sigh

i have nice quiet evening ahead, a few cooking experiments to provide for interest.....ah. the simple joys. :)

just as this

its not finished yet.
take a look and see.
sometimes it doesnt turn out right
it just may need to be
re-made
re-worked, re-done....start over...
it'll add to the beauty.

3-4 So I went to the potter's house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot. 5 Then God's Message came to me: "Can't I do just as this potter does?" (jeremiah 8, the message)
talk about illustration. so clear. JUST AS this potter does. Pastor spoke a little on God re-making us. and sometimes i do, literally, feel like a 'lump' (ah, i see the pun there!) of clay. so glad for the second chance of grace and the hope in the work still to be done :)

lets say we did a lot of differentiating at cell group! :) this one's called the 'pond' and 'river'. stillness and movement. stagnation and change. identifying the ponds in our lives. or where the water was so hazy, we couldnt tell the difference.
the word is full of streams and rivers and flowing water. go on. get moving. dive in.

to decide or to choose?

interesting this is. the distinction between choice and decision.....is apparently a clear one, though most of us would interchange the two in varying contexts. Bert highlighted this during our cell group discussion the other day..... where decision involves eliminating 'options', but choice doesnt. when i decide, i decide based on something......but when i choose, i just choose. just so. not because plan b isnt feasible. i read something while looking it up that was put nicely. choice implies freedom, while decision implies selection. choice is more of a capacity, while decision is more of a result.
hmm.

walk on

when you leave behind what you couldnt let go
for what you cant see ahead
when the reason remains a blur,
choose to walk on.

when what was past comes by again
and stares you in the face..
the past is gone...don't look back
instead, walk on.

when love washes it all away
takes the pain and fills with grace,
when you look back with a smile
'cos the pieces are falling in place
lean on Him and look ahead,
there's so much more..
He will complete what He's begun.
Walk on.

static to dynamic

savio had this very interesting idea the other day....a concept of a 'human wall' - of actual people! holding hands....a welcoming wall, one that wasnt intimidating in contrast to a 'material' divide. in case you're wondering about the context of this conversation, it was ideas for a visitor's lounge in church. we're not that weird.

made me wonder why we dont have divides that do not appear as the literal translation of the word.....to design walls that interact. we architects love talking about spaces that are dynamic, but eventually do we just end up with visual silence? aesthetic but not enganging? can we converse with a wall that's organic.....that changes colour & texture, look and feel with the sense of touch??

mili is a talented textile designer who works at srishti school of design. she's researching interactive textile designs.....that communicate, change patterns or colour depending on the user. its an intriguing study, and inspires questioning why we still sometimes live in the static when people, time and life are in essence, constantly changing....

static to dynamic.
stillness to life.
captured in spaces we live and work in, and products we use. we're getting there. slowly. but getting there:)

the feathered tribe that is family :)

last night was special.....a lovely cell group evening of fun, food & love :) hannah's farewell took on the 'native american'... complete with headbands, feathers, weapons, facepaint and unpronouncable tribal names! talk about 'getting into the act'! :) what never ceases to amaze me is how much of themselves people give into doing what they can best.....organising, cooking,serving, cleaning up......n having loads of fun while at it.

like a friend said..(hoping jerry doesnt mind me quoting him) "Ws thinking & conversing with God y’day abt cel. And I realized that it’s really awesome when people know their abilities, limitations and respond with whatever they can & submit to each other in humility. What’s nice abt the cell is that people take initiative/ownership & show commitment towards seeing it to completion. There’s no hounding. Everybody does what he/she has committed to & job gets done. That’s awesome. It’s marvelous. Paul said in 1Cor 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" Do you realize that it’s the coming together & not the individual stuff that makes the event awesome? I think everybody deserves a pat on the back, not for a job well done, but for showing initiative, commitment, humility, preserving unity in the spirit & spreading love & happiness.
there you go. key words being 'coming together' . family. the body of Christ.

we gifted hannah a scrapbook....memories put together...pictures, quotes, notes of encouragement...Quoting 'Big Chief' (the largest feather there:) Bert Cherian... "there's history here in these pages'. there sure is.