Feathers & Beaks

Location: KL Birdpark

Date: 271007

Thoughts: O Lord, my God, I am in awe of Your creativity! I am amazed at the intricacies and details You put into creating each bird, each creature. The feathers in their grandeur, the hues and colours of their beaks - each created with a purpose and a reason. The wonder of of Your creation, leave me spellbound, Lord. How can anyone say that there is no God? How can anyone doubt Your existence? How can we not give You the glory for the work of Your hands?

Lord, You made each bird with such beauty and such intricate detail. Just look at their feathers! Look at their beaks! Look at their eyes! Look at how they dance, fly, swim, parade and display the creativity of their Maker! As if shouting out to the world I am a product of a Creator God, i give Him the glory!

Lord, I am reminded You made each one of us purposefully, wonderfully and creatively. May the things we do bring You glory too..

Not the leftovers nor the extras

Was struck today by what YY said during the worship session, that "Our God gives us His very best, His most precious. "

How often we give out of the abundance that we have - our extras and our leftovers. What if you had only one? Would you still give it away? It reminds me of a little girl who had only one keropok(fish cracker) in her hand. I asked her for that piece of keropok. She held on to it tighter. She refused. I pretended to be really hungry. In her kindness and pity, she said, "only one small bite, ah?" For such a young girl, i was impressed by her generosity. Because if I were her, i'd probably quickly put it in my mouth and chew and swallow it! (Just kidding, *wink*) =)

But honestly, if it were you or me, if it were something costlier, if it meant everything to you, if it were your one and only, if it were your precious, would you still give it away?

***










Creator God, You did not give me
A gift that costed You nothing
You did not give me
Your leftovers, or trash and garbage.

Creator God, You did not give me
A gift that means to You nothing
You did not give
Your extras, or something you didn't want
And had plenty of the same.

Jesus, He was Your one and only.
Your beloved, Your precious.
Jesus was a part of You
Heart of Your heart
Soul of Your soul.

Yet, for someone so unworthy like me
You CHOSE DELIBERATELY
Not a haphazard, spur-of-the-moment decision
For someone so undeserving
You GAVE INTENTIONALLY
Not by chance but by choice.

It blows my mind
The Creator God who could give anything
Would CHOOSE to give me
Not His leftovers
Nor His extras
But His one and only
His everything
His Son
His Jesus.

As a ransom for my life
As a punishment for my sin and my failures
As a redemption for my future, my eternity.

***

Coconut water: A simple act of love

Guest Blogger: YY

Specially dedicated to my lovely wife,

From Wikipedia dictionary:

- The white, fleshy part of the seed is edible and used fresh or dried in cooking.

- The cavity is filled with coconut water which contains sugar, fibre, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

- Coconut water provides an isotonic electrolyte balance, and is a highly nutritious food source.

- It is used as a refreshing drink throughout the humid tropics and is also used in isotonic sports drinks.

On a warm evening in Batu Pahat where we spent our Raya break...

It’s a simple act of walking her to a stall 1km away to quench our thirst with coconut drink…

It’s a short 10mins sitting down by the dusty roadside stall and sharing one freshly opened coconut…

It’s a relatively short distance compared to the amount of energy I would spend in jungle trekking, jogging or on a futsal pitch… it sweats much less…

Its frequency is less than the airport taxi I take in a month for my work.

It’s just not something I will naturally do as a way to spend “quality time” with her J

But I know it meant something for her…

For countless time she would fondly recall how her dad prepares coconut water while singing “coconut water, good for my daughter” – I trust those were the moments of tender love and care and edged such lasting memory for a young soul.

Years later God brought a big guy into her life… to care for her as a loving husband and to be the pillar of strength in the face of adversity…

To love her for who she is, to appreciate everything about her, and to help her to become a woman after God’s heart..

In loving what she loves and treasuring what she treasures I found a way to truly connect with her heart.

In years to come my prayer is that the things we do together will be treasured moments for our lives…

Even in simple thing like enjoying coconut drink…

Love you, honey

YY

My "happening" Ah Ma.. =)

This trip back to BP during the Raya break was good. Had a nice long chat with Ah Ma. And took more photos of her.. She's really "happening" - she loves to pose, and knowing that cameras are now digital, she asks to see each photo to approve whether or not she looks good enough for "printing" and posting.. =)

I simply love this shot. Ah Ma has a very sweet and serene look on her. At 97, she epitomises style and beauty.












I attempted this shot many times, each time Ah Ma told me to try again, cos she didn't smile "nice enough". She's so cute, lar.










Ah Ma telling me that her hands no longer have "prints" and lines anymore. "It's all smoothed out now.." she tells me in Hokkien. I tell her it's still as soft and supple as a baby's skin.

The jade ring on her finger, she's had it for over 50 years. Grampa lost all her jewellery during one of their trips, and bought this ring for her in return.



My favourite shot of all!

We were all in stitches, cos Ah Ma wanted to pose for this shot. She kissed me for a good 2 minutes cos the camera-woman (aka mum) initially couldn't locate the small digital viewfinder, and when she did, she couldn't contain her giggles.. =) Mum had a hard time keeping the camera stable..

Girls' Nite Out!

Last Friday, 6 of us girls from Cafe@ Subang CG went for a classy date with each other - for a Latino Jazz performance at Alexis Bar in KL. It felt like we were a bunch of 21 year olds, chatting away, laughing away and enjoying the yummy spread of dinner. Jules & I did the ordering.. and we did a very interesting girl thing.. we ordered mains first, then the appetizer.. and then dessert.. Should've skipped the appetizer and went straight for the gorgeous sumptious heavenly (you get the idea!) signature Tiramisu cake.. It was superb.

It was a lovely time to just chill with the sisters.. sharing our week.. and a slice of our lives which we had not shared before. It was sweet.. Next round, Eileen,Grace and Sarah must come along.. =)

We found out just today that the guys had a great time out with each other too.. YY, Joe and Ka Hing played snooker, bowling, buffet at Shogun's and even managed to cramp in the Bourne Ultimatum in their 6 hours together.. =)

Dawn will break

Title: Candles by the pit
"A bruised reed, He will not break. A smouldering flax, He will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice."Isa 42:3









Title: Cloud on a puddle
Even if a vague reflection is all i see, but it reminds me of You, it will suffice.











HOLD MY HEART
By Sharon AM

Lord, hold my heart in Your hands
Till the darkest night is over
Let there be the promise of a brighter dawn
Lord, hold this heart of mine
Hold my heart firm within Your mighty hands

Lord, it hurts deep within
Hold my heart in your hands
Lord, please help me understand
Why things happen as they do
Surely You know and feel it too

In moments when i am weary
Carry me close to Thee
In moments when i fail Thee
Remind me that You still love me

Even when all hope seems to fade
Even when it's hard to believe
Even when it’s hard to trust in You
Lord, remind me You are faithful

Even when all doubts surface
Even through my darkest fears
Even when my eyes are out of tears
Lord, remind me of your grace

Lord, hold my heart in Your hands
Till the darkest night is over
Let there be the promise of a brighter dawn
Lord, hold this heart of mine
Hold my heart firm within Your mighty hands


* This "song" was first written for a close friend of ours at the loss of their first child. And just over the past week, i was reminded again that sometimes life's circumstances may be so harsh, like raging waves with no mercy, giving one no chance to catch even a breather.

This song/poem was written as a reflection of our frailty, our human-ness, our weakness in moments of loss, of confusion, of doubts, and seasons of un-answered prayers. It also reminds us that we believe in a loving God, a mighty God, a faithful God. In His perfect time, dawn will break.

Sharon.

A Merger & A Joint Venture

Some of you who've been regularly reading this blog would realise some changes to the profiles..

Yes, with much inspiration from Ps Wong, influence from our CG, and negotiation with me, Yong Yi has finally(!) entered blog-dom as well albeit a not-too-much-commitment way. He's starting off with a joint-venture / merger with me - in Selah Moment.

He claims he loves the blog name, Selah Moment. (*CG members, i think shellobot.blogspot didn't quite appeal) =) Me thinks it's more of a passing fad.. We'll see..

Hence, you will find some blog posts by our dear big guy every once in a blue moon.. =)
(YY: Will prove you wrong!)

*Seems CDPC is growing in the blog-dom, eh? =)

Enjoy!

Song for the children?

While I was preparing to share with the Sunday School kids abt Immutable God, YY had encouraged me to close my message to the kids with a song that i had written - Faithful God. I was slightly apprehensive, but figured, if this song can help them to remember our Faithful God having an unchanging love for them, it was more than enough.


Without any lyrics flashed, the kids surprised me by singing in unison the whole song of Faithful God. It moved me close to tears. Personally, I had always thought this song as an adult-song. It was humbling to think that the kids, who had such powerful memory, knew this song by heart. Even the 4-year olds were singing the chorus, "Faithful God, Unchanging Love.. *trail off* .. Faithful God, Unchanging love.. *trail off* Faithful God"

It's a scary thought that finally (!) dawned on me that writing songs for church is an awesome responsibility. It influences and shapes the theology of these young minds. It is also an exciting opportunity and tremendous privilege to be a part in impacting our children =)

P/s: Sarah, Jules, remember we had often wondered what other words to be used in replacement of unchanging love (since there wasn't a verse that spelt that out verbatim)? Well, it finally dawned on me (thru YY's moment of deep wise revelation) that our God is unchanging. And our God is love. Hence, His love is unchanging. =)

Photo 1. Faithful God (C) Copyright - CDPC album

Photo 2. Taken at Sydney Olympic Park.

Immutable God

Just yesterday, i had the privilege to share with the Sunday School kids abt our Immutable God.. Yup, Immutable God. Such a "chim" topic for the little ones aged 4-12.. Initially whilst preparing for this, i had thought that the word probably meant a God that couldn't be silenced (cannot be muted .. hence immutable??) =)

I then searched online via the google search and discovered that Immutable God refers to an Unchanging God! Then my brilliant mind figured that the word may have come from the word "cannot mutate"..hence, im-muta-ble. =) Clause: I hereby hold no responsibility whatsoever for any possibility of this definition being completely wrong.. =p

Anyways, in preparing for this short message, i learnt so much abt this Immutable God that i believe in. Our God is an unchanging God.

(i) His nature is unchanging. God doesn't cease to be divine. The Creator God is unchanging. His creation changes, but He doesn't. He doesn't stop being God - at any point in time.. From the dawn of time, He was.. To the end of time, He will still be.. God.

(ii) His character is unchanging. God is Omni-present (always present) ; Omni-potent(all-powerful); Omni-scient(all-knowing); always righteous, always holy, always just; always true; always loving; always faithful.

(iii) His promises and purposes are unchanging. God's promises in His word were true for His people in the past, for us in the present, and for our future. When God created, He foreknew the potential of sin. When he created man, He already saw Jesus as a baby, as a man. He saw the cross, the crucifixion, the redemption plan unfolding.

With that, we should hold on to God's unchanging word. We can trust God with our lives. He will not one day disappoint us by ceasing to be divine. Knowing that our God is unchanign, in a way, we too, should strive to not change according to the circumstances and situations around us. We should not change who we are for what the world dictates of us. We should be whom God has created us to be. And finally, God being an unchanging God, His standards are still perfect. But thank God, He has given us a way out - a perfect salvation plan, a perfect redemption through Jesus.