WOW Worship

plonked myself face-down on my mattress in the wee hours of the morning. what a run. wow. simply amazing. and like an athlete completing the final leg of the race, i stepped over the finishing line, and found myself in the soothing dream-world of the after-hours. how surreal, thinking back now, and many memories that can never be erased. woke up to reminiscence this morning, and the bittersweet scent of good ol' coffee...

DAY 1 -欢迎，欢迎，热烈欢迎！

a cold wind swept across our faces. we thought it was going to be hot. we were told it was going to be hot. hot like a wok. hot like Singapore. but it was 18 degrees centigrade that afternoon we arrived. after a grueling 5 hours in transit, we were slapped awake by that frosty wind. not to say we didn't enjoy it - Singaporeans always enjoy a cool breeze - we just didn't expect it.

half-shut eyes. i recall ending a late night farewell call and heading down to Changi Aiport at some unearthly hour. picking up a Jollibean (oh so jolly) and celebrating Alexander (the Great's) birthday. meeting up with familiar faces from those headed for Kunming, an air of warmth in the air - oh yes i recall giving Lua a nice big hug. our A div' had lost both Rugby and Tennis that day, but but, there was still a sense of happiness yes! like there always is!

so a China Eastern flight followed. and this leads us to the lovely bus ride up and down the Chongqing mountainside. yes. Chongqing, the land of mountains and valleys. of mist that shroud the hidden peaks and create an air of unsolved mystery. We slept away the bus ride, of course i frantically tried to cram in a few more card trick maneuvers but my brain wasn't working very well (perhaps it was the cold. it must have been). Our lovely tour guide introduced herself - Jasmine - the English wasn't perfect but we loved your company still!

and i talked to Alex about balloons - yes i heard 5.7's marvelous plans to doodle on balloons - so i suggested getting some balloons from China. somehow.

and there they were. as we entered. ironically. clapping with a balloon in each hand. we climbed up those steps lined with multicolored balloons, psychedelic, and the air was filled with the incessant chanting of "欢迎，欢迎，热烈欢迎!"...

a part of my heart sank. i wondered. who was being served. us or them?
and why. why had they put so much effort in for us?

there was a short introduction. Class chairman Daniel gave a (not bad for ACSian) introduction in Mandarin. yes and on that point. i shall speak a little on the language in that area

they spoke Chinese - like all Chinese people. and something struck me. that it was not for no reason that we were Singaporean. and bilingual for that matter. people like Evelyn and Hadi struggled, but most of us, we had attained a certain standard of Chinese over the years - and finally we could put it to use. The trip reminded me of Thailand, of Khon Kaen, except, now, I was able to communicate with every person effectively. and there was a reason behind it. from the first day. there was a reason behind it.

not much left. we returned to Tian Ti hotel. people had a time in the sulfurous hot spring. John Tay and I were faithful room mates. Benlee's guitar was safely tucked in a closet in the room. oh yes. the guitar - the 'A' string broke on the plane, and finally i found some use for the simple reef knot, and by God's grace, the guitar was repaired. yippee!

Devotions that night. it was short. it was small. the girls weren't allowed in by Madam's instruction. but i guess. it was a start. of many things to come.

DAY 2 - First Contact

the China flag was raised as the children stood at attention, eyes fixed on the red and yellow colors that were being propped upon a pole, some donned red scarfs as they placed their hands in a respectful salute. it was quiet. and solemn. but for a moment. soon, announcements were made, and we were off to our respective classes. my group - Mervyn, Alex, John, Benlee, Sankaran and I went off to the Grade 9 class with a stout man named Mr Hu.

a program had been prepared, aimed mostly at cross-cultural interaction. a round of introductions, there were so many Chinese names i couldn't catch. but i tried to introduce myself confidently - and even Sankaran yes. even Sankaran (who was suspected of being African) introduced himself in beautiful Chinese haha.

and the teacher. oh my. Mr Hu was smoking in class. in front of all the students. i felt quite sad. but i guess that's the way the village life is...):

silence ensued. i guess there's always this silence when it comes to interaction. especially among Chinese students - yes a common stereotype but observation tells me that Chinese people are just oh so shy. eventually, we decided upon a strange modification of pass the parcel, complete with the steady drumming of our hands upon the waist high wooden tables. as the rhythm accelerated the balloon was passed around frantically - till it landed in the hands of an unfortunate someone who had to make a presentation.

it began with some riddles, a couple of jokes, and eventually some girls who gave a shockingly great acapella singing performance (yes, including our dear 'Audrey girl' who i remember fondly dressed in a green blouse with yellow polka dots); and then it came to us. and for a moment we were just stumped. but as all clever Singaporeans (and one equally smart Malaysian), we chose to collude and came out with some presentations on the spot:

Benlee's classical guitar rendition of that (ah i can't remember the name) romance piece (that John Tay went mad over); Alex's rousing magic card performance (hmmm mine was yet to come i guess); and we wanted to sing a song, but the balloon never did return to us so that was a fortunate/unfortunate (i can't decide) thing.

later break came. and with break came table tennis. yes the story of table tennis must be told.

and there in the school, were two table tennis tables made of stone, yes made of stone. carved over the millions of years (ok i'm exaggerating here but you get the point). and the children congregate at these tables every break time for a time of fun and fellowship. badminton was equally popular among the kids, and it seemed that every child was occupied - those not engaging in sport looked on from the classroom block (in awe? in excitement?)

either way, they all seemed like pros - more so in the contrast that we so graciously provided. yes, we fumbled, we smashed wide, we missed the simplest returns, and eventually they decided to (in horrid Singlish) 'give chance'. so they 'gave chance' and we started to catch up a little till they decided to revert back to full force. which was sad. haha. oh well. John Tay had quite a run, and Benlee as well. but we were always ousted - eventually.

well i wanted to play as well. but eventually i got 'koped' for photo-taking. gosh. can u imagine 10 Chinese girls on your tail?! seriously, i was flattered (ok maybe not), but well, it was a little freaky, at least Alex was there to share the poster-boy moment and it wasn't that scary.

and i finally wielded my card tricks. and learned card terminology in Chinese. yay me! everyone was quite flabbergasted, though i felt i did the tricks rather...badly? haha.

returning to English class. i was democratically chosen (which means i didn't have a choice) to be the teacher. and i guess that only caused the girls to become stickier later on. we taught them stuff they already knew, and felt quite dumb for underestimating their capabilities, but still, i guess it was a meaningful time of laughing and sharing a few happy moments. i was quite the bubbly teacher i usually am, prancing along the blackboard (yes chalk and all), drawing rather strange illustrations, making silly gestures, but that's me. and i guess they remembered me as the clown. heh.

and we ended with the hokey-pokey. i don't really know what got into us. but we chose the hokey-pokey. ok it was MMS's (that's Maye, Mich and Sarina) idea, but well i think we pulled it off and the loved the part when it came to the butt. yup. shake it all around!

Painting was next. the corridors reeked of everything green and sticky (that's paint by the way). but with all painting - de-rusting preceded. Gosh. De-rusting. you know. Khon Kaen all over again. it was tough and all, we had our masks on to prevent brain damage from excessive rust inhalation (that was a common worry yes :P); and the most touching part was - all the children helped out, whether young or old. and they all came to paint to derust and simply to show moral support. so full of warmth, as we hurried up and down the stairs.

every stroke, a stroke of love.

and Chemistry came to life, i used organic solvent to wash the paint off! ok that was rather, out of point i guess. it wasn't the best paint job ever. but it was the heart that mattered? after everything, there were stains everywhere. stains on the stairs, on our clothes, on our faces, on our hair (ahahaha Maye you kena!). some others did gardening. but because the paint was green, we all ended up with green fingers. haha. haha. get it? green fingers? ok nevermind.

(and at this point. i shall carry on with the story that evening, in order to prevent a continuation of the bout of madness)

that night. we had our first devotion session as a class. the girls were permitted, we held it in Mervyn's room. the invitation was given. and so many came, albeit quite late they came, but still they came, and it was simply awesome. John and I led, sowed the seeds, told them the vision for this WOW, that we might bless the school, and also work on class unity - to mend the broken relationships if there were any. that night, we were surprised. Chen Min, Lucy were there, non-Christians, but they were present. Praise God.

and we taught the 'BB song', please Lord, bind our class together.

"You're my brother You're my sister, now take me by the hand...
...As long as there is love, we will stand"

a beautiful rhyming couplet, that echoed through the night.

(but i got scolded for exceeding lights out haha. but that didn't matter i guess. Day 3 was to come, and God would continue moving. yes!!)

to be continued. i promise i'll try

Mailbox

thanks (:

twas' a great encouragement before WOW.

and oops i brought it along with me. how silly.

the two dollars will find its way back. someday.

Obstacles to Happiness

ever wondered. what made it so hard to be happy?

for you happy people out there. perhaps, just perhaps, this post doesn't concern you. but if general observations have been right, then a good majority of you must be wondering what makes it difficult to be happy, because, i don't know, it's just been rather tough.

first. you need to dispel sadness. look beyond what's bothering you. look to God our Father who cares oh so much for us. commit to him. and thank Him. realize that He loves you. and ask Him to do what's best for you - yes, His will above ours.

no guarantee of happiness though. but guarantee of peace and joy - of knowing that you're living in His will.

but sometimes. happiness and joy do come hand-in-hand. but i just don't know when.

and that's the toughest part.

it's when i finally make my way over that last mountain of despair, inching my way over the final peak, and arrive on the happier, brighter side. there's happiness, but i start to question this happiness - where did such happiness come from.

often i tell people that i get sad when i'm too happy. why? i don't know, maybe i'm just strange - but sadness feels reassuring, tells me that i'm still being bothered, that i still have something to turn to God about; too happy, too caught up, and we tend to forget God.

i wonder. this happiness. did i create it for myself? or was it God-given? or was it God-allowed?

now there's a difference. there is there is.

i wonder. this happiness. was it a result of my own will? or God's will?

how can i tell. honestly. how can i?

when God's silent. when i suddenly start missing qt. what's that mean?

is it a punishment? or is it a test to wait?

i guess. i'll never really know. keep praying. i guess. that's what we all say.

Mua Chee and Wa Chee

it's one of those days again. when you look out of the window. the sky's just perfect, the perfect tinge of blue, and the perfect combination of differently-shaped clouds.

there! there's a strip of sandy coast along the lagoon; and again one that gracefully bends over the skyscraper like a massive brontosaurus; ah yes one that resembles the printed A4 paper that the printer churns out industriously - a full 62 sheets of paper in a day, oh no! one that approximates a - is that for real? - sigma notation sign, oh gosh, the questions about math portfolio are starting to rain down upon me.

and in the distance. one like mua chee (: which is pretty much anything. because mua chee can look like anything. wrapped in peanuty-sugary goodness. exciting (:

mua chee and wah chee. how many memories have come as a result of these two chees?

(meanwhile the printer has stopped. and the math portfolio is out. joy! thanks God (: )

loving mua chee was a past-time from way back when. it was love at first sight - first taste perhaps - softness mixed with crunchy peanuts - and appealing my horribly evil sweet tooth (which applies for most things except chocolate haha). no one expected that wok of oil and sticky mass of white to taste so brilliant (:

Queensway shopping center. one of the few ol' faithfuls that still sell this treat (:. somehow it became a place of my childhood - where my nai(3) ma(1), literally milk mum, took me to sell newspapers and magazines. and i would be a really good boy. i suppose. i was always quite a good boy, and i always got my mua chee as a result. wonderful.

otherwise. mua chee was a rare sight, appearing only in those transient and passing pasar malams, sadly; and i would always wish that those pasar malams would set up and never leave - the familiar glow of the pasar malam at night was something i could never forget.

and three years back, upon arriving at Causeway Point, where the new Fairfield Preaching Point would be established, i recall stumbling upon this little quaint store in Cold Storage, the aunty had a familiar wok positioned in front of her. and it was love at first sight - again, with mua chee, and not the aunty (oh gosh i'm so poetic today). Every week, without fail, i would go down and visit, and gradually i learnt more about this aunty, and we did grow a little close i guess, there was at least some recognition - you know, like the school bao aunty and I (:

and one day. she just disappeared. into nothingness. i remembered the wave of disappointment that swept across my heart - and it wasn't just the loss of mua chee, but the loss of someone i actually knew. and emptiness ensued - like those many many times - empty like the wok that stood before me. no more.

and more recently. mua chee has come back to haunt me. and well well. a blessing and a delight. ah well three mua chees in a week. and the fourth was delivered at least to make someone happy (: - and full i guess - how can one have mua chee for dinner? gosh.

and i believe. many memories are yet to come.

and how about wah chee? this little stall positioned a stone's throw away from home. a place of communion and fellowship, a place where love abound since last December. a place for hope and ministry. and place where friendships were forged (:

In the words of Wesley - wah chee isn't a place - it's a concept. post BB, post school is greeted with a 'wah chee', not a visit to wah chee. and anyone new to BB is often initiated with that maiden trip down to our dear stall. wow. the many memories there.

and the late nights. and nights under the stars. where i lay many times with friends and simply chatted the day ahead - where our testimonies were shared, where we built each other up. I thank God, he's been so great. so great. (and now i shall go spend time with Him)

and there we met. and there perhaps, we shall part some day.

some day. i wish it wouldn't come.

but well.

wait a minute Mr Postman

...postman pat, postman pat
postman pat and his black and white cat
early in the morning...

early in the morning. unthinkable time now. but frustration ensues. and it's not just the work.

I'm sorry Lord. again. i wish i could pray. i wish i could watch. but it's getting increasingly tougher and harder. and i'm struggling.

strange how one saturday can be filled with moments of chicken rice marathon ecstasy, yet be tainted by the sadness of sleeping on QT (again); today was quite a happy day - pre camp and all was so exciting, so fun-filled, so meaningful, so tiring. but it had to end in this way. i mean. the usual emptiness didn't even ensue. but it had to end this way.

Have you ever had these moments where...you start to hate yourself. not in the sense of not loving yourself, but becoming absolutely disgusted with that sinful, ugly part of yourself, and wish you were free. but cannot be free? ever?

i chewed on ah balling today. one was sesame. two were peanut. i never knew what the fourth was. perhaps we'll never know.

and we'll never know. aye. God just save me. please.

and i wait. again. upon you. for you. where are you mr postman? i'm waiting for that letter.

that letter from ahhh. from God.

and i'll receive one day, open it's little seal. to find, with pleasant surprise, a package of love. and this package is wrapped with grace, stuffed with forgiveness; and inside there sits a rather quaint card - on it the picture of a stubby candle, still aflame. and on it, the inscription:

pass it on tim. pass it on. pass this love on to my sheep.

ah. but i'm so sinful Lord. ah but i'm so inadequate. so tired. so inadequate.

and the wrapping suddenly reminds me:

My grace is sufficient for you

stay far please ):

even as i picked up that packet of mua chee today - from the ever faithful Queensway shopping center (faithful in this ever-changing world where mua chee is fast disappearing - some warmth seemed to emanate from the peanut laden delight. heat always did move from higher regions of heat to cooler regions of heat. perhaps I was just cold today.

you have to push out at this certain angle, to deal with him. he comes and goes like the ups and downs of the roller coaster rides. he is the reason why you begin to sink, to fade into the icy Antarctic waters, dark and murky; the reason why you find yourselves perched on the rooftop, overlooking the world, and suddenly are filled with a sense of emptiness. the unspoken void. it is speechless. it has to be. otherwise it wouldn't be empty.

you have to push him aside. sadly, i don't think i've found the right angle yet.

but before i become hopelessly beaten and consumed. by God's grace, i will emerge from this dust, this debris of math portfolio, concrete chunks of urban poetry, unsolved stoichiometric equations, and just a lot of other burdens that need to be shrugged off. Finding joy and peace in God is certainly the first step - but there are plenty to go.

School. well school has just been school. i'm so afraid of going into the whole routine of it all. I do want to be passionate for FireAC, WOW, BB, ahhhh but I can't I can't - I reach deep into the bowels of my heart, but there is little left. and i won't hide that fact. but i pray that God will...yes 'stir it up in my heart'. please do (:

and till then. back to work. back to the world. but we must remember that we are not of this world..

Reminiscence

I don't know what just struck me, but it did; some describe nostalgia as the smell of rich coffee; mine was nothing like that i suppose, but it still caught me unprepared, and perked me up, yes, at least it perked me up from the swamp of despair.

reminiscence is:
recalling our innocent childhood

= endless pillowfights i cherish, but there were repercussions; my my my nose used to punish me for those fun times with papa.

= endless pokemon adventures with stuffed toys - got to catch them all!

= baby snails on the staircases through the endless rain

= trying to do a mary poppins with the umbrella when the wind got ferocious on rainy days, yes i would have just flown away to the endless skies

= endless comic strips, endless because i never got down to finishing them, always open-endings, love them, don't you?

= cuddling up with mum every night to sleep in the hall. some nights were endless, darkness overwhelmed sometimes, but God took care of us with his endless arms.

= realising how endless this list is.


and some part of me thinks ahead one and a half years. and realise, that yet another milestone of life is coming to pass. sometimes i just. just. don't want it to all end.

but like sand through our fingers. i grip on tight. just to let those little grains slip through, gradually, till not a grain remains...

happysad moments (: ):

God's been great. aye. what more can i say.

people have told me - that tim you've changed - yes other than the fact that i seem to lose increasing amounts of weight, tim has changed to become less of the crazy-screw loose chap or the yesteryears. but i guess change was inevitable, sobering up was simply to come. aiya i think i spend too much time thinking and too much time alone.

suggestion perhaps to daydream more and to let my mind go wild again, spend time sliding on the imaginary slides fabricated in the mind, swing up and down, wind through your hair, try in vain to make your way across those playground monkey bar things - never was much of a chimp myself. slipslidinsplendid times in the imaginary playground of the mind. it's been a long time since i've awakened that me, and he seems to be sitting alone in the playground, waiting for his playmate to return..

why have i grown to love the rain, the splatter against the body, the sound of melted drops of cirrus; seems so depressing. so melancholic. my dad says i should play more songs in the major keys, but i tell him that wouldn't be me. minor keys minor keys are what make the world go round. you cannot have happy without sad. nor sad without happy.

and you have to settle for happysad moments

happysad moments defined by a sense of happiness followed by the aftertaste of sadness. or sometimes a strange sense of gratitude and glee proceeds from initial bouts of sadness. happysad happysad, happy comes first though, it's not merely alphabetical, does it not make sense? that happy should always take the first place.

joy in the Lord. joy in the Lord. O grant us joy and direction for the LTC camp Lord. Where would we be without you? I don't think the Lord would want to hide stuff from His children, so we just have to be there to listen to His plan. and yield to it.

(oh a side note. bb was oh so happy today. happy bdae Fab (:. happy BB-initiation day eve. and happysad day to me)

today my cousin and i spoke whilst walking laps around the koi pond - this thing about koi ponds amazes me, though our school pond has dropped in terms of visibility, but the fish swim happily maybe that's what matters - but we shared much, and realized how much we were struggling alongside each other - and we did pray eventually, that God would take precedence in everything.

I'm walking on sunshine. class dance. i got really twisted yesterday. i think it was a tough dance, even John Tay couldn't do it - ok i don't know why i use John as a standard but i shall. and we shall room together, i don't care (:

ok i shall end on this heavy-eyed note (: thanks God

Transformed

presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God

we're being transformed -transformed, it's a process, so don't be discouraged at the moment, don't be discouraged at falling short now - yes haha transformed into his everlasting beautiful likeness.

(: it's been yet another long week of school. softball. pings and pongs of the softball bat. chemistry investigations that are 20-titration long. and my nose my nose. >< my nose is stuffed, i need to stand up and walk around more. that means less studying. and more pacing and studying. yes. and eating ice cream does not make your sore throat feel better.

gathering today on the great Dr Ong missile silo (yes we conjectured that it spins around at 3a.m. - upward or downward we're not sure, but either way it would be rather extraordinary to have secret base 7 feet down ya?), many came along today to pray and bind together our hearts in prayer for all those anxious ones taking exams. blazing through the SAC and sec2 levels haha (: boy that was something to remember.

aye yes sean. i have been more sombre this year. but i shall aspire to have bouts of madness again.

oh by the way (as an afterthought...)

-=Everlasting Way=-

haha lyrics are up before. God bless all (: keep praying.

The Everlasting Way

composed this little song during QT today, when i realized again how easily we all stray from Jesus. And a little thought in my head led me to Psalms 139, which had this to say at the end:

"Search me and know my heart,
test me and know my anxious thoughts,
See that there is no offensive way in me
And lead me in the everlasting way"

music isn't out yet. but maybe soon. haha. (:

Verse 1
Today is the day
that I want to say
that I've lost my way
Forgive me I pray

I come with confidence before You
For your mercies know no end
and I know that when I pray You'll hear
And take my hand again

Chorus 1
Lead me in the way everlasting
Take me down the roads of righteousness
Jesus you're the way everlasting
Help me live for You more each day

Verse 2
So often we stray
From your righteous way
Like sheep gone astray
We've wandered and lost our way

But Jesus You're the greatest Shepherd
and You'll gather us to You
to restore your flock
and lead us once again (oh Lord we pray)

Chorus 2
Lead us in the way everlasting
Take us down the roads of righteousness
Jesus you're the way everlasting
Help us live for You more each day

I do pray the the Lord will keep us on level paths for His righteousness sake. even as we approach the end of Term 2, He really hasn't stopped being faithful. not at all (: and He's blessed us so bountifully and abundantly.

aye. FireAC. where to now? God. lead us we pray. and to all who still believe in the cause, let's join hands and seek God together!

Squash and Slam

(was debating over the title - hmmm 'Squash and Slam' or 'Slam and Squash', one of those silly questions you ask yourself when your brain is overloaded with studies and you just need a break from the complex world of it all. aye, Chinese A2, why did i take Chinese A2? oh ya, to get into non-intact class haha. maybe not. sigh.)

it's been a rather long week - actually every week is equally long, 7 hours, 168 hours, 10080 minutes (yes all this was done mentally haha), but some weeks seem longer than others for strange reasons - one of those 'oops-i-forgot-to-blog' weeks which leaves me struggling to remember the main events of the days that have passed by so swiftly.

meanwhile. my nose begins its training for the Olympics in Beijing - yes it has begun running (get it? haha) - my throat just gives me problems that even the fisherman's best friend cannot combat effectively. aye. I can't focus on work like this, which explains why I'm on the computer now. no wait, I'm suppose to be typing spiritual blueprint, and to search for magic tricks - yes tim is going to be a magician for the China kids on OEP, with my lovely assistant..(um) John Tay. (:

FireAC is sort of in a crisis. numbers are never the objective. yet I guess their a fitting indicator of where we're going and heading. on a rather solemn wednesday morning, i was lured into the deadly wet trap of the spiral-in-the-middle-of-IB-blocks, sat and got my bum all wet ):. but nevermind everyone else came as well and got themselves wet.

about 13 people got wet that day.

it used to be 50. well we knew people would come and go. but all that remained now were the core group. and hopefully this group will not break for the time being. we stared at the sky and wondered. in the end we prayed for the Sec4s exams, with our dwindling strength.

(I guess Thursday night did deserve special mention as the night that tim did not manage to do any work at all. piano was pretty tempting that day, and as usual, the melancholic minor chords ensue. melancholy did reach a high on thursday i guess, even as we shifted the tables - yes our wonderful backstage crew! - back for the council members. many people were troubled. ahh. my class as well. i wonder what's up. got to know them better. spent too much time away from my class already...)

Something prompted a meeting in 5.7 - we listed names and took minutes (classic BB style oops). but that day me and John ended up late for Squash finals as well. oh well. we had to get there ourselves.

Squash finals. we won eventually. but John and I ended up with wet socks and a long walk back to the MRT station with tess. sigh. i think we lost the bet with Merv and ended up in school later. so. first A div championship. Bravo! and it was fun watching Alastair's (yes i get the spelling right here!) enthusiastic gestures (:

and after SQUASH came SLAM (oh haha). that was a night to remember i guess. just pure inter-cohort bonding. light(stick)s, cameras, action! and the music was not bad for the better part of the performance. was inspired. went back rather late. and that was a second day without any sort of work done. sadly. but it was meaningful. and of course, i caught the cold from a certain someone *cough* (of course it remains a suspicion, but who else?)

and at least. at least. that day didn't end with as much emptiness as i would have anticipated. you know. the sort you get after a big day of events. at least there was less.

Saturday came and went. i think i need to do spiritual blueprint now.

and for all who noticed my temporal bout of emo today. thanks. but sorry for causing concern ):

and it's better now haha. in case you're wondering. (:

Closer than a Brother (:

I realized with fondness today, the significance of the words from a song 'Lord you are Good'

"at times I do not see You, even though You were close by"

recalling the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, who walked on and talked about Christ, about the events of the preceding days, filled with grief, yet having a tinge of hope remaining - yes it was the third day! and whilst walking they meet a stranger, who begins to unravel the many prophecies and words of the past, strengthening their faith and reminding them of the things that were promised. They indite him to a meal. and when He breaks the bread, they realize who He is:

Did our hearts not burn within us as He spoke those words?

remember Joshua on the night before the conquest of Jericho - who ran into a commander and questioned his allegiances - only to bow down before Him at the realization of who He really was.

somehow. the Lord is ever so near. how many times have we gone along life not realising that He is battling the storms of life alongside us?

alone but never really alone.

those many times i walked home alone, he was there giving me a pat on the back, telling me that He was there for me in all the times of confusion and pain. and i chose to ignore. but still, he never left, never did, never will. And i trust that for all who are going through tough times now, he will never let you be plucked out of his everlasting arms!

he was there for Elijah under the juniper tree - he was there for me - and for many many other people. and he's there for you (:

smile. He's closer than you think.

Closer than a brother
no longer, so far away
Jesus, now I can touch you
feel you in my heart
every time i start to give you praise
I know you're getting closer!

(now i shall proceed to labour, on this uneventful labour day, save the Macdonald's breakfast...hmm, wonderful times with family, wonderful times with God (: )