chi likes to whine. especially when we stop her from going somewhere. lol. or in the morning when she doesn't get food and i'm still asleep (usually ard 7+am), then she'll whine a lot. lol.
was personally very ministered by the wam cum team ministry night today :) there was a time of crazy games (led by dennis), then affirmation by some of the church staff, then they gave out long service (5,10 and 15!) awards to people who've served very long in their ministries. then we had praise and worship. haha. was observing the backup singers during praise (and praising God as well) so that i can learn from their expression and the way they complement the song :)
worship reminded us of the faithfulness of God. i think it really reminded a lot of us about the faithfulness of God.
Like the sun that rises every day
O Lord You are faithful, dear Lord You are faithful,
Like the rain that You bring and every breath that I breathe,
You are so faithful, Lord.

Like a rose that comes alive every spring
O, You are so faithful, dear Lord You are faithful,
Like the life that You give to every beat of my heart,
You are so faithful, O Lord.

I see a cross and the price You had to pay,
I see the blood that washed my sins away,

In the midst of the storm,
Through the wind and the waves,
You'll still be faithful,
O You'll still be faithful.

When the stars refuse to shine,
And time is no more,
You'll still be faithful,
You'll still be faithful O Lord.
it touched me a lot. the sister who was awarded the long service award (15 years - she was the only one who received it.. ) shared that one of the worship songs touched her a lot. the lyrics of 'i set my eyes on You Lord, i choose You everytime'
she shared the verse also.
"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15
i think it particularly resonated in my heart 'cos it's something i really believe in. that we can choose our reactions to different things that happen along our way. and 'cos every time i serve in counter, it's a choice to serve ('cos my natural inclination towards counting money is to avoid it. singing is different though. i really enjoy singing:) sometimes i'll wonder why God has placed me to lead the counter ministry (tertiary) when i'm not particularly an advocate for it. haha.
and i think many people make the choice to love God despite circumstances and personality traits that work against them as well. very encouraging to see the perseverance of people.
i was telling michelle that in my heart i set a high standard. possibly 'cos of the background i came from, or the way i was taught from when i received Christ. but thenn again, the standard doesn't come from me. it comes from God. the perfect standard of God. and though we're far behind that standard, God moulds us, grow us, and we grow in the likeness of Him everytime we make the choice to allow Him to do his pruning work in us.
i think there was a period of time when i got influenced by the people around me and thought, actually it's quite okay to not to this, not to that, go here a bit late, go there another day. i started to have a 'everything is okay, God looks at the heart mentality' and started to excuse a lot of things people around me/i did. but in my heart, something felt odd. what i see does not resonate or connect with what the principles i understood in my heart (cognitive dissonance!) after a few months, i pondered, thought through, and realized that the principles were right, it's just that i could not give a formal title to it.
the need to not dilute the teachings of Christ.
not to say that we become pharisees. i believe that there must be a balance as well. but i think that time i diluted the teachings of Christ and lowered God's standard in the view of 'sheltering' the people around me. (which of course doesn't help in anyone's growth :D) lol.
wisdom ba. ah. need to perpectually grow in that.