青少年团契

献上活祭

2009-02-01T10:11:00.002+08:00

Was in Penang 车水路福音堂 over CNY and thought that this song was nice. Thought it might share it with you guys.

青少年团契营会2008

2008-12-29T09:11:00.002+08:00

Click on the video and go to YouTube to see the video in high quality. =)

Youth Camp 08

2008-12-15T21:10:00.003+08:00

This camp was really fun, great and knowledgable. I have learnt many things from this camp as this was the motvie of the camp at the beginning. Thank the lord for making this camp a real success and made everybody enjoy the camp. I wish everybody had took home a personal lesson, like me I learnt about 如何计划团契, 如何灵修和祷告 and 如何分享福音与见证. At the lesson on 如何计划团契，I learnt how to plan for 团契 and had a great time planning the last day's lesson with my group, kiwi. During our discussion, I had learnt many things about addiction and had known that over-working could be an addiction too. 如何灵修和祷告 and 如何分享福音与见证 had taught me to preach to the non-christian, tell them how i had changed and pray for them. When i read the bible during QT, verses from the bible would appear to me and most of them would help me greatly.
The last thing I wan to say is the camp song's. I feel that adding a few english songs would be good as there would be some songs that written in english would be more understandable then in chinese. Most of the english songs are not new to me but there is one song that is new, the song is "Who am I". At first, i didnt really like the song. But after singing it a few times, the lyrics appeared to me and at that moment, I discovered how precious the song was to me. So the more I sang it , the more I love it.
Thats all for now and may God bless all the people who made this camp possible.
God bless,
Jerome

youth camp oh eight

2008-12-15T19:21:00.008+08:00

err hi pple.. haiz i dun really noe wad to sae so well... to me, the camp was a huge success. thats cuz everyone took home a personal lesson( at least one.. lol). the camp taught me quite a few things though.

well just to share a bit, i think i learnt a lot about serving Jesus Christ from dis camp. i feel that the main takeaway for me was the sharing the gospel part by yao wei, the planning(ce hua) part by WL and the QT. well, during the lessn of sharing the gospel and testimony we learnt the sheng ming qiao which was quite important to me as i would be able to use it as a structured guide in telling my frens and non-christian relatives bout Christ... the ce hua part taught me how to err.... ce hua(duh) sry no other words to describe... and as such i appreciate the hard work put in by the pepul during tuan qi. though this doesn't actl mean that i dint appreciate the work. (I DO) bt ya, this made me appreciate more....

another thing's that the songs were very touching and at the same time errr good:) i wish that future camps will haf more of this songs larh:D

okayokay.. A BIG thank you to the camp organisers. :D I think you all deserve more than a pat on the shoulder. :](LOL) but really this camp was WELL organised and really GOOD. ;)Praise to the Lord.

God Bless,
weidao

2008-12-13T12:10:00.003+08:00

OOH COOL(:so someone's actually posting aft a year -.-heh anw really enjoyed th camp...i think th lingxiu was really good.as in although th topics were kinda chim,we had a great time of sharing wth JIESI and XUAN NING xD just wnna thk evrybody tht made this camp possible!!!REALLY REALLY GNNA MISS THIS CAMP(:i think this time having th camp at church wasnt a bad idea just tht there were no beds HAHA .___.but still at least there was enough space for all th neccessary activities to be carried out...okehs i got nth else to say :D pray tht by nxt year's camp we'll be more spiritually mature and ready to be more involved th CAMP.AND lets just hope tht this blog will be REVIVED SOON (: hehe for now,th goal is to REVIVE this blog LOL so if this blog was revived,you can thk me ltr ;D mwahaha
zhixuan(:

youth camp 2008 !!

2008-12-12T15:52:00.004+08:00

The camp just ended this wednesday, and i can say that it was a big success. Everyone learned something new, had a lot of fun, and got to know everyone better through the camp, thank God !!
Here is what i thought about the camp. It got everyone involved in it one way or another, in planning the camp for some of us, and the others got to know more about organising the programmes of the youth fellowship, and so, i am now sure that we can let the younger ones start leading the songs and programmes !!! yeah !!! I think that the songs used in the camp were very meaningful, and can touch the hearts of many, i'm sure we all agree.... don't we ?Many thanks to the camp commitee that made the camp happen in a very meaningful way, and I can see that in the future we can organise a even better camp with the help of everyone and guidance from those who now has the experience in it.
The main attraction of the camp is agian the baby!!!! I'm sure his happy since he has so many people to play with, and what a lucky baby he is to be borned into a christian family, and also "Nanny Mohli" there to take care of him, haha !! Hope that he will become a christian who can be used in many ways by God.
This saturday we will be back to church for the camp reunion, and we shall be wearing the "pirated guess t-shirt" , our CAMP SHIRT !!!!!! So don't be late, and here i sign off !!

Youth Camp 2007

2007-12-23T02:08:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

(23 0245H Dec 07) Long time no blog! Just finished the camp reunion in my house, CW and myself are totally expended in terms of energy.... This camp has indeed been a wonderful and yet humbling experience for myself. Wonderful because of God's great love that brought 25 of us together for this great camp. Humbling because of the camp, it gave me the opportunity to serve amongst many others, who work so tiredlessly, without grumble nor excuses to make this camp happen. They do it amidst their busy work schedule and even through exams. For this, I thank Lord for giving us the strength, motivation and determination to do all this together.

For the participants, I pray that all of you have gained and learnt something. Uncle always told me that the person who prepares the materials is the one who gains the most. Hence I really pray for more who are ready to gain more in the future. Thank you all also for your fullest participation and urge all of us, to continue to spread the good news of our Lord to our family and friends.

Praise the Lord,

PS: Plse forgive me for choosing such music (no better choice)! if anyone got a better option, pls send to me! Preferably is the piano music of "年轻人" (hints hints).

Ye He Hua Zhu Fu Man Man…

2007-09-27T08:00:00.000+08:00

Well I haven’t blogged about my church experience here in the Bay area thus far, so I thought that it might be the right time for me to do so now. So after arriving on Thursday, 2nd August, I shifted straight into my current place (yes you already have my address if you read my US blog). While most of my housemates (who arrived a week earlier) started working on Friday 3rd August, I could enjoy the luxury of sleeping in while they get themselves oriented to working life in US. It would be most appropriate at this moment that I talk about my Friday lunch with my supervisor, but that’s left to another day.

Anyway, this is roughly how the macro picture was built up. First, my mum had communicated with my uncle and aunt (who stay in Cupertino [that’s 40mins south drive from my place]) and they had very kindly sent a list of churches in the Bay Area. (For whatever reason someone might need this list, you can Google for Chinese churches in the bay area and it’ll return you with the list.) Second, after settling down, I saw that a apartment mate, Yingyue, with a bible on her table... so we got into an extended discussion about theological stuff. She is a relatively new believer (like 6 mths?), so she has a lot of interesting insights and stuff, coming from a baptist church. Back to the story.. so the end of the previous conversation was that we agreed to go to this church that was really close to us (since we didn't have cars the first sunday that we were here in the bay area).

However, true to me being me, I "over-slept" on Sunday morning. While I meant to wake up like at 8, I woke up at 10+. So I was thinking in my mind that I must have missed church, but Yingyue and myself decided to take a way anyway just to try our luck.. It was not too long a walk, about 5-10 minutes, on a chilly Sunday morning (so it seemed longer than it actually was). After we arrived at the church, we saw this... *drum roll... *

Elated by the fact that being late meant that we were early for service, we went straight in, and was greeted by very warm and friendly people. Just to give you an idea of how the demographics of the church is, it is made up of all Chinese (duh) mainly from Taiwan, and some China, and mostly above the age of 40, even though there is a good bunch of younger working people. I guess because of the place where the church is located, there are no student in the congregation. Mainly working people.

Anyway, to cut the long story short, since then, there have been several really interesting things that has happened:
1) I figured out that they are also supporting Hua Chuan
2) I went in for a service to find out that Pastor Chen Dao Ming (one of the speakers for one of our church's family camps) was speaking. Always good to see a familiar face and a validation that I'm going to the right church.
3) On top of that, I'm blessed to be able to serve in the church choir after being identified from the crowd and pulled in by the wife of the brother in-charge of the choir.

Once and once again God has proven to have been closely looking after me and paved that way for everything that me, and all his children do. Named this entry as it is because the song comes to my head so very often, seeing how much he has done for me and how much he has taken care of me in the past and on this trip to the US.

Will post more stuff about the sermon messages in the future if possible. Meanwhile, a photo of me in the choir robe. =)

2007-07-30T09:42:00.001+08:00

青少年团契郊游

2007-06-22T01:11:00.000+08:00

Story of the Tree... Part 2

2007-06-19T00:39:00.000+08:00

Story of the Tree... Part 1

2007-06-19T00:31:00.000+08:00

Passing the torch... to the Next Generation

2007-06-18T23:12:00.000+08:00

A good, enlightening reading for all... young and the not-so-young ones!

Adios!

Six torches - by John Townsend
One of the most important and fulfilling tasks of any adult is passing the torch to the next generation. We all have a responsibility to resource, equip, teach, and provide for those who are coming after us, and who are preparing to take our place. And they're coming! We are expected to do all we can to help ensure their survival, security, growth, and ultimately their own mission of advancing the Kingdom of God in their own way.

This is God's design, the way he has continued his work, his mission, and his people for many, many years. This is for our good and the good of the next generation. That is why the Bible teaches that when our children ask us why we follow the principles and values that we do, we are to explain to them that "... the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day." (Deuteronomy 6:24 NLT) It is a blessing, and is all for our betterment.

What, then, should we be careful to pass on to the next generation? There are six essential aspects of life:

Eternal values. We need to teach and model the realities of what is truly important in life. Our values are the architecture of what holds everything together. They are the timeless and eternal truths that are the foundation of all right living. If we are to pass on our values, we need to be clear about them with younger people. For example, we need to teach and model the reality of God and his grace, the salvation that comes through Jesus, the truth of the Word of God, the importance of a life surrendered to God, being loving in our relationships, being an honest person, living holy lives, and living in community. These are a few of the values that have existed since time began.

The spiritual nature of life. This next generation needs to know that all of reality and all of life is spiritual at the core. This is God's universe, whether we are dealing with marriage, dating, finances, careers, or our mission in life. We need to help those in line after us see that God has principles, answers, solutions, and guidance for every single area of life, so they will look to him and trust his ways.

The necessity of deep and abiding relationships. One of the best things we can bequeath to the next generation is how helpful, how rich, and how essential it is to have abiding and vulnerable personal relationships with one another. They need connections that transcend friendships and ones that go deep within to give each other safety, grace, acceptance, comfort, and truth - relationships in which we provoke each other to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24) I personally dream that this next generation would assume small groups are the norm for life, so they would naturally seek them out as a way to find the spiritual families they need to make it in life. What a great launching they would have!

The reality of mistakes, and the solution. One thing we don't need to pass on is our generation's perfectionism! Let's help the next group accept the truth about faults, weaknesses, and failures and not hide in shame, self-judgment, and condemnation. Instead, let's educate them on the power of the Cross and the way it is expressed in the Body. Teach them about confession, forgiveness, grief, restoration, healing, and moving on. This will help them deal with the baggage they will carry and learn to grow as imperfect people who have a living message of hope for a world that is lost.

Our belief in them. This next generation, as all generations, needs our blessing. They need to know we aren't holding on to power, territory, or authority. They need to know we believe in them and their potential to take God's love to the world. Support them, take initiative to help, mentor them, and guide them. Help them to not have to reinvent the wheel and to know that we are on their side.

No guarantees. Having said all this, there are no guarantees for any generation, and there is always risk involved when the torch is passed. So we also need to remember the warnings of history. We have seen what happens when this process goes awry: "After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel." (Judges 2:10) So be positive, but be sober-minded also. We have a responsibility to make sure they have what they need; they have a responsibility to respond. This mutual humility and love gives the world the greatest chance for the Church to continue and increase its impact.

More Old Photos

2007-05-30T01:15:00.000+08:00

Hey my mum was so inspired by the Gardenia factory visit photo that she went to dig for some old photos. Uploading this one coz... IT HAS SO MANY PEOPLE!! EVEN BABY SI HUI!! This is so exciting!! Haha... will post more in due time...

Gan Xie Fu Mu

2007-05-29T02:36:00.000+08:00

Ye He Hua Zhu Fu Man Man

2007-05-28T07:43:00.001+08:00

Haha!

2007-05-27T22:18:00.000+08:00

WAAAH!! So funny, Molly!
Guys, the tiny little girl who's hidden behind the Bethesda Katong 1988 sign is Grace (Enqi) lor!! To her left is Hongyu, Hongting's brother and to Grace's right is Xingning!
And Hongting is being carried somewhere behind in the photo. That's how long ago this is. Wahaha....

Spot the familiar faces!

2007-05-27T21:41:00.000+08:00

Spot the faces!

Look at this old photo taken in 1988 on a church outing to Yakult, Gardenia and i think mushroom factory too? See how few kids we had in the past and we have so many kids and young people with us now!

Oh, btw, if you are wondering, i'm the one in light blue dress

Songs to be sung for Shuang Qing Jie

2007-05-20T22:44:00.000+08:00

Hi all, as promised, please right click on the 2 links below and click on Save Target/Link As... and download the song to listen. Its in Real Player format:

妈妈的爱
 耶和华祝福满满

2007-05-02T11:49:00.000+08:00

Hi, read this article from "The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional " and find it very helpful to me... hope you find it beneficial too!!

The hard work of getting along
by Jon Walker

"Let us agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other." (Romans 14:19a MSG)
If you have children, you’ll know exactly what I mean: Some days you look into their faces, and you see the attitudes of angels; on other days you want to scream, "Why can’t you just get along!" as they get into a ridiculous argument about who moved a toy 1/32nd of an inch.
Sometimes these opposite attitudes shift back and forth six times in five minutes!
But let me ask you this: Do you think God ever looks at us – we adults, believers in community together – and sighs, "Why can’t my children just get along?’"
There are dozens of reasons we don’t get along with each other – with the sin of pride right at the top of the list. But I think another huge reason we fail to live in authentic, consistent, committed Christian community is because it’s too hard.
It requires real effort to work through our differences, to remain transparent and honest, to confront and to pay close attention to each other. Frankly, it’s easier to keep relationships superficial, to "demonize" one another when we don’t agree, to cut and run at the first sign of trouble rather than commit to each other.
Yet God placed within us a need for "stick-with-it" commitments; his commitment to us is unbreakable, and he wants to see us extend the same commitment to each other (2 Corinthians 8:5). But this kind of commitment takes time – something that has become far too scarce in our lives today (and that, my friend, is a choice).
God knows we will live in a healthy, Christian community if we will commit to living our lives together beyond our weekly meetings, if we will make each other a priority - sharing our lives over coffee, after work, at the ballpark, in the hospital.
The only way for us to become a "friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24) is when we focus on the quality of our relationships, not mere quantity or mere acquaintances.
"You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." (James 3:18 MSG, Emphasis mine)
So what?
· Love no matter what
How can you plan to help others at all times, not just when it’s convenient? (Proverbs 17:17)
How can you develop a strategy for loving others at their worst, not just when they seem lovable? (Romans 5:8)
· Show up – The most basic behavior of commitment is simply showing up. "If you care, you’ll be there." You may be surprised that your mere presence is a source of encouragement. (Hebrews 10:25)
· Intentional commitments – Other than your spouse, have you ever told someone else, "I will always be there for you"? This week, establish an intentional commitment with another believer. Approach the Spirit’s choice and bless that person by saying, "I want to grow close to you as a friend."

Food for thought

2007-04-11T23:44:00.000+08:00

Food for thought abt the speech below:

How many us, if in such a position (v successful obviously) and in such a situation (a very secular women's magazine's gala dinner), would take the opportunity to share about God with a ballroom full of strangers?

A Living Testimony

2007-04-11T23:30:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

Would like to share this speech given by Ms Lim Soo Hoon, Permanent Secretary, Public Service Division, Prime Minister's Office in March when she received the "Woman of the Year" award.

She is truly a living testimony of Jesus. Her faith, humility and her every effort to glorify God with her life touched me deeply. May she be an inspiration to all of us.

SPEECH AT HER WORLD WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2006 GALA DINNER, 6 MAR 07

Minister Vivian Balakrishnan
My Dear Family, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Thank you for being here to share this evening with Esther and me. Thank you Simon for your very kind words. And thank you Her World and the Judging Panel for giving me this honour.

2. This award came as a complete surprise to me. Some time in early January, Simon told me that Her World would like to give me this award and asked if I would accept it. My first question to Simon was "Why me?" Simon mentioned my contribution to the community through my book on my journey when my elder son, Samuel, was battling cancer about 2 years ago. I told Simon that I was very honoured and flattered by the award but there are so many other women out there who have gone or are going through even much more difficult trials than I had. To be honest, I was concerned because when Simon mentioned the award, the first two words that came to my mind were "vanity" and "pride". I wanted to be sure that if I do accept the award, I would do it for the right reason, certainly not for vanity and pride. I told Simon that I would need to pray about it.

3. That night, I asked my family members to help pray for me. Sam said "Mom, so long as you are unsure, don’t accept it." I told him that I was unsure because of my concern that I was doing it for my vanity and pride. Yet I also know that if I accept the award, it would a wonderful opportunity for me to share with others God’s love for us, and to thank God for all He has done and is continuing to do in my life. Sam said he would pray for me. The next morning, he asked why I would want to accept the award. I repeated what I told him the night before. Sam then said "Go for it, Mom".

4. Two weeks after I told Simon that I would accept the award, we found out that Sam has a relapse. His cancer has returned but we thank God that the tumour is localized, at the old place, in his thymus gland. Sam had a surgery about a month ago to remove the tumour but unfortunately not all could be removed. Sam is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment and further down the road, will be having a stem cell transplant using stem cells from Russell, his younger brother. My husband and both my sons, whom I am very proud of, are here with me tonight.

5. As a Christian, I am taught to "be joyful always; to pray continually; to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will" for me (1 Ths 16-18). I am also taught not to be "anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, (to) present our requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Ph 4:6-7)

6. Indeed, notwithstanding Sam’s recent relapse, God has granted my family and I much peace. Sam himself is very much at peace, still living life normally and we are greatly encouraged by that. We have learned that when we trust and obey God and do His will, He will give us many reasons to be thankful for. Yes, even with our new trial, our new journey of faith, there is much my family and I are thankful for.

7. And this award tonight has given me the opportunity to reflect on the many blessings in my life and for thanksgiving.

8. God knows my strengths for He is the one who has blessed me with them. He also knows where I am lacking and ensures that I am well supported there. I have a husband who besides being the handyman in the house, happily does the grocery shopping – I know nothing about where to get the value for money stuff – he does. I have a younger sister who lives with my family and is like a surrogate mother to my sons whenever I or my husband are away. I have a faithful and reliable domestic help who has chosen to work with my family for the past 18 years. I am deeply thankful that I have a large but close knit extended family who is always there to love, laugh and cry with me. I feel very blessed to have friends, some of whom are here tonight, who will stay with me through thick and thin, where at times no word need to be spoken for their presence is comfort enough.

9. I have been very blessed in my career as well, not just in the kinds of challenges and opportunities I have been exposed to, but in the relationships that have been formed over time. I am very thankful for the many good bosses, mentors and colleagues in my life, many of whom have become firm friends. If not for their care, compassion and unstinting support when my son fell ill 2 years ago, and even now, I would have found it almost impossible to work. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was my Minister in 2004 and when he heard about Sam’s illness, he went out of his way to support me, giving me time to take care of Sam and even offering me the use of his office in the Singapore National Eye Centre should I need a place to rest or work whenever I accompany Sam to the National Cancer Centre for his treatment. I thank God that he was my Minister at that point in time. God has truly been taking very good care of me.

10. Throughout my life, I have taken on and am still taking on many roles. But one thing is clear. I am no superwoman and I don’t believe in superwomen nor for that matter, supermen. I think it will be impossible for anyone to play all his or her multiple roles equally well. For me, I have a simple philosophy. What I can’t do well or can’t do at all, I outsource. When my sons were very young and looking at picture books, they would point to the lady in the kitchen and say "Aunty Lina", my maid, never "mummy". When the Her World team wanted to shoot the video of me, they had suggested that one scene be of me in the kitchen preparing meals. You should hear the hysterical laughter in my home when I shared this with my family.

11. But of all my roles, the one that I treasure most is that of being a mother so I thank the Judging Panel that in deciding to give me this award tonight, they have recognized my role as a mother.

12. Motherhood has given me the deepest pain yet the greatest joy; the most tears yet the most laughs; humility yet pride. And most of all, it has allowed me to get to know my God so much more, beginning with Sam’s battle against cancer in September 2004. So I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be a mother to my 2 wonderful boys.

13. There is a story in the Bible about a man who before going on his journey, entrusted his 3 servants with his money. To one, he gave 5 talents of his money, to another 2 talents and to the last, one talent, each according to his ability. When he returned, the one who was given 5 talents said he had put them to good use and gained the master another 5. So also the one who was given 2 talents; he gained 2 more but the one who was given one talent, simply hid the money as he was afraid of losing it. When the master returned, this last servant thought his master would be happy. But his master was furious because he has not made good use of the talent that was given to him. The master expected him to be a steward, not a mere custodian of his talent.

14. So likewise, God has given us gifts and resources according to our abilities and expect us to invest them wisely. We are responsible for ensuring that we grow well whatever we have been put in charge of.

15. I have been in the Civil Service for some 26 years. I love what I do and I am very proud to be a member of the Singapore Civil Service. I used to tell my colleagues that as civil servants, we are custodians of the public funds that have been entrusted to us but I am wrong. Like the Biblical story that I have just shared with you, we are to be more than custodians, especially if we are at senior positions – we are to be stewards, with a responsibility to protect, nurture and growing what has been entrusted to us.

16. When I first became a Christian about 9 years ago, one of the first things I learned was that we are all God’s children. My sons are also God’s children. My husband and I are but only stewards of our boys, looking after them on God’s behalf. I pray often that we have been good stewards of our children. I think we are not doing too badly because I know my boys are walking right with God. And I know that so long as they walk right with God, they will multiply the blessings God has given them and bless others in turn.

17. Whether as a career woman or a mother or any other role that I have taken on, I pray regularly that I will be a blessing rather than a burden to whoever God has put me in touch with each day of my life. My God has given me much. And as the Bible says, from anyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48) I pray I will do justice to this award you have given me.

18. Thank you once again for this honour. I have been conferred this award but I think this award is for all the women who are blessed with the faith, the peace, the strength and the tenacity to overcome whatever adversity they may face.

God Bless All of you!

Saturday's Performance

2007-04-09T16:13:00.000+08:00

Hey people... We actually sound quite good =P

God's Will vs The Believer's Freedom

2007-03-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

Hi guys!

Wanna share some thoughts that came to mind as I was insomnia-ing two nights ago..

(It's a bit similar to what I wrote about the last time, but with a slightly different twist. Decision-making is my pet topic you, see. I'm always thinking about such things.)

What is God's Will?

Is it God's Will that I:

1) Join Company A or Company B
2) Go to Temasek Poly or Tampines JC
3) Major in Arts or Science
4) Stay in Simei or Marine Parade
5) Become a teacher or a lawyer or an engineer or banker
6) Get into the schoool basketball team
7) Become a prefect or not
8) Eat chicken rice or fillet-o-fish
9) Get 284 or 200 points for my PSLE
10) Go overseas to study/work or stay in Singapore
11) Be a stay-home mum, or continue working to give my children a more comfortable life
12) Stay with parents after getting married or moving out

the list goes on...
then we will pray to God that we will miraculously be able to just know what his will for us is, to reveal his will to us through a voice in our head, by showing us a sign, or by simply letting his will takeover and just happen naturally. To complicate things, sometimes, we can't even differentiate our own will from His.

For eg: "I seem to hear a voice telling me I should choose to study Accountancy, over Mass Comm. hmm.. but is it my own voice, or is it the Holy Spirit prompting me?"

Many of us tend to think of "God's Will" as a model answer to the questions that we can't answer or are not sure of. Does God have model answers for all our questions and dilemmas, like the nicely-scripted answers that appear in the answer booklets at the back of assessment books?

It occured to me that, perhaps, as we strive to answer the many questions that we encounter in life and struggle to make the best decision possible, that we may be using "God's Will" too loosely. It probably doesn't apply to every single thing.

A while ago, I was choosing between joining Company A or Company B. Friends and family suggested I should seek God's will.. pray and ask God to show me the way, to show me what He wants for me. I did, and I spent days trying to read signs and listening hard to voices in my head that might be showing me the answer. Then as I read the Bible, I found myself scrutinising the passage of the day for remote clues that might tell me whether it was Company A or Company B.

Anyway, in the end... I simply chose one and here I am today, a few months down the road, reflecting on this choice I have made. And I still don't know if it was the correct answer.

Then it hit me that maybe there wasn't one. Does God necessarily have a "specific will" for us in every single decision we have to make? Probably not. I think it doesn't matter to Him whether I went to Company A or B, studied Arts or Science, stayed in Simei or Marine Parade. To get my point across more clearly, I'm quite sure God wouldn't really mind whether you ate chicken rice or wanton mee for lunch - same principle. Put simply, God is not a micromanager.

He's like a great boss who lays down ground rules and lets you know in broad strokes what the company's objectives and goals are and allows you the autonomy to exercise your own creativity and discretion in executing your duties and expects you to take responsibility for your own actions. As long as, at the end of the day, you deliver the goods. Phew. I don't really get along well with micromanaging bosses.

Therein lies the beauty of the free will that God has given us believers, to make choices, to stumble along somewhat, trying to figure out how best to live our lives based on the principles of His Word.

After some thought, I came up with this rough guide to what kind of things God's Will might be more applicable to - things like involve our faith, our spiritual life, things that involve and affect our service, relationship and walk with God. Or things that affect your testimony, that might cause others to stumble, that might taint God's glory or hurt other people.

Things like:

1) Should I give up my job and go to a mountain in Yunnan to become a missionary?

2) I like a non-Christian girl, but the Bible says believers and non-believers should not be yoked together. Should I give up my true love and obey God even though i think I'd be really sad?

3) Should I choose a job that pays me $20,000 but gives me no time at all for family, church and kids, or choose a job that pays $2,000 but gives me a lot of time to serve in church?

4) Should I work as a publicity or marketing manager for the Sands Casino at Marina Bay?

Here's a Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 10: 23 and 31 to guide us when in such situations:

"Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others."

"So whether you eat or drink of whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. "

So, the next time you lose sleep over a difficult decision, hope my ramblings and this Bible verse will come to mind!

Heart for Others

2007-03-20T00:58:00.000+08:00

Hey you all,

Just a quick one before I go to sleep. Instead of my usual bible study schedule, I decided to take a look at what the trusty Daily Bread has to offer (http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml read entry for 19th Mar 07).

How many times have we complained while going through some challenges in our lives, lamenting at God and being disappointed that God seemed to not have been there for us in our times of need (or so we thought at that instance)? How many times have we thought about serving God but only to back down because of our worldly commitments, our reservations and desire for another path? How many times have we been inspired by God to lead others around us at church, but only to shut ourselves in our shell because we're shy or scared of saying the wrong things in the holy place of God? I don't know about you guys, but I have.

Through the passage in 2Cor.11:22-30, as well as the story about the Jamaican chorale, it really wakes me up to the fact that "Hey! Why are you thinking so much about yourself instead of what you can do for others in Christ?" Looking at what Paul has gone through during his journeys, it makes me think of the age old Singaporean question, but in Christian contact. "Should we have to go through adversity to grow and become a resilient, cohesive unit for the country (and in our case, for our God?)" While a sadist side of me gleams with delight on the thought of putting people in the fellowship through adversity to bond as a team, it seems like a better way would be to constantly remind ourselves of the spiritual war that we're fighting each day, reminding ourselves that there are lives around us waiting to be touched by the Lord through each and every one of us.

In the modified words of JFK, "Ask not what others can do for you, ask what you can do for others in Christ"

Goodnight all. Blog more =)

Award Winning Photo

2007-03-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, the award winning photo =P. More photos to come from Woon Liang?? Hope you guys had fun on Saturday. I did. =)

song : who am i

2007-03-05T23:10:00.000+08:00

this is the song jiesi posted ya? =)

2007-02-28T17:51:00.000+08:00

Yo guys,

have been really bz lately so i have not been goin to the chinese congri... Well thats life i guess... i do have some prayer request... i have invited 4 of my friends to the Tony Anthony session, pls pray for their responses, well thats is and back to my bz life again... btw does anyone noe how to post songs, i have both songs mention previously... pls post a set of instructions... thanks

ben

Harroe~~ x)

2007-02-17T00:45:00.000+08:00

Ello~ =)

I'm sure very few of u will recognise my blogging name =D anyway wansin here... i haven't seen everyone in quite a while... been caught up at home of late... so i just wanted to pop by and say hi... =)

and... to congratulate Xi Hua too... (I see you celebrated with a new hairstyle)

and... hope cw's fine at her new job... didn't know u started your new job the same day i started mine =D what a coincidence. By the way I work at Tanjong Pagar... we could meet for lunch some time

and... to everyone else.... Happy CNY~!

Just popped in to say hi... haven't quite read the posts as yet, just glanced through... so that's it from me for now... see you all soon =)

=DD

2007-02-12T22:01:00.000+08:00

hey guys!! thanks for all your prayers these past few weeks ya.. but most importantly, i want to thank god for giving me this result.. although it's not a six points with 8 dinstinctions kind of results, but given my standard, getting 11 points is really a miracle.. i have not been doing very well in my school's paper and i seriously do not think that the olvls this round is anything easier than my school's prelim paper.. thus, i actually prepared myself mentally to get 21 or even 31 kind of results.. as the time for the release of the olvls results neared, i prayed even harder to god, asking him to guide me along the way.. no matter what results i will get eventually, i trust that god will make a way for me and lead me as i continue with my education in either jc or poly..

as im waiting for my olvls results, i thought of a song, which really did provide me with strength and courage to face anything that comes in my way..

GOD will make a way
when there seems to be no way
he works in ways we cannot see
he will make a way for me
he will be my guide
hold me closely to his side
with love and strength
for each new day
he will make a way
By a road way in the wilderness, you lead me
rivers in the desert will i see
heaven and earth will fade, but his words will still remain
and he will do something new today

Congrats to Xihua!!

2007-02-09T16:44:00.000+08:00

Hey Xihua got 11 pts for her L1R5, putting her in a prime position to decide where she wants to go for her Junior College education! She really should explain for herself here, but anyway, she is undecided whether to go to Meridian JC or St Andrews. Factors that affect include school culture (really tricky issue at that) and of course, proximity of the JC. Let's pray for Xihua that God will open up a path for Xihua for the next 2 years and that she can go into a JC where she can learn most from and be a testimony for God!

Once again, Congrats! [Remember to give thanks! =) ]

Hello!

2007-02-08T17:52:00.003+08:00

Hi..

I was totally lost as i enter here.. Pardon me, as i'm already a dinasour (Obsolette auntie who doesn't know how to blog).

I took me more than 15 min to figure out who is this CW. I checked thru the Sunday Sch name list.. The first name is Xi Hua, so i thought it's her. But then, this CW is working, so I thought of Yin Pei. Finally i was rescued by Wen Liang, because he called CW his wife... Phew!!! Sweating already...

FYI, it really takes COURAGE for dinasour to even step inside.

In case you wonder who is this... I am Xiu Jiao. :)

untitled..? (x

2007-02-07T21:10:00.000+08:00

HELLO!!
woah so many people have posted already.

anyway i was reading CW's post, and i was reminded of a song.
some of you may have heard it before i guess..
i think it's like suuperr nice.

Who Am I
who am i? that the Lord of all the earth,
would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt?
who am i? that the bright and morning star,
would choose to light the way, for my ever wandering heart.

not because of who i am, but because of what You've done.
not because of what i've done, but because of who You are.

i am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow.
a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapour in the wind.
still You hear me when i'm calling,
Lord You catch me when i'm falling,
and You told me who i am, i am Yours.

who am i? that the eyes that see my sin,
would look on me with love, and watch me rise again.
who am i? that the voice that calms the sea,
would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me?

whom shall i fear?

Choices

2007-02-06T00:20:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered the amount of choices you go through each day? What time to wake up, which side of my teeth do I brush first, to gurgle 1 times, 2 times, how many times? The amount of choices we have to make each day to sustain our lives will fill up a few blogs! But these aren't the choices that we will remember when we are 30 days later or 30 years older. There are some choices in life we make that goes right down the memory lane. Which secondary school to choose, which life partners to choose and which jobs to take up. And how many of these choices are 'correct', how do we even know if they are correct?

I was going through the same phase of life as my wife (refer to earlier blog). Yes, today is my first day of my new appointment in the ministry and it is equivalent to a new job. 3 months ago, I was put through the process of deciding my future for the next 2 years. The first option presented to me was the one I wanted. The job scope was exciting, the recognition was good and it sure will do good for my CV in the future. In short, the dream job. I met the boss, new colleagues, was briefed on the job and all the introductory stuff. I was told that what was left was administrative tie-up. Hence, I waited for the day for me leave my current appointment for 'greener pasture.'

As much as I wanted it to happen, it didn't. The big boss didn't want me, details of which I do not need to discuss here. But I felt saddened, disappointed, especially when the next job that was offered up to me, didn't come with the hype that I saw in the previous one. It felt dull and 'administrative'. At first, I was reluctant to accept the job, but after much soul-searching, I realised this: It is what you make out of a job and not what the job makes out of you. I felt better. And today, I go on the job eager to learn and to prove myself all over again, looking forward to the changes I am entitled to make in this new portfolio. How did I come up to this decision? Borrowing something which I first heard from Yufei, WWJD (What would Jesus do). At this point of my life, I have already learnt a fact: God plans for all of us, and all we have to do is to believe in him.

Just 6 months ago, another disappointment intersected my life. I was nominated for a French course, besides the exposure and allowances, it would have been a great experience. But again it did not turn up as it should have. However, a short while later, I realised how lucky I was not to have gone to France for the course. The amount of preparation work me and CW had to do prior to our wedding was just neverending, and I dare say that if I had gone to France on that course, our wedding might not have happened at all!

So what I am trying to say here is this. We, humans; Christians can only make our choices on what we can SEE. But can our eyes tell us everything? And when we do not get what we had wanted for ourselves, is nothing ever going to make up for it? Is what we want for ourselves really what God has planned for us? Always remember this: God HAS a plan for us, we have to believe and let him do his work on you! I will go on with my work from now on with excitement and to honour God in anyway possible.

DISCLAIMER

2007-02-05T23:57:00.000+08:00

By the way, I'm not encouraging you all to blog in English hor. I'm writing in English because my laptop doesn't have the capability to type in Chinese - yet. Wait till i figure out how to get the chinese characters going. haha.

A New Job

2007-02-05T23:04:00.001+08:00

Can you ever be sure that the decision you is making at this point, or at any one point for that matter, is the right one? I guess you can never be. After a night of tossing and turning, and waking up all sleepy and grouchy at 7 plus AM this morning (the earliest in over a year, mind you) to 1) a concerned hubby shaking my shoulders 2) a concerned father's phone call 3) a concerned mummy's sms 4) and my nokia hp's super annoying alarm, snoozing for the 3rd time..... I embarked on a new journey that will take me to another phase of my working life - a new job.

Many friends and colleagues have asked me whether I am excited about the move. Hmm.. after the withdrawal symptoms I felt the last time I left my newspaper job, I would say I feel more apprehensive than excited. After all, journalists typically don't adapt well at all in "normal" working environments. I've gotten so used to waking up at 11am, going to work when it's lunchtime for most working adults, speaking my mind without thinking twice and wearing exactly what I feel like wearing to work (cept on days where there's parliament and ministerial or ceo level lunches). So much such that my brief stint in a statutory board backfired badly and brought me back where I came from - back to square one.

But the same problems that I faced the first time round have come back to haunt me all over again - unearthly hours (1) I have dinner at 11pm four out of five days a week 2) I earn about 20% less than my peers. All journos do, you see.. 3) I no longer have the fire in my belly that gives me springs beneath my heels and the neverending energy - what it takes to get solid news scoops - while getting peanuts and working 12 hour days.

Therefore, I tendered my resignation about a month ago after securing what I believe is a better job. This time, there are no tears.. just a bit of sadness and some apprehension.. fear of not being able to fit into a normal corporate environment. After all, can one ever be sure that something else is "better"? What are the defining characteristics of "better"? Is it pay? Is it fun colleagues? Is it shorter working hours? Or greater personal achievement?

So as I was thinking these thoughts on the MRT this morning, squashed like a sardine between others just like me during the rush hour, I whipped out a copy of The Daily Bread, which I had spotted lying on the shelf in church and taken yesterday during worship service. Funnily, it's a copy dated March to May, which is not even here yet. But I decided I could do with some good old spiritual reminders to start my important day.

The words jumped out at me. The message for the day - March 1 - was about Identity. The author wrote, "Who am I? As we strive to manage our interpersonal relations with one another, participate actively in social activities, keep on changing jobs.. isn't all this ultimately about finding out who we truly are? But even if we finally manage to find our place in the workplace and affirm our identities through our career achievements, who, then, will we be after retirement?

The good news is, says The Daily Bread, that our identity is found in Christ. That, no matter what we study in school, what we do for a living, what is the designation that appears on your name card, we share a single identity - born again Christians.

I alighted at Raffles Place MRT station in a frenzy (I was running late you see.. nobody is late for work on their first day).. but I kind of felt at peace, knowing that it doesn't really matter what I do and whether it is a better job or not. Followers of God, that's who we are, and who I am. Heehee.

I'm here!

2007-02-05T00:11:00.000+08:00

我来也！

今天在主日学时，秀娇忘了跟大家说要做的功课。。。秀娇要每一位回家把第一课(chapter 1) 第1-11题作好，下星期在班上讨论。

不要忘记咯！

哈哈我厉害吧！竟然能用中文打出这则entry. 哈哈哈！

起初，神创造天地...

2007-01-30T16:33:00.000+08:00

Well... then there was Adam and Eve, and several thousand years later Jesus came to Earth to die for our sins... then in 1822 Babbage came up with the idea of the programmable computer... then our great grand parents gave birth to our grand parents... then in 1947 the first transistor was created... then our grand parents gave birth to our parents... then our parents gave birth to us... then the internet was created... then blogs were invented... then we're where we're at now... and part of the same 加东福音堂青少年团 here near the beginning of 2007

As God's plan for us unfolds, let us share our thoughts and inspirations through this medium, bringing us closer than simply seeing each other on Sundays and/or Saturdays. Feel free to blog about anything that you might want to share with the rest of us, be it thoughts on devotional materials that you have come across, pictures that you have taken, interesting events/articles that you have attended/read, or even prayer requests that you might want the rest of us to take note of and pray for. 无论是用华文、英文、甚至日文，只要把你想分享的写下，与弟兄姐妹多多接触，互相关怀.

Let's all make the best use of this opportunity and communicate our everyday lives with each other so that we might really have an enjoyable fellowship in God!

"我们这许多人，在基督里成为一身，互相联络作肢体，也是如此。" - 罗12:5