A pEnNy FoR mY tHoTs......

Love..

2011-02-14T00:17:00.002+08:00

你见，或者不见我
~仓央嘉措~

你见，或者不见我
我就在那里
不悲不喜

你念，或者不念我
情就在那里
不来不去

你爱，或者不爱我
爱就在那里
不增不减

你跟，或者不跟我
我的手就在你手里
不舍不弃

来我的怀里
或者
让我住进你的心里
默然相爱
寂静欢喜

you see, or don't see me
i will still be there
neither sad nor happy

you miss, or don't miss me
affection will still be there
neither moving away or drawing nearer

you love, or don't love me
love will still be there
neither increasing nor reducing

you follow, or don't follow me
my hands will still be in your hands
neither leaving nor abandoning

you come to my side
or
allowing me to move into your heart
silently in love
quietly rejoicing

a very nice poem that i've heard in a movie.. so beautiful, so much love and yet so sad.. just hope to share it with each of you.. the english version below is my translation, i hope i have capture the essence of the poem in it.. Enjoy!!

Love,
Naomi

2 years...

2010-08-31T12:09:00.001+08:00

it's been 2 years..

a milestone to blog about..

how long more will it last?

we shall see..

Love,
Naomi

how much do you think you are worth?

2010-08-24T16:15:00.006+08:00

What's your worth?

there are people who thinks they are worth the world bowing their knees to them

there are people who thinks they are worth nothing more than a piece of thrash

there are people who has a healthy understanding of their worth

so which category do you belong to?

an article on my paper which i've read today reminded me that we are all special in our own ways.. where a test that a well-known speaker did at a seminar.. he asked if anyone wants the $500 note in his hands and many raised their hands.. then he crushed the note and asked again.. still there were people who raised their hands.. then he threw the note on the floor and stepped hard on it.. he then asked again and still there were people who raised up their hands.. he wanted to demostrate that no matter what he did to the money, people still wanted the note for it did not decrease the value of the note.. it is still worth $500.. in the same way, no matter how crushed or battered we are, we do not lose our original value..

in the same way, our worth doesn't depend on others or on our past experiences or even how we are treated.. God's the one who give us our worth.. and He says that we are worthy of Him to send His One and Only Son to die on the cross for our sins.. that's how much each of us are worth..

"¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

~John 3:16~

don't think too highly of yourself - for you are a sinner

don't think too lowly of yourself - for you are worth God to send Jesus to die for you

have a healthy self-worth of yourself

so how much do you think you are worth now?

Love,
Naomi

inception...

2010-07-22T01:25:00.003+08:00

thoughts and interpretations about inception:

1) guilt is so powerful that it can almost destroy a person's life
2) but as long as you chooses to deal with the guilt and let go, you can have a new life again
3) people instill ideas into us every day of our lives subconsciously that we slowly believe that it is real and these ideas can either make or break us
4) sometimes we are so deep in our own world that we need the 'kicks' to bring us back to reality
5) it is easier for our subconscious minds to believe in something that we hope to see in the reality
6) you will tend to let your guard down when you think you are seeing what you hope to happen
7) defense is needed in dealing with the negative thoughts but careful when it starts to attack the positive ones

haha.. don't know if i think too much but these are the things that i have gotten out of the show.. and i think it is so real in our lives..

great show.. genius director.. brilliant lead actor..

Love,
Naomi

i need You more...

2010-06-29T22:15:00.008+08:00

I need You more
Bethel Live

I need You more
More than yesterday
I need You Lord
More than words can say
I need You more
Than ever before
I need You Lord
I need You Lord

More than the air I breathe
More than the song I sing
More than the next heartbeat
More than anything
And Lord as time goes by
I'll be by Your side
Cause I never want to go back
To my old life

We give You the highest praise
We give You the highest praise
We give You the highest praise

anyone who have experience God's love so deeply for himself/herself.. will never want to go back to their old life.. a life without Him.. and the more you dwell in His presence.. the more you want of Him.. more than anything.. i am just one such person.. hope you will one day know what i mean..

I need You more than anything...

Love,
Naomi

marathon...

2010-06-28T22:25:00.003+08:00

21 km marathon
- a physical challenge-

marathon with God
- a spiritual challenge-

end result?
hope it is
- a worthy finisher-

^"24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27~

Challenges worth taking on...

Love,
Naomi

untying knots...

2010-06-17T23:15:00.003+08:00

have you ever wonder why no matter how hard you try to do something for example be more loving or more forgiving.. you can never really do it consistently.. and no matter how hard you pray to be more loving or forgiving.. you still can't do it..

i believe it is about untying the knots of your past and in your heart.. i know looking into the darkness within us is scary.. but it can never be as scary as a black hole that has no end to it.. the mess within us has an end which is the root of it.. we just need to dig it out and deal with it together with God.. allowing healing to take place.. the rest of the things will eventually fall into place.. if we never want to face the darkness and mess within us.. we will never be able to receive true healing.. then no matter how hard we try or even pray.. it will all be futile..

so when something happens that make you feel upset, angry or any other kinds of negative emotions.. the first thing you should do is to look inside yourself.. for what happened might have hit a 'sweet spot' of yours.. triggering the negative emotions and negative reactions..

release yourself and the people around you.. deal with your inner darkness and allow God to help you untie the knots.. to be free of bondage.. becoming the person God has created you to be..

looking inside & untie the knots.. Jia You!!!

Love,
Naomi

I sing praises to Your Name...

2010-06-01T16:28:00.018+08:00

I sing praises to Your Name

Terry MacAlmon

I sing praises to Your Name

Oh Lord

Praises to Your Name

Oh Lord

For Your Name is great

And greatly to be praise

I give glory to Your Name

Oh Lord

Glory to Your Name

Oh Lord

We give worship to Your Name

Oh Lord

Worship to Your Name

Oh Lord

A song that has been lingering in my mind since the first day of Hope ID2010 Conference.. i believe God is telling me to look to Him and Him alone.. giving all i am to Him..

I sing praises to Your Name..

Love,

Naomi

sitting at the feet of Jesus...

2010-05-31T08:52:00.002+08:00

sitting at the feet of Jesus,

wait upon Him

to hear what He has to say..

the prophesy that has been given to me.. to sit at the feet of Jesus.. what a simple phrase but what a powerful truth..

i have the tendency of rushing all around.. wanting to get a lot of things done.. yet i forget that without Him, everything becomes meaningless.. and much less could have been accomplished despite of the great amount of efforts put in..

sometimes the most appropriate thing to do is just to sit at His feet to seek Him.. and everything else will just fall into place.. as He gives to you what you need..

let's not trade God's presence and our relationship with Him for anything else in life.. for nothing will fill the hole in our hearts like He does.. and nothing can measure up to His love for us and faithfulness to us..

no one could compare to Him...

Love,
Naomi

painful but necessary...

2010-05-30T00:41:00.002+08:00

God need to deal with your dirty laundries before you can see growth...

it is gonna be painful but it is necessary..

for I want to see a breakthrough..

to bear fruits of repentance and of the Holy Spirit..

I am fearful of what is to come but I want to trust that I would emerge victorious with God as I persevere on in His molding..

Jia you, Naomi!!!

Love,
Naomi

改变。。。

2010-05-18T21:17:00.002+08:00

改变自己，改变世界。。

change yourself, change the world..

改变须从自己开始。。

change needs to start from oneself..

就像那个把岸上一只一只的海星丢进海里的小男孩。。

just like the little boy who is throwing the starfishes on the shore back into the sea one by one..

因为他相信能救一只是一只。。

because he wants to save as many as he can..

感谢主，他有想要以自己的力量为这个世界敬一份力。。

thank God for him wanting to make a difference..

相信你自己也能为这世界敬一份力。。

believe that you can make a difference to the world..

从这一分钟开始，从自己开始。。

from this moment on, starting from yourself..

改变自己。。 change yourself..

Love,
Naomi

2 thoughts...

2010-05-05T09:58:00.011+08:00

a mini 'debate' with my colleagues surfaced 2 thoughts in me..

1) Is it really rational to side your good friends?

2) It isn't about what people tell you sometimes.. but rather it is about what do you want in a thing sometimes and are you willing to accept the shortcomings of that thing.. as nothing is perfect in this world.. in the same way, it is applicable to other areas of our lives..

one thing is for sure.. you have to make the decision in the things in your own life.. even choosing not to choose is also a decision made.. listening to what your friends have to say can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time..

so what is the good part of it?
- able to get some information that you may need to make an informed decision
- can give you a perspective of things that you might not have think before
- if this friend is your mentor, he/she can definitely help you understand better of yourself and the situation before making the decision

here comes the bad part
- you can get swayed to make a decision that you think is good for you because your friend is very convincing
- you will always run to people when you need to make a decision as you might think they can make a better decision than you

if you are asking friends for opinions so that you can see the blind spots that you have towards making the decision then definitely it is a must to do so.. we would surely need the opinions of others to help us to make a informed choice.. BUT.. we need to weigh the cost ourselves and then make the decision for we will be the one ultimately paying the price and bearing the consequences.. we need to know how much are we willing to take on so that when difficult times come.. we would not stumble and fall so easily..

definitely, God has to be in the picture as you make the decision.. for He is the One that will help you achieve what you want to achieve as long as it is according to His will..

we all have to carry our own cross daily.. and making decisions is a part and parcel of that..

Weigh the cost and make your own decision..

Love,
Naomi

words from my calendar..

2010-04-21T09:44:00.004+08:00

The thing about God's power is that we have to wait on Him for it.
We don't just throw it on like a light switch.
We don't control it. He does.
It's His power, and He dispenses it at will. He wants us to wait on Him for it.
But the problem is, we don't like waiting.
We want what we want when we want it.

it is indeed so true.. we sometimes pray to God asking to get what we want as if God is a genie who is at our dispense.. as if we own God.. forgetting that it is the opposite.. we are God's..

if we get what we want whenever we ask for it then we would never appreciate God and also not grow in our faith.. we ought to slow down and learn to be patient.. that we may be able make sense of the happenings in our lives.. not to dash through life and wasting it..

remember that God don't owe us anything to be at our dispense.. He blesses us because He loves us.. that's something we should never take for granted.. remembering also that we actually owe Him a big time for the things that He has done for us.. giving us the greatest gift of life for us to be reconciled with Him..

He blesses us because He loves us..

Love,
Naomi

a verse that resounded in my heart...

2010-04-20T00:02:00.010+08:00

^"34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." "

~Luke 23:34a~

The verse above has been resounding in my heart since the day pastor jeff discussed about it during the Easter combine service.. bringing a fresh perspective on this verse..

Jesus was asking God to forgive the people not because of what they were doing to Him but rather because they do not know that they are hurting themselves and God as they act in accordance to their sinful nature..

this fresh understanding brought me to think about the negative thoughts that i have towards people in general.. coming to a realization that they are hurt that's why they behave in a certain manner and in doing so they continue to bring more hurt to themselves unknowingly.. to them, it might be a defense mechanism that has become a second nature to them which might the reason why they never think about the need to change.. that's why they are in need of God's forgiveness to release them from this vicious cycle.. together with our understanding and love towards them..

likewise if i allow the negative thoughts that i have to affect me.. i am also hurting myself, God and the people around me.. thus, the verse together with the new perspective are helping me to better capture my negative thoughts and replacing them with the truth.. aiding me in changing my thought pattern..

i wouldn't say that this is good enough but it will one day be good enough when i continue to allow God to help me build upon and strengthen it.. i am also praying for God to pardon the people around me including myself for we do not know what we are doing..

Transforming power of the Word of God..

Love,
Naomi

a wanted list...

2010-04-15T13:15:00.004+08:00

A wanted list

new mobile phone
make a new pair of spectacles or contact lens
go Taiwan for holiday
go South Korea for short term mission
go Batam for spa
go backpacking in Europe
take a break and have a kit-kat (figuratively)
a good watch & a good wallet
more clothes and shoes
a breakthrough
get married and live happily ever after
for the people I love to come to know the Lord and for them to be happy

and the list goes on... lol...

Hoping for all to be fulfilled...

Love,
Naomi

pushing yourself...

2010-04-13T00:24:00.001+08:00

We push ourselves because we have to
not because we like it..
Meredith
Grey's Anatomy

Love,
Naomi

it's Your Love...

2010-04-05T16:00:00.007+08:00

It's Your Love

Hillsongs

Upon the hill on Calvary

He came from Heaven’s throne

Our fallenness and mercy meet

Where blood and water flow

What grace divine what selflessness

That Christ would bear the weight

Our proof is scarred on hands that bled

That we were worth every nail

And all the praise and glory to God

We sing Hallelujah sing Hallelujah

For the King has carried the cross

He is risen from the grave

Beyond the tomb to holy skies

He rose in victory

And bridged for us the great divide

His life is our liberty

It’s Your love

That has saved me

It’s Your blood

That has cleaned me

Oh-Oh Woah Woah

It's Your Love that has saved me...

Love,

Naomi

some meaningful things to share...

2010-03-22T17:04:00.001+08:00

Knowledge is learning what God has said and done.
Perspective is understanding why God said it or did it.

God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain.

Love,
Naomi

To Ms Yu...

2010-03-15T14:36:00.009+08:00

she......

- is known as Queen Yan..

- is 1.7m tall with a coiled spine.. lol..

- likes to roll her eyes..

- knows what she wants in life..

- says she is smart.. :P

- is super talkative..
- can be heard before she is seen..
- loves kids..
- can't do without her eyeliner..
- thinks she got big eyes..

to me...

she is someone who didn't like me initially but have came a long way to become friends who care and trust one another.. i thank God for the breakthrough in our relationship, for her relationship with God and bringing her thus far.. her growth in the Lord has been encouraging and make me feel that investing in someone's life is really very worthwhile..

thank her......

for letting me into her life and speaking the truth in love to her.. for her honesty with her feelings and struggles with me.. for persevering despite of difficulties at times.. for wanting to give her best in whatever she does..

i hope.....

she will continue to grow out in her salvation and become the kind of person God has created her to be.. she will stay true to herself.. she will be happy.. she will learn to be a more courageous person..

lastly, a verse for her..

^"3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun"

Happy Birthday Ms Yu!!!!

Love,

Naomi

not really...

2010-03-09T00:14:00.004+08:00

Not all miracles are proof of God’s approval
^"24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. ²⁵See, I have told you ahead of time."

God’s permission is not necessarily his desire

^"12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything."

Things might happen because they are expressions or consequences of human sin
for example : divorce, crimes, etc

God is sovereign...

Love,
Naomi

interesting analogy...

2010-03-08T10:19:00.004+08:00

Character

People are like tea bags. You need to put them into hot water to know how strong they are.

think this analogy is so true.. it is indeed only when we go through difficult times that we will know and see how strong we are and at the same time see our weaknesses being magnified.. difficult times are testing times.. times that we go through refining to become more and more like Him.. just like a sliver refiner would know that the silverware is ready when his reflection can be seen on the silverware that he is refining.. the refining process is painful yet it is something necessary for us to fulfill our potential.. so let us not resist refining but allowing God's joy to be our strength to go through it..

jia you everyone who are going through refining.. becoming man and woman of Godly character..

Jia you!!

Love,
Naomi

i simply live for You..

2010-02-28T21:45:00.003+08:00

I simply live for You
Hillsongs

Say the word and I will sing for You
Over oceans deep, I will follow
If each star was a song
And every breath of wind, praise
It would still fail by far to say
All my heart contains
I simply live, I simply live for You

As the glory of Your presence
Now fills this place
In worship, we will meet You face to face
There is nothing in this world
To which You can be compared
Glory on glory, praise upon praise

You bind the broken hearted
And save all my tears
By Your word, You set the captives free
There is nothing in this world
That You cannot do
I simply live, I simply live for You

Just want to live for You..

Love,
Naomi

what exactly is it about?

2010-02-25T03:22:00.004+08:00

we all hope and want to get things done
we all want to get our points across

but

do we consider that there can be a win-win situation?

that's when we know how loving we are..

it isn't exactly about the way to communicate

but

about the heart in communicating..

cos love makes everything possible..

Communicating with love...

Love,
Naomi

thank God!!

2010-02-23T21:30:00.004+08:00

thank God...

1) i've gotten a job.. a job that pays well and gives me a good prospects.. He never short changes me and He indeed knows what is best..

2) for His providence that always amazes me..

3) for His guidance in my life.. and He never fail to drop me a reminder when i needed one, whether is it through His words or people..

4) for His protection over my family..

5) for His healing during times when i was sick or in pain..

finally..

i want to thank You for loving me..

millions of thanks to God..

Love,
Naomi

here in my life...

2010-02-18T22:42:00.003+08:00

Here in my life
Hillsongs

I have never walked on water
Felt the waves beneath my feet
But at Your word Lord
I'll receive Your faith to walk on oceans deep
And I remember how You found me
In that very same place
All my failings surely would have drowned me
Still You made a way

You are my freedom
Jesus You're the reason
I'm kneeling again at Your throne
Where would I be without You
Here in my life
Here in my life

You have said that all the heavens
Sing for joy at one who finds the
Way to freedom truth of Jesus
Brought from death into this life
And I remember how You saw me
Through the eyes of Your grace
And though the price was Your beloved for me
Still You made a way

Because of You, i'm changed forever...

Love,
Naomi