The Good Samaritan

One of my favourite parables in the bible is that of the Good Samaritan. I read it again today. It has so much relevance to our lives today but we don't take it seriously enough. First, the priest saw the injured man and crossed to the other side of the street! Secondly, a Levite (someone of higher status) also saw the half-dead man and did exactly the same thing! He totally ignored him and worse still, crossed to the other side. And lastly, a Samaritan (someone who was despised in society) saw the injured man, took him on his donkey, booked him into a motel, took care of him all night and even gave money to the motel owner to take care of the injured man.

I love it that Jesus places utmost importance in mercy and compassion. He doesn't care about social status, money, power and all that. He cares about the weak, the sick, the needy, the oppressed and those whose voices don't matter in society. He cares about abused women, children, the disabled, the old and the broken. And He reminded me today that we should not only have compassion on people only when its convenient, because sometimes we have to go out of our way to show mercy to others.

I have to confess that Christians can become hypocrites and only care when it suits us or when we want to impress people. Let's remember that Jesus loved unconditionally and sincerely. And He loved everyone regardless of race, religion, age or gender. And that's why I love Jesus so much.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. Luke 10:33

Christmas at Home

Christmas week was fun and relaxing. I spent many nights wrapping presents past midnight! Had dinner with my family at La Swiss in Damansara Heights on Christmas Eve, the food was yummy... I had crab bisque soup, smoked fish (can't remember what fish it was), turkey with cranberry sauce and Christmas parfait with brandy....

Went to church on Christmas Day... we had to be in church by 6:45am. I think I must have been worried I wouldn't wake up on time so I woke up at 4:30am and didn't go back to sleep after that! So by Christmas afternoon I was really sleepy. My cell group came over on Christmas evening and we spent most of the time chatting, playing with Spottie and eating.... Of course, we sang some carols.

I have to say my parents were really great, they had their own Christmas dinner that night, but they did lots to clean the house up for the gathering :) And mum cooked delicious curry chicken for us.

Spent the day after Christmas at home, been taking Spottie on his 45 minute walks most of the week because I'm clearing leave. (No wonder people have been commenting that I'm more tanned. Must be all the walks under the hot sun). So he's been sticking to me the times I'm home. Watched Bedtime Stories with Hoi Hian at night... I like Bugsy!

I watched 'Mamma Mia!' with Lin Fong, Julia and Oli yesterday! It was superb!! At the end of the show the audience was standing, clapping and dancing with the cast :) The lighting was exceptionally good, I counted that they had at least 40 moving heads on stage. Lin Fong was a bit distracted by the a couple sitting in front of her. Apparently, they were 'making out' and the aunty sitting next to them was staring fiercely. Haha. The props crew were really efficient and they seemed to be part of the act as well. Very interesting and smooth flowing! Definitely a good experience and worth the money spent.

I'm still in Christmas mood, and I'm glad this Christmas has been a meaningful one for me spent with family and friends.

Christmas is near...

My Christmas tree is up :) That's it on the left! Did it together with mum last week.  I'm trying my best to cherish each moment in December. I really love the Christmas season. I love hearing carols on the radio, in church and in malls.  I love the beautiful Christmas decorations everywhere I go.  I love buying presents and wrapping them.  I love celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  I love the season that celebrates the love, joy and peace of God.

I liked today's sermon.  It was about God choosing to announce the birth of Jesus Christ to a group of shepherds, people who were often forgotten about because they spent all their time in the fields.  God didn't choose to announce the awesome news of the birth of our Saviour to the elite or the rich and famous, but he chose those considered the least in society.  And Jesus was born in a manger, surrounded by animals.  I really like that.  

A reminder that God never forgets anyone... in fact, He pays extra attention to those who are lowly and neglected in society.  What a great God I have!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Luke 2:8-12

Yes Man

Watched Yes Man with my cell group tonight. I guess I'll consider myself a fan of Jim Carrey - his movies Liar Liar and The Grinch really made me ROFL. Some scenes of Yes Man made me laugh till I cried and I'm sure I wasn't the only one because I heard many others roaring with laugher in the cinema. I like Jim Carrey because he's just plain silly. After a stressful day at work, a really funny silly movie helps a lot. One of the best things in life is laughing till you cry and your stomach hurts....

If you want a movie that exercises your brain and tests your intelligence, don't watch Yes Man. But if you haven't been laughing much lately, go for it. As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine.

A Happy Week

Last Sunday, our Nepali Sangati (meaning Nepalese Fellowship) in church had the Nepalese Christmas Party. God must love the Nepalese a lot, because we had many sponsors, abundant food and lots of gifts on that day! About 100 Nepalese came, and I have to say that God must have brought them because they came from all over town. The transportation guys did an awesome job, picking them up and sending them home... some of the Nepalese stayed really far away. I'm glad that we were able to bless them as its not easy being in a foreign land, working extremely long hours and 7 day weeks. I hope Malaysian employers will treat their foreign workers better.

On another note, I was looking through my old entries in my journal on my birthday this year. I wrote: Many times our lives are so hectic we fail to realise what matters most and sadly, lose the ability to savour special moments. We are always looking forward to something. Eg. A marriage, a paycheck, a raise, etc. We need to savour each moment we live because time really flies.

I must learn to do that again... savouring each moment.

Feeding the hungry

A few days ago my fiance and me couldn’t finish our dinner so we packed the extra rice and chicken in a plastic bag and did something new.  We drove around looking for a hungry stray dog that really needed a meal.  It was 10:30pm and the streets were pretty quiet.  Suddenly, we saw a white dog with 2 puppies.  The dog looked skinny with her ribs showing but her puppies looked well-fed and they were still trying to get milk from their mom.  As I emptied the contents of the plastic bag I could see the dog’s relief at getting some food and she gobbled away while we looked.  After she ate a fair bit she came towards the car and looked at us, I think she was trying to say ‘Thank you’.

We went for dinner again tonight and couldn’t finish our pizza.  Guess where we went? To look for the white dog again.  She was at the exact spot we fed her a few nights back, and this time we saw her puppies and ‘husband’.  She was sleeping on the sidewalk when I approached her and when she saw me with food she jumped up immediately.

This is a very special neighbourhood that is friendly to stray animals and the residents actually allow the animals to roam around the area freely...(I shall not disclose the location to protect the residents privacy).

Many times we are told not to feed strays… but I’m just thinking, how would I feel if I had children to feed and I had to go hungry days in a row, but then I see loads of food being thrown away everyday? I think this is what mercy and grace is about, to think about the very least and give them what they need the most – love.

I can't believe its December... rewind please!

I'm a little frustrated that I haven't had time to set-up the Christmas tree at home and its already the 2nd week of December. I usually get it up by November.

It's been an extremely busy year...especially November and December. And I've had 7 consecutive Sundays booked with rehearsals, events and activities from November to December. I miss having time with my family and Hoi Hian...just having dinner with them and chilling out. I feel like I'm running around constantly.

Anyway, things are more relaxed now... just a few more events to go and I need to clear 6.5 days leave this month, which leaves me with just a few days to work... but still quite some work to deliver.

Anyway, enough of work. 2 things I wanna highlight this month....

Bolt
One of my favourite movies this year by Walt Disney Pictures about Bolt, a superstar dog who accidentally gets shipped to New York from Hollywood. While he's lost, he realises that he's not really a superdog and it was all a lie by the movie producers. But amidst his challenges and loneliness, he befriends a cat and a hamster and together they make the journey back to Hollywood to look for Bolt's beloved 'person' Penny. It truly showcases the wonderful heart of a dog that is perfectly loyal. And a really superb night.... Dew Media Appreciation 2008!

We didn't have the usual thank you speeches... well, just a few. Instead, everyone just let their hair down and enjoyed themselves singing and dancing to the 70s music that Paulos had compiled (lots of Abba)! We had quite a crazy time... with Cindy being the MC. What made it special for me was seeing everyone enjoy one another's company and just being themselves. I had no idea they had SO MUCH passion to dance! No doubt we're all different and imperfect, but we have a God who loves us as who we are... and that's why we should love each other the same way. I shared just one verse with them which I felt spoke to me a lot recently and something we should never forget:-

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:33