simple compassion : sold

Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful
and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?
jeremiah 5 v 27-29

why are some people so evil? i just don't quite understand. evil enough to sell people, to traffik people away from their family and away from safety, to a place completely unknown. i just don't understand. Lord, may you bring justice to this sinful world.

this baran, meaning rain. he's 10.5 months old. he's absolutely adorable, just look at them eyes. i went to his house tonight and he was completely hyper. he's at this crawling, almost walking stage and cannot sit still. sigh. he's so so cute. i still remember the day that he was born! seems like so long ago, i remember looking after bayar, his older brother. we were hanging out about midnight outside the ward cuz we weren't allowed inside. he looks exactly like his brother- when he was a baby and also like him now. i love them both.

simple compassion : together

''This is what the LORD says: For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.''
Amos 2 v 6-7

a life serving others is a more valuable life

this is mohammed and sufana. they are a pair of one year (on july 4th) twins. man,...they are so funny! it is always mind-boggling when you think about how on earth people get different personalities. sufana loves to sing. even when she's crying, there is a kind of tune to it. mohammed, who was suposed to be called sajad, can literally put himself to sleep by lying on his back and moving his legs as if he was swimming. it's amazing.

procrastination= laziness

what am i doing here? my dissertation is NEVER going to get done at this rate. honestly. Gloria. stop. reassess life.

i sometimes wonder how on earth i manage to get myself into these situations where people just come to me to ask for help. do i seem like a helpful person. not really. am i clever? most certainly not. why? i really am quite a stupid person. for example....my chinese in not good (especially mandarin), i hardly have any life experience...i.e i have never moved out of my house...how am i suposed to know about bills etc. i've never had any problems with immigration. never had to sign on the dole cuz i've pretty much always had a job. never had any reason to talk to the council. i've never really had an major health issues or any encounters with the police, so i don't know anything about that either. so, why oh why do i end up interpreting for people when i don't even know their language that well, helping people to find a house or to sort their house out, or phone the council/jobcentre/home office.

it's not that i mind, cuz i really don't. it's just that when you put things into perspective. i'm really quite stupid.

i need to learn to STOP.

i wish that i could learn to be one of those people who could just spend all day praying. how great would that be.

Spend
Time
On
Prayer

hey, i just made that up right now!! haha....

simple compassion : radical

''those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses''
proverbs 28 v 27

this is carol. she's so funny. she's at that age where she likes to talk and her speech is hilarious. it's such a shame that i actually don't quite understand her, not because of her language, but ironically because this girl has better mandarin than me! at the moment, she's not quite got the hang of saying 'I', so she's saying 'Carol...' as if she's talking about someone else for everything, but is actually referring to herself. maybe i'm a bit like that, I think about people and think that may be they've done something not so good in some way,....but actually i'm exactly the same and i just don't realise it. Jesus is right....don't judge other people. it's not my job to do that.

you know, that God actually requires quite a lot from us Christians. but yet I seem to have this false sense to security, complacency, that i don't have to do anything because i'm saved. just reading through this book (simple compassion) over the last few weeks (28 days), it's suddenly struck me that i should actually get my act together and do something. but i don't know what. the writer talks about how she gives money to sponsor a child, help out in the homeless centres etc. am i meant to do that as well?....Lord, what do you want me to do?

simple compassion : lawrice

''he raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honour''
1 samuel 2 v 8

move beyond prayer and contemplation to action.

how to take action and DO things for God....do the things that can influence the community around me? been thinking about being the salt and light of this world. how on earth can someone like me bring flavour to the world.

so, this is Jenny. she's so so cute. i just love her. kinda watched her grow over the last year or so in our church. pray that she will be able to grow up to become a great woman for God.

disappointment

i'm disappointed in myself. in everything that i do, from the moment that i wake to the moment that i sleep. why have i turned out like this? i'm getting myself into a strange sense of depression, not quite knowing who to trust or rely on, crying out for someone to listen. i KNOW that only God can be that person, yet why do i still try to find it in people? i'm not disappointed in people, just disappointed in myself for expecting people to know whats on my mind, which is impossible. i've strangely become like a person who is only useful for doing something for people. how on earth did i get that role? even my suposedly closest friend hardly blinked when i decided to stupidly cry in a moment of weakness. must learn not to expose myself cuz it's just self pity. there is noone in this world. noone except God. maybe thats God's lesson for me.

'take your sandals off, for you are standing on holy ground'

simple compassion : cross-cultural

''to whom much is given, much is required''
luke 12 v 48

hope. such a small word, yet it holds so much.

yes, i'm pretty priveledged. i have plenty. too much in fact.

so, this photo was taken on tuesday at the adelphi. it's of nahro zagros. a good friend. an amazing violinist. originally from kurdistan. his music is beautiful. shared many a great memories with him....most over some kind of food. one thing is that he LOVES chilli. we used to work together and have lunch sometimes at this chinese restaurant. one time he accidentally dropped some chilli oil into the chinese tea and he still drank it! also, you get this really nice sweetcorn soup and everytime we went, they gave him an extra large bowl! those were the days! he's actually going back to kurdistan after the summer to teach, since he got his PhD now....even though i don't see him that often nowerdays,...i'll miss having him around.....

from words to people

''for God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not die but have everlasting life''
john 3 v 16

my new theme is going to be PEOPLE and their story. everyone has their own experience, their own story. each person is precious in God's eyes. i'm going to try to capture a little of it here.

so the photos here are two RARE photos of my grandfather. funnily, thinking about it now, that's just the way that i am....usually the one behind the camera. it's a shame that i didn't really know my grandfather all that well. i just remember the few occasional summers where we went back to HK. i remember that he always like to give us cream soda to drink or ice-cream (Dreyers or the lile tubs). he always had some brandy/whisky with each meal with ice and ate the vegetables/meat before the rice. he was a great photographer. i wish that i'd had the chance to learn from him.

today, at ASDA, i served many different people....many grandparents buying stuff for their grandkids. i've seen grandparents looking about their grandchildren. it's nice, it really is. i saw a couple of teenages shopping and having a good time with their grandparents, their parents being part of their normal daily life. i can't imagine that. i really pray that my grandma gets better. she's too weak.

simple compassion : forgiveness

''if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. but if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins''
Matthew 6 14-15

forgive and forget.

actually it's more about giving yourself another chance rather than the other person. it takes so much energy to be angry at someone and it only actually really affects you. the other person isnt really affected. so why then is it so hard to forgive...i guess cuz it feels like you're letting them 'off the hook', and so it's 'not fair'. but it's a hard lesson to learn. forgiveness gives freedom.

going to the other day when the thought of the day was 'legacy', this week i went to the 167 open day and the ARKH open day. i admit it was rather strange for me to go back, probably a bit worried about what people thought of me etc....i realised what my legacy is.....everyone knows gloria as a person who photographs food! hahaha....at least that's not a bad thing. right?...funny what impression you leave on people.

Jesus already said that we ARE the salt and we ARE the light of the world. how can i jump out from the saltshaker and flavour the world? how can i reflect God's glory to the others around me in everything that i do?

simple compassion : refuge

'' speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy''
proverbs 31 v 8-9

the heart of God is compassionate towards the aliens, widows and orphans.

can i be a person who can give refuge for those in need?.....do i have a heart for the needy?
God, give me that heart of compassion.

simple compassion : overfed

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.''
isaiah 55 v 1

too much.

i have way too much stuff in my life. too much baggage, too much trash. i'm too rich to notice the poor, to be compassionate to do anything about it. i'm just living in this comfortable life. when will i be more concerned for the poor and needy?

i stayed at home today. didnt manage to do much. wish i was in kurdistan. i really was. or hong kong.

broken

''The LORD is close to the brokenhearted''
psalms 34 v 18

simple compassion : boss

''do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also''
matt 6 v 19-21

where is my heart?...

simple compassion : legacy

''What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead''
james 2 v 14-17

what is your legacy? if you die today, what do you leave behind.

makes you wonder doesn't it....i've been struggling with this quite a lot. especially to do with my last work. i kinda left there in a bad way. i shouldn't really have quit like that. i didn't really do back and keep in touch. i wonder what they think of me. it's strange. today is their open day. may be i'm going to go and look. it'll be strange. really strange. i still half feel part of it cuz that place was like my home. just feel bad that i didn't do more, didn't do better than i could. but whats done is done, i can't go back, can't keep looking back. all i can do is to see what God wants me to do NOW and do it. i've messed up my life for too long,...pondering what God wants me to do in the future and not actually doing anything about it or,even worse still, not doing anything right now. who knows what the future holds...it is today that matters, for all i know, i might now even be here tomorrow. thats not to say that i should just be reckless and just 'carpe diem', but there's only so much thinking that i can do and the rest should be ACTION. James is right, it is by faith that we are saved, but we are called to put that faith into action.

Man, there are so many people who are waiting to hear that gospel. if i want to leave a legacy, i wish that it could be that people could see the love of Christ in me or that they came to hear about the gospel from me....i think that Paul says somewhere that we should do all things so that God's name may be glorified.

Adriana and i went to the church in swanland on sunday. purely because of the sign; 'we will pray for you'. everyone wants to feel part of something, a family.....such a simple banner, a simple act of prayer is able to draw people that little bit closer to God. so, every action matters...however little....i must start caring deeper and more for people. God...give me a compassionate and caring heart for others. Lord, give me the wisdom to really be able to help people...both physically and mentally...want to love people more...with God's love

'we love because God first loved us' (John 4 v 19).....may i filled with this kind of love for others

simple compassion : anxious

''do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God''
Philippians 4 v 6

fear is an expression of worry, of anxiety, and worry is a sin.

oh dear....sin overload. big time. it's a sign that i don't trust in God enough to hold my future. must learn to trust and obey and to do what God wants me to do NOW, not in the future and not what he wanted me to do before. but it's so hard.

i feel like i'm a failure. havent really moved on in life. just see people move on, start family and set up their life. i'm stuck in a rut. funnily, Rose had this poem today. she wrote it in my diary for me:

Failure does not mean I'm a failure;
It does mean I have not yet succeeded.

Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
It does mean I have learned something.

Failure does not mean I have been a fool;
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure does not mean I have disgraced;
It does mean I have dared to try.

Failure does not mean I don't have it;
It does mean I have something to do in a different way.

Failure does not mean I am inferior;
It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure does not mean I have wasted my life;
It does mean that I have an excuse to start over.

Failure does not mean that I should give up;
It does mean that I should try harder.

Failure does not mean that I will never make it;
It does mean that I need more practice.

it's kinda nice. kinda inspiring. kinda reassuring. it's ok to fail. it's ok to take my own time to do things....

went to church this morning and sang this song. dunno why, but i always love the idea of eagles wings and the safety that we can have under God's protection.

Everlasting God

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord (repeat)

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

simple compassion : ground

''be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions''
luke 12 v 15

i have way too many things. i have 100 times more than what some people have. yet i still want more. in this society we are taught to want, to consume, to buy.

last night we studied the 'beattitudes'....blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. be satisfied. how i hope that i could be filled, overflowing, so that i can pour out God's blessing onto those around me. but i can't. i'm stuck somewhere.

God, set me free.

simple compassion : fast

''do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act''
proverbs 3 v 27

share food with the poor. the physicially poor and the spiritually poor.

simple compassion : urban

''those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry and not be answered''
proverbs 21 v 13

every person in my city matters to God and needs to know his love.

so today, i start section 3 of this book....it's day 27 already. almost one month. have i changed? probably not much. am i a more compassionate person, most certainly not. so, whats the point of this thing? i guess the one thing has been that i've spoken a lot more to my next door neighbours. it's good to talk and try to build up some kind of a community with others. actually, i realise that it's usually me who puts up barriers. i need to learn to be more open.

compassion extends beyond my comfort zone

what is the comfort zone. how to go beyond that. how do i live 'amongst the poor'. how on earth do i impact on this city? i have absolutly no idea.

pray.

God of this City
Chris Tomlin

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

simple compassion : biblically

''in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God''
john 1 v 1

what does it mean to 'live biblically'?.........

'LIFE IS GOOD': i should really appreciate life, give thanks to God for all that i have, all the good things that i have. i am well blessed, yet i moan so much and take it forgranted. it's not on. i really have to excuse for it

'LET THERE BE LISTS': i can make lists till the cows come home, but they are useless until i take action and do something. need to GO and do things....do things for others, do things for myself, do things for God

'SPEED BUMPS': chill out, rest, step back and slow down and reassess my life. take time to notice and care for the people around me, my community

simple compassion : elderly

''Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble''
james 1 v 27

''living a life of compassion isn't hard. it can just be a little bit inconvinient''

i actually agree with that. and i'm starting to realise it. not that inconvinience is bad, it's just that you have to take account for it sometimes. one lesson that i learnt last friday. i had practically no petrol left in the car. like none. ok. so, i was suposed to pick up my friend and go straight to tesco to get petrol. well, that was my plan. my friend decided that we should drive and look at a house that she wanted to bid for,...ended up driving there and then make the way to petrol. too late. my car stopped in the middle of the lovely, rather large, road....haha....luckily managed to ask a couple of people to help me push the car and we went to get petrol by trundling down the down with an empty petrol container. blessing was....that my friend ended up paying for the petrol. usually, i would never let her pay for it cuz everytime whe wants to pay, but i let her this time and it was good as well as it was only a little amount. funny how things turn out. so yeh, it may be a slight 'inconvinience' but actually it's me who's really the one who gets blessed in the end!

we have this plaque on our wall in the kitchen. i pass it so many times, yet i take no notice of it. i take God's blessings so so forgranted.must learn to count my many BLESSINGS from God! each day, each hour, each minute, each second is a gift from God.

actually, being compassionate just takes time. i guess thats one of the reasons why its hard to be compassionate. in this society, noone has any time. we're always in a hurry to go somewhere. being in a rush means that we miss lots of things,...we don't notice other people. i know that i'm like that. i need to slow down. open my eyes to see other people's need and not just my own busyiness of life....slow down enough to care.

today' compassion story was about the elderly. i miss the older people who i used to visit. i miss my grandma in hk. she's been in and out of hospital and coming out today hopefully. she's suposed to be moving house. in the past, i've always been at the moving house times....kinda miss it.....

change...to......words......

''May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer''
psalms 19 v 14

i'm bored with my theme of change. i'm never gunna change. why take photos of change?

my new project is going to be WORDS. a word holds an awful lot of meaning. today's word is 'GLOBAL TRAVELLER'. it's the ad on the outside of Primark; my place of work for one more week. i guess it's a dream. to travel. to travel the world. where would i go?....who knows.

actually, my thought is more about MISSION. global mission. mission for the world. to reach the far corners of the earth. that is really the dream. i wish that i could be one of those amazing people who could just go and leave everything and go for God. instead, i'm just a chicken. sitting on my butt here and doing nothing. nothing worthy of the cross....God, forgive my laziness...

simple compassion : brother

''since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him''
Isaiah 64 v 4

simple compassion : welcome

''don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realising it!''
hebrews 13 v 2

God has shown hospitality by welcoming us into his family, through his saving grace.

must we do so much for for the people around us, both known and unknown to us. reminds me of when abram in the bible welcomed the three men, who ended being angels and brought them the best news that they had been praying for such a long time.

just last week i was talking to my friend about how you can do 'mission' and there are so many different roles. when i went to lebanon, i really admired the couple who were there as the 'hospitality team'. they basically fed and watered everyone and provided a safe and loving place to stay.

hospitality really does make a difference. it welcomes people.

simple compassion : drawn

''you are the salt of the earth''
matthew 5 v 13

christ's love shouldn't just fill us, but should flow out of us. how to impact on my community?

You are the salt of the earth. i failed to put the rest of the verse...''But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.'' what to do if i've lost my saltiness. become useless. fortunately for me, Jesus also said: ''Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.'' (Matthew 7 v 7-8). need to learn to ask God for spiritual things.

Lord, give me direction. i'm just dreaming at the moment. dont know where i'm heading:

小小的夢想
藍天是白雲最美的故鄉，大地是小草成長的地方
海洋是河流安歇的暖房，夢想是未來幸福天堂
耶和華是我們的力量，同心來為主傳揚來發光
前面的道路全然交給祂，祂必同在使我們剛強
小小的夢想能成就大事，只要仰望天父的力量
小小的夢想能改變世界，帶來明天的盼望

simple compassion : invite

''God disciplines us for our own good. that we may share in his holiness. no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it''
hebrews 12 v 10-11

wherever you are: that is where the kingdom of God is at work.

but where am i? that is my daily struggle. what am i suposed to do? i guess i need a right kick up the backside and a reminder that i am HERE. need to live out for God right where i am, and not to dream up some random dream or wish that i was somewhere else, or think about what i'm meant to be doing in the future, but i need to take action RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW.

i've been visiting quite a few people recently and they've all been busy growing vegetables. it's amazing how fast the harvest is. i had doubts about my little coriander seeds, which mrs choi practically planted for me. i didn't water them as much as i should have. but they have started to grow. i can see little green shoots and it's exciting. i guess everyone will harvest at a different time and will have different fruits from the harvest.

Lord, give me the strength to do what on earth i'm suposed to.
help me to love my community.