peace . love . joy

sunday.

finally attended training after a ridiculously long hiatus for numerous reasons i cant even recall.

it was quite fun~! i made a super lame attempt to play hide and seek with the sun, predicting when it will go hide behind the clouds and when it will show its solar flaring face again. went for a 400m run with the girls, though it was a really short run, it was fun jus egging justina on to run even faster =D warm ups were all right, and the game was even better - leaders against students. hitomi kept taking out leaders one by one so the advantage would lie with the kids, but it didnt seem to work much to their advantage at all =x even when we were left with 3 active players and 1 captain against the about 6\7 kids and their 1 captain, the leaders still seemed more skilled than the kids..mebe they were tired and the sun was really getting to them~!

speaking of which, i've a really funny tan line. i've no idea whether to smile or to frown..? my arms are darker, though my upper arms are fairer than my lower arms. my face is darker. i've a neck-collar tanline. the bottom half of my thighs are red. the front of my shin bones are still fair, but the back of my shins are red. my feet have that oh-so-cool slipper strap tanline. HAH. i think i need to even the tan out..anyone wanna come with? =D

and why is it that evryone seems to think i'm athletic???
i'm SO not la~! haiyoh~! megan is the play piano, loves ball gowns, loves ballroom dancing loves sitting in a green field flying a kite type of person..SO not sporty...wonder what is it that makes them think so..hmmm...?

care to enlighten me on this one?

tuesday.

next week, this day, is gonna be my last quiz for my special sem~!! so excited~!! and in 2 weeks time, my exam will be on the 13th, and then i'll be FREE officially til August when school starts again =D wee~!!!

ofcourse i'll still be part-timing for Caroline. i LOVE her house. and her dog.

it's been 6 days since i started my prayer calendar thing. i'm currently doing a book called "A Young Woman's Call to Prayer" and i'm loving it =] Thanks uncle BK & auntie Rosie for that baptism gift~!

my passion and mission to learn to pray like Jesus is still going strong and well =]
thanks to all who have kept and are still keeping me in your prayers~!
i thank God for you guys and your prayers and for the Holy Spirit that He has given us.

i am content and at peace..again..
all my cares and worries are at God's feet. my heart is beating as one with His. my soul is cradled in His strong arms. and on my face, a quiet smile of contentment =]

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 4:6-7

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charges against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who dies - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

~ Romans 8:26-34

Gott segnen Sie!

Tschüs!

Of course, we must be careful when we read the words, “lead us not into temptation.” We don’t assume that God ever tempts us to sin. That is against his nature, and against His Word, as we read in James 1:13:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is dragged away and enticed.”

Nonetheless, we know that God does allow us to be tempted so that our faith might be strengthened and we might depend even more upon Him. Thus, Job was allowed to face trials, and Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to face the temptation of Satan. These
tests were not from God, but God allowed them for His purposes.

If temptation is unavoidable – and such trials can be used by God for our benefit - why should we ask God to keep us from them?

A helpful explanation is found in the Greek use of “into.” Note that Jesus doesn’t say, “lead us not to temptation,” but “lead us not into temptation.” A.C. Deane writes:

In Greek the movement "into" denotes a change for the person approaching not merely of outward position, but of inward condition. To "enter into" the Kingdom of God is much more
than to stand within the Kingdom; it is to yield to its claims, to be dominated by it, to take its law as the law of one's being.

We all face temptation. But entering into temptation, that is, yielding to it and allowing it to master us, can be avoided. And that’s what we ask God to keep us from doing.

As Jesus asked for his disciples,

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” - John 17:15

Junior Soldier Enrollment Sunday program materials and sermon by Major Christine Rock, Territorial Youth Spiritual Formation Director (http://www.sacrossconnections.com/crossLinks/JS%20enrollment%20Camp/2006%20Enrollment%20Sunday%20message.pdf)

Psalm 32

(1) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
(2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
(3) When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

yesterday, i started and finished reading the book i bought on saturday.


i attended the talk entitled "Jesus vs. Aliens: a Pilgrim's Guide to the Galaxy" by Rev Dr David Wilkinson. it really should have been titled "Jesus & Aliens: a Pilgrim's Guide to the Galaxy", haha =] it was quite interesting and fun, and the food was amazing! 3 tiny pieces of assorted bake-products (aka bread, role and brownie), a packet of drink and i'm full =D *beams*

they had a make-shift book shop outside the sanctuary where the talk was held. and as we passed the tables with the books displayed on them, this particular one caught my eye. wouldnt it be simply wonderful to be able to pray like Jesus?

upon purchasing the book, i didnt actually get down to reading it until yesterday (monday). but when i did, and finished it on the same day, i was really all fired up~!!

and now, i want to share a personal goal with all of you :

i, megan, am going to make it my mission to learn to pray like Jesus.

with God as my eternal witness, and you as my earthly witnesses, i am going to pursue this goal as best i can. and should i lose steam on the way, i charge you with a duty; that you may encourage me and give me the push i will need ever so often.

in Jesus' name,

Amen

Daena's back~!!

Who's that i see coming in through the door;

Walking on her two feet, standing straight and tall,

Her cute curly hair framing a sweet sweet face?

Lemme beat around the bush s'more then i'll cut to the chase!

Clad in a tee shirt and casual shorts,

This lovely lady's been in all our thoughts.

We've prayed for her and gave her teddy bears,

We've sent her flowers just to show we care.

She's no longer in hospital, woo, that's cool =]

I heard she's had nice nurses and doctors too!

But she's out, i'm glad, i really am

'Cos then we can see her blushing face at pcm!

Who is this girl? Who is this Sweetie?

Who makes megan write these rhymes, don't say they're silly!

Don't you know already? or are you still saying "huh?"

This blushing beauty is our pretty, Daena =D

A new California law, Assembly Bill 488 (Nicole Parra), sponsored by the Attorney General now provides the public with Internet access to detailed information on registered sex offenders.

well, i finally caught Spiderman 3 on the 9th of May (which was wednesday). it was Galen's 16th birthday and we celebrated it with Crystal Jade dinner and Spiderman 3. needless to say, i think he was happy enough =]

so anyway, i thought Spiderman 3 was not bad. the effects were good (but what the heck, i'm an amature at special effects, a green horn), and i must say, the acting's getting better, esp James Franco aka Harry Osbourne =D. less stiff, lookin' good and he made me cry, which is good. oh, and i decided i like venom, as in the black goo from outer space not the idiot photographer who faked a photo to get the staff job. and i also like the sandman. he made me cry too. he is one sad misunderstood unlucky "villian" *sob*.

astronomy's a little bit of a let down. they're telling me stuff i already know frm my dad, going on a tour to Housten Space Station and NASA, the Science Centre and stuff i read here and there. i dont know, mebe i'd like something more difficult and complicating. but then i'll be digging my own grave, so what the heck, be thankful i even got into this course. heard it was packed and spilling over last semester. well, i like the pictures in the slides =D. so that'll be a thousand plus-es for the course, because there's got to be like a thousand or so pix and animations. i LOVE pix and animations. they're so beautiful and fun~! they all tell a story, and i like that. because stories are open to interpretation =]

i've found a new hobby! browsing through online blogshops. i like looking through other peoples' stuff and the "sprees" so to speak, and go "ew! what taste this person has?!" (say it drippin with sarcasm), HAHAHAHAHA. okay, i'm being mean, but it's funny, seriously. go look and u'll understand. some of these stuff are just plain hideous! then i take a look at myself and go, "wait a minute, i'm no fashion guru myself! who am i to say?" but, i did have good laughs HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA..

tmr's gonna be interesting! gonna help shaun out. he's participating in the Canon DV Triathlon. this is really going to be interesting because i know noone there (in our team) except for shaun. the only other person i spoke to on the handy was ian, whom i've never met before in my entire life. oh, did i mention? i'm in the supporting cast. suddenly i feel like i'm a bad and lousy actress, which no doubt i am, but i like to feel good and confident about myself, haha. well, i hope i dont mess this up for them *fingers crossed*

daena, i wrote you a short poem, which i placed on your tagboard in case u didnt see it here :

3 fun guys (Andy 哥哥, Ronnie & Shen) frm a childrens' church in KL came down to hold a sharing\workshop ytd and conduct the children's service today (@Aldersgate). yes, you read me right, a CHILDRENS' CHURCH. CHURCH! awesome aint it?? wonderful idea, i must admit =]

anyhow, we had a lil peek into the behind-the-scenes makings of the "service" at the childrens' church. had worship with loads of energy & actions (my personal fav =]), games, the sermon (which is children-friendly), earning of points, the 3-monthly-gift shop and such..

pretty fun =]

see, the thg about children stuff is that u cant be all paiseh and embarrassed and thin-skinned...must 敢敢去干 =D
so it's pretty fun : all the adults and youth looking like big babies, but we're all in this together so it looks pretty awesome and feels pretty awesome. makes u think of what David did in the town square that made Michal feel so embarrassed for him, but he danced anyway because he danced for God, not for any judging human eyes =]

a few of us frm FaithMC helped (pastor) Andy 哥哥 act out scenes for the serious part (the part where the kids understand that it is THE most important part - the part they must listen to and take to heart), the sermon.

God's love is immeasurable

"guessing" love
Zara and i act as 2 bimbos. i'm looking for romantic love, and refer to the horoscope for guidance. zara just found a bf, but wonders whether or not he loves her. she whips out a packet of m'nms and proceeds to eat one saying "he loves me", followed by another "he loves me not"...

"conditional" love
A.Mag and Yap tell Sam that as long as he scores As for school, no matter how he did it, they would love him more...

"fake" love
Ronnie has a video ipod. Shen, seeing that he has one, proclaims Ronnie as his best friend...

God's love is none of those. God's love is immeasurable - it cannot be counted\measured.

God's love is :
Unconditional
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
~ Romans 5:8
Immeasurable
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
~ 1 John 3:1
Boundless, such that He gave Jesus to die for us
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
~ John 3:16

we dont have to guess whether or not God loves us. we dont have to, or rather, there is nothing we can do to make Him love us more. God's love is real. God is love.

a class of 40 kids were on the bus, on the way back from an excursion. the bus was coming down the hill and picking up speed. the bus driver tried the brakes and realised they werent working.

on the right of the lane were lots of shopping centres and people. on the left was a steep drop down. there was no other way than for him to remain on the lane, still picking up speed. then he thought, at the bottom of the hill was a field. the field was long enough for the bus to come to a stop. so that was his plan. he'd go all the way down the lane and let the bus come to a stop in the field.

as the bus was approaching the field, the driver noticed a little boy sitting right in front of the gate leading to the field. the little boy waved at him and he waved back. there were 40 kids on the bus. and 1 kid in front of the bus.

all he could do was to drive through the gate.

after the bus came to a complete stop in the field, the police, parents of the 40 kids and the ambulance came. a lady came up to a police officer and asked for the driver.

"i'd like to thank him", she said.

being told he was at the hospital being treated for shock, she said she understood the ordeal he must have gone through.

the policeman looked at her," no, madam, you dont understand. that little boy he had to hit to save the 40 on the bus was his little boy."

you and i are one of those 40 on the bus. God is that bus driver. and Jesus Christ is that little boy.

God loves us so much that he sacrificed His only Son to save us.

i'd like to say "thank you" to those who prayed for me. God did hit me today. hit me so hard that i was struggling to choke my tears back.

He met me at Aldersgate during prayer. He spoke to me. He gave me a vision. how metophorical it is that we had Holy Communion today. How fast God works!
God is wonderful. God is forgiving. God really, really loves us.

Thanks be to God.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

~"How deep the Father's love for us", Stuart Townend

i'm getting rather hot tempered, touchy (as in easily irritated and agitated) and moody these days.

and after a bit of thinking while waiting for cindy's dad to pick us up because the bunch of us - sijia, tim Lam, yong, gabriel, puiki - missed the last shuttle bus out of NUH after visiting Daena there, i know why i'm so...temperamental...

spiritual walk.

i've become what i hate the most : a hypocrite.
i say i'm a christian, i go to church, i teach (heck, i teach!) sec 3s the bible. but i'm not living my life the way Jesus wants me to.

the focus has been shifted from Jesus and the cross onto myself.
i've jumped into the pit of selfishness.
cant see noone but me.

i know that's wrong. i know that's sinning. i know God is angry at me.

i know what it's like to be in the palm of God's hand. i know what it's like to have joy and peace in Him and through Him. i can safely say i've tasted the goodness of God before. and i know i like it. no, i love it. it's like quiet ecstasy for me. it's like a cool breeze in summer. it's like sitting by the ocean and gazing at the horizon where the sky meets the sea.

i want to go back there, leaving every unGodly thing i'm entertaining, leaving the life i'm living now. to that quiet place where nothing else matters. noone and nothing. just me and God taking a stroll along the glen.

self pleasure and gratification coming in the everlasting form of being in God's good book. not from the materials of the world.

pray for me, please!
pray that God will slap me so hard my teeth get all knocked out.
pray for God to forgive me and take me back.
pray that i will respond positively to that whuppin' and come crying back to Jehovah-Mekaddishkem (the Lord, our sanctifyer).
pray that i will remember that slap.

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.