I Will See You in A Year!

The title of this entry must have caught some people's attention. Why this title anyways? Well, read on and you will see what happened.

Went to my opthamologist appointment this morning. (Opthamologist is some sort of eye specialist, for those who have no clue what it is.) After a 40-minute drive (went to where I usually go and found out they had moved, thus longer drive) and an hour wait at the centre, finally my doctor said, "Things look great in your eyes! I will see you again in a year!"

People repeatedly asked me the reason to my recurrence of corneal abrasion. Actually, this time, I didn't spend much effort investigating. I know overall my health needs to be convalesced after a series of illness this year. What I see, from this incident, is God was trying to free me from worries and anxiety. I had been virtually restless before the abrasion happened. Two weddings to perform in, and busy wrapping up the school year at the studio. Even when I was in vacation I was not completely at rest. It was the first time I had a vacation with my mom alone, and I constantly had to ensure I had taken good care of her, for she didn't know how to get around Vancouver via public transportation. Furthermore, as much as I tried to avoid work/ministries during vacation, I still had to answer a few responsibilities-related e-mails, using the hotel computer, to ensure things are being taken care of.

After the corneal abrasion happened, I was out of commission for one full week. I couldn't open my eyes for the first 3 days and had fuzzy vision for the next 3-4 days. I took an extra week off from work and disappeared from the cyber world completely during the time (rare incident ;-). That's when I finally had real rest. God knows that my upcoming challenges (jam-packed teaching schedule, music arrangements, pre-Christmas skit, Regina concert and workshop with GM) would take a lot of my energy, so He made sure I was well rejuvenated first.

Yes, corneal abrasion hurts. I didn't like this to happen, especially when it was a relapse. But, God's gracious love, the Greatest Comfort, is behind the hurt, and it makes everything all the better. :-)

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神未曾應許 God Hath Not Promised
Music and Words by: William M. Runyan & Annie Johnson Flint

神未曾應許，天色常藍，人生的路途，花香常漫，
神未曾應許，常晴無雨，常樂無痛苦，常安無虞。

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

神未曾應許，我們不遇苦難和試探，懊惱憂慮，
神未曾應許，我們不負許多的重擔，許多事務。

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

神未曾應許，前途順利，平坦的大路，任意驅馳，
沒有大山阻，青雲直上，沒有深水隔，一路通暢。

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

副歌：神卻曾應許，生活有力，行路有亮光，作工得息，
　　　試煉得恩助，危難有賴，無限的體諒，不朽的愛。

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above.
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

When You Need to be Strong ...

When You Need to be Strong

I look at the days ahead and wonder what they hold.
Don't we all?
And then these words make their way to my heart:
"Go in the strength you have...am I not sending you?"
Judges 6:14

We don't have to...
wait to overcome our weaknesses,
complete the ten point improvement plan,
figure everything out.
The strength we already have is all the strength we need.
Because we have a limitless God within us who loves us.
As is.
And He promises to stick by us.
All the way.

-Holley Gerth

Found this as I went through some old e-mails ...

A timely discovery, and my own prayer indeed.


Prayer of Release
I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.
2 Timothy 1:12 NLT

Heavenly Father, I release to you the burdens that I have been carrying, burdens that You never intended for me to carry. I cast all my cares upon You-all my worries, all my fears.

Father, calm my restless spirit, quiet my anxious heart, still my troubling thoughts with the assurance that You are in control. I let go of my grip upon the things I have been hanging onto, with opened hands I come to You.

I thank You for Your promise to sustain me, preserve me, and guard all that I have entrusted to Your keeping. Protect my heart and mind with Your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Father, may Your will be done in my life, in Your time, and in Your way.


By Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer.

Wedding Repertoire, Round 2

For A&K's wedding. :-)

Prelude:
1. Mozart - Sonata KV 331
2. Chopin - Nocturne Op. 32 No. 1
3. 杜自持/林若寧 - 無名指的光環 ﹝張敬軒主唱﹞(The Ring on the Ring Finger)
4. 李偲菘/林夕 - 妳的名字我的姓氏 ﹝張學友主唱﹞(Your First Name, My Last Name)
5. Steven Curtis Chapman - Love Will Be Our Home
6. Boccherini - Minuet (Back-up)
7. 西伯 - 遇見神 ﹝張敬軒主唱﹞(Meeting God) (Back-up)

Procession:
1. Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Parents/Bridal party)
2. Pachelbel - Canon in D (Bride)

Singspiration:
1. John Newton - Amazing Grace
2. 曾祥怡 - 恩典之路 (The Path of Grace) ﹝讚美之泉﹞
3. 游智婷 - 我們愛（讓世界不一樣）(We Will Love [We Can Make A Difference]) ﹝讚美之泉﹞

Special song presentation from Quennie ... :-)

Signing of the Register: Carole Bayer Sager & David Foster - The Prayer

Recession: Mendelssohn - Wedding March

Dedication to the Parents: 翁慧韻 - 橋 (Bridge) (ACM)


In two weeks I shall retire for a bit.

真心的朋友

今晚去了一位姊妹的bridal shower，重遇好幾位以前junior high、high school及大學團契的朋友。大家坐在一起，閒話家常，談談這些年來的際遇，窩心不已。

人的一生總會遇上很多朋友，會有經常見面的，會有不經常見面的。會有hi-bye的，亦會有交心的。但真心的，是無論大家經歷幾多，都不會忘記對方的。感謝主，雖然我絕對不是一個always available的朋友，但今晚的bridal shower讓我知道我亦不是一個可有可無的朋友。

"Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there!" - Old saying

溫暖的小手

老師由課室走出大堂，那時小J已經坐在其中一張椅子上等候老師迎接他。四歲的小J雀躍地由椅子跳到地上，大聲地呼喊：「老師你好！」然後伸出他的小手。老師見狀，便握著小J溫暖的手，一起步行到課室去。而本來握著小J的手的母親，亦鬆脫她的手，看著小J跟老師的背影遠去了。

Sorry I’m truly not good at Chinese prose writing (or prose writing in general), but I just felt so warm-hearted after this incident, and I really wanted to find a special way to tell the story.

Let God Choose

As for God, His way is perfect! Psalm 18:30

Let God choose for you, it will be the right decision.
Let God guide you, it will be the right direction.
Let God plan for you, it will be in the right timing.
Let God measure for you, it will be the right portion.
Let God help you, it will be the right care.
Let God instruct you, it will be the right teaching.
Let God prepare you, it will be the right training.
Let God counsel you, it will be the right perspective.
Let God fight for you, it will be the right outcome.
Let God work in you, it will be the right result.

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer