Doubt always co-exists with faith, for in the presence of certainty who would need faith at all?

~~ Philip Yancey (Author of "Reaching for the Invisible God")

I am currently reading the abovementioned book by Philip Yancey. I like the above quotation from his book and hence I choose to share it on my blog.

Dare to Dream

If we cling on to something in our past that was painful, it can 'cripple' us emotionally and even spiritually. We can either choose to live in the shadow of our past or move forward in life. I believe that the choice we make will have a significant impact on how our future will look like.

Dare to Dream

I feel blessed today! :) Thank God for giving me an MP3 player through my sis. Thank God for the Christmas 'angpow' too (I declined though). Incidentally, my family has the 'tradition' of giving angpows not just during Chinese New Year, but also during birthdays and Christmas.

By the way, 'angpow' is a red packet that contains money. Giving 'angpow' is a way of blessing the receiver during Chinese New Year. It is usually given by people who are older.

The picture on the right shows an 'angpow' and a green packet. Green packets are used by Muslims here in Singapore during Hari Raya. I suppose Muslims in other countries also use green packets.

Dare to Dream

Land of Dreams

Over the last few days, I wrote 2 Chinese pop songs. The music for 1 of them is done. The other one requires some fine-tuning to the lyrics first. This 2nd song is entitled 'Zhi Meng Yuan',  which means 'Land of Dreams' in English. It's a song about dreams. It's about what I envision my dreamland will look like.

Just in case some of you think I only write Chinese songs, I must add that I write English songs too. Comparatively, though, I think I have written more Chinese songs (both secular pop and Christian songs) than English ones.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a blessed Christmas and a blessed 2010! :)

Dare to Dream

Count your garden by the flowers,
Never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by golden hours,
Don't remember clouds at all.
Count your nights by stars, not shadows,
Count your life with smiles, not tears.
And with joy on every birthday,
Count your age by friends, not years.
~~Anonymous

Dare to Dream

When people...do what they were created to do, that is when they are most fulfilled...In the same way, if God made someone to be an engineer, it would lead to much struggle and disappointment if that person were to try to become a singer.

~~Living Life devotional book

If we try to be someone that we are not meant to be, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and possibly heartache. We only have one life to live, so why set ourselves up for misery?

Dare to Dream

When the night seems to be its darkest, it means the sun will soon rise up. Press on...Don't give up!

~~Anonymous

Dare to Dream

New Beginnings

I'd finally completed verse 2 of a song that I wrote sometime this year, which is entitled "Xin De Qi Dian". It's a song about new beginnings.

We'll all probably have new beginnings at some point in our lives. For some of us, we may feel that we've messed it big time and so we yearn for a new beginning. For some of us, on the other hand, we may feel that we have suffered too much and so we yearn for a fresh start.

It's my prayer that this song will inspire hope when everything seems so bleak.

Dare to Dream

Fear Hinders Success

This evening, as I was watching a Chinese TV drama, the subtitles "Fear hinders success" caught my attention. Fear indeed can hinder our success, be it success pertaining to our dreams or success of any other kind.

Dare to Dream

Letting Go of Friendships (Relationships)

I understand that it can be hard to let go of friendships (or for that matter, any relationships) that we have built over the years. However, if these friendships (or relationships) are emotionally draining to us or are unhealthy in other ways, then I believe we must make the wise choice of letting them go or setting a healthy boundary for the sake of our sanity and well-being.

Dare to Dream

I feel so blessed today. :) Thank God! I know for certain that many more (in fact, a lot more) good things are going to come my way! I am destined to be blessed!!!

Dare to Dream

I believe that we must tap into our fullest potential if we want to live a satisfying and truly happy life. :)

Dare to Dream

I penned a Chinese song yesterday. The song is entitled "Ke Wang Xing Fu". I pray that it will give people hope to hang in there when they are facing life's greatest trials and when nothing seems to be working in their lives.

Dare to Dream!

Yesterday, I watched a charity event on TV. There was a young lady from Taiwan who performed a dance item at the event. But what is so amazing about her is that she can play the piano even though she has no fingers! She has even won the 3rd prize in a competition in her country.

This young lady shows us the TENACITY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT to SURMOUNT IMPOSSIBLE OBSTACLES. Where there is a will, there is a way indeed!

Dare to Dream

One of my dreams is to own a grand piano. Another dream is to learn guzhen, which is a Chinese musical instrument. Yet another is to travel the world while planting seeds of hope and being a blessing wherever I go. I know I may sound overly ambitious. But having big dreams is what excites me!

Dare to Dream

When people are living a life aligned with their passions then they're living a life aligned with their soul and their soul's destiny - and that is what brings us happiness.

~~Janet & Chris Attwood (Authors of "The Passion Test")

I agree. :) It is only when we live our lives in alignment with our passions (our dreams) that we can be truly happy. In other words, we must actively pursue our passions or dreams in order to be truly happy. By actively pursuing our dreams, we will also find fulfillment in life.

Dare to Dream

Failure is not an option - when you are truly aligned with your passions, nothing can stop you.

~~Janet and Chris Attwood (Authors of "The Passion Test")

This is worth pondering over...



Dare to Dream

Thought produces an actual physical change in the construction of the tissue. Therefore it's only necessary to have a certain number of thoughts on a given subject to bring about a complete change in the body's physical organization. This is how FAILURE is CHANGED TO SUCCESS.

~~ Charles F. Haanel (Author of The Master Key System)

Our thoughts play a critical part in determining the events in our lives. I am not saying that God is not in control of the events that happen in our lives. But I am personally convinced that our thoughts do play a part. Hence, it's very important for us to watch what we allow our minds to dwell on.

Dare to Dream

We must never pursue our dreams at the expense of our health - physical, emotional/mental as well as spiritual health. Lack of good health may actually hinder the pursuit of our dreams. Even if it doesn't, we may not get to enjoy the fruit of our labour if we constantly neglect our health. Thus, it is important for us to take time out regularly to recharge as we pursue our dreams.

Dare to Dream