Because of His Love

It's been a tough and trying 2 months for me. I have been reminded during that time on several occasions that we need to put God at the centre of our lives.

Last Sunday, during service I felt a prompting from God to use the movie Passion of Christ for our cg meeting on the coming Friday. Before we watched the movie on Friday, Jeanette led worship with a song which touched my heart deeply:

"Before the world began you were on His mind
And every tear you cry is precious in His eyes
Because of His great love He gave His only Son
Everything was done so you would come

Nothing you can do could make Him love you more
And nothing that you've done could make Him close the door
Because of His great love He gave His only Son
Everything was done so you would come"

After that, as we watched the movie, I was constantly reminded of how much our Lord and Saviour loves us and truly what sacrifice is - to do something you don't want to do, for the sake of another.

During today's service, I was again constantly reminded of how God has a plan for me, how God is calling me. How every time in my life I have found peace and joy, it has been when I put Him first in my life and obeyed.

As I drove home after service, I happened to listen this song and I felt God speaking to me again:

As we come into Your presence we remember every blessing
That You've poured out so freely from above
Lifting gratitude and praises for compassion so amazing
Lord, we've come to give You thanks for all You've done

Because of Your love, we're forgiven
Because of Your love, our hearts are clean
We lift You up with songs of freedom
Forever we're changed because of Your love

We are changed. I believe that this is what God is speaking to me. Jesus paid the price for our lives, we are we going to do with our changed life now?

Two things which I have been putting off/pushing away for some time now:

1) BSF - I have been invited again and again to attend the intro session at BSF. For a variety of reasons (work, personal commitments, family commitments, personal issues, fear that I won't be able to commit, etc), I have yet to attend even the intro session. I feel a pull to attend it.

2) FSC - Our Covanent Family Service Centre has been looking for volunteers to give tuition to lower primary children for some time now. More than a year ago, I inquired about it but was unable to commit to weekly evening sessions. As I prayed today, I felt a prompting to do this. I haven't called them yet, but will do so tomorrow and step up.

I have taken the first step in listening to God's plan for my life and am already beginning to see why God wanted me to move to NYP. I will now take the next few baby steps.

Thank you Father, for your love for me. For never forsaking me even tho I have turned away so many times. For Your grace in my life. Thank you.

Be prepared

That's the scouts' motto my mum always talked about when I was young. Also the message I've been getting when it comes to lesson planning.

Quite a few weeks. Seems like I've been going for course after course after course, like they're pumping me with training before the start of the semester.

Brief recap -
1) went for induction course, was totally blown away by what the poly students are learning and can do
2) went for virtual classroom course, it's amazing what students have in the classroom nowadays
3) went for a teaching course, which claims to do in 7 days what NIE does in a year

but you know what? the course was conducted by a guy who was probably the most engaging teacher I have ever had in all my years of classes. no kidding.

i am excited. inspired even. so much to teach, so many ways to do it.

on the last day, we were asked to give a presentation on what we learnt. my final line of what i presented, the most impt lesson - "There is no subject so boring, no classroom so small, no facilities so inadequate, that a lesson can't be made interesting or fun for a class."

It is my hope and prayer that when the mountain of admin or development work comes my way, I will never forget this lesson, never let them down by not preparing enough for my classes.

I'll do good to remember. First lecture on the first day of the new sem, 15 Oct - Business Ethics. zzz...

Faith

GE 17:15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her."

GE 17:17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"

GE 21:1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

GE 22:2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

GE 22:12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

GE 22:15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."


Are we capable of such faith like Abraham had? Is there anything that we withhold from Him? If we have faith and God answers our deepest prayers, do we have the same faith to believe if that answered prayer is then snatched away from us?

What is faith if not for the opportunity to show it...

So silly

Sometimes we make the most bone-headed split second decisions.

Was driving on the CTE yesterday and realised my exit had come up. Tried to move to the exit lane but this monster truck wouldn't let me. So I slowed down and tried to squeeze behind him. In doing so, I underestimated the length of the truck.

So...

Hai... my poor car. So silly.

First contact

I had my first real contact with students today, sat in for a student group presentation session. I had the opportunity to gauge the level of understanding I would be encountering going forward, even asked a couple of questions!

I quite enjoyed it and I am looking forward to more of the same. Thing is, this project-type module extends for the whole semester everyday. So the lecturers take turns facilitating and keeping tabs on their progress. We have to split our time between this and development work. Most of them pretty busy with the development work, I'd rather be spending more time in the classroom with the students! Haha, think they wouldn't mind me volunteering for more facilitating. :P

Anyway, I have been trying to balance the need to finish my work (research, preparation of lecture slides/study guides) and the realisation that I don't need to work late to do that. After leaving at 6pm the first 2 days, was feeling kinda bad that my boss (who sits in the same room) was leaving later than me (oops, EY culture coming back). So yesterday I stayed behind to continue with my work for a while and see what time he left.

Aiyah, 1845 leave already. I left at 7pm, thinking "hey, not bad, still leaving pretty early." I go to the carpark...

Note: carpark was full in the morning

Granted it's vacation period so most are not as busy, but..... I like. hahaha...

Back to work!

Yesterday was the first day at nyp. Have never been too comfortable with completely new environments and getting used to new colleagues again. Nevertheless, lots to be excited about....

you're kidding, my name is on the door! (oh wait, i have a door!!)

no way, i have a new laptop too? what's that, a new portable harddisk?!

my corner of the room. given that i'm seasonally tidy, wont be bare for long, me thinks...

I think the biggest surprise of all was that they assigned an IT guy to set up the computer for me... literally. He set up the cable lock on the desk, plug in my laptop, plug in my portable harddisk, show me around the computer and what areas need what passwords... totally blown away!

*cough* *erhemm*... Mr. Ee, can we have some lecturer-like decorum please.

haha, okok. On another note, I'm sorry (no, actually I'm not), but I need to ask. Ernst & Young, pulling millions and millions of revenue every year, but I used a 4th generation (probably at least 7 years?) laptop and had perpetual IT problems. But I go into poly and I get such good support that i only need to focus on my work. If only I had that luxury in EY, man.

Okok, not supposed to turn this into a whinging site. End of the day, I really thank God that I've had such a smooth start to my new job. And that I've been assigned to teach Business Finance, which was what I had requested all along.

Am excited... more to come!