Dreams and Breaks

The following slogan on the T-shirt of a passerby caught my attention and you might wanna chew on it:-

"Dreams don't work unless you do." Unless you do the work, for clarity.

And, if you have been working too hard, this is a gentle reminder to take some breaks.

Click here for Why Taking Breaks Is The Key To Productivity.

Here's one great way to take a break. 

Automat by Edward Hopper
Courtesy of www.EdwardHopper.net

While you are taking your break with your cuppa, you might wanna contemplate the circumstances of the woman in the picture which could be fodder enough for a novel (a la a picture paints a thousand words) and the following quotes by Mr Hopper:

“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”

“No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination.”

Thank you for reading and sharing Daily Refreshing. This has been a good break for me to write as part of my dream to be a writer.

No More Condemnation

Nobody likes to feel condemned for the wrongs that he has done. When we err, there will be a recourse such as punishment, penalty fees and jail term.

But condemnation is that which lingers on after we had paid our due. It could be a social stigma that hangs over our head. Also, other people and the devil himself will also keep harping on our wrongdoings. Worse of all, we may unwittingly be our own worst accusers (out of a reflex sense of self-righteousness) and play the devil's advocate to our own detriment.

If that's how you feel, I have good news for you and your soul will find afresh that the sky is blue and grass is green under the shadow of God's grace. 

The following teaching from God's Word by Pastor  Joseph Prince will show you that the law and your own efforts will be futile to make you a righteous person, but there is a new kind of righteousness in Jesus Christ given by God (it is a gift and not a reward that you work for) that even those who have been Christians for the longest time would be surprised that this is exactly what is written in the Holy Bible.

Click here for Break The Power Of Sin With This Truth by Joseph Prince

Click here for Joseph Prince - The Root Cause Of Your Problem Is Condemnation

"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." (Romans 3:20-22a; NKJV)

When we sin against God, the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins and we need to confess our sins and repent. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9; NKJV) Once we have repented and received our forgiveness, there is no more condemnation.

May you find freedom today and receive the revelation from God that there is no more condemnation in Jesus Christ. 

Courage to Carry On

"Courage is, with love, the greatest gift. We are, each of us, defeated many times -- but if we accept defeat with cheerfulness, and learn from it, and try another way -- then we will find fulfilment." -- Rosanne Ambrose - Brown

Take a cup of courage and do not stay defeated by setbacks. Learn from them and resolve to bounce back to tackle the challenge using a different technique or tactic. Nobody can hold you back except your own mindset.

Photo by Oliver Cole on Unsplash

 

 

Dark is the night before daybreak and the dawn of a new morning.

May you find fresh perspective to tackle your besetting difficulty by changing tact and tack, and never giving up. 

A good morning is coming for you and you will relish your sunny side-up egg afresh. Believe that you can be an overcomer. That's a good place to start.

Australian Booster

Do you need a BOOST from Down Under?

On the surface, BOOST serves fresh fruit juices and you can get these there as with other places. 

But, that would be missing out on the secret ingredients that they offer in the form of boosters comprising:

* Energiser Booster 
   (guarana extract, ginseng extract, taurine and vitamin E)

* Superfruit Booster
   (acai berry, cranberry, goji berry & pomegranate packed with antioxidants)

* Wheatgrass Powder
   ("a concentrated dose of essential vitamins & minerals")

* Green Tea Booster
   (green tea extract)

* Immunity 
   ("supports a healthy immunity system with green tea extract, echinacea extract, vitamins A, C and zinc")

* Vita Booster
  ("at least 10% of your RDI of essential vitamins and minerals")

Then, there are Super Boosters like Wholegrain Oats, Whey Protein and Chia Seeds.

Packed with so much refreshing goodness with added boosters, I think you will be able to find a Boost juice or smoothie that would give you a reason to smile.

Click here to find your Booster.

39th UOB Painting of the Year 2020

 

The following is a sample of winning paintings from the 39th UOB Painting of the Year competition for your refreshing:-

UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year 2020
Isolated Garden by Prabu Perdana

Making Sense of Difference #2 by Ivan David Ng

Joyous Ordination Procession Under Covid-19 Shadows
by Thanapon Datoomma

Family Portrait by Emil Nicodemus Chew

The Everday by Charlie Chua

Recommence 55 by Leon Poh

8 Years Old by Sasha Lisman Susanto

"One eye sees, the other feels." -- Paul Klee

“Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.” -- Anni Albers

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.” -- Pablo Picasso

"A painting to me is primarily a verb, not a noun, an event first and only secondarily an image." -- Elaine de Kooning

“Every canvas is a journey all its own.” -- Helen Frankenthaler

Donkey Work

Nobody likes monotonous and routine work which just have to be done. It is made worse when you are feeling under the weather and find work -- all manner of work to be a drudgery. 

Ya, it is time for you to go for a retreat, take a hike or get as far from work as best as you know how. 

You need a reset before you exceed your limit and suffer a mental meltdown. Watch your words which are springing forth from your heart. When you are spewing negative remarks, including profanity, please note that this a clear warning sign that your body is reacting to your inner turmoil. Take action and seek help. If you lack idea, seek help from a confidante or explore with Google  search.

That said, donkey work is in the scheme of your work life or business. They need to be done by you along with other seemingly more important or higher valued stuffs within, say, strategic planning and business development.

Have Hellen Keller's attitude of: "I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble". Indeed, your uncompromising approach to small things and attention to details speak volume of how you do everything else.

                                                         Photo by Alfredo Mora on Unsplash

  

In Christendom, you are the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand. 

Today is Palm Sunday and on that first Palm Sunday in Israel, Jesus needed a ride to enter Jerusalem. The creator of the universe and King of kings has a need and He knew exactly who to call upon.

Jesus sent two disciples, "saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

“Tell the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your King is coming to you,

Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” (Matthew 21:2-5; NKJV)

With the development of a vaccine to combat Covid-19, we are that much safer. The curse of sin needed a cure, too, and Jesus became that antidote when He died as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins on Good Friday.

On the week leading to Good Friday at the kairos moment in the fullness of God's time, the humble nameless donkey heeded the call and walked into Jerusalem as Jesus would have walked and had the honour of carrying the King of Kings on its back! No Bentley or Rolls-Royce could hold up against that donkey. God is gracious enough for us to be partaker of His divine works and plans.

Hey, if God can use a donkey, He can use you, too! You may not be perfect but you are an original, and you have a divine destiny. Get on with your donkey work and do everything heartily as unto the Lord God Almighty.

If you need help, call upon Jesus today just as the people did on Palm Sunday  when they cried "Hosanna!" which means "God saves us now!"

This is God's 'telephone number' JER333:-

" '‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3; NKJV)

And, this is God's assurance:-

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6; NKJV)

Have a reflective Palm Sunday.

Give Yourself a Pat on the Back

"The world has no room for cowards. We must all be ready somehow to toil, to suffer, to die. And yours is not the less noble because no drum beats before you when you go out into your daily battlefields, and no crowds shout about your coming when you return from your daily victory or defeat." -- Robert Louis Stevenson

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

  

Don't wait for people to appreciate you. Do what you need to do or believe you need to do like the taxi driver who shared that he would wash his cab at the end of his shift unstintingly unless it is raining cats and dogs. It is a personal standard which he maintains without his company and co-driver having to tell him to do so.

Keep up your good work even if the results are not as well as you expect. Keep believing that your hard work will not be in vain. Be inspired by Lee Zii Jia as he prevailed over both the world no. 1 and 2 badminton players to become the newly crowned All England Champion.

Don't gripe, blame the whole world or wallow in self-pity. Take a leaf from this Swedish proverb: "Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; love more, and all good things will be yours."

Hold up your head and straighten your back to soldier on, and grab whatever little time you have for rest and sleep. Focus on what you know you need to do and never give up on yourself. Your time in the battle trenches are but stepping stones for your success that is around the corner.

Thank you for dropping by Daily Refreshing. Stay strong and never stop believing in yourself.