sky is clearing up....!

For the past few months I have been struggling with a lot of questions I thought to be hard, and valid ones to ask. Pre-destination... God's elect... What is Free Will.. or if God was all loving, why does he allow people to be born into war, drought, hunger, disease-stricken land, or what I thought to be hardest one of them all - why did God create people whom he knew were 'destined to perish'?

Just now, I came back from a Bible Study with my senior Pastor, and the sky seems to be finally clearing..

Next post will be a detailed reflection!

Good night, and I will sleep peacefully tonight :)

Psalm 28

''The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart trusts in him, and I am

helped.

My heart leaps for joy

and I will give thanks to him in song.

THe Lord is the strength of his people,

a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Save your people and bless our inheritance;

be their shepherd and carry them forever.

This last verse of Psalm 28 has always been one of my favorites, and just so comforting.

thoughts on re-reading book

''Another committee, led by Adan Hussein, set up an orphanage in a bombed-out library in the centre of town. Adan's committee went around to the feeding centres in the city gathering up orphaned children who had little chance of survival without adult help. I asked Adan to go to Hawina to get Ali and other orphans. Unlike us, Adan had no guards. Many committee members were shot, beaten or robbed by gangs and militias. Still, Adan's group collected as many orphans as it could. By the end of October, his group was caring for over 350 children. I asked Adan why he did what he did. After a long pause, he answered, ''They are the seeds for tomorrow's Somalia. Tomorrow's Somalia will be better - it must be. We want them to care for each other, so we must care for them today.''

(p. 83)

An Imperfect Offering is one of the best books I've read so far, and I'm now currently re-reading this humanitarian masterpiece, and still the stories recorded in this book amazes me. So much can be said about the war devastation that is happening all over the world, the suffering of the people who are trapped in continuous hunger, unceasing warfare and the lack of respect for human life through horrendous acts like rape, and genocide -- but amidst places and situations like these, goodness, courage and hope still somehow prevails.

The excerpt above is one of my favorite and what I find to be one of the most heartbreaking passages. There are those whose life objective is to destroy and eliminate the lives of others, so that they themselves can have a better life. A better government, higher profit, bigger land, wider borders. But then there are those whose goal is to save the lives of others so that they can have the same things. Why is it that some have the hearts to save and repair and others are focused on the inhumane immediacy of killing - when both parties have seemingly the same future in mind? A better country cannot be based on bloodshed; unfortunately, those in power and with authority seems to believe that the only way to assert their authority and secure their profitable income is to push others down. A scary but true evidence of this is recorded in the same book, when the author is describing the food distribution in war-torn Somalia in 1992:

''The Red Cross and CARE were paying $10,000 a day to warlords for airport landing rights in Baidoa. Some food was being diverted to clans as a protection payment, and about another 20 percent was being stolen from warehouses or looted on the roads to the feeding centres.'' (p. 83)

This happened more than ten years ago, and is still happening now.

Why and how are good questions to ask, but importantly, WHAT is being done to change, and to raise awareness about people who are trapped in these unjustly governed nations?

Aid that saves

Gift that saves

The Peace Unknown

There is chaos in the mall

People shoving past each other

Sales, line-ups, and busy mothers

There is chaos on the street

Time is rushing footsteps

Morning, afternoon coffee and deadlines to be met

There is chaos in the room

Photographs, painting, calendar on the wall

People smiling, music blasting, the voice of Diana Krall

There is chaos in the frontline

Bullets colliding, hearts are failing and

You’re thinking—what a God-forsaken land

There is chaos on the street

Fathers sobbing, their children bleeding

For what, for whom are we bleeding?

There is no chaos in this room

A child is struggling, or is he breathing?

A heartbeat, then silence, and leaves us to ponder:

Living, what a chaotic sight; and death, a wonder.

sleep deprivation

again - my goal to sleep before 11pm has failed again!

couple of things keeping me up a.k.a habits i may need to cut back 1 hr prior to sleeping:

1) abs workout - energizing myself before sleeping is obviously a dumb idea..

2) scrabble game i got on my phone - mental workout before sleeping is obviously an even dumber idea..

3) listing things to do in my head for tomorrow - pls refer back to dumb thing #2

4) trying to blog this is only delaying my precious sleeping time

and it's thursday tomorrow?

is somebody speeding up the time? cause i sure can't keep track!

good night fellow bloggers.

Please help!

Why are some people born in far more fortunate, healthier, wealthier environment than others?

So that they can help those who are not.

This is supposed to be common sense, but when have we grown up to be non-sensical and oblivious to what's happening around us?

Places that still need help.

You can HELP!!

MATTHEW 25: 35-40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, [6] you did it to me.’

Things I don't ...

As I get older, I find myself amidst an overwhelming list of things I don't understand..

I'd like to name a random few:

1. Glee

i like all sorts of tv series, musicals, broadways, even movies that pretend to be musicals, like Moulin Rouge. But a bunch of teenagers singing oldies everyday after school? maybe I'm getting older.

2. Long Nails

after coming back from Taiwan with a set of 'manicure' - jewels stubbornly glued to my fingernails (I couldn't get them off for the life of me .. two of my pinkies still suffer with the dazzling bling, a present from my dear cousin whose wedding I recently attended... I tried to grow out my nails. Thought it might look pretty, neat - especially after professionally cuticle care & trimming. oh dear, was I ever wrong. I was constantly being deprived of the basic daily tasks such as writing without poking my palms, typing or opening my coffee mug. plus, your fingernails store more germs than you can ever imagine, and I couldn't even bear to eat my muffin by taking the crumbs by hand. Girls, if you are in any way realistic, practical, clean and smart... cut your nails. Boys, if your girl is constantly seen with manicure - it is wise to note that either:

1) she is not a fan of house chores, or..

2) she is rich enough to afford a maid, or..

3) she magically & effortlessly cleans up after herself with long, dusty, germ-infested fingernails. hee hee.

3. Brand-names

$800 for a handbag = some people's life savings not too far around the globe

4. Cursing

It's like having bad breath. You might not know how much you stink, but everyone around you will notice.

5. Tweeter

*tweet! tweet!*

Oh, I think I will write about more positive things next time.