I warmed up on the inside, forgot the cares of assignments for a whole minute. I had as huge a smile as my mouth would allow me to; it was a smile from the heart.
Touched beyond words. I love you too, my darling sister!
I was cooking dinner in the evening when I stepped out to the balcony to take in the day and unwind for a little bit, while my soup is simmering on the cooker.
I was greeted by a stunning sight.
The view from my balcony at 7.48pm.
How is it possible to ever deny the existence of a true and living God when everything that surrounds us sings of His beauty and magnificence?
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world."
An Easter project by Marthin Fort. This video was shot entirely at an orphanage in Jakarta, a day before Easter. {Source}
My heart is full, blessed and touched watching this video. I got teary mid-video.
It is possible to have so little; to have lost so much, yet be so thankful; brimming with conviction and burning with passion.
Only by His grace, only with His love.
The year is galloping away, the days we are living in are so crucial and vital. All across the earth, let us arise and shine - bringing glory to His name, being set apart for His purpose, shining His light in the darkness and speaking His hope and salvation to the lost.
There are moments in life where 'Why' seems to be a big enough question.
I love asking questions. I love getting to the bottom of things. I am naturally an inquisitive person, so I do (really, really) like asking questions. In my daily vocabulary, the two highest rated words for most frequent use would be ‘Why’ and ‘Love’. I use them ALL. THE. TIME.
Many a times (if not most), we ask ‘Why’. I, too, am guilty of this.
Today, I learned a better and bigger question to ask, ‘How?’
And even better, it is to ask ‘How’ before asking ‘Why’.
I think that it’s time we stop looking for answers and quit looking for more stones to turn over.
Faith and true faith that is, isn’t asking ‘Why’. It is reserving and swallowing down the ‘Why’ and asking ‘How’ (because I don’t know if you have realised it or not, asking ‘why’ does not get you anywhere, it just leads to more ‘why-s').
So, I leave you with this: Enough with the ‘Why-s’, start it with the ‘How-s’.
You will eventually realise that the answers you receive along the way are nothing short of amazing.
"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief, and unspeakable love."
As I clicked the 'Submit' button on the UniSA (University of South Australia) portal less than 5 minutes ago, my shoulders slumped and I breathed a sigh of relief.
It's over, it's finally over. For now.
Sleep deprivation is a distant memory. No more less-than-3-hours sleep a night. No more pulling an all-nighter to meet assignment deadlines.
To long academic essays, I bid adieu. I need not spew words, and spew it quick, while I'm at it. No more sifting through the thesaurus to ensure flow and prevent repetition.
No more of such treatments to endure. Well, at least for the coming week.
So, in exactly 20 mins from now, I will be joining my two new friends, Bluebelle and Buttercup (Don't you know about these two adorable sisters? Didn't I tell you about them? Ahh, I must have forgotten. Belle and Bettie are my cows!) in my lush and sprawling meadow, which is dotted with daffodils and tulips, under the bright blue sky with cotton-candy clouds. Not before I pop in two Panadols to take care of my fever though. (Wouldn't want to killjoy now, would we?)
Yes, the joy of completing a second batch of assignments is slightly intoxicating, extremely contagious and only a little insane. I love times like these!
I am not sure if I should be proud (or blush like a ripe tomato), but I got moony eyes staring into mine, arms wrapped around my shoulders, pecks on my cheek and even one smacked right on my lips while I was a little younger than those little darlings.
So. not. lying! I have pictures to prove! (His mum was there, MY mum and dad were there.)
However, for the fear of embarassing him and myself further, I shall not post the said picture or tell you who that person is (What a lucky guy! :p).
No matter how many kisses you get after, the first real kiss stays on your lips forever.
I have a lot on my plate right now, 8 assignments to be completed in 1.5 months time. I am 26 hours shy of handing in an assignment of which I have yet to begin writing about.
But, that can wait. My heart can’t.
My heart is full and overflowing. Words of thanks and songs of praise coasts through my veins, resounds in my heart and is sung at the top of my lungs.
He really is all knowing. He is the restorer of mankind; He is the Saviour of humanity. He truly is faithful, and the truth of His promise will never lose power. His timing is impeccable, and is ALWAYS perfect.
As I stood worshipping this morning, I am reminded of my parting message to Youth Impact before I left for KL. I spoke about going all the way for Christ; pursuing and pleasing Him with our life, worshipping Him not only with our lips, but with our hands and feet.
It was a beautiful reminder as my heart was just about to leap out of me this morning. The excitement was contagious. Godly passion evokes in our hearts fervour and zeal unlike any other.
Dearest friends and readers of Chatty Lass, know that in our lives, a measure is given – a measure of faith, a measure of dreams and visions, a measure of grace and extended opportunities, a measure of promise that have yet to come to pass, etc.
It is a measure that is given to us from On High - on loan to us, birthed in us and for us to grow and nurture as we mature in Him - to be shared and utilised to bring heaven on earth. It is not only for individual gain, but for blessing the world of others.
I pray that you’ll never settle for less than your destiny in Christ. I pray all of Him will be your heart’s pursuit for the rest of your days.
Most importantly, I pray that you’ll know with THAT measure that is given unto you, HE is able to do “exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV).
You show love not with words, you encourage not with gifts. For all the lack of words, you make up with abundance in action.
Thank you for continually insilling in me godly values. Thank you for raising me up to be a woman of principles and morals. This gift, I will never be able to thank you enough for. Except, I hope, one day to impart this priceless gift in my children.
22 years of being my Mummy. I hope it has been an amazing ride thus far.
Proverbs 31:29-30 says, "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
You are a woman who loves and fears her Maker. Thank you for raising me up to be that woman. I love you!"
The thing about being a Communications student is one has got to be up-to-date on all matters happening globally, at any given time. Ludicrous, I know.
However, as a Comms student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, being up-to-date and thinking analytically combined isn't enough. You've got to read.
(Here's a sideline: I love reading. I am, however, very picky on what I read.)
You've got to read scholarly publications. And, academic journals. And, research articles.
I'm pretty generous, by nature.
I'll let you readers sample a taste of my imposed reading appetite.
"The contribution of professional journalism to democratic citizenship is well-established, but the proliferation of online user-generated news begs the question of whether citizen journalism plays a similar role. Use and trust of both professional and citizen journalism were investigated for their associations with political knowledge and participation."
How's that going for you? Tough to swallow? Let me break it down for you.
What the above mumbo-jumbo means to say is that:
"Traditional journalism (newspapers) is a known information contributor to the public at large, but with the increase of online news (blogs, forums, Wikipedia, etc – user generated sites of information), this question arises: Is online news credible? The level of use and trust on online and offline news were tested with political knowledge."
That's paragraph one of page one. Another 20 more similiar pages to go.
Afternoon tea.