In His Hands

I just came across this poem that i had scribbled in my diary sometime this year.. not sure where i got it from, but it is certainly a tremendous encouragement to me at this very moment now, as i leave my prayer request at the throne room of heaven..

In His Hands
By: Betty Purser Patten

We know not what tomorrow brings
Although we plan ahead
For only God alone can know
The pathway we must tread

We cannot know the future
Not one minute nor one hour
Each circumstance that we must face
Lay only in His power



It's vital that we live by faith
From minute unto minute
And trusting that each step we take
He's walking with us in it

We cannot see the future
Nor the trials we must face
But in all things, God has promised us
Sufficiency of His grace

This alone should give us hope
Whatever be our plans
In knowing that our future lies
In His sweet and loving hands.






Photos: Taken in Oxford, UK.

Failing thirty times over

Have you ever failed an exam for more than thirty times? How would you feel if you had to retake an exam more than thirty times? How would you feel to fail each and every time? Would you feel like a failure? It would be hard to pick yourself up and to try all over again, huh? Would your faith in God waver? Would your trust in God be shaken?

I have prayed a particular prayer earnestly for a long time.. and as i look back, I have come to realise that it has been more than thirty months now that i have prayed this prayer.. Only thirty months you say? Yeah, only thirty months.. but to me, it has been a very torturous thirty months to endure.. As the months goes by, the prayer has grown in intensity. Each month i fail the "test", i have to pick myself up and try all over again. I have wondered and i have asked the Lord, "Why the silence.. and why the long torturing wait?" There have been moments of doubt, and great disappointment. There has been days when i have screamed and questioned Him. Silence was all i got in return, but as i discover more about my Lord, i am confounded by the fact that even if He doesn't answer my prayer, He is still God. A good God nonetheless. A great God, who is a loving Creator, a mighty Saviour, a gentle Healer and a gracious Provider.

I do not know for how long more will i have to wait... and for how many times more i will fail.. But i pray that someday on hindsight, i can look to my Creator and Saviour and thank Him for being with me through it all, and for His greater plan that a mortal like me couldn't understand. And i pray for now, that He will give me the faith to keep believing and the strength to keep holding on the promises He has given in His word.


Photo: YY & I lit a candle in the grand Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford University, lifting up our prayer request to the Lord..


Psalm 36:5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

The Prodigal

Now that i am on break, it is nice to get to do the stuff i've always wanted to do. Whilst clearing up my study, i came across an old bag of 500 piece- jigsaw puzzle of The Prodigal, an art masterpiece drawn by Ron DiCianni. I immediately started working on it, and couldn't stop till i finished it 5 hours later.. =)

Here are some photos captured whilst working on the Prodigal. =)

The Choking Weeds

As i was clearing my garden this morning, the image of the weed choking my little Heliconia plant. From the bottom of the stem, it twisted and curled all the way upwards, stealing light and nutrients and restricting growth. It probably had been there for sometime, but i had done nothing about it, and obviously, neither had Mr Heliconia.

It sounds quite like us, huh? In our journey on this side of heaven, we often let seemingly small "evils" creep in our lives, and before we know it, our faith is under fire, and our whole life foundations are shaken, and we struggle even to live.

Over the weekend, we were told about the fall of a popular youth Pastor in the Planetshakers Chruch, Mike Guglielmucci. Apparently, he had lied about his cancer illness as a cover-up for his addiction to pornography. This news devastated so many of the church members, including Hillsongs Australia who had allowed him to be part of their latest album. But more than that, it had deeply wounded his parents, high profile pastors, Danny Guglielmucci and his wife, as well as his own family. "Little" sins from his youth had caught up with him. "Small" sins crept in subtly, and choked his life and his faith.

We may not be able to understand why he did such a thing, and we may be absolutely disappointed at his failures. But then again, which one of us has not failed at some point or other? And which one of us is not flawed?

The gospel of grace, which is the heart and core of the message of Christ, is that despite all our weaknesses and failures, God still loves us. And because He loves us so much, He gave Christ for us, so we can have hope again. Forgiven by God Himself, and loved by the Creator, we can live with renewed faith and strength.

As i heard the testimonies from his dad, and from his chruch members, i am thankful that they are a forgiving people, embracing Mike in this time of difficulty. And i am glad that in a way, Mike came out to tell the truth, and God, in His grace will restore him to be a better man.