Preparations for Sarah and Samuel's Learning

As I am slowly reading and learning as well as preparing for Sarah and Samuel's learning, I do take occasional breathers from the intense preparation to enjoy designs - may it be home & decor, nursery decor, paper decor and artwork. Recently, I stumbled upon designs & artwork which would assist in their learning & I am so thankful for these creative people who readily make available their designs to share.

Days of the week: I have been meaning to reinforce the days of the week visually to Sarah. It all started with Sundays when Sarah knows that she goes to church and Wednesdays when mommy goes for BSF as well as Saturday and Sunday, the days when mommy allows her to watch Sound of Music. I was planning to make tags to put in the car and dread the amount of time I would have to spend on Big Mac when I found this at www.livinglocurto.com under freebies. Inspired but relieved:) Go here and have a whale of a time digging for treasures but remember, don't get carried away.

This clever designer made tags for her children's clothes so that they can grab their clothes in the morning before going off to school. A brilliant idea that can be translated to just about anything.

Numbers and sequence of events: This other idea by the same designer gave me some ideas in teaching numbers and sequence of events to Sarah and Samuel.  

Our Short Getaway - Port Dickson 25 -28 Oct

This was a trip planned entirely by Daniel. It was a short self drive trip to Port Dickson with the family with the objective of "Enjoying Each Other" with no strings attached. For that reason, photography for me was restricted and Daddy and Mommy could only bring one book each to read. I must say, this short trip was a real blessing to me and I enjoyed myself very tremendously. Oh yes, so did the kids:) Looking back, I am so very grateful to be able to do this.

Every morning, Sarah would ask, "Where's Sa going?" And Mommy would happily reply to her, "We are going to swim and play sand." With a lilt in our steps, we would trudge off to the sandy beach linked to the hotels. Well, Sarah and Samuel literally wore their wetsuit for a large part of the day, at the breakfast table, at the playroom, and at the beach and swimming pool. Our first stop, we stayed at Thistle, which just reopened in May after a major 5 month renovation. Everything in the room was spanking new and it was right beside the Malacca Straits.

'

Then, we headed to Avillion for the rest of the holiday. This is a pretty much self contained recluse and there were so many things to do for the entire family...and instead of living right beside the sea, we were living in the middle of it.

That's Sarah at breakfast in her wetsuit.

Grandma and grandpa who came along to help us with the kids.

Samuel had a whale of his time feeding and touching the pets in their in-house pet farm.

This baby bunny was too cute to be fearful of that even Sarah managed to stroke it a few times. 

That's Sarah at the playroom in her wetsuit, again.

Our lovely Sarah and Samuel.

That's how Samuel was during the trip, laughing and laughing, playing and sleeping.

On the final morning, the tide receded so much that we could walk across the beach and into the sea where we saw swarms and swarms of soldier crabs and other interesting sea creatures.

That's sea grapes for you [according to Rubi our helper]

Brave little Samuel venturing into the sea for the first time.

Interesting little corner in the resort for people to write.

Grandma and her birthday present.

It was only 4 days but it felt so long. And I take home much from this wonderful, burden-free trip. Thank you God for all the blessings that you have given...

The Pressing Things on My Heart and Mind - Part 3

My slow journey begins with 3 books, the ESV Study Bible [a birthday present to myself earlier this year], The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education by Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise [from our first class NLB] and How to Read a Book by Mortimer J Adler [a gift by CC].

The Pressing Things on My Heart and Mind - Part 2

As I embark on this journey of relearning, I am inevitably confronted with the issue of my children's education. And along with it a myriad of questions which seem to hint at bleak revelations. What is education? Where does education eventually lead one to? How does one learn? How should one learn? Why should one learn? In the entries following this, I will record my thoughts and learnings and research in this area.

The good news is, thankfully, that Sarah and Samuel have not yet been ushered into any systems of 'learning' and what a blessing it is. The children can only learn with joy and imbibe with no strings attached. I am so excited for them but daunted with the responsibility ahead. Together with Daniel [more honestly, counting on Dan], we hope to play an instrumental role in charting their journey of learning - in understanding and knowing God and God's Word and God's World so that we can be of use to our Saviour.

The Pressing Things on My Heart and Mind - Part 1

As I slowly understand that the life that we have and the world that we live in are to be understood as a big complete picture of the life that God has given as well as God's world in which we live, I am also realizing how little I really know and how 'uneducated' I really am. For the longest time, the education that we have been exposed to [both secular and spiritual], was merely innovating different pedagogical methods for us to memorize immense amount of information without much reality. Perhaps, the only reason we did seem successful is because we have learnt to regurgitate that information professionally over time and appeared as if we really believed it. The motivation of 'success' both secular and spiritual is the current that ebbs us in this direction of learning. The form and functionality of education, we have, but the power of a reasonable and sound mind, we sorely lack, and a transformed life in Christ, we have not yet known.

The feeling is immense and desperate at times. I feel that I am racing against time to relearn God's Word and to relearn God's World. For myself and my children. The piling & foundational works are tedious, painful, backbreaking and visibly fruitless. But they are vital and life-saving if our lives, family and church are to depend on it. May God help us - to give life, time and perseverance to pursue truth and knowledge not for its own sake, but because truth liberates and gives genuine life in Christ.

Looking for A Wife

My name is Samuel Tan Hsien-Ern. Some call me SamSam, some call me Sammy, some call me Didi and some call me Mimi. I have just turned 15 months & I love to make new friends.

My Resume

Education: Studying in School of Tots [mommy says its the best preschool in Singapore:)]

Songs I can sing [in part]: God made Me, The BIBLE, Do A Deer

Words I can say: Quite a lot as I like to repeat after adults

Favorite Word: Shoe [cos I like to go out]

Favorite Fruit: Kiwi & grapes

Favorite Food: Junk Food [much to mommy's dismay]

Hobbies: Playing with Sarah, Playing with Switches, Playing Hide and Seek

Ambition: To be a Big Boy

I think my daddy and mommy have started praying for a wife for me. I really love them but I have always thought they were a strange couple. Well, in any case, if you happen to fit the bill, can you ask your mommy to contact my mommy, so they work out a training plan for you? Here are flowers for you:)

The day of the PET Scan - 15 Oct

Prof Tay requested for me to do a PET scan as it has been 1.5 years since my illness was detected. I had no idea what a PET scan was but the words Daniel told me were revelatory enough - "Everything that can be seen, Will be seen". That was enough to set me thinking and solemn for a long time.

Last night, after prayer meeting, I decided to wash Sarah up and put her to bed early since I was expected to be at the clinic at 8:30 am. As she was happily playing with her bath toys as usual, I decided to explain to her. "Sarah, mommy is going to the hospital for a check up to see if she is well. And she needs to rest early. Let's keep the toys and sleep early together." I was not expecting her to respond immediately but delay for a while to play her new found game of filling the plastic bag and letting it fall to the bathroom floor with a big splash. But Sarah quietly picked up her toys and emptied her plastic bag and obediently placed them onto my toiletries' shelf. Then she turned to me and suddenly, burst into tears and cried,"Mommy don't go hospital. Mommy not pain." I was startled at her reaction and tried to explain to her, "Mommy is not in pain. She just needs to check if she is well. Mommy is not in pain." Sarah continued to cry and cover her eyes. Oh dear, oh dear, mommy's eyes started to well up with tears as she saw precious Sarah trying to convince Mommy not to go to the hospital through her tears. I managed to carry her out of the bathroom, towel her and dress her up in her night clothes. Sarah hugged me real tight that night and before she slept, she said, "Mommy well?" I was glad that little Sarah didn't see the tears flowing out of mommy's eyes during the darkness of night as mommy patted her to sleep.

Early the next morning, we left the house before the kids were up. The journey to the clinic was smooth and seamless and I was glad for that because I needed the non-disturbance. I needed to mentally 'hold on' to what I have learnt and remembered about who God is, lest my mind is spun into an abyss of hopelessness and despair. My gracious God knows that I needed Him and I am so glad that He knew. God gave me much comfort in my physical environment. I had some time with Daniel before the procedure began to speak with Him and read the Bible. The nurses at the clinic were a great blessing. They ushered me from the beginning of the procedure to the last seamlessly and never at one point was I left wondering what I should do next. I soon began to realize that I was to be injected with a radioactive dye and made to rest in a room for half and hour before the scan. Of course, I had to rest in the room alone without Daniel because I was sort of like a walking radioactive object. With the lights dimmed and reading prohibited so as to ensure that the body receives the least form of stimulation and anxiety, I had to lie down and try to relax. Trying to relax as you can imagine was especially challenging. With the centralised air-condition blasting at me, and with the knowledge that my body is gradually becoming radioactive were enough to make me anxious, not to mention, the pristine silence of the room and the possible outcomes of the scan. Oh, how important the mind was in this situation - that the Spirit would bring to remembrance His Word as only His Word can give us true confidence and hope. My mind was directed to Phil 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." I spent the rest of my time in the wait room recalling and thanking God for every single loved one, family and friends that He has brought to my way to minister to me. When our minds are focussed on our blessings, we are inadvertently drawn to remember our God who is the Giver of many good and perfect gifts. That doesn't give much place to anxiety and worry as it is all divinely displaced. What a blessing to experience the reality of God's Word. Praise and glory to a gracious, loving and faithful God! He knew that I needed all the help I could get to set my failing feet on the broad path. Before I knew it, my half hour was up and I was ready to do my scan.

A PET scan requires one to lie down on a bed that moves in and out of a capsule. This is for imaging of the body to be done. Before the scan began, the nurse reminded me not to move. It's those kind of instructions that paralyses you because you fear that you would do the exact opposite of what was required. Suddenly, I felt so conscious of moving that I felt myself twitching [or was it my imagination]. I shut my eyes tight and did not breath at times because I did not want my body to move. It was the longest 20 minutes possible.

As we left the clinic and travelled home [with a radioactive me], a call came from the doctor to herald the good news that it was a clear and normal scan. This time more than other times, I was very very overwhelmed  - overwhelmed with my own unworthiness of His unfailing grace and mercy to me. As I called my parents and sister on the phone, my Dad detected that I sounded pensive. "Why?" he asked. I could only reply, "Just thankful, very thankful." And he answered me knowingly, "Yes".

A Milestone Set up for My Lord as a 
Reminder to Unworthy Me - Deut 8

1 “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son,so the LORD your God chastens you.6 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. 11 “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— 17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.

The Big Picture Devotional

I was looking for a devotional & found this precious devotional that sees the Bible in a big picture. Even the preface of this book is priceless because the author is biblically astute, observationally accurate & spritually discerning in his portrayal about man & his tendencies.  I wish I could bold, highlight and underline every word as each word seems fitly & deliberately chosen. Here is the preface as follows:

"This book, the first of two volumes, is for Christians who want to read the Bible, who want to read all the Bible. At their best, Christians have saturated themselves in the Bible. They say with Job, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12). That comparison was something the children of Israel were meant to learn in the wilderness. We are told that God led them into hunger and fed them with manna to teach them “that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3)—words quoted by the Lord Jesus when he himself faced temptation (Matt. 4:4). Not only for the book of Revelation may it properly be said, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it” (Rev. 1:3). On the night he was betrayed, Jesus Christ prayed for his followers in these terms: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). The means by which God sanctifies men and women, setting them apart as his own people, is the Word of truth.

The challenge has become increasingly severe in recent years, owing to several factors. All of us must confront the regular sins of laziness or lack of discipline, sins of the flesh, and of the pride of life. But there are additional pressures. The sheer pace of life affords us many excuses for sacrificing the important on the altar of the urgent. The constant sensory input from all sides is gently addictive— we become used to being entertained and diverted, and it is difficult to carve out the space and silence necessary for serious and thoughtful reading of Scripture. More seriously yet, the rising biblical illiteracy in Western culture means that the Bible is increasingly a closed book, even to many Christians. As the culture drifts away from its former rootedness in a Judeo-Christian understanding of God, history, truth, right and wrong, purpose, judgment, forgiveness, and community, so the Bible seems stranger and stranger. For precisely the same reason, it becomes all the more urgent to read it and reread it, so that at least confessing Christians preserve the heritage and outlook of a mind shaped and informed by holy Scripture. This is a book to encourage that end. 

Devotional guides tend to offer short, personal readings from the Bible, sometimes only a verse or two, followed by several paragraphs of edifying exposition. Doubtless they provide personal help for believers with private needs, fears, and hopes. But they do not provide the framework of what the Bible says—the “plotline” or “story line”—the big picture that makes sense of all the little bits of the Bible. Wrongly used, such devotional guides may ultimately engender the profoundly wrong-headed view that God exists to sort out my problems; they may foster profoundly mistaken interpretations of some Scriptures, simply because the handful of passages they treat are no longer placed within the framework of the big picture, which is gradually fading from view. Only systematic and repeated reading of the whole Bible can meet these challenges.

That is what this book encourages. Here you will find a plan that will help you read through the New Testament and the Psalms twice, and the rest of the Bible once, in the course of a year—or, on a modification of the plan, in the course of two years. Comment is offered for each day, but this book fails utterly in its goal if you read the comment and not the assigned biblical passages. The reading scheme laid out here is a slight modification of one that was first developed a century-and-a-half ago by a Scottish minister, Robert Murray M’Cheyne. How it works and why this book is only Volume One (even though it goes through the entire calendar year) are laid out in the Introduction. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

Soli Deo gloria.

—D. A. Carson,

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

For those of you who are searching for a devotion of such, you would be glad to know that DA Carson's research assistance has made it downloadable for free. 

For The Love of God [Vol One]

For The Love of God [Vol Two]

I know I would most likely not be able to keep up with the reading plan - but that should not stop me from pursuing this for the Love of God. I am learning all over again that very often in our Christian life, the more idealistic we get, the more dependent we are on ourselves to achieve, even 'spirituality'.  May God help us even in loving Him, especially in loving Him. Truly truly, for without Him, we can do nothing.

The Big Picture

One of the things I am learning all over again is how beautifully weaved the Bible is from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Reading the Bible or understanding any passage within the Bible is not just merely mastering the facts of that particular passage, or even understanding the social, political, cultural milieu surrounding that passage, or even being able to articulate the lessons learnt succinctly, or even being able to teach it. While all of that is good and necessary, to stop short at that really stops short of understanding who God really is and thus His plan for us. Each passage written and each event in history recorded, reveals gradually the fruition of God's overall plan and the realization & revelation of His own character to mankind. There really is thread running through the Bible - the thread of God's sovereignty,  the thread of the integrity of God's holy character, the thread of God's faithful love and grace to His sinful creation and all of which climaxes to Christ's redemption for mankind on the cross and the Holy Spirit's working in man's heart. 

The Story of Jonah's Disobedience is just not about Jonah;

But about the gracious and merciful God who sent Jonah 

to bring the message of hope and redemption to the pagan Ninevites

The Story of Daniel in the Lion's Den is just not about Daniel;

But about the faithful God who chooses to protect His servants 

as they remain single minded towards Him

The Story of Achan's sin is not just about Achan;

But about the holy God who cannot welcome sin

The Story of Paul is not just about Paul

But about the all knowing God who has chosen a disciple

To change the world for Him

The Story of Balaam's Donkey is not just about Balaam;

But about the faithful God who watches & protects His people 

from potential harm and evil.

The Story of Joann's Cancer is not just about Joann

But about the God who chooses to do a work of miracle 

As a testimony that He is the same yesterday, today and forever

Oh, that we should see the Big Picture; 

It never about us, but always about God.

We miss you too Auntie CC

To Auntie CC,

• Who always hugs and kisses and loves us
• Who got Sarah her 1st Oliver Jeffers book because you knew that she loved it
  
• Who always keeps an eye on Sammy when he toddles around the house
• Who got Sarah her 1st kid digital camera because you knew she loved to take photos
• Who got Sammy his portable high chair from Phil and Teds so that he can sit in a high chair everywhere
• Who always thinks of us even when you are on a holiday

We miss you much:) Oh yes, and Shu Shu David too. 

Samuel learns to Read

Our little dear boy is such a picture of concentration even if it was reading an upside down book. Haha...mommy just can't resist this. And in Sarah Jie Jie's words, "So funny". 

Sarah learns to Write

It has been 3 months

CA 125 - 6.1

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throwthem into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

It has been another 3 months of learning. This time round, I was confronted much with who I really am and the reality is alarmingly grim - I am really nothing and most of the time, I am devastated apart from what God has saved me from. Without Him, I really can do nothing. Without Him, I can only love others with my own strength and that doesn't take me too far because my impatience gets a better of me. Without Him, I can only fulfill my day's tasks and chores in anxiety because each completion is dependent on my finite ability of which I am more cognizant daily that it is much lacking. Without Him, I cannot find joy beyond things that exist apart from my realm of reasonableness and expectations. Oh my...I think I am only beginning to understand an iota of Paul's statement when he calls himself a chief of sinners. I am so alarmed but so awed at the exactness of God's word and the power of it. 

But praise God for the cleansing power of His Word. Verse 3 is often glossed over but Christ knows when He says to comfort and reassure me that I  am already clean because of His word. As the days of Bible Study continues with BSF and with my dear friends Chiao Chyi and Jan and my own reading, I testify with joy and thanksgiving and gratefulness that His Word purifies our wicked heart. What joy, what peace and what comfort! God's Word is exacting and His Words take on a new and refreshed meaning to me. I close this chapter with this familiar passage of which I am learning all over again.

 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

         The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

 ⁸ The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

         The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

 ⁹ The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

         The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

 ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,

         Yea, than much fine gold; 

         Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

 ¹¹ Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

         And in keeping them there is great reward. 

         

 ¹² Who can understand his errors?

         Cleanse me from secret faults.

 ¹³ Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

         Let them not have dominion over me. 

         Then I shall be blameless, 

         And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 

         

 ¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

         Be acceptable in Your sight, 

         O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

School of Tots Celebrate Children's Day

The scorching sun relented that day as the tots played & waded in the pool, tumbled in the playroom and later had lunch together. Children are truly a heritage from God:)

Sarah Turns 29 month

Polliwogs

Last Fri, Shu Shu Darrell brought the tots to Polliwogs much to their delight. 

Here's Looking at You