God The Father's Love Letter

O how immeasurable is His awesome love!

Rejoice, sing and be glad!
for you are God's precious child,
today, everyday and always!

He loves me, you and everyone (good and bad alike) with a steadfast love,
that is constant and unconditional,
all-abiding and all-encompassing!

These marvelous thoughts of God's awesome love for us all was triggered on the morning of Valentine's Day as I was reading a Valentine's greeting via email from a wonderful friend. It contained a letter from our Heavenly Father, reassuring us of His all-embracing love, with paraphrased quotes from the Bible, His Living Word.

Thank you lots, my dear friend for this invaluable valentine message, the best I've ever received. What a lovely way to start Valentine's Day, convinced that I am His love, His valentine! And, in response, I proclaim God too as my love, my valentine! An appealing new perspective for me as I've never linked it in this way before. My spirits were rejoicing and in seventh-heaven so to speak, that whole Valentine's day as I pondered on His loving words and even as I write this post.

I'd like to reproduce and share God's endearing letter here, His passionate outpouring of His everlasting love to His children. Let us not harden our hearts, minds and ears. Instead, let us listen to the voice of our Lord and enter into His peace:

My Child...

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. (Psalm 139:1)
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalm 139:2)
I am familiar with all your ways. (Psalm 139:3)
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31)
For you were made in my image. (Genesis 1:27)
In me, you live and move and have your being. (Acts 17:27-28)
For you are my offspring. (Acts 17:28)
I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
I chose you, when I planned creation. (Ephesians 1:11-12)
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. (Psalm 139:15-16)
I determined the exact time of your birth, and where you would live. (Acts 17:26)
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
I knit you together in your mother's womb. (Psalm 13:13)
And brought you forth on the day you were born. (Psalm 71:6)
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. (John 8:41-44)
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. (1 John 4:16)
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. (1 John 3:1)
Simply because you are my child, and I am your Father. (1 John 3:1)
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. (Matthew 7:11)
For I am the perfect Father. (Matthew 5:48)
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. (James 1:17)
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33)
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. (Psalm 139:17-18)
And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40)
For you are my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5)
I desire to establish you with all my heart, and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. (Jeremiah 33:3)
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. (Deuteronomy 4:29)
Delight in me, and I will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
For it is I, who gave you those desires. (Philippians 2:13)
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)
For I am your greatest encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. (Psalm 34:18)
As a shepherd carries a lamb I have carried you close to my heart. (Isaiah 40:11)
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. (Revelation 21:3-4)
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. (Revelation 21:4)
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. (John 17:23)
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. (John 17:26)
He is the exact representation of my being. (Hebrews 1:3)
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. (Romans 8:31)
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. (1 John 4:10)
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. (Romans 8:31-32)
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. (1 John 2:23)
And nothing will ever separate you from My love again. (Romans 8:39-39)
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. (Luke 15:7)
I have always been your Father, and will always be your Father. (Ephesians 3:14-15)
My question is....will you be my child? (John 1:12-13)
I am waiting for you. (Luke 15:11-32)

Love,
Your Dad
Almighty God

Father God, all-powerful and all-loving, thank you so much for loving me so constantly, even though I am unworthy. Help me to love You more and more each day in response, and to count my blessings daily with deep gratitude and thanksgiving in my heart. Empower me to live in union with you, remembering to praise You in happy moments, seek You in difficult moments, worship You in quiet moments, trust You in painful moments and thank You every moment. Amen

God is love
He who dwells in love dwells in God
and God in him. (1 John 4:16)

Let us embrace HIS LOVE gladly and rejoice! Freely we receive, freely too should we give ours! Not easy, huh? But, with God in us, nothing is impossible!

Alleluia! Praise The Lord!

Update: July 24, 2009 :
During the homily at last Saturday's Sunset Eucharistic Celebration in our church, Fr. Joe Mathews provided a You-tube presentation of the 'Father's Love Letter' and it immediately struck me that the words were familiar. So, today I surfed the internet and found out that this lovely intimate message from God was written by Barry Adams of FathersLoveLetter.com in 1999.

Do click this link to enjoy the 'Father's Love Letter' video and others, and be affirmed of God's unceasing love for you.

Thank you so much, Barry and God bless you and your family!

Valentine's Day 2009

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE!



An image of pretty 'love hearts' of Oxalis 'Triangularis' (Purple Shamrock) growing in our garden, posted here just for the occasion, to greet all our online friends and visitors.

(Plant info here, if interested).

Today, February 14 is Valentine's Day, a special day to celebrate love and friendship. Read more about this day at wikipedia

It sure is great to have a day set aside for expressions of love in meaningful and variable ways, but Valentine's Days have become too commercialize as with Christmas. There is an overindulgence in spending on food and gifts and enjoyment, resulting in a huge debt in many credit cardholders' account.

Our celebration was simple. Our retirees group made up of John and I, Steven and Sook Wan, and Michael (his wife, Irene went to church instead) went to Restoran Ikan Kepala Chan Sow Lin, located at Jalan 5, Jalan Chan Sow Lin for lunch. We had rice with two dishes of fish head cooked in different style ('hoong siew' which comprised of fried fish head, served with roasted pork, 'tau foo pork' and others in soya+black sauce; the other fish head was steamed with ginger and chinese vine), fried kangkong, steamed beancurd and curry pork ribs.

What a wonderful Valentine's Day get-together with great friends and delicious food that was not pricey at all. Just RM78 including chinese tea - cheap and good!

Almost forgot to mention - Michael was the initiator of this gathering and also the treater. His reason for treating us was because he had given up smoking totally after having smoked for donkey years, and had saved/would be saving $$$. How sweet and generous of him! Such a loving friend, expressing his love for us on Valentine's Day. By the way, he has already celebrated earlier in the week with his valentine, Irene. Thank you lots, my sweet friend! God bless you!

For dinner, John and I had a simple meal together in one of our neighborhood's noodle joint, after attending Sunset Mass at Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Best part was eating out - lunch with wonderful friends and dinner with my beloved lover. No cooking at home for the whole day!

Overeating during Lunar New Year 2009 #3

Continuing from post #2, more delightful gastronomic adventures were enjoyed for another 2 weeks of the Lunar New Year celebration for 2009 at various locations, mainly around Kuala Lumpur, with relatives and friends.

Some of the eateries patronized were Hoo Yee Restaurant and Tai Tong Restaurant in Cheras, Checkers at Dorsett Regency in Jalan Imbi, KL and BBQ Seafood Restaurant in Subang (opposite Terminal 3 of the old Subang Airport).

Hmm...I'm afraid to weigh myself after all this over consumption of food, lest I faint on knowing!

Here is an idea of what we overindulge at Checkers, Dorsett Regency Hotel, located at Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur. John and I treated his sister and mom to an elaborate buffet lunch on January 28, the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year which was from 12 noon to 2.30pm. We rushed down from Petaling Jaya after visiting an elderly wheelchair-bound relative to savour the exciting food fare in store for us.

This is one of our favorite joint where food is aplenty and yummy, and ambience and service is good too. Price is very affordable after a 50% discount for senior citizens. Price for that day was RM59.90++ per adult and since we are all seniors, the bill came to just RM137.75 for 4 adults. Cheap and good!

Haha, what we overate was more than enough to cause us all to abstain from dinner at night and breakfast the following day! :-D

Overeating during Lunar New Year 2009 #2

As indicated in my previous post #1, eating is the order of the day throughout the Chinese New Year festive season.

Eating out is always more exciting and enjoyable than labouring at home with cooking, cleaning and washing, as well as trying hard to be the perfect hostess. Free too from planning the menu of the day, marketing and endless preparation for just a handful of our signature dishes. Anyway, John and I aren't in the best of health to cope with such long hours of toiling in the kitchen.

Hence, we feel so blessed and thankful to have the option of eating out, where one is spoilt for choices, especially at buffets. That was what we did for the first day of the New Year of The Ox...eating out. We had ceased altogether the endless hours of preparation and entertaining relatives and friends as was done previously for 30+ years since 1970, gave up the open-house concept for quite many years now.

Our family of nine members plus my sister and niece gathered at Benteng Coffee House, Quality Hote1 City Centre, located along Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur (facing opposite Bangunan Medan MARA) for a sumptuous halal CNY buffet hi-tea. Wonderful spread that included yee sang, fried rice and noodles, roasted lamb and duck, fried chicken, mee laksa, dim sum, sashimi, popiah, veggie and salad, soups, cold dishes, fruit rojak, waffle, cakes and deserts, ice-kacang and ice-cream, and lots more.

On the whole, food tasted good, very satisfying and ample as there were less than 30 diners in all. No need to queue and can select food with ease and at one's leisure. No rush too as one can dine from 12 noon to 4pm. We even overshot the time to almost 4.20pm as Darren, Yanti and Dylea could not resist repeating some of their favorite desserts. Waiters were quite accommodating, though John and I felt a little embarrassed by our late exit.

What a lovely bonding time spent with our family, chattering and eating with a free flow of food/drinks for the taking. Haha...all prepared, cooked and laid out by others, isn't that great! Moreover, it was affordable and pretty cheap, I'd say. Bill totaled just RM282/= (RM38++ per adult, RM20++ per senior citizen and child).

Not many photos to share here. I was enjoying myself in eating, yaking and observing... that by the time I wanted to photograph the food-fare, most of the dishes were almost empty and uninteresting to capture for display here! ;-)





Continuing at post #3.

Overeating during Lunar New Year 2009 #1

This year, John and I decided not to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year 2009, the Year of the Ox at Genting Highlands, which we'd normally do. Reason being I had my cataract surgery early January and preferred to take it easy, not at all enticed by that vibrant City of Entertainment that will definitely draw huge crowds of people which I'd rather avoid in such a circumstance.

Instead we painted our town, Kuala Lumpur red, so to speak! Not partying, drinking or dancing but on an eating spree since the eve of Chinese New Year, January 25th.

For the Chinese, this Spring Festival which began on January 26th will be celebrated for 15 days, with much emphasis on reunions/gatherings amongst family members, relatives and friends, with an overindulgence in eating mainly, though some will include bouts of drinking too. Can you imagine how expanded our waistline will be at the end of it all? Such eating extravagance frequently seen sometimes makes one wonder where are the poor, especially among Kuala Lumpur's urbanites?

We decided to have our Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, a gigantic world-class shopping mall located at Jalan Bukit Bintang. Travelling there from our home was a breeze, no traffic jam as most city dwellers have 'balik kampung' (returned to their hometown outstation) to celebrate and cash in on the long weekend followed by 2 public holidays.

Even at this usually bustling metropolitan region, the crowd was very small, comprised mostly of tourists. We weren't at all surprised as most of the shops were closed for the festive season.



Seen at the main entrance to Pavilion was a huge fascinating sculpture of the Golden Bull, a symbol of prosperity and much blessings to depict The Lunar Year of The Ox. And, box planters with fabulous Cherry Blossom trees towering 20-25 ft in height, were randomly placed around to decorate the vicinity of the main entrance.

We chose to have our dinner at Crystal Jade Meal 3, a cozy place with lovely lighting that changes colors intermittently. It is located along the same row with Carlos and Coffee Bean, I think. As expected, it was quite empty when we went in before 7pm though the crowd did increase gradually. No prior dining reservations were made, our younger son and his spouse chanced upon it as they scouted for an ideal eatery that is pork-free as required by their Islamic laws.

Food served is a mix of western and eastern cuisine including local fare. Prices are not too pricey except for the drinks. Food portions are smaller, so I'd say they aren't really value for money. Food presentation is not impressive at all...have a look at the photos below and you'd know what I mean! Same buttered veggie for all the main dishes, predictable and unexciting! Delicious? Just so-so! Service was also passable, probably by untrained part-timers relieving the full-timers on vacation leave.

These were some of the orders we made, besides yee-sang, wantan noodle soup and others. Bill totaled about RM320/=, reasonably cheap when compared to chinese-styled meal offered elsewhere as Chinese Set Menu for 10 pax.





Nevertheless, I am not complaining, just sharing my observations and thoughts. To be able to enjoy such luxuries, I am most thankful, contented and feel blessed indeed! I praise and thank God for His abundant blessings daily.

Continuing at next post #2.