quotation

H (after dinner): I should have bought some fruit. Never mind, we'll have ice-cream. Chocolate is a fruit.

forbes billionaire list

Hubby was checking out Forbes 2010 Billionaires' list and came across the Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, worth US$7.4b, ranked #89 on the list. A short biography ends with "Has a son who is a monk and lives in a forest". Random, but thought it amusing.

Calibration

O LORD, God-of Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to His covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands [from Nehemiah Ch 1]

Nehemiah starts his prayer with a exclamation of how awesome and great God is, and making mention of his loyalty and faithfulness. I suppose for a while there it had seemed to me that Nehemiah was (i) sucking up or shoe-shining to God, before asking for whatever it is he wanted ("Oh Santa, that beard is so soft - what conditioner do you use? Oh, and could I have an iPad pleeeaaase, pretty please with a cherry on top?");

or maybe others have thought Nehemiah was just (ii) telling/informing God how cool and wonderful he is ("Hi God you may-or-may-not be aware that you are great and awesome"). Much like how some folks think that God needs our worship; he needs us to tell him how great He is. Like He is Ultraman with His light beeping indicating low levels of energy and how he needs our worship to recharge his power (perhaps this is too far-fetched an analogy...)

God doesn't need anything. God is not someone we have to manja (sorry, there is just no English word for this) to get things our way.

I think Nehemiah starts his prayer as such, like Jesus starts his prayer in Matthew 6 ("Our Father in heaven" - no, it's not that Jesus needed to remind God his "address"), to recalibrate themselves their perception of God. To realigned themselves to who God is, in order to realign to His purpose. It's to remind us, wee humans, who we're dealing with.

I think worship is similar. We sing songs of God's goodness and hope and promise, not to make God happy because he likes the E major 7 chord. We sing such songs to remind us and to recalibrate ourselves to Him, and that makes Him happy.

Remind me to be recalibrated; remind me to remember who You are. Remind me that I will never stop needing reminders.

Word and Prayer; Map and Compass; Truth and Grace

I'm excited for what this year will bring. I'm excited to see how God moves this year. There is emphasis at Expedition to delve further and focus on the Word and prayer this year, and I'm actually excited, believe it or not.

So much about prayer I do not comprehend; my scope limited to asking for what I want, like a kid asking Santa for a list of things. Not like there's anything wrong about asking; most of the time it's hardly a problem about what we're asking for, but I suppose I have been a bit shallow with the "why we're asking".

A structured tool to help me rookie get started on this involves the acronym p.r.a.y:

1. Praise(Adoration; 'Eucharistia' thanksgiving)/Pour out (Immersion) - "Our Father in heaven"
   Be honest about where you are; what are you thankful for/disappointed at
   
2. Refocus/Reach forward (Adherence)- "Hallowed (kept holy) be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
   Think about what's ahead ("After all that Jesus has done, I believe that..."). Share your goals and how they align with kingdom purposes. Intercession. What's my hope? What has been promised?
   
3. Ask/Appropriate together/Cooperation/Communion - "Give us today our daily bread; Forgive our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors"
   The Spirit is already at work around you - request boldly. What can I pray for? Itemise your obstacles and needs.
   
4. Yearn together/ Yield (Consecration) - "[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever - so let it be]"
   You have been given all you need - now let go. "I dedicate this to You - may...". Hold hope together before God.

This seems to give me more clarity as to what I'm praying, and hoping for. It has helped me refocus a bit more on what goes on in my daily life; what I pray for; or what I hope to pray for.

Admittedly I haven't been a gung-ho prayerful person. I'm often caught up with what I can do, or what I ought to know. But when living life, SPTG likens Word to a map, prayer to a compass.

Exhausted; just exhausted

- If only I had 28 hours in a day.

- If only I could sleep for 4 hours and feel like I've gotten the best night's sleep.

- If only my laundry would do itself.

- If only I had a magic wand to sort out paperwork.

- If only the chore-elves would come.

- If only I had photographic long-term memory.

- If only I can function at 110% all day, all night, until I choose to fall asleep - which I can then do immediately.

- If only I can still care 110% when I am 110% exhausted.

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

UPDATE to "Happy Birthday, sister number 2!"

A bit late, but I finally did it! I finally made the cupcakes in honour of sister no. 2! Now I'll just have to make another batch of never-tried before cupcakes for sister no. 3, whose birthday is this Sunday!

See A Touch of Frost Cakes for a bit more detail and photo!!