my research methods exam

I am blogging this so I never ever EVER forget this.

allow me to explain. some two hours ago I was still frantically trying to shove information into my brain for the exam at 1pm. man, even at 12.56 I was still trying to memorize stuff.

a friend reminded me yesterday night that i shouldn’t stress cause God is with me. and I heaved a deep breath and mentally reminded myself of that and Rhordan’s message last week on being empowered. deep down I don’t really think I believed that? I sort of knew I was still relying on what little IQ I thought I had and whatever study method I thought worked best.

so I just got back from my communications and new media research methods paper and I could actually do every question! everything just came to mind when I read each question! aside from the question on “define a ‘thick description’ and its importance in ethnography” which I’m sure everyone went “huh?” at (I even vaguely remembered reading that)… I could do everything!

don’t get me wrong I’m not the great one here. four minutes before the exam started I thought I was doomed. I couldn’t remember more than half of the stuff I wrote down in my notes.

what can I say? my Daddy God is awesome laaa! now when I say “He is with me” I will remember this. woot!

T-minus 73 hours and 4 exams.

– Posted From My iPhone

Location:Science Park Rd,Pulau Bukom,Singapore

You are my Light and Salvation, whom shall I fear?

Psalm 27

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

² When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

³ Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

⁵ For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

¹³ I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

my eternal father

i think it was during choir practice on the saturday before combined service when God gave these words to me, that He’s “my eternal father”. let me elaborate.

we all agree that God’s eternal right, as in He’s been around since time itself. but i don’t think we (or i) have ever personalized it. but God’s not just eternal, He’s our father. suffice to say that He was also father to our fathers.

parenthood is a great call, and how one brings up his or her children would dramatically affect how they are like when they grow up. that’s why sometimes we have certain traits that get passed down the generations. for example, my father has anger issues because somewhere along the line his parents had anger issues. that’s just an example though.

but you know what, when you acknowledge that God is your father, and that He’s eternal, here’s a thought that i hope will blow your mind. God allowed your father, and grandfather, and his father and so on and so forth to be brought up in a certain manner, so that you will turn out there way you are today.

mind-boggling right!!!

the best thing is – God’s pleased with how you turned out!!!

God loves me?

how can we know that God loves us? by just, letting Him. and to do so in two ways…

1| by letting our identities stem from the very fact that God loves us. fully embracing that our self-esteem shouldn’t be based on the things we do, on how well we do things, or even how good or how bad we are in relation to our peers. because all that doesn’t matter.

2| by identifying what it is God might like about us. it helps personalize God’s love. because you can’t love someone without liking him/her. so what is it about me that God smiles at?

i believe God is pleased when i sing.
i’m pretty sure God likes my passion, enthusiasm, motivation and drive.
i know that God is happy with my relationship with Him, and that it is growing.
i think it blesses God when i do well in school.
when i create, be it music, presentations or anything of that sort, i feel God’s pleasure.
i feel God’s affirmation when i pursue purity, to honor Him with all my body, heart, soul, mind and strength.
and as hard as it is for me to accept, i think God smiles when i dance.

thank you, God.

a paradigm shift

i read this somewhere and i think its a pretty interesting perspective of our God being a miracle working God.

it addresses how people, those who rely on logic so much especially, have difficulty believing in the fact that God can make miracles happen.

its as simple as this: that God, is after all God, and is the smartest being ever.

does it sound as strange as i think it does? haha. let me elaborate.

take Jesus for example. He is God in the flesh, and while He was walking this earth he performed quite a number of miracles, healing people, raising people from the dead and turning water into wine.

you could say that Jesus was the smartest man ever to walk this earth, knowing how to change the molecular structure of water to become wine, and even how to correct cell functions – healing someone, and to cause a dead person’s heart to start beating again – bringing him back to life.

so what do you think? (=

gratitude.

“enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” – Psalm 100:4

this is one verse that’s really been said way too many times, and yet so often we really miss out on the heart behind this verse, and that was what boss was sharing during devotions during one of those nights in KL. we need to have a heart that says ‘i will be grateful for the good things God’s blessed me with’ and not risk being ungrateful.

the main point of that devotion was that we need to be grateful, both for God’s goodness and for it being displayed through people giving us opportunities and opening doors for us.

i share this because i ended up packing half of that huge shelf in my room when i got home, and came across a few books and letters/cards my previous lifegroup leader gave me. and it sent me into a very reflective mood.

i’m here today because of so many people who have given me heaps of opportunities to grow and learn, because of the many people who have invested so much into my life and because of the people who’ve kept and have been keeping me in prayer. my previous lifegroup leader, for instance. i’m by no means saying that she’s the only person who has impacted my life. but this post, is dedicated to her. (=

i don’t know if she’ll ever read this, and i don’t think i’ll ever be able to fully express how grateful i am for her investing into my life. thank you for seeing me through God’s eyes, seeing not the crazy mess that i was (i’m still growing, don’t get me wrong) but seeing the person i could become. thank you for your constant encouragement and i’m sorry if ever it felt like i stuck a “straw” in you.

and some part of me feels like saying “look, ma! i’m here because of you!”
you really were like a spiritual mom to me and for that i’d be eternally grateful.

and like any grateful child, i guess the only way that i’d be able to show you how grateful i am is to be the best person i can be.

thank you for letting God use you in such an amazing way.