"Principal's ITE advice 'had to be delivered'"

Principal's tone to Sec 5 students plainly wrong

Individual counselling would have been better

Recently, there was this news article about a principal who, according to the Straits Times, told her N-levels students to consider the ITE route instead.

Understandably, a lot of people were upset, and there are quite a few comments in the ST Forum where people posted their views.

RAdm Lui supported the principal's message, saying that the students had to separate the content from the style, but others said that what the principal did was wrong, or at the least, highly insensitive.

Hmm... think both sides have their valid concerns. If I remember correctly, RAdm Lui said that in the outside world people aren't always going to be kind, so the students must learn to separate the valid stuff from the wrong stuff.

But, yes, such a statement by the principal would have damaged the students' self-esteems and may have a self-fulfilling effect.

However, the whole debate seems to have one major assumption: that going to ITE is a Very Bad Thing.

How would an ITE student feel about ITE when he/she reads the debate? ITE is a wonderful educational institution after all - I like their ads very much - some people are really gifted with their hands, whereas others are really gifted with other talents... we all need one another in order to "achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation"!

Perhaps our educational system needs to examine its effectiveness through this incident... have we, as a society, forgotten our responsibility to balance between helping our youths discover and develop their own unique talents and skills versus helping them acquire employable labour skills in fitting with projected market demands?

We mustn't forget that in the end, Singapore has no resource but its own people. Let's do our part to be better stewards of the people entrusted to us, to help them find their niche in life and succeed.

Burglar finds corpse and calls police

Wow, thank God for this man... Proof that those whom we think may not have a heart can actually turn out to be better people than we know... =D "Man looks at the outwards appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

The Time with Hong Teck

Also, just really want to thank God for the time of fellowship with Hong Teck. He's indeed an amazing bro, and a super-cool one at that...

We were room-mates for the conference, and during our free time, we had the chance to talk and share and discuss a lot of stuff... thanks so much Hong Teck for taking the time to impart to me what you've shared... really very very very blessed and helped!

Hee, very funny too the part where he shared about his university life... there's some hilarious things that he did. If you want to know... ask him. ;)

But yeah, thank God for his great advice, especially on BGR stuff, on finding the right sister. =) (Hey, as a married man with three wonderful kids, I think HT has plenty of credibility and experience in this area ;))

Hmm! Think I'll share next time about the BGR counsel he gave me... but suffice it to say that what he shared was really wise and helpful. :)

Back from the Conference... Amazing! :D

Hee, thank God for the past three days. (Thanks Andrew for the bon-voyage wishes haha) Yes bro, the conference was a really, really amazing, fruitful and wonderful time! :D

Hmm, what I learnt... the theme was on "A Loyal Church". I learnt about what true loyalty is, and some important things I learnt were:

0. Loyalty reflects God's attributes.
1. Loyalty is a choice.
2. Loyalty, at its very heart, is self-sacrifice.
3. Loyalty WILL be tested.
4. Loyalty is essential for any healthy relationship.
5. Loyalty to God must supersede any human feelings (both mine and others). (of course, make sure that my loyalty to God is correctly based on what His Word says)

And I learnt practical ways to build loyalty in a team...

Something that surprised me when I went for the conference... it felt a lot like a normal church camp. And that's the thing that I realised... all the people there are really very ordinary people like you and me. Honest. They even fall asleep during the teachings. (Well, not all... only a few. Like me for instance. :P) They come in different shapes and sizes, with very different personalities. From the ultra-laconic to the ultra-bubbly... and whoa! So many nationalities! From all the continents of the world! It was really very amazing to see what God has done in our midst!

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!"

Really very blessed that I got the chance to attend this Hope conference and learn many wonderful things. But it's not the fact that I can go for this conference that I'm so excited, but because it's through this conference that I got to experience several amazing things - things that are strong signs from God that He really is calling me to serve Him in children's ministry. In fact, it's more than a ministry - it's a CALLING! Praise the Lord indeed... as someone would say, "Amayzing!" ;)

Sign #1: The Stars
When I was on the bus to KL at 2 or 3 am in the morning, I looked up at the sky, and the stars were shining, so many of them. And I was reminded again that God promised Abraham that his descendants would be numerous as the stars in the sky... a promise that I believe God wants to encourage me to trust Him to fulfill in my own life (spiritual descendants). :D

Sign #2: The Songs
The calling to serve in HopeKids ministry... think it was no mere coincidence that I'm starting on the book of Joshua, and the worship songs that we sang at the conference... think God was impressing very strongly and consistently on my heart that at this moment, the HopeKids ministry is like Joshua entering the Promised Land... we've begun to start pioneering new areas to impact, build up and disciple children into strong and biblical adults... but there are still so many areas that we have yet to conquer.

But just sense that God's calling is upon me here... as if He were encouraging me directly, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be dismayed..."

Sign #3: The Sharing
This is one of the most amazing things that happened to me during the conference. On the last day of the conference, I was having breakfast with Wan Leng and Pastor James, when Ps James suddenly asked me out of the blue, "Are you helping out in Sunday School ministry?"

When I replied yes, he said:

"You have the right gifting to be in the children's ministry."

"Oh wow! ... uh... but how do you know?"

"Because you have a lot of patience, and you have this calming effect on kids. It's a special ability, and not everyone has it."

Wow... I was so so so ultra-encouraged by Ps James' sharing. Super-touched. Wonder if it was a prophetic word from God through Ps James?

Thank You Father... it does seem very clear now that this is indeed the ministry that You've called me to, both in fruit and in confirmation.

Sign #4: The Spirit
At the closing prayer of the conference, the very moment the pastor in charge prayed that we'd be loyal to our sister churches worldwide too, suddenly, a strong impression came upon me that the Lord Jesus wants me to help support and build children's ministries in all the Hope churches worldwide.

And I was so surprised again.

'Cos a few years ago, God gave me a vision of me sitting on a chair telling a whole group of children from all over the world the story of Jesus! And... I was wondering how this vision could come to pass?

So think God just showed me the very pathway through which this vision can come true.

Feel so inspired, strengthened and encouraged by my Lord Jesus Christ...
1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Thank You so much Lord Jesus... feel so grateful from the bottom of my heart. That You are calling me, an unworthy servant who has failed You so many times.

Don't know how to say the things that I feel in my heart, but my prayer is that You help me stay true to You, to Your words of truth, to Your calling and purpose for me... I'm amazed!

*nods head*

Please help me stay loyal to You to the very end. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

Soon...

Going off to KL soon for a conference soon. :) Thank God so much for His grace, that I can go for it. Wonder what it's going to be like, and gee... somehow this verse from the book of Joshua spoke to me: "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

Whoa... obedience, obedience.

How to write with style

How to write with style
By Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, author of such novels as“Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Jailbird” and “Cat’s Cradle” tells you how to put your style and personality into everything you write.
© 1982 International Paper Co. Reprinted with permission.

Very interesting! I like this passage especially:

Do not ramble, though.

I won’t ramble on about that.

"Not mean nor demeaning, but fair and generous"

MEANS testing at hospitals will neither be mean nor demeaning, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan promised on Sunday.

Referring to middle-income people who might have difficulty meeting their hospital bills, especially in long-drawn illnesses, he said he would rather be more generous than strict.

He is prepared to let some better-off people get the full subsidy, rather than deprive anyone in need of help with medical bills... [read more]

You'd Better Obey This Sign

Some laws are not meant to be broken...

Ok! Just came back from a soccer match... this year we're having Hope Premier League. =D ha, today was supposed to be the Big Day between my subD and the youth subd... but the rain came, the storm rose and the wind blew and beat against the goalpost... lightning too. So we had to terminate the game... rematch next sunday!

went jogging last night. a midnight run. wonderful. something i observed. i ran in spurts. at first rather breathless 'cos not conditioned properly. but the more i ran, the longer my spurts became. so something i reflected from the experience... realised that we could choose to run in a marathon or just walk - we'd finish either way. but the difference is, one is changed into a stronger person, the other never changes.

likewise in this life, we can choose to allow Him to push us to grow in character, in love, in faith, in truth, in endurance, in perseverance, in wisdom... or we can choose to just walk along happily, never pushing.

think that's why God wants us to push ourselves to grow, 'cos the condition we are in at the end of life's marathon determines the responsibilities we can handle for eternity.

hee. just a little contemplation. :P :P :P

Oh yes! Today hopetots with yufen and robert. as usual the kids are ever lovely. something i've observed the past few months. every single time we teachers begin the class with prayer, the children somehow are much much much more well-behaved. and when we do not pray... the children start running wild.

it's true. i've observed it EVERY SINGLE TIME. the difference between when we pray, and when we do not pray, is so vast... that i think God really wants us to pray for the children.

wow. amazing. wonderful. to see what Jesus has been doing in our lives all these months. =D

Thank You Lord for today :D

Thank You for the time with Peter, and how You used him to confirm what You've been impressing on my heart the past few weeks, that You want me to grow in character. That You helped me see the value of character.

Thank You also for the many blessings that You've given me last year. =D

Thank You also for the opportunity to go to KL this coming Tues to Thursday so that I can learn more to serve You more in HopeKids ministry.

Thank You also for the health You've given me...

Thank You also for the guitar skills that You're equipping me with.

Thank You also for the opportunity to serve more in the CG.

That two of my resolutions for 2007 actually came to pass: to serve more in the HopeKids ministry and in CG...

Thank You for Your incredible faithfulness to me.

Thank You also for the opportunity to learn from today's preparation for the outreach event. Thank You for the ideas that You blessed us with. Thank You for my dear brothers and sisters who give their time and energy joyfully.

Thank You for helping me put in more effort to serve... hee, thank You God, for the advice Zewei gave me last time when I was helping prepare the outreach event for the new graduates and the welcome event too.

Thank You for my team leader too, whom You've put in my life, that even though he's not a Christian, he's a strong and mature man with good advice. Thank You that he took the time and trouble to give me advice and feedback on how to improve.

Such advice is rare, and a real blessing from You. Drops of grace, so rare in the workplace, like snow in the hot desert, yet I am showered with them! :D

Thank You so much Lord for faithfully working in my life, how You've been encouraging me to take more initiative. And pointing out to me what I need to grow in. And for giving me the answers to some deep questions that I had for many years... You gave me the answers after 10 years of seeking! :D Great is Your faithfulness indeed, Lord Jesus Christ!

And I realise that in Your time, You make all things beautiful.

And thank You for the word that You spoke to me... that 2008 for me will be a year of purifying, a year of consecration.

A year of consecration. To be purified in character, to grow in godliness. To become the man that You've been wanting me to be for so long.

Thank You for teaching me so many things, Father.

Thank You for giving me hope and forgiveness.

Thank You for giving me close friends like Weizhu and Peter. Thank You that the friendships are mutual.

Thank You for so many things... how true Ephesians 1 is! (Am using the Amplified Bible version...)

3May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!

4Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

5For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [[b]because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]--

6[So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

7In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor,

8Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence),

9Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in [c]Him,

10[He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth.

11In Him we also were made [God's] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will,

12So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!

Wow, as I was reading the passage just now, there were very specific words like "consecrated" and "prudence" that appeared in the text... these are words that I think God is particularly impressing on me the past few days. :D

Oh! Incidentally, there's a Christian funeral at the void deck... as I was walking back home earlier, saw some of the people there doing a line-dance. Yes, you read it right... a line-dance. That seemed quite funny, but as Christians, really, the truth is, we grieve, yes, but we're not that sad, 'cos we know that we will meet again in heaven. :D So it's true literally - Jesus really turns our mourning into dancing! :D Amen!

Planning to go for a midnight run now! =)

Nintendo Zelda Ad... It's So Retro!

From Wired.com:
"Man, the Japanese got all the good ads! A cross-dressing, line-dancing, rap-backed Link who saves Zelda from a big rubber Ganon puppet? Almost completely awesome."

Whoa! :D Just want to thank God for His encouragement just now...

'Cos, if you read my earlier blog entry about faithfulness, or more precisely, my lack of it, you'll know that I was feeling very discouraged about breaking through in this area, because of my long, long, long record... ever since primary school I've been like that.

So, while in office just now, I had prayed to God for mercy and forgiveness, and a second chance again... no, yet another chance, even though the damage has been done (and God knows how bad it's been) and my "credit history" is a grade F.... (and that doesn't stand for Faithfulness)...

However, on the way back, I still felt very troubled and discouraged, and every time I thought of repenting, this (mental) voice came to me, saying, "It's too late... the damage has been done... so it's no use repenting... you can't change..."

Then suddenly, this verse... shone like a light in the darkness. Like Gandalf's brilliant light at the Battle of Helm's Deep. This is the verse:

Galatians 2:18
"If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker."

The reason this verse really turned my discouragement 180 degrees around is:
I am afraid of repenting, because the moment I start cleaning up my act, and turning over a new leaf, it simply shows to those who had corrected me that I indeed have been an extremely unreliable and untrustworthy person.

But, this verse very simply spoke to me (it must have been the Holy Spirit):

"So what? Your rebuilding what you've destroyed (the damage that you did to people's trust and His name) simply confirms the obvious truth that others have already been pointing out to you so many times. And so what if you're a lawbreaker? I have already forgiven you! I see all your past sins, and I declare you... dead! FOR THROUGH THE LAW YOU DIED TO THE LAW, SO THAT YOU MIGHT LIVE FOR GOD.

So take heart, Yeu Ann and rebuild what you have already destroyed! Don't be ashamed, because you no longer live, but Christ lives in you."

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Thank You so much Lord... just to know that You loved me and gave Yourself for me... that really assures my heart like nothing else in this world can. And that gives me the courage to get up and repent, to pick up the pieces and move on.

That You loved me, and gave Yourself up for me... My God, that is more than enough for me. That... really gives me hope. So help me, Lord Jesus, I repent of my laziness, my sluggard attitude... because of You.

And thank You, Lord Jesus, for that verse that came so timely, and dispelled that discouraging voice of darkness - must have been the devil. =) Wow, reminds me of how You defeated the devil with three portions of Scripture.

Hee! Now my heart's singing praises to Him... =) Am more strengthened now to face tomorrow's work. Hallelujah!

Faithfulness

Luke 16:10
"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is
unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

Recently, some people pointed out to me, both at work and in church, that made me start thinking about my own attitude. Simply put, I extremely lack faithfulness. When things become difficult, I start complaining in my heart and become reluctant to carry on. It's the heart attitude that really counts. It's the same whether in ministry, or in family, or in work.

Thank God that He has been showing me... oh that I'm so deaf to His words.

Frankly, when I assess my life, I know that I could have been much more for Christ, but I didn't - simply because others couldn't trust me to finish whatever's been given me.

What is faithfulness, really? It is simply sticking to the path you know you are duty-bound to take, even when the going gets tough.

Lord, it's been so many years that I have been unfaithful in many small things. Many, many times You gave me chances... but I have constantly been flopping these chances. Oh God! What am I going to do?

Someone said that "Unbelief, then, is the root of all unfaithfulness." And as I think about it... it's true. Because when the Bible tells me to work at whatever I'm doing with all my heart, as working for the Lord... it tells me also that Jesus Himself will reward me.

So if I do not believe that He will reward me in due time for my hard work, then the symptoms will be clear: I become lazy and not willing to work hard even when the going gets tough. In other words, I am not having faith in Him.

Oh God. How am I going to ever going to become a faithful man? It is so deeply ingrained in my nature, this lack of faithfulness. I don't even trust myself to be faithful to myself... the moment I say, I want to be faithful... and when the time of testing come, I betray my own promise to myself. Even to myself.

Wait. What did I say? "I want to be faithful." But I didn't say, "I will be faithful." YA, do you really desire to please God? "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Do you want to commit yourself to being faithful, to put your hand on the plow and not look back?

Today, Tai Heng and I met up with an old school friend whom we'd not seen in ages. It was a good time of catching up with this old friend.

Thank God... it was an encouraging time. When our friend shared about some problems that he'd experienced at work (namely, not-so-nice colleagues), Tai Heng suddenly turned to me and asked, "Yeu Ann, think you've been through working experience too... so how do you handle this kind of problem at work?"

Whoa! Think it was a God-given opportunity to share more about how my Christian faith helps me in my workplace experience... so dashed a prayer off to God in my heart, thought for a while and Jesus' words came to mind: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you..."

So shared my testimony of how this verse has helped me in my workplace relationships...

And hee, thank God so much, Tai Heng looked terribly impressed, saying, "Hmm, I think that's a very well-thought answer."

(High-five, Daddy! :))

Our Dear Old Friend, in a later part of our chat, reminisced what I was like back during secondary school days, when I would "talk about X-rated stuff", and how I was constantly being laughed at by the others because of my weird mannerisms, and so on.

And then he said these words, "But I can see that ever since you've become a Christian, your Christian faith has benefited you a lot... etc. etc."

Felt very thankful, because this friend of ours is a self-professed atheist. And I said, "Thank GOD." :)

But something that our friend kept on talking about was the injustice that he sees in so many events, whether it be the workplace or the world, and how he has tried so hard to analyse the reason for the human condition, but has failed to find any answers.

It kept on bugging me, especially when I was reading Ravi Zacharias' passage just now. This is what he wrote:

I was asked to speak at the United Nations for their prayer breakfast for a second time, and they gave me a tougher subject than the first one. I was to speak on “Navigating with Absolutes in a Relativistic World”—at 6:30 in the morning! I was asked to do this in twenty-five minutes and given one other requirement: don’t talk much about religion because people from all faiths will be there. I said, “I’ll do it, but on one condition. Eighteen minutes, your talk; seven minutes, why my belief in God answers these questions.” I spoke on the search for absolutes in four areas: evil, justice, love, and forgiveness.

“We all want to define what evil is,” I said. “We have people here calling other nations evil. We all want to know what evil is. You’re a society that’s supposedly looking for justice. You’ve left your families, and you miss them because you love them. And some of you are going to blow it big time with ethics; you hope the rest of your peers are willing to forgive you, and you want to know on what basis. Evil, justice, love and forgiveness.”

My friend had been concerned with the problem of evil and the question of justice.

To continue Ravi's words:

They’re all nodding. I said, “I want you to think for a moment. Is there any event in history where these four converged in one place? It happened on a hill called Calvary, where evil, justice, love, and forgiveness converged.”

There was pin drop silence. With five minutes left, I spoke on the cross of Christ and how the cross shows the heart of man, how the cross came because of the justice of God, how the cross demonstrates to us the very love of God, and how we find at the end of the day that without his forgiveness we would never make it. At the end one ambassador confessed, “My country’s atheistic. I don’t even know why I came here. Today I have my answer. I came here to find God.” That is the power of the cross.

Huaqiang gave Tai Heng a printed copy of this article on Sunday - that's how I came to know about this article.

And I am still thinking about what our friend shared with us. I think maybe I should email him the article... will he want to read it? Lord, help us please.

Ravi Zacharias: Our Disappointments Matter to God

Just finished reading this... it's a such a beautiful article.

I want to look at the theme of God as the Grand Weaver. When I was a teenager growing up in Delhi I was really not doing very well. I was failing at everything. For those of you who have read my story in Walking from East to West, you’ll know failure was writ large on my life. My dad basically looked at me and said, “You know, you’re going to be a huge embarrassment to the family—one failure after another.” And he was right given the way I was headed. I just was looking for an escape. I wanted to get out of everything I was setting my hand to, and I lacked discipline.

During this time, India was at war with a neighboring country and the defense academy was looking for pilots to be trained. They were calling them general duties pilots—G.D. pilots. So I applied and I went to be interviewed for this. It was an overnight train journey from the city of Delhi. It was wintertime and it gets quite cold then in the northern part of the country. We were outside freezing in the cold air for about five days as we went through physical endurance tests and all kinds of other tests. There were three hundred applicants; they were going to select ten. On the last day they put their selection of names out on the board, and I was positioned number three.

I phoned my family and said, “You aren’t going to believe this. I’m going to make it. I’m number three. The only thing that’s left is the interview. The psychological testing is tomorrow, and I’ll be home.”

The next morning I began my interview with the chief commanding officer, who looked to me like Churchill sitting across the table. He asked me question after question. Then he leaned forward and said, “Son, I’m going to break your heart today.” I wondered what he was going to say. He continued, “I’m going to reject you. I’m not going to pass you in this test.” “May I ask you why, sir?” I replied. “Yes. Psychologically, you’re not wired to kill. And this job is about killing.”

You know, inside of me I felt that I was on the verge of wanting to prove him wrong right then and there. But I knew better, both for moral reasons and for his size! So I went back to my room and didn’t talk to anybody, packed my bags, got into the train, and arrived in Delhi. My parents and friends were waiting at the platform with garlands and sweets in their hands to congratulate me. No one knew. I thought to myself, “How do I even handle this? Where do I even begin?” They were celebrating, and yet for me, it was all over.

Or so I thought. [continued...]

What is Your Mission in Life?

Read this article, and it's very thought-provoking. Thank God. =)

Had been asking myself today, "What really am I passionate about?" Something that Hanhui asked me a few years ago. That time, I really wasn't sure, but now thank God, I'm more sure now what I like, and what I am passionate about.

It IS a big blessing to know your passion... but an even greater blessing to be a child of God with a passion, because, in Eric Liddell's words, when you do what God made you to do, you "feel His pleasure". =D

I've been thinking. Think one of the passions God has given me is story-telling.

I've always loved telling stories. I really love them. The main reason I started reading the Bible when I was a little kid was because Jesus' stories were so captivating, and not just that - the story of Jesus' life Himself was so enthralling, it made me start wondering, "Who is this Man?"

Tracing back, I realise I always have loved listening to Pastor Johannes' sermons. His stories are very real, and at the same time, excellent. His moving stories never fail to touch my heart - sometimes I have to wipe the tears away from my eyes. And I still remember some of his stories from 10 years ago.

And a story has great power. It has the potential to move hearts. It can encourage souls. It can stir the spirit. My biggest dream is to tell children all over the world beautiful stories. Stories to make them dream too. Stories of worlds yet unknown. Stories to power their imaginations.

And I do feel His pleasure in me when I tell stories. Hee. Thank God for Ruey Fong, Sharon and Shuyi who encouraged me, telling me that I can tell stories very well. And thank God for the children on HopeTots who are willing to listen haha...

So, let's look at the article below, and think together how God can help us translate our natural God-given passions into something that will bear fruit to eternity. :)

1. What is your mission in life?
Christ has commanded us in Matthew 22:37-38 to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Then he added the second greatest commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Therefore, the question becomes "What specifically can I do to serve God and others? The "what" question determines our mission in life. There are literally thousands of "what" things to do for Christ and others. My mission is to help people resolve conflicts within their most important relationships (e.g., spiritual, family, marital, business).

By choosing their own "what" with the purpose of serving others, teens will find a higher degree of motivation in life, and a greater desire to find a school or training institute to start learning the knowledge necessary to serve others skillfully. When a teen's motivation to study in school is low, usually it's because the teen has little or no idea of what he wants to do later in life. Help him choose the serving question (what), and watch him get excited. You'll see a more intense and motivated son or daughter.

The "what" question is not the "how" question. It's very important to choose these two areas separately and in order. The "what" or mission is an over-all theme or broad area like "helping people who are sick." The "How" includes any one of hundreds of ways to get our mission accomplished. If our mission in life is to help people who are sick, the next question will help in choosing the method or specific way of getting our mission accomplished.

2. What method will you use to accomplish your mission? Here is where we get much more specific. Here is also where we choose the type of schooling or specific training we need to accomplish our mission. For example, if our mission is to help people who are suffering physically, we may like to choose any one of many vocations: doctor, dentist, nurse, physical therapist, hospital administrator, pharmacist, or relief worker.

The list can be a mile long. But with a clear mission in our minds, our motivation to find the best place to learn how to get our mission done greatly increases. Our ability to listen and learn increases. Our intensity, our creativity, our enthusiasm for whatever it takes to succeed increases. The joy of serving comes alive with a clear mission and method to accomplish our mission.

Examples of Life-Missions

Helping others with their physical pain …

Helping people find shelter, such as a house, that they will enjoy …

Selling products that protect people's eyes, ears, etc …

Protecting others from world enemies …

Building places for people to live or work, such as homes or offices …

Making products that ease others' load in some way …

Planting food to feed people or selling food …

Designing or creating products that get others where they want to go …

Selling products to maintain a person's house or business …

Bringing others enjoyment and encouragement, like being an actor or speaker …

Helping people figure out how to love and honor each other more.

Encouragement: Oxygen of the Soul

Borrowed this book from Shuyi. (Thanks a lot sis!)

It's indeed an excellent book, and a very practical resource too. Wish I had this book last time, when I was trying to learn how to be a better encourager, to develop this gift of encouragement God has given me.

Shuyi got it from Tecman (if I remember it correctly). But a word: it's pretty localized for the British - it makes references to Scottish slang even. But the principles are timelessly universal of course. :)

Check it out at Amazon.com!

Ah! Such an interesting day today. I was on my way to NUH Dental Centre regarding filling my tooth cavity, when suddenly, I recalled something I did recently.

And I think it was the Holy Spirit pointing out to me, 'cos I didn't really realise that - until I recalled it. Man, was I mortified. Because it was a major boo-boo. Big time boo-boo. Big Boo-Boo with a Capital B. But thank God, it could have been much, much worse, but there for the grace of God go I...

And He so graciously pointed out to me, because I didn't realise it then. But now... whoa. Have you ever blushed in prayer? I think I did.

Asked Him to reassure me, because I felt so scared and insecure about that incident.

Then I reflected. I was frustrated with myself again.

Ah. Frustration #3 for today.

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After that, I went into the Dental Centre. I saw the clerk on duty. She, being slightly frazzled, asked me:

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Er... I want to see the dentist." (Pause. What else am I supposed to say? Like, "Oh, I'm here to use the toilet.")

Crisply, she answered, "Ok. Are you feeling any pain?"

"Mmm... nope."

"Ok, I'll put you down for an appointment."

"Er... but I want to go for a walk-in, not an appointment."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but walk-ins are only for emergencies. Like, when you have pain..."

"Oh boy... But I took leave... (trails off into frustrated silence)... it's ok, thanks a lot anyway."

(Darn. Was thinking I should have told her I was feeling pain... 'cos it was feeling a bit painful at times...)

Wah. I was Getting Frustrated. Frustration, Your Honour, presenting Exhibit #4!

But as I left the clinic, ah, I was quite touched actually. 'Cos in all these things God is working for our good. =)

And as that verse from Romans 8 ran again through my mind, I started reciting aloud, "And we know... ", a car passed by. I saw a handsome leather Bible on the dashboard with the gilt-lettered titling "The Holy Bible". So visually arresting. :)

Surprised, I wondered, what in the world does that coincidence mean? Is God trying to tell me something here?

Asked God. And don't know whether it was me or Him - but just felt I should recall Romans 8 fully. So started reciting longer... and oh!

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written,

"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

All day long I must face troubles, frustrations and even danger from time to time... and as long as there's sin in this world, we will face obstacles and difficulties. "In this world you will have trouble..." But we shall not be overcome by any of these - how can anything separate us from the love of Christ? If He loved us enough to die for us when we were hell-bent sinners, how much more, now that we are His precious sons and daughters?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Shall I let myself, then, become frustrated and discouraged, when I face troubles, even of my own doing? Shall I be insecure of His steadfast love for me?

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

I'm just so touched by God's love to me, a sinner. =) Hee... sometimes life is so simple, really, when you choose to let you be you and God be God. =)

Wow... thank You Lord for Your faithfulness to me. :)

Actually, it's still not a very pleasant feeling, still, but looking at it through the eyes of Romans 8, that in all things You work for our good, it's actually very funny!

(Haha... think i'll be able to laugh about it in, say, a few decades later. :P)

'Cos this morning, when I prayed Lord, help me grow me in this area of not becoming frustrated, to be more self-controlled... in other words, to "do everything without arguing or complaining"... I knew You'd pop a surprise test on me, since that is usually how You work in Your ppl... You put them through tests.

And yes, I did get a test today. what happened today was that one of my colleagues asked me to send him some necessary data for some stuff. So I sent what I thought was enough. But my team leader, who was in the loop, scolded me privately via email that I needed to supply more data, and put it in the correct format.

So I apologised, and re-sent the data.

His first word in his reply: "Alamak..."

After that, he ended with, "Look... Get this done once and for all. Stop going through back and forth for these minor issues. It’s distracting and waste of time."

Felt quite... frustrated. With myself again. That i'd not met his expectations. And was starting to complain again to God about this...

And to make matters worse, as I tried to get the necessary data from my laptop, I accidentally spilt my cup of tea on my desk. Stunned...

Then a light dawned upon me.

Actually, God was answering my prayer this morning. And He was purposely putting me through this test to see how I would respond. Hee, thank God so much... to be honest, wanted to reply back to my team leader to explain... but this verse stopped me: "Do everything without arguing or complaining..."

As though my Lord were looking at me, with a raised eyebrow, and saying, "Mmm... remember what my Word says about this, my son?"

Whoa. Upon further thought, the fact is, I made a mistake, and it's my mistake... and he's stressed right now, and besides, this IS a very minor issue. And fact is, we all make mistakes from time to time despite our best efforts. So just learn from it and move on.

So in the end, just didn't reply or even complain... (I hope! :P) oh. wait. yeah, i was frustrated still, but didn't show it (i hope again!), until they all left the office for lunch, whereupon I threw my now-empty cup in frustration into the bin.

But! Now as I type this, I really want to thank God. 'cos this really must be a test from Him... and He will not test me beyond what I can bear... thank God so much that the tea spilt on the desk and NOT on my laptop (i really don't know what i would have done!), and that it was a very minor admin issue.

Hee! Thank God for this test... this reassures me a lot. So that's the first test... I hope I've passed it in His eyes... Tougher tests are to come, I know... but Jesus is faithful, the Bible tells me so! so i won't be afraid, i won't be dismayed, for Jesus cares for me! amen!

Ah. To be honest, I immediately hear many voices of other people telling me that you could have done this, done that, done better, and feel my spirit wilting, 'cos I feel condemned inside. But that's my natural tendency, to want to please as many people as possible.

Hmm. I'm still feeling confused. Find it hard to separate what I do from my inherent value as a person. But these words of a dear friend encourage me to find refuge in Him: "What a relief it is to know that when there are times you can't be all that the world wants you to be, but you can run to Him and throw yourself into His arms, just as you are."

Oh! Here's the actual words: "There are times when you just can't be the perfect person the world expects you to be, and it's just a sense of enormous relief, when you finally let go of the pretense you're struggling to put up, and bury yourself in His arms once again."

=) Different grammar, different arrangement... but same spirit I think. :)

Today a dear bro gave me some feedback over breakfast. That feedback was that I tend to get frustrated very, very easily, and have a tendency to whine/complain. He said that I need to control my expressions of frustration, and/or not get frustrated in the first place.

To be honest, I had a hard time accepting that, because I felt my complaints were not really complaints. How could it be that I would be complaining over the littlest things?

But God has a great sense of humour. I went and ordered two buns, one chicken bun and one red bean bun. But the staff got my order wrong, and instead of my red bean bun, I got a char siew bun.

When I bit into the bun, I saw its true contents, and at once, started exclaiming, "Wah! I ordered one red bean bun, but they gave me char siew instead... argh!"

Then it dawned upon me. I was already complaining so fast! My friend looked calmly at me and nodded his head, as if to say, "Yup, I rest my case."

Went back home and thought about it, and yes, it's so true. As I was praying, asking God to help me change in this area, a lot of memories came back to mind. It was as if the Holy Spirit was showing me in "instant-replay-mode" all the cases where my frustration affected other people, and specific examples of my frustration coming into full play.

And I realised something about my character. I lack determination. The moment I face a problem or obstacle, I immediately become very frustrated and start complaining. Or as my brother put it (tenderly), "You lack steel."

And this bro pointed out to me that I have even been complaining and whining during caregroup events, etc... or more precisely, sulking. He asked me, "How would your visitors feel? Would they want to come back again?"

And more to the point, he continued, "What if you're surrounded by many people all joking and laughing, and you can't understand their language/their joke?"

Ahh, I see. :P

Then God followed it up with a beautiful verse (that I want to make it my verse for 2008):

Philippians 2:14-15
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..."

At this junction, I know it's critical for me to repent of this sin ASAP, because a complaining spirit, in God's eyes, is not pleasing to Him at all. And according to the Bible, it's, to be frank, filthy speech in His eyes. Was He not angry with the Israelites who complained in the desert? And did not their bodies fall in the desert?

I remember there's this sermon last year that the pastor gave on Colossians 3:8... "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." What is filthy language? I thought it was the "F"-word... but it turns out that true filthy language, in God's eyes, is actually negative, complaining, pessimistic, hateful, obscene, ungrateful, hurtful speech. That is true filth in His eyes.

*sober thought*
I now think about how much I've lost because of my complaining spirit... back in NUS ministry... and... *never mind*
YA, let's forget what lies behind, and thank Him for His mercy and grace. And move on to the new things He's called you to. That He gives me another chance to start anew.

Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Thank God for friends who are very positive and have a constant spirit of thanksgiving. If you have friends like these, treasure them like you would guard a ton of gold, for they are worth much more than that.

So, dear friend, if you see me start complaining about something, being sulky and negative/pessimistic, help correct me. As for me, haha, no question about what's my New Year's resolution going to be!

To be joyful always,
pray continually,
give thanks to God in ALL circumstances...
no matter how difficult.

I want to breakthrough in a merry spirit, a joyful countenance, and a thankful heart! :D Hee! THANK GOD SO MUCH... hahaha... now I realise what He's been trying to tell me all these years... It is really true that in all things He works for our good! Hallelujah!

Thank God so much for this dear friend's timely feedback!