I will be seeing her in 4 more days... In a land far, far away that i have always dreamt off but now becoming a reality :) I do not have a picture of mum and dad on this particular computer, but yeah.. looking forward to them too...!

Norlane Renovation

Ok ok, it has arrived. Our renovation or rather "painting" job that we did at Geelong to serve the community. :)

The great and awesome people who helped.


One of the good things of buying paints with Dulux!

Before

After

Before - look at the colour of the wall!

Everyone hard at work! Including Paul Paul!

After! - the funky colour

We're returning this saturday for a final touch i.e. the new furnitures, lamps, sofas, coffee tables etc. More to come!

Our Story...

Sometimes I wonder if I like stories too much. It doesn't matter what the format or genre, give me a good story and I'm hooked. I know I'm not alone in my insatiable appetite for stories - what is it that makes us humans love them so?

One obvious reason is that the story is the best way we know how to impart abstract ideas. C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is a perfect example of a story that helps us understand the concept that are sometimes difficult to grasp. I remember the first time that I realised that Aslan was the Narnian Jesus. I was totally amazed. Even when I was an adolescent , I realised that something was clearly missing from the portrait of Jesus I had painted in my own short life.

Christians trying to be relevant often add story-telling to their "evangelism toolbox" because of how effectively it can be used to convey the gospel in an age without absolutes. THey relise that stories are a universal form that allow them to communicate across philosphical and cultural boundaries. Is that it then? Are stories good only because they are a way to sneak the gospel into the postmodern conversation?

And it's not just works created by Christians that illustrate the truth. Woody Allen's Crrimes and Misdemeanors expertly shows the steps we are often willing to take to cover up sin. The Christians that would have us believe that stories by non-Christians are a form of escape from the real world have not been paying attention to what is being said in those stories.

I believe that stories communicate both the gospel and the truth about the human existence, but more importantly, they awaken in us something long repressed by our modern culture: life itself is a story. This may sound like a metaphor, but it is more than that.

A few weeks ago, i was talking about how life was a big story and one of my colleagues leaned over and wrote "choose your own adventure". I think that statement is a perfect snapshot of our generation's postmodern worldview. As a kid I used to read "choose your own adventure" books over and over, looking for the right path to the "real" ending. I was quite dissapointed when I finally realised that there was no "real" ending and thus, there was no "main story."

God's reality however, in which we are all a part of one big adventure. His narrative weaves the collected lives of everyone, dead and otherwise, into one great meta-narrative.

The problem we face is that we are not writing or even reading the narrative. We are the characters in a story fashioned by God. We have very little idea of the plot, other than what we can see from our first-person view. It is hard to see the struggle of others in the story when we can only see with our eyes. Once in a while, people are given a third-person point of view and asked by the author to act on that knowledge, but for the most part, we are stuck in first-person. This is why the stories we tell are so powerful.

Our stories are microcosms of God's story. For a split-second we are allowed a view of a world where everything is interconnected and has a meaningful conclusion. This is why good stories can give us the faith to carry on; they are more real than the private universe we have constructed.

The choice we have to make is whether we want to be a part of God's story. By choosing to live in the story, we are choosing the real adventure.

VISA

The face of an overjoyed gal while preparing for her 5cm x 5 cm snap shot for the US Embassy. Yes everyone, we got our VISA... My holiday dream is actually coming true.

Tagging

God is way cool. He has this amazing ability in pouring out His love. For no apparent reason, i just know that He is so good. The whole of yesterday night, i did not just feel but i know, i know, i know that His overwhelming goodness is oh well, overwhelming.

I simply can't wait for tonight and tomorrow - Urbs Leaders Camp. It will be awesome and again with the expectation that i bring with me, and God will blow the whole thing out of propotion! I reckon that's what he loves doing. :) I'm just going to run to him... In fact this year has been a HUGE year for me. Huge year of moulding and growth. Painful but priceless. Being on staff is unbelievable! It is the best year of my life! As i was just mentioning to Him the other day, that is November and how the year has flew pass, and how it was a massive year for me, i just feel Him replying cheekily, "Pei Jet, you ain't no see anything yet! Wait till next year!" And my heart just lept! It was incredible.

To everyone who is reading this, I'm committed to throw away everything that holds me back and run towards Him. You wanna tag along?

Oh and just to inform everyone that i'll be going to the states for my holidays in December! Do pray that i get my visa soon. :) I simply can't wait to explore this other part of the world. Simply because i have not been anywhere except for good old Malaysia and Australia. :)

This particula girl really captivates me. I just couldn't take my eyes off her...