Thank you everyone

Pilgrim came to another crossroad on his journey. There are many paths that diverge from this road. As he contemplates which path to take, a voice called out to him.

Voice: Turn around.

And so Pilgrim turned. A crowd was standing before him, singing...

Crowd: “Happy Birthday to you!”

The time to make choices will come again, but right now, pilgrim joined his friends in celebration.

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I want to thank all my friends who have made this 28th birthday the most memorable birthday I ever had. Thank you for all the surprises (3 of them!)! I am really touched though I did not cry. I was in too much shock I guess. Hahaha. I really thank God for friends like all of you, who have shown me so much love and support, who prayed for me and encouraged me, who stood by me when things got rough, who came to my house to spend time with my family, who visited my dad when he was in hospital, who cautioned me when I walk on the edge of the narrow road to God... There are so many things that I want to thank God for because He has placed you guys in my life. I am stronger because of all of you.

Thank you John, Vera, Alec, Evelyn, Wendy, Renee, Jee Sing, Zong Hao, Ghim Shin, Alvin, Valerie, Chung Wei and Julin, Shawn and Syndy and Justin, Shirley, Pastor Kelvin, Jing Hui, Hui Mei, Chih Yang and Grace, Evelyn Jnr, Chun Lei, Cherrie, Emily, Pastor Dot, Ai Ling, Alfred, Wilfred, Julian and Michelle for the present and wonderful celebration.

在台灣的朋友們，好久沒見面了．看到你們的短片，我真的是又驚又喜，感動到不知道該說些甚麼好．我當然沒有忘記你們，我的桌上可是擺著你們的照片呢，只是現在因為時間和工作的關係沒辦法抽空到台灣去．希望今年工作會有些成績，便可以找個機會去跟你們聚一聚．

明典表弟，謝謝你所作的一切．你好用心啊，不只是錄音，還加了旁白．感謝神有你這樣一個細心又熱情的好弟兄．

逸文也是，我的媽媽看了短片，聽到你想接待她，馬上就說你好友善又好客．你們不只是我在主裡的弟兄，更在對我的家人作見證，讓他們看到了耶穌的愛．感謝主．

時間過得真快，映慈妹妹都畢業了!回想起來，那個時候妳還在念大一，現在卻步入社會工作了，好奇妙．加油，我也會一起加油的．繼續尋求我們的主．

文瑩，謝謝妳一起安排這一切，讓我的生日過得這麼特別．妳的關心和禱告，對我的家人的照顧，還有那追求主的心都讓我好佩服，感動．

謝謝你們正琪，欽漢，郁瑜，婉琪，羽書，家彥，中傑，弘真. 感謝主讓我在台灣也有這麼多好朋友!

謝謝大家的祝福!

From deepest fear to greatest redemption

I was watching the movie "Coach Carter" this afternoon and this quote came up. However, the real author was not credited with this quote and the lines in blue were left out of the movie version.

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brillant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
A Return To Love by Marianne Williamson

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Some people fear that they are not good enough, hopefully my fellow pilgrims will hear and understand the quote above. Some people think that a good God is too good to be true, the quote below is for the not-yet-pilgrims.

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My theory leaves plenty of difficulty, but has no such fault as that. Why, what sort of God would content you, Mr Faber? The one idea is too bad to be true, the other too good. Must you expand and trim until you get one exactly to the measure of yourself before you can accept it as thinkable or possible? Why, a God like that would not rest your soul a week. The only possiblility of believing in a God seems to me in finding an idea of God large enough, grand enough, pure enough, lovely enough to be fit to believe in."

"And have you found such, may I ask?"

"I think I am finding such," confessed Wingfold.

"Where?"

"In the man of the New Testament."
The Curate's Awakening (New title) or Thomas Wingfold by George Macdonald

The Three Shoes

Once upon a time, there were three pairs of shoes in a shoe shop. They were friends for as long as they can remember for the shoe maker made them on the same day. Since the first day they were laid upon the shelf side by side, they have scrutinised all their prospective owners to be. If there were anyone they liked, they would try their best to shine in order to attract attention.

Shoe 1: I would certainly like my owner to be someone important so that I would be able to travel to many different places of interest.

Shoe 2: What good is travelling? I want my owner to be someone famous, so that people can look at me and be marvelled.

Shoe 3: I do not know about all those things, I just want to be happy. How that would come I do not yet know.

Now it came to pass that all three shoes were bought on the same day. The owner of the first shoe was a businessman. He was a globetrotter. Shoe 1 shined with full delight and the businessman was his. He was bought. Shoe 2 spied an up and rising actor and immediately he gleamed. The actor was picking out shoes for his new role and promptly picked up his new shoe. Shoe 3 was left upon the shelf but an old man took notice of him. This old man seemed poor and unimportant, but as he carried the shoe in his arms, Shoe 1 felt that happiness might have come.

A few days later, all three shoes came together at a gathering. Shoe 1 and Shoe 2 were on a stage. The businessman had put money into a show that the actor was in. They were the highlight of the gathering. The old man was one of those in the crowd. Shoe 3 was on his way out.

Shoe 2: Where are you going?

Shoe 3: My master has things to do, and so I must be on my way.

Shoe 1: What sort of friend are you? Why can't you spend some time to share in our delight? I want to tell you where I have been.

Shoe 3: My life and time are not my own, so I am afraid that I cannot stay.

Shoe 2: Forget him. We can make many new friends here. I am famous now.

The old man walked on and Shoe 3 bid his farewell. Shoe 1 and Shoe 2 stayed in the limelight.

Some time later, all three shoes found themselves in a junkyard. They have been discarded.

Shoe 1: The only thing I saw were hotels and conference rooms, though I have been to more countries and cities than many.

Shoe 2: You fared better than me, after the movie was finished, I was left in a cupboard, with fifty other pairs of shoes.

Shoe 1: You looked the most worn out, life must have been hard on you.

Shoe 3 was breathing his last breath when he said this.

Shoe 3: On the contrary, I have found what I was looking for. For it is written,"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet who bring good news..." (Ish 52:7) I travelled far and wide into mountainous regions and saw nature's beauty, I brought my owner to people who loved him and were marvelled at his words. Truly I must say, I am satisfied. I am happy.

With this statement, Shoe 3 breathed his last and was not more, according to what we say in our world... In another world, his life has just began.