My Dreamhouse Wishlist

Someone asked me what I wanted in my dream house.

1. Make a slide from the kids room to the kitchen.

2. Make secret rooms

3. Make secret hideouts for the kids

4. Laundry chutes from all the rooms

5. Heating and cooling system in floors and walls

6. Holes for shelving in walls

7. No corridors - waste of space

8. Butlers pantry 

9. Heated Indoor swimming pool

10. Glass ceiling for master bedroom so I can see the stars

11. Green house kitchen

12. A garden in the bathroom

13. Skylights in every room 

14. North facing (if in Australia)

15. Energy efficient with solar panels and water tanks

16. Sewerage system that goes straight to the plants 

17. Lazy river in the house

18. Helicopter pad

19. Glass dome enclosed over the whole house

20. Waterfall with hidden room

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *

The Homeschooling Review

I realized that what I emphasized on - workbooks, did not really matter much in the review but the stuff we were not planning on doing but ended up doing and had “nothing to do with school” ended up being the highlights of the review. This is my first review so it’s left me in quite a shock.

Some of the not planned stuff were when my hubby decided to drive up to bow hill and surrounds to see the flood waters, or when we drove down to Kingston for my birthday, or when we drove up to Berri for our anniversary and it is considered educational.

Other unplanned stuff is like when I decided to incubate the eggs, adopted four rabbits and four Guinea pigs — none of which were supposed to be educational but ended up being pretty scientific.

And going to Bunnings for the DIY course was really not something I planned but just tagged along, and benefited so much from.

And her playing Lego which I thought was a waste of time but turns out to be looking pretty good in the review. 

And a book on the periodic table which I just so happened to bump into in Kmart and picked it up, and she fell in love with to the point of writing her own story about it. 

These were all unplanned but happened and everything I actually did plan didn’t materialize or didn’t matter.

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *

Hearing from God

Is it possible to have a relationship with someone you cannot communicate with? The most important thing in life is to hear God’s voice. We cannot have a relationship with God without hearing from Him. Prayer is a two-way communication. Pray and ask God to speak to you regarding your situation— ask Him to give you a verse, then close your eyes and wait for it. Might take some time if it’s your first time. Ask Him for a book, chapter number and verse number and turn to it.

This is how I found God’s will for my life — from which guy to marry to which country to migrate to. When I prayed and fasted about a certain guy, He gave me the verse about Timothy “receive his love in obedience” and “he will help you in your ministry”. And when we both prayed about a certain country, He gave my husband the chapter about “a land flowing with milk and honey” which is what this land literally produces. God speaks all the the but we need to listen.

Please pray about where God is sending you. It’s not always the easy road but there’s nowhere better than the perfect will of God for you. And how important is it to live this out in front of your kids - that life is not where is easy but where God sends us. I’m sure you know that, just reminding.

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *

No going back now

So you have not been going to church but worshipping at home with the family and now you want to know which church God is leading you to?

Pray and ask God what you should do. A church is not something we can go shopping for. It’s something God has predestined for you. A church is a family; a place we pour our hearts and lives into, other than our actual family. So pray about it.

To be entirely honest, we’ve not been going to an actual church for many years because our church is overseas. We tried joining a local church but it just isn’t the same. I felt God calling us to focus on Family Altar. And to be honest, after not going to church and then going to church, I see false religion and traditions of man rather than what I think a church is supposed to be and I just can’t go back to it anymore. I just want the Holy Spirit to move in the worship but it can’t be done in some of these church environments. I just have to do church at home again. 

But that’s me. Just do what God is calling you to do..

Well, how can a church environment not allow the Holy Spirit to move? Sometimes, there’s just so much expectation— i.e. the worship has to have a certain number of songs, sang a certain number of times, starts off at the bottom of the chart and then slowly builds up and finally when it reaches the peak, the pastor is to take over and pray for the people, followed by communion, tithes and offerings, and then the word for a certain number of minutes, etc.

And there’s women’s ministry, men’s ministry, youth ministry, basically all serving people, ministering to the people, some fun, food and laughter. And words of comfort, stuff they are happy to hear. I’m so tired of doing church. After serving in the local church for a year, I just couldn’t unsee what I’ve been “missing” pre-covid and its irrelevance to what God is doing today — something powerful, new and different.

The Church has got to get to its original form in Acts 2 — full of power, signs, wonders and miracles, — and the ekklesia mentioned being built on the ‘rock’ — a governing body, of authority at the heart of today’s society. 

We simply cannot crawl back into the comfortable bubble we used to call home, and expanding our little churches the same way we used to. There is just no going back now.

Our kids need to experience God and to have a personal relationship with Him, and sadly, the church is no more a place for that. It has become a religious institution, teaching the word, with fun and games, and cool songs but nothing more than that.

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *

Church Burns

If you’re feeling burned out from serving in church,  you need a break. I am sure your pastor understands. As a pastor, I’d rather someone take a break from duties and still come than to leave the church altogether.

Secondly, be sure to have a good chat with your pastor about this. 

Sometimes having the same people involved all the time is a bottleneck for the younger ones to come up.

Thirdly, remember that a church is a family, not a social club. The purpose of church is to be part of a family and if we keep changing churches to suit our needs and wants, that’s not a family. Family is about commitment. We don’t change families just because we feel like we are being ignored. 

I am not saying you need to stick with this church. I am just saying, it’s not a valid reason to leave, in my opinion. I think a valid reason would be like if their theology was different or if God is specifically calling you to another church.

Being in a huge church has its pros and cons, too. It’s hard to be noticed, even as a newcomer. I went to a mega church locally and was not spoken to till our 5th visit and that was because we sat outside the staff room for lunch, on purpose, to see if anyone would talk to us. And on our 3rd visit, people were still asking us if it was our first time. 

What’s really important is — where has God placed you? And where is He leading you to be? Pray, and ask the Lord for a book, chapter and verse before you open the Bible to see what it says. God speaks. We don’t choose churches based on their rate of friendliness. Ultimately, God decides. He calls and He predestines. Even if we don’t like His decisions at various seasons, the end result will be worth it.

Every church has different callings, just like all of us have different callings. Some churches are like cruise ships, some like hospitals, some raise armies. This is why it’s so important to know where God is placing us.

I think it’s so important to get to the root of the issue and just check our hearts — why do we even go to church in the first place? Are we here because we are lonely and looking for a friend? Are we here to worship God? Are we here to grow the church? Are we here to serve? Are we here to grow? But what is God’s initial purpose for the ekklesia in the Bible? Why does God even want us to go to church? Does God even want us to go to church? 

“And upon this rock, I shall build my ekklesia, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matt 16:18 — talks about the purpose of the ekklesia as one having authority and power.

“For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7 — a place of prayer.

“Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhort one another.” Hebrews 10:25 — talks about a church being an assembly that exhorts each other. (So you might have a point here.)

And there are many verses on what a church is. The word ‘church’ is not the same as the word, ‘ekklesia’ that Jesus talks about but that’s a whole different topic. 

Finally, when it comes to saving of souls, just remember that we reach out to them because we love them and don’t want them to go to hell, not because we want to grow the church. Church growth really should not be our concern. It should not even be the concern of the pastor. I don’t believe in purposefully growing the church. But I believe in saving souls. What’s the point of having a big church? God never told us to have a big church. In Acts, the Christians grew in number but not because they wanted to grow their church. I grew up in church with this mindset that we need to grow the church and I believe we have lost our focus as a church — to focus on the church rather than focus on God. Let’s forget about church growth and just focus on loving Him and loving people.

I guess if you’ve tried talking with them and they still do not respond, there’s no way out but out or pray for a miracle. 

What has God said about where you should be going? If I know God has called me somewhere, even if my family hates it, I drag them through but that’s only when I am dead sure about it. It’s so important to listen to what God is saying than to listen to what man is saying. If I listened to what my husband and kids want all the time, we would be going to a super hyped mega church but God is telling me to start our own church and that’s difficult for us all but I am willing because I am dead sure, even if it’s just my kids and me.

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *

The Real Reason

There real reason why some people don’t want to go to work is not the laziness that we accuse them of. It is fear.

Fear of the unknown. Fear of meeting challenges you are not capable of overcoming. Fear of problems greater than yourself. Fear of failure. Fear of staring faces. Fear of being looked down on. Fear and insecurity. 

The only reason why I made it through work every day is because I forced myself to face my fears. It is a painful thing to do each day but it is reality.

It’s the same reason why I never enjoyed going to school. I’ve always hated school. Especially when I’ve not gone for a long time, like if it’s the first day of school after a break —even a weekend. Fear grips and fear is real. Physical even.

To me, showing up at work and showing up at school is man-ing up to it. It is adulting. It is an act of maturity — something adults have to face even though they don’t want to.

My question always was — is it just me or does everyone else have to grind their teeth to get to work and school everyday? Am I the only one agonizing the pain of fear or is this just another part of life that everyone goes through? Because if I am the only one,… I probably need help.

The interesting fact is that I don’t experience this fear when I have my own business or freelancing — except for when I have to meet clients — like if I am running an education institution and I have to teach a class or meet the parents. Then, the same chilling fear runs deep again. The what if’s. Fear is suffocating, and fear is real. Sometimes, I have to take deep breaths to face my fears. 

I put up a strong and confident face to hide the fears. I muster up enough courage to throw my voice so I look confident like I know what I am doing but the truth is that I’ve swallowed the fear and it’s gone from my throat to my heart and I’m rushing through my appointments so I can shut the clients out the door, sit back, close my eyes and cry my eyeballs out for all the trauma I’ve forced myself to go through. It’s over. When’s the next one?

And sometimes, I wish it would all end. I wish I would just wake up one day, finally an adult where I don’t have to hurt from it anymore. But that day never comes.

I guess I just have to resort to being my own boss and running a business where I don’t have to meet people. There’s a ton of ways to earn money without meeting anyone these days — day trading, writing, YouTubing, the list is endless.

But that’s not the help I need — I need to know how I can overcome my fear of people.

Even as a homeschooling mom and curriculum writer, I still have to go to the shops. The worst part is that my writing doesn’t give me any money yet, so I have to shop at op shops and community pantries. And all I’m hoping for is to come out safely without any stares. Yesterday, I had one of those. It’s taking me a while to get over it. 

Is that why I’m writing this post? Did it trigger something I’ve not experienced in a long time?

Did you know I’ve been scolded on a public bus before? Yes, I was 18 and made some stupid moves without thinking — my absent-mindedness to be blamed. The bus conductor— yes, there was a bus conductor, unfortunately— he shelled me right there and then. I cried. I couldn’t take it.

Yes, the same fear grips me when I take public transport — a taxi, a bus, a train— anything with strangers in it. But at least now, I know why.

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *

The Real Pain

The real reason why I don’t want to go to the dentist is not the bill or even the pain. What I dread the most is actually the lecture. No matter which dentist I go to, I will get lectured for not taking care of my teeth — basically, for being irresponsible. I don’t know if it’s just me — maybe I look young — or does everyone else get lectured? I’m sure if dentists around the world would learn to compliment a little bit more for anything at all, people wouldn’t mind coming more regularly.

That’s probably the same reason why people dislike driving classes. You’re paying someone to tell you your faults. I guess that’s a good thing — maybe that’s love and care — I suppose it is, but isn’t there a better way?

And do I torture my kids and family the same way with lectures? Because it is supposed to be good and meant well but is it really working or does that push people away? And if that is love and care which pushes people away, then it’s not effective, is it?— rather the opposite.

Good intentions are never good enough. The approach is very important. If we really mean well, we should consider a more effective solution that actually makes a difference. That’s true love and care.

Spare the lectures; focus on praise and compliments and notice the results. Sounds ridiculous but at least it works.

Yes, even adults need praise.

* tRUST & OBey the LORD *