-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.
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Birthday numbers
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Jan 3, 2017
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Late autumn->early winter
Dear blog readers/family/friends,
I just finished blogging about the end of summer and I realised that it is also the end of autumn now, a changing of seasons again. Not only weather-wise, but also in terms of work and life.
In the past three months, I had been going out with the COCM Gospel Team (福音布道队) to do outreach in 18 different places in France, the Netherlands, and the UK. Even though I had experienced going on "short term missions" with the GT last year, God taught me new things this year and cultivated in me a bigger heart for missions and evangelism. He taught me a lot about humility, faith, unity in the body of Christ, and let me experience Him in an intimate way through the challenges that we faced on mission (and the hardships brothers and sisters around me had experienced--a faithful missionary sister who faced cancer, a childhood sister whose dad passed away, a dear brother who is part of our team facing illness...). God also let me see how it is Him who works and brings everything together for His glory in ways we can never think of.
Our theme song this year that we sing with joined hands every time is “活出爱” (living out God's love) and our motto is "one team, one spirit, all for Jesus!"
So yup, the last gospel team event ended this past Friday and we had our thanksgiving/sharing gathering on Saturday.
This week, it's time to prepare for the upcoming Isaiah Bible camps (3 consecutive ones for Mandarin, restaurant workers, and Cantonese groups). Music worship practice for Year-end gospel camps had started too. It is time to gear up for the last two months of the year!
In life, lately, I have been informed that three of my closest friends will be getting married sometime next year (exciting! but I have to think of how to attend their weddings). Also, Nick has finally been granted progress in his year-long job search: two interviews in a row since last week and by God's grace he will probably start working soon back in Hong Kong. I grappled a lot with God about what He wants me to do with my life next in these few months and I have learned more to wait on Him and become the person with the character that He wants me to have first, and to learn to worship Him instead of seeking self-worth in what I would do.
I have been listening to Kyuhyun's music a lot--his new album is basically my soundtrack for this autumn/winter season. I just realised a few days ago that it is appropriate to start listening to Christmas songs (which I sort of forgot because you don't hear Christmas music playing everywhere in the UK as you would in the US). I miss the warmth that comes with everything Christmas-season related in the US. But hey, in this bleak and grey place, the message of Hope that Christ brings can shine brighter (we're learning about the #hopeeffect in church lately i.e. having the living hope gives us joy...). So even though we won't have chestnuts roasting on an open fire or carols sung by a choir, we will have lots of Chinese families and students coming to hear about the Good News and how their lives can be changed by knowing and loving their Creator.
ps: Please pray for our upcoming camps and ministry. :)
pss: I am impressed that I managed to summarise the second half of my year into one post. ;P
I just finished blogging about the end of summer and I realised that it is also the end of autumn now, a changing of seasons again. Not only weather-wise, but also in terms of work and life.
In the past three months, I had been going out with the COCM Gospel Team (福音布道队) to do outreach in 18 different places in France, the Netherlands, and the UK. Even though I had experienced going on "short term missions" with the GT last year, God taught me new things this year and cultivated in me a bigger heart for missions and evangelism. He taught me a lot about humility, faith, unity in the body of Christ, and let me experience Him in an intimate way through the challenges that we faced on mission (and the hardships brothers and sisters around me had experienced--a faithful missionary sister who faced cancer, a childhood sister whose dad passed away, a dear brother who is part of our team facing illness...). God also let me see how it is Him who works and brings everything together for His glory in ways we can never think of.
Our theme song this year that we sing with joined hands every time is “活出爱” (living out God's love) and our motto is "one team, one spirit, all for Jesus!"
So yup, the last gospel team event ended this past Friday and we had our thanksgiving/sharing gathering on Saturday.
This week, it's time to prepare for the upcoming Isaiah Bible camps (3 consecutive ones for Mandarin, restaurant workers, and Cantonese groups). Music worship practice for Year-end gospel camps had started too. It is time to gear up for the last two months of the year!
In life, lately, I have been informed that three of my closest friends will be getting married sometime next year (exciting! but I have to think of how to attend their weddings). Also, Nick has finally been granted progress in his year-long job search: two interviews in a row since last week and by God's grace he will probably start working soon back in Hong Kong. I grappled a lot with God about what He wants me to do with my life next in these few months and I have learned more to wait on Him and become the person with the character that He wants me to have first, and to learn to worship Him instead of seeking self-worth in what I would do.
I have been listening to Kyuhyun's music a lot--his new album is basically my soundtrack for this autumn/winter season. I just realised a few days ago that it is appropriate to start listening to Christmas songs (which I sort of forgot because you don't hear Christmas music playing everywhere in the UK as you would in the US). I miss the warmth that comes with everything Christmas-season related in the US. But hey, in this bleak and grey place, the message of Hope that Christ brings can shine brighter (we're learning about the #hopeeffect in church lately i.e. having the living hope gives us joy...). So even though we won't have chestnuts roasting on an open fire or carols sung by a choir, we will have lots of Chinese families and students coming to hear about the Good News and how their lives can be changed by knowing and loving their Creator.
ps: Please pray for our upcoming camps and ministry. :)
pss: I am impressed that I managed to summarise the second half of my year into one post. ;P
Friday, October 10, 2014
What I've been up to
It has been three months since I came to live as a student volunteer at COCM (Chinese Overseas Christian Mission) and two months since the first outreach trip of this autumn so I just want to write a bit here and share about life here and what God has been teaching me.
Firstly, being a student volunteer here means living in a community with other student (actually we are all pending graduates who have just handed in our master's dissertations) volunteers (there are eight of us in total) and some other missionaries who also live in this building. Our daily tasks as volunteers include mainly cleaning, cooking, and other miscellaneous tasks that they assign us to do, to help with the upkeep of the missions centre. We get to have morning devotions together, eat together, pray together weekly and learn from a spiritual formation class. Life gets really busy here especially when there are camps and conferences being held here because we have to serve these campers and do lots of pre- and post-event cleaning.
Secondly, I am involved in the student outreach ministry team aka the COCM Gospel Team (one of the various ministry aspects of COCM). This means we go out to different university campuses in the UK (+France and Ireland) to hold 'gospel events' for Chinese students. Basically, Gordon and Maggie (two main missionaries who lead the teams) and around 10 student volunteers (who may be different people for each of the places we go, depending on their availability and place of living in the UK currently) set out to these places to have a themed outreach event for Chinese students who are willing to come. We would have dinner, music, games, a drama, sermon, conversation times with the Chinese students we meet and through the theme of the program (which is 'Renewing your heart' 从心开始 this year) share the good news of God's grace with them. It is eye-opening and heart-changing to meet these students, many of whom had never heard of the Gospel prior to coming to the UK, and see some of them responding to God's love, some being moved to think about the meaning of life while others not caring much. I learned a lot from the other team members in their examples of being prayerful, serving humbly, reaching out to strangers happily, and sharing their testimonies honestly. So far, we have been to more than ten places and we are halfway through.
Firstly, being a student volunteer here means living in a community with other student (actually we are all pending graduates who have just handed in our master's dissertations) volunteers (there are eight of us in total) and some other missionaries who also live in this building. Our daily tasks as volunteers include mainly cleaning, cooking, and other miscellaneous tasks that they assign us to do, to help with the upkeep of the missions centre. We get to have morning devotions together, eat together, pray together weekly and learn from a spiritual formation class. Life gets really busy here especially when there are camps and conferences being held here because we have to serve these campers and do lots of pre- and post-event cleaning.
Secondly, I am involved in the student outreach ministry team aka the COCM Gospel Team (one of the various ministry aspects of COCM). This means we go out to different university campuses in the UK (+France and Ireland) to hold 'gospel events' for Chinese students. Basically, Gordon and Maggie (two main missionaries who lead the teams) and around 10 student volunteers (who may be different people for each of the places we go, depending on their availability and place of living in the UK currently) set out to these places to have a themed outreach event for Chinese students who are willing to come. We would have dinner, music, games, a drama, sermon, conversation times with the Chinese students we meet and through the theme of the program (which is 'Renewing your heart' 从心开始 this year) share the good news of God's grace with them. It is eye-opening and heart-changing to meet these students, many of whom had never heard of the Gospel prior to coming to the UK, and see some of them responding to God's love, some being moved to think about the meaning of life while others not caring much. I learned a lot from the other team members in their examples of being prayerful, serving humbly, reaching out to strangers happily, and sharing their testimonies honestly. So far, we have been to more than ten places and we are halfway through.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Sovereign LORD
"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." Habakkuk 3:18-19
In this new year/term, we are studying the book of Hebrews in our student fellowship. We did Hebrews 1 last week and it is humbling and assuring to know how powerful our Saviour is. The Sovereign and glorious Creator has provided purification for our sins and He is sitting at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Let us keep looking to the Sovereign LORD for everything we need in our everyday life.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Faith lessons
I realised I haven't written anything really in a while except for posting photos because the summer has been so busy (or at least that was the impression that I had created for myself). But here I am, MA dissertation submitted (as of less than 24 hours ago. heh), bags packed (almost ready to leave York in less than a week's time), summer travel photos downloaded to the laptop (will get to blogging more of them), and ready (by God's grace) to tackle the new adventures and challenges of moving to Bristol & doing another year of study in Musicology.
Actually, I lied. I do not feel ready most of the time, and the unknown scares me but this is when faith lessons come in more vividly than ever. Half of the time I ask myself "do you know where you're going and why are you doing this?" but God has been using different people to remind me that I need to trust God and focus on Him. I don't know the details of who I will meet and what kinds of things I will encounter in the very near future even though I can plan some things for myself, so it takes the exercise of faith and an anticipation of experiencing God's grace in new ways. And of course, looking back, God has been faithful so why should I be doubting my Loving Father?
Deuteronomy 31:8 " The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not afraid; do not be discouraged ."
Psalm 94:18-19 When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
These words from 2 Timothy 1 which we studied at our Bible study last night also really encouraged me:
"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel... But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
Actually, I lied. I do not feel ready most of the time, and the unknown scares me but this is when faith lessons come in more vividly than ever. Half of the time I ask myself "do you know where you're going and why are you doing this?" but God has been using different people to remind me that I need to trust God and focus on Him. I don't know the details of who I will meet and what kinds of things I will encounter in the very near future even though I can plan some things for myself, so it takes the exercise of faith and an anticipation of experiencing God's grace in new ways. And of course, looking back, God has been faithful so why should I be doubting my Loving Father?
Deuteronomy 31:8 " The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not afraid; do not be discouraged ."
Psalm 94:18-19 When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
These words from 2 Timothy 1 which we studied at our Bible study last night also really encouraged me:
"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel... But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
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