A Christmas Tradition

Roasted Stuffed Turkey

Click here for the recipe.

Black Smoke in the Horizon

Black smoke in
the horizon

Saw this while crossing an overhead bridge today.

Faithful to the End

Written on the Swallow's way to work on 21 November 2015, and left aside in her mobile notes. Not till today did she remember the thoughts the Lord had brought to her mind then.

FAITHFUL TO THE END by jadeswallow

In a little while, Christ may be here
From the heavens above, He will soon appear
All we who worship Him, are we ready to hear?
That loud command which rings through the spheres?

Are we ready to meet Him? To see Him soon?
It may be at sunrise, sunset or mid-afternoon
It may be tonight, tomorrow or many new moons
We know not when, but it may be soon.

When He finally appears, we must be ready;
Our faith in Him strong, our walk with Him steady
For when He comes, we'll spend eternity
Singing His praises, bowing our knees.

On that glorious day when my Lord comes for me
When the angel's shout sounds, I want to be ready
So help me, Lord, on earth to be steady
Faithful, in all things, throughout this long journey.

Help me, Lord, to walk on joyfully
In spite of earth's sorrows, to grow more fully
Like You, my Saviour, who gave Your life for me
Then I will be here what I will be there in eternity.

One More Day

A new year, a new study into the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

"He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22: 20, NKJV)

ONE MORE DAY by jadeswallow

One more day and Christ may return
To take me home with all God's children
For this earthly home is just temporary
Our home's not here, it's in eternity.

One more day to do His work
Touching lives, reaching out - it must be a perk
Joyfully, gracefully, willingly - in the Spirit
With His joy, by His grace and in His will - my meat to eat.

Difficult and long the road in this life's journey
But my Lord indeed has promised me
"Never will I leave thee, never will I thee forsake"
So I, His child, press on - for His name's sake.

One more day, Lord, just one more day
Help me to press on, help me to stay
Faithful in the tasks You have for me
Even as I wait for Your eternity.

Celebrating a Wedding Anniversary with Nasi Lemak

Celebrating a Wedding Anniversary with Nasi Lemak 

Click here to read how you can prepare Nasi Lemak in your own home.

Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice)

The Swallow's family enjoy Nasi Lemak. A traditional meal of Nasi Lemak, which is also known as Coconut Rice, in Singapore is usually served during breakfast. It is accompanied by sambal (a cooked chilli paste), fried peanuts, fried anchovies , a few cucumber slices and a few slices of hard-boiled eggs. Additional dishes can be added to this and the dish eaten during lunch or dinner.

Preparing the Nasi Lemak meal at home is a process that takes some time, but the smiles on the her family's faces...priceless! The process is also made easier with the use of a rice cooker, and doing meal preparation over a few days rather than a few hours.

NASI LEMAK (COCONUT RICE) (serves 4 - 6)

Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice)

Ingredients

2 cups long grain rice
100 ml coconut cream
water
1/2 tsp salt
A bunch of pandan leaves, rinsed and tied together in a knot (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Placed the washed rice in a rice cooker. Add the coconut cream and enough water to reach the '3 cups' mark in the rice cooker. Add salt and mix well.
2. Do not cover the pot yet. Cook the rice according to manufacturer's guidelines. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. When the water is boiling, cover the lid and let the rice cook until the rice cooker switches off automatically. 
4. Once the rice cooker signals its readiness, remove the lid and fluff the rice. Return the lid and switch off the heat.

Putting it together

1. To serve, place the amount of rice to be consumed on a plate.
2. Add the sambal e.g. Sambal Tumis or Sambal Ikan Bilis.
3. Add cucumber slices.
4. Add fried peanuts, fried anchovies and hard-boiled eggs.
5. Add other optional items like fried luncheon meat, fried chicken, fried fish.

Notes

1. Sambal can be made in advanced, cooled and kept in the fridge for up to five days. Re-heat before serving it with the rice.
2. As different rice cookers may bring different results, experiment. If a different texture is preferred for the rice, adjust the water amount.
3. The amount of coconut cream added also plays a part in the end result. Adjust as needed.

Tulipmania

In March, the Swallow and her mate made a visit to Gardens by the Bay.

Now she is given another opportunity to visit again. This time was with some friends back in Singapore for a holiday after their migration to Canada and they went to view the colourful Tulipmania display.

Click here to view photos taken at the display.

A Visit to Gardens by the Bay

The Swallow made her first trip to Gardens by the Bay with her mate. Amazed by the colourful display but limited by a low battery level on her mobile, she kept her photo-taking to mainly pictures of flowers in her favourite colour.

Click here to view these photos.

To See Jesus

The memory verse in Sunday School today was "Thou shalt call His name JESUS." based on Matthew 1:21. The whole verse reads "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." (NKJV)  Further verses reveal the pursuit of the Wise Men from the East to find and worship the One who had been born King of the Jews. This pursuit lead them first to Jerusalem, and then to Bethlehem. When they finally found the One they were truly looking for, the immediate response was "they fell down and worshiped Him." Matthew 2:11 (NKJV)

The sermon preached from the pulpit today was from the passage in John 12:20-26, "Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour."

The speaker related the story of Jim Elliot whose life was lost in the jungles of Ecuador to emphasize this point of dying to self.  Having his life taken by the tribal people whom he was trying to reach with the gospel of Christ, Jim Elliot may have been called a fool by world's standards but he was in pursuit of a higher calling.  He was serving His Lord and Master.

Wish to see Jesus?  "Let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also."

Having found Him? "They fell down and worshiped Him."

It's Almost Christmas

Just a day till Christmas...

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS by jadeswallow

It's almost Christmas - let us be still
It's not about our presents, but peace and goodwill
It's not merely about family, but God's relation to man
He sent His own begotten Son to bring salvation's plan.

It's almost Christmas - please stop for a while
To wonder at this plan, and ponder with a smile
That God, the Almighty, should even consider us
When He created the world and the whole universe.

It's almost Christmas - let us, with joy,
Remember the angels, the shepherds, but mainly the Boy
Remember the wise men, gentle Mary and faithful Joseph
But mostly the loving Saviour who came down to serve.

It's almost Christmas, let us look up
As we feast, as we dine, or as we sup
He's coming again - this was and is His promise
Let us be ready - it could be this Christmas!