What are Friends For?

My first time at HopeTots! :D

Haha... just really want to thank God for such a wonderful time at HopeTots on Sunday...

But well, details, details! Some snapshots...

*******
Reached at 845 am. The children started coming in. Wasn't really sure how to start talking with them, so just hung around two little boys. I commented to one of the teachers, "Wah, they very quiet leh." She said, "They'll start warming up after the games."

Well, one of them was very quiet, the other one was more boisterious. I can't remember their names haha... so I'll call the more boisterious one "Boi". :)

So, Boi was playing with some colourful plastic balls by himself. Errm! How do I relate to him? Hmm... not sure... aha! maybe I can try juggling in front of him... wah, my juggling really ... it's two balls, and it's more like tossing from one hand to another, one at a time. Lame, right? :P

But thank God, Boi was really amused and started trying to imitate me. Whee! So we started playing a bit more, and I took a basket and got him to try chucking the balls into the basket. Basket + ball = basketball, geddit? ;)

*******

And then, another little boy came up to me, and with big innocent eyes, shyly asked me:


















"Excuse me, do I call you Teacher or Daddy?"

********

Then, it was time for the ice-breakers. We introduced ourselves in a way that only 3-5yrs can appreciate... for example, if you want them to remember your name is Hannah, you shake your hands and say, "HAND-nah! Get it?"

No prizes for guessing how they got the kids to remember my name...

********
After some games, we had toilet break. So I was tasked to bring nine little boys to the toilet. How we got them to go to the loo in a reasonably civilised manner was like this: "Boys/Girls, put your hands on the person in front of you...."

One of the little boys looked up at me and said, "'Cher...", and pointed at the boy behind him.

"Yes?"

"He holding my shoulder too tight."

********
Praise and worship was very energetic, enthusiastic and exhilarating!







And very exhausting.

I didn't know that these little kids could keep jumping and jumping!!! (Maybe it has something to do with momentum = mass * velocity...)

One reason why it's so physically exhausting is that these songs are action songs, and not just your normal action songs... they are FULL-body action songs. You don't just shake your hands or your legs... you have to shake your body, shake your head, and shake whatever else God gave them to shake. And I thought head-bangers were crazy...
********

Then during the Bible lesson, we roleplayed the ancient Bible characters Isaac, Jacob and Esau. During the scene where Esau went hunting for game, one of the little boys asked me:

"Esau go where?"

"Oh, he went hunting to get food."

"Oh..." Then he looked at me again and asked me,

























"So, Esau use big-big gun?"

********

And, near the end of the lesson, one of the little boys came up to me and hugged my leg to get my attention.

"Yes?"

*some indistinguishable mumuring*

"Sorry?"

*yet some more indistinguishable mumuring*

"Hah? Sorry can't hear you..."

*STILL yet some more indistinguishable mumuring*

(This kid's really patient with me.)


Then one of the sisters came up next to me and said, "I think he wants to go to the toilet."


"Oh okay..... *sudden burst of realization* Eh? TOILET???"

*scramble to bring the kid outside*

Tried to put the kid's shoes on.

"Hey, your shoes are very small... you must get a new pair..."

*more pushing and squeezing*

After a few more minutes...

Finally! That was difficult...

Then Guey Ming, one of the teachers in charge, looks down at his shoe and tells me,














"You put the left shoe on his right foot."

o_O'...







Guey Ming then adds helpfully, "Hurry up. I think he can't hold very long."

o_O'''...





After I get the shoes done correctly, the little kid runs off really really fast to the loo.






Thank God he got there in time!

*turns around*

"Hey! Don't dig your nose AFTER you've used the toilet!!!"

*******

Wow... thank God so much for this precious time with the children... it really is everything I've imagined it to be... and more!!!

Haha.. yes, the children are REALLY cute...

Yes, as Peter joked, the kids really did jump on me...

Yes, it really is such a joy working with them...

Yes, carrying them is such a wonder...

God... no wonder You love children... when the disciples tried to stop some little children from interrupting You, You ticked them off, saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these!"

Wow... when I had finished my first ever HopeTots2 session, I couldn't help beaming... felt like Moses after he'd met God - complete with glowing face... :)

Looking forwards to sharing life more with them!

---

PS: For more details, and if you love kids and you're in Hope Church, feel free to take a look at this: HopeKids Website

Worship in the Night

Was reading this at night. Jesus is really faithful! :D Thank God for the wonderful time of CG today, esp over dinner... the time wif Jiahao, Bo, HT and the other CG ppl...

Was feeling very sad again about an old, old sadness that I had for a long time, and I was praying to God about this again. Asked Him, "How long, God? How long?"

And just read His Word... not sure what He would want to tell me... am thinking... am I only listening to what I want to hear? Or what He wants to tell me?

I'm still quite confused again. But cannot lah... tml is the time I finally get to meet up with the children in HopeTots... excited! :) So I can't let Satan drag me down into depression and condemnation again. Use the Word of God to fend his flaming arrows of discouragement off! The shield of faith! The sword of the Spirit!

Memorise and meditate on His Word! Just like what Ps Dinah said today. I WILL keep His Word deeper and deeper in my heart! I am so much like the stupid soldier who has a beeeg machine gun with him, with tons and tons of ammo ready to use... but never bothers to even aim or fire his weapon... I memorise so many Bible verses... God has given me a good memory with words... but I'm not even using the verses that I remember so easily to actually THINK and reflect about it... to PRACTISE it...

Grrrr... I want to obey Jesus... I do... I love Him... I do... I really do love Jesus... and I'm not ashamed of Him...

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far away from me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Oh my God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer,
By night, and am not silent.

... In You our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and You delivered them.

They cried to You and were saved;
they trusted in You and were not disappointed.

Lord, You know me much better than I do. You know that I'm starting to feel burnt-out. You know that I've been serving very hard, and that I need rest.

You know me deeply, You know everything. You know when I'm happy, You know when I'm sad. You know when I'm going to make a fool of myself, You know when I'm going to bless You... You know, You know.

You know, and You act. You act, and You heal. You heal, and You cut. You cut, and You bind up. You are, You are!

You are faithful, You are true! You are everything I need, You are everything I love, You are! You are!

You are God, and I am not. You are holy, and I'm so unholy. But You are the one who make men holy... You are! You are...

You are the Shepherd of my soul, You are the Saviour of my life. You are the Beginning and the End, You are the First and the Last.

Lord... I worship You... I worship You... let me offer up this sacrifice anew...
Lord I come to You... in brokeness and weakness...
I come to You... to the One who makes the blind see and the deaf hear...
I come to You... for I'm lost, and I need You to guide me...
For I know that a broken and contrite heart You'll not turn away...
and a broken spirit You love...



And I'm going to worship You tonight... and I'm going to worship You tomorrow...
For the night will go, and the sun will come,
And the morning come, and the mourning go...
For You turn my mourning into dancing,
You turn my sorrow into joy!

Jesus! :)

*******
And I saw this article just now... isn't He wonderful... He answers my heart's longing and prayers... I want to be with Him, to seek His face... because this life of mine, is simply never big enough for HIM.

"Ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion" (Ps. 134:1, 3).

Strange time for adoration, you say, to stand in God's house by night, to worship in the depth of sorrow --it is indeed an arduous thing. Yes, and therein lies the blessing; it is the test of perfect faith.

If I would know the love of my friend I must see what it can do in the winter. So with the Divine love. It is easy for me to worship in the summer sunshine when the melodies of life are in the air and the fruits of life are on the tree.

But let the song of the bird cease and the fruit of the tree fall, and will my heart still go on to sing? Will I stand in God's house by night? Will I love Him in His own night? Will I watch with Him even one hour in His Gethsemane? Will I help to bear His cross up the dolorous way? Will I stand beside Him in His dying moments with Mary and the beloved disciple? Will I be able with Nicodemus to take up the dead Christ?

Then is my worship complete and my blessing glorious. My love has come to Him in His humiliation. My faith has found Him in His lowliness. My heart has recognized His majesty through His mean disguise, and I know at last that I desire not the gift but the Giver. When I can stand in His house by night I have accepted Him for Himself alone. --George Matheson

Renew in me a sweet spirit, Lord I pray... in Jesus' most precious name, amen!

"Mine eyes turned away from me, and mine eyes turned towards Thee"

Thank You again, Daddy! :D So encouraged... (i always write that word... but well... that's exactly my feeling here... hahaha)

Was praying, and one thing that really disheartedned me was how quiet God seems. I heard that He's always longing to speak to us, but we don't take time to hear...

And I think back to the times that I know that He's REALLY spoken to me, loud and clear... and they are few in numbers.

And I asked God, "Why, Lord? Why do You so choose to speak in a whisper? Why? You know that I really can't stand people speaking in a whisper... and I really want to hear You speak LOUD and CLEAR!"

And I was so frustrated, just sitting there, facing the corner... until I ran out of words to say. Somehow I know that He was there, just listening, and remaining silent. Then this verse came to mind: "Be still, and know that I am God."

And this thought came to my mind: "My child... you have SO many things on your mind... no wonder you can't hear Me. Too many things cluttered in your mind.

My child, leave all your worries and burden and doubts at the foot of the cross, where I died for you. And just remain in My presence. Leave all your cares and concerns at the foot of the cross, and come to Me.

Come to Me, and I will show you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Come to Me, and I will tell you what you need to hear. Come to Me, and I will guide you in the path that I want you to take. Come to Me."

Wah lau... His Spirit really spoke to my spirit deep within... He knows that I've been so busy and burdened... and He loves me so. He STILL loves me, He HAS always loved me, and He ALWAYS loves me. His love NEVER fails.

*******
Somehow... I know that it's not about myself. When I asked Jesus for a specific word of encouragement or just something to speak to me, I looked around, wondering if there's any thing special or what... and I saw this Bible passage that I pinned on my shelf.

"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for Me will find it."

At first, this verse, well, was just a bunch of words. But I know that it's JESUS' very own words... so I thot, why not take a look at this verse and THINK about it? So I did... and thank God! :D this verse spoke to me after all!

Somehow I think He's impressing on my heart that I'm too preoccupied with myself, with my own struggles and my own worries and concerns... So why not just "heck care lah", throw my worries to the wind and think about JESUS' concerns instead?

It's not about my own holiness - it's about being in HIS holiness...
It's not about my own future - it's about HIS plans for this generation.
It's not even about my own life - it's about HIS heartbeat for ALL our lives.

So encouraged! And not just that again... God confirmed the thought that I had was true... He confirmed it through something that Wenjiang mentioned during today's Alpha sharing, through the Bible passage that I pinned on my wall... and the following passage from Crosswalk.com by Max Lucado:

Now witness God’s response. Does he remove them? Eliminate the burdens? No, rather than take them, he offsets them. He places an eternal weight of glory on the other side. Endless joy. Measureless peace. An eternity of him. Watch what happens as he sets eternity on your scale.

Everything changes! The burdens lift. The heavy becomes light when weighed against eternity. If life is “just a moment,” can’t we endure any challenge for a moment?

We can be sick for just a moment.

We can be lonely for just a moment.

We can be persecuted for just a moment.

We can struggle for just a moment.

Can’t we?

Can’t we wait for our peace? It’s not about us anyway. And it’s certainly not about now.

******
Now, on to happier things!

Wilson's testimony at Alpha!!! Hallelujah!
So encouraged! First convert to Christ for Alpha, now first witness for Christ!
Praise God!!! It's SUCH A JOY!!!

Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah!
Sing hallelujah to Jesus our King!
Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah!
Sing hallelujah, He's done a great thing!

And a new brother in my CG tonight!
Praise God!!! So thankful! *does a little jig*

Ok, now on to more sober things.
What Hongtao and Yufen shared, it's impt for him to grow in a stronger and deeper understanding of God.

Think also gotta show him Christ's realness and love - for God's more than an intellectual concept - He's a Person... as real - more real than this reality, actually! - as you and me... so pray that my CG will really LURRRRRRVE this bro - all the more that he's now a child of God. "Let us do good to all ppl, especially to the family of believers."

*******
Jesus! There's simply no one like Him, who went around healing people, thinking about them, having compassion on them, feeding them, discipling them... and He sent His Spirit down unto us, that we may continue the great work that He's already started! And He's together with us, fighting in the trenches, fighting in the fields, fighting on the ground, fighting in the streets and in the hills! And He will never fail! "Everyone who trust in Him will never be disappointed."

Comment on " Singapore needs to loosen up, technologically"

Read this article by Tan Hui Leng on Channelnewsasia.com...

Singapore may be keen to develop computer games and animated movies on its shores but frankly, the country is too tame for the typical digital media worker — this according to a man who should know.

Its strait-laced image could stand in the way of the Republic becoming an interactive and digital media hub, said Mr Peter Schwartz (picture), co-founder and chairman of the Global Business Network.

"The game development culture is a culture that is rather loose and wild, and Hollywood is the same," said Mr Schwartz, who was in town as a member of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council to discuss research and development proposals in strategic areas identified by Singapore.

He added: "If you are going to be in the business of developing entertainment media, you are going to have to deal with a fairly scruffy type of person. Singapore is not too good at dealing with scruffy people; you don't like people like that much around here.

"One of the challenges is: Are you going to be sufficiently tolerant of the kinds of creative people in these industries that often emerge in very creative societies?"...

I was thinking about this... think somehow there's this implicit idea being conveyed through this article that "bohemian types of people automatically equals extra-creative types". Creative as in the media sense.

"The game development culture is a culture that is rather loose and wild, and Hollywood is the same" ...
But to ask a question here: Is it really necessary to have a "rather loose and wild" culture in order to encourage creativity here? Creativity in the media arts and the like?

No, think the real issue here is whether we have a culture that encourages entrepreneurial-style experimentation and exploration. It doesn't matter whether you smoke pot or not - I mean, c'mon, marijuana does damage to your brain - even Ozzie Osbourne, the famous metal-rocker, has spoken out against drugs, showing people just how fried his brain has been due to drugs...

Think what Mr Schwartz, a member of Singapore's Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council, said at the end of the article is really the key to helping boost Singapore's creative industries then... he also said that Singapore is too obsessed with success to create an atmosphere conducive to experimentation and exploration.

Therefore, if we really want to see a boom in developing creative talents, the following must be done:

1. Identify the strengths and talents of each and every individual.
I think this is where the old primary school streaming system, frankly, is inadequate. It does aim to help cater to different people's specific needs - but I think it may be approaching this attempt the wrong way. Instead of trying to conform people to an external academic standard, why not see where the strengths and talents of each person lies, and develop that particular talent? One could compare it to prospecting for various resources in various mines... mining for talent, if you would call it. One looks for iron, another looks for gold, and yet another looks for oil. All very different, but all very important in their own God-given ways.

Think much encouraging progress has already been made in this area, and Singapore is advancing well in this area e.g. the Singapore Sports School, the setting up of the National Youth Council and other areas.

2. Then secondly, think the next step is to grow and develop a culture where people are not condemning, but rather, accepting of failures, and encouraging one another to stand up again and try again from another angle. This is where our country has yet to grow in this area - we, right now, are quite a "bo-chup" group of people. I know, I'm one of them too. :)

3. Then thirdly, the most important step is to reproduce talent. By reproducing talent, I don't mean physical reproduction! I mean, it isn't enough to merely develop our own talents to the maximum - we MUST pass it on and multiply our talents to others who are interested to learn more. In this way we can lay up a strong foundation for future budding media developers and designers. (I think this isn't a new fad - old Chinese gongfu masters have been doing this for ages... haha...)

So, in conclusion, the key to developing a strong and thriving creative media industry in Singapore lies NOT in having "a culture that is rather loose and wild", but rather, growing and developing a culture that is supportive and encouraging people to experiment and explore (within safe boundaries) their inner muses. And the call, for us Christians, is especially critical, when you consider the increasing numbers of young people who are playing computer games to interact with one another... the onus is on us to be salt and light in the media industry.

What Peter told me during shepping today

• There are times when we come to God with a lot of things on our minds. We're very tired and just rattle off a list of requests. And when we read the Bible, we expect to receive something groundshaking. But maybe that's not the most important thing at that time. Maybe God just wants us to sit down and simply enjoy His Word. To "[b]e still and know that I am God."
• "Live with your weaknesses. But I'm saying this not in a negative spirit, but in a positive way - live with the hope that you will not remain the same forever."
  
• Constantly cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving. 1 Thess 5:16. Because I tend to be very melancholic, esp when tired.
  

*******

A dear friend told me today, "I'm so glad to see you," and sweetly smiled. It's such a small thing, but it's something that I really treasure - warms my heart a lot. :)

No, it's not what you think it probably is... *smile* And if I told you who the person was, you'd definitely know that it's not the sweetheart type. Hahaha... but seriously, thank God for these small but sweet gifts of friendship - these are "the dust of gold, panned from memory's streams."

Make a Stand, but Make it a Win-Win Stand!

Was on the MRT back with Bowen and Yufen. We talked abt piracy and what's our response to that. I gave my opinion on it, and Yufen shared, "God sees our hearts." Quite a few things here and there, we shared.

After that, Bo and I chatted some more. He shared with me about what his shepherd had shared with him regarding taking a stand in difficult, "gray-area" situations... e.g. (to paraphrase Bo) what if your whole army platoon want to go to a sleazy bar, especially the higher-ranking ones? A few Christians just went with the rest of the group, but Bo decided to take an absolute stand, saying, "No." But it was very difficult for him, because the rest of the group were definitely very unhappy.

So Bo asked his shepherd for advice. In a nutshell, Jason said, "Take a stand, and make it a win-win situation."

I thought about this, and it's really an excellent piece of advice. Because when I enter the working world, it's really a dog-eat-dog world out there... Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves." I've experienced a bit of it during Army times, and I also didn't know what to do, so I just made an absolute stand. But that didn't really endear me to my colleagues, so in a way, I wasn't able to impact their lives or make closer friends as well as I could have.

*******

"Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Wisdom. I really lack it. And I really need it - lots of it. As I walked back home from the MRT, I thought about this, and what Peter shared with me last week about media. This struck me - just how many of the most popular blogs are written by Christians? And how many of the best movies in history have been made by Christians? And about comics - how many of them?

I was thinking about the humour section in Crosswalk.com. Sorry lah, but to be honest, I think the comics there are ... just not funny. Really. So bland. And the comics that I really really love to read - they're definitely hilarious - e.g. Liberty Meadows, Monty, Sherman...

Then thought about the blogs... oh man, Xiaxue and Rockson... Rockson's one is damn hilarious one... and super-vulgar! And thought about our own blogs... my own blog, and what one of my good friends said about it - he doesn't like to read the contents - but he reads it simply because he's my friend. Yeah, he's not a Christian.

Ok, here's a lot of points, but I think the real question really is, when you take a sober look
at it, just how much impact are we Christians making in this society? In this city? On this planet? Different people have different level of impact, to be sure, but even within our own circles, are we shining?

Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. It's a cliched statement, to be sure - but if you read it in a contemporary context, to describe a group of people as "hey! they're the salt of the earth", it somehow conjures up the imagination of a refreshing and fun group of people - the type of people that you'd really enjoy hanging out with - Christian or not.

Thought about it - being salt means that we are flavour-enhancers. I tried cooking some sausages without some salt. It was ... bland. Heh. But after that, I rubbed in some salt. Wow... it was delicious! The sausage... just tasted more sausage-y!

*******
So I'm thinking about the point on wisdom. Somehow, I'm realising, in addition to my life lacking depth, I also realise that my life really lacks wisdom. Think it was a few Divine whispers here and there... small snippets of Bible verses that came into my mind throughout the day... and I feel more and more convicted of my need to grow in wisdom.

Wisdom. It's so important... wisdom doesn't just only apply to living a right life spiritually - it also applies to my dress sense (which I'm getting terribly convicted about), the way my room is packed, the way I treat my body (going without regular sleep does weird things to my mind AND body), the way I can't squeeze the most out of my time...

The way that I relate to other people (social wisdom), the way that I plan for my future work (practical wisdom), the way that I make sense of ongoing global events...

Wisdom is so important - I mean, when God puts an entire book devoted to wisdom in His Word, I think it's definitely worth taking a look at. Wisdom transforms your facial appearance (really - it does!), wisdom transform your thinking, wisdom makes you powerful and attractive, wisdom makes you grow in depth of relationships, wisdom makes you influential and able to impact others for good purposes... and best of all, wisdom helps you share the Gospel with more and more people. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins soul is wise."

So if I want to be a shepherd, I really need to grow in wisdom. I'm struck by the various aspects of wisdom that I see in various people, e.g. Jits for the way that she can really squeeze time, Eric for his managerial skills and stewardship, Peter for the social skills that he taught me, Shirley for her wisdom in her work life, my mum for her shrewdness (yes, it CAN BE a good thing)...

*****

I was feeling really burdened, and I decided to turn to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 30:2-3 jumped out at me: "

2 "I am the most ignorant of men;
I do not have a man's understanding.

3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One."

So something I know that the road to starting to grow in wisdom begins with admitting that, "God, You were right all along - I really know nuts. So please teach me today..." And God smiles and says, "I will. I was waiting for you all along to ask me. Ask, and you shall receive!"

In other words, humbly getting down on my knees and depending on Jesus to give the wisdom that I so lack. Really praying to grow in wisdom starting from today. Lord, I know nuts... but You know EVERYTHING. So ... teach me, Daddy! :) In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Came back from Alpha Camp '06

Whee! :D Thank God, it was a WONDERFUL TIME!!! Hahaha... and we got 2 new brothers... in one nite!!! Praise God indeed! I'm reminded... it's Jesus who saves!!!

And last nite we had a new sister... Yanting!!! When I asked her how she felt, she grinned and said, "I'm very happy!" And when I asked her what made her want to ask Jesus into her life, she replied, "All my questions have been answered... and I decided to take a leap of faith."

Also, one of the brothers (John), when Benaiah asked him the same question, replied, "Before I met you guys, I found other Christians pushy... but you guys are different... I can see that God really is real..."

Sweet! :D Jesus is so wonderful... :D :D :D

And I told Jan n Mich abt Yanting coming to know Christ... they were amazed and said, "ReaLLy??? Because we were praying for her just now!" And Jan said, "We were upstairs praying... I heard some clapping just now. Now I know what it was for..."

Wow... praise God indeed! :D

Haha... and also thank God for the MM... haha... it was tough work... but praise God again, it's always so sweet to be able to serve Jesus... have learnt quite a few things, and experienced deeper fellowship with those I'm serving... esp Shunrong, one of the bros from NTU... very inspired by his humility and sweet serving spirit... something that I really want to capture from this brother. Also Eric, for his meticulous management and excellent stewardship... he's really one of the most detailed and faithful stewards I've met... have also learnt a lot from this brother, really learnt a lot from him too.

Yeah, fantastic time of fellowship.... and I want to write more abt the impromptu, spontaneous praise n worship time that some of us had (special thanks to Dom's excellent saxophone n his sax-y voice... LOL...;))... we were dancing... singing... jumping... God! it's so REAL... really could sense Your joy filling the place... really really really really really really really so sweet... thank God also for Qiaoping's piano playing... haha... wow... so many wonderful memories... so grateful to God for His blessing me with such a sweet n wonderful experience for my last ever matriculation camp... esp since I'll be moving on after graduation...

"Many are the wonders You have done for us, O LORD... were I to count them, they would be too many to tell!"

---

So many wonders... so many joys... so many sweet times... i was pondering during worship time, thinking abt wat my life wld have been if i hadn't asked Jesus into my life... wonder where'd I be at the age of 25 without Jesus...

and... really... my life would juz be rotten, so deprived... probably i'd be spending the whole holidays in front of the computer... just isolating myself from other people... being stuck in my own self-absorbed little world... and never experiencing the real joy of fellowship... with God and with people...

This line by W.H. Davies came into my mind...
"A poor life, this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."

Think it's juz being able to, at those special moments, just stand back and be amazed at what God is doing in history at this very moment in time... He is building up the Golden City... bringing more and more of us lost souls to know Him... to "stand before [Him] in wide-opened wonder, amazed at the glory of [Him]..."

And this power of heaven... is so real... coming down to bring joy and peace into the heart of every one who will ask Him into his/her life... to take that leap of faith...

Oh man... what would life be without Jesus? it'll be hell... really... there is nothing so devastating than to be without God, without a Saviour...

But, back to now... this present moment... and hey, I REALLY am living life to the full... :D really... not that He stuffs our days with extraordinary things to do (not always lah)... but rather, that He makes the ordinary into the extraordinary...

like when you were deaf your whole life, and suddenly you heard music for the first time...

like when you were blind your whole life, and suddenly you were able to see every colour, every hue and shade...

just some thoughts here. :) praying that these thots, You'll like, Daddy. :)

Open the eyes of my heart....

Hey God, just thot i'd write u something...

not sure hw to put it into words yeah.

But i just having this conviction that my life lacks depth.

I know that You're good in all Your ways, God...
I know that all Your thots twd me are lovely n full of grace...

God, I not sure where i'm going. But please hold me hands yeah? :)

---

Am thinking abt wat Peter shared wif me during shepherding. Some points that he told me:
- Values that are based on the Bible = sound thinking
- "Think abt it... how many Christian scriptwriters are there in the movie industry?"
- "I remember Ps Jeff joked during today's service that 'If you don't like a movie's script, then make your own!'"
- "Media shapes our values."
- Affluence and influence...
- Salt n light
- thinking from the bigger picture.

In a nutshell, wat he shared wif me was abt media... more than that, not being Christians who sit in our own little islands - "我跟耶稣在椰子下..."
but being globally aware... AND having the desire to make an impact for God... not bcos we want to make a name for ourselves... but bcos GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD...

Bcos Jesus Himself said clearly that we are called to be SALT n LIGHT... to impact AND influence others... to be godly preservatives n flavour-enhancers in a world that's so often decaying... not just spiritually, but also mentally... physically... even aesthetically (you ever see the quality of some of today's "artwork"/"media"? just ... dumb or worse...)... So we can make a refreshing difference... e.g. make top-class movies that touch the hearts of pple... movies tt actually show the power of Godly values in action, not just (e.g. grace - Forrest Gump, redemption - the Shawshank Redemption, courage - Saving PRivate Ryan, convictions - Chariots of Fire, integrity - A Few Good Men, commitment to duty - Spiderman 2... and the list goes on...)

PEter also added, even something as simple as a blog to influence n bless others... that's y some brothers n sisters' blogs refresh me a lot.... e.g. Weizhu's blog...

So how do I get started? Can start talking with God abt the daily news that I see... talk with Him abt the movies that I've watched... ask His opinions... learn from Him what He says, both thru His word and thru other ppl/special circumstances, etc.

And it's not abt doing what we think is right... i mean, the old adage "The road to hell is paved with good intentions..." is so true... e.g. the Nazis' intention to create a master race led to genocide... you get the idea... so it's really critical, if we want to live a life of purpose and drive, must know WHERE to go... like a surgeon who must know WHERE to cut... or he/she'll do worse damage than if never did at all...

Yup just to pen down some thots. Praying that this'll be the start of a deeper life.

"When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is You who know my way..."

I will praise His name even when I fall, for His nails said it all.

__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ said:
well, if He doesn't let u stay, He's got something better
[✖]Band of Brothers[✖] I will trust His heart... I will trust His heart... even thru the darkest nite, I will trust His heart... said:
thanks bro!
[✖]Band of Brothers[✖] I will trust His heart... I will trust His heart... even thru the darkest nite, I will trust His heart... said:
yah think He reminded me abt "in all things He works for the good of those who love Him..."
__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ says:
yea, He WORKS even tho He's way past retirement age. for the good of us who love Him.
Alleluia^^
__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ says:
k, juz being lame abt the retirement bit, but seriously, let that verse be the light that shines on the dirt track u're walking down now
__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ says:
our destiny is secure already, so we seriously hav got nothing to worry about.
__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ says:
it's natural to feel distressed or even feel like u wana cry. but look beyond the mountains of yout troubles, bro. for NOTHING.. no friggin thing can take away the good He's done for us. no friggin thing can separate us from His love.
__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ says:
His nails said it all
[✖]Band of Brothers[✖] I will trust His heart... I will trust His heart... even thru the darkest nite, I will trust His heart... says:
thanks.... bro. :) really.
__,.-`'*·dom™ ♪ says:
=)

Thank God!!! So blessed!!!

Just really want to thank my Daddy in heaven for blessing me so sweetly...

1. After helping my ma wif some stuff today, she told me, "Thanks Yeu Ann, you are REALLY a great help to me!" Wow... super-touched... and so glad that I can be a good testimony at home, not just in school or the workplace... really want to be a good son, even as i serve Jesus in church ministry... because I know it brings a BIG smile to my Daddy's heart!

2. Praise God for His abundant provisions!!! Was really trying very hard to locate additional laptops, DOTA games (i really don't want to pirate any Warcraft software), harddisks and cameras... then somehow the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask Kim Chun (at 230 am liao... ok, well, that's not so difficult haha ;)) for help... and Yufen prayed for the MM team to be able to source wat we need for the filming...

Kim Chun got almost everything we need... cameras, tripods, and most imptly DOTA! And he's free to help the Alpha MM team the WHOLE day tml... praise God for this bro! very very very encouraged to see how God can work and provide through ppl in so many ways... most of all, v encouraged by his willing spirit to come down n help us... it just blesses my heart so... :) and he's helping dabao lunch for us too! haha...

ok, well, we DO have to pay him for the lunch haha...

Praise God! from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him! all ye creatures here below...
Praise Him! all ye heavenly hosts above...
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! aMEN!

I gotta tidy up my room...

Was looking at my room. Somehow I keep getting the feeling that I HAVE to start cleaning it up... when even I start finding it messy... well, you get the idea.

Ha... I was commenting to God just now that, "Hey, it's not messy! It's *ahem* personalized."

And 1 Cor 14:33 came to mind: "For God isn't a God of disorder but of peace."

Oh Boy. God sure has a Very Interesting sense of humour. Because my room looks like a battlefield. Get the joke?

Argh... I HAVE to get started.

Don't let your heart get side-tracked by less impt issues... keep your eyes focused on the main task, the one that Jesus gave you to do. And do it!

Touched :)

Had just woke up, groggy after World Cup - arrrhh!! Brazil lost!!! So sad... :(

But tk God for the time of fellowship... yeah!

Lots of worries when I woke up today - my worries love to rush me in the morning...

Didn't feel very prayerful, just wanted to sleep bcos I was sick. Just Sick. And Very Exhausted after so many days.

But I'm always so touched by His love - even when He doesn't seem to be very loving, yet I've learnt that His love is more real than my imagination. :)

Told Jesus that I'm sick, really dunno what to pray, etc. Told Him I got lots of things on my mind. Just grumpy, etc. etc.

Then my ma asked me to do an errand, to check out a website.

Then I happened to see this link:
"What I Have Learned From Martha:

[Doing] good is not enough, we must do what is best.
Jesus told Martha that she worries about many things, but that Mary had chosen what was better and that it could not be taken from her. God must come first in all things. We must be willing to sit at his feet each day to get direction so that we know what is best versus what is just good. And when we sit at his feet, what we learn can not be taken from us.

Then I saw this verse. It really spoke to my exact heart condition:

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
— Luke 10:41-42

Touched!

The rest of the article also spoke to me. I'm just very... touched. That He would notice even the tiniest things of my heart. I know He knows, yes... but still it just never fails to warm my heart every time Jesus sends a small word of encouragement every day my way.

I mustn't dwell anymore on this tiredness that I'm feeling. Like what Weizhu told me, "If you keep on thinking you are [tired], you WILL become more and more tired!"

"The eternal God is [my] refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms." What a joy to be carried by Jesus.

---

Joy... oh, there was a great sermon yesterday on joy. One of the points that struck me was "Excessive reasoning". It can be one of Satan's tools to steal joy from our lives - sometimes we tend to overly complicate the simple joys of life e.g. the company of friends, beautiful weather, a great book, a hug, a smile, a lovely flower... etc. etc. This point applies to me because my mind has a habit of excessively reasoning things here and there. So I need to change this habit, to start thinking about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, ... right, ... pure... lovely... admirable... if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think abt such things... whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in [my leaders], put it into practice... and the God of peace will be with me."

ameN!

Rainbow Fire in the sky...

Oh my... isn't this beautiful indeed?

This brought to mind the passage in Genesis, where God showed Noah a rainbow after He sent a devastating flood over all the earth, as a guarantee of His promise never to flush the earth again...

I had thought abt this before... didn't the rain stop? Then how come still got rainbow?

Then hey, I see this kind of rainbow... whoa, maybe God showed Noah THIS kind of rainbow... it's incredibly, incredibly beautiful. =)

Just a thought... thank God for His rainbows.