Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Fountain of Life's Lessons


Saturday! I had a great time getting know two more kids: Shaiful and Theeban, in the Nurture Programme. And Yuanrou and I got to make a new friend, Cecil. She's a reporter with the New Paper. Wows! Anyway, she helps out with the Nurture Programme in her own personal capacity. Methinks she looks a bit like Junting btw. Haha...

Then! since I was free for the afternoon, I went for the Uni-YA service at RELC. Wows... they did a REALLY innovative and fun show: Telesphore. It's about an imaginary futuristic device that can give you ratings of happiness. Gosh! realise that I could adapt this device for the HopeKids skit...

Anyway, the play was about some futuristic land called Terra. And gosh, the song-and-dance sequence really was very well-done! As it was right smack next to National Day, it felt so much like a National Day song... ahahaha. Anyway Huili did a really brill job as a researcher working with cute little babies. Hahaha she was really into her element. And Jan was great as the half-crazed inventor of the Telesphore. Gosh. He really reminded me of Stephen Chow, mannerisms some more. LOL. The other actors were great too... got even a video clip with Minchen, Huili and Shuyi inside some more haha.

And! The sermon by Wenjiang. Wow. It was a variation of the S1aNsation theme. There was one verse in the passage that Wenjiang shared, that really spoke to me personally.
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
It's a familiar verse, but that Saturday, somehow it just smacked me right in the chest. Don't know how, but when Wenjiang shared it, I realised that we often try to satisfy our thirsty heart with things such as computer games, Facebook, meeting friends, and so on. Like how the characters in the Telesphore skit kept on doing things to keep their Telesphore ratings high, and therefore, their happiness ratings high.

But... when these things are over, the euphoria, like the NDP fireworks, burst sky-high... and in a transient moment, disappear completely into the black night of the soul.

But Jesus promised a totally different ball game. He spoke of a new kind of water. Yup, He got the idea of Newater before the PUB got hold of it... haha. Imagine with me, if you will, a tiny drop of living water sploshing into the ground. Then it disappears into the thirsty ground, just like any other water droplet. But after a brief moment, suddenly, a tiny crack bursts open in the ground. Then a few droplets trickle out. And then a whispering rivulet. Then a murmuring brook, a bubbling spring, a rolling river, a roaring torrent, a booming waterfall! And the entire desert is transformed into a brand new Eden, a totally new ecosystem. Even Star Trek's Genesis bomb couldn't compare to this living water.

So when I take time to be with Jesus... He plants in me a delicious little drop of living water in my heart and soul every time. :) And whatever thirsty little corner of my soul that I brought to Him that day, it never becomes thirsty again. Because from that day onwards, He has done something wonderful there, in that surrendered patch of dry ground.

:D Well. After that met up my old friend Gabriel Ong. We ate at Pastamania, then went to St. Andrew's Cathedral just to walk around. And he said it's such a nice place, very relaxing. He really needs a good break; he's been so busy with work and studies that it's affecting his health. And we just talked and talked under the lovely night sky. :D And oh yeah, he was very blessed by the quality time spent together. :)

Anyway, he was sharing with me that though he's happy as a Buddhist, interestingly in his office, everyone's a Christian there - except him. And since he's Weizhu's ex-classmate, he said to me that God really has changed WZ ever since he became a Christian! Wow. I was so surprised when he said that. And told WZ what Gabriel said. Haha. :) (Yep, Gabriel's fine with me saying that.) Then prayed for Gabriel's health and healing too.

Thank God for his wonderful work in WZ all these years! Thank God for Gabriel's faithful friendship all these years since NS days too... here's praying that your health will get better ASAP!



Sunday! It was a really great day - we had HopeKids service, and some really lame skit that I wrote... paiseh haha... thank God for Katarina, Peter (not my shepherd) and Alvin. They were great! Saved a lame script, they indeed did. They took lemon and made lemonade. Ps Jeff was there too. He wasn't preaching, just coming down to visit us.

Ah! Ps Jo preached a great sermon on translating our godly intentions into action! And his story about the man who obeyed the prompting of God to bring a carton of milk to a specific house... wow. It touched my heart. V timely too.

Weizhu brought his Nerf guns along too! He and Kimchun were happily testing them out... WZ's modded gun shoots better than the unmodded one.

Oh, and after that, had a good time of just chatting with Huaqiang during lunchtime. Originally we had planned to bring the CG for an outing to East Coast Park. But TH couldn't make it... Sharon was sick... Jeannie was in Batam... and Liting, Shuhui, Meixian and Stanli all couldn't make it. Wah. So just Huaqiang and me.

So we stared at each other, and kind of groaned. Haha. So bought HQ a cup of hot kopi to "drown his sorrows" (just kidding), and chit-chatted about the movies and GI Joe too. Haha...

Yup! Had intended to go back home to continue reading a good book I bought. But decided to call Weizhu to see if he was free. Yup he was. And he was with Huichun too! So we went looking for Nerf guns.

Ah. Then Huichun was craving for bubble tea. And she looked at Weizhu all doe-eyed. So we got bubble tea. And then after that, we walked and talked some more, and watched the Bugis Junction's "Happy Fountain" springing to life.

And we saw a mum taking the diapers off a cute little toddler! We wondered what she was doing - changing her baby's diapers in public?

I whispered to WZ: "Eh, bro, is she going to use the fountain as a ... washroom?"

WZ: "Oh! I don't think so. Look likes she's just removing the diapers so that the little girl can play in the fountain!"

So we watched the little girl grin toothily as she toddled towards the fountain. Her smile turned into a curious gaze as she crept nearer and nearer. And suddenly, ALL the waterspouts GUSHED up simultaneously with a giant roar! The little girl screamed and toddled hastily back into her mother's arms! Huichun gasped, and then we all laughed.

Weizhu commented, "Gee, I think she will be scared of the fountain from now on."

But as we kept watching, the mother took the little girl back into the fountain. This time, the mum accompanied her daughter up to the fountain, and tenderly holding her daughter's little arm out into the fountain's waterspout, the little girl's eyes opened wide with wonder as the once-mighty water splashed into her little palm.

For she had returned to face her fear, and now she had, with her mum's help, conquered what once scared her - literally holding and stopping the writhing water snake with her hand. While all the other water spouts leapt merrily on their way over her head, she was the absolute master and courageous conqueror of what had once made her turn tail and flee.

Wow. What a powerful yet unspoken lesson. Thank God for the mum, she did a great job!

Oh! There was a little boy as well. He was the opposite of the little girl - he was craning his neck to see how far he could go before getting wet. Carefully venturing forth into the geyser minefield, he bravely scooted around, as far in as he could, and then happily ducked out.

Weizhu observed, "Guys like to take risks." :)

[Trying out this style from godhungry.org!]
Question: What little lessons have you managed to learn from a little one today?

Oh! Then after that we went to TCC. We had potato wedges. And started sharing about ideas how to bless the church. And as we went on, and as I shared my thoughts and concerns, Weizhu grew more and more animated. More excited. 'Cos he has some Great Idea you see. :) And the Nerf gun he bought plays a part of his Great Idea. :)

Question: What great ideas have you managed to pick up from a great friend today?

Thank God for him! We also took the time to pray for Huichun's knee. Painful.

Later on HC said that her knee feels better. Praise the Lord!



Monday! Woke up late. Super-late. So met WZ for lunch at 3 pm. Haha. We talked some more and shared about our lives, and our sheep. Heh. Jon was around at Plaza Sing's MOS Burger, serving some customers. Impressed by his fast and ready service.

Then we went looking for Nerf guns again. It was a great time, just looking at the toys. Haha. Prayed for one another before he went off to meet Huichun again.

Then... as I retreated to Ion Orchard, TH called me and asked me whether I was free. So I went, and had a good dinner with him. :D Really good catching up with this dear friend!

Finally, and this is what I think the Holy Spirit had been prompting me since Sunday to do, I wrote an encouragement card and took it down to one of the CG sisters' workplace. As I approached the restaurant, I tried to find her, but couldn't. So I prayed, asking God to help me find her. Then... as I passed a couple of pillars, to my surprise, I saw her standing right behind the two pillars, precisely positioned between the gap!

Whoa! God answers so fast and precisely. Haha... But wasn't sure whether to call her attention, as her colleague was with her. So walked a bit further on... and then decided to turn back and try getting her attention. And yes, she saw me, and she was so surprised (even though I had asked her already when was the timing of her shift that day).

So passed her the encouragement card through the pillars' gap, and she asked me whether there's CG this Friday. Yup, got. So she said she should be able to make it. Wow! Praise God.

And as I went off, I felt a sudden rush of joy fill my heart. It was such a thrill. Sort of like having successfully accomplished a mission as a secret agent - on His Majesty's Service! :D

Realised this is probably the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and was so glad, because I realised that God really wants to do His work through each and everyone of us. And when we choose to wait on Him, and obey every instruction that He gives us, no matter how big or small, He fills our hearts with so much joy and laughter that, really, to obey really brings so much joy!

And He prefers our obedience to sacrifice! All so often we talk about making big sacrifices for God in our lives... but sometimes... just sometimes... I wonder if we're willing to take little acts of immediate obedience too? These don't take much - just being willing to turn off the TV right now... just being willing to stay back for a while longer to pray... just being willing to take a little detour to get some coffee or milk to bless someone... and there is such joy, exhilaration, delight, triumph, victory... when we realise that what we did was supernaturally timed/enabled/empowered by God Himself. He was with us all along, and we knew it not... whoa. Jesus really is alive! And He lives in you and me, we who are the Father's beloved children - right now.

So that's a wonderful two days.

Question: What are some things that God has done for you today? And have you asked God today to help you be more sensitive to His divine voice, to do some directed act of spontaneous kindness to someone in need today?


Tuesday was really sian though. Because I woke up late, and didn't have time to pray. And I was rushing through the day... gosh. But after praying desperately just before having DMM over the phone, God refreshed my heart. Wah. Touched by God's humilty and kindness and mercy. I forget about Him for the whole day, and then when I realise I need Him, He's there, ready to receive me like the father of the prodigal son. Gee. :)

So God, help me not be nua, but to pray first thing in the morning, to fellowship with You! And help me, Lord, remember that there's nothing today that You and i can't handle together. In Jesus' name, amen!

Question: Have you remembered to ask God this morning, to not only help you, but guide you through today?

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