How Do I Worship God In A Tragedy?

Tell God how you feel

[Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the heard of every street.] Lamentations 2:19

["Therefore, I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul."] Job 7:11

[I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted."] Psalm 116:10

[From my mouth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.] Psalm 88:15

["Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has mady my life very bitter.] Ruth 1:20

[O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.] Jeremiah 20:7

Praise God in spite of the circumstances

• A good and loving God [and said: "Naked I come from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.] Job 1:21-22 [You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.] Job 10:12
• All-powerful ["God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?] Job 36:22 [God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.] Job 36:5 [The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.] Job 36:23
• Notices every detail of my life [But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.] Job 23:10 [Does he not see my ways and count my every step?] Job 31:4
• In control [Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world?] Job 34:13
• Has a plan for my life [He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store.] Job 23:14
• Will protect me [The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.] Job5:11 [Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.] Job 13:15 [ And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?] Hebrews 3:17-18

Ask God for strength and help

["To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.] Job 12:13

[I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.] Psalm 3:5

[Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.] Psalm 105:4

Keep focused on God and his promises

["I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."] John 16:33

[Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.] 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

.....

That spells it out loud and clear. My standard one girl brought plasticine to the class. She is so lazy that I have to make that and stick it on her table. In the end, she pasted everything on the whiteboard... I reminder to herself and maybe to me also. I'm hardworking yet I'm lazy... what an irony.

Business is rolling in from everywhere... I have too much to do until I'm very tired. Too tired until I feel really really lazy. *Sigh* I better buck up and change to turbo speed.

Ellex, come back and we spend some time yakking face to face instead of typing on the keyboard...

A Trip To The Pig Sty

Wah!! Aku disambut dengan mesra sekali oleh penduduk-penduduk kandang ini....
I used to go to the pig sty when I was small. The pig sty is owned by my maternal grandmother. It is a lucrative business as a full grown pig can cost up to RM8 000. That is a female pig lying down, doing nothing at all. It has a smirk on its face...wonder what was it thinking about. No wonder pigs are fat. They are caged in narrow cages where they do not have room to exercise. No room to stretch or walk about. Just able to stand up and then lie down again... in the same position.

That cute piglet is so special... the only brown piglet among all pink piglets.. like the ugly duckling. Pigs have very little hair thus, they look so smooth and silky. Very soft to touch, too.

I will NEVER eat pork anymore. They are so dirty. They have a fun time sliding and rolling on their food and swimming in their shit.. even though they bathe twice a day with clean water but they are still yucky....

To sum it all up, it was quite an interesting trip as it was different from the normal visit to the zoo or shopping till the pocket goes empty. It is a real 'kampung' experience. I just wanted to go there to snap photos of pigs...

ELLEX, you smell REEEAAALLYYY nice. *Oink! Oink!*

Me standing on the maize hill. It's the first time I saw so much jagung setinggi bukit. Sorry for stepping on your food ayam-ayam sekalian..

God's Promises 2

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God's Promises

The sunset. It was very beautiful. It was like I sank together with the sun. Many people asked me to hang to what I have built yet at times it was just so difficult. I was afraid of being a failure, afraid of destroying what I have built, afraid of what people would think of me. I prayed. God is not in my pocket but He's always by my side. He is a God who answers prayers. This was what He showed me after I prayed and surrendered everything to Him.

A rainbow.

"... I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the Earth." (Genesis 9:13)

... God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:21)

THE BEATITUDE

" Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteouness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted you the prophets who were before you."

[Matthew 5: 3-12]

AMEN