Monday, January 16, 2006
knock knock...
back from DOT's first retreat of the yr. as always, i missed the beginning... hahahaha, always doing the disappearing act. no more magic next time, mindy.
actually din manage to do much reflection at all... spent more time like playing playing playing only... n i really miss dat feeling... of bicycling thr' a muddy path... exploring tiny paths in ubin... laffed till i almost lose my voice... depriving others of their sleep coz we were banging tables so hard while playing nerds... smoking myself in the aroma of one-step marinated chicky wings... sleeping in pathetic sleeping bags... letting others nag at miself to bathe... enjoying the cold morning air while walking 1.3+ km to 7-11... digging sand pits like dogs wanting to poo... gosh... i seriously miss those days when these activities occur at least quaterly... ahhhh!!!!
i guess one memorable activity dat was as painful as it was edifying... (if u dunno the meaning of edifying, ask kenton)[if he doesnt know still, pls find out n remind him] was the session zhiqiang planned where we had to list down one another's weaknesses n strengths... was v revealing n uplifting at the same time. revealing coz it showed the areas we fall short in... n uplifting coz it was a confirmation of some of the gifts God has given to us...
can't rem all my weaknesses but well... some unanimously agreed on ones were like too noisy, irritating n annoying... i can't deny them... they'r wat makes me mindy lah... no one else hv the same weaknesses can... i mean how many annoying, irritating n noisy ppl do u want in ur life?
anyway these characteristics made me the winner for the mock survivor thingy n the same characteristics helped me debate my way to an immunity which was ultra short-lived. got voted off subsequently anyway. hahaha, not surprising at all... at least better den some ppl who got voted off even b4 they arrive ken... wahahahaa
but at least one positive thing arose from this retreat lah. i was reminded to care for some ppl whom i've neglected over these few mths... to start praying for them again. hoping dat this will b sustained.
re-reading john ortberg's "love beyond reason" again... beautiful beautiful beautiful... to be reminded of God's love. shall share another C.S. Lewis' quote...
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock is safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."
And guess who started loving first?
"We love because He first loved us."
1 John 4:19
Imagine the king of kings, the creator of Heaven and Earth... allowing Himself to be vulnerable... allowing the possibility of breaking His heart...
i love U, Lord.
11:37 PM
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