T3: The Greatest Action Story Ever Told!

Alamak... this one is SUPER lame... can't stop laughing...

The Terminator and Jesus

Really like the last part... The Terminator says about Jesus, "Don't worry... He'll be back!"

He takes joy in me.

Decided to pray just now...
Prayed to God to help me understand why I'm not growing (i may be, but i really feel v uncertain if i am...)... then these words came to mind:
"trust"
"peace"
"the joy of the Lord is your strength"
"find joy in Me."
"[Jesus] Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
"[Jesus] I have come, that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Think Peter's advice is timely too... "Just enjoy [the HYP] while you're at it. Trust God."

touched... really feel so unworthy of His sheer love... yet He loves me so intensely...

wept just now, poured out to Him my feelings of frustration n overwhelmingness, bcos the psalmist says, "pour out your soul to Him, for God is our refuge..."

then feel very touched, think He told me that He takes joy in me.

Wow... take joy in me... wow...
really really very touched. :D

Things that God pointed out to me during my reflection on today's experience:
1. I'm a very UNRELIABLE person. E.g. I told my supervisor that I'd be in by 1130 to demo my project, but I overslept and reached only at 230. It's not so much how my sup reacts, but rather how he'll see this unreliability issue - which has serious consequences for the working world.

2. I'm a very DWELLING person. RF and Flince had told me before, don't keep on dwelling... and lots of other ppl too, in the form of "Guard your heart". I agree... I'm really a person who keeps on dwelling, and when pple tell me that I'm dwelling or warn me not to dwell, I start dwelling on the fact that I've dwelled or am going to dwell!

Gosh... think the Spirit put this verse in my mind:
Psalm 37:8b "...do not fret—it leads only to evil."

Wow, His word is incredibly precise. He knows I love to fret.

Oh, here's another translation (from the New Living Translation):
Stop your anger!
Turn from your rage!
Do not envy others--
it only leads to harm.

Hey... yeah, that is very true of me too.

3. However, feel very touched - I believe He affirmed me for my cheerful spirit during CG time - and doubly touching when I saw how He'd arranged for me to HAVE to leave the lab so that I'd be in time to join my dear CG for jogging. :D
Super-refreshing... Yeah! :D Want to go and have a cheerful spirit - it really brings joy to other ppl, and also helps communicate Christ's joy to them too. :D

4. Something I learnt experientially about God's affirmation - which is true affirmation: True affirmation has the effect of making the affirmee want to do the good thing even more - especially because the affirmee has the affirmation what he/she is doing is GOOD in GOD's eyes.

What a day! :)

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include overnite.h
#include milo.h
#include assignments.h
#include hurry_your_project.h
#include mugging.h
#include stress.h
#include fellow_mugger.h
#include God_is_good.h
#include brothers_sisters.h
#include Word_of_God.h

typedef HOURS int;

const HOURS ONE_WHOLE_FUN_DAY = 24;

char* stuff_to_do[MAX_INTEGER];

HUMAN yeuann = new struct *CHILD_OF_GOD[EPHESIANS_1_3];

main(void) {
  printf("Hello world.\n");
  printf("

  for (HOURS time = 0; time < ONE_WHOLE_FUN_DAY; time++) {
    if (yeuann->isAwake == false) {
      clock.alarm.status.on = true;
      clock.activate();
    }

    if (yeuann->hungryStatus == true && (yeuann->pocketMoney > 0)) {
      yeuann->pocketMoney--;
      printf("It's feeding time!!!\n");
      while (yeuann->hungryStatus) {
        eat();
      }
    }

    caregroup.fellowship(yeuann);

    meet(hongtao);
    meet(robert);
    meet(marcus);
    meet(calyn);
    meet(nich);
    meet(mich);

    isEncouraged(true);

    if (yeuann->isRefreshed) {
      printf("Praise God!\n");
      yeuann.smile();
    }

    time+=3;

    go(lecture(NUS.LT34));

    while (lecturer.lecturing() == true) {
      yeuann.keep_eyes(open);
    }

    exit(lecture());

    meet(alan);
    meet(sijia);
    yeuann.smile(2.0);

    assignment(program());

    HYP.status == still_not_complete;

    rush_on == true;

    yeuann.onHowDoISolveThisStupidProgrammingBug(recall(JAMES_1_5));

    time = ONE_DAY - 1;

    meet(qiaoping);

    chat(qiaoping);

    veryEncouraged == true;

    time++;

    blog();

    printf("This must be the most \'wuliao\' blog entry I\'ve ever written.\n");
    printf("Looks like I\'ve been doing too many programming assignments this week. :)");
  }

  thanksgiving_status = GOD_IS_GOOD + ALL_THE_TIME;

  return thanksgiving_status;
}

This is what a Honda feels like

A choir performing a rendition of a Honda Civic... simply brilliant!

Forgiveness, therefore there is hope.

Memories, lots and lots and lost lots of them, have been coming to my mind bit by bit today. Felt overwhelmed by my past sins, until this verse (it must be God) came to mind:

"If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness,
therefore you are feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in His word I put my hope."

He reminded me that He has forgiven me ALL my sins, and when I recalled that, I really don't want to sin against Jesus anymore.

Because I really don't want to hurt the God whose I am and who loves me.

The difference between C++ and Java...

Say we create an array, and go out of bounds while accessing the array.

Java whines, "Massss-terrrr.... ArrayIndexOutOfBounds exception..."

But C++ spits: "Unhandled exception at 0x00402b1e in ImgSim.exe: 0xC0000005: Access violation reading location 0xabababb3."

No wonder C++ programmers eat Java 'grammers for lunch any day...

Just to share a little something...

Really want to share this testimony of God's goodness to me and how He has answered my prayer just now:

Was feeling terribly guilty about the things tt i felt i really failed God during today. So shared them with God, and i remember i kept telling Him, "I really don't know, I really don't know..." as in, "God, why did You let this be? Why am I so weak? Why can't I serve You better? Why can't I be a more effective servant?"

Really wanted some comfort at that point, and was waiting for His reply. No reply, but just recalled some Bible verses, and think He also wanted me to go take my bath first. (Just as well... I had just come back from playing basketball and was stinking to high heaven. I'm not joking...)

So went off, and then since I had to go to the loo, I decided to take a book by John Ortberg to read. Read it, and wow, really thank God, realised He was answering my prayer for a word from Him. Read this chapter on "Appropriate Smallness: The Practice of Servanthood", and realised tt He was pointing out a LOT of things to me that I had done today, through the points that Ortberg was writing about in that book.

From his book:

Humility, if ever we could grow into it, would not be a burden. It would be an immense gift. Humility is the freedom to stop trying to be what we're not, or pretending to be what we're not, and accepting our "appropriate smallness." In Luther's words, humility is the decision to "let God be God."

And read this part from a story about the 2 founders of Alcoholic Anonymous:

Bill W knew that it was not because he was strong and Dr. Bob was weak that he was able to help Dr. Bob. Bill W could help because he was weak, and in helping, he received strength...

Like Bill W, we have to realize that we are not Superpeople or messiahs. We must embrace limitations. That is whence strength comes. God is not chewing his fingernails over whether or not we can save alcoholics.

We must minister out of weakness. The reason we help others is not because we are strong and they need us; it is because if we don't help them, we will end up a hopeless relic.

Wow... found this very meaningful. Think this helped me gain a new perspective, personally, on why I share my testimonies... because I know that if I don't, i WILL forget what God has done for me, and become very melancholic and negative. I share, not because I'm better, but rather, because I'm weak and I need to share to myself too the very testimony that I'm sharing with the rest of you.

Some key things thus learnt from this experience:
1. I realised some "trigger points" for my feelings of guilt - among them are the lack of approval from others (perceived or real).

2. Realised tt I was falling into the same trap again, trying to live up to my own standards of goodness instead of pursuing Christ's standards (which is way, way up high in the sky).

3. Realised my pride, and unwilling response to God when He wants to help me see my sins, faults and mistakes to me. Realised that my response isn't a sweet spirit that really thanks Him for pointing out to me, but rather a grouchy spirit that says, I'll repent if You stop pointing out to me this area of my life.
4. Reminded again that God is super-patient with me, and that very, very rarely does He shout at me, but rather, His Spirit when He speaks to me is VERY patient and gentle. I was expecting Him to scold me very harshly or sharply... (yeah, He can do that too), but instead, He chose to speak very gently and encouragingly through that book i read.

Wow... I really have A LOT to learn from His Spirit... He is "slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness..." So much different as compared to the way i very often speak to others...

5. Reminded again that God can answer my prayers in other ways besides the one that I was expecting. =) God is wise!

6. Books are like friends: Reading a good book is like being with a good friend. =) Thought about it - it makes a lot of sense. Logical conclusion: Be aware of the company of books that I read... if I hang out with sad books, I'll become a sad person... if I hang out with wise books, I'll become a wise person...

And if I hang out with textbooks, I'll become a very boring person! >=D

Wow... God is so so so good...

"How deep the Father's love,
How vast beyond all measure!
How great the pain of searing loss
As the Father turns to hide His face
As wounds which mars the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory..."

This is the day that He has made!

Am sitting at my table, looking out of my Ridgeview room... it's a simply beautiful morning! Green trees, blue skies, golden drops of sunshine... a bird not just flying, but soaring in the air... and a gentle breeze that makes the "trees of the forest clap their hands"...

This is the day that the Lord has made! =D