What If?

Last year I often wondered what life would have been like had I stayed in Malaysia. For this year, I think that this is the first time I'm wondering it once more.

Listening to an update from a friend today made me realize how much I've missed out in being a busy bee here in Melbourne. Not to mention the amazing All Girls Camp 2012 pictures up on Facebook. If I had stayed.. how different would my life have been?

Truth is, I don't know, and I probably never will. I've learnt so much here that I never would have at home, but.. I guess I can't have my cake and eat it too. I suppose, that my heart will always be torn between Melbourne and Malaysia. I remember the fears I had when I first stepped off that plane into a whole new world last year, how they have, for the most part, disappeared. I don't really know what I'm saying actually. Haha. This is just the me that misses home and all its people.

But, I am still extremely thankful for the chance to be here at all, to God, and my parents. God, just as we learnt yesterday, may I never compare my race to another and learn to just keep my eyes on You all the way. And to appreciate every single bit of beauty You bring my way in this journey.

I'm feeling pretty.. deep and thoughtful now. I just realized that I will probably spend the rest of my life like that, wondering what grass on the other side feels like unless I manage to keep my eyes focused on the task at hand, even if I'm a million miles away from home.

And on another note, Happy Birthday Mummy! :) I love you to bits and pieces!! <3

Going by faith,
Candice

Childlike Faith

I've been hearing a lot of stories this year about gold/silver dust from heaven when the Holy Spirit wants to move. First time I heard about it was my sister telling me about her friend who would have hands covered in silver dust as she worshipped God. Then in Planetshakers College, Pastor Paul shared that one chapel session went so powerfully that silver dust began to fall from nowhere. From heaven. And I'm like WOW! I want to experience that too! Yesterday, a good friend shared with me too about how after her baptism, she just wrote down all these crazy things she wanted, and gold dust was on that list, and one day, God just blew into her room and even her tissue box was covered with gold dust. How awesome is that?? AND been watching a documentary about it too that is just stirring up my faith to believe I will get to experience it too.

So yesterday at last service, I was just praying that God will let me experience this as well. I love that my relationship with God as a child of His allows me to ask for even little, extra gifts like this. Like Pastor Chris Hill asking God to show him an angel. Hahahha, that was a good story! Well anyways, he did see an angel and he was so freaked out and scared when it actually happened! LOL.

So yea, as I was saying. I was praying as I worshipped Him, and when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw were the fingernails of this lady in front of me with her hands raised to God, painted with glittery gold nail polish. It was quite funny actually, I smiled and thought, God You think You're so funny don't You? And I didn't mean that disrespectfully at all, just.. the way a daughter would with her Father who was teasing her. Had a good laugh out of that, but I just love that as Christians, we can have that level of intimacy with God, laughing at His jokes and finding joy in each other's presence.

On a side note, a certain housemate got baptized in the Holy Spirit yesterday!!! Hahaha, you want the full scoop, you gotta figure out which one and ask her to share her story with you! ;) It was such a precious moment when she began speaking in tongues as we sat around her and pressed in, all glory to Jesus! :)

With everlasting joy,
Candice :)

Things I Learnt From PPeACE

1. God is so good.
I absolutely love being in a house where I get to hear testimonies so often. I'd just check my whatsapp and see Pearly telling us all that she's been healed from her crazy vomiting etc. spree that day so she could still make it to the All Access PlanetUNI event that night. I'd be next to Popsy when her left foot got healed! I'd hear NE telling me miracles after miracles about things she's seen and even happened throughout us living together. I love that by doing this we set the stage for even more miracles to come! And I love the abundance of prayers in our house, usually thanks to NE's initiative. Above all else, God is good. :)

2. Nobody is perfect.
This is probably the first time I've actually lived in a whole house with people other than my family for a long time. I mean, I was in a homestay all last year, but that never really felt like a home. So like with family, I feel whatever flaws that we all have, it was all stuff I had grown used to over the years, and while it still bothered me every now and then, it was just the norm. Living with these four amazing girls, I learnt that while for the most part we're all loud and weird and crazy, there are days when each of us just locks ourselves in our rooms, days we can't be bothered to say hi to one another or just downright grumpy lazy days. And it's just all about getting used to and giving grace, because you need grace too. :) So.. I love that I'm learning this though, to accept people for who they are and always remember the good things on the bad days (though admittedly, we rarely have bad days so it's a lot easier). I feel like this is preparing me for a future relationship even, realizing that people I love from the 'honeymoon period' have flaws, and loving them even more despite it.. :) Thank You God for the lesson!

3. It doesn't matter who does whose dishes, just say thank you.
I love this about our house. So often I find my dishes washed and stacked, and I'm like.... WHO? WHAT? and I just meekly say thanks, cause.. pai seh la disturb other people! But, it's taught me and even got me excited to do the same for others more often, and I love this culture of constantly blessing one another through the simplest of chores. And not just dishes too, some days we come home to a perfectly clean and shiny house when most days it sort of just isn't like that. Or like how me NE and Popsy mowed the lawn last February so Pearly could come home to a pretty garden. :)

4. It's OK to have water balloon fights in the house.
We've been called random, weird, crazy etc. for doing this in the house, but just having so many fond memories of that night, cleaning up together and having a hot cup of tea each afterwards.. little things like the clean floor just didn't matter as long as everyone had a good time together. :)

5. The house is always full of food, or people who will cook for you.
Like seriously, Popsy's breadtop(s) supplied all the food I brought for the PBL party yesterday. How awesome is that? If it's not bread, or delicious pork floss bun Popsy made specially for me <3, or NE's random desserts or Ying's fruits or Pearly's congee/frozen kompiangs/frozen dimsummy stuffs. :) Sometimes I just go "I'm hungry.. *head to one side*"and everyone goes.. "you want....? I make for you!" :D :D :D

6. It's good to be the youngest.
Everyone always says I get pampered in our house the most, but everyone loves spoiling me with gifts and food. HAHAHAH WHAT TO DO. :P Love it though, with NE waking me up in the mornings, Ying implementing the 'no talking to Candice for more than 5 minutes rule' and Popsy insisting she will pick me up and send me home because it's dangerous and Pearly eating my failed cookies and stuff all the time.. :) AHH. And, hardly anyone called me Dice other than my sisters, occasionally my parents too. I think a few random older people here and there, like my piano teacher and my cousin. I guess a bit more over the years also la, like high school and college friends sometimes, but I always felt like it was only not weird with certain people somehow, cause Dice just sounds a bit weird one, unless you say it a lot. HAHAH am I even making sense? But now everyone in the house calls me Dice. And people call Ern Ying 'Ying' too, well I do, and it's like 'Dice'! Weird till you do it a lot. OKAY weird random extra fact. Moving on.

7. Don't be afraid to receive.
I don't know if I've ever struggled with this much before, but they would say I definitely don't cause I'm so spoiled. HAHAH. The past week or so, I've been going through some really really difficult times, and there was just so much disappointment, pain, hurt and exhaustion. What a blessing it is to have a house of people praying with you, caring in other ways when words aren't enough anymore, and blessing me with buns and this picture note thingy and an incredibly thoughtful card to pull me through. I felt so supported and loved as I humbly received all of that from them. And I thought about the times I was on the giving end, actually just that one significant time, eager to give more! :D, and there was SO MUCH joy in the moment, and so much excitement just to see the other person okay again. So yea, it's all about give and take, give without hesitation and take when you need it. :)

8. Even if you don't feel like it, join in the fun.
There were often times when I was just feeling blah or tired, but joy in the house is always so infectious! And it just reminds me that there is so much to be joyful about in this life, why be grumpy or sad at all???? :D :D

9. Be thankful, and love one another.
Never forget to always be thankful for all the little things everyone does for one another! Like car rides and the dishes and the house and washing the cloths and weeding etc. :) A thankful heart is a happy heart, a thankful house is a happy house! :)

10. Share the love.
Today I left badminton with the bunch of them early, cause well I realized I suck so bad at badminton but more than that, I wanted to clean my room, shower, pack and head to the library to study. Halfway through my chores, which took way longer than I expected, like the girls and Daren came back with a mountain of ingredients for hotpot. And we had like ten people over having hotpot on a cold rainy day in our house. So no, I didn't get work done today ( :/ ) but I deserve a short break before the long haul and after the crazy assignment I think! :P As I sat there and watched everyone eat and laugh, I felt so blessed to be a part of this. So blessed to just have people over, doing life together, loving each other, and adding to the love we grow in the house. And the best part is, a few of my uni friends came over to get me to write a card for another friend, and just totally got sucked in into the environment of the house, with people offering them food cause Isaac was thick-skinned enough to ask, but all good fun really. Love how laid back it was and how anyone and everyone is always welcome. :) And like.. Gladys has PJ's stocked up in my house for emergency stayovers even. HAHAH. :P

MUCH LOVE AND BLESSING,
Dice <3

The BEST Housemates In The World

Hands down, I have THE BEST Housemates in the world. Thanks so much guys, this meant more to me than you know. <3

goodbye my friend

Expectations

So here's a painful lesson I recently learnt - sometimes, people will let you down.

But today, in a very moving and much more powerful lesson, I learnt that God will never let me down. He knows exactly what I need and He promised to provide for me. And in that room today, He did. He came through for me so powerfully when I tried to hide the weight of my emotions and exhaustion. He made me stand in the middle of that prayer circle and just receive love and support from people. He sent me His people to be His hands and feet, to take care of me.

And it's just SO Him too.. to afterwards say to me, how could you have thought I wouldn't?


God.. has just been absolutely AMAZING lately, with so many more miracles and testimonies (and challenges) than ever before in my life. I look back at my journey and I'm so amazed at this God that never left my side, even when I threw tantrums, even when I was a blubbering, crying mess, even when I was at my ugliest. Thank You SO MUCH Daddy God, I don't think there's much else I can say to describe how in awe You made me feel today.

The bigger the test, the bigger the testimony. Sometimes it's worth it, to see the cracks in the world, to be hurt and disappointed by material things or other people, all to remember and count solely on the one unchanging person in my life who loves me more than life, infinitely and abundantly - Jesus. <3 I love You heaps. :)

And to my ULU 41 family here in Melbourne, thank you for being there when I needed you most. Thank you for reminding me that even though there are many personal battles I have to toughen up and fight, that I'm never alone on the battlefield.

 Blessed beyond measure,
Candice

When Words Fail

A million things on my mind right now.. but words are simply not enough.

Our God Glorious

Amazing last service at church today! So worth it to have sat next to Popsy and watch her check if her left foot had been healed or not, and see that IT WAS!!! PRAISE THE LORD! :) Ninny got healed of this pain in her stomach too, really powerful stuff!

LOVE all the testimonies I got to hear today, LOVE all the miracles that happened in church today, LOVE the sight of an altar flooded with hungry souls and above all, LOVE LOVE the God behind it all! I'm gonna tell on You God, and tell the world of Your amazing miracles! :)

I praise You for all You have done, and all that I declare is to come, the healings and breakthroughs I am still believing for in faith. You be glorified in it all Lord, You be glorified I pray. :)

<3
Dice

How Great Our God

Just finished listening to a friend's testimony of how God provided for her financially at her absolute lowest, poorest point. And it was just.. amazing. Like you know how some work that you see, essays, poems, art, whatever, if you know a person well enough, you can tell which of those things are his works? This is not a coincidence at all, and we both could see God's handprints ALL OVER THIS. I'm just blown away, by the abundance of testimonies around me lately. God gave her LITERALLY a hundred times what she had left in her bank account, how incredible is that?? Hahaha, I feel so happy now, the joy of knowing that in a broken world, my God still reigns, He still handcrafts miracles and He still makes the impossible happen, over and over again.


At discipleship the other night, Pastor Russell was talking about how he hears about fifty miracles happening in the life of the church every week. That's what I love about God, He is so personal and so accessible, and He is definitely not dead. I know that many testimonies pour out during big events - conference, camp etc., but the truth of our faith is:


"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20


"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- Acts 1:8


"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."
- John 14:12


"We pin the miracles to His (Jesus) divinity instead of his humanity because we are afraid of asking why aren't we as humans doing them too?"
- Pastor Chris Hill


I love it, I love it, I love Him. :) The more I thank God, the more I realized how blessed I am. And the closer I am to seeing the miracles I am waiting for come to pass as well. I believe, stronger with each testimony I hear from others, that power and authority from God Himself lie in each and everyone of us. It's just about picking it up, and fighting, no matter how gruelling, long and exhausting the fight may be. But really, by the amount of testimonies going on around me this year as well - jobs, shortlisted for competitions, money, healing, pulling through my studies, faith of so many going to a higher level, more supernatural signs and miracles from God.. What, can my God possibly not do? NOTHING! :)


"This year, to be consumed by the prophetic promises of God."
- Pastor Bill Johnson


I wait upon You with excitement Lord, and I praise You and thank You for being SO GOOD to me. <3 


Blessings and JOY,
Dice

Thank You

God You never fail amaze me with Your kindness, grace, thoughtfulness and undying belief in me. We'll get through this together, won't we? :)

What It Means To Love Like Christ

This video was absolutely beautiful. I was in the library preparing to start work when I came across this video from http://www.ruthiedean.com whose blog I love reading, and I was really moved by it, that I just had to share it too. The video is about Larissa and Ian, who were dating in college for 10 months before he got into an accident and was diagnosed with severe brain injury. A few years after caring for him and being able to communicate with him once more, they decided to get married.

And to marry someone who was disabled quite severely as such.. It is not commonly seen in the world today. Which is why, her selfless love for him is so holy and beautiful. I was reading through their blog for a bit at www.prayforian.com and felt so so moved. It wasn't that she didn't struggle with it, not at all, but it was how often she brought things back to the love of Christ that was so breathtaking.

As a husband, I want to be strong for my wife. I want her to see me as a man in the same vein as Maximus Aurelius from Gladiator; a persistent and strong leader with good intent. In reality, I’m more like a child in middle school who’s trying to impress a girl but continually cracks under pressure.

But how can Ian, a crippled man who’s been stripped of many physical and mental capabilities, be this type of man for his wife?

Well, the most important aspect of service to your wife is soul-protector. How did Jesus best serve the church? By redeeming and caring for the church. He gave himself up for the church so that “he might sanctify her” (Eph. 5:25-26). He gave himself up “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Husbands are supposed to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25).

We cannot save people from damnation, but we can care for them. So, the best way a husband can serve his wife is by caring for her spiritual condition and seeking her sanctification. This is the most obvious way Ian serves Larissa, and he does it well.

Ian’s joyfulness and complete reliance on God seem to bring encouragement to Larissa, not to mention his quickness to bring God back to the center of things. Ian portrays faith like it should be portrayed: as common sense. God is good and that’s the truth, even to a man in Ian’s condition.

This should reposition my focus in marriage. The most important aspect of protecting, caring and providing for my wife is spiritual. Even if I were handicapped, unable to walk by myself, and relying on her for everything, the weight of her soul on my heart should be heavier than any other burdens I might have.

I should be more like Ian, because Ian serves his wife like Jesus serves his church.

- Caleb, Ian's brother

Inevitably, I was forced to question myself in the end, am I able to love like that? So selflessly?

The truth is, I don't know. I hope that the love I have for people is indeed pure without requiring return, but I pray that God continues to work in my heart that I may be able to shake off all worldly mindsets or spirits of entitlement.

Even as I head back for my placement in Port Philip tomorrow Lord, I pray that I will be able to love the students there like You do, without holding back, without concern about spit or snot or smell or anything like that, and I pray that I will be able to continue learning how to love people from You, my Heavenly Father as long as I live. Mold me Lord, to be more like You every day. :)

Blessings and joy,
Candice

Blessed Beyond Measure

Nothing quite like seeing the altar flooded with hungry people. I will never grow tired of watching God move like He did tonight. <3

And to be able to spend the rest of my life filled with glorious moments such as those, I can confidently say that I am blessed beyond measure.

WishList #1

(19 May) 

Taken off my wishlist! :) Much thanks to Bea Che! :D

Thoughts About: Alcohol

As I headed to my sister's place tonight, I passed a couple of people who looked a bit drunk. I remember now the time I was at Huntingdale station late one night also, and there was a drunk group of people, one of whom was peeing on the Huntingdale Station sign.

I made up my mind last year to never drink alcohol again, but for funnier reasons that those I hold to now. At my sister's Architectural Graduate Exhibit, it was so hot and I was so thirsty that I downed a glass of champagne because it was the only drink I could find. I got this MASSIVE headache afterwards, and it just felt so stinkin' horrible. I had to walk with a long umbrella and Alicia had to make sure I didn't die or something. It's quite funny now, looking back I suppose. But since then, I decided to never again drink alcohol, and also cause it tastes awful to me too.

At the previous discipleship, all planetUNI leaders were required(?)/mandated to not drink alcohol by Pastor Rudy. He said that God had revealed to him years ago the dangers of alcohol and thus he put that same expectation on his leaders. He knew what it could do to teenagers, and how badly it could turn their lives around.

Thinking about that as I walked back to my sister's place, I realized how much alcohol can destruct a person's life, How it has robbed so many of precious relationships with loved ones, of money, of futures, how a person can be driven to want to live life from drink to drink for the feeling of ecstasy. I think about all the little things I find joy in, and how I've been stoned out of my mind happy for no reason and under no influence of such substances. Except maybe bubblegum ice cream. :P Why drink alcohol for pleasure, when there is fullness of joy in the Lord and His people? I made a stand a few months ago, and I'm gonna stick to it. I don't intend to force this on any of my readers, but I have decided that I will not so easily succumb to an entity that has stolen the lives of so many by temptation. I will not give the devil that one inch in my life, in case it becomes something he can use to overtake my soul completely.

I'm not entirely sure why I decided to post this either, and I know that it is a somewhat controversial topic too. But to shorten a long story, there's a part of me that is unsure if I may stumble sometime in the future. I've never been as passionate for God, life and people as I am now. Prayerfully, my heart for such things will only grow more and more with each day. But should I trip one day and lose my way, I'll have these words, from the heart of a passionate teenager, determined to follow God's call upon her life to do great things for His kingdom. I pray I never have to look back with conviction, but instead with pride and peace. :)

"Mine is Keep Calm and Carry On. Popsy's is Keep Calm and Drink Tea.
What about me?
Never Calm Down."
- Chat with Ern Ying

Be blessed, and thanks for reading! <3
Dice

Thing To Add To My Resume

I make scones and soup when I procrastinate.

Just What's Been Going On

Today I was talking to Pearly over lunch in the kitchen, and we started talking about.. boys. Hahahha, well it's a popular topic when you live with four girls. And we were talking about how we both believe that God's set apart someone for us, that has worked as hard in building their lives as we have. And that we deserve guys who would be spiritual leaders in the relationship as well. Pearly even said, yea the guy should be even better than you too, cause the Bible says that the guy is supposed to lead. After that, I said, but.. if he's better than me, what if he doesn't like me? And she said, If he's meant for you, God will push him back to you and say LIKE HER! 

Or something along those lines. It was just really funny the way she did it! :P

But I mean jokes aside, we know la, when you meet the right person that God's been planning for all along, there'll be a mutual attraction for sure.

Yesterday after ULU 13, and after some of them left, me, Ern Ying, Pearly, Ron, Daren and Joshua were just hanging out in the kitchen (popular spot) and procrastinating from doing our work. Suddenly Ern Ying says, One praise song and we all go do work ok! So we did, and even continued with one worship song, and God's presence was just so there. Everyone was getting into it, and singing our hearts out loud.. It was such a precious moment. :)

Also yesterday, I was supposed to train back with Popsy and Ern Ying from the city after placement, but there was a mix-up and I got into a different train. It was quite funny. But anyways, I reached Oakleigh and waited for the bus that will stop right outside my house, but I only took it once with Ern Ying so I wasn't too sure where to press for the stop. Anyways, I fell asleep in the bus and woke up to completely unfamiliar surroundings yet.. well all suburbian houses look the same. So for a while, I thought I reached, and got off the bus... to find myself in the middle of nowhere. Immediately called Popsy and said I'M LOST... I MAY EVEN BE IN DANDENONG, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM! Seriously, my housemates deserve more credit for dealing with me all the time. She calmed me down and asked me to send my location to her and we figured out where I was. Turned out I probably fell asleep for about two minutes, and was like eight or nine stops from home. LOL it was so funny though, and Pearly was laughing at me at home after I told her I got off at the wrong stop, and she's like, imagine if suddenly Popsy gets a call, I'M LOST IN DANDENONG POPSY!! Heh.. had to admit that that phone call did actually happen. 

Had a pretty huge water balloon fight in the house a few weeks ago too! Soaking wet floors, bit of the carpet and wall too. So awesome though! :D 

Been falling down a lot too, super blur lately. Today I tripped on the way to Chaddie and this guy was like WHOA are you ok? Embarassed, I was like, HEH, all good! And in JayJays I walked into a rack with metal sticks all over to hang stuff. Seriously losing my mind man. PAI SEH. 

Hahah, I have no idea why I decided to write this, but it's nice to just share all the little joys that's been going on in my life. :)

On a more serious note, a lesson I've been learning over and over again, is that growth comes from hunger. The most amazing testimonies come from people who constantly just say to God, I want more, more of You. It is one of my strongest beliefs that God will not deny a hungry heart a great calling. Just interesting to note. :)

There's been a lot of brokenness around me lately too. And it kinda scares me, really trying to be positive in the midst of it all, but I know this one thing for sure.. God is still good. So good. :)

Love,

Dice

The Countdown Continues

6 weeks (42 days) to go from tomorrow!

More of You Lord, MORE of You.

Raw Faith, Pure Courage

Third Post in a Day

Hold on to me sweet Jesus. Never let me go, never let me go, never let me go.

Please.

Humanity

Inspired. :)

Unchartered Territories, Unexplored Terrains

I spent a while looking back at old blog posts from May 2010 and May 2011 today. And.. I am quite amazed, and very encouraged. It's always nice to look back and see the hand of God over the story of my life. And in line with a thought that's been in my head for a while now - Where would I be without You? I really wonder how different those blog posts would have been if God wasn't in my life then. Where would I be now?

But other than that, I love reading about the dreams and passions I had then, and knowing that it hasn't changed, that my heart still skips a beat for the same things, all that has changed is my capacity to dream and believe in those dreams. God has just been expanding me like crazy, and I find myself daring to believe for greater things now.

It's always nice to have that girl encourage me though. The girl I once was. The girl who became who I am now.

God's got more. I know it. I know it, and I feel it in my spirit.

It was pretty great reading about old memories too, like that it was Ivan who saw my SPM results slip for me back in college and had to deal with crying blubbering me (Thanks Ivan, I totally forgot :P). I read about my adventures in MADU at Tengku Budriah, and thought of Sabrina, the girl who was closest to me while I was there. I wonder how she is doing now. I read about how I felt when Daly and Samuel left for America, and remembered little Moses, I wonder where he is now. I miss all my opportunities to serve the underprivileged in 2010, but I suppose, God just has a different bunch of people He wants me to bless now. 2011 was more of a difficult year for me, but I read about the first time us girls in ULU 13 shared in the room upstairs, and remembered how I was SO BLESSED by that time. I read about the lessons I had learnt, and read a lot of old post bits I re-quoted and relearned lessons from last May. I remembered my trip to Berwick, and I think what hit me the most, is how God is just SO GOOD to me.

"When the day comes where I stand before Jesus face to face, and look into His eyes which can see the deepest, darkest recesses of my heart, I want him to see that every breath, every passion, and every dream that I had was given to Him and for His kingdom."
-Pastor Tim Hall

Love,
Candice

On Destiny

Today I found out that one of my oldest friends back from about standard 1 or 2 maybe (though we aren't really close at all anymore) has started a band with some of her friends, touring places and making a name for themselves. Though like I said, we don't talk anymore, it still does give me a small sense of pride to see her success and know that I used to know her back when she tied two pigtails to school. I remember what her mum looks like. I remember her considering dreams of being a superstar but deciding at one point that it was too impossible, but now.. wow. :) 


This journey that we all take, different and unique, really just amazes me. People that started off the race with me have all taken separate routes by now, and the earliest close friends I have go back to form 2/3 only. But to look back, and see where they have ended up.. just.. don't you find it incredible too? Everyone's growing up and becoming who they want to be in life.


Pastor Tim Hall said in service that day, that over the next few months there will be such a sense of destiny. It was like a really powerful moment when he said it last week too. And I'm excited. I mean, I think for a few years now I have known what I really want to do with my life, and have it confirmed by prophetic words too. It's a pretty cool feeling, watching it all tie together. But I want more. More of God, more revelations, bigger dreams to dare invade my mind, more challenges to conquer and to tap into more of the power of the Holy Spirit and witness the most amazing of miracles happen. 


I've been reading this book by Wayne Cordreiro called The Dream Releasers, and one of the things he said was that dreams often take the scenic route, and not the highway. Looking back at my own life, I thought about how true that is. How the dreams that I've carried in my pocket for a while now are still tucked away, awaiting a holy release from God when I'm ready. But God is good. With promises coming true already, and a first release in less than two months, I'm really eager to see how my life pans out actually. It's scary as anything, and so exhausting, and every other day a part of me whispers I can't do this anymore..  but one thing I hold on to is this, for this my Father in Heaven promised.


Philippians 1:6 
- "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"


A part of me has been questioning, what next after this adventure? What next, God? This has been the goal for so long, what will my life head towards next?


And I hear His still voice say..


This is only the beginning.


Love and blessings,
Candice

On Living

"My motto in life is to "Die empty!" I aim to give the graveyard nothing but a vacant carcass of a used-up life. I want the words on my tombstone to read "Empty!" Nothing left. No more gas.
I know of one person who died empty - Paul the apostle. "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering," he wrote,"and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:6-7)
By the time God called Paul home, his fuel gauge had just hit empty. God was about to shake the cup because like the coffee slogan, the apostle was good to the very last drop.
The greatest example of dying empty, of course, is the Lord Jesus Himself. On the cross He was about to shout "It is finished!"
I want to die empty!"
- Wayne Cordeiro, in The Dream Releasers

Quotes of (Last Night)

Came back to Clayton with two of the FUNNIEST boys ever. Gotta give them credit though, they were so kind to help me carry my hobo bag with all my groceries, because the stupid strap broke and you had to hold it like those brown paper bags. These were my top three favourite quotes of the night:

Daren: The last time you took my picture, it came out so ugly!
Qui: That's because you are ugly.


(Daren buying two ice-creams at McDonalds)
Me: Is that both for you??
Daren: No, one for me and one for Qui. 
Me: OHHH.
Daren: I could eat ten though, I just can't hold ten ice-cream cones.


Qui: So nice that you guys have a TV to watch at home. 
Me: I don't even watch the TV we have at home.
Qui: You don't need to watch TV, cause your house is already like a TV show.