Links lately (May 2018 edition)

-This song "Oh My Soul" by Casting Crowns which Tristan shared in cell group last Friday.
"There's a place where fear has to face the God you know" <-this line hit me with a punch. It's so powerful to recognise that fear has no hold on us because Christ has won the battle and we are His redeemed.
-Bought tickets to Hong Kong last night for the BIG MOVE. It's scary (to be honest, more scary and sad than happy before) and exciting at the same time but I'm trying to instil a positive and looking-forward attitude to this big change. Yes, I can call it leaving home but that I've done when I went to uni years ago. Instead, I will call it moving to Hong Kong to start a new life, a new adventure. It's something to look forward to, not something to fear because fear is irrational and with God, there is always hope and peace. He has been guiding me and will continue to guide me as I enter a new season of my life and there's much excitement to it!
Of course I will be sad to leave my parents but like Vins said, my mom had to leave her parents' home when she got married to my dad too, and they've lived overseas faraway for a while too. It's okay and I will treasure the precious time with them more when I visit them in the future.
-I'm excited for GL & Ben's wedding reception this Sunday.
-This was inspiring for instilling gratitude
-This Kuching blogger. I discovered her while looking for dinner recommendations for my mom's birthday last year and only slowly warmed up to her content, and lately I've been inspired by her creativity.

Writing #2

Holy Spirit, live in me
You guide me and remind me of all Your Ways
Your Word is life to my weary soul

Holy Spirit, forgive me
I have forgotten Your power
Wanderer, I had been one

Dear Holy Spirit, thank you
You are the life-giver, You make me rejoice
In Your love

Revived, comforted, saved and safe
A sojourner who found solace
In the Mighty and Trustworthy One

Thank you, God. Three-in-One, Mystery, Beauty, and Love.

-> I was reminded by Lindsay and Mic, two very good sisters-in-Christ who have been constant encouragers and gentle presences in my life. When I felt misunderstood, they would speak gentle words of wisdom and truth into my stubborn soul and encourage me to slowly, just would you turn to God? And my hardened heart would slowly let the crack of light in. After a long period of negativity surrounding my transition to a new place, I have finally experienced the Holy Spirit's work in me in a real and immediate way! Seeing how He can change my heart and previously built-up perceptions about certain people and situation (related to HK) is so freeing and amazing! I suddenly reclaimed my identity as a child of God who is free to live a life that roots itself in the joy and peace God gives! No longer sulky and doubtful about what the future brings but full of expectancy in God's faithfulness and power to work through my life--if only I would have let Him!
Thank you Jesus! You are wonderful and beautiful and everything I need.

A life well lived

News of deaths always jolt us awake from our everyday routine. Why do we always wait till a thunder sound to jolt us awake when we should be living alert, being watchful for the day Christ returns? Billy Graham, a name that no doubt will evoke a picture of "a good and faithful servant" of God. A role model for us living Christians, to press on towards the goal, keeping our eyes on Christ.
A young adult cell group brother whom I've only met once briefly. He was a doctor, only two years older than I am. I do not know much about him except that he was friendly and made a good impression even though I've only seen him once at a cell group event, and his facebook post about God. We do not understand why God called him home so early, and in such a tragic car accident too, but he did live a good life--for God and loving people.
May we live each day with a worshipful attitude, letting God be the centre of my life, so that our days will be counted worthwhile.

Birthday numbers

I'm just popping in to write about the days surrounding turning twenty-seven. My littlest baby cousin was born a day before my birthday. I took photos of seventeen-day-old baby Hannah with her parents aka my childhood friend since I was nine. I read at least twenty-six books in my twenty-sixth year. I have been living in Kuching for a full year. I learned more about how to communicate with more than thirty-five different students at work. I still feel inadequate and sorrowful often but with a little bit more resilience built in through brokenness, God's grace, and the encouragement of those who love me constantly and steadfastly. I am still working towards my goal of reading a-hundred-fifty books. I just started another three-hundred-sixty-five photo project to record each day of my twenty-seven. I am finite, but God is infinite. Lord, I will trust in You.

I can only imagine

 I have known this song since I was in the teens but I never grasped the meaning of the song until today in our afternoon prayer meeting at COCM. We read the passage from Revelations 21 and then sang it. I was struck by the picture of one day meeting my Saviour and a deep longing for the day when I finally see God. We often live our day to day life just by the day to day. We focus on the struggles of today, the frustrations of the challenges we face now, or the pleasures we want to pursue to make us happy at this moment, and the successes we would like to have in the next few years. But we rarely remember to look forward to what we are to look forward to the most--an eternity with the Glorious and Almighty God who loves us so much that His plan for those He loves is to give up His Only Son Jesus Christ to give us hope for today and for eternity. It is good to imagine that day. That day when we will meet our Saviour. What a glorious day that will be.
Revelations 21: 1-6

'Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.'

Our Glorious God

It is always good to take time to focus on our glorious Saviour, our Sovereign God who loves so extravagantly and to be reminded that we trust in a God who is Risen.

I was really blessed by these songs this weekend, so I just want to share them with you.

 Have a blessed week ahead!