My Filing Cabinet

Learning about self-improvement from dog psychology

Phoebe — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:46:59 +0000

I came across this wonderful conversation between Cesar Millan and Eckhart Tolle.

Eckhart Tolle was interviewing Cesar Millan about dog psychology and behaviour and commented that Cesar’s approach and philosophy towards dogs are quite applicable to humans.

Cesar Millan said that the sequence of his interaction with dogs starts with gaining trust, followed by respect, then loyalty and lastly, love or showing affection.

The ultimate goal is love. Yet, the first thing to work on is trust and respect which can sometimes seems unloving.

I find that with human interactions, it is often easier to do things to please people instead of gaining trust and respect. Of course sometimes these would overlap but there are times when it is important to point out the unpleasant in order to prevent a disaster or failure.

Here is the interview:

The Adventure of the Clapham Cook

Phoebe — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:39:06 +0000

The Adventure of the Clapham Cook is the first episode of the first series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

Poirot solves the mystery of a missing cook and her connection with a missing bank clerk and 50,000 pounds stolen from the bank.

A middle-aged cook, Eliza Dunn, left her employment quite suddenly and without giving notice. The next day, she sent for her trunk which was already packed. Her employer, Mrs Todd, was puzzled and angry and asked Poirot to find her. Struck by the incongruence of the suddenness of the departure yet the pre-meditation of the packed trunk, Poirot decided to get to the bottom of this puzzle.

He advertised in the newspapers enquiring the whereabouts of the cook and received a reply a few days later. In the meantime, Poirot interviewed the people in the Todd’s household including Mrs Todd, the maid and a paying guest, Mr Simpson.

Poirot spoke to Eliza and found out that she was visited by a lawyer who told her she had inherited a house in Carlisle in the north but the inheritance has a condition that the beneficiary must not be a domestic help. Since she is a cook, she would be disqualified. Seeing her disappointment, the lawyer decided to help her. He told her that he will pretend that he met her only after she had already left service that morning. He urged her to travel to Carlisle immediately to collect her inheritance and promised to help her inform her employer and send her things to her. She received her belongings but they were wrapped in brown paper packages and not in her trunk.

At this point, it was quite obvious that the trunk was quite significant. Find out why.

Prefer reading the story? Unfortunately, full text of the story is not available online.

The story is collected in Poirot’s Early Cases and this comes in various editions:

Kindle Edition. Read on the go on your trusted Kindle.
Print Edition. For the lovers of print.
Audio Edition. Listen to a mystery while driving the car or riding on the train.

Knitting pattern for a garter stitch on a bias bag

Phoebe — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:24:23 +0000

I got up close and personal with the garter stitch when I was working on the garter stitch square bag. I like the thickness it produces and how it doesn’t curl like the stockinette stitch.

I used it again recently on a handbag using 4 ply sock yarn.

I discovered that the edging of the garter stitch is great for picking up stitches evenly as the rows are made easily recognizable by the ridges.

Unfortunately, a traditional garter stitch only yield 2 sides with ridges. I wondered whether it is possible to create a bag body where all 4 sides have garter ridges.

The answer is yes. Knit the garter stitch on a bias. The result of my experiment is this garter stitch on a bias bag:

I promised to write up the pattern at my Ravelry project page so here it is.

Knitting pattern for a garter stitch on a bias bag

Materials
4 ply sock yarn about 400-450 yards in length
2 small ring handles
Fabric for bag lining
Circular knitting needles – US2 or 2.75mm

The weight of the yarn and size of the needles stated here are what I use for the bag above. They are not carved in stone. You can use any weight yarn and appropriately sized needles to achieve the gauge you want for your bag. I personally like a tight gauge for bags so that they look and feel sturdy.

Garter stitch
Garter stitch is achieved by knitting every row.

Body of the bag
The body is a knitted square casting on from one of the 4 corners.

Cast on 1 stitch.
Row 1: Knit the cast on stitch.
Row 2: knit 3 stitches into that 1 stitch. This is called the Center Double Increase and here is a video showing how it is done.

Row 3: Knit all 3 stitches
Row 4: Knit all and increase 1 stitch at beginning and end of the row. The video above show you how to do 2 increases in 1 stitch, to do only 1 increase, do not do the pick up stitch bit.

You should have 5 stitches on your needles now.

Row 5: Knit all
Row 6: Knit all and increase 1 stitch at beginning and end of the row.

Repeat row 5 and 6 until you have reached the desired size or length of the bag you want. Or slightly less than 50% of the yarn you have. In my case, I used up 200 yards of yarn.

Your knitting should look something like the picture above when you get to midway. A nice triangle.

To make the rest of the body, start decreasing 2 stitches on alternate rows.

Row 1: Knit all
Row 2: Knit all and decrease 1 stitch at beginning and end of the row.

Repeat these 2 rows until you have only 3 stitches left on your needles. Knit the 3 stitches. Turn the work and slip 1 stitch, knit 2 together and pass first stitch over. Cut the yarn and pull it through the loop.

Lining
Line the bag with any fabric you fancy, leaving the edge of the knitted piece for picking up stitches later.

Flaps for bag handles

Pick up stitches from between the garter stitch ridges with the right side facing you (the side without the lining). 1 stitch for each ridge for the entire side.

Row 1: Knit all picked stitches
Row 2: Knit 2 together for the entire row
Row 3: Knit all
Row 4: Knit all
Row 5: Knit all
Row 6: Knit all
Row 7: Knit all
Row 8: Knit all

Flap fold
Row 9: Knit all
Row 10: Purl all
Row 11: Knit all
Row 12: Purl all
Row 13: Knit all

Row 14: Knit all
Row 15: Knit all
Row 16: Knit all
Row 17: Knit all
Row 18: Knit all
Row 19: Knit all
Row 20: *(Knit 1, increase 1), repeat * for entire row
Row 21: Knit all
Bind off

Repeat the whole set of instructions for the opposite side of the bag.

You should end up with 2 flaps that have a fold in the middle folding down over the lined side.

Securing the handles
Place a ring handle on the fold and fold the flap over the ring handle and secure the flap to the bag with some tacking pins. Sew the end of the flap securely to the bag using waste yarn and a sewing needle.
Do the same for the other flap.

Opening of the bag
Pick up stitches starting from the edge of one handle flap to the other flap.
Knit 1 row across. Knit 2 together for next row. Bind off

Repeat for the other side.

Weave in all the ends and your bag is ready for use.

I am sorry I didn’t have pictures of the bag flap and how to pick stitches. I have plans to knit another one using a worst weight yarn. Perhaps I will have pictures of it to add here.

Lyrics for Oh Mighty Cross

Phoebe — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:46:19 +0000

This is the Lyrics for Oh Mighty Cross.

This song never fails to slow me down and worship Abba God.

The words focuses squarely on Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He had to make to give me abundant and overflowing life, undeserving grace and shalom peace.

The song sang of the Lord of life who is raised up on the cross to die. That He knew no sin but took all of mine. That He is so pure yet endured the shame that my impurity caused. The scourging He suffered bought me the peace I can’t get myself.

The cross is mighty indeed. He took my place so that I can take His. And now, as He is, so am I in this world.

The lyrics and music are written by David Baroni and John Chisum.

Click the play sign O Mighty Cross to listen to the song and follow the lyrics.

May it minister life to your soul.

O mighty cross
Love lifted high
The Lord of life
Raise there to die
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me

O mighty cross
What throne of grace
He knew no sin yet took my place
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me

O mighty cross
Oh Christ so pure
Love held him there such shame endured
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me

O mighty cross
My soul’s release
The stripes He bore has brought me peace
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me

Oh mighty cross x3
A tree of life to me

Oh mighty cross!

Click this play sign O Mighty Cross for an instrumental version.

9 fruits of the Spirit

Phoebe — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:00:58 +0000

The 9 fruits of the Spirit is:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control

This list originates from Galatians 5:22-23. The actual verse reads,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Singular Form

Notice the use of the singular form for the word “fruit”. 9 items are listed but they are considered one fruit of the Holy Spirit? Does it matter? If it doesn’t, why did the bible not use the plural form?

I think it does matter. Think about what it means if all 9 attributes belong to a single fruit. Wouldn’t it mean that if you are bearing the fruit of the Spirit, you would have all the attributes? Not just one or the other? I don’t think it means that we have to exhibit all the attributes all the time but they come as a whole package. You can’t accept one without the other.

Function of fruit

Wikipedia defines fruit broadly as “a structure of a plant that contains its seeds“. A fruit is therefore the means by plants disseminate seeds and propulgate themselves. So, the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit is not for our own benefit. They are not our report card for righteous living. It is the means in which Abba God’s good news can be spread far and wide.

Protect the soul and prosper

Phoebe — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:06:47 +0000

This post contains notes I took for Pastor Prince’s sermon preached on 27 November 2011 about how to protect the soul and prosper.

I am a spirit man who have a soul and live in a body. Before I knew Christ, my spirit is dead. When I accepted Him as Saviour, my spirit is born again. It is now righteous and the devil cannot touch it. Jesus has won that from him.

That leaves the soul and the body. 3 John 1:2 says that as my soul prosper, I will prosper and be in good health. Prosperity of my soul brings prosperity to my body. Because of this, the devil attacks my soul or mind so that I may not be well physically. That is the only area that he can attack now for Abba God gave me free will which means this area is under me. How do I counter the devil’s attacks and attempts to rob me of my blessings in Christ?

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB says,
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”

1. The obedience of Christ
I used to think that obedience of Christ in this verse is for us to emulate. I win spiritual warfare by being obedient like Christ. I didn’t know that I was setting myself up for failure. For fail I did. I tried and tried and came to a point of realization that I can never be like Jesus. Romans 5:19 defines what the obedience of Christ is. It is Christ’s obedience to God. The key point is that by His obedience I am made righteous. Nothing I do to obey God can save me and nothing I do to disobey God can disqualify me. It is a gift, freely given, paid by the blood of Christ.

Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ means reminding myself of Christ’s obedience to God’s purpose of saving me by grace and faith alone. Romans 10:2-4 talks about how my effort to achieve righteousness frustrates God’s gift of righteousness.

2. I am God’s beloved

2 Corinthians 11:2 NASB says,
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Focusing on the person and work of Christ is simple and pure but the devil doesn’t just throw up his hands and give up. He continues to try to deceive me through subtle and crafty schemes; distracting my mind from focusing totally on Christ. When tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus countered by saying that man does not live by bread alone by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:1-4). What is every word that proceeds from the mouth of God? This isn’t words in the bible but words that God spoke. Incidentally, the verse immediately before Matthew 4:1 in Matthew 3:17 recorded the spoken word of God:

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

I believe that Jesus countered the devil’s temptation with it. In the same way, I believe that by focusing on the truth that I am God’s beloved and that in me He is well pleased, I can counter the devil. Love evokes strong emotions. This connects with the truth of Christ’s obedience to create a strong helmet of salvation.

3. As He is, so also are we in this world
On what ground can I say that I am God’s beloved? Jesus is, no doubt about it. But me? Christ’s obedience has won me salvation and righteousness but belovedness?

1 John 4:17 NASB says,
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”

As Jesus is in Heaven, so am I in this world. Whatever He has in Heaven, I have in this world. The blessings of God for me is for now and the present. Not in the past nor in the future.

In conclusion, I am persuaded that to protect my soul and prosper, I must focus on Jesus as the one who was obedient to God on my behalf, focus on God’s great love for me and remember that Jesus is my champion. Every battle He won, I won.

Prayer: Thank you Abba God for simple and pure protection. I know I shall grow, prosper and be evergreen.

The importance of the church

Phoebe — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:44:20 +0000

Why is the church important?

Psalms 65:4
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

The key phrase is “goodness of thy house”. A house is not made out of an individual but of a congregation. The temple too, isn’t for a single person. It is in the congregation that we shall be satisfied with his goodness.

Ephesians 1:22-23
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

God places all things under Jesus’ feet. Yes, he gave authority to Jesus but the main thing is that by doing that, his body, the church benefit. His fullness fills all.

Pastor Prince said that whatever we do is spiritual. The church is not surrounding the world, it is not peripheral to the world although it may look and seem so. In fact, the world surrounds the church. So we shall do everything for the benefit of the church.

Matthew 18:19-20
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

What constitute a church? How many shall there be? The smallest church is made up of 2 people. The fullness of Christ is found in the church. Pray and agree together and it shall be done. Supplies flow when believers gather, and especially so when we talk and think about Jesus.

If God’s eye is on the church, then it make sense that when I serve the church, I amd flowing and in harmony with God and his plans and purposes. When I serve for the benefit of the Lord and the church, my eyes are unto the Lord. Whatever I lose for the sake of the church, He shall restore. For He promised:

Matthew 28:20
Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

See how God supply the needs of the Israelites in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 8:4
4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

Ezekiel 16:10
10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Their clothes didn’t worn out. Their feet never swell from all the walking. When God built the tabernacle, the people gave from their belongings. Pastor Prince surmised that the Israelites gave their shoes made of badgers’ skins for the outer covering of the Tent of the Tabernacle and God made sure that their feet never hurt. The bronze of the laver which holds the water that worshippers use to cleanse themselves, came from the bronze mirrors of the women. The mirrors are the women’s tools of making themselves attractive. These are items close to their hearts. Yet, without them, their population still increased .

Deuteronomy 2:7
7 For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

Finally, God is now here. That’s the answer to our needs. Don’t see the church the way the world sees it. They don’t see the gold and splendor inside the Tabernacle. The 12 loaves on the Table of Showbread was in the presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle for a week. Eaten by the priests and one small piece is sufficient. There is no source of nourishment in the world. Jesus is our true nourishment.

Look at Jesus and Jesus will face off the enemies.

Jesus in the midst of the church is powerful.