Isaiah 65:24 - 'Before they call, I will answer'

I don't usually read forward emails as I think they are waste of time. My brother, James, likes to forward emails and surprisingly I always read his because to me, he only send things which are meaningful. This forward email has been there for 3 days and I happened to have time for it today. I didn't really expect a "WOW" story but you can never deny the "WOW-WOW" effect God has on every one of us. I strongly encourage you to spend the next 5 minutes (MAX) on this as it is nowhere near wasting your time, but worth your every second.

~This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa .~

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).

We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). 'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon , as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten -year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.' While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, 'Amen'? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door..

By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!' Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked: 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five month s before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon'.

'Before they call, I will answer' (Isaiah 65:24) This awesome prayer takes less than a minute. When you receive this, say the prayer, that's all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. T here is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another !

I don't know about you, but I hope this prayer of faith will continue without failure, in your life, and in mine.....

Birthday wishes to Chloe..

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! A year has gone past like lightning. I still remember around this time of the year 12 months ago I started my blog, and it was also the time when I said my wish to my best friend, Chloe, on her birthday. Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR!!!

Looking back, Chloe and I have been friends for over a decade, 16 years precisely. Two innocent girls (OK, back then lah), who never expected to become someone important in each other's life, met at the only and one "nun" school in Sibu. That's how they've always called it, a nun school. Yes, I know what you're thinking, if there's a nun, there's a monk somewhere. There is a 'monk' school nearby. They are actually next to each other geographically. In fact, I heard that now you can practically wave at the 'monks' next door from your classroom. So, how would you suggest these students can study whole-heartedly? Only God knows.

So, these two girls were actually allocated in the same class called "PL" (Kelas Peralihan L - Transition L Class) and nope, it's not the 12th worst class, it's the 2nd best class. But, it doesn't really mean much, so WHO CARES? hahaha...

Here's the seat allocation of PL.

As you can see, I was sitting at the first row, and Chloe the last. No other reason, we were allocated according to our heights...*cry cry* I forgot who sat in those numbers allocated. You might wonder why number 11 is missing. Well, I suddenly remembered who sat there and was too lazy to change the numbers, so.... I was not intended to involve in class monitor election. To cut the story short, I was chosen as one and Chloe's the assistant. We were not only partners, I still remember vividly that HH's house was the only place I could go other than the church and tuition classes. Kids nowadays are so blessed with freedom so please do not abuse your privilege!! *wink*

When we finished our transition class, we were moved up to the best class 1E . We decided in PL that we would sit together if we moved to the same class again. So, our wish was granted.

Too lazy to label extra information

We had great time that year but the down side was we didn't study at all so our results were too harsh on eyes. For the next two years when we moved up to 2E and 3E, we didn't sit together. Hmm.....was it because we didn't like each other anymore? Well, it's like the dating idea. You don't only stick to one person, you need to look around and see, perhaps there are still other people out there, who might be more suitable for you?!?!

After searching for two years, Chloe and I came to a conclusion - WE WILL SIT TOGETHER AGAIN in 4E!!!! Yes, we still think we are fit for each other. (Don't puke please :P) After two years of separation, we were back together, how wonderful it is you'd say. But we all know that good thing never lasts long. Chloe and I were 'neighbours' for a day and I called it a quit. Don't get me wrong, I love Chloe dearly, but who'd blame me for giving her up for my dream? hahahaa....no lah, I went overseas and I'm really really sorry that I left Chloe. It's my fault that things happened in her life after I left her. (Hint: Dandruff)

Frankly speaking, I thought I'd never get to see Chloe often but God's great, we are both in England now and we see each other few times a year. I cherish this friendship a lot and I hope it will last till the day we leave this world. Sounds corny??

Postlude: People say you can only have one best friend, but I am lucky, I've got TWO best friends, Chloe & Rose. Three of us are of absolute different personalities but we just click, like the key in the hole.

Chloe - ambitious & witty
Flora - empathetic & gullible
Rose - perfectionist & zippy

....James....

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." 1:12

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." 1:19-20

"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." 1:26

It's one of my favourite books in the Bible because in many ways, I feel that it's talking about me. I was infamous for being bad-tempered when I was younger. I wonder if I was spoilt too much then.

As I grew up, I realised being a human being is about having temper, as we are created that way. The biggest difference between a man and an animal is that he, with the brain, is to control his action whereas it does it otherwise. Having said that, I feel like a beast lately, or since 2008 to be more precise. I have lost control over my emotion because I have not used my brain as how God wants me to.

You know how the world is like today, especially with the media influence. People think it's no longer an offence to use those foul words in their speech. They think that's one of the things to make them accepted in the community. People I see, they swear like they drink the water. At times, I also lost control of my tongue, I felt weak. That's why we need God and the Word in our lives. If we don't know how to live like Jesus, there will be more problems, not just restricting our tongues.

Can we stand the test? Do you want the glory? Do I, or do I not, get emotional?

你知道楚河汉界的来由吗？

很多人知道中国象棋中的楚河汉界，但是又是否找寻过这个名称到底是怎样得来的呢？我是在爱看TVB粤剧的情况下，发现原来事情是这样的。

这是个两个男人争天下的故事。据说其一是续秦王朝后的另一个‘暴君’项羽；其二则是人人拥戴的刘邦。项羽乃楚国名将之后，而刘邦只是一名泗水亭长的汉人。总之，长话短说，刘邦在“阴差阳错”的情况下，竟然能够和项羽平起平坐。当时项羽和刘邦本有一个协议，以鸿沟为界，鸿沟以西为汉，以东为楚。

有一次，项羽找来刘邦跟他下盘棋，(or vice versa, 忘了)，项羽告诉刘邦“相”是过不了河的。刘邦疑惑说：这哪儿的河，我看不到，根本没有河。项羽临机一动，就比喻那河成楚河汉界，就像他们的协议一样，互不侵犯。刘邦听了，亦拍手叫好。原本是应该各不侵犯的，殊不知，刘邦竟然背信弃义，毅然偷袭，让项羽输得一败涂地。

一直以为刘邦乃正义的象征，不过，在看了“楚汉骄雄”这出戏和“勘查”WIKIPEDIA之后，我觉得事实并非如此。原来他就像项羽口中所说的一样：不仅好色，更是出尔反尔。我不能不说，一切都是因为他的懦弱、贪生怕死而促使项羽的失败。项羽一而再、再而三地原谅刘邦，但是刘邦竟然每每利用项羽对他的兄弟之情出卖他。如果我是项羽，我早就挥剑杀了刘邦，甭说还畅谈饮酒、称兄道弟。

我知道很多人会说，其实刘邦是在没有办法的情况下出尔反尔，基于韩信的威信和能力，他不得不低头。所以等到自己做了汉高祖之后，再过河拆桥，为项羽报血痕之仇。虽然他看似也有情义的一面，但是我还是不能原谅他的所作所为。

项羽是因为不愿苟且偷生，而选择提早与虞姬团聚。有些人也许会嗤笑，但对我而言，虽然项羽输了楚汉之战，但是他赢了身为男人该有的尊严和义气。项羽才是个真正的男人、英雄。