*Happy Sighs*

Four months since and I thank the Lord my God for His mercy and His grace and for His amazing, unconditional, incontestable love for me.

He has been doing wonderful things in stages, and I thank Him for the grace that comes with His reprimands. He takes care of the tiny minute things, not just the big things. It just blows my mind when I think of the number of His children crying out to Him, and the attention He gives to each and every one of us. A loving Father indeed.

I have another eight months for this chapter of my life. To be honest, I don't want these remaining eight months. Yes, that's right. To be submitted to Him, I know that these eight months are the last few pages of this chapter. How then, I ask myself, do I make these eight months into something sweet that would bring glory to Him? There have been so many recounts of the lives of different people in the Bible that have come to me, and I asked Him which were from Him and which were just me. Would I try to escape? Jonah. Would He take me out of the situation? The children of Israel. On that note, (the Children of Israel, I mean) He has provided manna and quail for me.

Actually, I'm going to take that spin off. There's this book called The Journey of Israel, which talks about the parallels of the Journey of Israel and our spiritual journeys. I'm still wandering in the wilderness, and it's pretty amusing to see how it pretty much came down to Him providing 'manna' almost literally. It's kind of cool. Anyway, back to what I was saying, He revealed a little more of His purpose for me this morning in church. I was planning on going for the first service and then leaving but the way He spoke to me during the first service made me stay, and I was truly blessed. I was confused about a few things. I knew what He was saying to me, but how was I to go about getting there. Should I drop out of college?

Should I drop out of college?

Should I drop out now?

Why should I even have to go through the coming semester exams if-



"Oh, shut up, my daughter"

*looks around, startled*

*squeaks* "Okay, Daddy God"



No, that's not what happened.  I got home after picking up my favourite sweater (which my Mum lovingly sent through a church friend who was traveling this way) and I had a chat with my host parents. Oh, how could I not mention this. They are such a great blessing to me, loving me the way they do. It's truly amazing I tell you. So in the chat with my host parents, they confirmed a few things that DG impressed upon my heart this morning, and they addressed the whole college issue (which I didn't even mention) and well, it's always encouraging to know that you don't have to walk alone. That's what they keep reminding me.

"You don't have to be superwoman. You can cry, you can come talk to us. We were there once too."

Could I ask for better host parents?

So much to be thankful for, but also so much work I have to step up to. It's exam period for the next three weeks. Say a little prayer for me!

A Call.

All praise to Him who inspires.

It's been a downward spiral for a bit. Well for the whole of last semester, actually. I have pretty much been on my own without inspiration, without passion to propel me forward. Yes, God has been speaking, and He's been good. He's a source of inspiration, and looking back at how He has provided for me over the past year...do I really need more convincing?

Yes, there are Selah moments, but there also comes the time when the moment is over and it comes time to rise up. Final year is approaching. I'm girding up and I'm going forth.

There is much to do. The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. This is a season where the Christians in this nation are being tested. I urge those who are reading this, to war in the prayer closet and not out in public. To rest in assurance in Him. To let Him fight the battle for us. Does this mean we sit back and do nothing? Certainly not. This is a call to rise up, to equip ourselves in Him. Let us be grounded in His Word, for even in the temptation of our beloved Saviour, it was the Word that was twisted and used against Him. Submit to Him, and He will give us the grace to stand for Him.

I'm polishing my armour and putting it on. Are you?

Selah

I thank the Lord for the rest that He gives.

Being away from home isn't easy. Not for me at least. There's so much that I miss...mostly my family, but yes, my family counts as MUCH! My parents are away, my Dad serving our Daddy and Mum's with C4, C4 being ultra-talented and making it to the finals of a nationwide classical ballet competition. Looking at my siblings, I know that God has blessed us.

C3 is a hard worker, she's bright...there's so much that I could envy about her. There's something about her that catches you if you take a moment to talk to her. While she may seem curt at times, there are those other moments when you look over and see her curled up with a classic read or just watching selections from BBC Series. Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Little House on the Prairie...she's really quite sophisticated although she may not see it that way. I'm not talking about being sophisticated with social status, I'm talking about a sophisticated maturity. Makes me smile when I think about it.

It's interesting. I should be distressed over the results that just came back. I should be freaking out. But I'm not. I'm asking myself, "Could this be it? Could this be the roadblock?". I said before that it's scary, I said before that it's exciting. It's really both I suppose. All about walking by faith. You'll never know where He'll take you next. To tell you the truth, I don't really know what I'm thinking about right now. I can't quite put a finger on it. Perhaps I need to get back into that secret place.

There's been talk about returning to the secret place, there have been causes to intercede for, there have been Selah moments that call for just me and Him. Thinking about it now, I don't think I really have taken the initiative to do anything about everything I've been hearing, what people have been telling me and speaking over my life. It's been "Why? When?" but never "Here I am." There are so many parallels I can think of now, so many incidences where God has been waiting for me to answer "Here I am, Daddy." Will I say it now? Today?

Imma have a date with Dad when he gets home. Maybe after Gawai. There's so much I want to ask him, so much I want to hear about. I thank God that he was called to the mission field.

"Here I am, Daddy. Use me as You please"

The March of the Invasion.

It's been a month since I last wrote and I thank the Lord for prayers answered. (Whoops. This was supposed to be published a few days ago. And I forgot about it. Still. Better late than never.)

I was at the Kingdom Invasion conference earlier this month and well, God's been so good. Allow me to ramble. Insecurities - an issue every musician struggles with constantly, especially if one is pursuing it at this level and surrounded by many who are better than said person (yes, you hardly ever look at those on par with yourself. It's almost always a comparison with the big boys)...sighs. Even now, as I write, there is someone else in the room playing an exercise so fluently...and I am struggling with that exercise.

Often times, playing music in a more demanding setting becomes a hazard to those who serve with the music/worship ministry (ie. me). Rather than letting my playing be an expression of worship to Him, I become so conscious of the technical details, the perfection that is demanded of me outside 'me and Him' time, and then I fall into that trap of feeling insecure and completely unworthy of playing before Him. And I let that affect my everyday playing as well.

Day Two of the conference, that's when it happened. I was backstage after serving for the morning session and S came and sat down next to me. We were just having a conversation when I just blurted out how I felt. To my complete surprise, he turned to me and said "I know exactly how you feel". He went on to relate a dream that one of his lecturers had shared with his class once upon a time.

There was a big concert organised in honour of the King. There were millions of people watching. Performer #1 made his grand entrance. He was a professional, a world renown musician. He performed and when he was done, the audience burst into thunderous applause. Performer #2 was no less, and again, when he was done, the audience erupted in cheers and applause. There were still remnants of the applause when the third performer stepped onstage. The hall fell silent.

A little boy in dirty clothes, tattered and mended over countless times, stood centrestage. Lifting the mic to his lips, he began to sing. There was nothing spectacular about this little boy. He sang off-key, mixed up some of the lyrics even. When he sang his last note, its echo could be heard. Not one person clapped. The little boy looked down, dejected and discouraged. But then the King stood up and started clapping. He picked the little boy up and said, "Son, I love it when you sing to me".

What I learnt from this is that God loves our simplicity. He loves what is offered to Him from a sincere and genuine heart. It's difficult to type this because I'm tearing up. Just like S told me he felt like doing when he shared this with me. It was when S was sharing with me that the tears welled up and began flowing. They refused to stop. I shared about Jireh and when I was done, he was just staring at me, baffled, and he asked, "With that assurance of how much He loves you, how could you POSSIBLY feel insecure and unworthy??" The waterworks continued pretty much from then till the end of the conference. He shared one of his testimonies with me after I shared about Jireh and myself, and that evening, interestingly, Ps. Bill Johnson spoke on the power of testimony. How cool is God's sense of humour?

Food for thought. When we serve God in the little that we have, as long as it's from a genuine and sincere heart, God loves it. God loves us. And with a love like that...really...think about it. With a love like that, how could you - or me rather - feel inadequate and insecure?

So that is my testimony, my point of breakthrough. That was the point where I said, "Okay, Lord." For if He chooses to bestow His gifts upon me, He has made me worthy of them and He loves it when I use what He has given to me to glorify His name.

Tribute to Mr. Bach.

I thank God for this man...an amazing composer who wrote some very beautiful music.

I'm not going to bore you with a whole history, but Johann Sebastian Bach composed mainly for the church. He gave glory to God on each of his manuscripts :)

Here's a little something for your entertainment!

Halfway Through!

I thank God that He has carried me through this season of my life...and that He is faithful and will continue to carry me to the end.

It's been four months since my last blog post, so my apologies to those who have been coming here only to find nothing new.

Halfway through. That I am. Well, it's more like seven twelfths of the way to the end of this chapter and the beginning of a new one. Yes. Soon I will be at the forked road of continuing with the books or as some say, out of the pan and into the fire.

I will be baking a banana meringue pie come Tuesday. Yes, I have been baking more frequently. I think I'm just going to let this be a Delighfully Yours post. Here are some photos. 

Oreo Cheesecake.

Crossiants, vanilla ice-cream and strawberries.

Pretty peach galette :)

Cookie pile!

My coping mechanism. I am most definitely making the peach galette again. I loved every bite I had! Have to make some improvements though. So for a start, I will be trying a different recipe for the banana meringue pie. I need to organise my thoughts and come back to write a proper entry.

Hmm. I need to bring some of my other CDs over here. The jazzed Bach, for instance. Till the next post! (That hopefully will not be too long from now...) Oh, and on a side note, I would like to walk down my wedding aisle to Bach's Air on a G String.

Stuff#05 - Why I Believe

Today, I thank God for a very special person He's placed in my life at a crucial time. Blessed Womb Emancipation Day, Abg.

Little might Said Person know, but there have been many times where, since I took flight, that I've just felt so alone...and just looking at SP's life has been such an encouragement. I see SP as a role model, someone to look up to, and someone I can rely on. Having SP around during those times when I feel down and disappointed in myself...and when being alone is what I want but know that I especially shouldn't...and all the other times as well...SP's been such a blessing and I don't know any other way to put it.

There have been the jamming times...and the laughs and serious conversation...SP's made me feel like a kid and an adult in just a matter of seconds. I will never forget that gig-turned-shopping-expedition. It's called quality time :)

I was given the opportunity to bake for this special occasion, and thoroughly enjoyed my time in the kitchen. Baking for the people I love - that's a pleasure. Being able to pray for them as I bake, knowing that I'm investing my time as an expression of appreciation for the role they play in my life. Sometimes it's really all I can afford. It might not seem like much, and many times, I do wish that I had more to give.

I think one of the most important things I've learnt from SP is perseverance. Despite SP's attempts to appear nonchalant, SP is, in actuality, the perfect life example of someone who's pulled through tough times, times when one feels all alone and all that. My being here, is like a pale, pale shade next to what SP has had. I'd have to admit that sometimes, I seek SP out because I know that just spending time with SP would really make me acknowledge the minute-ness of what I'm going through.

So that's dedicated to this very special person who will be known as SP here.

On a side note, I missed last month's post...and that's because I've been on a pretty amazing roller coaster ride, that little to my knowledge had started a good six years ago. Sometimes when I look back on what happened within the span of a mere month, I'm in awe at the way He works things. Just to put it in a nutshell, I got a phone call, looked at airfares, witnessed the amazing connections God reveals when we let Him take the wheel, got stranded in a foreign land for a very scary couple of hours where it was a chicken and duck situation, heard an amazing concerto, met amazing people, experienced my first typhoon and earthquake, saw the fruition of much prayer, and literally ran to catch a connecting flight.

In short, I'm really overwhelmed by what transpired, still, and well - I don't know what He has in store for me, but I'm definitely excited. I've been seeing Him come through for so many people around me, and another big encouragement came yesterday at my college's fun day at the beach, our equivalent of a sports day, where a friend of mine who's doing an Arts Management course took part in a talent competition, and got spotted. She once shared with me how she has always wanted to be a stage performer, but she got into the Arts Management course instead. She honoured God by obeying and she's currently in her second year. She's passionate about Him and serves Him faithfully, despite being a first generation Christian whose family sometimes gives her a hard time about how much time she spends in church and all that. It was and is such an encouragement to know that I serve a God who is faithful, despite the fact that we tend to wander off.

It's not that we don't already know He's a faithful God, we do. But He likes to remind us by baffling us again and again. Just to add a personal thought, I think He enjoys watching us react to His ambiguity. I can't help thinking that it's like a drama. Haha :)