Sometimes We All Need A Little Washing

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target (supermarket).

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came
pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in 'Mom let's run through the rain,' she said

'What?' Mom asked.

'Lets run through the rain!' She repeated

'No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit,' Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: 'Mom, let's run through the rain,'

'We'll get soaked if we do,' Mom said.

'No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,' the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

'This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?'

'Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly.. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it
will bloom into faith.

'Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,' Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

Does Evil Exist?

This has a thought provoking message no matter how you believe. Does evil exist?

The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?
A student bravely replied yes, he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes, sir," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil."
The student became quiet before such an answer.

The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?" "Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody and every object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have too little heat.

The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does".

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. "These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love, that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

Take Jesus to your work.

I found this section useful to all those who are down and weary.

From http://www.turnbacktogod.com/story-do-you-take-jesus-with-you-to-work/

Sometimes our jobs engulf us. We feel overwhelmed, alone, self-righteous, or bitter. We know it shouldn’t be this way and we shouldn’t be this way.

You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. – Matthew 5:13-15.

Our words and actions in the workplace say quite a bit about who and whose we are. Instead of light we often bring darkness. Instead of peacemakers we become the cause of hurt. Instead of serving others, we end up serving a paycheck, an organization, or our own advancement. We know we should be the ones to bring our gifts & talents to the table to help others, but we have nothing to offer.

Do you “take Jesus with you” to work? There is no area of life where we can safely leave Jesus on the outside. Our dear Lord is our life, our abundant life! How much we need that Life for the 40+ hours we spend in employment each week!

Whatever you do, work at it with ALL your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3:23-24.

Make a conscious effort to walk with Jesus into your place of work this week.

Orb of life.

Found this Nifty cool technique, will use it once in awhile.

Some random pictures

Ultra Wide Field test!

You Raise Me Up

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Another wholesome christian song which I really love. It always reminds me that no matter what happens, I will never be alone.

Shout to the Lord

Shout to the Lord

My Jesus, my Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love

My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord
All the Earth, let us sing
Power and majesty
Praise to the King
Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name

I sing for joy at the works
Of Your hands
Forever I'll love You
Forever I'll stand
Nothing compares
To the promise I have
In You

By: Hillsong

When in jubilation, when in sorrow, when in sadness or loneliness, remember that you are never alone. Shou to the lord so that he may laugh with you, shout to him so that he may wipe your tears. So pray hard my dear friends and God bless!

Bible Story: Genesis 12:2-3

God said to Abraham," I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God spoke creative words to Abraham. A nation means lots and lots of people. But Abraham and Sarah had no children. Abraham was 75 years of age and Sarah was 65 and it looked as if they would never have any children. How then could lots and lots people come from Abraham if he didn’t have any children?

Although God spoke the word to Abraham it did not happen overnight. It was only when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was ninety that Isaac was born. Just as God had spoken the word to Abraham, Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son. Sarah said that God had brought her laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with her. And that’s what Isaac means – laughter.
God also said that he will make Abraham’s name great. That meant Abraham would become a very important man. That word surely did come true.

A Beautiful Poem

Stream of Life

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day

runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth

in numberless blades of grass

and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth

and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.

And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.




From

RABINDRANATH TAGORE'S

GITANJALI

Peggy's wedding

Photoshoot for some NUs dudes!

Penguin goes to the Macritchie Nature reserve

This will be my last outing for this holidays. The next hike will probably take place 3 months later. so here' our crew of the day, Ivan on the left and Calista on the right.


Mid way though the trip, we came across a troop of monkeys. Unlike those from Bukit timah, they are extremely friendly and they would look apon visitors with an air of curiosity.


Although the monkeys were curious about us, they are pretty wary of our precense too. Any sudden movement from us would sent them scurrying up the trees.


The monkeys live in large social groups. They are extremely playful, often wrestling around and chasing one another.


A juvenile monkey. He was nice enough to pose for me.


Young or old, the family would take care of one another. Here's a picture of an older monkey helping a juvenile pick off the parasites on its fur.


A curious juvenile tasting my jeans.

The same monkey from Ivan's point of view.

Another shot with another monkey.

Another one taking an interest in Ivan's leg.

A monkey enjoying the shade.


Nature's sculpturing at work, a twisting vine.


We carried on our journey to the treetop walk.

A mailbox in the middle of the jungle? Interesting.

The HSBC treetop walk. A one way journey, meaning you can't turn back.


A ladder leading to the top of one of the supports on the treetop walk. Unfortunately it is sealed so we couldn't climb up.

A dead tree, a reminder of how strong and mighty it once was.

A crested lizard. One of the flying lizards in the jungle. Its not a true flyer, rather it glides from point to point.

Callista and Ivan, the 2 wonderful companions of the day.

The end of the tree top walk. Now on to the Jelutong Tower.


Though its a pest, the fly can be a really colourful jewel when seen upclose.

A clouded monitor, one of the 2 monitor lizard species living in the Central Catchment Reserves.

Life and death. A constant reminder that whatever that is borned to this world must perish one day, only to be replaced by new life. A reminder that nature is a neverending cycle.

A meaningful note:

Here, man is no longer the ruler of the world, only a witness, but a witness who is also a partner in the silent world of nature, bound by secret affinities in the trees.

Dan Hommarskjold

Here's Ivan, our navigator for the day.


And Calista, Miss Chirpy. Our trip would not be so lively without her.

A society grows when old men plant trees whose shade they know shall never sit in.

A reminder to our increasingly self centered society that we revolve around the world and not the other way round.

Possibly a Malayan Viscount

A damselfly. An easy way to identify the difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly is that the damselfly folds its wings up while the dragonfly folds its wings down.

The same damselfly. A wonderful product of nature.

A Common Faun. A jungle buterfly seen commonly at the central catchment nature reserves.


I maybe tiny, but look closer and you shall see my beauty.


Panoramic view from the Jelutong Tower. The tower is named after the Jelutong trees that peaks over the canopy layer.


Calista from head down perspective.

A not so natural visitor of the nature reserve. Land Rovers. Kudos to the people serving the nation.


Calista again!


Why itsn't the bus coming?


Some random shots. I shall call this, "Forward'

Men hard at work. Though we often overlook it, we should always remember that our very comforts is a product of someone else's blood, toil tears and sweat.


Fatigue on the left, amazement on the right.

A very friendly stallholder.



My meal of the day, a final goodbye.