God Alone Created the World

Some might think it is Wonderful to Travel, others would say it can be an Amazing Experience, but I feel it is Absolutely Surreal

There is no mountain too high to climb no river too wide to cross.

So many places to see so many cities to visit.

I know I wouldn't be to cover the whole world in one lifetime.

But I believe there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

~Ecclesiastes 3:11~

G  O  D    I  S    T  R  U  L  Y    A  W  E  S  O  M  E

Crying is not weak but being strong for too long?

My dear,

I don’t count tears of weakness as crying,

 it’s just water leaking of the eyes.

But tears that come from someone finally being open (to themselves /others), after remain strong for far longer than they were supposed to, those tears are real TEARS.

And those tears should be comforted for it is not a sign weakness, but incredible strength.

Truly yours XXX

I woke up this morning lying in bed while waiting for the news from my alarm clock radio; I came across this story flipping through my friends FB posts. Suddenly it reminded me of the Christmas Shoe story but as I read along, I realise it might be a real life story. As I continue reading I could feel tears started rolling down my sleepy eyes, the little boy really touch my heart and soul.

Have you read, seen or heard of The Christmas Shoe? A very meaningful story about a young boy who tries to get a pair of red Christmas shoes for his dying mother, while a lawyer tries to deal with the break-up of his marriage.

The song is one of the most thought provoking and emotion-evoking songs recorded in recent history. 
How did this inspiring song come to be?

The song was a natural outgrowth of a story that had been circulating on the Internet for quite some time. Radio personality DC Chymes and his on air partner had read the story during their show several times, always getting a huge response from their listeners. He forwarded the story to Eddie Carswell of Newsong, who began to write a song based on the story. It took four years to finish it, and get it on an album. And of course like all great stories and songs, it's made into a blockbuster movie in 2002. I strongly suggest you watch this touching movie. I watch it every Christmas and every time I cried my eyes out. Here is a short 9 minutes of song lyrics and summary of the movie.

Okay back to sharing the story of The Doll and A White Rose

I was walking around in a Target store, when I saw a Cashier hand this little boy some money back. The boy couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The Cashier said, ‘I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money to buy this doll.’

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ”Granny, are you sure I don’t have enough money?”

The old lady replied: ”You know that you don’t have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.”

Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look a round. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to.

‘It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.’

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. ‘No, Santa Claus can’t bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.’

His eyes were so sad while saying this. ‘My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.”

My heart nearly stopped.

The little boy looked up at me and said: ‘I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.’

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me ‘I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won’t forget me.’

‘I love my mommy and I wish she doesn’t have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.’

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. ‘Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?”

‘OK’ he said, ‘I hope I do have enough.’ I added some of my money to his with out him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: ‘Thank you God for giving me enough money!’

Then he looked at me and added, ‘I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give It to my sister. He heard me!”

‘I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.”

‘My mommy loves white roses.’

A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn’t get the little boy out of my mind.

Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl.

The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma.

Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.

I couldn’t stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial.

She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.

I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine.

And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

Author Unknown

Please Avoid Drink Driving or Drowsy Driving

The Road Less Travelled

Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
- The Road Not Taken [Robert Frost]



Lesson: The road less travelled is always more fun with company. 

Remember: The Bible tells us " You'll never walk alone" and if you fall God will pick you up and carry you.

FEAR : Face Everything and Recover

Recently, I had a few bad nightmares. I am constantly losing sleepy, and proper rest.
This cannot continue I need to do something about it. Should I speak to someone?
It is in the middle of the night, who cares what I just dream.
I tried praying and felt back asleep, a few times I find myself continuing the dream. WTF !!! 
This is not funny, I don't normally remember most of my dream the next morning but it this felt so real.
Finally I had enough, I woke up and as I was sitting in bed (in the dark) 
I decided to write about what is disturbing me, maybe this is how God wants to me to face my fear with courage (while I am sleepy).
As easy it sounds, I started with listing a few Acronyms of the word FEAR.
The ones in bold really caught my attention hence, I got excited and proceed writing.

FEAR = Few Ever Arrive Rejoicing

FEAR = Failure Expected And Received

FEAR = False Expectations Appearing Real

FEAR = Fear Expressed Allows Relief

FEAR = Feelings Every Alcoholic Rejects

FEAR = Fighting Ego Against Reality

FEAR = Frantic Efforts to Appear Recovered

FEAR = Forget Everything and Run (polite version)

FEAR = Fuck Everything and Run! (not recommended but it's what all of us used to do)

FEAR = Face Everything and Recover! (definitely recommended)

FEAR = Forgetting Everything's All Right (not really!)

If you notice there are a few interesting words describing the feeling of fear.

Rejoice, Receive, Relief, Reality, Recover ... Face (positive)

Failure, False, Reject, Fighting, Frantic, Forget ... Run (negative)

Rejoice

I am truly glad that my life didn’t give me the people I want, it gave me the people I needed to help me, hurt me, love me, leave me and make me into the person I am meant to be today.

Receive

I am thankful I have people around who hug me and never want to let go. People I haven’t seen in months, but nothing has changed at all.

People give me more than I give to them.

People which truly understand who I am.

People in my photographs that have light shining through their eyes and genuine smile.

Those are the people that took my breath away.

Relief

I know she will be there till the very end; wiping all my tears away and being my best friend.

Recover

Sometimes all I want is to go back to the days where "Daddy" could solve everything, it didn’t matter whether I had to go to school everyday, do my homework instead of watching TV, practice piano or ballet and eating my vegetables. I only want to be a kid again.

Face

As a person, I was pretty lost. But in the past ten years, I’ve been forced to grow up. I stopped letting boys define me and I started to believe in myself and in my potential, and somewhere along the way, that lost little party girl finally grew up.

Failure

Disappointment and goodbyes makes you think. They make you realize what you have, what you've lost, and what you've taken for granted. At the end God’s love is just something we depend on when all else fails.

False

You know, you think you know someone and then, like all of a sudden, almost out of nowhere, you realize you didn’t have a clue. You start to wonder how you ever called this person your friend and what the hell you were thinking. If you're going to go through hell, I suggest you come back learning something.

Reject

It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want; and then you realize that the people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. So, you keep the memories but find yourself moving on

Fighting

The best kind of love is doing what’s best for someone else even if it hurts.

Frantic

Make your decision and don’t you dare think twice or you will regret it.

Go with your instincts along with some bad advice. So what, you learn.

Forget

I think the worst feeling, is being forgotten about, by someone you will never forget.

Run

Whether you like yourself or not, there’s someone out there that does. Someone who most likely loves you and would do anything in the world for you.

Smile cause you can, cause a smile from you can bring happiness to anyone.

Even if you hate the thought of yourself, stop thinking, cause someone most likely can’t stop thinking about you.

If you wish you were dead, don’t cause most likely there’s someone who would die without you.

If you don’t feel like trying anymore, try, cause someone most likely would move the world for you.

And when you think he will never love you back, stop thinking cause that someone is most likely him.

Reality

I think that's what I find most strange about this world; nobody ever says how they feel.
They hurt, but they don't cry out.

They're happy, but they don't dance or jump around.

And they're angry but they hardly ever scream, because they feel ashamed.

So we all walk around with our heads looking down and never look up and see how beautiful the sky is.

Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. 

In overcoming our fears we can move forward stronger and wiser within ourselves.

Another Day

Woke up early again today as usual drove to work

Surprise to find myself FIRST to reach the car park in the office building

As I am sitting at my office desk starting my day, I am thinking of you listening to this song

Don't you feel ~ Time will never stop us

Don't you feel ~ The sky has never been so kind

Do you see ~ Can you feel the way I feel today

Something more ~ Never before

Don't you feel ~ Age is just a number

Can't you see ~ There's no one else but you and me

Can't you feel ~ Every breathe you take

Everything you say will show you the way

Every single way 

I wanna stay another day

I wanna take you far away

Holding onto someone great like you

I'll take you all the way

I wanna stay another day ~ So don't you ever go away

Don't you ever give me something else

It doesn't feel the same

Oh Baby

Don't you know that every time you come my way

Don't you know it it bring out the sun stop the rain

Don't you do it ~ Don't ever look back anymore

Lyrics : Aarif

Dexter & Dee Dee

Boy genius Dexter slips away into his bedroom laboratory to solve the world's problems

 - interrupted only by bubbly ballerina, Dee Dee.

 ... loved the humor in brother-versus-sister relationship.

 "Love According to Dexter"

You should listen to how he defines relationship. We can sit down over a meal; defend, justify, debate, reason and question each other.


Good times, great memories ...

A Life Well Lived - Story of the Mexican fisherman

Good morning :) Woke up to some lovely weather...

Open my mailbox and received an interesting email from Carol

Not sure how it would help her but suddenly remembered the fisherman story 

It might get her mind off the problem and refocus on improving her performance (at home/work) or looking for the right job/person that will unleash her full potential

This short story always remind me when I lost focus in life

It makes me think what is important to me

Makes me concentrate on what matters most in my life 

Everyday we get distracted by so many issues, people and objects

If you are not happy, CHANGE !!!

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.  ~Victor Frankl

Things do not change; we change.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe things happen for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Carol,

Find true happiness and meaning in your life

Everyone is different, God knows us better than anyone, we should learn to understand ourselves

Don't follow others, Don't compare with others, Don't judge

Ask Him for direction, find your way, find yourself.

I pray you continue to look for the right answers and find your own purpose.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things (people) I cannot change, the courage to change the things (one) I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr (American theologian 1892-1971)

~ Me pressing myself hard @ work today ~

Someone asked the Dalai Lama what surprises him most. This was his response.

“Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.

Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;

the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;

He lives as if he's never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived”

S U C C E S S

It is in our human nature desire to achieve, to be successful. 
How do we measure success?

The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.
The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor."
The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"
-Author Unknown

We live in a world in which being successful is everything. Success is measured by power, popularity, control, achievement, and winning. Having more and being more is success. The businessman measured success by the accumulation of wealth and by living a plush life. He held a Harvard MBA, millions of dollars, and status as a powerful businessman. "The person with the most toys wins" is a fitting motto.

The businessman encouraged the fisherman to accumulate "toys," too. "Buy a bigger boat," then "buy several boats," and eventually buy a "fleet of fishing boats." The businessman claimed all this would lead to power and status when "you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery." As his own boss, the businessman ventured the Mexican would amass "control" and more wealth through an "expanding enterprise."

Patiently the fisherman listened and then asked an intelligent question, "how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." There’s danger in waiting to live the life that you really want to live. Like the businessman, we can easily spend forty years climbing to the top of the financial ladder only to find it is leaning against the wrong wall. We didn’t address life issues about faith, contribution, success, suffering, or love.

Possessions and wealth are not enough. While comforting, wealth cannot fulfill. Benjamin Franklin was of the opinion, "Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one." Wealth may momentarily help us to escape emptiness; it cannot cure it.

The Mexican fisherman lived in a small village, fished in a small boat, and led a simple life. His little way made, for him, a happy life. The Mexican found success in a simple life well lived. The quality of his relationships, the depth of his character, and the sincerity of his commitments to family measured his success.

The fisherman had a specific view of a life well lived. "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos." To be as specific as possible helps to succeed in living a good life. His little way made, for the Mexican fisherman, a "full and busy life."

The businessman accumulated money to support his retirement. It was wise to plan for the future. Yet, what sort of life was he living in the present? The businessman was so future-oriented he hadn’t taken sufficient time to question what the future looked like. The businessman was living for what the Mexican already enjoyed—a simple life well lived.

I’m not suggesting selling everything and moving to a small coastal Mexican village (although, personally this is an appealing idea). 

We should aspire to be successful in our careers. 

We run into trouble when the only thing we are living for is success that is self-serving.

"Some day you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are." 

The businessman discovered how poor he was when he met the Mexican fisherman.

Ralph Waldo Emerson defined success in a simple life well lived as:

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to learn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

I think the Mexican fisherman would have agreed with Emerson.

Text quoted from Shanelle Pierce, © 2005 Center for Life Principles.

Four Levels of Success

How we measure "success" reveals what we are living for.

Success means different things to different people. How we define success is significant, because it points out what we think is most important in life. Nobody goes through life trying to lose -- we are all trying to succeed (to live our lives the best possible way). The way we define success will shape our goals and our attitudes. An unhealthy culture defines success as having more and being more than others.  A healthy culture defines success as doing good for others, making a contribution to family, friends, community, and world, and growing in faith.

Success Level 1: Material

Having pleasures and possessions

The successful life is measured by the accumulation of possessions and material wealth. This level is defined as having nice things and living comfortably.

Indulging in creature comforts, food, wine, shopping, and the other Epicurean delights constitute a life well lived. "The person with the most toys wins" is a fitting motto.

If we love only for this level, we will start to think that success means having more – and end up thinking that anybody who is poor or disadvantaged cannot be successful. 

We will overlook some of the most important things in life, like family, friendship, community and faith.

Success Level 2: Ego

Being admired, powerful, a winner

Success is seen as winning, control, power, achievement and popularity.

If we lived only for this level, we will believe that success is measured by where we stand compared to everyone else.

We can get caught up in a comparison game of having more and being more than other people. We will miss opportunities to make a difference in the world and to do good for others.

Success Level 3: Contribution

Loving others and doing good in the world

The successful life is optimizing the difference we can make in the world, with our family, friends, community, work, or church. 

When we seek success in this level, working for the good of others, (quality) relationships are strengthened, (deep) character built, priorities set straight and sincerity of our commitments. We can cooperate with one another, and rejoice in the good that others accomplish.

No matter how attractive this view of success is, it has an Achilles’ heel. 

It makes us yearn for an ideal of Love, Truth, Goodness, and Beauty that we cannot produce, and that others cannot produce for us. 

It leaves us open to disappointment, frustration, dashed romanticism, and dashed idealism.

Still this level of success must be directed towards the next level of success or else it tempts us to think we can do it all ourselves, over emphasize our accomplishment and fall back into (Level 2) ego attitude, leaving behind humility, gentleness kindness and compassion.

Success Level 4: Universal

Surrendering to God

The fourth level of success counteracts these problems because it brings a universal perspective to the foreground.  If you have faith, you might call it God’s perspective.

Our contribution in making a difference stems from a commitment to grow in faith. 

Our concern is with what has ultimate, unconditional, and eternal significance—God and His will. 

This is only possible with God’s grace to lead us to where we cannot go ourselves.

This level clearly lets us understand that God intends good for the whole world, and that He’s the only one who can follow through on that promise. Our success comes from following Him. The more we surrender to Him, the more successful we are. Even when we fail, we trust He is able to make good come out of it.

The above summarises the four level of success in the book, Healing the Culture: A Commonsense Philosophy of Happiness, Freedom, and the Life Issues (by Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D.) To read more and download other resources, visit www.healingtheculture.com or www.lifeprinciples.net

When Extraordinary Things Happen to Ordinary People

"Walking home with his eyes half-closed one evening after a hard day's work, he was dreaming of what he could do if he were rich. As he walked his foot struck against a leather pouch filled with what seemed to him to be small stones. Absentmindedly he picked up the pouch and began throwing the pebbles into the water. "When I am a rich man," he said to himself, "I'll have a large house". And he threw another pebble into the river. He threw another one and thought, "My wife and I will have servants and rich food, and many fine things". And this went on until just one stone was left. As he held it in his hand, a ray of light caught it and made it sparkle. He then realised that is was a valuable gem. He had been throwing away the real riches in his hand, while he dream of unreal riches in the future." 

This story summarises the situation of many Christians. We have been given everything we need or could want, it has been placed in our hands, and we have been invited to enjoy it. But for some reason we do not look into our hands, we do not take what God has given us, and actually use it. Instead we dream of the day when we will be richly blessed, we dream of the day when the joy of the banquet will be ours.


Sometimes I sit in front of my laptop pondering how do I come across so many meaningful stories at the right moment. Some people I know can go days without typing a word. Some can't find inspiration no matter how hard they try. I tell you this, God greatest desire is for us to see a clear picture of Him. Even if you do not believe in the Bible, he will make you see Him clearly, find His love irresistible in so many ways; songs, stories or a simple conversation.


Sometimes His voice speaks through the scriptures, such as those of David and Goliath, Ruth and Boaz etc. Some of these stories teach us how to handle the troubles we face each day. Others fill us with hope and peace. Each of them is like a personal letter from God to you. If you find the short stories I share touching, pick up the Bible and flip through a few pages. I don't expect you to read it all and understand it immediately, but I strongly believe there will be a passage in there that will speak to you. Trust me when I say this book has always been His voice talking personally to anyone who is willing to read and hear. Do not fear, open your mind and listen to God's practical advice and encouragement through the parables, promises and warnings. Practise applying it in our lives today.


Today Pastor presented a great sermon on Mark 2:1-12 Jesus Heals Spiritual Paralysis. To summarise everything Gods looking for people bringing, crowd pushing, wall climbing, roof trashing, party crashing, attention grabbing, miracle demanding believers!


I went home and it got me thinking on the extraordinary things that God had made it happen to my life. I should probably start writing down a list of stuff I am thankful for, I may run out of paper or ink.


People I came across in life always said that I am very special person, an incredible friend, there is something different about me. But as I climb into bed every night saying my prayers I know I am just an average person living an ordinary life. Because I have so much faith, I wake up in the morning with an extraordinary mindset. Success  and happiness comes from the inside out. You must know by now that the inside can be shaped from the outside. External collaboration derives from an internal motivation. Success is a state of mind. An inner game where the only way you can become extraordinary is to allow your mind to be elevated by others.


Just remember this ...


God loves us even when we choose to reject His love. In those times He allows us to walk away into the life of our own choices. Yet He is still there, always ready to redeem us from the results of our decisions.


Jesus is the one who never changes in a universe that always does. Jesus is Creator, Sustainer, Saviour, Friend, God's Son, and God Himself!


Eternal life, peace, purpose, forgiveness, transforming grace, hope: Everything He promises is ours, because He's offering it and He's shown we can trust Him to do exactly as He promises. Accept His gifts, and you immediately become an active part of His family, and He joyfully becomes part of yours.