He is the Lion and the Lamb.

The more i witnessed Jesus' humility, the more exalted He is in my heart.

Today as i listened to my ever-overwhelming song How Great is our God, i felt like crying...in gratitude-tinted joy. That was my heart's response in Love towards my Lord.

Last weekend's service-learning training ended with feet-washing. Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4-5)

"Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." (John 13:8b)

Going forth with no hesitation to have my feet washed, was an indication to myself, that my heart to serve was still intact. My soul gives highest praise to the Lord, cos' i knew i am absolutely capable of wavering when the heart of Love grows weary.

And i had been feeling that way sporadically for the past months.

But...

i needed more Grace; and God gave it to me. i needed more Strength, and He upheld me with His. i needed Him, and He spoke to me tenderly 'You are My daughter, with whom i am well pleased'. Awwww.....

i have been listening to 'Jesus died for me' each of these days, and yesh the power of the revelation of the Cross is restoring. I thank You my Lord, for the privilege to come back to the Cross at all times.

Although he was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. Hebrews 5:8-9

Last afternoon, Jesus asked me the three questions again.

Jesus: Mirabel, do you truly love Me more than these?

me: Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.

Jesus: Feed my lambs.

(Again) Jesus said: Mirabel, do you truly love Me?

me: Yes Lord, i really love You.

Jesus: Take care of my sheep.

(third time) Jesus: Mirabel, do you love Me?

me: Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.

Jesus: Feed my sheep.

Yesh Lord, i am committed to serving and loving Your people. Thank You Lord for the various little breakthroughs in each of the bonds between each gal and me. Discipline no longer stands as a lips-biting issue for me. Cos' i have truly learnt to discipline in Love, and to love simply because i love. :)

He is the Lion and the Lamb. Such an amalgam of boldness and meekness - Bold meekness!

He is the Son, yet He came on earth to serve and not be served. me too. :)

please handle with care. ha.

Enough about pretty pictures. Let's look at some bloopy fots from the wedding dinner.... ha!






Have i ever told you about this logger-bro that i have? i call him uncle sea-urchin, he addresses me as auntie dolphin, and yesh, we are always bickering! ha...
But that night we finally decided to answer God's call to love our brothers (and sisters), so we tried our best to smile and took the following rare fot! Please handle with care. ha.
Dalaaa! :)

treasure the treasures. [upset]

my neighbour, the father of the family next door, passed away last fri night, peacefully they said.

i have been feeling pretty upset about this, to an extent that i didnt understand why too.

i guess it has got to do with the tinge of regret i bear, for procrastinating my visiting him at the hospital before this. i shan't go into the reasons or excuses here.

i was upset that i couldnt remember his face. But i thank God that i remember a man whose every toil was for the comfort of his family, who fought hard for them, even when work seemed to be going downhill. i remember his favourite pastime was to croon the oldies out loud on his hi-fi set - probably his way of driving away the blues and lethargy.

i saw a tired man, who yet never failed to give me a really warm charming smile every time he met me...

i heard from my mother that he was anxiously waiting to recover, abandon the hospital bed, and then spend every cent just to bring his whole family on an overseas holiday- something that he always wanted to do but did not exactly had the means to. But...when he said that, he didn't know that he was in the last stage of cancer. His family had hidden the truth from him till the very last days.

I am not exactly sure why i am writing all these down too...but this incident has made me miss my own dad, who is always overseas, a lot. This really redundant thought just came to me: if i could be this upset about a next-door uncle, how would i be if it were my dad... i had to sweep it away at once. Come on mirabel, that is not the most God-honouring thought; it should be about praying harder for and claiming with greater faith your parents' salvations.

Yesh Father, and please use me to bless, strengthen and comfort the family more as well; to love my neighbours.

did i ever tell you i love to laugh?

i wonder how many of my friends and family know that. hmm.

i have no qualms about allocating time for a good hearty laugh. Did you know that laughters are effective medicine for lethargy, boredom, unhappiness, stuffiness - whatever you name it.

Care to join me. now? : )

Hahahahaaaaaaaa... woohooooo! (i hear your echo...................)

the little child in me likes to listen to spongebob's tunes or watch his video clips in order to giggle any unpleasantness away. just for laughs. ha.

i just love weddings!

jasmine and beautiful bride gillian :)

bros and sisters

dear lingshi and jas

(from left) myself, jasmine, dy and eejay.

long lost friends - marilyn and brian!

(marilyn: my, mirabel you've grown into such a lady now!)

table sixteen

Look not mournfully into the past;

it comes not back again.

Wisely improve the present; it is thine.

Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

* * * * *

If thou but suffer God to guide thee,

and hope in Him thro' all thy ways,

He'll give the strength, what-e'er betide thee,

and bear thee thro the evil days;

Who trust in God's unchanging love

Builds on the rock that naught can move.

Obey, thou restless heart, be still

And wait in cheerful hope, content

To take what-e'er His gracious will,

His all discerning love, hath sent;

Nor doubt our inmost wants are known

To Him who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray and swerve not from His ways;

But do thine own part faithfully.

Trust His rich promises of grace,

So shall they be fulfilled in thee.

God never yet forsook in need

The soul that trusted Him indeed. Amen

~Georg Neumark (translated by Catherine Winkworth)

i said no.

Many times we need to be expressive - in a real and heartfelt way.

A lot of times, we belong to either groups - one hides our deepest emotions and their expressions, or that which strains to display the exact opposite of the feelings within - both being so fearful of revealing your soul's reality for the worry that it mirrors your truest personality outwards for the world to see.

now, where's the child in each of us gone to?

if we are capable of doing this frequently with the people around us, we are truly prone to do it to God too. All the talk about God being our only confidante does not stand tall and proud in most lives. Well, the truth is that God gave us wonderful friends and families to share our burdens and to encourage us in heartful and soul-ful ways. Whatever our earthly families cannot fulfil, we have spiritual families which is actually the body of Christ. Because every person represents one of the intricate body parts, we need to come together to function as a whole, mutually complementing one another.

So what's with the thoughts like 'i better don't disturb my spiritual leader/bro/sister; they are busy' and 'i can settle my own stuff, with Jesus etc.? Sometimes they are really entrapments by the devil to stop us from relating and even accounting to our spiritual family!

Allow the love of Christ to flow into you, through us, your family, and boldly without shame, receive it! Give us a chance to love you especially when you really need that tangible touch of love. Don't struggle alone. *hugs*

~~~

This leads me to think about another yet intrinsicly related issue - boundaries. i guess the same rules of being open and firm apply. When you need to say no, express it! It is to protect both yourself and the other party. Don't set up barbed wire fences, only to be the one to get cut by it yourself. The small kids know best - both in expressing their deepest feelings and thoughts, and also fortifying boundaries. ha.

anna: i said no!

How would you answer these questions?

1. Why do I look forward to the Big Move?
We are moving to claim our God-given inheritance - a new land flowing with milk and honey!

2. What do you want to see on 11 Dec at the Expo Max Pavilion?
Like in Exodus 40:34, The cloud covers the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD fills the tabernacle. I want to see the faces and hearts of every person in the family glow in such an exceptional way, cos’ we are going to reflect the glory of God in the place! We have to come together in a manner that proclaims the greatest victory Jesus had already won for us in our lives!

3. What is your prayer for the Big Move?
I pray that God comes springclean every of our lives, help us sieve out the redundant of the past, pack our every emotion, feeling and thought in alignment to His, and ride us upon His presence towards Expo!

4. How do you see God moving in the Big Move?
Definitely very much in His people, God has been moving and testing our hearts. I am sure the Israelites had sporadic moments of uncertainty, fear and even disbelief at God’s promise of and His leading them to the new land, all of which could only be overcome by one word, faith.

The way God has been granting salvations and performing miracles in our family, and helping us build family with other nations are sneak previews to His coming BIG plans for the church. But will we choose to cling unto His promises, without seeing the big picture? What about the unanswered prayers? All these are questions God have been intensively and intimately asking us in His ‘hinted’ Moves.


5. Three things that make you excited about the Big Move.
1) It’s BIG!
2) God Himself is moving!
3) GOD!

Revived!

i have officially revived my trainers. Hip hip hooray!!! : )

These comforting, supportive and encouraging greyees are faithful companion for the miles! More to go!

Thanks to ahpa YeangCherng who initiated the idea of the tribe persevering together for the Standard Chartered Run in december. The process of training together is going to be of such great meaning, both on the personal and corporate level. : )

And guess what, after 'fellowshipping' with my wonderful greyees (hey maybe i can call them 'eeyore') for the past nine months, and especially more recently, i discovered the words 'peek-a-boo' under both their tongues! Oh my, even my shoes can be as playful as me! :P