讚美之泉： 恩典之路 The Journey of Grace

讚美之泉： 恩典之路 The Journey of Grace

你是我的主.引我走正義路.
高山或低谷.都是你在保護.
萬人中唯獨.你愛我認識我.
永遠不變的應許.這一生都是祝福.
一步又一步.這是恩典之路.
你愛.你手.將我緊緊抓住.
一步又一步.這是盼望之路.
你愛.你手.牽引我走這人生路

Celebrating Christmas with a Thankful Heart

Celebrating Christmas with a Thankful Heart

Pr Annie Wong

18 Dec 2016

1) Be thankful always 

2) Be thankful in every season

Give thanks not FOR but IN all circumstances ! 

Choose to give thanks in the midst of the circumstances. 

3) Be thankful for it release the power of God

Reflections :

1. In what ways would your life be different if you lived every day with a thankful heart ? 

2. Share your experiences and struggles when you are able to thank God even during difficult times. What life lesson has God taught you during such difficult times ? 

3. Let's take time to reflect in God's presence this Christmas and count your blessings. Make a list of all that God has blessed you with and start offer your thanksgiving to Him.

My own reflections :-

1.  Stop comparing with others, be contented with what I have, count my blessings and complain less. Blog about my gratitude list.

2. At low time, stop complaining to God is a sign of maturity but able to give thanks ahead of the good promises of God is called faith in God. It is easier said than done. I have few such encounters and God has been faithful.

3. Things that God blessed me with in 2016 :-

• Health restoration - the beginning of restoration through surgery and new lifestyle of eating.
• Support of family & friends in my life through all the different circumstance.
• My soulmate and partner, he has such a pillar of support and understanding of the change I am going through.
• My job that gives me a sense of purpose at work.
• God has blessed GB ministry and brought to another level. 

這一生最美的祝福

巫啟賢詩歌專輯 「你愛永不變」 
作詞：李信儀 作曲：游智婷

在無數的黑夜裡，我用星星畫出你，
你的恩典如晨星，讓我真實的見到你，
在我的歌聲裡，我用音符讚美你，
你的美好是我今生頌揚的。

這一生最美的祝福，就是能認識主耶穌，
這一生最美的祝福，就是能信靠主耶穌，
走在高山深谷，祂會伴我同行，
我知道 這是最美的祝福。

Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology by Tal Ben-Shahar

On 2 Feb 2013, we had a 10th Anniversary for our MSc GIS RS group at Kudos, City Mall with my most buddies and friends, Su, Pris and Wong Tai-Ko. Of course, as usual, Tai-Ko would motivate us with some deep philosophical thoughts and ideas about life and living.

He emailed out a Chinese essay to me about making everyday as special day and then a link to a You Tube Video and I spent the entire weekend listening to it. Frustrated by the bad network, I decided to download the video for repeated listening and learning.

Here are my understanding on Positive Psychology after listening to him few times :-

1. Permission to be human - As human, we cannot experience the constant high in life. Only two groups of people do not have emotions - psychopath or dead. We must allow ourselves to experience all emotions of life.We pay a very high for not granting permission to ourselves and others to be human. In life there is always Paradox and it is Not Passive Resignation but Positive Acceptance. This is the pillar of positive psychology
2. Dealing with Stress - We pay a very high price for our living ! The level of stress for college students have increased : 80% feeling overwhelmed and 45% of feeling depressed to the point of not functioning ! We have too much to do. Too much to do makes us feel overwhelmed and stressed. The average age for the onset of depression in the 1960's was 29 and now its 14. Step 1) Simplify - do less, rather than more ! Step 2)  Reduce multi-task ! When we do two favourite things at the same time Quantity affects Quality. Having emails / facebook on while working cause us to lose 10 IQ points! Loss of sleep for 36 hours is losing 10 IQ  Point, Smoking Marajuna loses 4 IQ point. Knowledge Worker should do 1 1/2 hour of focus time with no distraction.  Relationship between Money and Happiness is not clearly linked. Time Affluence Vs Material Affluence - we have time to appreciate the things and people in our life. The currency of Happiness - Time Affluence. We take time to love and to be loved. This is missing from our culture today ! Stress is not the problem but the lack of recovery from it is the problem. Ritualise the recovery of stress throughout the day through few levels - Micro level (Minutes, Hours 15 mins of lunch with a friend without phone), Mezzo level (Good Night Sleep is a good investment, take a day off in the week), Macro level (weeks and months - vacation). We need to engage with re-creation in order to create our life. 
3. The Mind-Body Connection - Overcoming depression by physical exercises, 30 minutes three days a week will make a lot of difference. Not exercising is like taking depressant and making us depressed and deprived. We are made to be active, the ancestors walked 8 miles a day ! We need an Exercise Revolution today ! Exercise makes more connections in the brain. The unsung hero of psychology ! Mindfulness Meditation - Deep Breathing, Prayer (One-Pointedness and Deep Breathing Belly Depth). Be in religious or simply deep breathing. Left-to-Right Prefrontal Cortex Ratio  - Active Left side Prefrontal Cortex will be happier persons. Take Three Deep Breaths for every opportunity throughout the day ! Learn how to breath correctly, it improves health !
4. Focusing on the Postive - Central Pillar of Positive Psychology. The gratitude and appreciate - to increase in value. When we appreciate the good in our life, the good appreciates ! List down 5 things that you are grateful for everyday ! Terminal patients with 3 to 6 months to life, they often said, "For the first time in my life, I feel that I am alive !" Appreciate the Ordinary and be aware of our breath and our life ! Cultivate the habit of Gratitude. Learning to count our blessings, gratitude letters and savouring all the positive experiences, the treasures of happiness.

These are ALL Common-Sensible Tips and we know all these things. Common sense is not that common when it comes to application. Make Common sense more common.

Here are the links :

http://www.talbenshahar.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_Ben-Shahar

Cheeky short notes on irony of life

Short Notes ...
The union workers at the Federal Mint went on strike today. They are demanding to make less money!

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
- Mark Twain

Why do you need a driver´s license to buy liquor when you can´t drink and drive?

Why is it that when you´re driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?

If a motorist cuts you off, just turn the other cheek. 

Nothing gets the message across like a good mooning.

"Why does a woman work ten years to change a man´s habits 

and then complain that he´s not the man she married?"
--- Barbara Streisand

Some people say that I must be a horrible person, but that´s not at all true. 

I have the heart of a young boy. ...In a jar.... On my desk.
--- Steven King

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?

LYRICS for REFUGE 避难所

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ioYzdbWlaM

REFUGE

I sing a love song to You Lord
Every day every night
I tell of Your goodness and mercy
Tell the world how You rescued me
Picked me up from sin and shame
Your breathe gives me new life

I sing a love song to You Lord
Every day every night
I tell of Your goodness and mercy
Tell the world how You rescued me
Picked me up from sin and shame
Your breathe gives me new life

Where can I go without Your presence
Under Your wings I take refuge
Your spirit lives within my heart
I know you'll never be apart

Everyday I draw closer to You Lord
I long to see Your face
And hide in Your embrace
All my life dwelling in Your Holy place
My heart O Lord You've changed
I'll never be the same
I'll never be the same

I sing a love song to You Lord
Every day every night
I tell of Your goodness and mercy
Tell the world how You rescued me
Picked me up from sin and shame
Your breathe gives me new life

Where can I go without Your presence
Under Your wings I take refuge
Your spirit lives within my heart
I know you'll never be apart

Everyday I draw closer to You Lord
I long to see Your face
And hide in Your embrace
All my life dwelling in Your Holy place
My heart O Lord You've changed
I'll never be the same

Everyday I draw closer to You Lord
I long to see Your face
And hide in Your embrace
All my life dwelling in Your Holy place
My heart O Lord You've changed
I'll never be the same
I'll never be the same

Where can I go without Your presence
Under Your wings I take refuge
Your spirit lives within my heart
I know you'll never be apart

Everyday I draw closer to You Lord
I long to see Your face
And hide in Your embrace
All my life dwelling in Your Holy place
My heart O Lord You've changed
I'll never be the same
I'll never be the same

Here is the Chinese Version :

Refuge - 避难所

我向你唱首愛的歌
I sing a love song to You Lord
每一天 每一夜 宣揚你恩典與憐憫
Every day every night, tell of Your goodness and mercy
讓世界知道你拯救我
Tell the world how You rescued me
擦去我羞愧過去 賜給我新生命
Picked me up from sin and shame, Your breathe gives me new life

我永遠不離開你 唯有你是我避難所
Where can I go from Your presence, Under Your wings I take refuge
你的聖靈居住在我心 一生要緊緊跟隨你
Your spirit lives within my heart, I know we’ll never be apart

每一天 我要更多親近你
Every day I draw closer to You Lord
渴望能見你面 依偎在你懷裏
I long to see Your face, And hide in Your embrace
我一生 永不離開你同在
All my life dwelling in Your holy place
我心因你改變
My heart O Lord You’ve changed
我不再像從前
I’ll never be the same
我不再像從前
I'll never be the same