Durian puff speaks

Slowing down is good. You can hear god's voice better. After lunch at Aston at Katong on Friday, we popped by a shop that sells durians puff. Mumsie Kitchen is the name and apparently is opened by Christians who have openly given god the glory by printing the verse " Seek the kingdom of god's first and all thing shall be added onto you," Matthew 5;33. onto its packaging.

Just last Sunday, Pastor Edmund, after being back from his sabattical , gave a profound sermon on going back to Fundemental Christianity, meaning to restore our relationship with God, knowing what he is like above anything else ( your ministry, your works,etc). He again preached on Matt 5:33 and challenged us to think about the priorities we have placed in our life and if we could seek him with all our heart and be passionate about it. More often than not, he mentioned that how we spent our money , time and effort would be where our priorities are. He also convicted us not to be Cultural Christians. There are three types of cultural christians:
1) Sunday CHristians who just come to church on Sunday but have no relationship with god during the week
2)Christians who are passionate about church activities, serve this and participate actively in cell group but do not apply the values in their daily living

His sermon reminded me of the verse on the durian puff packaging. " Seek his kingdom first and all things shall be added onto you" Have I been diligently spending my time to know my abba father? Have i been making a deliberate effort to seek him in all that I do and where I should go ? Did I trust him with all my heart and soul about my heart desires that he will provide in his due timing ? Do I trust that when he said " is finished", all of my sins are forgiven and that I should rely on his strength and not mine?

A quiet start to 2011

It was a quiet start to the beginning of New Year. We retired early in the night after cell group and a short celebration at Winnie's place. Woke up to sunny weather and clear blue sky at 9am on 1/1/2011, had some delicious Aunt Nellie's muffins and began our 10km hike from Bukit Timah to MacRitchie. Oh, what a great way to kickstart my new year like that! The adrenaline rush was terrific as we walked through a new route which we never took before, discovering little lookouts that amazed us and we said to each other that we should do this more often. 10km seemed all so long towards the end as I began to lament when would the end point be. And Hubs said to me that I should focus my energy on the beautiful nature around me and continue enjoying the walk. The advice was wise. I then began to see the misty greens, the changing color chameleon, the busy ants on the muddy roads...and i thought to myself. I must have missed out so many beautiful things for the past year with my focus on work.

2011 resolution is to make a conscious effort to slow down myself ( especially from work), be more patient and appreciate every beautiful moment of life. 3 hours of slow walk instead of half hour ride on the car is all I need at times......

Marriage breakthrough weekend @Mercure

Marriage breakthrough weekend was great. Hubs and I first signed up without expecting much except to take a break and to recentre ourselves and the marriage upon Christ. Our father in heaven is forever gracious and works in his mysterious ways. He surprised us with glimspes of his love through the 3-day retreat in Mercure Palm Resort in Johor.

Different testimonies shared, sermons led by different leaders, time to process your walk with God and then dialogue time with spouse. It was such a great way to spend the Thanksgiving weekend and the anniversary.

These were my take-aways from the retreat. They are not new to me but at times, is so easy to forget them or to live by them.

First day, god spoke to me in the issue of submission and also providing the space for the other half to grow in his spritual leadership. Mistakes are inevitable and is important to provide the space for that to happen so that the man can grow.

Second day, god spoke to me about submitting to him in all areas of my life , whatever i do , whatever i think, whatever I say and be more steadfast in my walk with him. AS i obey him in all things, I will learn to grow in his love.

Third day, God spoke to me that he is in control and that I should draw my strength in him as I imitated him in-love.Hubs and I did our very first memory verse 1 Corinthian 13:1-13, While it was easy to memorize it , it was definitely not easy to practise them in our daily lives. Just over last week,there were several occasions that we had to remind each other that "love is patient. Love is not irritable".

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, [1] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [2] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Paul and Silas Interactive Bible Story

PAUL AND SILAS - Interactive Bible Story
Written by Betty B. Robertson

Acts 16:16-40

Instructions: Assign reading parts (1 judge; 2 soldiers; Paul; Silas; jailer). The rest of the class is the crowd. Every time the teacher holds up her/his hand, the crowd says: "Arrest these men!"


Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Judge: Order! Order!

Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Judge: What is the charge?

Teacher (holds up hand) Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Judge: What have they done?

Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Person 1: They are teaching people about Jesus.

Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Person 2: They are doing things that are against our Roman law.

Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Judge: Hummmmmmmm...

Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

Judge: Throw them in jail!

Teacher (holds up hand): Arrest these men! Arrest these men!

(Soldiers take Paul and Silas to jail.)

Jailer: Who do we have here?

Soldier 1: Prisoners.

Soldier 2: Lock them up and see they don't escape. If they do escape, you're apt to lose your head.

Jailer: I'll keep them safe.

Teacher: So the jailer unlocked the big door of the jail, put Saul and Silas in the dark, smelly inner dungeon. He put their feet in big wooden frames called stocks that locked by putting big bars in the slots. Paul and Silas were left alone in the dark. Hours went by. Then it was almost midnight.

Paul: Silas, are you asleep?

Silas: Are you kidding?

Paul: I can't sleep either.

Silas: Are you scared?

Paul: No. God never sleeps. I know He's watching over us. I know what might help.

Silas: What?

Paul: Let's sing.

Silas: I don't sing very well.

Paul: That's okay. God doesn't care how it sounds. He just likes us to sing praises to Him.

Teacher: So, Paul and Silas began to sing songs. Maybe they sang, "God is So Good." Let's sing it together: "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me."

Silas: What's that?

Paul: I don't know. Sounds like thunder!

Silas: Yeah! And the ground is shaking!

Paul: And look at the prison walls!

Silas: They're shaking!

Paul: It's an earthquake!

Teacher: The stocks that were holding Paul and Silas' feet jiggled until they came undone. The prison doors flew open wide. The jailer thought all the prisoners had escaped. He drew his sword to kill himself.

Paul: Hold it! Don't kill yourself. We're all here.

Jailer: What must I do to be saved?

Paul: Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. And that goes for your whole family, too."

Teacher: And Paul and Silas told everyone about Jesus.
Posted by BETTY BENSON ROBERTSON

Flowers Galore!

If you will like me to compare Botanical Garden and Aruluen in Perth, there is definitely a vast difference with each of its own beauty. Gardens and parks like these are always my favorite and if I get to stay in Oz, Aruluen will be my favorite hangout. Just like how central park with its huge swan pond is a great hangout for me when I am in the Big Apple.

Admiring the vivid colors of the tulips, roses, caledonia with the accompanyment of my dad and enjoying the light fragrant scent of the flowers in the sunny blue sky ignited a fresh new breathe in me. What a great beginning to start our first day in Perth like this!

Two weddings

Within the past two months, two beautiful weddings took place for two of my good friends. Looking at how they brimmed with joy as they looked into the eyes of their love ones, it brought me back to 4.5 years back when I was celebrating my new chapter of life.

A new milestone, a new beginning ,a love called by heaven and earth to vow love till death do us apart...marriage is a sacred relationship to be nurtured, nourished and constantly ..never loose faith, trust, respect, patience and love.

To Ellie and Elvin, enjoy your new chapter.