I often post in response to somebody else's expository, before I either relate to that somebody's post or go off in another wholely different direction.
(This post was motivated by reading Catherine's.)

My first and foremost query is:
Do people actually read my posts properly and take in what I say?

I will come back to this.

I must address the 'A' Levels, in order to validate it having been a real experience for my person. The outcome was within my expectations when I had not finished the coursework. Xiao Yu tells me, all the way from Canada, that this is a shabby excuse and I concur.

Most of the nerves were lost on me on Friday, because I lunched with Derek first and had beef as well. I like beef because it is succulent (when cooked masterfully) and muscle-friendly and it spites the cow-abstaining idol at home.

I then had to pay $30 worth of fines at the library for a book I borrowed in 2007, and promptly returned into the book-drop because it was unhelpful. I reasoned that if I had paid, and my results were horrific, it'd be even more of a rip-off. Because of this (and other expenditures), I'm broke this whole week. Myself, and several others have been victims of the flawed system in the college library.

While waiting for the long-sighted lady to leaf through the wad of results slips of other compatriots marked down by the unmerciful library, the woman almost gave me a slip with Ds and Us and Ss. It was a rude shock and I thank God my name, "LAU" is super distinctive from other names like "LIM". I'm so sorry, Lim.

When I finally got my rightful slip, by virtue of stark comparison, it felt strangely liberating, though a mild, awful emotion did appear for a bit. I call it the "it should have been me" feeling, triggered when I watched, and recalled watching old friends go upstage to claim their deserved congratulations from the principal.

Back at the hall, even the VP kindly give me counsel and evaluated my results for me. Hakim gave me "The Killing Joke", a 1988 Batman graphic novel as a birthday gift, and it was very entertaining and distracting, while the people who did excellent were called onstage.

God's faithfulness was a solid comfort, because our future in Christ is extremely secure.

John 10:27-29 (NIV)

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

This is a most important question I've been mulling over for quite some time.
Q: How do you tell if you are a sheep of God's flock.
A: Easy. You follow Him.

I also remembered to praise God for His divine arrangement which the short-sighted creature that I am cannot see. We survive only on His grace, and to also mention a delightful worship song, His Grace is Enough. My extensive study of Scripture then gave rise to two hard-sought A's amidst the other ugly alphabets, and I am thankful.
On hindsight, this was God at work, even through a lazy vessel like me.

A happy conclusion to a Korean drama, and a night at Karate which was slow-paced because of the visiting Swiss Blackbelt, made things better.

And this is how I've closed the chapter on my pre-university education. Even then, I will not entertain intrusive questions about my exam performance. I will then proceed to feign amnesia, in the hope that you might get my meaning and go away, else I will need to behave violently.

I have learnt more about leadership recently and although Gandhi is a pagan, he was pretty accurate to say: "I suppose that at one time leadership meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people."

This is not to say that Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a lousy governor, but that leadership is not a commanding presence or an inspiring one. It begins with humility, enthusiasm and offers respect to coworkers and especially subordinates. It concludes with appreciation for them when the job is done. I saw this in a slim man whose hair was growing white.

The Pyramid of Leadership
Image Credit: Google



If Christ is real, then He should be our everything and occupy all our thoughts all the time and unceasingly. There will be no self, no 'me' but only Christ.

We should strive to have Abraham's faith. God told Abraham to "Take your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Genesis 22:2 (NIV))

It was incredulous, and it seemed incredulous to Abraham because God had said it was through Isaac that Abraham's offspring will be reckoned and he could not understand how would God still bring forth nations and the kings of peoples if he were to put his heir to death.

But his response was prompt:
"Early next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey." (verse 3)

Abraham trusted that God would provide and make his paths straight, and obeyed God IMMEDIATELY even while he could not understand what God was doing.
In short, trust God even while we cannot see and cannot understand.

In Genesis 15-22:19 (NIV),
"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

1) God is our shield (refuge and shelter) and our defence.
With His protection, we are safe and secure.
But: If we put off our shield (God), we are extremely vulnerable.

Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,"

2) God is our very great reward. The best of all things are with God. He will protect, enrich, deliver, and correct us.

God is not just speaking to Abraham here. He speaks to His people who come from Abraham (was Abram).

We can even draw lessons from Genesis.

In contrast with how Abraham was willing to give his firstborn son to God. God gave His Son for all of us, and did not hold back. What else do we do, other than devote ourselves to Him.

*

In closing, having a good time should be the least of my concerns, because I should not be living for myself or my selfish pleasures and joys. My life is no longer just my own.

My favourite lines from a worship song, "Blessed be Your Name"-

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Praise God all the time, read His Word all the time, pray all the time.
Spiritual hunger must be satisfied with the correct spiritual food.
Christ is the Word of God, and will fulfill and nourish us.

Do you really read what I write, or you just stare at the pretty letters and wonder how come I'm so eloquent?