season's greetings

for the (non-existent) festive cheer

sorry. i'm long past the age where i get easily excited over gifts and parties. to those out there who have not lost that child in them, enjoy. =)

tis the season

"Silent night, Holy night. All is calm, all is bright. . . ."

The carols try to tell us that this is a calm and silent time of year. But for most of us, the weeks leading up to Christmas can be anything but calm. You know the drill: office parties, shopping, baking, wrapping, relatives, Christmas plays and everyone's favorite - family pictures. It's enough to leave even the strongest among us exhausted. Can we slow things down a little so we can enjoy the season again? Does anyone have time for that?

Whatever your plans for the season, don't let them overtake your holiday. Remember Dr. Seuss's classic tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Christmas will come without all the wrappings and bows, it will still come if the turkey isn't perfect, if your tree is a little lop-sided or the dog decides to help you 'redecorate'.

There are ways to put a little relaxation back into your Christmas season without adding too much to your busy schedule. As we get closer and closer to the 25th, try a couple of these simple ideas and remember what enjoying the holiday feels like.

1. Host a coloring party. Coloring parties are a tradition I learned from my Mom's friend Gail. Every Christmas the local hospital sells large (3' x 2') coloring books as a fund raiser and Gail uses these as the center of her get together. Friends are invited to bring a little of their Christmas baking and come over for a morning of coffee and coloring. Upon arriving, everyone gathers around the coloring books on the kitchen table and dives into brand new packs of crayons with the glee of five-year-olds. The conversation flows. It is a relaxed, non threatening time, a great way to catch up with old friends, an easy way to get to know new neighbors.
2. Choose one or two people from your list and make their present. Making gifts gives you a great excuse to go off somewhere by yourself for a few hours. Put on your favorite music, light a pine scented candle and enjoy the quiet as you work. The possibilities for hand-made gifts are endless.
3. Attend a local highschool or college concert. Most school bands and choirs put on Christmas concerts and the entrance fee is almost always minimal. Grab a friend or the whole family and support local musicians while relaxing and getting into the Christmas spirit.
4. Read your favorite children's Christmas story. Find a quiet corner, a cup of cocoa, and favorite blanket and curl up a read the story you most loved as a child. How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Night Before Christmas are classics, or better yet, read the original Christmas story in the Bible in the book of Luke (Luke 2:1-20).
5. Reflect on the season. Christmas is many things to many people, but at the heart of all the celebrating and festivities is a baby born in a manger. In Bethlehem, two thousand years ago God sent his son into the world. The Bible tells us that Jesus was not sent into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Many churches put on special Christmas pageants that portray the story of Jesus, who he is and what he came to earth to do. Why not take in a performance over the next few weeks and rediscover the true reason for the season?

"Peace on Earth" is a phrase you see everywhere this time of year. For many of us, we have to wonder where that peace is? Who is at peace? What about countries that are at war? Is "Peace on Earth" even possible in this day and age? Peace on Earth is possible, and it can start with you. You can find peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and ask You to come in as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Christ will come into your life as He promised. If you invited Jesus Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you'll experience life to the fullest.

Christmas is a time to remember the gift of love that was given to us. May your days be merry and bright and may the love that sparked the season find you in the days and weeks to come.

From Chinese Women Today.Com

pressing in

Led by a Star
by Bethesda Cathedral
22 DEC 2006, 1900h

i am rejoicing now because i KNOW i'm standing at a brink of breakthrough. i have been on quite an intensive hard-sell for this event and i thank God that i managed to get 7 (and counting!!!) people to agree to come for this event. i count my family members in.

yes, my family members. the ones who could barely be bothered about church, the ones who think my church is waaaaaaay too far and the ones who think i should respect their beliefs. the word released this morning was to press in, and God honoured His word when i decided to ask my parents and sister one last time.

this is a personal breakthrough, too. maybe because there is an urgency this time, an urgency that drives me beyond my personal limitations and forced me to reach out to people around me.

i'm just oh so jubilant. my christmas will be made complete if my family gets saved. that is my prayer for the whole of next week.

will post more stuff in the week to come. meanwhile, i shall wait upon Him in anticipation of the surprises that He has in store for me. =D

the significance of christmas

i had a lot of half typed posts saved as drafts in my blogger list.. things that may never see the light of day until.. God knows.

i once told my oikos i had a dream, which was to write for God. that's partially the reason why this blog is set up, why i pursued a course in communications (it's a very indirect link, but there is one anyway), etc. unfortunately my writing has been stagnating these few months, sometimes even deteriorating (oh the horror!).

the above paragraphs have nothing to do with the title of this post.

it's the christmas season. it's hard to ignore that fact when everywhere you go, you get an earful of christmas carols - songs telling us that the reason for the season is Jesus Christ.

as i sang along to some of the songs whilst window shopping, i wonder - have these carols lost their significance? we sing lines such as "men would live forevermore because of christmas day" and "oh come let us adore Him", yet i get this strong feeling that people have become desensitized towards the significance of the songs.

as you grow up, the less excited you feel about christmas because society is gradually making me numb to the commercialized festivities. this year though, i promised myself it will be different.

a part of me wishes that people would stop and listen - listen and think as to why christmas is celebrated. this christmas, i ask that you think and seek the truth with all your heart. and i pray you'll find Him, because i know He's waiting to find you.

hark now hear the angels sing, the King is born to die for our sins, to bridge the great divide.


it's harvest time. it's the time where i stop hiding in my comfortable hermit shell and start waging war on the frontlines. only because i don't want to tell God that i didn't try hard enough to save the ones i love.

i do admit though, i don't like the idea that christmas is so hyped up when easter is obviously the more significant day to celebrate.