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Aunt Catherine shared this with me. It is very touching and meaningful to me. And so I thought I'll post it here too. It's about Abraham's obedience to God that he was willing to offer his precious son to God. But God did not let the boy die; He was only testing Abraham. Instead, God gave His one and only precious Son to die for the sins of every man in the world as the perfect sacrifice to redeem us. And this is how much He loves us.
John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
While we enjoy the music, let us also reflect on the lyrics.
Sacrifice - Bob Fitts
Oh this must be the hardest hill I've ever climbed
For I must sacrifice you promised son of mine
And so I go to worship with you by my side
And trust a sacrifice He will provide
Chorus:
And though I cherish you, I must now offer you
To him who is the giver of all good things
And though I cherish you, I will now offer you
For surely He could raise you up again
(second time) For surely He will raise you up again
Here on this altar Father I lay all my dreams
And offer back to you this child you've given me
Oh son you must believe He's called us to obey
And by His love He'll make a better way
O Abraham, O Abraham
Now that I know you fear my name
Withhold your hand
O Abraham, O faithful man
You're only son, He's not the one
Behold the Lamb, Behold the Lamb
It must have been the hardest thing He's ever done
When God the Father sacrificed his only son
The one that He most cherished gave His life away
And by His love He made a better way
Chorus 2
And so I cherish you, And so I honor you
For truly you're the giver of all good things
And so I cherish you, and so I honor you
Your sacrifice is now the King of kings
Chorus 3:
Jehova Jireh, He has provided
The sacrifice of love no man could ever pay
And what He requires of you and me
Even the hardest thing
Your blood, O Christ, Your sacrifice gives me strength to obey.
Strum to the MUSIC!!
10:55 pm
Today should be a happy day. I finally got my spanish guitar. It's really expensive, but suddenly it means so insignificant to me.
Many things become so insignificant too.
I realised that heated arguments are like mirages; things can suddenly be perceived in a warped and distorted manner.
Strum to the MUSIC!!
11:16 pm
Sometimes, I really feel that 24 hours a day and 7 days a week simple aren't enough. It's my turn to take off today finally, but today's so packed!
Attended church today early morning. Yay, Aaron went to pick me up. So nice of him!
AGM and business meeting today, so no CE. Brought Shawn to my hairstylist. Oh man, I spent 2 hours there waiting for him. Luckily I've got my guitar so yeah, 2 hours plus of non-stop practising. =D
He said that she charges so low! 50 bucks for highlighting, haircut and straightening of sideburns. Okay, that's seriously low. But then again, if she charges normal rates, I wouldn't have brought anyone there lol.
After leaving my hairstylist's home, I rushed for my guitar class. Class is like normal. Okay I guess. =)
Then I rushed over to Aaron's place to see Uncle Peter for pre-baptism talk. I've learnt so much. Yup, in case you're wondering, I'm so finally going to be baptised on Easter Sunday. =D
Had my dinner with Aaron and his parents and chit-chat a little. Haha, brings back good old memories. Life would have never been the same for me if I hadn't know them. I'm so glad that I did.
Played a game of Dota before I left for home. Not rushing this time though. Too tired to rush anywhere.
So gonna rest soon. Don't think I'll be able to blog frequently nowadays. Got more and more things to do in the following month. But I'm pretty sure that I'll manage, somehow.
Pray for me yah. =)
Strum to the MUSIC!!
11:05 pm
Yay, Mr Choo praised me! I shall practise even more for class next week. =D
Short post, huh? =X
Strum to the MUSIC!!
7:34 pm
Work ended late today. Fortunately, I still managed to spend a couple of hours practising on my guitar. Learning 3 songs at one go is crazy. Plus, 'Asturias' is so extremely hard, compared to the other 2 songs.
Nonetheless, I hope that I will be able to play well enough for my instructor so that he would not nag at me this Sunday. =/
Oh yea, I was thinking. If possible, I would like to be a teacher someday. For now, it's just a dream. Haha.
Gonna sleep now. Hope I won't be late for seminar at AH tomorrow!
Strum to the MUSIC!!
12:48 am
I was on my way home when I saw May with her baby, and she told me that my mom's still in the shop working. So I went into my mom's shop and had a little chat with her as she continued to work on a customer's jean.
We shared a few stuffs on the way home too.
One of them is about my recent pay increase. I told her that when I compare myself to other diploma holders, I feel that my salary is a lot higher and I ought to have no complaints. But when I learnt that other diploma holders (who are in the same trade as I do) are actually earning a few hundred bucks more than me a month, I feel underpaid and sad and jealous. She assured me that it doesn't matter how much I earn but rather, how much I can save. I hope she's right.
Because for me, I just hope I can save enough for a small and comfortable house to settle down one day.
And I found out a lot more about my Uncle Paul. When he was much younger, he and his wife, my aunt, had to slog really hard for a living. Both of them actually held two jobs each, having only 4 hours of sleep daily. During the day, my uncle worked in a factory whereas my aunt worked in office and during the night, my uncle played for a band in pub whereas my aunt gave tuition. Despite giving all his earnings to my aunt and having only 150 bucks to pay for all his monthly expenses, he still scrimped and managed to save up enough to buy gifts for her occassionally. Awwww... So sweet...
And as the years went by and when things started to improve for them, my uncle became out of job for a period of time. During this time, he didn't give up and searched for other alternatives instead. Despite having a pretty high education background at his time, he actually took up tailoring and learnt from my mom how to make a complete pair of trousers from scratch. And later on, he also learnt to make western suit from another uncle of mine. His adaptability and attitude towards learning is really something worth admiring. And oh, did I mention that he learnt to play guitar and drums by himself as he could not afford learning from music school? (I feel really fortunate to be able to pay for my classical guitar school fees...)
And yup, over the decades, he continued to work really hard in whatever trade he went into and finally founded his own company and factories. To achieve something like that from nothing, he definitely must be somebody. On top of that, to be unfailing in his faithfulness and responsibilities to his wife and children all these years (and in years to come, I'm sure), he really is something more than a somebody.
And I hope I would be like him someday. =)
*'Faithfully by Journey', dedicated to Uncle Paul. It's one of his favourite. ^^
Strum to the MUSIC!!
12:09 am
Wow! I can't believe I actually forgot what day is it today until Zuoxin asked me how I gonna spend this Valentine's Day today. Cool. Guess what, pal? I gonna work. ^^
Well, I have no girlfriend to celebrate this Valentine's Day with but hey, I've got really special friends whose friendships I really treasure. And I would like to take this chance to thank all of you for being such wonderful friends. So Happy Friendship Day to you all! And I especially want to thank Aaron, Abner and Zuoxin for being really great friends to me, each in their own and special way. To Aaron especially, let's celebrate our 10th year friendship in heart and in spirit. To Zuoxin, don't be jealous kay? Ours is coming next year! =D To others whom I have not named, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you at all! My heart has a place for each and everyone of you.
Haha, for a while, I thought that I would try something as crazy as to type something here for my future girlfriend to see. But then again, nopedeedoo! =D
Once again, I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and a Happy Friendship Day. Let us treasure one another as if each of us is our most precious gift, not just for today, but on every single day! And in fact, to me, friends are probably one of the most wonderful gifts that life has to offer. Don't you agree? ^^
Strum to the MUSIC!!
12:09 am
Wow, finally returned to work today. And I don't enjoy working there, as usual. =D
Being in the service line, you gotta smile and be as nice as possible to the customers no matter how rude or unreasonable they can be or no matter how negative you are feeling. And it hurts even more when you try to force an expression on your face that doesn't reflect your heart. Ouch? =D
Sometimes, I feel that I'm working as an actor rather than as an optometrist. Good training though, =D I think I'm so getting better at faking 'real' smiles. =) Yeah! ^^v
Haha, Joycelyn, if you happen to read this, I think you're a lot more fortunate than I am. Cause I normally 'die' (emotionally) at every 10:30am when I start working and only 'revive' after I knock off work.
Today is a bit worse. I'm still unfeeling as I'm typing this. Might as well, since some feelings are better off dead.
Alright, time to practise guitar. Gonna own 'Bolero' tonight. =D
Strum to the MUSIC!!
10:39 pm
Was confiding in Zuoxin and he posed me with a tough question.
"There is part of us that believes pursuing dreams is noble.
And there is another part that says sacrificing your dreams for the people around and real life is noble.
So which is more noble to you?"
Luckily, he gave me a good answer before I start cracking my brain and heart out.
"Either way is fine, as long as you have your mind set on it and you'll be able to accept anything that comes your way because it's the decision that you make. It will all come to you one day."
Like wow. =)
Strum to the MUSIC!!
8:42 pm
I was feeling so down today, or maybe I've tried too hard to be happy. What's wrong with me?! I don't want to be an emo nor act like a coward like old Jiahao.
And so I said a little prayer and it goes like this.
"Dear Lord, I pray that you would grant me courage and strength to do whatever you have in mind for me. No matter rain or shine and, whatever the obstacles, I pray that I'll find joy and fulfillment in whatever I do, in accordance to your plan.
In Jesus's name I pray.
Amen."
RAWR!!! Okay, I felt better. XD RAWR!!!
Strum to the MUSIC!!
7:44 pm
Today's the last day of Lunar New Year holiday for me. Well, it has always been like this; enjoyable moments somehow go by so quickly. Haven't had time to blog during the past few days so now, I'll just recap how I've spent the past few days.
Lunar New Year Eve
Didn't do much during the day. In the evening, we gathered at my maternal grandma's place for reunion dinner as we watched the movie, Scorpion King, on TV. After which, I had a chance to play on a couple of my Uncle Paul's guitars. I was so thrilled. The ordinary made-in-korea guitar that he was referring actually turned out to be an acoustic guitar with a standard classical guitar setup. Just imagine a classical guitar with pick-up and equaliser. If that ordinary guitar cost him over 600 SGD, I guess mine's a junk. The other guitar that I've tried playing is an electric guitar (cost him 1700 SGD) which has nylon strings for treble like a classical guitar. Haha, but it looks really weird without the sound hole. Sounds so weird too. But once it's plucked into that silly-looking amplifier, it sounds really cool. I played a tremolo version of 'Romance D'amour' and my very own tremolo version of 'Can't Help Falling in Love'. =D I wish I could play more songs, but I couldn't, cause it is so heavy. T.T
After that, my uncle went to show me his other gadgets in his music room. Believe it or not, he has got 2 keyboards (1 for recording, 1 for composing), 1 percussion drum set, 1 piano, 1 organ, some nice background speakers and amplifier and 1 of this recording equipment that can record up to 16 tracks simultaneously. Not forgetting his wardrobe collection of don't-know-how-many MORE expensive guitars (inclusive of acoustic, classical, electric and bass guitars). That's so insane, in a cool way of course. =D
Lunar New Year Day 1
Well, nothing much besides receiving ang pow and continuing to talk and share about guitar stuff with Uncle Paul. It was fun sharing and watching professional guitarists (not just pertaining to classical guitarist) playing guitar on youtube. I learnt so much.
Woot, had some rare guests, Cousin Josephine and her family came to Uncle Paul's house to gather with the rest of us too. Sigh, I wasted 2 hours of my life watching this really dumb chinese movie. Plus, I got a little sick of being asked why am I still single. It's a sensitive issue, okay?!
Eventually, I went to play the guitar. I bet Josephine was the my only fan there after I played 'Marriage D'amour', her favourite song (I think). I consider it a noob version cause I didn't have the original score for it. >.< So yea, Josephine, strictly no recording! If you wanna hear it again, either 1. Ask that guitar ensemble guy to play for you again, or 2. Visit us again next year and I'll play it better for you, or 3. Simply watch this video of a Vietnamese guy playing on youtube.
At night, I went to watch 'Ah Long Pte Ltd' with my family and another uncle's family. Not really that fantastic but yea, still not as bad as I thought.
Lunar New Year Day 2
As the adults gather for 'gambling sessions', I decided to practise more on my uncle's ordinary M-I-K guitar. I took turns to play 'Audition' with cousin Eunice as well.
What's so nice about gambling anyway? It's unhealthy, whether you are playing it for fun or not. Sometimes, I really feel that CNY is such a sinful festival. Gambling with cards and mahjong and feasting on so much food that you don't really need. And 9/10 CNY songs I've heard are related to money money and money. And why must we say gong xi fa cai (literally meaning congrats on striking rich). Do we Chinese value wealth so much? *sigh, I feel so disappointed with our customs sometimes. So pragmatic!
Lunar New Year Day 3
I've always knew that my youngest bro is very popular (particularly with girls) in school, but not till this extent. Just before I left my home for Ting's place, I was greeted with four girls outside my house looking for him. Awww, Eric, what did you do in school?! You're supposed to be studying for your 'O' level, right? X/
I didn't see the time but thank God that I somehow reached Aljunied MRT station on time before Davy 'escorted' me to their home. Initially, I felt a little intimidated by Uncle William. Just a little only. =X But yea, after some chit-chatting, everything was like so normal. We played Risk and both Davy and I were so owned by Joycelyn and Ting in the end. At least I still have my Australia. =D
I truely enjoyed their company there. It was heartwarming to see how each and everyone of their family care for each other. *sigh, I wish that my family were half as close as theirs. I remembered that in one of Jack Neo's movie, a little boy once said that FAMILY means 'Father And Mother I Love You'. *sigh, to start with, I don't even have a father in the family. Sometimes I really yearn to have a dad like Uncle William or Uncle Bruce or Uncle Peter or my Uncle Paul. But I'm contented enough to have known them, for they really have set a good example of what an excellent dad should be.
And I thank God again that somehow, the visit to Lim's family became even more successful when Aaron, Abner, Dorcas and her family joined us. I hope that everyone had a wonderful get-together after not being able to see each other for quite a while.
After leaving Lim's family's home, I joined Aaron's family (aka. my 2nd family) for dinner at Swensens and went to stay at their place (aka. my 2nd home). Yay, I managed to win Aaron in more chess games after dinner. =D So happy, cause I rarely win Aaron in the past. ^^
Lunar New Year Day 4
Church was fun today. I actually sang 2 verses of 'In His Time' after a couple of nudges from Abner. Despite feeling uncomfortable with my own voice, I actually sang! Goodness... Haha, any volunteer to teach me how to sing more gospel songs?
After service, Abner and Dorcas got me into their gospel guitar crash course. It's so different from the way we play classical guitar. I think I'm still a long way away to play guitar for church. But at least, I know that each day is a step forward for me. Oh yea, I tried playing drums too, with instructor Abner holding the cane in case I make mistakes. Haha. It was fun too! Should I learn drumming too? I so wanna learn drumming too.
Okay, I went rollerblading with Abner, Aaron, Ting, Davy, Joycelyn, Dorcas's family and with Uncle Sam's family. Such a painful day; I fell 6 times (3 times on my back). Still aching a little now. Haha.
Honestly speaking, I never really enjoy rollerblading but after seeing how the youths had had fun, it kinda lifted my spirit and I tried really hard to be as sporting as possible despite all the falls here and there. And it's SOooooooooo tough for me trying to keep up with them. Fortunately they were encouraging enough and waited for me every now and then. I was soooo touched! T.T I seldom get encouragements from people.
So tired and worn out, but it was fun being around with these energetic kids/youths. ^^ Gosh, I sound sooooo old... But yea, age's catching up! Everything hurts. Ouch.
Following that, I went over to Uncle Paul's place for dinner. For some reasons, I felt really emo and depressed on the way there in the MRT train. Am I going emo too? I prayed to God for strength and wisdom and it got slightly better.
Cool! Piano teacher cousin Angeline offered to teach me music theory free of charge! I remembered that she tried to teach me piano when I was 7 years old. But I gave up after 1 lesson... Haha, to think I still have the manuscript exercise book with me to remind me.
Looking back, I really regretted wasted too much of my time on computer games and chess. I could have achieved much more. But then again, what's done is done. I'm gonna just look and charge forward and make up for the lost time that I didn't utilise properly.
I'm determined. And I hope this determination will never end.
Strum to the MUSIC!!
10:29 am