, God has more in His mind than just us.

Michelle worked really hard during her last year in her high school. She graduated with a high honor. We were so proud of her accomplishment. In the middle of our struggle, Michelle won a scholarship for her College at UC Santa Cruz. It was the best news for us knowing that despite of our struggle financially, Michelle’s college years will be taken care of by the provision of the Scholarship. Our helplessness soon turned into hope, through God’s way of providing for our needs. Later we learned that even more amazingly, whatever Michelle got from her scholarship would not be affected by how much her dad would earn in this new job. God had arranged it in such a way that everything would fall into place perfectly. Obviously, God did not only have us in His mind, Michelle too. He made a way for Michelle’s needs as well. When we thought God had forgotten us, He has something in His mind much bigger than we can imagine. When He seemed so far and silent, He is ever near and present working behind the scene. ‘How long do I have to wait Lord?””Be patient my beloved, till all I’ve set to do and accomplish is done!’ ‘Is God’s timing too late?’ No, His is always perfect!

Today, we give You the praise O God, not just knowing Your ways and thoughts are higher than ours, but through it all, we actually tasted it this day. Nothing is far more precious than knowing and experiencing Your goodness in our lives. Father God, You are good even when we cannot comprehend all that are happening around us. We know this day, that You are truly in control even when our lives seem to spin out of control. Thank you for Your goodness in our lives! May our lives bring honor and glory to Your name.

In the name of Your Son Jesus Christ I pray,

Amen!!

 

 

When we are living in pain and constant struggles, can we truly see God’s goodness in the midst of it? This is one of the thoughts I have to come to terms with this Thanksgiving in 2010.  Since last year it has indeed been a faith-challenged year for both Dan and I.  But also a year, we cannot deny, filled with defining moments where we saw God’s hands at work created miracles for a greater good in our situation. Can we give praise and thanks to God in the middle of our pain?

God has put in my heart, a passion to work with children and adults with disabilities.  It’s my life-long passion ever since in my mid twenties I started this path, working in the disability field.  When I arrived in California, I thought I have to put my dream and passion aside to focus on my marriage and family. And that was what I did, for the last two and a half years. As some of you knew from my previous sharing, that in May 2010, I finally obtained my permanent residency in United States.  I was so excited that I could finally get some form of work in California.  Due to the economic situation in United States at present, getting a full-time job is not easy.  I decided to enter into the job market slowly for example, through becoming a volunteer for an organization. I finally decided to do volunteer work for EPU (Exceptional Parents Unlimted).  The deciding factors were firstly, the location (within walking distance),  secondly,  EPU provides services for children with disabilities under 3 from professionals such as teachers to various therapies.  An environment in which I was closely familiar to. Thirdly, EPU is a great organization to get involved in.  So, shortly after I received my permanent residency, I applied to become a volunteer worker with EPU.

The initial process went well. I was called in for an interview with the program co-ordinator as well as the department head.  I thought the interview went really well with them.  I was assigned to carry out a finger printing check by the Department of Justice.  I was told that this process would take 2 weeks to accomplish but, due to some unknown delay, took me months of waiting before it finally came to pass. In the midst of this waiting time, in my mind, I really thought this door was completely closed. God kept this door open but, I have to learn to wait and trust His timing would be the best.  It was a tough lesson to learn.

Is God cruel when He teaches us to wait upon Him? Sometimes, it seems so.. but I believe He must have a good reason to make us go through it in His silence. Now I can give praise to God.  Every tuesdays and thursdays, I spent my mornings from 9.30 – 11.30 at EPU playing with the kids and totally loves it for the last 3 month now. It’s an awesome dream comes true for me.

Last Thanksgiving was a very special one for both Dan and me as God taught us how to trust completely in Him again. Through this retreat, God dealt with us individually concerning our personal time with Him and our struggles we have had because of the unknown future before us. We had a great time of learning, and fellow-shipping with brothers and sisters in Christ. One awesome  surprise I received from our Father in Heaven at the retreat happened in the morning before we set our heart to return home.  I have had dreams of seeing snow fall. And have often in my heart desires to see and feel what it is like having snow falling around me. I woke up at 5.30am that morning, went to the window and saw no snow as predicted. Disappointed I returned to bed. I finally woke up at 7am, went to the window, peeped through the blinds and to my amazement, I saw light snow falling.  Apparently, I was not the only one excited about the snow fall. We had a great morning taking photos.  It was a great joy for everyone at the retreat.

Even though this time of waiting was tough. We saw God’s blessings in the midst of it all. I believe sometimes God chooses to remain silent for  a while to teach us to rely on Him totally.  That we may grow in our faith and master perseverance.

Here is a story that I would love to pass on and share with everyone whom I know:

An incredible story that only love can overcome. And I call it : ” God’s little miracle “!

God’s Little Miracle TO Share..

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy’s tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morris town , Tennessee. In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital, Knoxville , Tennessee.

The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst. Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral. Michael however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over.

Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not. If he didn’t see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an over-sized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, ‘Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed!’

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse’s face, her lips a firm line. ‘He is not leaving until he sings to his sister’ she stated. Then Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing.

In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: ‘You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray.’ Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady.

‘Keep on singing, Michael,’ encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. ‘You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.’ As Michael sang to his sister, the baby’s ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten’s purr. ‘Keep on singing, sweetheart.’

‘The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms’ Michael’s little sister began to relax and rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her. ‘Keep on singing, Michael.’

Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed.

‘You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don’t take my sunshine away.’

The next day…the very next day, the little girl was well enough to go home. Woman’s Day Magazine called it The Miracle of a Brother’s Song. The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God’s love. NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.

May you be truly blessed this day!

Blessings,

Eileen

A couple of weeks ago, my mother-in-law invited me to attend her church’s Women luncheon meeting. I accepted her invitation and went to the meeting with her.  At the meeting, I was nervous because I only knew a couple of the ladies at the church. Yet, at that meeting, God spoke to my heart through a testimony of a young lady and her mother’s.  At the end of the meeting, I was sure glad I was there.

The sharing of their testimonies began with the young lady who was on a wheel chair. Well, you might be thinking what happened? This young pretty lady was paralyzed due to a tragic automobile accident. The story began way before the tragic accident.  She shared that she had been a good girl, raised in a christian family and would go to church with the family with no questions asked, sundays after sundays for years. Besides going to church, she spent most part of her years in gymnastic trainings.  As you can see that gymnastics is her one passion in life.  Later, she went on to share one tragic news with us. Her gymnastic coach whom she had been trained under for several years, died from a cancer.  The tragic news blew her mind away.  She was in shock..  It caused her to have doubts about the God she thought she knew at that time.  She blamed God for taking her coach away from her.  She started mixing around with a bunch of friends she should not have.  Doing things that she knew were wrong and harmful to her. Yet, she held on to that attitude that she did not care.  She went on to share with us about that one time when God seemed to speak to her through a testimony of another friend in church about putting Him first in life,  she responded to God saying that she would never give gymnastics up for Him.  All these happened prior to the accident that led her to a final confrontation with God.

Sometimes we think we can carry on with our lives, ignoring God, and get away with it.  I think God loves us too much to let that happen to us and be satisfied that its the best for us.  God knows much more than we do and He longs for us to have a good relationship with Him.  The incident of that tragic accident happened because she wanted to hang around with her group of friends despite her mother’s repeated instructions to stay with her given tasks as her parents were away that weekend.  She kept on pleading with her mom to let her go.  Finally, her mother relented with instructions for her daughter to call and report of  her where about intermittently.  The greatest fear that her mother had came through when the parents received a call from the police of her daughter’s automobile accident.

Good News Amidst The Tragedy

It was during the moment when the young lady was trapped in the car that she started talking to God again. It was during the most difficult moment of her life that she felt the presence and the peace of God in her life.  How ironic and how true it is! It is often in our desperation, that we finally choose to listen. It was on that day, the young lady found peace with God. During the time of her rehabilitation,  she finally learned to put God first in all things.  After a year, she is still adjusting to the new change in her life.  She is dependent on her wheel chair now and for a period of time, she thought that she would never get back to gymnastics ever again. God put her in a great organization, Break The Barrier, that helps disabled children and young people through gymnastics to have a good quality of  life. You see, God has not forgotten her dream.. In order to pursue God, God does not absolutely require that we give up our dreams for Him.  It’s our hearts that matter to Him.  If that dream is turned around and given to Him, then it would not be an object of competition, would it? He would give us anything that is good, not harmful.  The most beautiful part of this testimony is watching her performing in her wheel chair,  in a dance with a group of young ladies of her age.

As her mother shared her side of the story, we came to understand her struggles with God and her fear. One of the questions that she had to come to term with was this: ” Why would a loving God knowing that a girl’s dream depends on her feet, would take her feet away from her? ” You know, in her mother’s testimony, she shared that all she prayed and asked God for was a physical healing for her daughter. In the end, she understood why God allowed it. Her mother was looking at her daughter’s physical healing, but God was more interested in her daughter’s spiritual healing.  Isn’t it amazing? After the accident, this family has been receiving blessings after blessings from people who are willing to help.  They recognize the hands of God upon it all.  The house has to be refurnished to accommodate the wheel chair and they are almost done with the refurnishing except the bathroom.  Even so, they found an organization willing to remodel the bathroom for them at a low price.

One thing I learned from the testimonies, was that: ” when God brings us to Him, it is because He loves us and we are important to Him. ” Sometimes, we think God is punishing us.. on the contrary, it is Him getting our attention. Simply because we are heading the wrong direction. One precious thought that keeps dwelling in me since then is that no matter what we do or had done, God keeps in His mind our spoken dreams and He has not forgotten them. What a comfort to know and be reminded of that! No matter what, God remembers our life-time dreams dear friends. He has not forgotten! If only we would turn our dreams around and give them to God, He would honor our acts of faith! Lets just say: ” What God would do with it, so be it! ” And watch Him works. May you be truly blessed this day.

Blessings,

Eileen

Have any one ever heard of this song entitled ‘Count your blessings’? This song speaks of what  is much needed in my heart right now.  Here are the lyrics of this song:

Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
 Refrain
 Count your blessings,
name them one by one, Count your blessings,
see what God hath done! Count your blessings,
name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
 Refrain
 When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings.
Wealth can never buy your reward in heaven,
nor your home on high.
 Refrain
 So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
 Refrain
Personal Testimony Of Dan And Eileen
Since Sept 2009, Dan and I have been on a long journey filled with tests and trials
of our faith in God. The toughest part of our journey of faith is trusting and
surrendering our unknown future to Him. Believing that His provisions would come
on time when we needed Him. At certain time, we even thought God has forgotten us.
At the beginning of 2010, we made some resolutions for the year. We trust that in
His time, He will fulfill all of them. This is the year our church believes is the
year for us to inherit. God has His inheritance laid before us, that we as His
children would have the faith to claim them as our own. It is indeed a season for
greater growth in our faith and knowledge of who God is.
Looking back over the last eight months, we saw God's provisions in many ways.
2010 is a year full of blessings already. We were blessed to have 3 of my family
members and relative came to visit us in San Francisco. We were thinking of
visiting family in Singapore this year. However, we could not fulfill this plan
this year due to financial constrain. We still would like to do so later when we
are able. Knowing that we are not able to go, God brought them to us.
It's amazing sometimes, watching His provisions.
 Eileen finally had her green card in her hands, May, this year. At the end of
June, Eileen was admitted to the ER and in a few days, she had to have her
gall bladder and gall stones removed due to the inflammation of her gall bladder.
Without health insurance and financial difficulty because Dan was without a job
since September 2009, we were naturally worried about the bills. Somehow, in the
midst of all these, God provided through the charity organization from the hospital.
All bills were paid for by the charity organization and every visits to the hospital
would be paid for until September 14th. Has God been good to us? Yes, He most
certainly have! Although, we are still learning to trust Him to provide in other
areas, we have been indeed blessed in many ways this year. We certainly believe
God has His purpose and reason in withholding some of our prayers we have had in
order that we may grow deeper and stronger in our faith in Him.
So, have you count your blessings yet? When you do, you will see that God is still
in control of your life. Look for the blessings that come along your way rather
than the loss. And you will see God in ways you've never seen Him before. We hope
that our testimony will be a blessing to you today.
 Blessings,
Dan and Eileen

Have you ever compete in a race before? Wouldn’t it be great that at the end of the race, you arrive at the finishing point, as one of the top competitors of that race? Today, I would like to share with you what the Bible talks about concerning the race of our life time.

The Race of Faith

In Hebrews 12:1 – 2, the Bible says:

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Therefore according to the Bible, our journey of faith in God is liken to a race and it is the race of our life time. Paul who wrote this book, Hebrews, wanted to encourage us to run this race with endurance, like Jesus who endured the cross and finished what He had set out to accomplish according to the plan of God.

Now according to the dictionary, endurance could mean:

1. the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.

2. the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/endurance

Now according the Bible, we can expect hardships and trials in life.  And we are expected to endure the hardships and trials in our lives.  How many of you are going through trials right now? We all know what they are.. trials come and go through our life time.  Why is it so important for us to learn to endure and not giving up? Through endurance, our faith in God grow. God uses our sufferings to shape our lives, to make us more like Jesus.

What is faith? In Hebrews 11:1, the Bible says:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Why do we hope in things we can see? In order to see the evidence of what we believe and hope for, we need to endure through the end. And that hope keeps us going.  What if Jesus were to give up.. what would become of us? Therefore He has led us by His example.  He chose to submit to His Father in Heaven. We need to do likewise. One great encouragement for us is knowing that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Our journey of faith begins with Jesus and ends with Him as well. We do not need to worry because it is clear that we will not be alone.  Jesus will be with us from the start to the end as long as we run this race with Him. Isn’t it awesome to know this truth?

May you be truly blessed today as you take the step to run this race of your life time with Jesus knowing that He is the Author and the Finisher of  your  faith.

Blessings,

Eileen

A week ago I was admitted to the ER in the Community Hospital downtown of Fresno, where my husband and I reside at present with our parents (in-law). Thinking that it was a small health issue, I could be released that early morning, on the 27th June 2010 after midnight. Well, it turned out to be a more serious one than I’ve initially thought and imagined to be. It turned out to be an infected gall bladder and I had gall stones and coupled with a urinary infection.

My symptoms were:

1.  A persistent chest tightness that wouldn’t go away no matter what I’ve tried. Few weeks ago, I had the same episode before and my mother-in-law gave me a cup of hot tea to drink and that solved my problem.  Since then, I had about 2 more times with the same problem and hot tea was the solution for it. However, this final episode was not going to be that easy for me. On the 27th June 2010, somewhere about 10:00 in the night, I was experiencing a chest tightness that no matter what I did, it just wouldn’t go away.  Then I experienced another symptom..

2. Dizziness came to me. I was feeling so dizzy that night. No matter how I tried to relief it, lying on my side, sitting upright, lying flat on the sofa, nothing worked.  I was struggling to shake my dizziness off.

3. I was experiencing shortness of breath.  It was hard for me because I was healthy most of my life until that night. Having experienced that, that night, I knew deep down something was really wrong with me. I needed medical assistance.. and so when my mother-in-law suggested ER that early morning 28th June, I had to take it. So, we went to the ER and from there, we learned from the doctors, that my problem wasn’t as simple as expected.

My diagnosis:

After the nurse put me on an IV, and an X-Ray, a EKG, some blood tests, urine tests, Ultrasounds.. more blood tests, I was finally diagnosed as having an infected gall bladder with the finding of some gall stones as well as a urinary infection. A surgery is expected to remove my infected gall bladder, and gall stones. They treated my urinary infection with antibiotics and that seemed to work. The name of the surgery was called Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. The doctor told my husband that it was the right decision to remove the gall bladder because “my gall bladder looked ‘angry’ and needed to come out”.

The healing process after surgery:

The first week was hard for me as I was experiencing pain. But, in this process, I realized my threshold of pain was much higher than I initially thought. The medication that was given to me was making me drowsy and uncomfortable. In about 2-3 doses of it, I decided to endure the gain than take the medication.  I would wake up with pain in the mornings.. some days were  better than others.

I took a shower after the second day of the surgery.  My bandages were wet after the shower. I decided to ask my mother-in-law to check on them and she decided to change and get new bandages on my 4 small incisions. That was a good move since I found blood draining from the old blood stains while showering.

Into the second week of my healing after the surgery, I requested that my husband bought me new bandages so I can continue covering up my incisions after taking a shower. Well, this is where I believe my over protectiveness actually would hinder my recovering process. I am learning to be thankful to my husband’s insisting on googling what’s the best wound care treatment after such surgery. And calling the nurse to inquire about it. Leaving the wound uncovered is actually a better way to healing and recovery process in my case. I’m learning more each day as I go about taking care of myself  after the surgery. I’ve learned that sometimes over protecting isn’t always good, and the right way to go. In fact, it can become an hinderance to healing and a better me.

Conclusion:

How often have we thought about this? There are things we do that we honestly think are good, would in fact  turn out harmful or a hinderance to making us a better  wholesome person. In our insecurity we tried to help God do His work in us. Have it happen to you? As for me, many times! Let us, let go of our insecurity and let God do His mighty work on us, in His perfect time.  Therefore, do not become an enemy to a better you, let God have His way in you today.  Have a blessed day, everyone!

Blessings,

Eileen

PSALM 23

A Psalm Of David

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;  my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of  the Lord forever.    (NIV)

Food For Thought:

At first glance, you read through this passage and you think how wonderful.. what a comforting psalm written by King David.  Surely, this has to be a comforting word from God. Wait a minute.. hold on.. What’s this?  In Psalm 23:4, it says:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.“

Wow.. first of all, walking through the valley of shadow of death.. now that sounds really scary.. then, secondly, how do the rod and the staff bring comfort to me? They sure sound painful to me..  Well, I don’t understand? What a contradictory statement!

If this is what you were struggling to understand, I was too. But, as I seek to get an answer to these thoughts, I discovered some great truths. On 26th March 2010, a Sunday morning, my pastor preached on the sermon on peace.  What is the peace that the bible talks about? In John 20:19-23, the Bible recorded the scene where Jesus appeared before His disciples after His resurrection.  Guess what Jesus said to His disciples, the first time He appeared before them as a group? He said:

“Peace be with you! ” After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 2 times, Jesus repeated this: “ Peace be with you! ” My pastor asked us why were the disciples glad when they saw Jesus? Well, it dawn on me today, that what could have overwhelmed them that day as they looked to Jesus was the peace they must have felt at that very moment.  All the fear and struggles would have been instantly gone that very moment they set their eyes on Jesus. Peace came from gazing at Jesus. You know, when King David said that “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”  It tells me that King David had the peace in him, trusting God. Whatever his circumstances may be, King David would not be afraid because God was with him and because of that, he had the peace in him to face all his challenges before him. Do you have the peace like King David had?  or are you facing life with fear and trembling? Look at Jesus..

How about rod and staff? How do they bring comfort to David? Good questions. Rod signifies discipline and staff signifies guidance. How does a shepherd lead and protect his sheep? Naturally with the staff that he has to carry with him daily. If a sheep goes astray, he uses his staff to lead it back to his herds. In a way, the sheep sees the staff as a guidance and protection and that is a comfort to it. In the same manner, King David referred to the staff as a tool a shepherd  would use to lead, guide and protect his sheep. Now what about a rod? A rod would be likely used by a shepherd as a tool to discipline his sheep. Now… discipline is no funny matter.. it hurts. How can it brings comfort? You may ask.. In Hebrew 12:7-13

” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we summit to the Father of our spirits and live!  Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Now that is comforting to know! When I talk about discipline, it never includes abuse. Abuse is wrong, but discipline is necessary for growth. Discipline is used to correct our wrongs, to make us better people. Just as God uses it to make us righteous, and holy just as He is. In conclusion, I would like to leave you with this precious verse that Jesus said in John 14:27 and also I have come to love.

” Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ”

May you be truly blessed this day!

As I was pondering on what I should write about for my next blog, I felt the need to go in depth into understanding why the death of Jesus on the Cross was necessary.  Since the celebration of Easter for 2010 is fast approaching, all the more reason to have a better understanding of this truth.  So, I started digging into the Book of Leviticus, the 3rd book of the Old Testament in the Bible.  In this blog, I would like to bring in the various offerings mentioned in the Old Testament where the Jewish community at that time had to observe.  With the understanding of all the various types of offerings that had to be practiced, we would then have a better appreciation of what we have now in Christ Jesus if indeed we have chosen to follow Him. At the same time, recognize the sovereignty of God over His decision to do what He did through Jesus Christ, His Son. As for those who are still seeking to know more, this blog will hopefully help you gain more understanding on Christianity and the foundation of our belief.

5 different kinds of offerings were mentioned in depth in Leviticus. I presume that the Jewish community are presently

still keeping these practices to this day since they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Now, the first type of offering mentioned was the Burnt Offering. The burnt offerings could either come from their herds, flocks or birds. If the offering chosen came from their herds, it could be a young male bull, but without defect. If  the offering came from their flocks, it could be a male sheep or goat, but without defect.  If the offering came from their birds, it could be a dove or a young pigeon.  In all of these specific types of offerings, they had to carried out with very specific instructions. For example, the person who brought the offering had to present his offering at the entrance to the tent of Meeting, he was to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, he had to slaughter the young animal before the Lord, the priest would then bring the blood and sprinkle it against the alter on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  The person offering his animal had to skin and cut the burnt offering into pieces. The priest on the other hand had to prepare the wood and set up the fire. The priest then arranged the pieces including the head and the fat on the burning wood that was on the alter . He then had to wash the inner parts and the legs with water while the priest had to burn all of it on the alter.  When these instructions were met, these offerings were then considered acceptable unto the Lord.  And God would be pleased. Interestingly, these instructions came from God Himself to Moses at that time. If you are interested to know more, please  refer to Leviticus 1:1 – 17.

The next type of offering mentioned was the Grain Offering.  Every grain offerings brought to the Lord were to be of

fine flour and without yeast, mixed or spread with oil regardless of how they were prepared. The offerings would be burnt on the alter. The grain offering of firstfruits was specially mentioned with an instruction not to be burnt on the alter rather the priests would offer the crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire, put oil and incense on it. The priest would burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as an offering made to the Lord by fire.  Salt was required to be added to all the grain offerings. When these instructions were met, only then would these offerings be acceptable to the Lord.  Interestingly, grain offering was considered a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. Greater details can be studied through Leviticus 2:1 – 16.

Next followed was the Fellowship Offering. The fellowship offerings were to be offered in a similar manner as the burnt offerings except on 2 key important differences. The offered animals could come from either their herds or flocks, but no mention of the birds. The 2 key differences were that these animal offerings could be either a male or female without defect.  Interestingly, for fellowship offerings to be acceptable to the Lord, the portions of possible fat had to be removed and the priests were to burn them on the alter together with the burnt offerings. So, in this case, only the fat portions were burnt and offered to the Lord.  (Leviticus 3:1 – 17)

The 4th type of offering was the Sin Offering. Interestingly, the very first group mentioned concerning sin offering was for the priests.  If an anointed priest sinned, even unintentionally, putting guilt on the people, he had to offer a young bull without defect as a sin offering  for the sin he committed. He had to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord.  Then he had lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the Lord.  Some of the bull’s blood would be carried into the Tent of Meeting and the priest had to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. He then put some of the blood on the horns of the alter of  fragrant incense that was before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he would have to pour them out at the base of the alter of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He would then remove all the fat portions in manner similar to an animal sacrificed as fellowship offering to be burnt on the alter of burnt offering.  The rest of the bull, would be taken outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place where the ashes were thrown, and burnt in a wood fire on the ash heap.

The next group mentioned was the community of the Israelite as a whole. When they committed sin against God (did what was forbidden in any of God’s commands) even unintentionally, they were found guilty. When they became aware of their sin committed as a whole,  the entire community had to present a young bull as a sin offering before the Tent of Meeting. The elders had to lay their hands on the head of the bull and slaughtered it before the Lord. The anointed priest would make atonement on their behalf, in the same manner he offered his sin offering before God as mentioned above. The community would then be forgiven.

The next group mentioned was for the leaders. A leader when he committed a sin before the Lord, would be guilty even when it was unintentional. In this case, when he was made aware of his sin, he would have to offer a male goat

without defect. In the same manner, he would have to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughtered it at the burnt offering place before the Lord.  The priest would in the same manner make atonement on his behalf  and he would then be forgiven.  When a member of the community sinned, and was found guilty even unintentional, and made aware of his sin,  he had to offer a female goat or lamb without defect. He would lay his hand on his sin offering and slaughter it at the burnt offering place before the Lord. The priest would make atonement on his behalf and he would be forgiven.

Ways in which one might find himself guilty and needed to offer a sin offering to the Lord. Interestingly, these are some examples of what would consider a sin before God. When one would not testify regarding something he had seen or learned about in cases of wrong doing, or when one touched something unclean, humanly (contaminating uncleanness) or ceremonially (unclean animals), swearing thoughtlessly.  One had to first confess in what way he had sinned, and as a penalty for the sin he had committed, he had to bring to the Lord a sin offering of a female lamb or goat from his flock and the priest would make atonement on his behalf  before he would be forgiven.  For somebody who was poor and could not afford a lamb or a goat, he could bring 2 doves or 2 young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for his sin, one for a sin offering, and one for a burnt offering. And if he could not afford the birds, he could bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour with no oil or incense allowed on it, as his sin offering to the priest who would take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. In this manner, the priest would have make atonement on his behalf and he would be forgiven of his sins.  (Leviticus 4:1 – 35, 5:1 – 13)

The final mention of the 5th type of offerings was the Guilt Offering. According to Leviticus 5:14 – 16,

When one commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, he is to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering.

He must make restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, add a fifth of the value to that and give it all to the priest, who will make atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

Now, looking through all these 5 specific offerings and you are wondering what is the point for bringing them up? Where are we going with all these knowledge? Well, through reading about these facts, you may first of all, have a better knowledge of what sin is. An offense committed against God and His commands.  Secondly, if you notice some of the key words in bold highlight, you may notice one phrase that kept appearing on this blog which is, without defect.  God’s acceptable offering has to be without defect. What does that mean? It means no deformity, perfect.  The offered animal to God has to be perfect.  And if you notice further, the blood of the animal which was perfect, that was offered to the Lord, played an important role in the offerings.  It was the blood of a perfect sacrifice that was offered to God. And it was precisely that, that pleased God. Now, if that was what God required and that which pleased Him in that time, then He would require nothing less even for now.  Do you know why God would have nothing less than perfect? It is because He is Holy and perfect Himself. If God requires of your sacrifice, would you think you would pass? If you look honestly into your heart of heart, you would have to honestly say no, you would not have passed. The Bible says in Roman 3:23,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

That is the truth. No one on this earth would have passed His requirement.  Except for one man whose name is Jesus. He is the Son of God. He was born from the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin Jewish woman named Mary. You see, it was God who sent His Son to be born as a human being so that salvation is made possible for all men through that plan. Throughout Jesus’ life on earth, He never once sinned.  He was the one perfect man ever walked on earth. Jesus was God’s plan to save us from our sins because sins offend God and separate us from Him. Sin was never tolerable for God. We could tolerate sins, but never to God. We were created for God but sins separate us from Him. The only way to save us, He provided the solution and that was to sacrifice His one and only Son Jesus Christ. How? you may ask.. Well, By allowing Jesus who is perfect, to die on the Cross, just like the burnt offering in the old Testament time. It is through the blood of the perfect sacrifice that cleanses us of our sins and makes us acceptable and righteous before God. Now, can you see it?  The sacrifice had been turned around that instead of man offering his imperfect gift, He offered us salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Does God love you? Yes, that is how much He loves you that He offered His only Son as a sacrificial lamb to save you and me. He knew that was the only way that man could be saved and He made that sacrifice for us. How amazing is that? Jesus’ death on the Cross made all the various offerings unnecessary. Now, through Jesus, we can communicate with God directly. There is no need for all the rituals and ceremonies any more. In a way, we are set free through the death of Jesus Christ. When we talk about the gift of life as free gift, it was not free. It was paid in full by the blood of our Lord Jesus, in exchange for yours and mine. God poured out His Grace upon us. GRACE which simply means God’s Riches At Christ Expense. Knowing all that,  would you give your life to Jesus who gave His life in exchange for you and me on the Cross?

In light of this Easter, I hope you remember this. Jesus sacrificed His life to save you and me. But, wait! He did not remain dead. The Bible also says that 3 days after He was buried, He rose again and was later ascended into Heaven to prepare a place in Heaven for you and me. And He gave us a helper and counsel, the Holy Spirit to help us walk close to God daily. If you have given your life over to Jesus, I encourage you read the Book of John in the New Testament.  And be a member of a Bible based church and serve God in that congregation.  May you be truly blessed this day!

An awesome message on why Jesus had to die on the Cross by Paul Washer:

Highly Recommended:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBdSf6lKk4o&feature=related

Message on repentance – how can we be saved:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo9uN76LoL0&feature=related

You may ask: Why do you choose to talk about a sunflower? What’s so special about it? It is just a flower after all..

Well, first of all, I love sunflowers. It is one of my favorites, beside yellow roses, daffodils, freesias. As you can now see that I love flowers. Naturally, I begin my blogs with a flower. Now, a sunflower is not just an ordinary flower, it is a favorite for many women around the world.  Imagine, you have a vase of sunflowers on your dinning table, and it immediately draws the attention of everyone in the room. And the topic will naturally change as the focus begins to fall on the flowers. It brings a smile to a person’s face each time, he or she sees a sunflower. It is bright and cheery. So, today I would like to draw your attention to this unique flower called the  SUNFLOWER.

Let me share with you about some interesting facts on this flower:

Please refer to this link below if you have further interest on the facts about these sunflowers:

http://http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-sunflowers.html

• More than sixty different varieties of sunflowers can be found in the world. Out of all these, the most common one is bright yellow, with dark brown centers filled with seeds.
• A sunflower head is made up of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers that are joined together to a base. The large petals that are found around the edge of a sunflower are individual ray flowers, these do not develop into seeds.
• A single sunflower can have up to 2000 seeds.  A distinguishing quality of the sunflower is that its flowering head tracks the sun’s movement. This occurrence is known as “heliotropism.”

In august 2009, I took an interest in growing some sunflowers myself and I was totally in awe and amazed by this beautiful flowers. As usual, I took lots of pictures of my sunflowers. Some of the facts mentioned above, are what I noticed last year when I planted my sunflowers. A flower with about 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers that are joined together to a base? It is amazing.. Although, I planted the smaller kind called the Evening Sun, I was amazed by the many tiny flowers that grew out of the base head of the sunflower.  It was an amazing sight to watch.  Out of a single sunflower, you can have up to 2000 seeds? Wow.. I can only tell you that I had a wonderful harvest of sunflower seeds last year. How amazing is that?  Science tells you that this flower evolved from Evolution.. out of nothingness creates this amazing flower? How can this even be possible? Through this unique flower, I see the uniqueness of God. He is interested in even the minute details of His creation. Have you ever notice how the colors of the sunflowers come together so beautifully and pleasant to the eyes? Can this once again be explained away by the intelligence of the human minds? Until you begin to plant and watch these flowers develop before your very eyes, you will never come to appreciate the beauty of the uniqueness of this special flower that through the very uniqueness of God, design this flower.

If you remember that another interesting fact about this flower is that it keeps track of the existence of the sun. It turns its head to the source of the sunlight. Even the sunflower recognizes the source of life which is the sun itself. The flower looks for a source much greater than itself. Can we acknowledge the existence of God, the life-giver and creator of all things, great and small? Today, I would like to share a Bible truth with you. The Bible says in Matthew 6:28 – 34

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “

This is a great news for those who believe in what He said in the Bible. Does God care about you? Yes, He does! If He took so much trouble to create flowers that bloom today and gone tomorrow, and care for them diligently, wouldn’t He who also created you, not care about you? Guess what? He has already provided a path that leads to life for you when He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for your sins and mine.  John 3:16 says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

So, you ask: What sin have I done? I have not kill or hurt anyone ever before. I have seen men far more worse than me..  It is not just about the wrong you have done against people, but also against Him. Do you believe that God exist? And that He created you? Did you put your trust and faith in the pilot who flew your plane to the destination of your vacation more than Him? Did you trust your natural ability more than trusting Him? Did you trust your possessions more than giving your life to His control? If your answers are Yes, then you have not believe and put your trust in Him. Choose today whom would you give that control of your life to.. is it God or self or the devil? Jesus says today:

“I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father (God) except through me.” John 14:6

He who has the Son (Jesus) has life, he who does not have the Son of God has not life. May you be truly blessed this day!