I always thought that I couldn't donate blood because I had low blood pressure. Well, at least that's the perception I have always had because 1). sometimes I do feel giddy for unknown reasons while walking on the roads; and 2). when I was hospitalised in Hong Kong last December the nurses kept having problems taking my blood pressure readings! But hmm... perception is after all, preception, and I am so glad to find out today that it is actually the opposite case!
This morning I received an SMS asking if my blood type is B+ or B- as someone in church is in critical condition at NUH ICU and desperately needs the plasma of these blood types. Well, I do have, and I decided to go for it because life matters! When I arrived at NUH Blood Donation Centre in the afternoon, surprisingly, the staff told me that my blood pressure was good enough for the donation! I think I was kinda overly excited about the whole donation process. From time to time I was very nervous, while from another time to another time I was laughing my way through. From time to time I was very quiet, while from another time to another time I just couldn't stop talking and squeezing the stress ball. Strangely, I was not afraid at all. (I think so lah! I just did not look at the needles going into my veins, neither I focused on the blood flowing through the pipes...)
The most dramatic thing that happened during the plasma donation was that when the first cycle of blood flowed back to my body, the needle actually moved away from my vein (probably due to my overexcitement and therefore I moved too much!)! The blood simply stuck there at the skin and created a big lump there, and as a result, the nurse had to relocate the needle to my another arm! I was like... wah... how come my first time donation could become so dramatic. Haha... but nonetheless, the whole plasma extraction process was completed in about half-an-hour, and I kept taking in food and drinking water after that to make sure that I don't faint (which I almost did when I was in NUS Arts Canteen!). Life is in the blood, and I am so glad to know today that I can go for blood donations in the future! Yippie!!! =D
Monday, October 31, 2005
The Promise of God's Love
Was reading Max Lucado's Come Thristy this morning before dawn...
I came to a section of the book where I was so overwhelmed, and I wanted to pen down the verses here...
The following questions were asked by Apostle Paul in Romans 8:31-35 (NLT):
1). "If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (v31)
2). "Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave Him but gave Him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else? (v32)
3). "Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? Will God? No! He is the One who has given us right standing with Himself. (v33)
4). "Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for He is the One who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us. (v34)
5). "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (v35)
And as the chapter continues, look at how Paul answered the questions he has asked earlier in Romans 8:37-39 (NLT):
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (v37)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. (v38)
Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (v39)
Nothing can ever separate us from His love! This is the promise that God has made, and as I looked deeper in the verses, it is said 'nothing in all creation...' (v39)! I was so comforted when I read these verses early this morning, because I knew that wherever I go, whatever I do, no matter what situations I may face, God loves me, and He will not stop loving me. I do not need to search any further to fill the void and emptiness in me, because His love is there. I do not need to find places in this world to run away and escape to in times of dismay, because His love is there. All along I know that God loves me by sending His Son to die for me, but after reading these verses, I am blown away by the fact that His love surpasses literally everything in whatever He created, and He wants me to know that His love is ever present and never compromised...
On a more personal note, I hope that more people will come to know this and experience His love first-hand, that they will cease denying Him and stop hiding away from Him. God is a loving Father, and He not only waits for us to go back to Him, He keeps knocking on the door deep inside every hearts, since the very day they started pumping and walking on the surface of this Earth. In a world that love is compromised and distorted and in great lack, there is no reason why we shouldn't run to the Source, where a huge signpost has been put up, read:
I came to a section of the book where I was so overwhelmed, and I wanted to pen down the verses here...
The following questions were asked by Apostle Paul in Romans 8:31-35 (NLT):
1). "If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (v31)
2). "Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave Him but gave Him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else? (v32)
3). "Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? Will God? No! He is the One who has given us right standing with Himself. (v33)
4). "Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for He is the One who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us. (v34)
5). "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (v35)
And as the chapter continues, look at how Paul answered the questions he has asked earlier in Romans 8:37-39 (NLT):
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (v37)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. (v38)
Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (v39)
Nothing can ever separate us from His love! This is the promise that God has made, and as I looked deeper in the verses, it is said 'nothing in all creation...' (v39)! I was so comforted when I read these verses early this morning, because I knew that wherever I go, whatever I do, no matter what situations I may face, God loves me, and He will not stop loving me. I do not need to search any further to fill the void and emptiness in me, because His love is there. I do not need to find places in this world to run away and escape to in times of dismay, because His love is there. All along I know that God loves me by sending His Son to die for me, but after reading these verses, I am blown away by the fact that His love surpasses literally everything in whatever He created, and He wants me to know that His love is ever present and never compromised...
On a more personal note, I hope that more people will come to know this and experience His love first-hand, that they will cease denying Him and stop hiding away from Him. God is a loving Father, and He not only waits for us to go back to Him, He keeps knocking on the door deep inside every hearts, since the very day they started pumping and walking on the surface of this Earth. In a world that love is compromised and distorted and in great lack, there is no reason why we shouldn't run to the Source, where a huge signpost has been put up, read:
"An everlasting and never-ceasing Love
that nothing can ever separate you from...
FOLLOW THIS WAY!!!
that nothing can ever separate you from...
FOLLOW THIS WAY!!!
-- from God, Your Father"
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Building a strong foundation
Before a building is being built, construction workers will always dig the ground at the construction site. You will see them digging it deep. You will see them taking the ugly-looking soil and muds out from the site. You will probably see ground worms sniffing across the site. No way you are going to comment that the site looks beautiful. The site looks ugly, looks messy.
Once the construction workers finish digging, you will see them inserting the steel piles around the site, to build the structure to support the eventual building. These steel piles do not look interesting either, but they are strong. And it is pretty amazing to see how these steel piles manage to support the weights of the tall skyscrapers everywhere...
The time taken just to do all of the above is definitely longer than the actual construction of the building itself!
Don't get me wrong. I am not into construction industry here! This is an analogy my cell group leader illustrated during the cell group meeting 2 days ago. It simply illustrates the point that, when God builds our lives, He will first show us what we need to change: the ugliness of selfishness, pride and lust... in short, the carnal nature of our flesh. This is just like the digging of the construction site, whereby the ugliness is being exposed to our knowledge so that we can deal with it and put things back to proper order. God then continues to build our lives through His Word, and applying His Word in our lives will be like putting the strong steel piles at the construction site, to ensure that we will be able to stand strong against any challenges (storms), instability (earthquakes) and attacks (bombs?).
After the foundation is built properly, the actual building, blended with beautiful architectual designs, will be built. Level by level, it will go higher and higher, and eventually becomes a tower where people outside the construction site can see and marvel. Applying back to us, once the foundation of our lives is built properly, we will see ourselves changed, and God will bring us to new levels and heights that we would have never imagined possible, and simply, beyond what we can comprehend. Our lives will become strong towers that will emerge in our societies, and we can truly testify that God -- the architect, the beginner and the finisher -- is indeed the builder of our lives. We will marvel how amazingly God builds our lives!
I was very encouraged by this analogy, and this story was not even the actual message of that particular cell group meeting! God is the builder of my life. He has been building my life. He is still building my life. And He will continue to build my life, and take me to the heights He wants me to be. And guess what, I am excited and eagered to see how my 'building' is going to look like eventually! =)
Once the construction workers finish digging, you will see them inserting the steel piles around the site, to build the structure to support the eventual building. These steel piles do not look interesting either, but they are strong. And it is pretty amazing to see how these steel piles manage to support the weights of the tall skyscrapers everywhere...
The time taken just to do all of the above is definitely longer than the actual construction of the building itself!
Don't get me wrong. I am not into construction industry here! This is an analogy my cell group leader illustrated during the cell group meeting 2 days ago. It simply illustrates the point that, when God builds our lives, He will first show us what we need to change: the ugliness of selfishness, pride and lust... in short, the carnal nature of our flesh. This is just like the digging of the construction site, whereby the ugliness is being exposed to our knowledge so that we can deal with it and put things back to proper order. God then continues to build our lives through His Word, and applying His Word in our lives will be like putting the strong steel piles at the construction site, to ensure that we will be able to stand strong against any challenges (storms), instability (earthquakes) and attacks (bombs?).
After the foundation is built properly, the actual building, blended with beautiful architectual designs, will be built. Level by level, it will go higher and higher, and eventually becomes a tower where people outside the construction site can see and marvel. Applying back to us, once the foundation of our lives is built properly, we will see ourselves changed, and God will bring us to new levels and heights that we would have never imagined possible, and simply, beyond what we can comprehend. Our lives will become strong towers that will emerge in our societies, and we can truly testify that God -- the architect, the beginner and the finisher -- is indeed the builder of our lives. We will marvel how amazingly God builds our lives!
I was very encouraged by this analogy, and this story was not even the actual message of that particular cell group meeting! God is the builder of my life. He has been building my life. He is still building my life. And He will continue to build my life, and take me to the heights He wants me to be. And guess what, I am excited and eagered to see how my 'building' is going to look like eventually! =)
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Joined the league of bloggers... at last! =)
I knew the trend that people are blogging has been there for a long while.
I have also read some of my friends' blogs, and I don't understand why it's pretty interesting to keep going back to their blogs and read (or wait for) latest entries.
I think it's really time for me to join the league of bloggers...
And at last, here I am, posting my first blog here! Aloha!!! =)
I really hope that there will be people reading my blog *with fingers crossed tightly*...
But I think more importantly, I really want to use the blog to document my life in a more organised manner, because my life has become a lot more meaningful and colourful in recent years, and it's simply not easy to stuff all the memories into my brain and dream on that they won't decay! So, I think there's my primary reason joining blogging lah.
I have made my first step today. The challenge now will be to keep this updated, frequently! Heh... shall give it a try and make it a habit. I know I can... *with fingers crossed even tighter!*
I have also read some of my friends' blogs, and I don't understand why it's pretty interesting to keep going back to their blogs and read (or wait for) latest entries.
I think it's really time for me to join the league of bloggers...
And at last, here I am, posting my first blog here! Aloha!!! =)
I really hope that there will be people reading my blog *with fingers crossed tightly*...
But I think more importantly, I really want to use the blog to document my life in a more organised manner, because my life has become a lot more meaningful and colourful in recent years, and it's simply not easy to stuff all the memories into my brain and dream on that they won't decay! So, I think there's my primary reason joining blogging lah.
I have made my first step today. The challenge now will be to keep this updated, frequently! Heh... shall give it a try and make it a habit. I know I can... *with fingers crossed even tighter!*
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