James 2:23 - And The Scripture Was Fulfilled That Says,"Abraham Believed God, And It Was Counted To Him As Righteousness”—And He Was Called A Friend Of God.

God is Faithful and Just. His Word never fails and like Abraham, we can count on Him in whatever circumstance which comes our way. He has promised to stay with us and never to forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5 - Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Interesting quote found on the web 

http://lmaohaha.com/christian-funny-one-liners-quotes/

The warning is so true about regular Bible reading. The Word of God always does the work it is supposed to do because the Word of God is alive and well in 2014.

Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (NIV)

Today has been a real surprise when I opened the Google page. It displayed a picture wishing me Happy birthday!!!

That was really cool!!!

In fact, I wanted to share a picture I found in an article I read on Yahoo. I had not posted anything since a long time.

Amazing photo! Ocean wave image looks like man's face

A spooky face is created by the spray from a wave hitting the harbor in Dorset, England, Feb. 4, 2014. (Simon Emmett/SWNS.com)

We had the visit of a tropical cyclone - Edilson - with warning class 3. Heavy rains and strong winds in the eastern part of the island were seen and felt.

The satellite image shows a lot of clouds around the country and the position of the cyclone.

Do not look for easy paths, but see your shoes are strong - so that when the track is stony you can get along. Don't go shod for pleasant ways but for the uphill climb - then you'll be prepared for any road at any time.

Today I'm putting into practice what I learnt from other blogs, you tube videos and from a recipe an auntie gave me.
It's making rice wine. This has always intrigued me and I had thought it was very hard to do.
It's in fact very easy to prepare. 
The ingredients needed are:
1 kg glutinous rice, some red rice yeast known as "kiuk" in Hakka language, 2 wine biscuits.
Glassware must be used to ferment the wine.
Method of preparation:
Boil the rice in the rice cooker with a little bit more water than usual.
Remove from the cooker and spread to cool the rice.

Crush the rice yeast and the wine biscuits to a powder.

Wearing plastic gloves take some rice and cover with the powder mixture.

Place this in a bowl and continue until all the rice is used.

The rice is then mixed thoroughly  and the mixture is placed in the glass container.

Make sure not to coat the sides of the container. If they are coated, clean them with tissue paper.
Place a cloth over the container and cover lightly.
Place the container in a cool, dark place.
The next day, you will see the fermentation process has already begun. The container will feel warm.

Using a clean utensil, mix twice a week for 2 weeks. If a white mould is seen, it must be removed carefully.

The rice mixture will begin to sink.

After 2 weeks the residue can be removed using a strainer.

The liquid is then filtered using coffee filters. 

The wine is collected in wine bottles and kept in a cool, dark place.

The residue is collected and placed in the fridge for cooking later. Some salt can be added to preserve it longer.

God Has Placed Within Us 3 Main Functions: The Will, The Feelings, And The Thoughts. Our Will Has Little Or No Power Over Our Feelings. They Respond To Thoughts. By Meditating On God's Word We Can Make Our Thoughts The Leader Of Our Feelings - Selwyn Hughes

Great Has Been The Blessing From Consecutive, Diligent, Daily Study. I Look Upon It As A Lost Day When I've Not Had A Good Time Over The Word Of God. - George Mueller

It is so true that we are blessed by daily devotional time with Our Lord. His Word fills us with confidence and faith to face the day He set before us. I rejoice in His Word who gives me peace of mind to run the race daily.
Today there's no school as there is torrential rain. My sleep has been disturbed by heavy rains at 5.00 am and it is still raining cats and dogs.
I've found this devotional today and want to share it with you. It's from April Motl.

His Love Over You

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8

Sometimes I ask my husband if he loves me. Not because I am unsure of his love, but because I just needed to hear him say it. 

Studies have shown that for every negative comment we hear, we need at least three positive comments to reset the balance of our perspective. For the majority of the world (save dictators and people who act like czars), we hear more negative stuff than positive.  That's where training our thoughts becomes so important. 

The Lord tells us to "set" our mind on the things above (Colossians 3:2). Each time we exercise self-control and refuse to indulge untrue, unhealthy thoughts and instead place our train of thinking on the things of the Lord, we counteract the barrage of perspective-derailing negativity. But what a lot of effort it takes, right?! 

So in the middle of the demands, the to-do list, the 10 o'clock news, the family heartaches, the everything that permeates your day, having a dose of the Lord's sweet words can go a long way to keeping your focus. As part of a wrap-up to a discipleship group I recently finished, I included this little note to each one of them. They loved it. I hope you will too.

Click here for a pdf. download of A Love Letter from Scripture for a letter of paraphrased, personalized Bible verses. The half sheet will fit in a 5x7 frame if you want to put it on your desk, by the sink or wherever :) May these words help you hear the Lord's lovingkindess over you.

Every Moment And Every Event Of Every Man's Life On Earth Plants Something In His Soul. - Thomas Merton

A whole month without posts!!! I've been busy with the new blog I created for my Chemistry class and am about to create another one for my Biology class. There has also been the start of a new school year and all these have swallowed up my time.
Today is Chinese New Year's Eve and I've been quite busy cooking today. Since this morning I've prepared the dough to make 'gato cravates' 

and put the prawn crackers to dry in the sun so they can be very crispy when fried.

In the afternoon, I've prepared dinner consisting of white fungus and chicken soup, fooyang, crispy pork (I bought at the Golden Hong Kong Palace Restaurant when I had lunch there), roasted chicken brought by my aunt, green vegetables, grilled sausages and a chop suey.

Not before long, there will be a lot of firecrackers all around the house. Now I'm feeling sleepy. Mum and dad are already fast asleep. Time for me to hit the hay!!

The Bible Is God's Chart For You To Steer By, To Keep You From The Bottom Of The Sea, And To Show You Where The Harbour Is And How To Reach It Without Running On Rocks Or Bars. - Henry Ward Beecher

Today I'm spending New Year's Eve in the North of the Island. I've prepared some Indian cakes - Ounde, to bring tonight.

I Am Secure Underneath The Protecting Shadow Of God's Wings And His Strong Right Arm. (Psalm 63:7-8)

Excerpt from Zig Ziglar's book - Staying Up, Up, Up in a down, down world, daily hope for the daily grind.

A parable told by Dr. Dale E. Turner titled "The Lamplighter"

Sir Harry Lauder, the Scottish humorist and singer, loved to tell about an old lamplighter in the village where he lived as a boy. Each evening as dusk came, the old man would make his rounds with his ladder and his light. He would put the ladder against the lamppost, climb up and light the lamp, step back down, pick up the ladder, and proceed to the next lamp.
"After a while," said Sir Harry, "he would be down the street and out of sight. But I could always tell which way he had gone from the lamps he had lighted and the glow he left behind."
Life's highest tribute would be to live in such a way as to deserve the words, "I could always tell which way he went by the light he left behind."
Like the lamplighter, each one of us leaves a trail wherever we go. Our responsibility - and surely our objective - is to leave a trail we would be willing for our sons and daughters to follow and, in the process, make our parents proud of the trail they left for us. Leave a good trail, and not only will your life be good, but so will the lives of those who follow.

Some People Come Into Our Lives And Quickly Go. Some Stay For A While And Leave Footprints On Our Hearts - And We're Never Ever The Same. (Dr. Dale E. Turner)

I am my neighbour's Bible:

He reads me when we meet,

Today he reads me in my house,

Tomorrow in the street;

He may be relative or friend,

Or slight acquaintance be;

He may not even know my name,

Yet reading me.

                               Anonymous

I took the quiz on 'What Flower are You?'. Turns out I'm a snapdragon. I had already taken it once, a few years ago and it turns out, I get the same result.

You Are a Snapdragon

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I'm sharing a devotional I received from Joseph Prince Ministries. It is really edifying and gives us assurance that we are serving a Great God indeed, who is ever faithful and true, who is always looking to bless us and especially to love us unconditionally.
So be blessed as you read the devotional and take your inheritance that God has given us who are righteous in His Eyes.

God’s Glory Has Been Restored To You

John 17:22
22And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

When God made man, the Bible says that God crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5) The word “crowned” here means to encompass or to surround like a glorious circle. The glory of God was therefore man’s clothing. In other words, Adam’s whole being was gloriously radiant.

When man sinned against God, he forfeited the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) But when Jesus Christ was born, the glory of God came down. (Luke 2:9) And many years later, Jesus, before He died, said to His Father, “The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.”

So the glory of God which man forfeited has now been restored to him because Jesus has come. When He died on the cross, He took our shame, gave us His righteousness and restored the glory of God to us.

But what exactly is the glory of God? Doxa, the Greek word for “glory” here, means having a good opinion concerning one that results in praise, honor and glory. This means that in restoring to us His glory, God wants us to have the sense that we are praiseworthy, honorable and glorious because of His constant good opinion of us!

Beloved, because God’s glory is on you, there is a weightiness about you. People don’t know why, but their spirits are lifted when they are in your presence. There is something about you that impacts them even if they have only been with you for a short while. When you talk, they listen because there is substance in what you say.

Also, because God’s glory is on you, you can expect it to touch every aspect of your life — your finances, relationships, work and health. Your body, for example, will glow with divine health.

So my friend, because Jesus has come and restored the glory of God to you, be conscious of God’s constant good opinion of you. Know that there is a weightiness about you and arise, shine!

 

Train Yourself In Godliness; For While Bodily Training Is Of Some Value, Godliness Is Of Value In Every Way, As it Holds Promise For The Present Life And Also For The Life To Come. - 1 Timothy 4:8

This verse stood out while doing my quiet time this morning. It reminds me to continue in the knowledge of God so that I can continue the race set before me as I work out my salvation.
I have also come across "The Lord's Prayer", a PowerPoint presentation.

Today I made a banana loaf using the bread machine. It came out too dry on the sides. I'll try it next time in the oven.
Recipe:
3 or more bananas, 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons milk, 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional), 250g butter.

As you can see from the picture above, it was dry that's why there were cracks on top. I used only 100g butter.