The Wife of Noble Character
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Proverbs 31:10-31 (New International Version)
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I know many have said a wife (and mother) of Proverbs 31 is a rarity. In fact, in the XX Chromosome Community, it can be referred to as an almost extinct species.
However, all is not lost because I (unapologetically) think that my mum is an epitome of Proverbs 31.
Mummy, I just thought you should know that I love you very much. I adore you.
Hugs and kisses,
Melissa. :)
I found this video (sung by Sidney Mohede and written by Sari Simorangkir) on Youtube, and I cried as I listened to the lyrics.
This is my prayer for Malaysia: "Kami rindu melihat Malaysia (originally Indonesia), pulih dari semua problema" - Translation: "We long to see Malaysia, be healed from all its' problems."
Heavenly Father, heal our land.
Isaiah 58:12 - "And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to dwell in."
I have always found Max to be very adorable. My friends (in unison) told me that I have a strong bias towards my four-legged son, but I am denying it at all costs. {grins}
I frequently snap pictures of him, and they usually turn out to be darling and dear.
However, of all the shots I've managed to take of him, I think that he looks incredibly charming from his side profile.
Take a look at the below photographs to see if I'm right. (That's a statement. If you wish to read it as a question, it is a rhetorical one.)
I like this one best!
I listened to a podcast of Rich Wilkerson Jr’s sermon tonight and it was founded on this: Almost isn’t good enough. Almost does not cut it. Not when it comes to God and the things that matter to His heart: You.
The dictionary defines almost as ‘very nearly’, ‘all but’.
From my point of view, almost could be defined as what-could-have-been.
Almost could also be said as grazing the bare minimum, more or less meeting the prerequisite.
Other words or synonyms for the word are sort of, practically, just about, wasn’t exactly.
God is not interested in us being a lukewarm or an ‘almost, sort of’ Christian. God’s plan is not that we would live a ‘just about’ great life. God sent His son, Jesus so that we ‘may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance; to the FULL, till it OVERFLOWS’ (John 10:10, Amplified Bible).
He has called for you to go ALL THE WAY to which He has ordained for you.
It’s all the way or nothing. It’s your entire life poured out, or it’s of no purpose. It’s both feet planted and rooted in, or it will just remain a footprint that was once there.
I said this on March 21st, “I want to get into heaven with a life that has been COMPLETELY spent and poured out for His purposes.”
I made this commitment when I started serving in the ministry 7 years ago – I will do what He desires, whenever and wherever He wants it done. No backing out. No taking a backseat when it gets tough.
Thus far, God’s amazing grace and strength has sustained me.
It has not been a bed of roses, neither is a breeze - Life’s curveballs, personal upheavals, ministry’s challenges; they’re not easy to deal with, but they are certainly not reason for me to back down.
Simply put, at the end of my days, I do not want to fall into the ‘almost’ statistic. “Oh, she was a great worship leader. Too bad (so-and-so) caught up to her.”
Not finishing our task. Not completing our assignment. Not fulfilling our purpose. Not giving our all. Doing a half-baked routine. Having a half-hearted faith. It is not how God wants us to live.
I challenge you today, do not live as an ‘in-between’ Christian. Go all out for Him. It's either that, or it's nothing. Choose to STAND in that gap and bring a difference to your world, our world.
Love you so,
Melissa.
Well, sort of.
Brunch overlooking the garden.
Clockwise from the top: Homemade bread, Bangers (British slang for sausages) topped with sauteed onions, Fishballs and Omelette.
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"Enthusiasm is not based on how fun your job is or how much it pays; it's based on WHY you do what you do."
Rick Warren
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P/S: I have always been a big believer of leading a passion-driven life. I still am.
*
Related post(s):
Beautiful Day by Altiyan Childs (X Factor Australia)
By Melissa - Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I have always been very vocal (and passionate) about my love for opera and Broadway.
I have also mentioned (more than once) of my love for deep baritone, rich and velvety tenor voices - the likes of Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Mandy Patinkin.
But, there is always a part of my heart, a soft spot for rock bands. I love the choice of edgy instruments (guitar and drum solos are my favourites!), the bold (couldn't care less) lyrics and catchy melody (synthesizers provide added detail).
So, in Twitter (or is it Tweet?) World, I heard rave reviews of Altiyan Childs' performances.
My curiousity was piqued and it will not yield until I did what I had to: I Youtube-d him.
Altiyan Childs singing U2's 'Beautiful Day'.
I couldn't get my eyes (and ears) off him. Stunning voice, brilliant performance. I loved it.
It's Official - I Have a Hate/Fear Relationship with Ants
By Melissa - Friday, November 19, 2010
About a month ago, I was sleeping. Very soundly. In sweet abandon of everything else.
Sunshine was radiating golden yellow rays that morning, my neighbour's (incredibly irritating) cat was playing nice that morning - none of those high-pitching meowing.
I was snuggled up in the cold of the air-conditioner, covers pulled up to my chin and I was resting on my tummy when I felt an IMMENSELY sharp pain on my right hand.
Reluctantly, I peeked open one eye and realised the perpetrator to my joyful morning, sound sleep and second favourite hand - a ginormous fire ant.
I killed it with my bare hands (with the aid of a tissue). Ahh, the satisfying sensation of victory!
I thought all was well till I woke up the next morning.
I could not make a fist and there was a numbing feeling to that hand.
I shall never forget that day.
To my horror of horrors, I then saw THIS {points below}.
One (horrid) jab, some medication and three days afterwards, my right hand looked like it should once again.
Upon seeing ants now, my insides get tangled up with disgust (this is NOT a 'butterfly in my stomach' situation), shivers are sent down my spine and goosebumps erupt on the surface of my skin.
Man, I really hate ants.
(L to R) Fragrance, Debra and Mel.
Dear Yoghurt Frap loves,
In our next outing, we shall have the Matcha Green Tea frozen yoghurt, I promise.
Love,
Berry'd Treasure Yoghurt Frap.
Starbucks' Coffee Collar this Christmas.
SO dainty and sweet!
I opened up my Inbox a little while ago to find the cutest email attachment in it.
This note came with it.
Dearest Rachel,
YOU have shown me how worthwhile friendships can be, and how much they are worth. I don't think that there is a price tag good enough to hang on it, because I consider our friendship priceless.
Opening up my Inbox and receiving your email has given me such joy. I treasure the times we've spent together, however short they were. I love how we are able to share our hearts with one another, distance and time apart has not put a dent on our friendship.
You are so beautiful inside and out, a wonderful daughter and MY precious friend.
I can't wait to see you this December. Val has already planned and reserved our get-together dates when you're up in Penang.
Love you so much,
Melissa.
On a fine evening not so long ago, a good friend (and fellow Youth Impact leader) IM-ed me a link and requested that I checked it out.
It turned out to be Adam Young of Owl City's blog. I love his posts, it is written with raw honesty that draws me (my heart and interest) in like a magnet.
I noticed this post tonight, and I loved this excerpt from his recent post, Deep Regret.
"She is out there. My Cinderella. She is real. She exists. I pray for her constantly. May God satisfy the desires of her heart, draw her close, consume her. May He claim her passions, her identity, her refuge, her hopes, her strengths and weaknesses, every fibre of her being. May she treasure and cherish her Savior more than anything of this world and cling to His will with every ounce of her stamina. By all that she is, does, and strives to be, may He draw near to her and she to Him."
That is his prayer for his Cinderella, and it is my prayer for my Prince Charming.
Reeling my thought archive a few months ago, I was on an emotional rollercoaster – my thoughts were all over the place, my emotions were a jumble and mixture of it all.
Daddy sat me down and shared with me a story – The Story of the Shulamite Woman.
The Shulamite Woman demonstrated with her life what real love is. In Songs of Solomon 4, the Shulamite Woman was referred to as ‘a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, and a sealed fountain’ (verse 12, paraphrased).
Those metaphors (I like to call it ‘creative writing’) are in reference to her heart, he gently said. Her heart was locked up, enclosed and sealed; only to be opened to her beloved when the time comes. Likewise, he continued, my heart should mirror that of the Shulamite Woman’s.
In this age, having spoken to my youths (little ones, I’d always call them) and even realising it for myself, we have opened up our hearts (too liberally) to all that we deem worthy whom we’ve met along the way – only to be disappointed and crushed most of the time, because it was a ‘dine and dash’ situation.
So, this has been the prayer seal I’ve kept over my heart and will continue to do so until His good time.
“I charge you, my daughter, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”(Songs of Solomon 2:7, paraphrased)
I visited Starbucks Monday night, and downed a yummy mug of Peppermint Mocha Latte (Spearmint Green cuppa, Peppermint Mocha Latte - I love the smell of mint!) last night.
So, the Christmas drappings and deco, plus the mint scented coffee (there is something about mint and Christmas, they ARE a dynamic duo), I think I got hit by the Christmas bug very early on this year.
No presents buying (just yet!), but more header designs late into last night. It should make its' way to be revealed late November/early December. Keep an eye out for it.
For now, a little sneak peek.
I'm off to be on a lookout for presents!
So, I had a cuppa (Spearmint Green, it's my favourite) at Starbucks last night and I saw the place decked with holly, shiny ornaments, snowflakes; the whole nine yards.
I immediately felt a warm glow.
I looked through my previous Advertising assignments and I saw this. {points below}
My advertising assignment: Creating a brand advertisement for a festive season.
(Handed in on October 28th, 2009.)
*
So, as of now, this candy header {points below, again}
is making way for another to fit the coming celebration (and Christmassy mood).
Remember I talked about how a bowl of hot mushroom soup and a super cute pup resting on my chest IS the best way to spend a chilly day indoors?
Well, while I was writing that and having my little Max bundled up in my arms, I conveniently forgot to turn off the gas ring. Consequently, the smokey (burnt) flavour didn't mesh well with the mushroom soup. I spent my mid-morning/pre-afternoon throwing out the charred bits and pieces, and scrubbing the pot.
SO, minus the bowl of hot mushroom soup, cuddles and snuggles (cuggles) with Max warms me up inside out. Pretty darn good way to spend a chilly day indoors.
..... is to have a bowl of hot mushroom soup in your hand and a super cute pup (who spends every living hour staring at and adoring you as though you are the most amazing person alive) snuggled up against your chest.
#Sweet days.
Last Saturday in Youth Impact, the younger youths (almost all of them are still in secondary schools) were asked to ‘bless’ the senior youths (or in Youth Impact lingo, the ‘dinosaurs’).
In my years of serving in Youth Impact as a leader, I have never been more blessed and that moment for me has and always will become one of the most significant memories in ministry.
I learnt something so valuable that day, and it will be something I hold onto for the rest of my days.
I learnt that we will never know how far the ripples of our kindness go.
A genuine smile, a quick exchange of words, gentle and supportive words of encouragement, time spent building friendships, time invested in really caring for ONE person makes a world of difference.
I am not referring to the whole shebang - all-out sacrifice, humongous chunk of time spent on counsel, a portion of financial support. Granted and prompted by God to do so will be an honour, but I am talking about day-to-day thoughtfulness and purposeful (random) care – it TOUCHES lives.
I sobbed and sobbed as my youths shared their hearts and recorded their thanks for the aforementioned acts of kindness and care, and how it impacted their lives.
One of the most memorable moment was to hear them say the privilege and honour that God has bestowed upon my life to lead worship in His House - the radical and heartfelt worship that I bring before my King – it aspires them to want to love God with their whole lives, and it invokes in them the reality of the God that we lift up our voices, explosive praise and adoring worship to. (I sobbed even more upon hearing that.)
We will never know how far the ripples of our kindness go. Today’s kindness could change someone’s life tomorrow.
Kindness given may not always be kindness reciprocated, kindness shared might not always be kindness received. Kindness done must not be kindness expected in return.
But I challenge you, you reading this post, DO IT ANYWAY.
For, “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:4 (New International Version).
Related post(s):
In my years of serving in Youth Impact as a leader, I have never been more blessed and that moment for me has and always will become one of the most significant memories in ministry.
I learnt something so valuable that day, and it will be something I hold onto for the rest of my days.
I learnt that we will never know how far the ripples of our kindness go.
A genuine smile, a quick exchange of words, gentle and supportive words of encouragement, time spent building friendships, time invested in really caring for ONE person makes a world of difference.
I am not referring to the whole shebang - all-out sacrifice, humongous chunk of time spent on counsel, a portion of financial support. Granted and prompted by God to do so will be an honour, but I am talking about day-to-day thoughtfulness and purposeful (random) care – it TOUCHES lives.
I sobbed and sobbed as my youths shared their hearts and recorded their thanks for the aforementioned acts of kindness and care, and how it impacted their lives.
One of the most memorable moment was to hear them say the privilege and honour that God has bestowed upon my life to lead worship in His House - the radical and heartfelt worship that I bring before my King – it aspires them to want to love God with their whole lives, and it invokes in them the reality of the God that we lift up our voices, explosive praise and adoring worship to. (I sobbed even more upon hearing that.)
We will never know how far the ripples of our kindness go. Today’s kindness could change someone’s life tomorrow.
Kindness given may not always be kindness reciprocated, kindness shared might not always be kindness received. Kindness done must not be kindness expected in return.
But I challenge you, you reading this post, DO IT ANYWAY.
For, “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:4 (New International Version).
*
Related post(s):
Piano cover of Hillsong's 'This Is Our God'. Arrangement by Lucas Piano.
SO beautiful.
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Christina Hendricks, Hayes MacArthur and many more.
I commend the partnership of Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel as Holly Berenson and Eric Messer. Their chemistry was aplenty and palpable.
The storyline doesn't deviate from the rom-com textbook - The male species somehow manages to look scruffy, rugged AND hot, the female species is usually pretty, neurotic and unable to score hot guys. The two are at each other's throats since forever, but a devastating tragedy forces them to bear with each other. It not only brings bouts of change, it draws them closer and seeing the other in a different light. Soon, sparks fly and it either ends up with a make-out session or a bedroom scene. However, an issue arises and forces them to re-think their new romance. And like all good and predictable rom-coms, it has a happy ending - usually with tearful embraces in the airport, hot air balloon or, anywhere really.
Life As We Know It is all that, PLUS an uber cute, chubby-cheeked baby.
I highly recommend this movie for unwinding purposes - plenty of eye-candy (I was really paying most of my attention to Josh Duhamel's toned arms and the adorable Baby Sophie), a couple of funny baby moments (diaper changing and spew-in-the-face bits), a few tender and heartwarming scenes (I shamelessly admit that I cried).
Rating: 3.5/5
My heart aches, it pains me to see broken hearts; longing for love and acceptance. But for once, I am thankful for having my heart broken for this cause, because Oswald Chambers says this:
"If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?"
With a heart that is crying out for the love of Christ to overflow into hearts that are dry, torn to bits and pieces, scarred with shame and marred with unbelief, this continues to be the prayer of my heart: Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours.
