Animal Paintings Part 2

A few oil pastel pieces on 6×6 inch Strathmore black field study spiral sketchbook.

 

Speaking in tongue

Last Thursday, a very devout Christian missionary baptized me with the Holy Spirit while I dropped him off at the car repair shop.  It was just a brief short prayer and he asked me to open my mouth to speak and before I knew it, I was speaking shrilly in a language that almost sounds like Vietnamese.  And I thought I would never ever imitate the Vietnamese intonations and now, I couldn’t even stop myself.  I was so happy that I shed tears.  Finally, the Holy Spirit is in me.  For the next hour, I went to the marsh and walked around and used my tongue, my unruly tongue, speaking a language that I couldn’t understand.  I tried each of the seven languages that I knew and each one sounded different somehow.  The best part was that I could sing without my control, and way better than my usual capabilities.  It was a praise song definitely at times sounding Jewish and at times Chinese mountain song.  Then the following day, suddenly, I couldn’t do it.  I was terrified.  The thought that God suddenly abandoned me.  Perhaps for those who have read the Left Behind series, they might understand that feeling. A feeling of loss and abandonment ensued.  It was the closest I have ever been to God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and I fully understand how warm and loving heaven could be now, where you sing all day.  Only that on day two, I can’t even sing a song without getting out of tune. Day 3, I still couldn’t do it.  My friend told me that sometimes, it is just a handshake from the Holy Spirit and some people never continue to speak in tongue.  Day 4 – Christmas Eve – the friend of my missionary friend prayed with me and immediately it came back.  The relief! The love!!  And this morning, I studiously sounded them out as I tried to read my bible in tongue and I think what I have been saying and singing was, “Great is the Lord, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord Jesus Christ.”  It’s exciting to learn the tones and words.  I’m going to pick up my Chinese bible tomorrow and see if I could figure out the sounds from the Chinese side.

The Holy Spirit gives us many gifts.

1 Corinthians 12

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I would love to know what other gifts Holy Spirit has given me.  But for now, I relish speaking in language that is directly linked to God from the Holy Spirit in me.  It is edifying and it will build up my faith.

Here is some background to speaking in tongue.  My family at first was very alarmed because I didn’t seem to make sense.  But I assure them it’s not odd.  The pastors that I visited at the three churches all speak in tongues.  So do quite a few devout Christians who pray for others regularly.  I feel really blessed to be included as the IN crowd.  If you want to speak in tongue, ask your pastor to pray for you.

Doodles

A bunch of doodles.

Praise the Lord

It has been a very busy 3 weeks.  I finished my Preaching course getting a D in one quiz but 80 to 90 on all my sermons.  So I probably average a B.  But I’m not worried.  As long as I pass, it’s good enough.  For the last two weeks, I have been hesitating whether I should sign up for two more courses and then three months later, another 2 more.  Last Sunday I visited a very small church and one of the members stood up and counted the few coins that he owned in total as the offering plate went around.  I almost bursted out crying, to see the dedication and I was ready to blow $150 on textbooks.  I told myself I couldn’t do it.  Then at class that night, three of the students presented their sermon and all three have just came out of 10 years each of addiction, abusive relationship and homosexuality.  My heart beated for them.  I have to do it.  I have to reach as many people as I could and to do that, I need to know the bible inside out.  My home is also a great training ground as I have to overcome the objections from my husband and my unsaved kids.  They sharpen me everyday but I need that knowledge!  So I went ahead and ordered the books.

One more week or so and it’ll be my PET CT Scan.  I’m looking forward to reading the results.  Many churches and pastors are praying for me at the moment that it would be a clean scan .  Me too!! Just one more week!!!

Will War Ever End? by Captain Paul K. Chappell

This is a very small book of 82 pages and is known to be a prescribed text for the FBI and special forces and etc. So I had to read it. Basically the premises of the author is that soldiers do not aspire to kill. They are not inherently violent. Not all of them. In general, the military throughout history has more problems stopping soldiers from running away from killing than anything else. When the US award medals of honor, it’s usually awarded to soldiers who would risk their life to save their own countrymen in the battlefield and not to the one who kills the most enemy. The book did not answer the question if war would ever end. It is laying down the premises that human beings are peaceful to start off with and if we talk more about it and acknowledge it, then we could end war. He quoted a lot of historical examples and extolled the achievement of Gandhi. I’ll give this a 5 out of 10.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

This book Outliers: The Story of Success is the third book I have read of Malclm Gladwell. His book The Tipping Point which I reviewed here was the best so far I think. The second book Blink which Jang Dong Gun is reading was not very engaging at all and I didn’t even bother to write a review for it because it was a bit repetitive. This third book is slightly better.  The book basically highlights the reason why the successful people made it and what made them successful. He explained that people like Bill Gates and other Silicon Valley heavy hitters were successful because when they were younger, they happened to have the opportunity to perfect their skill much earlier. As soon as anyone has 10,000 hours under their belt in what they do intensely, they would be able to reach that level where they are employable, marketable, and even creative. Because they started young, their success became more obvious when they come of age. He mentioned that The Beatles had intensive performance experience in Germany even before they become highly popular and so became a group that could create and play anything.

Free for All by Don Borchert

I have been wondering why my regional library will be closed for 12 months for renovation just to increase sitting area and not a single space for an extra book but now that I have read this book Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert, I understand it better. There are just plainly too many people who are not rich enough to buy books and it is a free childcare for middle and high school kids whose parents won’t pick them up until they get off school. So this author who is very much like a character in my story has this lacksadaisical start to looking for work when he got a girlfriend who turned into a wife and soon three kids. The way he described the application process was hilarious, and the work for the beginner at the library was fascinating. As he progressed, he described all the kinds of kinky people who used the library, including flashers, potential perverts, drug dealers. He puts in the fair share of annoying patrons, those who demand special service, unreasonable service. He writes hilariously and it’s a very good book. There are also many heart-felt portions where you see how the lives of librarians are affected interacting with the less priviledged people. Highly recommended for those who like libraries.

Reposted from an earlier blog dated December 17, 2008.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Since I came from Hong Kong, Queen Elizabeth II does mean something still to me simply because Hong Kong used to be a British colony and we used to see her face on our coins everyday and we read about the monarchy every so often. So when this little novella is about her of only 120 pages long, of course I have to read it, especially since it promises to be funny. The Uncommon Reader is just that. The queen stumbled into a travelling library on her grounds where only the a kitchen staff called Norman used it and she had to check out a book so as not to be impolite. And soon, this Norman was promoted to assist her in her reading, something she hasn’t done intensively before. The opening chapters are so funny. She almost appeared well, read it and you’ll find out…and I love that Norman. He likes gay writers. Soon the queen annoyed everyone with her new hobby and I absolutely love the parts about her missing her books. And when you wouldn’t expect it, the staff surrounding her suddenly said the F and the S word. OMG…you wouldn’t think people would swear in the palace. A great 45 mins read. The ending a bit introspective and slower but nevertheless a pleasurable book, that is if you enjoy reading about reading.

Listening to… Part 2

This is the song I really like.  It has a worship quality to it without the excessive noise of Western Christian music.

Kumi Ori – Arise and Shine – Isaiah 60:1-2

Posted December 19, 2013:

Some Messianic Hebrew songs.

This first one is really beautiful.  Ani Ma’Amin – I Believe

Adonai 

Yeshua Kadosh – Holy Jesus

Kadosh Atah – Holy Are You Lord

Ki Ko Ahav – For God So Loved

David Crowder Band – Deliver Me

My Favorite Christmas Songs

Jeremy Camp – Mary Did You Know

Jeremy Camp – O Come O Come Emmanuel

Posted December 12, 2013:

I have to say that I very much dislike secular Christmas songs.  Chestnut roasting over the fire and red nose reindeers just doesn’t cut it.   Let’s try Piano Guys: O Come, Emmanuel , Carol of the Bells.

Lindsey Stirling – Celtic Carol

Posted December 10, 2013:

Brandon Heath has a new song and it’s about Mary – Just A Girl.

Posted August 22, 2013:

for King and Country – Baby Boy – such a cute video and very nice song.