Enthusiasm in the Lord

God can take care of you even if you have no money in your wallet.

1) How many of you feel excited about your life?

Not really...

2) How many of you are excited about your life?

Hmm...

Enthusiasm and excitement is a matter of choice that you make.


Are you excited about God?

It is a choice to be excited about God.

Its easy to be excited about something, but its never easy to stay excited.

Its very easy to buy a car, but to maintain a car its difficult.

Sometimes in our lives, we put emotional brakes up; thats why the enthusiasm cannot come out.

Emotional brakes stop you from being excited:

1) Childhood suppression - Children are rivers of joy, excited and bubbly. But as parents, they might always suppress the children; to be quiet. After a while, children think that being quiet is a normal thing to do, they lose their creativity or the ability to be themselves.

2) Adult Peer Pressure - Remain poised and sophisticated till we become cold. People who are not confident in themselves, people who have no confidence, insecure will never let your true





God can take care of you even if you have no money in your wallet.

1) How many of you feel excited about your life?

Not really...

2) How many of you are excited about your life?

Hmm...

Enthusiasm and excitement is a matter of choice that you make.


Are you excited about God?

It is a choice to be excited about God.

Its easy to be excited about something, but its never easy to stay excited.

Its very easy to buy a car, but to maintain a car its difficult.

Sometimes in our lives, we put emotional brakes up; thats why the enthusiasm cannot come out.

Emotional brakes stop you from being excited:

1) Childhood suppression - Children are rivers of joy, excited and bubbly. But as parents, they might always suppress the children; to be quiet. After a while, children think that being quiet is a normal thing to do, they lose their creativity or the ability to be themselves.

2) Adult Peer Pressure - Remain poised and sophisticated till we become cold. People who are not confident in themselves, people who have no confidence, insecure will never let your true self come out. We need to let that person that God wants you to be not to be locked inside.

Let's take the word of God and make it practical.

We need to make a conscious effort to remove the emotional brakes.

Whatever is good, keep on working at it.

Tune in next week to know the 11 ways to build the enthusiasm back into our life.

Amen.

-Pastor Frankie-






















.;- self come out. We need to let that person that God wants you to be not to be locked inside.

Let's take the word of God and make it practical.

We need to make a conscious effort to remove the emotional brakes.

Whatever is good, keep on working at it.

Tune in next week to know the 11 ways to build the enthusiasm back into our life.

Amen.

-Pastor Frankie-

Vision of the Angel with the Golden Wings

Eric shared with me on the vision, that previously i was not serious in my prayers, i do not sincerely believe that God will provide for me, will protect me.

God will protect me, He is showing me that He will care and protect for me.

And finally I will step out in faith and go out and face the world.

He said, that in the Bible, God said that He will cover me in the shadows of His wings.

Amen

The Christian Battlefield

For the first time in my life, I felt that I could hear the war cries around me. First time I noticed the war zones in my life. And I realised that I have not been preparing for the war, I have not believed in the spiritual warfare that I hear Christians talk about.

I felt lost, depressed, and filled with strife. I really didn't feel like sharing today and i asked God what He wants to do for the cell, what He wants to share in the cell?

I hear a prompting in me to talk about the Armor of God, to put it on and prepare for battle. The belt of truth, the helmet of Salvation, the sandals of peace, the sword, the shield of faith.

I really placed my faith in God to lead the sharing, to share the experiences that I had these few days with our cell.. And God just led me to the article on the internet about the armor of God. Lord, I pray that I will remember these two weeks, and be at a constant spiritual readiness for the war that is already ongoing.

I was truly blessed when Cass shared with me a vision she saw. She saw me kneeling down on a cushion, and praying and there is a majestic angel with gold wings encompassing me in an embrace. Shielding me, its gold wings reflecting the light into the darkness that was surrounding me. I peep occasionally but i wanted to escape and could not face up to reality. And slowly the darkness around me became fire, and i could feel the heat, but i still did not want to face up to it, and I slowly opened up and walked to face what I have to face.

This is truly like how i felt, that I want to remain in my comfort zone, my protection, and although i see the needs of the world, i just want to turn a blind eye and continue leading my normal life.

I need to be a light to shine into the world.

Amen.

All about Jewel Tan

I realised how a "3 minutes Fever" person I am after looking at all the blogs that I have started.. Hmm.. now i think i need to re-org a little! Okie lets see...

Jewelserene.blogspot.com - is my deep thoughts, reflections, my walk with God.
onecloudyday.wordpress.com - is my pastry dreams, and my personal collection of everything under the sun
alady'slife.wordpress.com - is about my thoughts on being a lady, about the lovely marriage experiences but somehow, beautiful things also go on onecloudyday.wordpress.com.

Hmm.. anyhow, so from now.. these is all of course then there is

aworldwithin.wordpress.com
whiteaffections.blogspot.com

Oh man.. Now i really beat myself to the game..

That is it.

Jewel

Worship Conference

You should be called where Worship leading is concerned, you are not leading people in songs only, demonstrating the lifestyle of worship, its a major responsibility. You need to serve a number of years.

He always says: Watch your leaders and mirror them, if you are not practicing as a leader then how can you encourage under you to develop. Practice yourself. Do not become a great musician to be a great musician.

You need to maximise the time when the worship team are together, you never have the chance to let them hang around. When we are on stage worshipping, this is not hard work, our focus is not on the music, is what is happening with the people and in Heaven.

Have a plan, do not just have the desire. The temple musicians, the amount of training that they have just to lead worship.

Be the best that you can be.

Exodus 3 Be skilled, develop your giftings. What are the steps we take to develop ourselves?

The whole musical and spiritual aspect. Never become stagnant. Keep the team focused. Musical expertise, when we say singer or musician needs to be skilled. All needs to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Listening is crucial. We need to listen to each other and the spirit of God, not be busy singing. We must train ourselves to be skilled enough to follow any type of service.

Sensitivity.

Meet the needs of the people, whats happening with the people?

We could missed the moment, if we are not listening to your spiritual ears, do not stick to the rehearsed. Music is a spiritual thing.

Music is a language.

Words is not enough in a language, music is a language. Every song has a different vocabulary. God is ready to move, are we?

Church music; there are awesome moments, how do you play along with Angels? Listen and duplicate, especially if you are talented.

Chronicles, we can worship for hours.

Are you ready for what you believe what God wants to do?

God starts with our natural ability, Prayer!

The prayer aspect, we are all not at the same place spiritually. Sensitize our ears, first 10 mins. How are you? - They do not say fine.

Focusing on the team members, everyone is special and everyone knows their place. When you say lets practice, its a different practice.

Music is healing. Rehearsals can be healing too. The team is a part of God is doing in the general church.

BIBLE STUDY. strengthen our faith, foundation. Empowerment. Important. Biblical foundation.

Leader finds out their lives of the people. We are all out looking out for one another. Spiritual immaturity. Sharpening the spiritual aspect of members.

How skillful should we be to lead the team?

Structure of leadership team. Delegate. It depends on what aspects on the skills. Develop those who has the talent and strengths. Watch the hearts of the people. Alert, preceptive and discerning and encourage.

Do not do everything yourself.

Its more than music.

Ask some questions about the past and you will know the problems.

You can only take someone as far as you have gone yourself?

How does one motivate and encourage the team to excellence?

The Bible; James 4. You do not have what you ask, because you are asking for the wrong motives.

Are you practicing? If you wish to be better singer?

Listen to God. What is saying to me?

In His Presence, lock yourself away in His Presence. Open you Bible, your guitar, and let GOd be your audience. Fill me with the wisdom and knowledge of Heaven, show me how I can serve my leader better.

Amen.

Its a great worship conference and felt really inspired by this. May God help me to make right my motives and for me to move in the direction that He wants me to.

Jewel

-on the road to discovery-

Your Confidence in God

Influence
God is telling us; we can be an influence and change people's life. But before that we ourselves must change. We must change our mindset when we get born again. We need to put on the mind of Christ.

God is teaching us to be positive influence. Change must come from the heart. When you speak people will hear the change.

Passion
When we have passion, we have excellence.

Compassion
Compassion will compel you. We need to have commitment. God will never fail you, even if you fail God, God will still be committed to you!

He picks you up from the miry depths, no matter how many times you fall.

When we walk with God, there is always someone looking after me.
God wants all of us to become leaders, to be the head and not the tail. Assume your leadership qualities.

Where there is influence, you will see Change. The world will be a better place, one star fish at a time..

Because of that one Man who stood up that we can stand here today, saved.

Team work and Working the team. - Team but no work; nothing gets done. But if you get work and no team, it will never work.

CONFIDENCE


Confidence in God, not confidence in what I can do and my skill or in man. When I put my confidence in God, things start to happen. At times, we go through a roller coaster ride with confidence. How can we get confidence?

Hebrews 10:35 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."


Why do we not share the salvation? We lack confidence.

(I felt that; when I wanted to pray for my aunty during her time of need)

God wants us to be confident in Him.

1. We can lose our Confidence
2. Our confidence carries a great reward - we need to build on that confidence.

Confidence in not boldness. Its inside of you.

Why do we need Confidence?

1) Confidence will produce stability in every area of your life and your situations.

Hotdog seller; an illiterate man. Business was good, and he ordered a truckload more of hotdogs and buns. However, his son; who is a college graduate told him that there is a recession coming along and people will stop eating out. So he reduced his orders and decided not to invest so much is his business.

As the days passed, the business needed more of the resources but he refused to order as his son continued sharing with him about what's in the news, of the bad news of recession.

Slowly, his business failed.

There are people who boost your confidence, and there are people who steals and robs you of your confidence. Discern who you mix with.

Confidence = contented with self

Philippians 4:11/13
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

2) Confidence stretches you.

A rubberband is useless if it does not stretch. A rubberband that is kept for a long time, ts difficult to stretch or it might break. When you have been stretched often, its easier. We can be used of the Lord.

People who are insecure do not want to be stretched. People with insecurity will not want to build people up, because they themselves are not sure themselves.

Paul in his writings uses "confidence" 6 times referring to Christ, 6 times "self" and 6 times in "other people". We need a balance, we need confidence in God, self and people. We are made to be conquerors.

How to become Confident?

1) Establish your worth in God; know that you are valuable in God's eye.
Know that God made you unique and there is no other like you.
Know that God believes in you.

2) Focus on God and not on your problems

Psalms 27: 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, [a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confide

We no longer fear because we have confidence.

Confidence comes not because of the lack of problems. Problems will exist all the way. There will always be problems. But when confidence comes when we see all this problems but yet we see God, we see the unlimited resource, the ability that God has given us, God's people.

3) Develop friendships with people that are confident.

Proverbs 14:26 "He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress (Confidence), and for his children it will be a refuge."


4) Make a victory list of what happened in the past.

Samson and David. Both have similarities, both anointed and both called to be leaders, both fighting common enemies.

Difference:

Samson wanted to please himself. David wanted to please God.
Samson depended on his own strength. David depended on the strength of the Lord.
Samson fought without God. David inquires of the Lord; "should i pursue"
Samson ended his leadership role and his life. David began his leadership role in his life.

It might make you proud too, if you write a victory list, so be careful.

David made a victory list: He killed a bear, a lion and now I can defeat Goliath.

God has done many things for us that we can be confident in Him.

Be confident that God has used you.

To increase your confidence:

VIP: Stop comparing with others!

Stop comparing your worth with others, we are all worth the same thing with God.

One day a Lady was walking, feeling insecure and rejected because she is poor. And while she was walking, God said "Look" and she saw a 50cents coin on the floor. The coin is dirty, looks like its been the sewers and been through many things in life, the coin may look dirty, the coin is still worth 50cents, it will not be degraded.

If you want to be special, specialize in something that you are good at until you are special.

When a person goes through a lot of failures, the confidence level falls.

When you have confidence in God, in other people, in self plus skill, it will give you momentum, its a powerful force.

There is a train in New York City when stationary, with just a small one inch block, the train cannot move. However, when its a full speed ahead, it can crash into a 5 foot steel concrete wall.

The devil wants to rob us of the confidence in God.

Let us regain the confidence in God.

23rd of March 2008; Easter Sunday.

-Pastor Frankie

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, your perfect love is casting out fear!


In all my days that I have been on this earth, never have I felt such unimportance in money and situations. Not that I felt without money I can accomplish lots of things, but on the contrary I felt that the lack of money, and the perception of money is the root of all problems and evil.

For the lack of money, my uncle succumbed to the threats of guilt. Now I understand the importance of church, the importance of spiritual parents, for when you need to talk to someone, God will lead that person to advise wisely.

My uncle said he prayed, prayed to his gods for an answer, and they told him that all will be fine. So he went bravely, and unafraid of what it is to come on the surface, but deep inside the fear surmounts. How does one face the consequences of a misdeed that he did not do? How does the fear of punishment leads one to accept a lightened punishment in the light of his innocence?

For I faced situations like these before, lesser in severity but similar in nature. And I could seek counsel, from Godly people who prayed for me for peace but yet gave me earthly and wise advise. Contradictory that the other religions’ wise people they call are lesser educated. But that is my assumption. Now I do see where God is leading us. Now I do see why there is an importance in all the teachings of Christianity, that we not only walk by faith but by the leadership of the world as well. For in the Bible it says, that we have to obey and follow the laws of the righteous.

I sat there in the other side of the world, in the other part of the world that I have never been before nor dreamt of threading within. I understood the fear, I felt the pain, and I wanted to give everything that I had to change the situation. It suddenly dawned on me that everything didn’t matter, what matters most is my uncle’s decision. I looked at him, head bowed in the court, hair shaved, in the orange overall labeled a criminal, labeled guilty as charged. Eyes are on him, people around whispering all sorts of possibilities and crimes that he might have committed. My aunt sat there, struggling with all her might to keep her tears from falling, struggling very hard to be silent, as if the whole court might awake from its slumber should a pin fall, as they await the honorable Judge. I looked at the judge, I prayed and hoped that God may show them visions of justice. True visions of justice.

I stepped into the room of her honor.. I looked around, and saw photos of her and her little girl, she looked just like any one of us, a possibility that one day some one close to her might face the exact same charges, the exact same innocence to be proven. I wished so much to have a private talk with her. To tell her how much I know that my uncle is innocent. But who am I? What am I to do, that I can do that?

A burning sensation came over me to be someone great. Someone with influence and authority, that I may help these people, helpless and innocent. I prayed and asked God for favor and guidance that I may be someone different, that I may be able to help.

Compassion requires commitment. Its true. I experienced it for myself. It needs commitment, it requires intercessory desires. To feel for this people.

I waited outside the Queenstown Remand Prison and waited with my aunt for my uncle to be released. The wait seemed never ending, and yet the fear of what he would feel when he comes out, what do we say, do we pretend, or do we re-assure him?

Minutes seemed like hours ticked by. And still no sight of him. I muttered a prayer underneath my breath and hoped that my aunty will be strong.

When everything in your life seems to be perfect, we never once thought about moments like these. We never expect that someone so young, so vulnerable will do something so evil and so cruel to someone close to you.

People say jealousy and anger leads one to do crazy things. Finally I see it for myself.

Till now, I can only hope and pray for a miracle. For God’s mercy and grace to come over my uncle now. I pray that his life will be changed. That he will accept Christ and Christ alone can help.

Its an urgent call to help and save the world. But for every single time, we take off to help just one person, it makes a world of a difference to that one person.

May God empower me to do His will. May I not use my man’s wisdom but the wisdom bestowed upon by Him.

Discipline in life

The book i was reading said this: Discipline is not given overnight. It needs or requires small steps at first, baby steps to take to be able to overcome our habits. I need to break my habits, i need to move on in my life. May every step be a learning process for me.

Jewel

-on the road to discovery-

My Road to Discovery

I woke up this chilly morning undecided and unhappy, thought to myself what is life about? Perhaps its due to the monthly moodswing that I have, or its truly bcos I am lost? I felt cold, and just wanted to continue sleeping. I woke up, ate something, and went back to sleep again. In the midst of all the dreaming, I decided that well i could spare some time. But in Joyce Meyer's "I Dare You to embrace life with PASSION", she said, time is our most valuable commodity. So while i am not going to give up, what I feel God has placed in my heart to do, I will start on a Road to Discovery. I will first start with being more observant, being more "deep in God's presence" to see what He wants to tell me about my life. Being more aware of the feelings and the honest emotions that I truly have in my life.

This road to discovery will lead me to God's calling in my life. what may it be? I am excited to find out. My life has only just begun.

Amen.

Love,
Jewel

-on the road to discovery-

P.S I love you

When a great story hits you, the inspiration of the movie brings you much hope and zest for life. I had a date with Jerome today! Went to watch a movie, its been a long time since we last watched a movie together, just the 2 of us. We watched a romantic comedy: "P.S I Love You." It was a really beautiful movie, made me laugh and cry at the same time. Inspired me and Jerome too, to not keep waiting for life to start, but instead to know that life has already started, we just have to enjoy it. That faith in life, and in carrying on with life when things crop up, when people go away..

A really beautiful movie that really perked me up! Made me sit up and think and want to do the best in my life. Even when I came back home, to read my book; it wrote do everything with excellence and you will be one of the few with that passion.

Its been a long time, since I last written and when I last sat down by the cafe to drink a cup of tea and to read a book; reflecting on life and just spending time with myself. I miss those times. And now I think I am prepared to do that.

This movie also led me to think, that yes, the internet has taken us to another level of emails and blogs. But writing in letters are still the best and romantic ways of communication isn't it?

So now, in a world within, I would like to do that, to bring back the romantic feel of lovely and pretty things. To try to inculcate my passion in life, where snowglobes have the magical feel to it.

May God inspire me further.

Amen.

P.S Watching movies once in a while is really a great boost to morales.. Next up, i want to watch "Made of Honor"

love,
jewel

The pain in love

Perhaps till the time I get my own child, this is the closest I will get to feeling the pain of love. We adopted a dog recently into my otherwise peaceful family, but my dad, sis and jerome are dog lovers and though i could be selfish enough to demand not having the dog, I cannot seem to put my feet down to doing it.

So yes, we adopted the dog 2 months ago, exactly. Now its 7-8 months old, and I have grown to love the dog! Unbelievable as it is. However, its gotten the habit of biting our shoes, tearing up newspapers, and plastic bags and etc.

So tonight was one of those nights that I had to stay up extremely late to do some work, and I caught him messing up the entire house, with shoes being wet with his saliva too.. I really had to stand there and think, we tried all methods, from hitting him, to scolding him, to being nice about it, and etc but nothing seems to be working, i stood there staring at Mocha, and he sat there with his droopy eyes, keeping all quiet and you really cannot stand being angry with him for long. However, I knew that something had to be done.

So I had a thought, to open the front door and point at it, to tell him to leave. Mocha sat there staring at me, refusing to budge.

After some time, I dragged him by the collar and pulled him to the door, he tried his best to stop and i pushed him out of the house, and closed the gate.

He sat there with his tearful eyes staring at me, I had to harden my heart to point and ask the dog to leave, in my heart I was really afraid he might run away and not come back but i knew i had to keep up the act. Until minutes later, when i opened the door, he placed one paw fearfully in and threaded in softly. That really broke my heart, thats where i had the realisation that there is pain in love. When you want to teach someone you love, you need to be cruel to be kind.

I feel for my parents now, how they must have felt when they reprimanded us in the past. How they must have went back and cried, feeling the pain more than I did.

This really taught me to be more patient and tolerant towards anything.

God may you allow me to bring my family to salvation and for me to provide.

Amen

Jewel

How to hear from God?

Sitting out in the alfresco area of our church, starts me thinking about redefining the lifestyle that i have been leading for the past 25 years.

Finally finished reading Joyce Meyer's "How to hear from God" It took me 2 months to finish reading the whole book, and yet some parts are forgotten already.. These few months of my life have been the most aimless and uninspiring moments I think i ever had so far..

The things that God has done for me are tremendous but my weak and uninspired self does not seem to be focusing on anything. And I seem to be stagnating at where I am.

Redefining my life: To trust God that He will direct my steps, one step at a time. To be at PEACE with the world and everyone else. God blesses my family with a little golden retriever puppy: Doogy! Redefining what my life means, what my purpose is in my life.

The latest book I aspire to finish would be: I Dare you to embrace life with passion; Joyce Meyer. When I was at the darkest moment, God led me to read the preface of this book. May the Lord reveal his revelation to me.

This is really a great place to relax and indulge in some self reflection..

So many choices to make, so many people to account for. Ask what is God's plan for this. Whether or not I feel peace to do any of the above.

God, please help me to close doors of opportunity if you think i should not be walking down that road.

Amen.

Stepping out into the dark and unknown waters

Realised today that its not a bed of roses for these entrepreneurs that have started out and have made it successful. Found out that I had to pay GST for the goods that I wish to import, found out that there might be an issue to import candies as they might be dutiable goods and I might need a licence.

Need to be prepared and do I charge a GST amount or do I need to finalize my art work readily. I wish to do things right in the Lord and thus I need to take that step of faith and not be like what I was in the past to just depend on things to happen. If i want things to take place, I must make the effort to be in the know and be clear of the direction that I am heading.

Am blown away by the ideas that I see all around, am wondering what the focus is then for our business?

Where is the unique selling point?

Everything pastel and then?

I need to start off somewhere, and I pray that God you will guide me and not allow me to be disheartened by the things around me.

I must remain strong to pursue my dreams and make them come true.

Start thinking and be sure.

Amen

God takes care of the little details

I wanted very much to get a casual black bag that is big enough for all my stuff! And while i was shopping at Tiong Bahru plaza today i couldn bare to part with the money to buy one! But God really takes care of the little details in my life.

Pastor Sally bought us gifts for the leaders! And normally wouldn it be a normal gift as she had to buy so many gifts! And she said it was just a simple gift!!!

But when i opened it up, it was a trendy and casual black BIG bag! God is amazing and I really thank Pastor Sally for blessing me!



If God can pay attention to such meticulous details, what more my future and my life? I was asking God for directions in my life, and like what Pastor Sally shared about her life, God is showing her one step at a time and I should trust God and have faith that he will show me where He wants me to go. I will take one step at a time, and he will open and close doors of opportunity for me!

Amen!

Jewel

Corkboard

Amazing Love...

I thought we had a great sharing at cell today. Even at the leaders meeting yesterday, i felt that I learned a lot. Like the "Squeeze a testimonial" from Pastor Sally. It amazes me how much one can take God for granted for the good things that he has given us. When asked to squeeze out a testimonial, everyone had a testimonial and it all blessed my heart. It was great! : ) And we celebrated Jennifer's birthday with a very special pumpkin yam cake! Wah aha!




Darling said to try to thank God every single night for something he did for us today. So I am thinking what can I thank God for today..

I thank God for good friends around me that truly care for me.

I thank God for my family!

I thank God I still have a roof over my head!

I thank God for my darling, what would I do without him?

I thank God that he changed my bedsheet for me cos it was causing an irritation to me for my nose, and re-arranged the donkeys nicely for me so that once i came out of the bath, I had a nice and comfortable bed to sleep in!





I thank God for Pastor Rachel who blessed my sister, jerome and me with chocolate muffins!

I thank God that darling bought me a new camera!!!

And many more..

God is good.. I want to pray hard Lord.

Guide me in your direction.

Amen!

The Cross Roads

I feel as if I have reached a certain crossroad in my life. A split between the envious earning of money, and the chasing of my dreams and passion. I get motivated by the fact that people are earning money, but on the other end it might all not be wat i like. I enjoy being with people, having lunch with my friends, without agendas, and just be who I am. God, this time I really need a sign from you. I really need to know which route am I to take that has your blessings. Close the doors that you do not want me to take.

God, please assist me to know what your place for me in this world is to be. Thank you.

Jewel

Lost dreams and soul

Been very lost recently. Cant seem to get anything going nor wanna sleep early. Yet in the wee hours of the morning, thats the time when you feel the worse. Just like what Pastor Frankie said; we are bounded by our past fears and failures that we cannot move on. We need to change and know that dreams are placed in us for a reason. Confidence in something that i must built in me. Procrastination is something i must get rid. Why am I not looking forward to life, and the future. Everything of me now seems to be stuck only now, this very moment and nothing further than that!

I need my inspiration and my soul back in order for me to chase my dreams. Do not be demoralized. For it will lead to a destruction of your dreams.


May God guide me and be with me on this tough journey that never seems to end. Or rather, its always the darkest before dawn.

Jewel

Organizing my life

Was getting quite excited about the new additions and the new changes in my life. Taking up singing as my passion is something that i have always dreamed of but never ever started. How much of it will be a start of something new I am not sure. But its very rare that I am having that much desire for it. Its always been there but never something that is so real and so strong.

Of course the pressures are even higher.

Need lots of preparation and time scheduling.

God help me in this journey.

Amen

Success...

"From a Banker to a Baker..." these were the words that caught my eye from the magazine: Vanilla.

Almost immediately i took it off the shelf and without perusal went ahead to make payment. At this moment in time, these words are crucial to me. I am contemplating, what is success? What is my passion? Are there any out there who thinks like me? We all strive for a future which we thought; we had it all planned.

We came through the system, fought through our education system. Found a good job that pays well, and struggled through the days and in no time realise that commitments have gotten more, and seemingly we seem to have no other time for our passions...

But till the day our tolerance level reaches its max.. We are at our crossroads.

I came to mine. And the most inspiring thing that happened to me is to find this magazine. There were so many ladies that have went through the same stage as me. And have courageously stepped out in Faith..

In this age, to be able to step out of our comfy careers and get started on our passion is really remarkable. Many a times, I contemplated to give up my dream. To give up my dreams to the realism of financial pressure. But i think our creator above never wishes for us to give up.

I really would encourage many to read the magazine.. Its different truly.

Its real women issues.

Even today in church, Pastor Frankie shared about Success.. or rather it was actually on THOUGHTS.

I am sitting in my room now, thoughts are already encompassing my mind. With the music in the background.. "All that I am, all that I do.. U.R.Y" Beautiful...

Just as I was about to complain about all that I am doing, God sends the sermon message across to me beautifully. Can I do it as unto the Lord?

"You are why I sing, you are why i love?"

I feel happy doing Hungrrry, being able to serve and in future try my baking.

I wanted to complain why is it only me that takes it seriously but i think, i cannot force people to take it as seriously as me. I can only inspire people. And to be a leader, i need to be a servant.

So apt, "Be transformed by the renewal of the mind" was the first words I hear from Pastor Frankie,

We have great potential to do great things for God. All we need to do is to capture our thoughts. God has assigned us and anointed us for greater things.

But what are this great things:

It can be as small as helping the old lady collect cans for a living. Or as big as Mother Theresa helping the poor in the world.

All these are great things, it just depends on the angle and the perspective we look at things.

Not everyone is called to be a Superstar, or a great politician, or a great docter. But everyone is called to do something great in one's life.

I want to pray for a Paradigm shift in my thinking.

"Reprocess your thinking process; put on the mind of Christ."

Pressing toward the Goal

Philippians 3

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

God showed me this verse, just as I was feeling burnt out, just as I was afraid and just had a little argument with Jerome.

He is afraid as well, of the life ahead. And I do not want to hold him back from his success. I will be the reason and the motivation for his success.

And as God calls us to press on, we will press on in life and achieve his purpose for us.

Amen.