Pleasant Surprise

Today, I had a very pleasant surprise. I just received a mail from someone really special, someone of great importance. As I stared at the envelope with my name and the name of the sender..my eyes widened, my pulse increased, and I probably blinked my eyes in unbelief. I ran into the house and opened the envelope with a letter opener to preserve the envelope. It was a birthday card..for me!! I wished I can share who it was from, but that's really besides my point..

I feel so so special! I have no doubt that this person has tonnes of other really big and important things to attend to, and yet took time to sign and send me a birthday card!! I never informed him/her my birthday in the first place. I am instantly reminded of how the Psalmist in the Bible felt about God's love and attention for him..

Psalm 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

Does it blow your mind (or socks off), that God of the Universe cares for you, loves you, and desires an intimate relationship with you? Has there ever been another so-called 'god' besides this One?

This pleasant elation brings something to mind. This must be (hopefully) how others feel when we take time to send them a little note, or a little card, or a little message to encourage them. Everyone needs encouragement, everyone needs love. This someone made a difference in my life..I can do the same for others. You can too!

p/s: I am grateful to all you friends and family for your love and birthday wishes! :)

Today

Today, I choose..
to see me myself as my Father does..
to receive His grace and forgiveness for my shortcomings..
to live with no regrets because He holds my future..
to allow Him to mould me..
to avail myself to God as a vessel to bless others..
to willingly obey His guidance and direction..
to love others when I want to love myself first..
to die to self even when it hurts..
..to fully trust in Jesus.

The Call of God

Here's a paper I wrote for the only religion class I'm required to take at DBU. I thought this would serve as a good reminder and perhaps a food-for-thought for the day for all of us..

Blessings!
Berylynn



Moses is a well known leader in the Bible who was radically called by God to deliver Israel from the bondage in Egypt. There are many things that can be observed and learnt from the way he experienced the call of God in his life.

Although Moses was a Hebrew, he grew up as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. As a Hebrew himself, he must have grown up watching his own people suffer from the mistreatment of the Egyptians. I believe that Moses already possessed an internal growing passion and burden to deliver his people from tyranny of the Egyptians way before the Lord spoke to Him through the burning bush. So strong was his passion to liberate his people that when “he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren” (New King James Version, Exod. 2.11), “he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exod. 2.12). According to Alice Cullinan in “Sorting It Out”, “God made us and often works with our interests and abilities to accomplish divine purposes through us” (32). The call of God for Moses that came later in his life resonates well in perfect harmony within him because of his personal interest for the well being of the Hebrews.

However, it is necessary to note that Moses was in a little hurry to accomplish the will of God in his life. Moses tried to rescue a fellow Hebrew by his own initiative and strength which led to a terrible disaster. Moses was not patient in waiting for the specific word from God before he stepped into this divine task and calling. As a result, Moses murdered an Egyptian and spent the next forty years of his life a fugitive in the desert. We can clearly see from Moses’ life that “running ahead of God may be as disastrous as not seeking God’s will in the first place” (40).

Although the forty long years that Moses spent tending the flock of Jethro—his father-in-law in the desert—may seem like a total waste, nothing is ever a waste from God’s perspective. God is a specialist when it comes to making “all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8.28). As humbling as it is for Moses to transition from being an Egyptian prince to becoming a simple and unknown shepherd, I believe that his character was shaped and he was taught to wait upon the Lord and His perfect timing for the call. It is through this desert experience that the Lord prepared Moses for his ultimate destiny in leading the Israelites out of bondage and into freedom. God is good in that He shaped Moses’ character and humility before using him in the mighty deliverance that displayed some of the greatest signs and wonders recorded in the Bible. His strength of character and heart condition were God’s top concerns, rather than the mission itself.

As Moses was tending the flock at the mountain of God, God suddenly appeared to him in a burning bush that was not consumed. When Moses turned to examine the burning bush, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”. Consequently, God revealed Himself and the call that He had for Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Although the call may seem like a sudden one, God had already been gradually calling and preparing Moses’ heart prior to this significant moment. With the sure word from the Lord and a great task at hand, Moses still wavered with doubt concerning his identity and capability. The Lord was once again gracious with Moses’ apprehension and provided him with confirmation signs of the rod and the leprous hand to assure Moses of His call. God also promised to strike Egypt with great wonders and allowed Aaron to be Moses’ spokesman.

Cullinan is absolutely accurate when she says that “God will give you what you need to carry out the divine calling” (39). God indeed prepared, called, confirmed, and equipped Moses for his great calling and destiny which marked a significant milestone in biblical history. Had Moses not heeded God’s calling on His life, our Christian history and heritage would have been a little different today.

Writer's Block

Sigh..so here I am at 12.30am. I am so frustrated! I've spent the whole day trying to write a Research Paper for my English class but nothing seem to work. It may be that I'm a perfectionist, but I think that's not it. Either writing is just not my strength or today is just a very bad day for me. I'm just not gaining any ground in this paper.

So..my beloved hubby suggested that I take a break or maybe go for a little walk. Uhm..but it's really cold outside so I think I'll pass on that one. Maybe some ice cream might help! Ahh..I'm actually just venting here and trying to console myself here.

To change the topic a little bit, we've been listening to this new CD by Darrell Evans titled "Shade". It's amazing! It's totally Thomas's and my kind of worship music. It's very acoustic, very intimate..definitely a very good CD!

Since we started listening to his songs, I've picked up the guitar once again. It's been a long while since I played, so I've forgotten most of what I've learnt in guitar class years ago. Yikes! Sigh..

Alright, I think that's all for this post. Hopefully I'll write in here more often eh?

Malaysia's Anwar promises to dump pro-Malay policies

Agence France-Presse - 9/2/2008 8:29 AM GMT

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Tuesday he would dismantle controversial positive-discrimination policies for Muslim Malays if he seizes power in the multicultural country.

Anwar said he would replace the New Economic Policy (NEP) launched in the early 1970s with a system to boost all poor Malaysians, whether they are majority Malays or from the minority Chinese and Indian communities.

"We will do everything in our power and disposal to help and assist the poor and the marginalised, which means the vast majority of the Malays and the poor Chinese and the poor Indians, but we do it on a needs basis," he said.

He also promised to abandon the Approved Permits (AP) scheme for importing cars, which it is claimed has corruptly enriched a small number of Malay entrepreneurs.

"Those talking about Malay dominance would realise that the AP is a classic case where the Malays and the Malay name has been abused, raped and plundered by the few," he told a press conference.

Anwar, a former deputy premier and finance minister who was sacked and jailed a decade ago, has vowed to topple the government with the help of defectors within weeks.

He accused embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of spending his way out of trouble with a 2009 budget packed with perks and tax cuts, and said if he comes to power he would reduce the projected 2008 budget deficit of 4.8 percent of GDP.

"I suspect Abdullah feels that his days are numbered, so he spends as much as possible because he knows the next government has got to deal with the debts," he said.

The NEP was launched two years after racial riots broke out in 1969, in an effort to narrow the wealth gap between the Chinese -- who control the business sector -- and Malays, who dominate government.

But critics say it has failed and that the policy's beneficiaries have been Malay entrepreneurs who cash in on an array of perks including discounts on property purchases and specially allocated government projects.

Anwar's opposition gained unprecedented ground against the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in March general elections, after successfully garnering support from across Malaysia's racial spectrum.

The 61-year-old opposition leader -- himself a Malay -- has also had to defend himself against allegations he has sold out the interests of the majority community in return for political gains.

A Soul Has No Color

I've started work at DBU International Admissions & Recruitment Office for close to 4 weeks already. Today, we had a prayer meeting for the Nations! A lot of the student workers here represent many of the different countries in the world such as Korea, Jamaica, India, Botswana, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Japan..and the list goes on. We had the privilege of praying for the new incoming students who will be here for Fall. It was an amazing time...

God is beginning to break my heart again for the nations, for the people that haven't heard of Him, for the people that need Him so much. How will they call on Someone they have not believed? How can they believe if they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things."

This post is rather sketchy, raw and un-edited..it's really just a glimpse of the many things going through my mind and heart. People need the Lord, after all..God loves everyone the same..and.."A Soul Has No Color."

Cite Soleil = Sun City??

Here's a post i wrote in August last year! I finally finished it and here it is..finally. Yikes!


I was reading up about this place called Cite Soleil yesterday on wikipedia..and my discoveries appaled me. It struck a chord in me..yet i don't know how to help. I've never heard of this place before until yesterday..and this are bits of what i read.

Cite Soleil means "Sun City" in English, but it sure doesn't look or feel sunny to me. It is one of Haiti's poorest, roughest, and most dangerous areas.

The shantytown was originally designated to house manual labourers but with its extreme poverty, persistent unemployment, high rates of illiteracy, the unsanitary conditions due to the absence of public services, and rampant crime and uncontrolled violence, it has become a microcosm of Haiti's problems as a whole.

Not only is Cité-Soleil the poorest area of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere it is also becoming one of the most dangerous as armed gangs roam the streets. Murder, rape, kidnapping, pillage, and shootings are common as every few blocks is controlled by a rival armed faction, such factions said to number over thirty-two.

Most of the residents of Cité-Soleil are children or young adults. Few live past the age of fifty; they die from disease, including AIDS, or violence. Since December 2006, UN Peacekeepers and Haitian National Police have been involved in intense operations and frequent gunbattles with armed gangs, resulting in the deaths of 30 people, including 20 gang members. A total of two UN soldiers and ten policemen have died and ten have been wounded.

There's more written about Cite Soleil..but i think picture speaks louder than words..

I was pondering on how a country can come to this devastating stage, and then I remembered a conversation Thomas and I had with a friend from Jamaica. Worrell told us that Haiti is one of the countries with most witchcraft activities. The leadership of the country have basically given the country over to the devil. Many people are involved in witchcraft, vodoo and demonic activities. And the result is clearly seen today..take a look at a country that have given their souls to the devil.

Hmm..