Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
g l o r y ?
In the past two months, i had received these awards - Certificate of Participation in my church's Youthnet's Young Preachers Contest, Medal of Completion in taking part in Standard Chartered Half-Marathon, and Outstanding Life Coach medal in Trybe (formerly Thumbs-up!) Inaugural Life Coaching Programme.
I am indeed very glad to receive such honours, but they are no way near to be framed up and hung on my walls. I even at times forgot that i had gotten them! =p Let me explain why:
1. Yes, i could have felt proud and happy simply looking at these awards. But they do not give me true joy; they do not fill the void of my heart.
2. The mere satisfaction from getting these final prizes do not help me to grow. It is what i had gained and pushed myself to achieve from the experiences that allow me to grow to be better and better. These refer to:
^ Overcoming my fears and inconfidence to stand before a crowd and preach my best.
^ In mental strength, beating my body to finish a race with the goal in mind right from the beginning.
^ Giving myself to love and journey with my life coachees, beyond physical tiredness and moments when it was hard to love.
3. In all the three journeys above that i had taken steps of faith to embark on, i had sought God and started out in f e a r and t r e m b l i n g...
^ I almost 'died' just before the Young Preachers' Contest. I felt so incompetent to preach. What's more, it took me one whole night to dare to inform Ps Yueh Ping that i wanted to try out the contest. And the week after that, i just wanted to cry at the thought of it. Hee.
^ I never like running!
^ I remembered it was so hard to say 'yes' to be a Life Coach, as much as my heart wanted. The life coaching journey clashed with the duration with my part-time studies which took up two nights each week.
^ So why did i make myself go thru' such anguish? Because God wanted me to take these up for Him. And He did not leave me alone; He encouraged and strengthened me through all the journeys. Jesus was the reason that i could finish them strong and well!
^ Thank God for the spiritual family too. They were always with, and for me. Having them to keep me in check made me feel safe to venture beyond my weaknesses, and abilities. =)
Self-glory from these awards? I wouldn't dare to claim. Anyway, 'heaven and earth (including my awards) will pass away, and only God and His words are eternal' (Matthew 24:35). All glory to God, and i am ready for more challenges ahead!
Thank you for believing in me. =)
* * *
You can read more here on my journeys in:
Young Preachers' Contest
Standard Chartered Half-Marathon
Trybe Life Coaching
Posted by mirabop @ 2:42 PM 0 comments
Labels: dare to love, heartsongs, Jesus with me
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
'Tis the season to be jolly?
Are you really happy during Christmas?
Are you happy because it is Christmas, but unhappy after Christmas or any other season?
Can tinsel and presents, carols and candy really bring happiness? Not often, and not much. And if our happiness is based on circumstance, is it a true happiness? Isn't it just a playful escape, a temporary delusion? Does a little thin paint on the outside eradicate the rust beneath? Do cosmetics on a corpse make the death go away?
(quoted from Jim Elliff)
(Well i tried acting happy before too, and it made me feel more terrible at the end of the day).
Do you know what you are singing when you leap to Christmas carols like 'Joy to the World'?
Well Christmas may not be the season to be jolly for many hurting people out there, BUT it is the R E A S O N to be jolly.
Find out why here.
*My dear friend, I bless you to be able to sing and swing to 'Joy to the World' after experiencing true joy. =) *
Posted by mirabop @ 11:54 AM 1 comments
Labels: heartsongs, Jesus with me, to encourage you
Monday, December 18, 2006
Beautiful Love Letter.... for YOU!
Praise Him
His works are wonderful.
Your frame was not hidden from Him
when you were made in the secret place.
When you were woven together in the depths of the earth,
His eyes saw your unformed body.
were written in His book
before one of them came to be.
(Psalm 139:13-16)
Posted by mirabop @ 5:11 PM 0 comments
Labels: dare to love, say Woah, to encourage you
Thursday, December 14, 2006
i imagined (or did i?)
Last night was the first time i really felt like i was standing before the Lord Jesus.
As i prepared to pray and intercede for MOL in my room, my heart skipped a beat before the words came out, and i paused, moving half a step backwards.
i felt so overwhelmed by the glorious presence of God. it was indescribable... i just knew, i was standing in the presence of a h o l y God.
That was why i paused. How could i, a sinful person, be so near a completely and awesomely holy and righteous God.
Guess what, He then beckoned me gently to Himself, allowing me to stand in the gap between the people i was praying about and Him, allowing me to be so near, only to hear Him say "Daughter, know My heart"...
Indeed it is exactly because of God's heart for every person, because of the Cross and Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, that we can 'draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith' (Hebrews 10:22a). The whole chapter Hebrews 10, in fact, talks about 'the new and living way opened for us to go to God through the curtain, that is, Jesus' body' (v.19-20). 'By (His) one sacrifice (for sins), Jesus has made perfect forever those who are being made holy' (v.14).
Would you go to Jesus this CHRISTmas? You are the reason for CHRISTmas. =)
Posted by mirabop @ 8:48 PM 0 comments
Labels: Jesus with me, to encourage you
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
I can only imagine
Quite a nicely done video, i would say.
But the story behind the song is even more extraordinary.
* * *
A youth gal in my cluster sang it last Saturday at an evangelistic event... and gosh i was bowled over not just by her amazing voice, but even more by her courage and drive to stand on stage and sing her heart out. Well done, Abigail! =) I cannot imagine (haha..) myself singing on stage at your age (14)... i wouldn't dare! And to the rest of the band.. good job! =)
Wow.. my cluster is filled with so many talented youths! This is getting every bit exciting.
Posted by mirabop @ 5:19 PM 0 comments
Labels: heartsongs, Jesus with me
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
The Lord has spoken
..that Spiritual Breakthrough is around the corner. We are going to enter 2007 victorious!
The family has been called to be mouthpieces and interpretators for God's word... not for self-glory, but for the strengthening of the unity of the body.
How exciting!
My family of Love and Power.
Posted by mirabop @ 12:12 AM 0 comments
Labels: Jesus with me
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Do you like the song
that is playing on my blog?
i love it so! I caught the "All Things Bright and Beautiful" virus from my good bro ah-Troll.
Don't blame me if the tune starts ringing in your mind.... non-stop! =P
All things bright and beautiful... All creatures great and small... All things wise and wonderful... The Lord God made them all!
Posted by mirabop @ 10:29 AM 2 comments
Labels: heartsongs
tippy tappy
My takeaway from Mumble aka Happy Feet:
When the whole world does not understand, well, still flaunt your stuff! =)
*tippeee tip tip tappy tap!*
Posted by mirabop @ 1:02 AM 2 comments
Labels: to encourage you
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Break out.... Have fun!
Snowboarding from a cave into the air!
i have not snowboarded before, but i had slided down a high snow slope on a sledge... and mind you, i clung unto the sledge with all my might! Talk about skiing, all i could do in my experiences in Canada and Korea, was to slide backwards uncontrollably on the lowest, most basic slopes. So these guys are really great! *winks*
Ever tried something you cannot imagine yourself doing? Snowboarding's out for me, but i want to do skydiving one day.... most probably with my eyes and fists clasped tight! Ha ha.
Posted by mirabop @ 10:27 AM 0 comments
Labels: say Woah
Monday, December 04, 2006
With the finish line in sight...
Woohooo i completed my first half-marathon (21km) in my life yesterday!
Well definitely not a super runner or marathon champion, i do still see myself as a winner because throughout the course and even before, i saw the finishing line in my mind, and i knew i would finish it. And i did. =)
No regrets, despite these takeaways from the race - slight pain in the joints between the legs and the torso, a few bruised toenails, bad headache and over-exerted strain on the stomach (i forgot to eat breakfast! gosh).
As i think back, i am really sure that Jesus supported and carried me through the race cos of that unmovable perseverance in me which i didn't quite understand, and i had none of those knee strains or leg muscle cramps that others had been complaining of. (Hmm, maybe this meant that i did not push myself enough! hee)
Timing for Half Marathon = 3h:17m:49s (can be better)
It was in fact a really joyful run, as i ran alongside two of my sisters for the first half (after which i decided to keep on my own momentum - which is hard to grab at times - and ran ahead). It was such a delight to see my gals Dina and Meiqi along the route, and to cheer and wave to so many others in the YouthNet family. I am so proud of all of you; we finished well! =)
Posted by mirabop @ 3:29 PM 0 comments
Labels: Jesus with me
Are you Ready to Break Out?
This is a very cool website done up by two talented youths in my church. Their aesthetic eye, graphic experience and technical skills are really commendable.
More than being a cool site, Breakout2007party.com actually publicises about an exciting Breakout! Countdown Party on 31 Dec. We are targetting 4000 people. You would not want to miss it. Click on the image above to know how you can be part of it now. =)
Posted by mirabop @ 2:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Upcomings