Andrew Chan’s Story

Have you read about Bali Nine death row prisoner Andrew Chan who is waiting for execution anytime from now in Bali? According to the Indonesian Law, drug traffickers face death sentence without pardon.

The Catch here is many of the Australians are pleading for his life. What is so special about Andrew that he should deserve a second chance while others never had that opportunity? So now.. are you stirred to know more?

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Should A Second Chance Be Given?

The reason I wrote this article was to bring a comparison between Andrew’s and God’s story. ‘What do you mean’, you asked? Well, here is a story about a criminal who is about to face his judgement, DEATH by law. Should he be pardoned from his death sentence?

Why should he be given a second chance to LIVE? If you read his story, you would know in the 9 years in prison, he became a Christian and his life changed as a result of the Holy Spirit working in him. He was recently ordained as a minister in prison, while serving his time in prison. He led many to the Lord. So is that a good reason to pardon him from his death sentence? What do you think?

Andrew Chan’s Story: Do We Deserve A Second Chance To Life?

Honestly, do we deserve a second chance to LIFE? According to the Law we deserve DEATH sentence.

Romans 3:23 – ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’  

 Romans 6:23a – ‘For the wages of sin is death,’

You may not believe in the Bible, yet that does not make the statements untrue simply because you do not believe. Now Andrew may not believe his execution is near because he had violated the Bali Law. The truth is whether he personally believe the law or not, he is facing a near death situation.

Do you know God’s story?

Did you know what He chose? He chose to give LIFE. YES, not pardon but gave LIFE. Do you know He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the Cross to pardon our sins? Do you know what that means? HE sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, to save our lives from DEATH. According to Romans 5:8,

‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’

Does Andrew a criminal deserve LIFE or DEATH? I would like to turn this question around and ask you: “Do you deserve LIFE or DEATH? In God’s story, it is not about whether we deserve to live or die.

The key word is DESPITE what we deserve, out of His love, He chose to GIVE LIFE. Now, if God chose to give us life, who are we to decide if Andrew deserves his death sentence? Let us instead pray for the Will of God be done in Andrew’s life. Today, during service, my Pastor gave these words and it says;

ONLY IN HIS LOVE can you find peace. ONLY IN HIS LOVE, can you find love. ONLY IN HIS LOVE, can you find strength. May I add this, ONLY IN HIS LOVE, can you find SALVATION.

In conclusion

I plead with you to seriously consider changing your perspective on where you stand. Would you choose to embrace the LIFE that Jesus gave you when He took your sins upon Himself on that Cross to save you? Or would you turn a deaf ear to His WORD today?

Blessings,

Eileen

My Kitchen Prayer

Every new mom meets various challenges in her daily life. Ever feel like you need a special prayer to get through today? Especially at a time when you are sick and need a little break but everyone else are either sick or need you to get through the day. You wonder how you are going to get through this? Or just to get through an uneventful day? A little help would be most delightful..

Allow me to share this special prayer with you today. Hope it brings you great blessing and joy to help get you through this day.

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My Kitchen Prayer

God bless my little kitchen, I love it’s every nook. 

And bless me as I do my work, wash pots and pans and cook,

 And may the meals that I prepare be seasoned from above

with thy great blessing and thy grace.

But most of all they love,

so bless my little kitchen, God.

And those who enter in, may they find naught

but joy & peace

and happiness there.

 We are never alone no matter how we feel about it. When we feel we need an extra push and strength to get through, a prayer utter to God will get us through each day. God knows what’s in our hearts and would love to bless us by granting our hearts’ desires when we come to Him. Sometimes, in silence or in closed closet or simply utter out loud in special moment meeting up with Him.

Never be afraid to call on Him. He is just a step away. Turn to Him and find rest for your tired soul today. May you be truly blessed and  may you have a restful week ahead with Him in prayers.

Blessings,

Eileen

A couple of days ago I saw a video posted by You tube challenging Facebook to do what is the right thing to do as an active  competitor with You tube. Now, here is the video you may want to watch. It’s called Help Stop Facebook Freebooting.

My question to everyone is: “Is it still relevant today to do what’s right?” This question posted to all our mega companies in the United States. In my post today, I would like to discuss this question and state my reasons why it is still relevant to do the right thing.

Making America Great

America is known in the world as ‘The Great Nation’. Really? Is it still relevant today? Imagine what’s that like for many mega companies and their staffs waking up to go to work each day, working hard to make a good living and bringing in incomes for their families and at the end of the day, feeling satisfied and return home with a good clear conscience with nothing to keep them awake in the middle of the night, trembling with fear. Isn’t that an awesome way to live? Can we say that is true all across mega companies in United States? If you would be honest with yourself, have you woken up in the middle of a night trembling with fear lately?

Next picture, have you gone to work a day and all you did was trying to find a loop-hole in our laws and try to get away from paying the penalty using the loop-hole to your advantage? You are most likely working as a lawyer in this case. I might be stereotyping.. I can hear all the lawyers protesting by now. But, seriously, are you in that place and you hate it so much? How is life treating you? Do you really want to live like this all your life? Life is good when you can sleep and not worry all the time. Does doing what is right bother you?

We can live and be competitive with a clear conscience.  Can we qualify ourselves as citizens of ‘The Great Nation’ if all we do are trying to live like one but not living up to its name? Why is doing what is right relevant today? Consider our great grand kids.. What kind of nation we want our grand kids to live in? What we do today has a great impact on our future generations. Everybody knows that.. Wait, take time to seriously think about it.  If we care so much for our environment, and our animals, why can’t we care about what we do to our next generation? What kind of legacy we want to pass down to our future generations? Empire is nice.. but meaningless! A family name that they are proud to own and pass down to their grand kids is the greatest legacy.

Why is doing right still relevant today? If doing the right thing no longer relevant, we can do away with our justice department. It’s irrelevant to uphold justice anyway, why bother? For show? Why bother? Keep the money for yourselves? Do we think seriously what we are doing and why we are doing any more? Is greed so important to you? Yes, everything we do for selfish reasons all stamp out of GREED! We want more!! We can live with more and with a clear conscience.

In conclusion, I would like to leave you with this thought. You think you can get away with a wrong, maybe you can, but don’t push it. One day all that you do, right or wrong will be out there for all to see. Will you be shamed or honored? That’s my question to you.

Introduction To The Call Of Peter

As we all know from the early beginning of Peter’s life, he was called from a simple fisherman to one of the disciples closest to Jesus Christ. His early call as a disciple of Jesus Christ was well-known. Today, I would like to focus my attention on his later call in his life, from merely a disciple of Jesus to his journey as one that is life transforming as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

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Do you recall the conversation that Peter had with Jesus, when He confronted him with this question three times. He asked Peter: “Do you love me?” Peter got surprised at the insistent tone Jesus used in that confrontation. I have to add that it was a loving moment though. It caught Peter off guard and emotional. Let us look at the conversation closely and see what actually happen.

The Bible says in John 21:15-18

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

One interesting point I noticed before was Jesus called him, Simon son of Jonah. ‘Simon’ was his original name and the name ‘Peter’ was given by Jesus. So, Jesus was actually addressing him by his original name.

A Moment Of Revelation

Early this week, David, my 2-year-old and I were down with a cough and we still do. One night, I was feeling chilled and weak. So, I had to separate myself from David so he would not get it. David had to sleep in his bed and he did not like that. He fought it hard that night. In a quiet moment, I asked David: “Do you love me?” And he said: “No!”. I asked him again, he said ‘no’. In my mind, I was going to say: “If you love me, listen to me.” I had to separate myself from him because I love him. I did it for his good. Yet, he could not understand that. Many times, I had to give him my hand and he would hold on tight to it to reassure him that I love him. Long story short, he got enough assurance that he fell asleep finally. Before he fell asleep, he told me he loved me. It was in that intimate moment I had with David that I realized how intimate that moment was when Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me?” Through the Bible, God opened a window to show that intimate moment he had with Jesus.

What I learned

Jesus was trying to reassure Peter of his love for Him. Prior to this significant event, he denied Jesus three times. He was absolutely miserable that he did what he did. In fact, he went away and hid himself. Jesus used this precious moment to reassure Peter that he did love Him. And each time, Jesus told him what he must do. This was also that significant moment where Peter’s call to become an apostle, proclaiming Jesus all the rest of his life. Later, Holy Spirit empowered him to carry out his life task at the upper room while praying. The Holy Spirit came upon him and gave him the power to fulfill his life long task mentioned in Acts 2:2-5.

Sometimes, at a quiet moment, God reveals His revelation to us and that helps us appreciate His Word and Him better. Some things we have to go through to learn and understand His revelations in our lives. And when they happen, we grow stronger and much more appreciative of who He is and what He is doing in  our lives.

The call of Peter could be yours  because if he who was a fisherman gave his life to answer that call, what then would you do if you are Peter? He died, hanged on the cross upside down. Would you answer that call?

Blessings,

Eileen

Story Of The Call To True Love

]Recently my sister-in-law posted this awesome story on Facebook. After reading it, I decided to translate it into English so many more can read and appreciate this story.

STORY TRANSLATION

Story Of The Call To True Love

A cruise ship met a deadly disaster on the ocean and was sinking. A couple struggled to get close to the rescue boat, when their turn finally arrived, they faced a dilemma, only one seat left. The man went before his wife and jumped on board the rescue boat to save himself. Now, the woman who was left on the sinking cruise ship, shout to the man..

At this junction, the teacher asked her students: “What do you think this woman would say to the man?” The students filled with passion, all said: “I hate you and I misjudge you!!”

The teacher turned and noticed a student who was silent throughout this discussion, approached and asked him what his thought on this. The student replied: “Teacher, I feel this woman would shout: “Take care of our child!” Teacher got surprised and asked if he knew the story..? This student shook the head and said: “No! But when my mother was sick and dying, that was what she said to my father.” Teacher emotionally replied: “That’s correct answer!”

Teacher went on to relate that the cruise ship indeed sank eventually and the man returned to his village to raise his daughter all by himself. Many years later, the man passed away. The daughter was packing up her father’s belongings when she noticed his diary.

Indeed, when his parents were on board the cruise ship, her mother was at the last stage of cancer. At that critical moment, for survival sake, her father jumped in the rescue boat. Later in his diary, she discovered the truth. In the diary, he wrote: “How I wish to stay with you to the bottom of the ocean. But, I cannot because of our daughter. I have to let you go.. sleep in the deep ocean.”

When the story concluded, the classroom was silent. No one spoke a word.. Somehow, teacher knew that her students understood the story and had learned some important lessons that day. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish the good and evil just by looking at the surface of the situation. One has to dig further to unearth the truth.

The Call Of True Love, What Would You Do?

When I read this story, I knew exactly how the woman felt when she shout: “Take care of our child!” I knew under the same circumstance, I would do likewise. A mother’s heart is constantly weighing down by the welfare of her children. I believe the father’s heart is likewise. I never understood this truth clearly, until I became a step-mother to Michelle in 2007 and a mom to David in 2012. So, my question to you today is :”What would you do?”

Reflection

Upon reflection, I recalled the love of God. Have you heard of John 3:16

The Bible says:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This verse written was from the heart of a father, except that in this case God is the Father. The call of true love is therefore love that is sacrificial and self-denying just like the man and woman mentioned in the story above.  They never put themselves first, rather, the welfare of their daughter comes ahead of their needs. Jesus answered that call to love and to serve as a man, yet never lose sight of God and His calling. Have you received that gift of love found in Jesus and Jesus alone? In your journey this year, to unearth more truth,  I hope you will find abundant joy in knowing Jesus and be known by Him. May you have an awesome week, seeking the truth.

Blessings from ours to yours,

Eileen

God’s Blogs In God’s Name 

It is our honor to publish our first DOTA Newsletter in January 2015. We got excited first, to have our website up and running on a more efficient and up to date operating system on Gods Blogs. As the founder of DOTA,  anticipates something good coming our way because I believe God will use this site for His glory. At present, DOTA is in the process of inviting new authors to join this venture. As the founder of this website, I have a great hope that it will expand its horizon of influence among young women who would give their lives for the extension of His Kingdom.

Continue reading →

 Call Of God Marks Our New Dawn!

We would like to announce a project. Every month, we invite a special guest to blog about what’s on her heart.  As women of God, we are precious in the eyes of God. He calls us  effectively to live for Him in whatever roles we play at home and in the society.  In 2015, we like to focus on the ‘Call of God’ in our lives. How God uses us in our various roles to impact our next generations as well as in our work places whether we are moms (working or stay at home), grandmothers, step moms, our professions (callings). God desires that we are His witnesses to His love and compassion, His faithfulness, His grace and mercy and His justice. That we through Him, be vessels for His glory.

Call of God

So, what is the call of God? The call of God is often associated with ministry. To serve God full-time is an awesome commitment and admirable. But, God also place us in various workplaces as the exemplary light to bring others to Him. When we ask ourselves what we are passionate about, we are seeking to know His calling in our lives. So hopefully through the sharing from our guests each month, by the end of 2015, you will be able to confirm His calling in your life.

The blog or article would be in a form of an interview with questions to guide and direct. The guest would have to answer the questions as required. For example, begin the interview first with a brief introduction. Then tell us about what you believe God has called you to do? Prior to that, what were you doing? How do you know God had called you? What would you share with  those who believe they are called as you were ( professions or ministry or simply a mom )? Would you do it any other way? Why and why not?

If you have any suggestions and you would like to give to it, please contact Eileen Dick and we will get back to you. If you have a candidate for DOTA, please let us know. We would love to hear from you. Or you have some one you would like to interview, you are welcome to contact us. Thank you, we look forward to serving you better in the future.

Blessings,

DOTA Team

Are you led by passion in life?

What are you passionate about? Today’s hymn talks about a decision made to ‘follow Jesus’. 5 missionaries gave their lives while living out their faith, full of passion and they changed my life.

One of the great hymns that I learned as a child was this ‘old time’ life changing song called ‘ I have decided to follow Jesus.’  This hymn touched me even as a little girl then.  As I grew older, this song helped to form my life values and life purpose.  While I was researching about this hymn, I came to know this known story behind it.

In my young adult years, I enjoyed reading books written by Elizabeth Elliot. It was through her books that I got introduced to her first husband, Jim Elliot. He was one of the five missionaries dead in Ecuador killed by the Auca Indians, now known as the “Waorani ” (the people). The famous quote that Jim Elliot was known for said:

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” He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. “

His passion to follow Jesus led him martyred for the Gospel of Jesus. If interested to know more about the story of the five missionaries, here is the link to read further on it.

The bible says in Matthew 7:7-8 :

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Christianity is not about seeking more blessings, more of everything. But, it’s about PASSION. Who are we passionate about? As we begin 2015, we need to ask ourselves: ” What is our passion? ” If our passion is for this life alone, we will seek to live for now, for our gratifications. But, if we look into Heaven and seek what is truly eternal, then how we live in preparation now will prepare us for eternity. Once again, I’m challenged. Have I truly decided to follow Jesus? Is Jesus my life purpose, my life goal?

Thank you Jesus!

New Moms – This Is For You

The journey to becoming new moms are often shared with treasured memory. As new moms, be encouraged. You are not alone.

My Birth Experience

David And Mommy

Who would have thought that after much prayers, 4 years into our marriage, David Joshua Jun Jie Dick would be born on the morning of 29th August 2012? Earlier, we got excited David’s projected due date fell on his Aunt Joanne’s birthday which was 28th of August that year. That afternoon, I experienced some contractions and later in the evening I was Admitted into Clovis Community Hospital. While I admitted, my water broke. My contractions intensified from that point on. It was a relief to have Dan, Michelle, Andrea and my little sister, Elisa there. It was heart warming to have them cheering me on. The pain-killer had an intense effect on my body. Not only did the pain continue on, I was hallucinating. I couldn’t wait for a staff to administer epidural to relieve my pain. It took a while longer to finally get my pain relieved. I was so glad. The process of dilation did not progress as expected, and David was in distressed. So, through c-section David was born early the next morning at around 9. He weighed 9 pounds 1 oz, and 21 inches long.

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My Thoughts

As a brand new mom, I did my research on the web daily. I was constantly looking for answers online especially through the first year of David’s life. Never miss his doctor’s appointments. It helped to have a group of new moms as a support group for each other. I was a proud new mom who by God’s provision, successfully breastfed my little boy through the six months of his life. Giving thanks to God always for His guidance, wisdom and protection.

Advice For New Moms

New moms are always looking for good sound advice for parenting. I welcome some advice while I ignore others. As new moms, all our experiences are valid and worthy for consolidation for future moms-to-be. What are some of your experiences that you would like to share with others that you consider helpful tips? Future moms-to-be would be glad to hear from you.

Blessings from ours to yours,

Eileen

  Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

Does it pay to do good today? The incident that happened in China yesterday on a tragic story of a 2 years old who was ran over by a van and a truck with no one willing to get involved to save her, reminded me of what happened to me as I tried being a good Samaritan once in my hometown in Singapore.

Good Samaritan

As some of you know that I’m passionate for people and children with disabilities. While I was working as a special education teacher in Singapore, I would often pass by a busy sidewalk from Tampines MRT Station to the shopping mall on my way home from work. I would notice this man, often in a squatting position, quiet and in a corner with his cane. As I came forward to take a closer look, I noticed he was blind. I also noticed practically every one around him ignored his presence. Hardly any one would buy anything from him. My heart went out to him, wishing I could do something for him.

One day, I plucked up my courage and talked to him. After knowing his plight, I decided to help him to help sell some of the stuffs to earn a living. I started helping creating signs to get people’s attention toward him and that seemed to work. More and more people started noticing us and bought stuffs from him. It went well for a while until a man who addressed himself as an officer working for the government decided to arrest me for assisting in an illegal criminal group trying to use this blind man to work for the organization. “Oh wow.. me involving in an illegal activity??” That was the last straw for me. I fell apart and started weeping.” Was this fair for trying to do some good deeds?”

Fortunately, a couple decided to speak up on my behalf. They argued with the officer and in the end, decided to go with me to the office and they testified in favor of my innocence. I was eventually warned and released. At the end of the day, I asked myself: “Does it pay to do good these days?”

The horrific story of the 2 years old in China sparked off a very similar discussion on this issue. People are much less willing to get ‘involved’ in helping others in need especially when it comes to children. According to Shanghaidaily.com, it reported:

“The notorious “Nanjing Peng Yu” incident is fresh in people’s minds even after five years. In 2006, in Nanjing City in east China, a young man named Peng Yu who had just gotten off a bus went to aid a 65-year-old woman who was knocked down by a fellow passenger. The woman eventually sued Peng, claiming he was the one who knocked her down.”

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=484913&type=National

As for the blind man I’ve helped.. Much later, I would continue to quietly watch out for him when I passed by that area. As time went by, I noticed he was losing much of his weight and felt helpless to do anything. Over time, I had grown like any one else forgot he existed. What have our societies become? Would you despite the fear, help someone in need today? Would you continue to let the fear rule you or would you let your heart and the Holy Spirit lead you? Something needs to change today!