My soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:20-23

He's the one who turns the caterpillars into butterflies, the tiny seeds into flowers and big trees, the carbon into diamond the tiny sperm and egg into a human being. He causes the blind to see and the weak to become strong. WOW WOW WOW!!! =D

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligences of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness. holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

the God who

used little David to defeat the enormous Goliath with just a sling and a stone [1 Samuel 17]

the God who

chose to let Jesus be born in a manger with animals around instead of a royal birth with big celebrations [Luke 2]

the God who

chose Mary and Joseph, a carpenter, as Jesus' parents [Matthew 1]

the God who

sealed the mouths of the beasts when Daniel was in the lion's den [Daniel 6]

and gave Daniel the wisdom to interpret the king's dreams [Daniel 4]

the God who

chose fishermen and tax collectors (tax collectors were despised by many in those days) as disciples [Matthew 4:18, 9:9]

the God who

fed thousands of people using a child's basket of 5 bread and 2 fish [Mark 8]

the God who

gave "unschooled, ordinary men" Peter and John the power to heal the sick and courage to speak of salvation, even when it meant going to jail for them [Acts 4:13]

the God who

used Paul, (who used to be Saul, who "[breathed] out murderous threats against [His] disciples" -Acts 9:1) as His "chosen instrument to carry [His] name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel" -Acts 9:15, who became a great testimony of God's amazing grace, planting churches and building many people up in God's words.

He's not just ANY chapalang God with a "made in china" sticker stuck to Him.

Acts 17:24-29

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill.

He's so real, so great, so amazing, so wise that even His foolishness is far to wise for us. And yet of all people, He chooses to use the lowly ones who are looked down upon, the despised, the weak and the foolish to show His power, His grace and the wonders of His love. Many times I'm overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy and weakness and the lack of capability to serve: as missions rep (being clueless about how to get ppl aware of the importance of missions since i have much to learn myself), teaching in Sunday school (when the kids seem so unresponsive or when i can't seem to get them to stop crying), playing the conga for worship (going off beat or having weird hand spasms or dropping the shakers and the tambourines), getting upset about the poor turn up in discipleship or bible study group meets or just being a good example as a Christian and plucking the courage to speak about God and juggling everything with school work, assignments, tests, exams.. sometimes i just feel like dropping everything so i don't have to be so stressed and feel so small and helpless, which i actually do by facebooking and checking my email a million times a day even when there's nothing new.. i keep running away even though i know i'll have to come back to face it eventually. How timely it is indeed, right at the point when i think im going bonkers because i cant get any human bio to stay in my brain, and stressing about how unprepared i am for exams, feeling like the stupidest person ever to walk on planet earth, at least i know that God will still use me.

and make the smartypants look stupid hurhur.

ok forget the last sentence haha.

HOW DO YOU THINK YOU CAN LET GOD USE YOU? =))

yay. all the best A levels people =) and exams and assignments people. and working people. and bumming people.

GOD LOVES YOU!

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7

dear daddyy,

happy (secret number) birthday =D

thank you for being so extremely loving, for calling me a million times a day no matter which part of the planet i reside in, for still being jovial even when im grumpy, for always giving in to me, for being able to find things to say even when its the millionth time u've called in a day, for loving the family so much, although im always grumpy and annoyed, you know i still love you =) (because the cake says so...)

because of you,

i know where my silliness comes from

i know where my habit of falling asleep anywhere and anytime comes from

i know where my silly photo poses come from

i know where my wild sense of imagination comes from

i know where my youthfulness *ahem* immaturity *ahem* comes from

last but not least, i know where my interest in guys came from..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

hurhurhur. take care daddy.

love, jeannie

i was just clicking my way through old photos and i must say it's made me very homesick!

i cant wait to go home now.. and im pretty sure the time will come very quickly, and then go even faster than when it came. soon enough (like 3+ years later), it'll be time to venture into the GREAT BIG WORKING WORLD and become even more overwhelmed with more stress about stuff... hmmm

best thing to do: sleepsleepsleep

i want to turn back the time
and return to that crowd of blue and grey
and sit next to shushu
and laugh till i cry and till my stomach hurts
till i get abs
i think that is still the happiest time of my life

i want to play catching around the pillar
i want to sing and dance in the classroom on the table on the chair
i want to eat da bao-ed beehoon in the school canteen
i want to jump and be hyper on national day
i want to walk from cedar to pp macs
i want to sit and chill at the playground
with my favourite crazy clown =)

i want to go to hale for band practices
i want to go the the PAC for dance rehearsals
i want to miss lunch for drum lessons
i dont really miss my voice lessons..
i wanna sit in music class and listen to ms petrie and laugh at mr harrison
i wanna wake up early and dash to school for more band pracs n dance rehearsals
i wanna take walks round the oval round the school
i don't mind dying a bit in X-ctry training just one more time
i wanna roll down the hill
i wanna use the coool kickass bigprocams
i wanna bang on bananathornton's wall and send some secret messages
i wanna hug annie (maybe when she was smaller) and take her for walks, watch her play catching with other dogs, and kill myself trying to get her back on the leash
i wanna laze around the common room and eat all the biscuits.
i should have used more of the microwave, sandwich press, blender, toaster, kettle, fridge and tv
i wanna visit the music room with bananathornton
i wanna play with nikita's imac, eat her strawberry flavored cornflake and watch her wash her face with green tea
i wanna sing adiemus
i wanna bang on nikita's wall to ask her to stop talking on the phone past bedtime
i wanna sit with everyone at brekkie and dinner time, sit on the grass at lunch time, huddle together in room 43 in winter time

i wanna go cut hair with my many years cut hair friend and 'practise guitar' and visit ppl's churches
i wanna go for taitai high tea with my taitai neighbour in our taitai jacuzzi with root beer n choc chip cookies
i wanna take bus from choir to ballet with my sticker friend
i wanna eat taitai neighbour's ikan bilis and tapioca chips

i wanna b a backpacker and explore the world and make new friends
i wanna live on doulos
i wanna play in the rain
i wanna chase rainbows
i wanna chase ducklings
i wanna lie on the beach
i wanna learn to surf
i wanna scream and shout on sports days/not sports days/any days
i wanna work with refugees
i wanna be a prison officer

i wanna dash for cheeseburger lunches
n cringe at curdled milos
i wanna be meimeimei's flashing lampost
i wanna visit ppl's rooms
and hide in their cupboards when its past bedtime
i wanna explore mei's room of junk n cool things
i wanna dance in the swimming pool with the taugei gang
i wanna dance in the sauna
i wanna roll across a field
and jump over puddles
and jump into puddles

i wanna walk around with a paperbag over my head and stalk people
while kristi "reads" her hole-y newsppr
i wanna visit the church in the cemetery
i wanna lie down n see stars
i wanna go for sec1 sec2 class chalet
i wanna rehearse for sec2 class dance competition
i want chanmalichan to help me kill bugs in my shoe
i wanna sit on the cold cement in class after spring cleaning the class room
i wanna play the cinderella dries the floor game with my classmates

i wanna dig mingming and teoteo's cupboards
i wanna sit at ulu corners in compasspoint n chitchat
i wanna go try clothes in compasspoint
i wanna sit at the bus interchange and chitchat
i wanna eat curly fries
i wanna tie myself to many pieces of cardboard and try to fly
i wanna curl up under my big fat blankie and.. urr.. fall asleep

i wish i wish i wish I WISH I WISH I WISH
hello

im eighteen plus plus

im not eight plus plus

=E
...

surprise surprise...

James 1: 19-27

Listening and Doing
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. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect llaw that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

i received an email today:

"Just want to drop a note to say Mummy Loves you.
Always remembering you in my prayer .. GOD to lead your way and give you wisdom to make all the right choices.
OT will be badly needed in this aging society... before Jodie's dream of having a robotic clone of herself to take care of mummy and daddy during our old age can come true...
......"

it made me laugh AND cry at the same time. hahaha.

hello mummy, daddy, jodie =D

thanks for being there for me the whole time when im happy when im silly when im grumpy when im busy when im lazy when im sleepy.

i love you too <3

one minute im high and the next im all sianned for no reason.
i think i've got bipolar disorder =(

i discovered today that snowpeas grow on the side of the road. i saw them when i was walking home from the city. they look just like the ones we have in jap restaurants.. just a little bit more furry. I also saw many pretty flowers that've woken up from their deep winter slumber. they look so bright and happy and colourful. it's one of the ways that God uses to say 'I love you'. i wonder what other people think when they see them.

nowadays i find it difficult to find things to blog about.
HMM
on the way home with pampam we were talking about how we find it so hard to focus on whatever we were doing and that we'll zone out easily. i dont like it =(

chinese new year's 26th january next year! YAY!

this sem's flying past way too quick... it feels like a hurricane/tornado that's passed by, dragging me along with it. maybe i just need better time management and a neater desk.

this is such a random post...
HELLO PEOPLE

=D
happy, shalala..
its so nice to be happy!
shalala
everybody should be happy!
shalala
its so nice to be happy!
shalala!
=D