SarahCity

This is a favorite story I heard quite a number of time and found it meaningful when you re-look it at a different perspective and thus decided to put in my blog. Once upon a time there were four men named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. But Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. But Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about it, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, and Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody and Nobody did the job that Anybody could have done in the first place. Nobody is still alive and well in our churches. When the pastor pleads for someone to teach Sunday school, Nobody is the most likely one to respond. When clean-up day rolls around, Nobody reports for duty. When there is a need to provide housing for a visiting college chorale, Nobody is first in line. Ho...

Lately, a sister shared with me about her health problem. She felt that God is far away from her and not listening to her prayer anymore. Sometimes we can pray for so long about things without receiving them and we become discouraged and lose faith. Our prayers can than become more like a ritual than a relationship. There are times when God wants us to walk by faith and not by sight. During this period of trial, we must remind ourselves that God is listening and is working, even when we don't see how. Instead of praying for the particular thing, Geri Laing, in her book "A life worth living" said that we can learn to break forth into thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds us of all that God has already done for us, all the prayers he has answered. Thankfulness keeps our faith strong and our hearts soft. It is the most important part of prayer, and yet it is often the most forgotten.

THOU SHALL NOT STEAL (Exodus 20:15, Deuteronomy 5:19) On the surface, this seems to be quite an easy commandment for me (Jean) to obey. Or so I thought. To me it's clear and simple - no obvious theft like taking something without paying for it. No taking home things (even for a day) that are plentiful from the office without asking, for example, paper clips. But the LORD showed me a very different and subtle type of stealing that I was not even aware of, and worst, I was doing it! There! The secret is out - no one is immune to it. This is my testimony. At times I use the internet in the office to do e-filing. After completing the e-filing for the company, I would carry on with checking my e-mails or do some Goggle search for myself. Initially I did struggle with this issue but I convinced myself that since the company has already signed up the Internet package, so whether I use it for my own or for company purpose, the company is still incurring the same expense. So lesson n...

A man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem. The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the Doctor a better idea about her hearing loss. Here's what you do," said the Doctor, "stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and s o on until you get a response." That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he washing the den. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens." Then in a normal tone he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?" No response. So the husband moves to closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, "Honey, what's for dinner?" Still no response. Next he moves into the dinin...

The author of the poem, Annie Johnson Flint, suffered with arthritis for 40 years. But that terrible affliction did not embitter her. And out of the crucible of her suffering came a new and beautiful understanding of the meaning of guidance expressed in these lovely words: "He giveth more grace" Tonight we sang this hymn and the lyrics are as follows:- He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength as our labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials he multiplies peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father’s full giving is only begun. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. The second stanza is experienced by many christians. We always come to a point where our en...

My sister-in-law is a horticulturist and today she led us to a farm visit to the Aeroponic farm in the Kranji Countryside. We set off at 9.45am from Ang Mo Kio & reach Kranji MRT around 10.15am. The Kranji Express Bus will arrive at 10.30am. There is a need to follow the bus schedule else you have to wait for more than 1 1/2 hour. This is the greenhouse also called a glasshouse or hothouse and is a building where plants are cultivated. From Wilkipedia: A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building faster than heat can escape the structure. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings This is Butterhead lettuce. Their leaves are soft and pliable with loose heads. They can be made into drink....

Matthew 14:29 Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water... If he wants to walk on the water, he has to get out of the boat. Similarly, I had to jump out from the boat to enjoy snorkeling. For me, as a non-swimmer and with a myopia of 1000 degree, to get out of the boat needs immense courage and faith. Imagine for a moment what it must have been like for me to step out of the boat onto the choppy waves in near blindness, with strong currents sweeping around me and not knowing what lies deep down below the bottomless sea. When life gets difficult and a little stormy, we tend to hunker down and take fewer risks. But we need to take that leap of faith in order to experience more that He has in store for us! I focused on my Saviour, took that leap and splashed into the water and saw the beautiful creations He made for my enjoyment. You can do it too, with His strength!

I have just come home from Tioman Island, which is very beautiful. I learned a few lessons during this holiday which I love to share with you. I woke up at 4:30am on Saturday morning but I reached my destination at 4:30pm. There were many waiting and waiting during the journey - wait for the taxi, wait for the tour bus, wait for custom clearance, wait for ferry etc. So I learned patience, I learned to slow down my pace in life, I learned to appreciate the life style of other people, I learned how to wait and wait without any fret! Tioman Island is a God's creation. It's water is so clear that you can see the fishes from the ferry. I went snorkeling and saw many corals mushrooming under the sea. Colourful fishes of various sizes come charging at the food I fed them with. My relatives saw sting rays, baby sharks and jelly fish too! I saw flying squirrels hanging on trees, monitor lizards snapping up chickens and monkeys making faces at you. My most impressive memory is the nigh...

This morning, I attended a interview on the above. The interview started with a prayer and then proceeded to a more interactive discussion. The purpose of this interview is to understand what is my intention of enrolling for this program and also the expectation of the school. This course is a one year program and is held once a week. There is assignment to do and more on reflection. Not just a hearer but a doer of His Word. The pastor shares on 3M. Maturity, ministry and manifestation. He said that we need to grow in order to minister. Ministry must go together with maturity. It is a twin pillar. The more you minister, you mature and the more you mature, the more you minister. They cannot be separated. As you grow, you minister and ultimately is the manifestation. The desire to be equipped for the work of the ministry has been growing in me but do not know how to go about it. This program comes in handy. Very excited and look forward to my first class next week.

Today is Father's Day. Father plays a very important role in the family. The father is a role model for their children to follow. Thus, I salute all the fathers. Do you know that there is a father with such a longing heart for his children and wrote the following letter:- My Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27 In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28 For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28 I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5 I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16 I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26 You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 I knit you t...

Greatly enjoyed the new covenant established by our Lord through his death on the cross. Prior to the home meeting, have a slight conflict with one of my daughter, nothing big, but just have different views on certain things. But while we are reading the following verses, received much consolation. God is no longer leading us outwardly but through the death of his Son, he has given us a new covenant - he has put his laws into our mind and write them in our heart (very inward and spiritual) and also He is our God and we are His people (very personal relationship). In verse 11 there is no need for us to teach every man his neighbour ... for all shall know Him, from the least to the greatest. This two verses give me great confidence that God is teaching me and even my children how to conduct ourselves before one another and before Him. Hebrews Chapter 8: 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into the...

Time flies. Unknowingly, a few of us aunties have met for more than 1 1/2 year. Very memorable!! Every month, we will decide a place to go for our lunch. This is a time of get-together for a lunch cum chit chat session. Below is a list of places we have visited. Thanks to Jean for her faithful recording. JURONG EAST ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE JURONG EAST BLK 201,#15-101 JURONG POINT CHINATOWN (YUMMY DESSERT) TIONG BAHRU PLAZA THE CENTRAL(DA PIE DANG) SUNTEC CITY HALL (RAFFLES CITY) FUNAN CENTRE EXCELSIOR HOTEL KK HOSPITAL PLAZA SINGAPURA BUGIS WORLD TRADE CENTRE(VIVO CITY) ANG MO KIO HUB WHITE SANDS CITY SQUARE, JB ANG MO KIO HUB TOA PAYOH HDB HUB

Things I just learnt during my visit to a dragon fruit farm, located at 1 Lim Chu Kang Lane 4, Spring Orchard:- 1) Dragon fruit is a member of cactus family. Interesting? I never knew it. 2) It has many other names eg. pitaya, pitahaya or strawberry bear. 3) It only blooms at night and can grow up to 14" in diameter. 4) In this farm, I got to taste the red flesh variety which come from Taiwan. It is rich in lycopene, a natural antioxidant, which helps to fight caner, heart disease and lower blood pressure. The white flesh variety is more common in Singapore and it came from Vietnam. I prefer the red flesh variety - it is sweeter and more juicy.

In Mind your Body, ST 30 Apr 09, Poon Chian Hui reported that there could be surprisingly high amounts of sugar in savoury foods. Things I learnt from this article:- 1) A serving of mee siam contains 66g of sugar. This is almost equivalent to the sugar content in a can of carbonated drink. These include rojak, chee cheong fun etc. 2) Every tablespoon of ketchup has roughly the same amount of sugar as that contained in an Oreo cookie. 1/3 of the content of ketchup is sugar 3) Processed fruit products liked mixed dried fruits - half a cup about 36g of sugar Why worry about excessive sugar intake? It increases the risk of developing chronic ailments such as diabetes and heart conditions. Good & Bad carbohydrates Refined sugars like cane sugar are known as bad carbohydraes as they are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and can cause a swift and dramatic rise in the blood sugar level. Good carbohydrates are those that occur naturally in foods such as starch. When you consume ...

This week we are doing Hebrews 8 : 7-13. It struck me that there is nothing wrong with the old covenant. However, it is not able to perfect the conscience of those under it. I like the example given by one brother, it is just like a mirror, it tells you your faults but it can't go further to help you. But why did God establish the whole covenant in the first place? This is to expose us, we need to understand our hopelessness and helplessness and by ourselves we are not able to meet God's holy standard. Thus we need a better covenant. Once the new covenant is established, the old covenant became obsolete and ready to vanish away. v13. Another example I read is the law is just like a scaffold and not intended to be a permanent solution to man's spiritual problem and the scaffold will be removed once the building is completed. God knew Israel's problem as well as our problem. Israel is not able to keep the commandments of God cos breaking one of God's commandmen...

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Tonight, a brother shared this story. Someone ask the preacher, can you tell me how much God love me, can you use dollars and cents to describe? The preacher looked at him and said "God loves you as if you are the only one on earth."

Hi, My name is Joseph Chay. I was invited by Aunt Iris to contribute to her blog. I can write anything that I enjoy doing. Mum said that regular writing will help to improve my English. I will start to talk about my hamster. Initially my mother bought one male & female Russian hamster. Not too long, the female hamster gave birth to a few baby hamsters. I was very excited. However, the mummy hamster has eaten one of the baby hamster and not sure it is because I provoked her and she ate the baby hamster because she was afraid I took her away from her. Their fur is a mixture of colours – black and brown and they have patches of white fur on the bottom of their body. They eat seeds eg corn, meal worms and dried fish or apples. My hamsters love to bathe with bathing sand. I took some pictures of them, playing, sandbathing etc.

The Melaleuca Oil has many amazing properties. When you apply T-36-C5 Melaleuca Oil to a wound, it does more than just calm and soothe on the skin’s surface. Melaleuca Oil penetrates to the source of the hurt, bring all of its healing capabilities – antiseptic, soothing, penetrating, non-caustic and solvent – to help the wound heal. Its effectiveness might be due to its exclusive Quality:- Terpinen-4-ol and cineole are keys to the quality of Melaleuca Oil. Terpinen-4-ol is linked to the antiseptic properties of Melaeuca oil. Cineole helps the oil penetrate, but high levels can reduce the amount of other germ-killing compounds, and may irritate sensitive skin. The International Standards Organization (ISO)has determined that oil of Melaleuca alternifolia must contain more than 30% terpinen-4-ol and less than 15% cineole. Melaleuca’s standards are even higher – at least 36% terpinen-4-ol (hence the “T36”) and no more than 5% cineole (represented as “c5”). These levels deliver infe...

God cares for you and what is your response? As for me, I need to learn to come to Him and cast all my care upon Him whether it is a problem, a worry, a need etc.