God’s Purpose In Suffering

God’s Purpose In Suffering
by Rick Warren

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son …. Romans 8:29 (NIV)

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Did Jesus suffer? Was Jesus sometimes lonely? Was he tempted to be discouraged? Was he misunderstood, maligned, and criticized unjustly?

As you read through the Gospels, you’ll quickly see that the answer to all these questions is: YES. So, what makes any of us think we’ll be exempted from suffering or loneliness or discouragement or unjust criticism?

The truth is, God is developing within you the character of Christ, and in order to do this, he must take you through all of the circumstances in life that he took Christ through. This means God is more interested in your character than your comfort, and he’s more concerned about your holiness than your happiness. So, the question is not if you’ll go through dark times in life, rather it’s when you’ll go through them.

Does God cause these tragedies? No. God is good, and he cannot cause evil, nor do evil. But God can use these dark and stressful times for good; he’ll use them to build a Christlike character within us.

So, what should you do when you go through difficult times?

Refuse to be discouraged – David said, “I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). This implies a choice, an act of decision. As Jesus faced the cross, he made a choice to follow God’s will; he made a choice to face down fear; he made a choice to ignore despair.

Remember God is with you – David said, “For you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). God not only promises his power, he promises his presence. We will never go through a dark day alone. Jesus knew he wasn’t alone as he walked out his passion.

Rely on God’s protection and guidance – David said in Psalm 23:4 that God’s rod and staff comforted him. The rod and staff were basic tools a shepherd used to protect and guide the sheep. God will be with you, and he’ll protect and guide you. Jesus could have called down 10,000 angels; he could have called his disciples to arms; instead he relied on God to protect and guide him.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

Long Curly Lashes!

I have to admit that its pretty addictive trying out the different products out there that can enhance one's beauty....

I have tiny eyes with folded eye lids... yep, other people talk about double or triple eyelids while I have trouble "showing" the eye liner if I were to wear any.

Hence, the saviour..... MASCARA!

Saw in a program how it should be applied to enhance the length, volume and curling effect without having them to look like false lashes and cakey feeling. There is ALOT of knowledge involved I tell you.

First you'll have to start with curling your lashes... I bought (hee hee) an electric curler to help me with it cos the normal spring ones dun seems to do the job... (do you know that you have to find a curler that is suitable for your eyeball shape? I din know that! ha ha ha Asian eyes are more wide-spread and less curvy, so we'll have to find curlers that are not as curvy. TAKE NOTE!)



Then I applied the Kiss Me black mascara (water proof, lengthening and curls) on my upper and lower lashes about 3-5times. You have to keep pulling the mascara brush straight away from your eyes, do not do the the Zig Zag movement, it will reduce the lengthening effect. (Zig Zag movement is suited for other mascara brushes, not this one)



And the effect... is amazing... see for yourself!


美美嗎?

I'm Loving It!

I'm into very girlie things lately... I figured I should have done these things earlier by like a decade or two... Maybe I wasn't listening hard enough when I was younger hahaha

Two big things that I'm into lately.... Skin Care & Make Up!

For skin care, I've started on Body Shop's Moisture White series from facial foam, toner, hydrating essence, serum and even eye cream.... after about 2months of use, I can see visibly some improvement to my skin, the acne scars heals ALOT faster now, leaving less spots on the skin. My skin has more texture now as well, got that spongy effect when u press on it.... (as compared to the "deflated balloon" on my hubby's skin ha ha ha ha)


The good part about this series is that its pretty light on the skin, not too greasy, suitable for beginners like me :D *happy*

BUT then I found out that one HAS to do other stuff to their face TOO! (for INTENSE treatment on top of the daily routines - okay i'm slow in discovering it....) So, I started on the search for them.... I found a few different types of MaSks in the market!

1 = packets with a sheet with pre-cut holes for eyes, nose & mouth. You just stick it on ur face for 15-20mins and peel it off and rinse off.

2 = bottle form creamy paste which you again apply on your face evenly for 15-20mins and rinse off. Some of them are also peel off masks, they become dry and looks like a 2nd face you have. It can get rid of some white heads & black heads for you as well during the action of peeling it off after it has dried.

3 = apply on your face and leave it on overnight. (my personal favourite for its ease of use) Effects of it yet to be seen yet...

BUT today, I want to SHOUT about this...



I applied it on for 15mins.... peeled it off and used the reminder of the "juice" to keep applying on my face... (watched this trick on tv, dun waste the "juice" of the mask, you paid for it anyway!)
And rinse off the sticky bits that seems to be dead skin that came out from the skin.... and guess what???

the water molecules just GLIDED OFF my face!!!

This is the first time it has ever happened to me. It's just so darn cool.... And my pores are CLOSED!!! YEAH!!!

*happiness is an ultra smooth skin*

guess where else I applied the balance of the "juice" hee hee

How to Handle Failure

What a timely article :-)

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How to Handle Failure
by Rick Warren

Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways. Proverbs 20:30 (GNT)

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No one’s life is an unbroken chain of victories. We all experience setbacks, defeats, losses, and failures. Nobody bats a thousand. We all make mistakes.

Since failure is common to all of us, one of the most important life-skills you can learn is how to respond to it. Mature people know how to turn every failure into a learning experience, a stepping stone for future success.

The first thing to do is to analyze why you experienced failure. Although there may be a variety of reasons – many out of your control – here are five common causes of failure:

· When we don’t plan ahead – As the old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” Proverbs 27:12 (LB) says, “A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them.” Remember, Noah had to start building the ark long before it started raining!

· When we think we’ve “arrived” – Remember the lesson of the whale: just when you get to the top, and you start to blow– that’s when you get harpooned! Proverbs 16:18 (GNT) says, “Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance leads to downfall.” In other words, the man who gets too big for his britches will be exposed in the end.

· When we’re afraid to take necessary risks – The fear of failure can cause failure. We worry about what others will think of us if we fail, so we don’t even try. Former U.S. football player Fran Tarkenton says, “Fear sets you up to be a loser.” We fail to take advantage of golden opportunities. “Fear of man is a dangerous trap” (Proverbs 29:25 LB).

· When we give up too soon – Many times, success is just around the corner. Remember, the game is often won in the final seconds. If at first you don’t succeed … you’re normal! Keep on keeping on! The value of a postage stamp is found in its ability to stick to one thing until it gets there. “A lazy fellow has trouble all through life” (Proverbs 15:19 LB).

· When we ignore God’s advice – The Bible is our owner’s manual for life. It is filled with practical instructions and guidelines for work, home, finances, relationships, and health. When we fail to follow these, we’re asking for trouble. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12 NIV).

But remember failure is never final unless you let it be!

If you’ve experienced failure, here are some steps for starting over:

· Accept responsibility for your own failure – If you’ve made a mistake, admit it! Welcome to the human race. Don’t blame others. “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance” (Proverbs 28:13 LB).

· Recognize the benefits of failure – For instance, it shows you what doesn’t work. The great inventor Thomas Edison said, “Don’t call it a failure. Call it an education!” Failure forces you to be more creative.

· Failure prevents arrogance and egotism – If everything you did was a stunning success, no one could live with you! It causes you to re-evaluate what’s important in life. Failure is one way God gets us to reflect on the direction of our lives. “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (Proverbs 20:30 GNT).

· Ask God for wisdom to understand the cause for the failure – Ask, “Why did I fail? Is there any reason I might have set myself up to fail?”

· Forget the past and focus on the future – Your past is past! It’s water under the bridge. You can’t change it so you may as well stop worrying about it.

Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (GWT)

Be encouraged!

The Irony

What does one do when he/she is sick?
- usually go seek a doctor's advice on medication right?


What does one do when he/she wants to get a license to drive?
- usually get a driving instructor to teach him/her how to navigate the roads, use the car and eventually get the license to drive (ie. be certified as a sensible, proficient driver with the knowledge to use the vehicle in a safe way in minimizing danger to himself/herself as well as other road users)

So what does one do when his/her relationship with his/her partner starts to be drifting/strained?
-usually they turn to their best friend or most accessible person next to them! hahaha Now, what makes that best friend/most accessible person the most appropriate person to "help" with the situation other than providing a source of relief, a listening ear?
Wouldn't it be more useful to seek some professional advice?

However, most would chose NOT to do so. Sadly, in that painful, long drawn process, many hearts are broken, many hurtful words are spoken, many irreversible damages are done which to me, most if not all can be avoided under the appropriate professional care.

We all fulfill different roles in our jobs, for some they are excellent engineers, for some they are excellent doctors, I'm sure there are excellent counselors out there who can and will help us bridge our humanly gaps when we need to, help us understand/point out the pitfalls in our relationships with another person.

So why do we still chose to avoid going the professional way when we see a clear danger sign ahead?

Here's the irony which I truly do not understand... perhaps i'm dense....

Loving Difficult People

Loving Difficult People has always been a challenge for me, there are just some individuals that stick out of my reach, their practices, way of life, value system, ethical values and yet I cant throw away the years of friendship that has been formed before these differences caused a wedge between us. Its good to have some guidelines to live with when facing these difficult people. Now its a matter of putting that into practise! ;-)

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Loving Difficult People
by Rick Warren

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (NIV)

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When asked what he considered the most valuable skill in employees, the financier John D. Rockefeller replied, “The ability to get along with people!”

One of the most important skills we can develop as we walk with Christ is knowing how to love troublemakers. If you learn how to interact with difficult people, then you’ll be able to pour your energy into areas of ministry rather than constantly putting out fires of conflict.

Here are four methods Jesus modeled when he encounter difficult people:

1. Realize you can’t please everybody. Even God can’t do that! Refuse to play games (Matthew 22:18).

2. Learn to say no to unrealistic expectations. Confront them by “telling the truth in love.”

3.NEVER retaliate (Matthew 5:38-39). It only lowers you to their level.

4.Pray for them (Matthew 5:44). It will help both of you. Let God speak to them.

A sweet gesture

I was helping out at ADEX with Dive Junkie over the weekend and there's this gentleman who made a really sweet gesture that is deeply engraved in my mind. He has a gentle nature and a sweet smile, tanned and semi-blonde hair due to the expose to seawater.

Over the three days, this gentleman came over to our booth to purchase our apparels and wore them the next day! We had great fun asking him to stand infront of our booth to take pictures of him with our apparels. :) hee....

On the last day, again he came over and purchased yet another tee shirt while wearing OUR tee shirt, I cant resist but to ask him to take another photo with our booth again.

After taking his solo shot, he whipped out his camera and wanted to take a picture with ME hee hee... (cos i'm the self-proclaimed BEST sales person on the sales floor...)

He said that he'll email me my shot! Yeah!

At the end of ADEX, while everyone was madly packing away, I was hidden away in the store trying to organise our stocks, suddenly a head popped into the store and it was HIM! He came to say goodbye! Just for me! So sweet hor?

These days, everyone is so involved with their own lives, they dun make the effort anymore to have a personal relationship with each other. Emails, sms feels cold while a face-to-face, over the phone feels warm. I'm touched by this very sweet and heartwarming gesture, which reminds me that I should have a more personal relationship with those around me too!

(now I hope that I look GREAT in that photo hahahahahaha)

Come & Find ME!

Its an exciting time for all divers again!!!

Time to look for great deals, hunt for the best diving spot around the world and time to listen to some of the very experienced divers who can find you something interesting underwater, take the most gorgeous underwater photography eg. Michael Aw, renowned underwater photography who organised numerous trips to discover new species, lead a few campaigns to save our marine life.

Its called ADEX! happening NOW! Suntec City Convention Hall 602-603.





Why am I so ON about this??? Not because I've been soaking myself under the sun too much, but rather, I've fallen in love with the Dive Junkie casual wear! They are so comfortable! Color lasts me 4yrs already and its still going on BRIGHT (mind you, I throw them into the washer & dryer to wash them hee) Their collars will NEVER stretch, their prints are always fashionable. What more can one ask for in a tee shirt?

Plus they've got NEW designs in exciting colors! Sunset orange, Atoll, Kelp... sounds so delicious already, how can anyone resist?


Check out their website NOW!