Not ashamed

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.'"

- Romas 1:16-17

Mutilated Christian girl, 10, forgives attackers
By Chelsea Schilling

Hindu extremists may have burned a 10-year-old Christian girl's face, inflicted shrapnel wounds on 40 percent of her body and forced her family to hide in a forest and flee to a refugee camp in Orissa, India, but her plight hasn't shaken her faith and thankfulness to God this season.

"Christmas is a time to thank the baby Jesus who saved me from the fire and saved my face which was disfigured and wounded," Namrata Nayak told Asia News.

Nayak's face was severely mutilated after Hindu extremists bombed the home where she was staying on Aug. 26. They broke into the house and burned it while Nayak and her siblings hid in a small bathroom. Before exiting the home, they left a bomb in a dresser, according to the report.

While the little girl surveyed the destruction, the bomb detonated and burned her face. The explosion also lodged shrapnel into her face, hands and back.

Nayak's mother, Sudhamani, came running out of the forest where she was hiding. "We saw everything burned, and feared that everyone had died in the flames," Sudhamani said. Instead, thanks to God, everyone was safe. Only that my daughter had been wounded. But Jesus took care of her. We took her to the hospital in Berhampur, still unconscious and badly hurt."

Nayak spent 45 days recovering in the hospital. Despite all her troubles, she is cheerful and giving thanks to God for healing her. "There is so much pain and suffering, and I don't know how long the special forces will protect us," she told Asia News. "But Christmas is a time of gratitude. I am afraid that my people will still be attacked, but this is our life. If God has saved me, he can save other Christians too."

The Hindu attackers have vowed to launch another widespread assault on Christians during Christmas. The violence began after Christians were blamed for the death of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on Aug. 24. They continue to be persecuted even though Maoists openly admitted to murdering Saraswati.

Hindus have offered money, food and alcohol to anyone who murders Christians and destroys their homes – especially pastors. Thousands of homes and churches have been destroyed, and Christians have been forced to flee the violence. Many have been doused with kerosene and torched after refusing to renounce their Christian faith.

Nonetheless, Nayak urges India's Christians to forgive their Hindu attackers. "[W]e forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes," she told Asia News. "They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus. For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us. This is my future."

Nayak said her life plan is to share the message of God's love. "The world has seen my face destroyed by the fire, now it must come to know my smile full of love and peace," she said. "I want to dedicate my life to spreading the Gospel."

Cake

We've picked a cake!! It's gonna be delicious! :)

-3-tiers
-vanilla with lemon
-chocolate with raspberry
-white icing, with pink accents
- Hopefully they can put the edible shimmer powder over it too!

Here are some designs I like, the cake topper will be real flowers...not the ones pictured here:

Think Pink

Yes, I now have a bright pink extention hanging from my head. Dan thinks it's amazing and wants me to get more. I, on the other hand, still get shocked every time I see it in a mirror. But it's been kinda fun to see the reactions from random people as I walk past them.

Target practice

Once I decided to read the Bible everyday this week, stress flew at me from all directions like archers on target practice. Some of them were so random too!

-Creepy man at work --> he's odd and whispers everytime he talks to me in my cube. He kinda reminds me of Kevin from The Office, but not funny at all, just plain weird.

-Work load --> I assist four people at work and this week they decided to all give me long, detailed projects. I don't mind of course, but it's overwhelming to get them all at once!

-Friend at work --> she normally doesn't bother me much during the day, but man this week she's been in my cube talking and talking almost every hour she visits me! Stresses me out because any time I'm about to get into a work mode, she pops in.

-Florida drivers --> yes, a constant source of stress for me. This week there was a high percentage of "wait 'till the last minute to break" people. So I was constantly on my guard and almost got into three accidents.

-Roommate --> it felt like no matter what I did, there was something I did that bothered her. She chose this week to write me a letter expressing all this and man, what a week to get it. Then when I tried to express myself, she didn't seem to understand my position. ugh.

-Roommate's fiancé --> random! I know, but seriously he got mad at me this week when I didn't answer his text. I was sitting alone in my apartment and he randomly shows up and begins his laundry and stomps into my roommate's room. All he said to me was, "you didn't respond to my text." sheesh.

-Roommate's parents in town --> so she cooked them dinner yesterday, but failed to mention it to me so when I got home I had to quickly pack up all my dinner items and cook over at Dan's house. Thanks for the head's up!

-My Fiancé --> for some reason this week my fiance didn't have great days at work and took his frustration/sadness/annoyance home with him. Praise God that we both prayed together and this was quickly resolved, but still a lot of emotional energy was spent on this one.

-Save-the-dates --> this was the week to complete them and the website I was using crashed and froze, gave me error messages and such. A quick and easy process turned into a nightmare.

-Dreams --> every night this week I've had stress dreams. Dreams where I try and express myself and no one understands. Dreams of fighting with people I love. Dreams where I can't get anything done on time...etc. So not much restful sleep.

Hopefully sometime soon I can get some peace and rest so that I can calm my spirit.

Jupiter in my Cup

Coffee at work isn't the best. Saying that may make me a coffee snob but facts are facts. The coffee at work tastes strange. It may be the brewing equipment is faulty, not enough water gets into the push pot, or that particular flavor of Barnie's coffee doesn't do it for me.

Every morning I hope our receptionist brews the flavored coffee. Maybe just once I'll walk in to see German Chocolate Cake or even Irish Creme. But alas, it is only when I'm in charge of the coffee that these fantastic flavors emerge from their storage closet.

Over time I've discovered the trick to making this coffee bearable. I know, it's a strong word, but you come try it! There's just something a little off about it. Anyways, the trick is to pour the coffee 2/3 of the way, then add some hot water, dump in 2 unflavored creamers, and finally 2 hazelnut creamers and you have the right consistency of sweetness that no sugar is needed.

Unfortunately our office is so cold that this concoction has to be drunk in a relatively short amount of time otherwise you have a lukewarm mess and styrofoam cannot go into the microwave!

Needless to say I had little respect for this coffee...UNTIL TODAY!

After I fixed my coffee like normal I stared at the top of my cup once I got back to my desk and noticed the most intriguing thing! Small swirls were forming all over the surface of the coffee. At first I thought it was just movement remnants of the stir stick I used, but it had been awhile since I stirred it. These incredible mini-hurricanes were forming because of the heat in my coffee (once Dan explained that to me).

The more I stared the more I realized it looked like the red spots of Jupiter, always moving, swirling but not getting anywhere. This was incredible! I had a tiny bit of outer space in my morning coffee...I had Jupiter in my cup!

Martha & Jesus

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:40 - 42, NASB)

"Martha is not asking a question here. She is stating what she believes to be a fact. She is looking into the eyes of Love itself and calling Him unaware and uncaring. Because He doesn't seem to be interested in what she thinks is important. Instead of sharply correcting Martha, Jesus lovingly rebukes her for being worried and upset while she missed what was truly important--fellowship with Him. " - Dr. Eggerichs

-----------------------

Something profound just hit me today as I listened to the book Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.

Martha was filled with self righteousness when she thought she saw something in her world that Jesus did not. It's incredible for me to realize this because it was Jesus she was talking to. JESUS! The perfect example of Love...and yet she still fell into the trap of self righteousness.

That just shows me how strong that bent is in my own life. If Martha could still fall into the trap while she talked to Jesus...how much more can I when I talk to people around me? As a woman I do see things in the world differently than a man; however that does not mean that I am right about my perception. It's just a different perspective on the world. Not only that but it can be, in many ways, completely wrong and misguided!

What an enormous amount of grace and patience God must lavish on me as I walk though this life learning to die to myself and trust His way not my own.

He truly is an amazing God!

The Art of Choosing China Patterns and Stemware

Wedding Update:

We registered last Saturday! Thank goodness for registry gurus who helped us...especially when it came to picking out our china at Dillards. Overall though, it was so much fun! Unfortunately Dan didn't even touch the registry scanner, but he got over it pretty well...those attendants are obsessed with holding them and scanning for us! I love the china pattern we picked out, it's so elegantly simple and, I hope, will still be classy in ten to twenty years.

The stemware is also pretty...lets just say we were extremely glad the attendant at Dillards helped us with this one. We picked out a few choices while she ran to help someone else and when she returned very politely said, "Why don't we try this one?" and voilà! Perfect match! Dan and I then decided we suck at picking out stemware that matches our china! ;)

Registering at Bed, Bath and Beyond was by far the most surprising. I don't think I knew half the stuff we found was actually sold in that store! I mean, I go in there a lot, but usually with a few things I know I need to buy so I never just scout around to see what they have there. But our registry attendant moved us through the store with ease. Dan and I had previously gone in to just look at stuff so we would have a general idea of what we wanted, but this lady was good! She gave us advice on different models, told us what consumers have said about certain products...basically seemed to honestly want us to have good items on our registry. She recently registered there for her own wedding, so I think that had a lot to do with her expertise and overall attitude.

So far registering has been a fun experience! It's nice to dream about our future home and anticipate, almost like Christmas Eve, what presents may show up on our door!

I've read everywhere that it's soo rude to assume you will receive presents from your guests...that you should never post your registry on your invitation because it's tacky...etc. But I still can't help but feel excited at the thought that these things we picked out may someday be in our new home.

Is it still considered tacky if you haven't demanded gifts from anyone and your heart is genuinely thankful for any you may receive and just a little hopeful it will be off the registry?

Weird Monday

- Woke up this morning from a strange and disturbing dream, but it was one of those that you remember right when you wake up and slowly fades as you come into full consciousness. However it's the third yucky dream I've had the past three nights and I can't shake the uneasy feeling they give me.

- Realized my fiance really is leaving for Germany this weekend. And then comes back in a week and leaves for Georgia for three. So he won't really be with me emotionally until September. :(

- Just finished another weekend with my future in-laws and brother-in-law & sister-in-law. They're amazing people and I had fun, but I'm a little emotionally tired.

- Talked with my Mom on the phone who then started talking about nukes in the US and the end of the world...which merely added to my uneasy state of mind and did nothing to pop the Monday haze floating around my head.

- I have a couple projects left to do then I have nothing to do at work until my boss gets back next week Tuesday...which doesn't motivate me to want to finish them because then what will I do?

- I also feel out of shape and fat today...I probably should go for a walk after work to clear my head and energize my body...maybe that will be a goal while Dan's gone...exercise everyday for 30 minutes.

Mission Accomplished

July 2008 resolution : I will attempt to write a little bit each week in my blog, but no promises people... ;)

----------------------

Mission for last night: Buy roses and ribbon to do a test run on my bouquets

Where: Target and Joannes

Outcome: I've got the number of roses I want in each bouquet now. But no visual yet since I'm waiting for them to open up a little more. Plus we bought two ribbon colors (pink & green) and that will need to be narrowed down to one.

Surprising side trip: Buying the invitations and garter

Where: Joannes

Outcome: LOVELY! We saved sooo much money by deciding to print the invitations ourselves. When we realized that basically the one you send out gets thrown into the garbage and the only person who saves it is the bride & groom...why spend a lot of money on pretty invitations?? So we got 150 invites, envelopes, response cards & envelopes for $96. Woot! The garter was $2.99 so seriously...why not buy it already!

This American Life

For those of you who haven't tried This American Life, I found an amazing discovery...they post their favorite episodes on this site: http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Favorites.aspx

So you can listen to them FOR FREE! Hooray! Now you have no excuse...you must listen to at least one episode and let me know what you think (positive or negative...I don't mind!).

Tag, you're it!

Well Melissa it worked. Here I am updating my blog--poor thing it's like a very bad dating relationship. On one month, off two...on another two months, off for three. Anyways, thanks to Melissa my blog and I are back in contact.

So…here are the rules:

- Link back to the person who tagged you. Melissa
- Post these rules on your blog.
- Share six unimportant things about yourself
- Tag six random people at the end of your entry. (Or 4 if you're not popular! ;) )

Six unimportant things:

1. I've become a maniac on Outlook, especially when it comes to scheduling appointments. I love scheduling appointments--mostly with my friends who also use Outlook at work. It's like a special connection we have in our calendars, a small silver thread that holds us together in the vast nebulous that is the internet. Maybe my mild obsession stems from the fact that it's my window outside my cube. The portal that shows me I do have a world waiting for me to explore once the clock strikes 5 and I escape my gray cube prison with its constant computer humming and fluorescent lighting.

2. In the past eight months public radio and podcasts entered my sphere. I adore listening to them! This American Life = genius. Most of the time this show has such engaging stories that for an hour on Mondays I'm completely enthralled. One story told the tale of a family who moved into a neighborhood only to find out that their neighbor was crazy and hated them. So for years they endured him sitting outside his house yelling at them as they walked to their cars, burning profanity into their grass, shining his car brights into their windows, and taunting their children as they rode their bicycles outside. Any normal person would've moved, fought back, or at the very least hated him too! But this family pitied him. One day they found his trash in their yard and saw his credit card and bank statements...basically ammo to completely wreck his credit and possibly steal his identity. But what did they do? Boxed it up and kept it in their house. They also found letters from his children to his wife saying they want her to leave him, that he's an awful man...etc. The family grieved over his home life and chose to see the soul inside the man. His deep pain and not his outward manifestations of it. It made me stop and think about how I see people. Do I see their innermost being or the mask they wear, the protective armor that hides their pain.

3. I've become a fan of the audio Bible. I've listened to Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians on my way to work. Surprisingly it brings the human aspect of the Bible to light. Hearing someone read it out loud reminds me that these were letters written by normal people. The sound effects in the background only help bring you into the time period in which they were written. This morning I bought the gospel of John on iTunes and was delighted when they actually voiced all the parts with different actors.

4. Usually I'm not a big magazine person but this one Real Simple is simply awesome! Organizing suggestions, quick recipes, gift ideas, fast cleaning tips, money savers--totally a "Holly Homemaker" type of magazine--and since that is my goal: to be the best wife/mom I can be, I believe I'm going to enjoy my new subscription (once it arrives in July). :)

5. Walking -- it's my form of exercise and I'm proud of it. Finally after many days of feeling overwhelmed by the idea of exercise, months of trying jazzercise, weights, videos, made-up routines, attempts at accountability...I've discovered what I ENJOY doing and that is walking. For the month of May my company promoted, "Step up, step out, get moving!" and encouraged a competition to see which campus could log the most time walked. They gave one point for walking 30 minutes/day, 2 points for walking 60 mins/day, and .5 points for dragging someone along with you during that hour! Let's just say Dan graciously walked quite a bit with me this month! Two days left and I'm proud of myself. 20 whole days of exercise for the month, that's better than ANY OTHER FORM I'VE TRIED! Woohoo! Exercise you no longer intimidate me!

6. New York & Company is my new favorite store for work clothing. Kohl's and Target, don't worry you're right up there, but NY & Co has such cute things! However, it is one of those places that I'll wait until things are on sale, I still have issues paying so much for a piece of clothing that costs so little to make...


People to tag:

1. Katie S.
2. Faith K.
3. Jensey R.
4. Boundless --> a group of people

Praying for you during this tragic time

It's tragic when a child passes away, but even more when it's a horrible accident. Maria was playing in the driveway when one of the Chapmans' sons drove up in an SUV. He didn't see her and accidentally hit her. She was rushed to the hospital and later died from injuries. The Chapmans had just celebrated Maria's 5th birthday eleven days ago, their eldest daughter's engagement and the graduation of their son from high school...and now they have to bury their daughter. Please keep the Chapmans and especially their son in your prayers.

Little Maria Meets Her Prince

by Ted Slater on May 22, 2008 at 8:58 AM

Oh I will dance with Cinderella

I don't wanna miss even one song,

Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone

And sometimes, for reasons beyond our understanding, she's gone before the clock strikes midnight.

Last night, as many of you already know, CCM artist Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter, Maria Sue, left us. Unexpectedly, the Prince tapped her papa on the shoulder and gently whispered, "May I have this dance?"

I can imagine the joy in Maria's eyes when she at last met her new Partner, when Jesus took her in His arms and spun her around the Ballroom, and as He shows her around the Castle, her new home.

May Maria's new dancing partner, the Prince of Peace, bring peace to the broken hearts of those who miss dear little Maria. And may we cherish our dances with the ones we love, while they're still with us.

My heart breaks for the Burmese...

Foreign envoys to see Burma delta
Foreign diplomats in Burma have said the military government has promised to take them on a tour of the disaster-hit areas of the Irrawaddy delta.

But the international community remains frustrated at the slow progress of aid to the region hit by Cyclone Nargis.

A BBC reporter visiting the area said there was little sign of official help, and foreign aid workers were banned.

A UN spokeswoman said Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had still not been able to speak to Burma's military rulers.

Michelle Montas told the BBC that the phone had been ringing but no one was picking up.

Official death figures from Burma - also known as Myanmar - have risen to more than 43,000, with nearly 28,000 missing, but the Red Cross and UN both say the toll could top 100,000.


Watch this video, it's so sad. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7402944.stm


No aid in delta
Shari Villarosa, the charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Burma, told the Associated Press that a group of diplomats would be taken to the delta region on Saturday.

"I have always despised this government, now I really hate them," Irrawaddy Delta resident.

It is not clear how much access the diplomats will have to areas outside the official tour route.

While envoys are ramping up pressure on Burma, the country's prime minister has said the emergency relief phase has already finished, and rebuilding is now beginning.

But the BBC's Natalia Antelava reports that the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy Delta are lined with white, swollen bodies and the air reeks of rotting flesh.

Nearly two weeks after the cyclone struck, survivors who have lost loved ones have no fresh water and just enough rice to get by, our correspondent says.

While the military government has put impressive effort into clean-up operations in the former capital, Rangoon, she reports, there was no sign of an aid operation as she travelled into the delta by boat.

Burma's authorities have welcomed aid donations from all over the world, but only a few foreign experts have been allowed into the country to help organise the relief effort.

'Time to save lives'
The EU's top aid official, Louis Michel, said he had not yet gained permission to travel to the worst affected area, the Irrawaddy Delta. He is due to leave Burma on Friday.

"I requested to go into the delta but was not allowed to enter yesterday. I am still hoping to go today," he told AFP news agency.

He said he had been taken to "a rather perfect, organised camp" near Rangoon.

Many relief workers are awaiting visas and most of those who have been allowed into the country remain confined to Rangoon.

Mr Michel said he had only been told his requests for more visas would be considered.

'Rebuilding stage'
Burma's military leadership has signalled it is not prepared to change its policy on the relief effort.

"We have already finished our first phase of emergency relief. We are going onto the second phase, the rebuilding stage," Prime Minister Thein Sein was quoted as saying by Burmese state television.

Top British diplomat Mark Malloch Brown lambasted Burmese authorities for not facilitating the flow of aid.

"We are way behind the curve compared to any other international disaster in recent memory," he said. "I cannot recall a relief operation where, at least the international response has been subjected to such delays."

Donors meeting
Large quantities of international aid are being delivered to the region and awaiting permission for delivery to areas hardest-hit by the cyclone.

A French plane loaded with 40 tonnes of rations was allowed to land in Rangoon on Wednesday and a naval ship laden with aid was headed to the country in the hope it would be allowed to dock there.

The Association of South East Asian Nations is due to hold a high-level meeting in the coming days that is expected to lay the framework for a broader aid donors conference.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross is due to launch an appeal for more aid two weeks after the storm hit.

Burma's military leadership has warned that those who hoard or sell aid on the black market will be prosecuted, amid international reports of misuse of some aid shipments.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7403997.stm
Published: 2008/05/16 13:50:49 GMT
© BBC MMVIII

Cleaning Up

So my days at my first "real" job are coming to a close. I've accepted a position elsewhere and as I cleaned out the folders on my work computer, I came across this description of my trip to Singapore back in January 2007. For memory sake, I wanted to post it before I deleted it, so here it is:

Travel
The flights to Hong Kong (15 hours) and then to Singapore (3.5 hours) were rough, plane travel isn't my forte, but I kinda had a feeling I would get sick, so I prepared for it. I felt sorry for Alicia who took care of me after meeting me 24 hours earlier! The flights coming back to the States went much smoother and she and I were so excited to be coming home we stayed up for most of the flight…making it seem l-o-n-g. I didn't feel sick until we began to land in L.A. and had a few long altitude drops. Sadly after landing I did get sick, but at least I was on my way to a comfortable hotel! Thanks SO much for praying for me and being my support system! I definitely felt the prayers and wouldn't have made it there and back again without them! A lot of you know about my "observation lists" from my blog, so here's one I made from my flights:

*Cathay Pacific is an amazing airline! The flight attendants are gorgeous and nice. The food comes on a cute little bamboo tray and they serve their drinks in plastic blue cups. They served peanuts and random snacks (free, mind you) throughout the flight. If you felt like eating a cup of noodles, you could get that too. All of this in economy class. I wonder how first class would be…

*Watching The Little Mermaid on an 11-hour flight isn't a good idea because then you get the songs stuck in your head for the rest of the time…

*Cathay had a relaxation commercial they would play after the flight safety video showing different exercises you can do during the flight to relax and stretch your muscles. However, when Alicia and I tried them out we discovered if you truly wanted to do them, it would require hitting your neighbor in the face with the arm stretches and having at least 5 more inches of leg room to fully extend the leg and foot. So we decided it’s better to just get up and walk around, hiding and avoiding the stewardesses and their inevitable “please go back to your seat” mantra.

*Customs in Singapore went smoothly and people were nice to you, even offered mints at the counter with a little mint trashcan (yes, they are obsessed with cleanliness). Customs in the U.S…not so good…at least not in L.A. It must’ve been, “I’m in a bad mood and therefore will try and make everyone else’s day horrible even though I know half of you just traveled around the world, I don’t care, you have to stand in line for hours while I sit and stare at my nails and talk to my coworkers…” day. And as you could’ve guessed, no mints were offered.

Singapore
Singapore is so beautiful! I recommend it to anyone wanting to see Asia but not the third-world part. It’s cleaner than the U.S. and felt safer too. Transportation is cheap and reliable. People want to help you get around and since most people speak English there’s no communication barrier. As you hopefully saw in my pictures, it’s SO GREEN! It was refreshing to drive around and see trees, bushes, flowers neatly maintained around the city and even downtown. Our taxi driver said it takes around a million Singapore dollars to keep the plants looking nice around the city. A stark contrast to the cement city of L.A.!

The strangest thing was how comfortable I felt. I wasn’t nervous about making cultural faux pas because somewhere inside I knew this culture. I was home, here I could relax. Only when I was away from the States, did I realize just how different I felt, from my “fellow” Americans. While adjusting to the States I accepted what I needed to about the culture to move on, but I never fully acclimated. Even after nine years (ten in June crazy!), I still get a little overwhelmed when I’m in a room full of Americans my age. There’s just so much pop culture I don’t know, which influenced the worldview, value system and thought processes of my generation. But in Singapore…I felt secure; I knew how to think like an Asian, what they valued culturally, how they saw the world around them. Even in a country I had never been to, a part of me felt more comfortable there than I did back home in Orlando. It’s weird admitting that to myself…

Conference
The conference was incredible! I felt honored God allowed me to hear how He wants to move in the Asia region. The hearts of these men are so tender and passionate for their Savior. Their passion to see their countrymen come to Christ was humbling. I realized how hard my own heart was towards the lost. I don’t pray every day for my friends who don’t know Him, I don’t weep for them or see the urgency these men do. Some of them constantly see the huge sacrifice that’s made when someone comes to Christ, like in P, N, and C. Actually during the three days of the conference the P guys had to leave early because their families were being threatened and some of the people in their ministry were hurt all because they proclaimed their faith in Christ.

Thanks again to all who supporting me in prayer while I was gone. Know that the Lord is working wonders in the Asia. :) It’s hard to believe my first job out of college would provide me with an opportunity to travel overseas, and see, hear, and be the instrument which tells others what God is doing in the world!

P.S. Here are a few links to Singapore pictures I’ve posted online. Some of the captions explain more of the little details on the trip that would’ve cluttered this post! Enjoy! :)

Album 1: Hotels and Fort Canning grounds
Album 2: The mall, Chinatown, downtown and seaport
Album 3: Botanical Gardens
Album 4: Orchid Gardens

The Choice

One part of my e-devotional challenged me this morning:

"Oswald Chambers said in My Utmost for His Highest, 'God never allows us to see another person at fault so we may criticize them, but only that we might intercede.' Intercessors do not ignore or deny fault or sin; they address the needs behind the faults and the sins. We love one another as God loves us when we come to others, not to take swings, but with prayerful, godly solutions." -Purpose Driven Life

It seems like a constant battle within me. I watch people all day long seeing them react to situations, make behavioral choices and communicate with others. Within those moments I'm confronted with a choice. Will I judge or pray?

Will I judge and just see the negative. Furrow my brow and shake my head. Wonder why they don't know any better or get annoyed by their behavior. Sit back and scoff or revel in my pride and self-righteousness, lying to myself that I'm somehow more intelligent or spiritually mature than them.

-Or-

Will I see an opportunity for sincere prayer. See the soul behind the behavior and the words. Realize I need just as much grace and patience as they do. Understand that God is offering me a chance to be a conduit of grace and be used by Him for greater purpose.

How easy it is to judge! Creating a higher standard for others to live by, expecting them to follow what I construe as "good" or "Christian," replacing what God has in mind for them.

I've twisted the gift God's given me. He didn't give me discernment so I can justify judging others or to reduce my compassion, mercy and grace...but to reveal a hurting, broken world in need of prayer and encouragement. He wants me to see others through His eyes and to intercede on their behalf when they don't even realize they need intercession. This is the calling He's given me. This is the responsibility. This is the blessing.

New Favorite

Last night my roommate and I saw the show The Drowsy Chaperone at the Bob Carr.

What a fantastic musical! The songs, lines and actors were hilarious and quite sarcastic. The narrator, or Man in the Chair, was brilliant and had such amazing comedic timing. Basically the storyline is a guy in his apartment shares with the audience his favorite musical. He puts the record on and begins to unfold the scene for us (which is appearing in his mind, but in reality on stage) and intermittently stops the music and the show to give some history or interesting facts about the actors or plot line. All the while poking fun at musicals, theatre, those who attend musicals, and the musical theatre fanatical fans.

It's genius, really...if you get a chance, definitely go see this one, the music album doesn't do it justice!

I'm so glad my roommate invited me to see it with her! :)

Here's a clip from the Tony Awards...