My colleague, S.V.

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My colleague, C.V. writes beautiful poems and letters of God. And i wish to keep it in this blog, so that in the future, i can have easy access to it.

If you would be interested in reading, i've categorized it under the label "Loving God".

=D
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A Little Ruckus

Dear God,

Send me a little ruckus when I need it, to wake me up from stupor.
That I may perceive life with my heart, to live freely today trusting that tomorrow is in Your hands.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 NKJV

I pray that I may live this life as You have intended.
To be courageous to love like there is no tomorrow.
That grace and mercy will strengthen me when I fall.
And Your voice will ever be like music to my heart.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NKJV

Your child,
Sv ",+

23/06/2008 12:03

Guiding Hands

My first day of recess
They all laughed at me
When I fell off the swing set
And scraped up my knee
The nurse called my Momma
To say I'd be late
And when she gave me the phone
I could hear Momma say
I'm so sorry son
Oh I think you're so brave
And she was smiling when she said

When you come home
No matter how far
Run through the door and into my arms
It's where you are loved
It's where you belong
And I will be here
When you come home


(When you come home written by Mark Schultz)


I was but a newbie when you took me under your wings.
You remained at hand when I was out of the industry, out of a job. Encouraging, connecting, guiding.
When I came to the end of the road, you said, "You can take the dealer out of the market, but you can't take the market out of the dealer."
Your words rekindled the dying flames of belief in my heart. When the same door opened a second time, I resumed my seat at the desk.

Three years and six months on, I move forward with the surety and confidence that dealing is in my blood. The late Ayrton Senna believed that racing was in his blood. He knew what it meant to be one with the car, to live and breathe racing. To be the best that he could be. I read that when he was racing, sometimes he would transcend the physical realm. When he would lose himself behind the steering wheel and be one with the car.

Ma'am, thank you for your guiding hands. You have shown me that it is possible to have a big heart above the materialism and hypocrisy prevalent in the industry. Joshua stayed close to Moses. Paul built up Timothy. Barnabas did not give up on John Mark. And you kept an eye out for this stubborn mule.

Xiao Guo ",+

12/05/2008 07:52

Murmur of A Stirring Heart

My beloved is mine and I am His
How I long for Your love, long for Your kiss
The knowledge of Your love for me
Is the truth that sets me free
Kisses from Heaven, from Father God to me


Beloved - a person who is dearly loved. Knowledge - awareness.
Love - a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, arising from kinship, or a sense of underlying oneness;
an intense emotional attachment for a treasured object.
Free - to take away from a person anything uncomfortable, inconvenient, difficult, unwelcome, etc; able to act as one wants.


Beloved + Love + Knowledge of Love = Freedom.
Free because one is loved. The love of God liberates us from the shackles we place on ourselves and also by others.
Mistakes are forgiven. Weaknesses are accepted. Differences are overcome. Pain is released as healing is received. Shame wiped off. Hopes renewed.

The price of love is sacrifice, surrender. Love does not keep the beloved, love sets the beloved free. Love learns to let go.
The choice then rests with the beloved. Love given but not reciprocated returns to the giver void. Love received and returned nourishes the soul.
What God desires from us is relationship. What God desires amongst us is fellowship.


One cannot find or lose a religion because of one’s belief in God or the existence of a Greater Being.
I have known of a prodigal who left the father’s house in search of something else.
For years the father longed for the child to come home, for the child to know that he is loved, for the child to return to his family.


Finally the child decided to make his way home. And all the father said was, “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found. Luke 15:32 NKJV. How do we know we are loved? Go back and find out. Return to the source.


Still tripping,
Sv “+


02/05/2008 17:14

How Far? How Long?

During a memorial service after the tragedy of September 11th 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush quoted these verses from the Bible.
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ (!), who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love.
Death can't (!), and life can't (!). The angels can't (!), and the demons can't (!). Our fears for today, and our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from *the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35,37-39 NKJV.

I believe it took a leader to say those words. A man of God to stand before his country, his administration, his fellow countrymen, aliens, critics and even his enemies, to proclaim, to declare aloud in those moments of extreme grief and anguish that God is still in control. That nothing, absolutely nothing can separate God's love from those who believe in Him. At the deep end of loss, a leader of his nation steered his nation towards faith, rest and comfort in God. Above answers, defense and trauma, people needed hope. And a man of God declared the source of Hope.

(*"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." John 3:16-17 The Message.)

A disciple of Jesus found himself on the hilltop of regret. Having betrayed his master to his enemies for thirty pieces of silver, Judas was too laden with remorse and self-condemnation to give himself another chance. As a result, he sought the way out to silence his pain. He found a rope and hung himself from a tree. Because he couldn't forgive himself, he never had a chance to receive forgiveness from the One who loved him. I often wonder what it would have been like if Judas had asked Jesus for forgiveness. Perhaps his life would have been radically changed. Perhaps he would have lived to tell of the God of second chances.

Everyone fails at one point or another. I, for one, can use second chances. To learn to forgive myself of my mistakes. To accept that I am not perfect, yet know that I have hope in Jesus. I would appreciate and feel encouraged if those closest to my heart can paint a new picture of me with me. With new paint and new brushstrokes. Humanly, it's hard work. But in Christ, all things are possible. There is no life apart from Christ, and there is no hope without Christ! Just ask Simon Peter. He denied Jesus on three separate occasions yet Jesus returned to restore him when He came back to life having overcome death.

Keep walking,
Sv ",+

20/05/2008 08:37

Made For God

I was made to praise You
I was made to glorify Your name
In every circumstance
To find the chance to thank You
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I was made to love You
I was made to worship at Your feet
And to obey You, Lord
I was made for You

That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him
along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. Romans 8:28-29 The Message.

At the heart of worship is our purpose in God. When we understand that, we begin to appreciate living out His purpose in our lives.
Demands and expectations from the people around us will change. There will be times when we will fail. Times when we will not understand.
But God remains at work. And He will continue to do His work in us till our very last breath.

Take heart,
Sv ",+

07/04/2008 13:16

Poignant Notes

You laid aside Your majesty,
Gave up everything for me.
Suffered at the hands of those You had created.

You took away my guilt and shame,
When You died and rose again.
Now today You reign,
And heaven and earth exalt You.

I really want to worship You my Lord
You have won my heart and I am Yours
Forever and ever, I will love You.

You are the only one who died for me,
Gave Your life to set me free.
So I lift my voice to You in adoration.

[Easter Sunday] His love affirmed in this song broke down the wall of silence around my heart.
That afternoon, I received a note from a friend. Mate, if I may......
"Dear Shou Vien, may the joy of the risen Christ fill your heart and touch every part of your life. The Lord has risen, alleluia."

Unlike folks who always do the right things and say the right words so that the order of the universe as we know it will not be disrupted,
I tend to fair badly in the "social-political landscape". I must admit that I do have my character weaknesses and areas that I need to work on.
And these do handicap the relationships in my life. Aspirations await fulfillment. Love desires expression. Sincerity expects demonstration.

Finding solace in solitude allows me to be turned around by Him and thus find rest for the soul.
Let Him wash away the stains of pain and shame, and soften a hardened heart before returning to face the world and its poignant fluidity.
Perhaps then I will bring lesser pain and disappointment into a world that is already so full of them.

I do not know any other way except to trust that God will turn things around and even the hearts of those I have wounded.
Some say that trust has to be earned but perhaps it can also be entrusted, so that it may be received, hence empower and liberate.
Perceiving does not set me on a higher pedestal than the next person. On the contrary, it highlights the lack in my walk.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:1-3 NKJV.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me,
and Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:7-10 NKJV.

Matheses,
Sv ".+

01/04/2008 17:49

Smile always

If I can leave some last words with you, I’d say, “Smile always.”
No matter what comes your way, smile always.
Smile despite pain, sorrow and fear.
Smile in the valley of shadow of death.
Smile in the mundane everyday life.
Smile through your tears. Smile even when you have lost something or someone dear to you.
For it is in losing that you gain (understanding).
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 NKJV

There is a saying that goes like this, “Smile, and the world smiles with you.”
I am not sure how true that is, but I know there will always be folks who can use some cheering up.


Sv “.+


P/s: Smiling is not one of my fortes, but if you ever find me smiling, by God, I sure must be happy. Really happy ; )

21/02/2008 14:34

A to Z

I'm neither the author nor the finisher of my life nor my faith. He is.
He was right there at the beginning, and He will be right there at the end of the world.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty."
The Revelation of Jesus Christ 1: 8 NKJV.

Why do our problems increase in size as we grow older? Why do we encourage children to believe in their dreams when we have allowed ours to die?
As children, we would turn to our parents for comfort. As adults, we bury our wounds together with our troubled hearts and say, "That's life".
That is not life. That is a big fat lie from the devil himself! No matter how difficult life gets and how faint our hope is, we cannot make do with lesser.
Living is about believing that someday righteousness will overcome evil, someday our dreams will come true, someday we will rediscover true love.

We only have one lifetime. We cannot afford to merely exist and be dead in our spirit!
Our physical existence ceases when our lifespan is over, but our spirit which transcends the physical world lives on.
Why do Christians worship God? Why do we sing hymns and spiritual songs? Perhaps in the midst of worship, we encounter God.
And in the presence of God, there is love, joy and goodness. We catch a glimpse of heaven. We grasp a sense of God-reality. We see this life differently.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.
God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:1-4 NKJV.

Love our children, pray for them. Let them see God through our living, loving, talking, doing. Guide them in the way that they should go.
They will want a lot of things, but they will not need everything that they want. Living is hard. Leave them with something to live for.
God, love and the betterment of mankind.

Shalom,
Sv ",+

18/02/2008 12:25

Through His Eyes

And I will worship You in the beauty of Your holiness
And I will worship You for all the things You have done in me
And when my life's complete, I'll place my crown at Your feet
I will worship You on bended knees

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day,
and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

Feet firmly rooted to the ground, I saw the end, so I understood the present.
The crown of life is not about wealth or status but His will be done. Then rest will come.
But for now, peace is enough. The peace of GOD that surpasses all understanding guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.
You're not in the driver's seat - I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.
Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.
What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? Luke 9:23-25 The Message

He does not love me any lesser if He does not give me the world.
He does not love me more than others when I gain wealth, fame or status.
He gives me enough each day. Grace in mistakes. Wisdom in troubled times. Love in brokenness. Hope for life.
His words ricochet in my mind, targeting the bull’s eye.

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday
human concerns will be met.” Matthew 6:33 The Message
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:34 The Message

When you took me in, and put me behind the steering wheel and said, "Drive." It took me a while to realize that I had been given the license to drive.
So I took the cue, started the engine and took to the road. There were times when the ride was tough, and times when it was enjoyable and empowering.
Sometimes I ended up lost at the crossroads. All alone not knowing which way is the right direction. Then I hear a still small voice.
“The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” Matthew 6:21 The Message

Thank you for remaining, J.
Sv

Fri 01/02/2008 17.59