Before the throne of God above

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I Am,
The King of glory and of grace,
One with Himself I cannot die.

My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

One with Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

Some pictures of Greece

Change, you CAN believe in

I've been wanting to blog about this for a while but was never able to pen it down due to the busyness of the last few weeks.

Change. Indeed, this word has sprung up so many times in the last couple of months. The phrase 'change you can believe in' has almost become a cliche as we finally witness the inauguration of the first African American President of the United States of America. This man, full of charisma and eloquence attracted and inspired billions of people to believe in him. He instilled a sense of hope, he spoke of a new America and led many to dream beyond and to believe in their own ability for change.

As I reflect on this, I begin to question the validity of his statements. Are we truly capable of change? For what can we change even with sheer determination? Can Barack Obama rock the world?

For me, I believe that none of us are capable of even small changes. For who are we, but mere mortal men. Barack is just like you and me, still imperfect with weaknesses. Whilst he may be able to revive the economic downturn globally with his $825 billion stimulus, like you and me, he is still in need of a greater Saviour who will once and for all change the world. Our hope is not dependant upon the world's or even our own, but in God's who is the ultimate creator.

'But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds,the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. '
1st Corinthians 15:51-52

In his letter to the Philippians, again Paul wrote:

'He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere.'
Philippians 3:21

'And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.
Philippians 1: 6

What a glorious hope and what great promises await us when we put our trust in Him. And what's more exciting, He has given us The Holy Spirit to guide us along the way!

Lord God, you are so gracious to us. Thank you that we can trust in you and look forward to real change. Not in the worlds's or our owns but in YOUR's alone:)

Go forth

From Streams in the Desert and Springs in the Valley

“Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord”
(I Kings 19:11)

Step out on the waves
That could crush you!
Step out in the storm
That would hush you!
And you will find,
As you touch the crest
You feared so much,
And walk on its breast,
There was One walking there,
The whole night through,
Walking, watching,
Waiting – For you!

Psalm 127

Reminded by Psalm 127:1-2 today.

'Unless the Lord builds the house,
the work of the builders is useless.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.'

'For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.' Phillipians 4:13

Thank you Abba Father for helping me in my exams thus far. Indeed, I'm such an amazingly blessed child of yours. I can't help but love you more and more each day.

Alive and good

Alright, I'll admit I'm a loser for not updating lately at all. So many things has happened ever since I last posted back in June. By now, you will probably have guessed blogging has not been my priority and as a result sadly left and push aside; almost abandoned and forgotten. But this post serves to show it is still alive and I shall endeavour to write more and keep you all posted in the future. Especially the wonderful testimonies of God's goodness and faithfulness to his beloved children:)

Busy. Very busy. These two words describes it all. Work has been more demanding lately especially with two of my colleagues on holiday and one of my closest colleague leaving the Systems team for good. And so more work just piles my desk and my responsibilities just grows by the week. Its definitely a good thing though, being able to contribute more significantly and being able to play a bigger role. Currently I'm doing a lot of interfacing with the designers in India, working on Line Lists generated by SPP&ID (Smart Plant P&ID) and issuing these drawings for client reviews. Its pretty tedious and requires much concentration but I've really learnt so much from doing this! Especially reading P&ID's and checking for potential mistakes. I've found this to be much more exciting compared to drafting MSD's and just having review meetings with Technology. So much so, at times I work till past 7 and forget the time. This morning, I told my team leader that I would like to be involved in HAZOPS and I thank God for her being so accommodating and helpful. She has talked to the safety experts and I'm really looking forward to the experience:)

God has indeed been good. For He never fails us nor forsakes us. But desires for us to know him more intimately every single day. To love Him as much as He has loved us. Church has been good and God has blessed me with so many friends. Friends who genuinely care, friends who pray together and friends to just have fun! I have been very privileged to be invited to many birthdays, BBQ's and dinner outings.

And last weekend dear Cheng Lu came down to visit. Short and sweet, yet filled with much fellowship and testimonies. Tried uploading some photos but internet connection seems too slow for that so you'll just have to wait:) And Meli and Janice, you were both definitely mentioned in much of our conversation!

Okies, I need to go to bed soon as it's getting late. A long day ahead but its the weekends soon. Hopefully catch some of you soon! And Janice you're returning back to the UK next Thursday! Shall definitely talk to you online before your Europe trip!

knackered

Absolutely knackered and drained. My first week working has really worn me out; nevertheless, it has been a superb eye-opener and a great experience. I have finally gotten a true flavour of what it means to work and as cliche as it is, it needs to be re-empahised: working life isn't a bed of roses; being a student is indefinitely better.

As I work, I begin to appreciate you Dad much more, for the years of toil and hardship for me to lead a comfortable life. With your sacrifices, you have provided me with one of the best gifts a child could possibly ask for: a dream education in UK fulfilled and realised. Never have I truly understood the reality and pressures until this week when it unfolded before my eyes. Sitting with a higher ranking colleague and listening to his rantings and beratings, colleagues frantically working long hours to meet deadlines and chassing after meetings only to be chided like a child has made me realised how sheltered I was and how naive I was of the real world. How self-centered I have always been and how tiny my responsibility to study and do well is when compared to yours of supporting the family and providing for our needs. Truly, I have appreciated all that you have gone through and am extremely thankful and grateful.

Though quite drained, I am very blessed to have the opportunity to work for such a large multinational consultancy firm, Foster Wheeler, reputedly with the largest process engineering department in Europe. I am currently working in a large team (200-300 engineers) at the FEED (Front End Engineering Design) stage of the Qatar Petrochemical Complex Project based in Messaid, Qatar. Though trained as a chemical engineer, I work as a Systems Engineer working closely with the Materials and Process Specialists. With the existing PFD's and P&ID's as well as the process data sheets from various licensors ( Bassell, Axens and Lummus to name a few), I convert them into MSD's (Material Selection Diagrams). A little tedious and at times monotonous, my ability to read and comprehend PFD's and P&ID's has improved drastically. A useful and key skill which I hope to develop even further as I progress into my working life.

It's getting real late here in Reading and think I better sleep. It has been a long and tiring week and I'm glad its the weekends now and for once I can finally rest and relax. Thank you Abba Father for providing for me and for protecting me throughout.

A big thanks to all my prayer warriors too, Dad, Mum, Care, Hannah, Meli, Cheng Lu, Janice, Lina...I send my love to you all(: