New year, 2017

As usual, the new year started off with video call with N and fireworks watching.
On 1.1.2017, we went to a church we hadn't visited before for Sunday service and got to talk to some new brothers and sisters in Christ there. Ate really yummy "dian bian hu" (Foochow delicacy) and welcomed grandpa, aunt & uncle from SA.

Grandpa followed cousin D to the swimming pool and I had to document this historical moment (i've never seen grandpa swim before. Ha!)

I pray that I can begin the new year with faith, hope, and love & to apply these advice from Thomas A Kempis: 

"As long as thou livest, thou art subject to change, even against thy will; so that thou art at one time merry, then sad; at one time quiet, then troubled; now devout, then worldly; now diligent, then listless; now grave, and presently light-hearted.

But he that is wise and well instructed in the spirit standeth firm upon these changeable things; not heeding what he feeleth in himself, or which way the wind of instability bloweth; but that the whole intentnion of his mind may tend to the right and best end.

For thus he will be able to continue one and the self-same, and unshaken, in the midst of so many various events directing continually the single eye of his intention unto me."

Learning how to pray

Lately, I am learning how to pray.
To pray specific prayers,
to pray the words of Scripture because often we do not know what to ask for,
to pray for God's will to be done,
to pray wisely by firstly knowing God's Word more,
and to pray persistently (if we don't even remember to ask God every day, we probably don't have the urgency and heart for the prayer request we are making e.g. praying for the salvation of a family member/friend).

I admit to failing to set apart time to properly pray. It is something that I want to do more and more because I know how important it is to pray and communicate with my Almighty God. If I believe in the power of prayer and indeed God wants us to pray to Him, why don't I pray more often? I am seeking God's grace to help me learn how to pray more.

 I need Thee every hour

Dreaming away

Thanks to yet another day of heavy rain and wind that will do no good to my poor umbrella, I get to stay at home and relax on this Saturday (while attempting to do homework of course). Other than that, it means photo editing, kdrama (currently watching this one), reading, organising my room, drinking milk tea, reading blogs, and listening to sermons (check out MBI's youtube channel for some Founder's Week sermons). I haven't had time to follow too many of the talks that went on this past week at Founder's Week, but I was reminded that God's call for us to BE HOLY means being OBEDIENT to His words, because He is the Holy One and He does tell us how we as His children should live our lives in conformation to His likeness. 1 Peter 1:14-16
¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’

Hope everyone is doing well~

*picture taken in Montpellier, France last Sep

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.

1314 (一生一世）

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
我 一 生 一 世 必 有 恩 惠 慈 爱 随 着 我 ； 我 且 要 住 在 耶 和 华 的 殿 中 ， 直 到 永 远 。" -Psalm 23:6

At the start of another new year, we ask for God's strength to keep us near to Him and to give us the faith and discipline to seek Him always. We need Him and He is the loving Father who delights in loving us.
Have a blessed 2014, everyone!

Depend on Jesus

No matter how life is right now for you, remember to depend on God. We cannot do much and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the many things that come at us in life; but through all this we can say "It is well with my soul" because our God does not change and He has infinite wisdom and goodness.

*this is a hymn that I have grown to love during my WCC (Women's Concert Choir at Moody) days. 

Wisdom 2

"My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you."

Proverbs 2

Lately, I've often asked God to show me His will and what is the right path I should take, but actually I haven't really sought for His wisdom seriously and earnestly--look at all these verbs from verses 1-4! What is beautiful about this is God's promise to give us wisdom and understanding, and that He will guide us so we can walk on the good path and understand what is right and just and fair.

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."

Psalm 32

¹ Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

-Recently, someone shared verse 8 with me because she knows I am thinking about future directions after I am done with my studies here in YSJ (time flies..eh?) but I really like the whole psalm too. It is so comforting to know that even though we are unfaithful and weak often, God forgives, in fact, He already forgave our sins when we chose to trust Him as our Saviour and He clothed us in righteousness. He is a God who can be found, who reveals Himself to us so we can know His love and He is a personal God who lovingly counsels and instructs us in His way. Therefore, we can rejoice and be glad! What a beautiful truth to take hold of and remember.

Identity

 

Listen to this. I was so blessed to hear this sermon. You can go to the website to listen to it for a bigger screen and read the transcript.

Mid-February lethargy?

I'm not sure about you, but my new year energy has worn off a while ago and I am slowly becoming lazy and unmotivated. This is what I found helpful lately.
Getting lazy in your daily devotion?
Try listening to the Bible instead. Don't ever let any excuses take away from your time to read/listen to God's Word every day.
If listening doesn't work, try copying a Bible passage and actually writing it out on paper. Then draw lines, circle keywords, draw illustrations around it, just anything to engage yourself with the precious Word of God. We need the Word of Life. Pray to God to give you understanding and a love for His Word.

A dose (or two) of inspiration today

-old and new project
-words and designs by Josh Byers
-this song by two Moody alumni
-another song by my Moody friend, Krista
-this article about beauty; A quote from it:
"Excellence, it turns out, is not elitist. Excellence is the most inclusive thing. It is beauty and beauty reaches everyone. It’s a bit like books that way. At least picture books. The best ones are completely designed to seem as if they aren’t."
-"crux sola" cross illustration project for each day of the Lent season.

Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."