my journey in 2007

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

yes let's overcome the world together!
yesterday's 2008 planning was good
I feel excited abt the year of sabbath
coz i find that questions abt hearing GOD's voice has been disturbing me lately
i look forward to hearing fr him more next year...to be more intimate with him like a boyfren! kiss..hug?
I really thank GOD for PD n mel's prayer of restoration
this year has been really tough for me...it feels like a never ending battle
actually it doesnt really feel like a year of victory to me at all...the word discouraged is like plastered over my forehead
but I believe next year there will be some closure...rainbows will appear after the storm
afterall he will not push me beyond wat i can bear
but its really when I ve reached the end of myself, i finally found not only answers but i found him again! that is a victory this year!

Appreciation fr mel is that I m open n receiving when somebody prays for me...
i feel the warm sensation running down my spine when sb prays for me....i feel really touched by their words..its makes me cry
she feels like sometimes she is simplifying my problems..but i hv been open to her encouragements n advice
she also mentioned abt the use of "mummy" in my emails to her.....an effort to be more expressive n more intimate with her

my turn now
Thank you mummy mel for walking thru the storms in my life. ur advice n encouragement have always been very objective, allowing me to make decisions on my own by seeking the Lord's favour
Thank you also for building me up spiritually n in character...i hv grown fr the shy, low self esteem gal to the one standing before yah
Thank you my dear sisters for ur one word description of me today as virtuous like proverbs 31 except the part abt cooking n washing clothes. yes even when i dun truly believe coz it sounds like a housewife! i will work on the speedy gonzales attitude... i need more patience!
Thank you guifang for ur presence is a big encouragement to me! i hv lots to learn fr ur childlike faith in GOD.
Thank you gwen for all ur support, prayers n encouragement! yes i enjoy the movie dates with yah!
Most importantly thank you everybody for bringing so much joy, laughter n colour into my life. I luv u all very much!
love fiona

MNG retreat

mastermind a game that requires serious concentration
i wonder who recorded this...val sounds funny


gift exchange search - von finally found her pressie!

the Shepherd and the Sheep

We all know Psalm 23.
We quote it a lot.

But do you truly understand what it means?

Sometimes, when verses become so known, we may lose the true meaning of the word or become desensitised to it.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
-> It literally means I shall not lack fullstop. I shall not lack in anything.

Does the sheep keep the shepherd? Or does the shepherd keep the sheep?
I think one will know the obvious answer:
The shepherd keeps the sheep.

Here comes the next question we should ask ourselves:
If it is true that the shepherd (God) keeps the sheep (Us), why is it that we still worry?

It is the shepherd's responsibility to provide for His sheep, be it food, clothing, work, studies...
The shepherd will not look good if His sheep is not provided for.
The sheep does not worry about their meals but simply trust in their shepherd because the sheep knows that the shepherd will bring them to "green pastures" and "waters".

Truth be told, how do we truly follow the shepherd? Because as we all know, saying is one thing and obeying is another.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures..."
-> Ever seen a sheep lie down on green pastures? It tucks in its feet and stop running around being so busy.

Okay I can see some of you scratching your heads now...

Though we do our devotion each day, how many times do we actually spend time with Him in a relaxed environment, all comfortable to wait on the Lord? And how many times do we instead read His word in a hurry, because we have to. Or read and fall asleep? I will say that I'm guilty of doing so... Haha.

When the sheep tucks in its feet, it knows that it can trust in its shepherd to fend off any dangers. And so it simply sits still and wait on its shepherd.

God likes us to do so... Simply lie down in green pastures and wait on the Lord.
Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to His word.

Hey if we are sheep, lying down on green pastures is good news! It means we have abundance of food! :)

"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."
-> In Israel there are lots of grazing pastures.
And on these grazing pastures you will invariably notice a mount or a small hill. There are tracks on these grazing pastures which you will see which the sheep are fond of trailing and the tracks go up and up till you reach the top.
These footpaths of the sheep is called Paths of Righteousness by the Israelites.
The interesting thing is the name of the top of the mounts, the Apex, it means HOPE. Which means that in all that we walk, we will ultimately be led to the top. And paths of righteousness will bring you to hope.

Cool isn't it? The way God works... :)

John 10:11
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
-> When I read that I was overwhelmed. How amazing is God huh? To give His life for us! And when 1 goes astray, He leaves his 99 to hunt for the 1 who left on its own accord. What more us, His children? We never did find God on our own. He found us when we were lost and gave us hope to live with purpose again.

How does God gives us His forgiveness? And how do we forgive one another?
When we humans say we forgive another, what do we say?
"Yah, I forgive you, but don't do it again."

Whereas God forgives simply, "I forgive you."

No conditions given. He will abundantly pardon. The way He forgives leaves no room for guilt. Only man makes you feel guilty. We can come back unashamed into His arms with no questions asked.

That's the difference between us and God.

Have you noticed that great leaders are great sheep themselves? The only reason why King David is a good leader is due to his ability to be a great sheep himself who knew his shepherd's voice, and obeyed God's calling. The Lord took David from following his sheepfold to shepherding the Lord's people. That's why he became a great shepherd of his people.

To be a good leader, we have to be a good sheep.

"Surely goodness and mercy me will follow me all the days of my life!"
-> 'Follow' what does it truly mean? I just read recently in the Hebrew context. It means that surely goodness and mercy will HUNT me down.. double wow...

We all want to enjoy God's word in the absence of our symptoms. But God wants us to have joy in the midst of our stress.

If goodness and mercy is hunting for me, it is coming from the back, following me...
Who am I following then?

The Lord says in John 10:4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."
-> As long as we keep Jesus in front of us, goodness and mercy will hunt us down!
As long as we pursue Jesus, goodness and mercy will pursue us!

The devil tries to prevent us from knowing the word...

Don't let any weapon formed against us prosper!

relying on symbols

I read His word today and was enlightened about some things that we are dependent on in the days of our walk with God.

In 1 Samuel, the Israelites put their trust and hope in the Ark, believing that it will lead them to victory because it represents God's favour on them. But not only did they lose the battle, their ark was captured...

Eli upon hearing that the ark of God was captured, died with a broken neck.
His daughter-in-law was so upset that she died in her labour.

Does losing the ark signify the loss of God's favour?

Many a times, we put our trust and hope in the symbols of God just as the Israelites did. Like wearing the cross, WWJD wristbands... Even unknowingly believing in signs that are supposedly godly or from God.

In times like this, when hope seems bleak, we tend to forget that we are to seek a first hand relationship with Him instead of looking for signs that show His favour.


"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though... the fields produce no food... yet... I will be joyful in God my Saviour."

He is always with us if we seek Him wholeheartedly. :)

Mel & Fiona's taiwan trip

View Album

Get your own

It's Elaine's Birthday!!!

Elle's yummylicious homemade brownie cake...topped with Ben and Jerry's ice cream afterwards. Don't the rest of u regret not coming? *Hehehe*



More food...than my hp camera could capture. There was curry chicken, yellow rice, and desert too!



Elle's lovely family (plus Gideon the dog behind, blocked)



Mel, Jen and Fio!

Cheers!! We had red wine and...Moet. =)

It was a great time, seriously. I really enjoyed myself. Elle i will miss u when u go overseas, really. Esp during go-service times and Christmas-time. Love u loads hope u enjoy urself over there. *HUGGS*