hmmm....I'll call you friend

Ever wondered why you meet some people in this life? Why some people happen to come into your life at certain times?

Or…

Why people leave and you think ‘why did I meet them in a first place’?..
Who really belongs in your life?

A lot of the time, we as humans are trying to fill that longing of having someone we can laugh and spend time with. Rather than finding a true friend, we gather lots of acquaintances and call them “FRIENDS”

So what/who exactly is a friend? What is their role? …and what do we expect from them?
A true friend is:

•Caring and available – the gift of your time and genuine concern is invaluable
•Encouraging – by affirming and supporting your friends, you build their self esteem.
•Willing to sacrifice – you’re willing to walk the extra mile and can be depended upon
•Patient – always remember that no one is perfect and be able to endure in times of hardship
•A good listener- listening is the language of love
•Loyal – no matter the cost, you are loyal
•Truthful – means telling it the way it is even if it’s going to hurt sometimes.

- From Surviving Adolescence by Jim Burns


"Don't underestimate the influence of your friends, it's a fact that you become like them" - Jim Burns


Ever thought about how your best or closest friend came to be that? Sometimes, it's not that you start off being friends, u could be people who totally didn’t like each other and somewhere along the line...you just happened to be inseparable.

It’s funny how these things happen.

The thing that really baffles me though is the person who seems to be a very good candidate for a friend but somewhere, somehow things hit the rocks and the friendships ends just as quickly as it started. In these situations, I ask ‘what went wrong?’

Is it that it was never meant to be in the first place or the two people involved were just complete opposites of each other? Or maybe one person was doing all the giving and the other was not making any effort.

In the case of the latter, we learn a very important thing about friendship – it’s all about give and take. It’s about support not Misuse and abuse.

Friends influence us to such a great degree that we can’t afford to underestimate their influence. After a while, you start speaking like your friends, doing the same things they do and so on.

That’s why a healthy friendship is required in life. A friend can tear you down or build you up. You see, earthquakes result from two tectonic plates on a fault line shifting against one another, then lurching in opposite directions. And that's what happens when you bond with the wrong people.

When a relationship is not working, when your efforts to rehabilitate it have failed, acknowledge it. Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and admit that instead of lifting them up, they're dragging you down. Releasing somebody doesn't mean they'll never improve, it just means God is better suited to the job.

"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over" – Gloria Naylor

Be careful around those who are always trying to make you feel guilty for not 'being there'. Only God can always be there! There's a difference between helping somebody and carrying them. Your help may actually be a hindrance. Why should they even try, if you're always there to do it for them? Your need to be needed could be getting in the way of their need to grow. Sometimes you just need to step back and let them walk on their own. Not everybody will be happy when you do that, but they're not supposed to be.

Every relationship is for a reason, and a season. Discern those who belonged in your past, from those who belong in your life now.

This then brings me to the question: why do we hurt the ones we love or the ones who love us?

Doesn’t it just annoy you sometimes when you’ve been there helping and supporting a friend through rough times and after it all, they do something very hurtful or say something without being sensitive to your feelings?

This is the point where you have to remember that we are all human and we make mistakes. I’ve realised that a lot of the time they don’t mean to hurt you, sometimes they don’t even realise they did. There’s so much familiarity between you that they just think that you’ll understand what they mean and not take it personal.

In any friendship, forgiveness and love are two important things. You should love your friend enough to look past their wrong and then use the opportunity of forgiveness as a fresh start.

Think for a moment about your true friends and why you consider them to be true friends.
Of course if you want true friends, You must become a true friend

© The poets voice~~~ August 2010, All rights reserved.

Peace,Faith, Love and Hope

I was reading this the other day and I thought it was such an inspiring post! so read on:


The Four Candles burned slowly. Their Ambiance was so soft you could hear them speak...
The first candle said, "I Am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep me lit." Then Peace's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second candle says, "I Am Faith, but these days, I am no longer indispensable." Then Faith's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.

Sadly the third candle spoke, "I Am Love and I haven't the strength to stay lit any longer.""People put me aside and don't understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them." And waiting no longer, Love goes out completely.
Suddenly...A child enters the room and sees the three candles no longer burning. The child begins to cry, "Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end."

Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the little boy, “Don’t be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles."
With Shining eyes the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other three candles.
Never let the Flame of Hope go out of your life. With Hope, no matter how bad things look and are...Peace, Faith and Love can Shine Brightly in our lives


"Hope is a powerful force. It arouses your mind to explore every possible angle. It enables you to overcome the daunting obstacles. You can survive the loss of many things, but not the loss of hope".


Have an awesome week y'all! :-)

© The poets voice~~~ August 2010, All rights reserved.

Are we really talking?

We live in times where we're so technology-savvy but communication-sloppy. There's so much information overload, every one's talking over everyone. Yet conversations are empty and friendships are shallow. If everyone is busy uttering words, who is listening? Anyone?

Ever been in a conversation where you feel, you're just saying random jokes to fill up the time?
Or you don't really want to talk to the person on the phone at that point so unintentionally your mind switches off and then returns 3 minutes just before the conversation ends.

Ever felt like you've been talking to someone but you still don't know them or understand them. Sometimes you don't even know how to talk to them or what to talk to them about. So you engage them in 'small talk'... even the weather becomes a major topic of discussion. LOL!

Sometimes, people just want a listening ear! Some people are carrying so many secrets and the pressure that's building up within them will cause them to burst any minute, so they just want to unload some of that burden to anyone who is willing to listen.

I think the society in which we live in has driven us into overdrive. We are so busy, we cannot spare 5 mins to hear someone out. It's actually gotten that bad.

What is good communication? It's honest, positively intended, two-way sharing. It isn't 'dumping' or giving someone a piece of your mind! It's involves listening as well as talking.

"The first law of verbal ecology is: garbage is not biodegradable! It recycles, festering with time".

What should we communicate? The truth.

"But truth can be given like the blow of a sledgehammer or like a soothing hand of friendship. It should be communicated after advance thought for its impact."


How should we communicate? How we say things is just as important as what we say. speak with consideration for the hearer's feelings. 'A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger' (Proverbs 15:1). The hearer's response is conditioned by your words.


Check your timing; it's vital! '...Say the right thing at the right time'


We have 2 ears and just one mouth. We should be listening twice as much as we speak. It's often difficult for people to tell you whats on their heart so you gotta be listening intently! In terms of friendships....good communication may just be the key to understanding your friend.

Every person is different, guys and girls especially. There can be a lot of misunderstandings over little things. It can be sorted out if we listen and then of course take the appropriate course of action.

So next time you find yourself in a conversation, ask yourself 'Am I really talking?'. Speak the truth, Speak positively...ignore the garbage. See what you can learn about the person you're talking to that will help you understand them.

Have a great week! :-)

© The poets voice~~~ August 2010, All rights reserved.

A look inside

Ever felt betrayed? ever felt so used and then discarded as scrap? Ever felt so hurt beyond repair? Ever felt heartbroken?

...What do you do when you feel so depressed that you don't want to get up in the morning; you just don't see the point.

There's been a sudden change. You were so attached and dependent on someone and currently they are no longer there. There's so much time on your hands and it makes you realise how much of your time you dedicated to them.

Or…

You recall the fun times you had with your best friend, how you both swore to always tell the truth to each other. Now you wonder why He/she lied? “How could they do this to me?” you ask , eyes burning with angry tears. You’re so bitter and you feel you can never trust anyone again.

You try to move on but every second of the day, you replay the event - the one that left this huge gaping hole in your heart - over and over again. Nothing seems to matter anymore. You walk around with a plastic smile plastered on your face, your mind is faraway in no-man’s land and you’re just bleeding away internally.

You can’t really look past ‘here’, the pain is just too great, way past your threshold.
Tears stream down your cheeks every time your mind takes you back, down memory lane.
And you ask “why? Why should someone decide to smash my heart into pieces and step all over it? Why?”

I was just ‘looking inside’ on life and trying to understand why we as humans hurt other people. The heart is strong and tough yet so delicate. Matters of the heart are sensitive.

Sometimes, I guess we just get so bogged down in the baggage we ourselves are carrying that we don’t see how we are damaging other people and hurting them.

People are people; not objects but PEOPLE i.e living beings. We can feel, we can see, we can sense, we are Alive! We all have that desire to be loved. We want to feel needed, we want to feel valuable, we want to belong.

We want to feel LOVED….Love is the emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. love is the basis for all being because God is love. We were created by God and we have been commanded to Love one another just as Christ loved us.

“More people die of Broken hearts than swollen heads” – Anonymous

I think it’s about time that we stopped using people and start appreciating them.. Simple things like commenting on what someone’s good at, paying a compliment about their outfit, making a call to check up on a friend can make a huge difference.

It’s not just the big breakups in relationships that break hearts, sometimes it’s the little cracks that you make by not caring that all add up until there’s a clean dividing line across a heart.

“There is always some serious fact behind "JUST KIDDING", a little emotion behind "I DON'T CARE", a little discomfort behind "IT'S O.K", a little desire behind "LEAVE ME ALONE" and a lot of words behind "SILENCE" - Anonymous

So maybe we need to just STOP , step out for a minute and take a look into our lives...

If you’re hurt, just know that there is a God who can heal your broken heart and mend it so it’s just as good as new. After all, He made it…He made YOU!

If you’ve done wrong to someone and you hurt them, it’s not the end of the world…just make sure you don’t let pride creep in. Just apologize. It’s amazing how that one word ‘sorry’ can make a lot of things better. And just ask them to forgive you, try and make amends. Don’t expect that they’ll come round immediately because they are still wounded so give it time as well.



© The poets voice~~~ July 2010, All rights reserved.

One day...let that be today!

This video speaks volumes! We have to be the change that we want to see ...that's the truth.

WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Hillsong United Film teaser

This is a documentary film by Hillsong United. It's all about their ACTION - what they have done for God!

The documentary filmed over a period of 3 years follows the worship band as they travel across 6 continents 42 nations and 93 cities in a cross-cultural journey of music, animation, interviews and live action. It reveals their realisation that every story of hope, love, loss and sacrifice ultimately points to the one story. - HIS Story a.k.a God's Story.

I watched this short documentary at the cinema with my friends.The cinema was packed out and the tickets sold out so quickly which really surprised me. I guess that had to do with the fact that it was showing for one day only but also that the content MUST have been worth viewing.

As the movie played on, I was touched, inspired to do a lot more and to show the Love of Christ to to others and I learnt so much:

We keep calling this journey of life a race. The word 'race' sparks up this concept of competition. We're all running this race and everyone is trying to get ahead of the other person by any means possible but do we ever stop and think, just ask yourself "where are am I running to?"

Security, fame and all other materials things that we run towards is not a destination.

In a world of iTunes, iPod, iPhone and so on, It's all to do with 'I' - so self centered! We don't seem to think about our neighbours, brothers, sisters or friends...nope, we don't think about anyone else!

Everyone needs love. He loved us when we were useless; He laid His life down for us - now that's love! John 3:16. God is Love and to show love, we should lay down our life for our brothers and sister. What that means is not to literally 'die' in their place but to go out of our way to help others. There are times when we could give that old lady a hand with her shopping or we could let that mother with a pram get onto the bus first.

A perfect sacrifice was made by a perfect person for ALL the imperfect people. 1 Corinthians 4:18 - Love trusts, love protects, love always hopes, love never fails.

Each individual is unique; one person. Everyone cannot do everything but you as one person can do something. A lot of the time, we see the suffering in the world and we train ourselves not to look at the needs around us 'cos we may be a daily wreck. The thing is, we are fanning the flame if we sit back and do nothing.

There are countries where children are homeless; their bed is somebody's footpath. Children are the future but if they are not in that environment of school and education, they don't really have a future.

As I said before, everyone needs love. That seems to be the solution to a lot of things and there's a message of Love that has been given to us freely but how come people aren't hearing it?

The problem is not with the message but with the people delivering it. Christians are not known for what we stand for, rather for what we DO NOT stand for e.g abortions, same sex marriages e.t.c. We have made a big deal out of small things and small things out of a BIG deal. What we stand for seems pretty small when compared with the suffering in the world.

Jesus didn't die to give us religion but to give us LOVE. God's plan is HIS PEOPLE! Human judgement is never fair, tainted by selfish desires and incomplete knowledge. We are never gonna measure up to be perfect but the great thing about that is that He is not seeking our perfection.

We just need to accept His grace, be transparent and take off our self righteous apparel so people can look into us and see Jesus. God's picture for the church is that wherever there is people, we should light up the town.

We are the body of Jesus Christ. If Christ was here in the flesh; in His physical body, He would meet the needs of people. Love ACTS, you can't just talk about it, you need to show it. Ephesians 5:1-2

Everyone wants to make a change, some are waiting for a 'calling' - some sorta voice to say this is what you are to do. BUT where you see a need, go out and meet that need - that's your ministry! Don't waste a second hesitating. We are the future but also the PRESENT.

To change History, Take your place in HIS story. Lets war against injustice & oppression and let our love unite us and let our lives impress Jesus Christ!

i-heart.org [check it out]

................hope this makes you think and act...the world is in our hands.We must be the change that we want to see...........

What Easter is really About

"As He slowly sags down...on the nails in the wrists, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain; the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid stretching torment, He places the full weight on the nails through his feet. Again He feels the agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of the feet. As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain.

With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath...hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber.
Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. It is now almost over; the loss of tissue fluids reaches a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air.
He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissue...finally He can allow his body to die."

The Bible records it as concisely as possible in these words: 'And the crucified Him..... - Mark 15:24'


Doesn’t this just make you think: What amazing, non-selfish, wonderous love is this?
It should...'cos that's the reason for Easter..Jesus Died out of Love for you and me to bring Salvation to the world! Now we have Salvation for free...Please don't waste time in accepting your free Gift!

Have a great Easter and Stay blessd and renewed!



© The poets voice~~~ April 2010, All rights reserved.