Thankful Thursday - Time

My times are in thy hand:... Psalm 31:15

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalms 90:12

How time flies! It's another Thursday for me to count my blessings and remember afresh God's goodness and mercies to me through another week.

Iris has chosen the theme - Time. I am going to try and focus on how the Lord has blessed with time for various things in the last one week.

♥ Thank God that I am able to take time off from freelance work to rest at home as my health hasn't been good in the past weeks. Thank God for strengthening me and with much rest and breaks, I am feeling so much better now.

♥ Thank God that I can call upon Him at any time and He hears my prayers. He knows what is best for me and will answer my prayers according to His grace, mercies and timing. I am learning day by day to submit to His sovereign will which is always good and to remember that He will answer my prayers in His time.

♥ Thank God that any time I remember Him and His love, my heart is encouraged and strengthened.

♥ Thank God that I can go to Him with my cares and difficulties at any time and He will comfort me with His Words and strengthen me, and guide me in His ways.

♥ Thank God for friends who take time to pray and encourage me. Thanks for your prayers and encouragements!

♥ Thank God for more time to seek and serve Him this week. Thank God that through this time of rest, I am able to have more quiet time and read His Words and pray. Thank God for time to ponder over the goodness of God and how best I can walk with Him.

♥ Thank God for a blessed time of hearing His Words and fellowship last Sunday. Thank God for the encouraging sermon I heard in Church on the Fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). I am reminded that we need to cultivate the fear of the Lord and this fear is a reverential and filial fear. Not a dreadful fear but a fear to offend God. A fear that wants to draw nearer to God and to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

The Lord accepts, blesses and answers the prayers of those who love and fear Him. Those who love and fear the Lord will also depart from evil, put their complete trust in God and need not fear men. They enjoy the fellowship with God's people.

♥ Thank God for time to reflect and see how I have gone wrong in some of my thoughts and deeds recently. Thank God that with Him there is forgiveness of sins. Thank God for time to ask for His forgiveness and to know the assurance of His love and help in my weaknesses.

♥ Thank God for time to have fellowship with a sister-in-Christ, BH, and to catch up with her on Tuesday. We both went to East Coast Beach and had a good walk and fellowship. I love to go to the Beach. Every time I watch the waves and the seas I am reminded afresh of the power and sovereignty of God, and of His love and care upon us. Thank God that we can take time to enjoy nature and recount together the wonderful God we serve and His goodness to us.

♥ Thank God for time to visit an elderly church Aunty to encourage and fellowship with her. BH and I are thankful of the way the Lord has restored this church Aunty through her surgery recently. Her cheerfulness and thankfulness to God is always an encouragement to us.

♥ Thank God for more time to spend with my mum this week and to catch up on some things that I have always wanted to do.

♥ Let us continue to pray for the people in China, Myanmar and other parts of the world who are affected by many natural disasters. Let us pray that in this time of calamities and severe pains and sufferings, many may turn to God and know His saving grace, comfort and care.

I am reminded that our time are in God's hands and we are to live for Him and serve Him daily. I am reminded daily that my life is to be lived for the Lord. In the busyness of each day, I ask Him to guide me so that I may seek first His kingdom and righteousness and do His eternal work. I must serve the Lord and do His works while it is day.

♥ Thanks to all of you for making time to read my post and taking time to write your encouraging comments. Your friendships and writings have enriched my life in so many wonderful ways. Thank God for making this possible. Thanks for your friendships and wonderful support!

How about you? How has the Lord blessed you through the past week?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed and thankful day!

For more participants of Thankful Thursday, do visit Iris at Sting My Heart. It will be a very blessed and spiritually uplifting experience for you!

Word-Filled Wednesday : Never forsaken

I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

I am learning to cling onto God's precious promises and His love and faithfulness in keeping them.

This is one of God's precious promises which especially encourages me in these recent days.

Thank God for the assurance of His love and care upon us through all the changing scenes in life, from our youth to our old age, and for ourselves and our children.

For more Word-Filled Wednesday participants, do visit Amy at The 160 Acre Woods. It will be a very blessed and encouraging experience for you!

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed day!

(I took this picture at East Coast Beach, Singapore)

Encounter with a cute Cat and Animal Assisted Therapy

I have been learning to slow down significantly since last week. And I thank God that I am feeling better. Thanks for your prayers and encouragements!

I am learning to take breaks, relax and rest more. Not easy for me, but I am learning :-)

I have been going out for more walks recently and really felt a lot more healthier physically and mentally. I love outdoor and the sun. Fresh air and sunshine seems to lift up my moods too.

I am enjoying nature and God's creations in many wonderful ways again. And as usual, I enjoy taking my digital camera along to snap some photos.

This morning, I went for a walk. And guess who I met? This lovely cat!

I think it is a she-cat. She is a sweetie, isn't she? And she is so friendly :-) She wasn't afraid of me at all.

Obviously she is playful too :-) Look at the way she kindly posed for me ;-)

Personally, I love cats. My family used to own several cats when we were back in our hometown. My mum used to go to the market to buy fish, not for us, but for our cats :-)

Cats are very cute. They like to curl up besides you or climb on your lap or your bed, etc. The little ones are cuter. They jump all over!

I read on the internet that having or keeping animals can be therapeutic to some patients. There is a therapy called "Animal-Assisted Therapy" (AAT).

Wikipedia said:

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. AAT can be provided on an individual or group basis. During AAT, therapists document records and evaluate the participant's progress. Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, elephants, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals.

Here is a website that provides some simple information on The Layman's Guide to Animal Assisted Therapy with a Free copy of Pet Therapy in .pdf format that can be downloaded.

So it seems animal can be used in therapy to help some people. Having a pet can in some way be therapeutic to us.

What about you? Do you like animals? Do you have any pets? Have you found having a pet to be beneficial to you or helpful in some ways in your particular condition?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Homemade Calendar : Another Hobby

Dear Friends,

How time flies! It's already mid May.

As you know, I love to do handicrafts and make homemade gifts. You probably have seen my homemade bookmarks blog with Free Bookmark Templates.

Around December of almost every year, I will make a simple homemade gift for my friends and it is a Homemade Calendar.

I first started making this Calendar for myself because I found it very difficult to find a Christian Calendar with Bible verses that I like. So I decided to design my own simple Calendar :-)

Subsequently, I began to make this Calender for some of my friends whenever possible.

Over the last few years, I began to make the Calendar for more and more of my friends.

It is good to know that some of my friends have found this Calendar useful.

Thank God that for the last 8 years, I managed to make between 80 to 100 Calendars for my church friends, whenever I am well.

Sometimes when I am too ill, I will not be able to make these Calendars. Otherwise, I will try my best to make them. I enjoy making them and I am thankful that they are useful to my friends.

This is how the simple Calendar looks like:

Although it's already May now, if you are interested, you can still make this simple Calendar for yourself or your friends.

Here are some simple instructions on how I make this Calendar :

You can download the following files and make it too. You can personalised this simple Calendar by putting your name or your friend's name on the top right hand corner. You can also change the picture and the text according to your liking.

1) Download these Microsoft Word documents (.doc) and make changes accordingly:

a) Use this Picture file if you are printing for a friend : Picture 1person

b) Use this Picture file if you are printing for a couple: Picture 2persons

c) Use this Date file if you are in Singapore as it has all the public holidays : Singapore Dates

d) Use this Date file if the Calendar is to be used outside of Singapore: Dates Others

2. Open the file "Picture 1person.doc" and change the name on the top right hand corner to reflect your name, your friend's name, etc. Then print on color cards/papers.

You can print 2 calendars on 1 paper.

3. Open the file "Dates Singapore.doc" or "Dates Others.doc" and print all the 3 pages.

4. Fold the pages into half.

5. Use a pen knife to cut and then fold the pages into half again.

6. Use the pen knife to cut again and arrange all the months accordingly.

7. Staple on top of the dates at a few places to keep them together.

8. Put double-sided scotch tape behind the dates and then stick it to the bottom of the Picture.

9. For hanging purposes, I usually punch a hole using a single-hole puncher and put a reinforcement ring on it.

Do you like this Calendar? Do you have Hobbies? Or do you like to make gifts for your family and friends.

I hope you enjoy making this simple Calendar :-)

If you interested to make bookmarks, do visit my homemade bookmarks blog. I have many Free Bookmark Templates there.

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed weekends!

Free Calendars 2010 and Free Planners 2010 Resources:

• Calendar 2010 Design1
• Calendar 2010 Design2
• Calendar 2010 Design3
• Calendar 2010 with Singapore Public Holidays 1
• Calendar 2010 with Singapore Public Holidays 2
• Planner 2010 Design B
• Christian Calendar 2010 with Bible verses 1
• Christian Calendar 2010 with Singapore Public Holidays 1
• Christian Planner 2010

Free Bookmarks Resources:

• A Special Birthday Prayer for You
• All the best to you
• Animals
• Children - This book belongs to
• Chinese Bible verses
• Christian bookmarks with Bible verses
• Flowers
• Friendship
• Happy Birthday
• Happy Children's Day
• Happy Mother's Day
• Inspirational or encouraging quotes
• Prayer of St. Francis
• Sceneries
• Swan
• The Cross in My Pocket
• When there seems no way out, let God in
• With God all things are possible
• You are never alone
• Your Friendship is a blessing

Free Cards Resources:

• A Special Birthday Prayer for You
• Animals
• Birthday Card pop up
• Christian cards with Bible verses
• Don't Quit
• Encouraging Friendship Quotes1
• Encouraging quote on Love
• Encouraging Quotes1
• Flowers
• Get Well Soon!
• God holds my tomorrow
• Happy Birthday
• How to Make a Kirigami Dancing Crane Pop-up Card
• How to Make a Pop-Up Heart Card
• Prayer of St. Francis
• With God all things are possible
• Your Friendship is a Blessing

Free Handicrafts Resources : Free Cross-stitch

• How to sew a pink heart cross stitch
• About cross stitch and cross stitching
• Creative Needlecraft Cross Stitching
• Cross stitch of Yarn Tree
• Different ways of doing cross stitch
• Free cross stitch pattern : Pink Heart
• French Knot
• How to Choose a Cross Stitch Pattern
• How to Design a Cross Stitch Pattern
• How to Do Back Stitches in Cross Stitching
• How to Do Basic Cross Stitches
• How to Do French Knots in Cross Stitching
• How to Frame a Cross Stitch Pattern
• How to Personalize Your Cross Stitching Pattern
• How to Prepare Cloth for Cross Stitching
• Learn simple Cross Stitch In 5 Minutes
• Little Bear cross-stitch
• Supplies for Cross Stitching
• Types of Cross Stitch Patterns

Free Sewing Resources : Knitting

• Basics on how to knit
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Add Fringe to a Scarf
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Cast Off
• How to knit a scarf : How to Change to a Different Color when Knitting
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Do the Basket Weave
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Do the Knit Stitch
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Do the Purl Stitch
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Do the Rib Stitch
• How to Knit a Scarf : How to Pick Up Dropped Stitches
• Variations in Stitches

Free Origami Resources:

• Airplane
• Boat
• Box
• Bunny
• Camel
• Cup
• Dragonfly
• Fish
• Flowers Daffodil
• Flowers Pink
• Hummingbird
• Jumping Frog
• Parrot
• Penguin
• Pigeon
• Roadrunner
• Rose
• Shark
• Squirrel
• Sungflower
• Swan
• Zebra

Free Arts and Crafts for Kids Resources:

• How to make a Catepillar
• How to make a clock
• How to make a duck
• How to make a Kirigami Hummingbird
• How to make a Peacock
• How to make an Octopus
• How to make turtle

Nice Piano Instrumental Music Resources:

• Relaxing music
• A como amor
• Aline
• Ballade Pour Adeline
• Chinese Garden
• Concerto pour un jeune fille nommee
• Couleur Tendresse
• Dolannes Melody
• Dream Wedding
• Fur Elise
• Give a little to your love
• La Tendresse
• lara's theme
• Les derniers jours d´Anastacia kemsky
• Lettre à ma mère
• Love song in winter
• Mariage D'amour
• Piano Concerto No. 1
• Romeo and Juliet
• Tema de Amor
• Triste Coeur
• Unchained melody

Thankful Thursday

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

... for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

♥ I am thankful to God for sustaining me through another week. God is my refuge and strength daily and I am comforted that He never leaves me nor forsake me.

♥ Thank God for friends who suggested that I should cut down on work this week in order to rest and recuperate. Thank God that working freelance give me this flexibility and thank God for customers who are understanding.

♥ I am thankful to God that though I am weak, He is strong and His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Thank God for giving me grace and strength to cope with various challenges daily and to live for Him and serve Him.

♥ Thank God for strengthening me over the last few days and enabling me to know daily that His grace is sufficient for me. Thank God that I am feeling so much better today.

♥ I am thankful to God for my Pastor and friends who prayed for me, watched over me, shared my burden and suggested ways I may cope better with my health and other challenges in my life.

♥ I am thankful to all of you for praying for me and encouraging me.

♥ I am thankful to God for my mother's love for my family and her wonderful care upon me daily even as I seek to take care of her. Thank God that my sister's family came over recently and we have had a wonderful Mother's Day with my mum. Thank God for nieces and nephews who bring so much joy into my mum and my life.

♥ I am thankful to God for preserving some ministers, missionaries and their family who are serving God in Myanmar during the severe storm. Thank God that He preserves us until our tasks are accomplished here. Thank God that we can have the sweet assurance that should any of God's people lost their lives in natural disasters, they enter immediately into the presence of God. Let us pray for all families affected in Myanmar and in the earthquakes in China that many may know the saving grace of God and find consolations and restoration in Him.

♥ I am thankful to God that through weak health, He is teaching me many lessons about His love and faithfulness daily. God's presence with me and His Words comforts and strengthens me, and give me courage to face each day.

♥ Thank God that despite weak health, He enables me to serve Him in little little ways daily at home, freelance work, church work and even through this blog.

♥ Thank God We serve such a wonderful God and we can have the assurance that He is working all things for His glory and our good. What a mercy!

♥ I am thankful to God for so many friends I have come to know through blogging. Your friendships and writings have enriched my life is so many wonderful ways. Thank God for making this possible. Thanks for your friendships and wonderful support!

How about you? How has the Lord blessed you through the past week?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed and thankful day!

For more participants of Thankful Thursday, do visit Iris at Sting My Heart. It will be a very blessed and spiritually uplifting experience for you!