Your Money God’s Way by Amie Streater

There probably is a good reason why there aren’t many books about Christians managing their finances (and/or debt) in there market, but I don’t know them. Walk into any bookstore and the most of the Christianity section is stacked with books on Christian Living while books on Money are all in the business section far at the other end of the shop.

This book is definitely unique (well, for me anyway), in that it talks about money matters like debt and overspending from a biblical point of view, and from the experience of the writer.

The best thing about the book is that the writer tells it as it is. I’ve read far too many books that try to be nice and mollycoddle the readers, but here, she does not mince her words. Which is what most people need – getting in thousands of dollars in credit card debt while having a WRONG perception of God’s provision is serious business.

Surely there are many out there who need to read this book, it would have also benefited me had I read it many years ago.

When You Forget God

Didn’t want to listen to RedFM on the drive to work this morning, so i started singing old Sunday School songs that I can still amazingly remember 20-25 years on. Don’t ask me why, I just do.

Came to the song “I’ve Got a Home in Gloryland” – remember that rousing tune? Guaranteed to lift your spirits on a dreary Friday morning. But when i got to verse 2 where it goes “Do, Lord, oh do you remember me?” it got me thinking – what did the writer mean? In what circumstance can God forget you? Or inversely, what if we forget God?

The last question is only too real for people who have parents who suffer from Alzheimers or similar memory loss ailments. I’ve heard cases where old parents they forget they are Christians and revert to practices of ancestral worship (in their mind) because of Alzheimers. Can we lose our salvation because we forget God?

Ron Choong had a very reassuring and elegant answer. Our salvation does not depend on us remembering God, but God remembering us.

Shopping for Art Supplies

Those of you on Facebook know that I’ve been moseying up to a new hobby (or rather rediscovering an old one) – water colour painting. Since I didn’t want to be mooching off the my daughter’s paint equipment (most of which were given to her by my mother), i decided to get my own.

After doing some shopping around, I got it from the shop near my house, run by this lady we call ‘Shrek’ (long story). So i spent like RM70 for a basic watercolour set, a few starter brushes, and an A3 artblock. I actually earlier tested colour wash on 160gsm paper – holy crap! paper turned pulpy immediately. So i had to get the best paper they had in the shop, which was only RM180gsm. Not much better, but at least it took a few colour washes before it turned pulpy.

Today I went all the way to Art Friend in Gardens Mid-Valley to get some good quality (at least 300gsm) paper. They had a few imported brands there, but they were REALLY expensive. The cheapest one they had there was the locally made Campap, cost me about RM26 for a block of 12 sheets. I looked around the shop, and the medium to good art supplies they have there didn’t come cheap either, esp the horse hair brushes and oil colours.

So bottomline, art supplies are expensive. Make sure you get cheap starter sets first if you’re not sure you really want to commit yourselves to it.

P/s does anyone know the other art supply store in bangsar is?

Meanwhile…

So, yeah, just when i was a little caught up with all the problems of work and finance, i was given a small reminder about priorities in life.

It started out last Thursday, the day before the Hari Raya holidays. I asked our tea lady if she was going home for the holidays. Our tea lady is the nicest and most hardworking person you’ll ever meet.

She said of course not, with only 3 days off its impossible for her to get home and come back (she comes from a very small island to the east of Jawa). She says she’ll stay in KL and spend the weekend with her friends here who all can’t go home either. I made some joke about KLCC being flooded with foreigners during Hari Raya, and didn’t think much more about it.

***

Fast forward today, i came back early during lunch and walk past the pantry (i was the only other person in the office). I could hear my tea lady in the pantry, talking loudly over the phone (she didn’t see me come in).

After being at my seat for awhile, I realized she was crying loudly while on the phone – she was talking with her children telling her why she couldn’t be home for Hari Raya.

***

Three Books from London

Found this photo while looking for something else.

They are the three books i bought when i went to London/Paris recently. The left one is The Old Man and the Sea (GBP6/RM30) i bought from Waterstone’s on Oxford Street. It was the only book I bought retail. The other two, I from a second hand stall in Portobello Market. The middle one is Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions and the right one is The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Both cost about GBP4 each (RM20), still a lot cheaper than buying new here.

Didn’t have time to check out Charing Cross. Maybe the next time i’m in London.