You are amazing, God.

Just got back from a week away at mostly sunny skegness, where I went for the Word Alive conference. 7000 people from all over UK, all gathering to learn together and grow in the knowledge of the grace of our Lord. One God. Truly amazing, truly humbling.

Well, that doesn't really explain my absence from here- what does is that my internet connection has been kind of shaky, and that I've been trying to stick to studying and running. :)

Ok, news also is that because due to power socket constraints I can't rearrange the furniture in my room, and I'm just itching to change the look of something, anything, decided to change blogspace to a new one HERE.

It's really bare for now, haven't got time to do anything to it, but it's a change! So shall be posting whatever snippets of my life there from now on.

Can I just say before I leave though, quoting the song "Indescribable"...
Awestruck I fall to my knees as I humbly proclaim: God is amazing.

I think in the midst of this mad rush to finish studying for exams, I just needed a shaking-up, to be reminded all over again, that I'm living this life for so much more than the insignificant pimple-stricken girl I stare at in the mirror each morning.

I live in the light of the person of Jesus Christ and what He came to fulfil, in the light of what little we know of eternity.

And that really makes all the difference you know.

--

You do all things well

Mountain maker, ocean tamer
Glimpses of You, burn in my eyes
The worship of heaven, fills up the skies

You made it all, said, "let there be"
And there was, all that we see
The sound of Your voice
The works of Your hands
You do all things well
You do all things well
You do all things well

Star creator, wind breather
The strokes of Your beauty
Brushed through the clouds
Light from the heavens
Touching the ground

Imagination runs wild
And breathes the breath of life
Across the fields, across the miles

hymn

This hymn has a beautiful tune that I can only half remember, does anybody know?

Have been seeking God on something that is so small but seems so huge, much confusion and doubt, fear and pride to sort out, so hearing these words sung this morning? just so apt. :)

Light of the minds that know him-
may Christ be light to mine!
my sun in risen splendour,
my light of truth divine;
my guide in doubt and darkness
my true and living way,
my clear light ever shining,
my dawn of heaven's day.

Life of the souls that love him-
may Christ be ours indeed!
the living bread from heaven
on whom our spirits feed;
who died for love of sinners
to bear our guilty load,
and make of life's brief journey
a new Emmaus road.

Strength of the wills that serve him,
may Christ be strength to me,
who stilled the storm and tempest,
who calmed the tossing sea;
his spirit's power to move me,
his will to master mine,
his cross to carry daily
and conquer in his sign.

May it be ours to know him
that we may truly love:
and loving, fully serve him
as serve the saints above;
till in the home of glory
with fadeless splendour bright
we serve in perfect freedom
our strength, our life, our light.

some tv for the weekend

Decided I needed some leisure, and so watched a fair bit of TV today. But it was what would have been considered educational TV by my parents when I was younger, so that’s ok. (:

Yep, like the Commonwealth Games! I think I enjoy watching sports much more than actually doing any. They were showing events I liked too, like synchronised swimming (jaw-dropped in amazement at their precision and the way they can keep their toes curled when their legs are dancing out of water- I tried and got a foot cramp immediately), like netball (which I actually know the rules for, and the way the girls move across court- just so much athleticism but combined with such grace, like squash (which triggered off memories of cheering for the rg and hc teams at Kallang), like the marathon (won by the 38 yr old Australian mother of two who doesn’t look like her stomach skin has ever been stretched!) The Melbourne crowd is truly quite amazing, the whole stadium was filled and buying tickets just to watch the start and end of a 2.5 hr long marathon.

What else: I also caught the interview they did with the dashing young men who are England's star swimmers. Oh and then of course, the BBC team checked out Melbourne cafes, including, no kidding, a dog-café. Yeah, to semi-quote the presenter, you sip cappuccino while doggy-dearest laps at pup-puccino! ahaha. And then the amazing café where the owner creates art in the foam of each cup of coffee with the tip of the spoon handle, and has pictures of women’s faces floating on coffee framed up around his café.

Then there was Planet Earth, which I shall make regular TV fare from this week on. (: Really miss watching these nature documentary sorts. Anyway today they featured freshwater, and traced the path it takes from mountaintop to lake or sea, plus all the living things along the way. (:

I have fallen in love with otters! Why didn’t anyone tell me how adorable (and cartoon) these cuties are before? They climb out of the water on to the banks to wriggle around in the sand on their backs, together, because back-rubbing is a social activity for them. And the way they stand up on their hind-feet and make squeaky noises! Ok but the best has to be all these little ottery things ganging up to harass grumpy Mr Alligator, strength in numbers they seemed to think, though watching them I really feared the alligator would just get mad and finish one off in a snap!

Ok. Now, TV's off and I'm online. sigh. There seems to be problem with my laptop too, keeps re-starting itself for no good reason. All my firefox bookmarks have disappeared! I hope nothing else does before I have a chance to back it all up!!

sesame street!!

Because this clip has so many of my favouritest sesame street songs/cartoonthings/monsters. plus the manamana song at the end. ahaha. And because I'm sure my sisters who like me spent afternoons watching these things too will enjoy it if no one else does. :)

So many more favourites I can think of aren't in there tho -yes obviously they can't fit everything in, but still- like count-von-count, super-grover, zoe-elmo clips and ernie's 'I'd like to live on the moon' song and oh oh the cereal-girl song!! but this does have rubber duckie, and sing-a-song, and alistair cookIE and all the impt monsters do appear. ahaha. :)

"Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet..."

as songtime and springtime and summertime to be

Just came back from church, came straight back because I was feeling so tired.
The choir sang, very excellently, a beautiful song in church today:

As water to the thirsty,
as beauty to the eyes,
as strength that follows weakness,
as truth instead of lies,
as songtime and springtime
and summertime to be
so is my Lord, my living Lord,
so is my Lord to me.

Like calm in place of clamour,
like peace that follows pain,
like meeting after parting,
like sunshine after rain,
like moonlight and starlight
and sunlight on the sea
so is my Lord, my living Lord
so is my Lord to me.

As sleep that follows fever,
as gold instead of grey,
as freedom after bondage,
as sunrise to the day,
as home to the traveler
and all we long to see
so is my Lord, my living Lord
so is my Lord to me.

- words by Timothy Dudley-Smith, music by Brian Coleman

Must say that when the words were flashed on the screen, I thought, oh one of those lots of pretty things songs. Which ya, guess it is, but in its simplicity it spoke to something in me.

I think my flu's gotten worse again. Which makes sense because I recovered too quickly, so that now I think about it, it's like I kind of got well enough to make it through the looong day yesterday (OCF's easter event), and then lapsed back into normal trend of recovery. So, thank God.

Wish the holidays were here! Or actually, no I take that back, I don't want to meet the future sooner than I must. Wish the clocks would stop a day, or maybe a week. So I can then get back on track work-wise, gym-wise, God-wise etcetc-wise. Too much to think about- giving me a headache!

Ok need food need sleep, got to go. :)

another chance!

sick

I could write about how horrible a day I've had, except that I would be half-lying. :P

It is extremely terrible and horrible to have to mope around with a dripping (now stuffy) nose, a perpetually throbbing head, sore throat, dry mouth and body ache all over. (I also realised today how clumsy I am, because every single bump I made was magnified 1000 times by my achey self.) But it was good to mope around legitimately, and sleep hours on end knowing I have to, sleep not being a reducible option anymore but a desperate necessity.

I still hate illness and hate not being able to eat chocolate (although I love bread soaked in milo maybe I shall continue eating that after I'm well). And it is really very 辛苦, especially the being woken up by my own coughing in the middle of the night part- which makes me long for Vicks and home. BUT, it must have been time to rest, my body knows best. So.

Can only keep praying for full recovery now- please please let me be well before Saturday's easter event?

I need to go do my essay now- His grace is ever sufficient for me. :)

____________

When I was weak, unable to speak, still I could call You by name
And I said Elbow Healer, Superhero, come if you can
You said, I Am

When I was weak, unable to speak, still I could call You by name
And I said Heartache Healer, Secret Keeper, be my best friend
You said, I Am

When I was weak, unable to speak, still I could call You by name
Oh, Shepherd Savior, Pasture Maker, hold on to my hand
You said, I Am

I will be weak, unable to speak, still I will call You by name
Creator, Maker, Life Sustainer
Comforter, Healer, My Redeemer
Lord and King, Beginning and the End
I Am, I Am

- excerpts from Nichole Nordeman's "I Am"