Abba Father Prospers Even Our Mistakes!

My wife and I have just returned from a wonderful eight restful days at the Hakone area in Japan. From here, we can visit Mt Fuji (the highest mountain in Japan) and explore the lakes around the mountain ranges. Throughout our stay we had nice cool (and at times cold - yes, in the midst of summer) weather and a couple of days of showers and these were very welcome for us coming from a dry and hot Singapore and for me it was even more dramatic as I had just returned a few days prior to our departure to Japan from hot Muscat in Oman where daytime temperatures actually hit a high of 54 Celsius and night temperatures drop to only 35 Celsius.

So we were thoroughly thrilled when the thermometer readings dropped to 15 Celsius in the day and nights of 10 Celsius. And we decided to venture a trip from where we were staying (at Nakagora town) to Stage Five on Mt Fuji on Thursday June 11, 2009. The morning started with rains and we decided to stick to our plan and venture forth armed with transparent brollies (umbrellas) at 8:30 AM. Twenty minutes later we were at the bus-stop where we were to make our next connection and so we stood there in the light drizzle with our brollies and waited and waited not understanding that there would not be any buses for the next 90 minutes or more as the timetables posted on the pole at the bus-stop were all in Japanese and we could not understand the language.

Well, having stood there for almost forty minutes we finally realized that we could be standing there in vain and so we decided to flag a taxi to bring us to the next train station/ bus terminal to connect to Kawaguchiko town and from there to catch the 'mountain-climbing' bus to Stage Five of Mt Fuji.
Mistake #1 came when the taxi-driver took us on a slightly longer route to the station and the fare came up to 4,650 yen or close to US$50 (about S$70).
Mistake #2 was when we bought the ticket to the wrong station (two major stops too early)
Mistake #3 was when we decided to alight along the way way ahead of the 'wrong' station and we ended up back-tracking and trying to seek directions in English in a mainly Japanese speaking area.

But that was probably where the misery ended and our blessings started.
1. Where we ended up to ask for directions was also one of the most friendly places - the Japanese lady was so sweet; she went out of her way to connect us to the nearest tourist information desk at the station where we were supposed to have stopped to make our transfer.
2. This lady not only gave us instructions in English but also worked out for us the various steps we had to take to end up to where she was and she actually came out of her office at the station to meet us and hurry us on to our next destination.
3. When we arrived at Kawaguchiko to catch our bus to go up to Mt Fuji, not only had the rain stopped but the sky was so clear that we could actually see the mountain from the train station.
4. The weather continued to hold for us and we were pleasantly greeted at Stage Five with one of the clearest days for visitors. It had been observed that one can only see Mt Fuji in all its splendour on thirty days in the entire year and we were so blessed to be given that opportunity to view His majestic splendour. Thank you Jesus for Your blessings.

Well, the blessings did not end there. We continued to be able to see Mt Fuji again the next day as we decided to take the ropeway to the top of another mountain to visit Lake Ashi. In fact we saw Mt Fuji from various spots that second day - every time the bus turned round a corner and where the vegetation permitted, there was Mt Fuji. - we were simply awed by the Father's blessings.

Indeed He had turned our mistakes into His blessings and we were able to not just have our rest but enjoyed the splendour of His creation. Praise Jesus!

The Heavens Declare His Glory

The apostle Paul, in Romans Chapter 1 spoke of how the preaching of the gospel is foolishness to the wise. The wise among men would be brought down to size as they get to see the wonders of our Lord and suddenly realize that their so called wisdom is no match compared to the awesome truth of our Lord's salvation plan.
Recently the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory managed to capture something awesome as they trained their giant telescopes into outer space and capture one of the most fantastic pictures I have ever laid eyes on. Out there in the galaxies in the area of PSR B1509-58, we can see the heavenly bodies come together and wonderfully form a nail-pierced hand and holding onto a beautiful circular golden crown! (note that the picture is a photo negative image of the actual image). And we all know Whose hand it is that is pierced and now rules majestically in Heaven with the Father. Yes, Jesus our Lord was crucified almost 2000 years ago and for light to travel that distance so that we can capture the image, that must have been created millions of years ago.

How can that be, one may ask? I submit to you that when Jesus died, He actually died outside of time so that God's salvation plan spans right across all eternity such that Adam (the first man created) right through to the last man standing before the End of the Earth takes place may be included in His marvelous salvation plan.

So you, who would want to see proofs before you decide to believe in His matchless love, stop and see His great plan and be convince that there is a higher order - our Creator Father - in control of the heavens and the Earth. And for those of us who have believed, take comfort for the Lord is coming back soon for His Bride (the Church). I do believe that He is offering His crown to us at the Wedding Feast after the Rapture which I am convinced will take place very shortly (we might literally be counting the days now).
Maranatha Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Pls look at this website for more images NASA has caught:
http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4WZPA_en___US280&q=the%20NASA%20Chandra%20X-Ray%20Observatory%20photographed%20a%20gigantic%20glowing%20blue%20hand%20in%20space%20in%20the%20area%20of%20PSR%20B1509-58.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

Start Of A New Family Journey

Over the past three weeks our family had been rather busy. A hive of activities as our daughter became engaged to be married to someone she met while studying at the same university in the United Kingdom. They have known each other for about four years now and because of the physical distance separating them, they decided to settle down next April 2010.

Officially they were engaged to be married on March 28 Saturday when both sets of parents met over lunch and we discussed what we felt best for our children and agree with them that they will be married on April 03, 2010 Saturday. So now that the date has been set, a series of activities will have to be initiated over the next couple of months.

After the wedding, our daughter will be emigrating to leave in Birmingham, UK, as our future son-in-grace is working with Deloitte's PPL and waiting to secure his UK PR (he is a Malaysian Chinese with Sarawakan blood) and so will have to start planning her packing in addition to getting things organized for the wedding. In fact there will be three sets of celebrations - wedding lunch in Singapore followed by a family dinner over at Sibu in Sarawak and culminating in a wedding dinner over at Kuala Lumpur - spread over 8 days and can get pretty hectic.

And how did the family take the news? well, there were smiles all round as both sides were very supportive of the pending union. In fact the troop i snow working on the logistics for the Event next year. And I dare say that the wedding will draw everyone tighter together as it will become the focal point and we do need this event to do just that. So come Saturday April 03 the families will come together to celebrate the union with a church wedding in the morning followed by a wedding luncheon at Pan Pacific Hotel and then those family members who were supposed to travel to Kuala Lumpur the following Saturday for the wedding dinner will do so.

So we are looking forward to celebrate the blessed union between Mr Joshua Ting and Ms Adeline Li come April 2010. Congratulations beloveds.

What's In A Memorial?

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the passing of my earthly father back to the Lord and even as we enter into the Holy Week, I am being reminded of what the Lord instructed the children of Israel to do - to build memorials as a testimony of the goodness of our Lord.

In the Old Testament, memorials are in visible forms - stones raised one on top of another to form a column or markers placed at strategic locations to mark boundaries or festivals to remind them of the goodness of the Lord. And in the New Covenant, we have one very prominent memorial - the Cross of Jesus Christ. Each year, the Church celebrates the sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross and worships Him for His atoning death and in three days, we will be doing just that on Good Friday.

Good Friday is meant to be a time of remembrance of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and it is for joy and thanksgiving that we are to observe them. I do not, for once, believe that the Lord meant for us to be so solemn that we cannot even share moments of joy by having a meal together or perhaps even celebrating a wedding. I believe each day we are to live our lives in celebration of the finished work of Christ on the Cross - that we are wondrously saved by that one atoning death and there is nothing more to be added.

Our lives are meant to be a reflection of that grace we have in Him - so live life to its fullest in the divine health that His precious Blood had redeemed us for and stop accepting the lies that the devil throws in our direction that we suffer because of our ancestors. Indeed, when the Lord died on the Cross, He did not die for specifics but His death avails for everything and it spans across the time continuum because God lives outside of time.

Basking In The Love Of Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ

Recently I had been rather busy being caught up in work - definitely a blessing from the Lord at such a time as this when people around me were trying to look for things to do and keep them occupied.

Indeed, I have two consulting projects going concurrently and another regular monthly training project. And the Lord, for good measure, landed two very quick training projects onto my plate this month. And so, I was just sharing with my beloved wife that I have work almost every day and that the Lord had added joy to my situation (last year around this time I was struggling to find work to occupy my time) and how blessed and loved by the Lord I felt.

And all these times I consciously kept my focus on believing the Lord for His abundance of grace on my situation. Every time I encountered a challenge, I chose to believe that the Lord will grant me the break-through and indeed, He had been faithful to bless. And as long as I stayed focused on Him, I noticed that the burden became lighter and soon the blessings came as in a flood gushing down the channel.

So, what am I trying to say here? that I just sit back and do nothing but believe that He will come through for me? No, I am saying that the Lord looks upon our hearts and sees our faith in Him. Faith is the only currency in Heaven and when we have that currency, we will be abundantly supplied. So I would encourage you to look away from your situation and look towards the Lord and see Him in His love for you. If He chose to set aside everything and give you His VERY BEST (His darling beloved SON), how much more will He be willing to grant us His blessings.