FeyVored

I remember how I saw colour that day. The green trees, the blue sky, the brown soil, everything vivid and bright. It was the usual walking route with the usual after-work tiredness, but, as if my eyes had been opened from blindness, the mundane became vibrant and I stopped to take it all in. The words from the popular hymn, How Great Thou Art, come to mind: When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze The greatness of God’s works was displayed before me, like an artist exhibiting his masterpieces in a gallery. Hidden in the seemingly dull and ordinary was His beauty being uncovered. I thought to myself “how great is His creation, the work of His hands.” “The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all t...

Hello there! It's Tunes Tuesday and I'd like to share a song that I really needed to hear! It's a song about our hope, secure in Christ. Please listen and I pray our hearts are awakened and revived by its words as we hold on to Christ, our everlasting hope. :Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSbJPZLNIuc Love, FeyVored

This is another gentle reminder for anyone who struggles, for anyone who thinks their resolve to stand firm in the faith is being stretched thin. It is for anyone who feels they are hanging on to a rope that's slowly breaking. Here is your gentle reminder: 1 Thessalonians 5 : 23-24: Now may the God of peace HIMSELF sanctify you completely,  and may your whole body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it. (emphasis mine) Keep trusting and believing in God to sanctify you completely. He will do it as you obey Him and let Him guide you. Amen. Love, FeyVored

It's a cold day. Wrapped up warm, ready for bed, I was thinking about what my plans are for tomorrow. There's a lot of following-up to do from today, and the thought of the work waiting for me tomorrow almost sends me to sleep an hour before my scheduled bedtime. But I regularly do some reading before bed, and today, I have come across an article by Jon Bloom on Desiring God . It is about Robert Chapman, a relatively unknown leader, however, one of great reputation. His legacy of love was outstanding and Charles Spurgeon referred to him as the saintliest man he ever knew.  So what  does this have to do with being cold? I looked at my life after I read of his. I realised that although my intentions are to love like Jesus commanded ( John 13:34 ), I seldom go out of my way for others. Rarely do I choose the interests of others before mine ( Philippians 2;4 ). Slowly, in harsh conditions, the heart becomes a cold heart of stone. Age and experience have bred cynic...

Happy new year dear readers! A lot has happened since I last posted on here, but I’ll spare you the details because you are not here to keep up with my personal life. You come here for encouragement and upliftment, so that’s what you’ll get, Lord-willing 😊 . Most of us would have started the year all fired-up and revving to go, to go achieve all the goals we have set, to meet new targets, to build new relationships and indeed, to just have a wonderful trail-blazing year! There’s a general feeling of great expectations in the atmosphere (vague term, but I am sure you understand), isn’t there? I came across this verse in Hebrews during the holidays, and timely it was. It says: “So, we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”” (Hebrews 13:6) Reading this inspired great courage in me to achieve remarkable things this year, to let go of my fears and to not be held down by the opinions of others. That’s...

Felicitations! It’s Christmas! Photos by FeyVored Every year, I look forward to spending this time with loved ones, sharing happy moments, and laughing at  “Uncle Jokes" on Christmas. This season is filled with acts of service for the helpless, giving to the homeless, sharing what we have with the less-privileged, charitable deeds everywhere- isn’t that what Christmas is all about? What does Christmas mean to you? Christ is the reason to celebrate Christmas. His birth marks a pivotal point in history: the coming of a saviour who will take away all our sins and give us His life, reconciling us to God. Every Christmas, you and I should be reminded of this. Away in a manger, on a silent night, in a small town of Bethlehem, He was born as no ordinary child but He Himself being the Son of God and in fact, God-incarnate, God in flesh. If Christmas to you is about thrills and wonder, what is more enthralling than the glory of Christ? If Christmas to you is ...

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be the blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king The poem above was written by J.R.R Tolkien for his novel, the Lord of the Rings. The quote "All that glitters is not gold" is a more familiar version (taken from Shakespeare) but it relays a different truth to what this poem means. The latter calls for a discernment between real quality and what is fake in the simplest of translations, but Tolkien wants us to see far beyond the surface, and beyond the present situation. All that is gold does not glitter; Not all those who wander are lost (I am learning even more to look past the shell of the body and to see the treasure of the soul, I am learning that the one who stumbles or falls can rise again) The ...

Freebies! We all love them. That stand with tasters for Aunt Millie's cookies, the free samples of your favourite perfume, and the buy-one-get-one-free promo? Say it, and we'll be there! But there is one free gift that we all hesitate to grab. Romans 3:23 says : For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our salvation has been handed to us freely as a gift, it is not something we can earn. Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,    not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Is there a catch, you might ask, why is it free? Well, it is because the price has already been paid. Paul speaks extensively in the book of Romans about Christ's gift of salvation. In Romans 8:3-4  Paul states, "[God] sending his own Son i n the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order tha t the...

This is a guest post from my dear Jem. She likes hashtags and writes on her blog too. Check it all out here ! I wear glasses. I’ve been short-sighted from a young age. It’s not been so much of a problem ‘cos Spec-savers fixes that for me. However, there’s a short-sightedness that can ruin our lives if we don’t get our vision back quickly.  This weekend, I got really upset about not being able to do a few things. I’ve wanted to invest in property for a while now and not being financially capable made me really frustrated. All of a sudden, I felt I hadn’t achieved anything in life, I was not on the level of my peers and the cycle of thoughts sent me down a line of ingratitude and an all-time low. Ingratitude. Don’t even get me started. This is the biggest killer of joy and the stealthiest thief of what you actually have. 2 Corinthians 10:12  states “When they measure themselves by themselves, they are not wise”.  Whenever I think of this ...

Yes! It's Tunes Thursday! This is the time when I share my feyvorite contemporary music with you lovely people! Today, I found this gem of a song called "Lay It All Down". I used to have Will Reagan's music on repeat- my flatmates may testify of how his songs are etched into their memories, all for their good, I believe! 😁 After a long break from his music (and a lot of music in general), I am glad that this came up on my feed. Here's the video . Enjoy, and tell all your friends too! Love, FeyVored P.S. Please share the music you love to listen to with me in the comments sections. I'd love to have new songs on playlist!

I found myself fretting about a LOT of things last week. There were bills to pay, deadlines to meet, relationships to build all in a world where each day is filled with uncertainty. The fear of the future got to me like it had never before; I was drowning in my worries about life. But GOD in His mercy heard me even before I prayed for help. I had only just started to notice that my fretting was becoming a problem when GOD spoke to me through His Son. He first reminded me to cast my anxieties on Him because He cares for me ( 1 Peter 5:7 ). I read that but it didn't really sink in. Then, the next day, He reminded me of His promises in Matthew 6:25-34: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" The writer of the devotional stated, "Since your body and life are more complex and difficult to provide than f...

Source: skyandtelescope.com And when the night falls and we cannot see, He will bring light, when the time’s right for you and me. Jon Bloom, an excellent writer for Desiring God , reminded me of the beauty of the eclipse: The shadow of the moon against it does not stop the bright and burning sun and so, the darkness in our heart and minds in times of despair does not mean that the Lord is not present. We may perceive His presence less in times of despondency, and even worse, we may not feel it at all. The obstruction of our mind's "moon" may prevent the warmth of His love from filling our hearts. But we are to be reminded the eclipse is for a moment. The dark night eventually rolls on into dawn and light shines upon us. Jon Bloom, in this article  where he writes the quote above, shares with us how God assured Him of His presence and answered his (Jon's) cries when he was groping for some meaning in his dark times. God is always n...

God has spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs unto God. -Psalm 62:11 God, Sovereign, unbound by no rules, has done what you and I can never do. By making His Son Jesus to die for our sins, He has shown HIS great power. It is the most impossible feat; the most Holy and blameless person who walked this earth took the place of the most sinful and unrighteous men, as He took on the sins of all the world upon His shoulders. This was to make us, we who revelled in our uncleanness, blind and oblivious to our sorry state, become perfect in God's sight. And why does this show His power? It is because it is a work that not even the strongest, most zealous, enthusiastic person can dream of achieving. It is because it is a work that transcends time and will carry on into eternity. It is because it is a work that no one can dispute, no one can stand against it. God planned and He did it, and no one can come in the way of what He has achieved. So, by God...

Source:hubpages.com I'll go straight into this. Relationships are a huge topic and there are many blogs, songs, TV shows and whatever-you-wish-to-add-to-that-list about them. But this post is sort of  not about relationships - at least not about getting into one or keeping your relationship thriving - it is about what you do with those that are broken. In my time, I have held on to broken pieces of a failed relationship not knowing what to do with them: I could toss them in the garbage and dust my hands off the mess, or I could try to piece it all together again, or I could hold on to them and use them as building blocks for another relationship. Decisions, decisions. I find that the easiest option is to dust my hands off. To move on and live my life. Although this has worked for me to an extent, I believe there is more to be gained from a dating history that you never wished for. The foot of the cross is where I have laid my reg...

Carrying on from the previous post , this post is about where to get courage against despair. I am no counsellor or therapist; I write from personal experience. I have also come to learn from research that many share similar opinions as I do which have helped them as well.   Depression causes one to feel alone in the dark; the cloak of gloom never lifts and it traps you from seeing anything in life as good, enjoyable, dependable or worth it. For many, there is a heavy feeling of shame and worthlessness and that you have nothing to offer this world. It is really difficult to go through this nearly every day and some have tried to find freedom by ending their own lives. My interactions with people who have made suicide attempts have showed me that many regret the decision. I heard of one man who jumped off a bridge and survived. But his thoughts when he let go of the railings were “What have I done?”, “I don’t want to die”. Each of us have a fighting spirit that wants to live...

Yesterday, I read about the death of Chester Bennington, the lead singer of the band Linkin Park.  My music playlist in my late teen years consisted of a limited and questionable fusion of alternative rock, Christian, folk, pop and a few hip-hop singles. The alternative rock bands had more plays than any other genre, and Chester's crisp melodic voice often played in the background as I tackled homework.  The Shadow of The Day soundtrack would play on repeat during long walks after college, and the images of the music video replayed in my mind as Londoners sped past me. Would life as we know it ever become a riot? Would the streets be volatile and the world uncertain? Would the shadow of the day embrace the world in grey? What does that even mean? There was a depth to his music that got me asking questions. I couldn't help but feel ashamed last night when I read the news of Chester's suicide. This singer was expressing the negativity in his mind and I coined it ...

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit ~ Paul (Galatians 5:22-23) The Christian's calling is a simple one- to come (Matthew 11:28), to follow (Luke 9:23), to keep in step (Galatians 5:23) with the Holy Spirit. Simple, not easy (Matthew 19:23-24) but with God, it is possible (Matthew 19:26). That is why we have been called to keep in step with the Spirit, to watch Him show us the way and lead us to the Kingdom of God. If we are honest, we would acknowledge that we drift. I had been drifting and was doing so for months, until God chastised me, and showed me the danger of drifting ,  twice . So when God opens your eyes to the state of your spiritual walk, if you had been drifting like I was, thank Him for opening your eyes to see where you are. Not everyone gets another chance. Hebrews 6:19 reminds us of the anchor for our soul. Hold on ...

The words below from this popular hymn resonated with me. Timeless and true, see the full hymn here . May Thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire! As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee, Pure warm, and changeless be, a living fire! While life's dark maze I tread, And griefs around me spread, be Thou my Guide; Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow's tears away, Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.  ~ "My Faith Looks Up To Thee", written by Ray Palmer, 1830. May our faith keep trusting in God's sovereign grace. Amen

Today, I decided to rest. To take a break from house work, from all kinds of work. Lately, I have had many weekends like this- where I decide to do nothing. But unfortunately, even when my body is not working, my mind is. It takes a lot of mental power to restrain my body from finding some activity, any activity, and I need to counsel myself to not do stuff just so that I can feel productive. "Activity does not mean progress", I say to myself , but not long after that I feel the guilt as my conscience condemns me of laziness and wasting what could have been a "productive" day. This pattern reminds me of my faith in Christ. It is a real blessing to trust in the Son of God as the hope of salvation and eternal life. Rarely, though, do you see one who really 'rests' in Him. What is involved in resting Him? It involves believing in the One whom God has sent ( John 6:29 ). This verse struck me years ago because of its straightforward reply to a question that ...

I've been reading Leviticus using the app called Read The Word which is associated with The Bible Project. The animations are great, they help create a picture of what things looked like in Biblical times. I don't have much to write at this moment, but I know that it must have been hard to keep the statutes laid out for the Israelites- truth be told, I have a problem understanding them, let alone following them. God shows the Israelites how Holy He is. He tells them that He wants them holy too. Sin must be purged out from their midst. As I read those weighty chapters, I pictured myself amongst the Israelites listening to the words of Moses reading God's commandments. Maybe I would have been attentive, taking detailed notes, or maybe I would be gazing into the wilderness wondering where this much talked about land of promise is. But I know for sure that I my heart would be heavy, weary and tired from wandering, wondering how I could possibly be holy as God had commande...