.. A Tough Season ..

This season has been really tough..

Church. It's been really tough.. though something to rejoice about is the unity & love that has emerged. :) But like what Ps A shared in one of the devotion... We are like walking, yet a dark cloud is hovering over us. But it's ok. We need to keep walking. We need to keep doing what God has called us to do.

Family. Since dad fell sick, things started to change as well. The way we live our lives got to adjust & change. Though I really thank God for the good things that has happened since then - dad stopped smoking, stopped drinking, stopped offering joss-sticks to idols since he got discharged from hospital - he went to church twice so far. Once was during our recent 23rd Anniversary, which all of us teared in the service during the worship that day. Cos we knew it was such a great breakthrough. The 2nd time was last Sunday, where he attended the Dialect Church svc with Mad & Mum.

My prayer is that I really hope Dad will open his heart to receive Jesus Christ into his life. Cos I believe Jesus will heal him.

It's really draining to the body, soul & spirit when things are, 一波未平，一波又起。

I hope to prepare a good word of encouragement for my zone meeting next Friday... With all that is happening, I know God is doing something.

I trust in His goodness, His sovereignty, His will, His grace, His thoughts & ways.

God will answer the prayers we make, in His timing. Let me have the faith & patience to see His glorious ways unfold.

Faith with patience will indeed inherit the promises of God.

.. Debt-Free Life ..

Wow it has been..... a looooooong while since my last update!! :P

It's 1.46am now... But decided to blog about this, because I want to testify, and give all glory & praise to God! :)

I am really grateful to God, that I am now living a debt-free life. The compensation for the late TOP of the private property was finally made available to us, and my share of compensation was about $20k. 

Last week I met up my ex-Citibank colleague cum good friend, whom had really helped me through financially when I went to Adelaide from 2009-2010. I passed her a cheque, and cleared the 'debt' I owed to her. It was a great relief for me, of course, our friendship will always remain.. :) She is really God's gift to me, helped me through during my toughest period of life. :)

The debt I incurred when I went for my overseas education was about S$62k. But now it is totally cleared, and I still have some extra I can put as savings. :) This is indeed exceedingly, abundantly above all that I can think or ask.

I wrote an email to Pastor Aries recently... Really, I am blessed with such a great Pastor & mentor over my life.  More than just him giving me the opportunity & chance to come into full time ministry, he reminded me that serving God sometimes requires sacrifice, which helped me to step into full time ministry in faith. I remembered that very night when I was pondering through, when I knew HR couldn't 'meet' my expected salary, I felt God assuring me that I do not have to worry about clearing the debt, and it will be a time where I will see Him moving mightily in the area of my finances. I never thought I could clear the debt so quickly, my education loan was supposed to be cleared in 5 years, till 2016. God is faithful indeed. :)

When I was in Adelaide, it was really tough. I remembered how I wished we could sell the property earlier, so that I can go back to Adelaide with a sum of money, living 'comfortably'. But today, as I looked back, I am thankful for the extra $20k compensation instead. His ways and thoughts are indeed higher and greater than ours. :)

God is amazing.... God is so awesome. I stopped school when I was 17, worked for about 2 years, felt life was so without purpose & meaning then. Thank God I came to know Him when I was 19, and life took a change. I found purpose, I found hope, in God. Dream was re-ignited. Not only my degree dream was fulfilled, I had the opportunity to do it overseas, as a full-time student. The overseas education experience was one that I treasured a lot. The friendships built with the different ones, I am really grateful. :)

S$62k debt. Totally cleared. It's really the grace of God. 

If people ask me, Elaine, why are you so blessed? I think I would say, it's the total abandonment of my life to God. No, I'm not saying that it's because of my "works", because grace is free, it's sovereignly given by God. But apart from my life, which is one that I reckon it's given by God, there is nothing else, that I know I can offer to Him.

God is good. He is a compassionate and a merciful God. 

Indeed this verse is always true:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

Today's CG sermon was on, Making Space on Relationship. We learnt about Abraham, the 3 things that are of great value to Him:

#1: He valued his faith in God.
~ He kept trusting God and clinging on to His promises.

#2: He valued his righteousness in God.
~ Though righteousness was a gift obtained through faith, he was not casual in his walk with God.

#3: He valued his friendship with God.
~ The greatest honor for him, was that he was called "the friend of God".

My Adelaide experience was awesome, because it was one that I had a renewed mind about who God is. I have a much better understanding of the width, the length, the depth and the height of His love...

Let us live our lives trusting God, clinging to His promises...

Let us take our walk with God seriously, and not be casual about it...

And, let us experience God, personally, as our Abba Father, and our Friend.

We are blessed. God is good. And He shows no favoritism. :)

.. EC Appreciation ..

Had our inaugural EC Thanksgiving/Appreciation tonight!

It was really... a heart-warming night for me!

Thanks my dearest leaders + helpers in Christ!

I can go on because of you. :)