w.twoseveneight

11 Sept Spring

2009-09-11T16:43:00.003+08:00

Hey guys,

This blog is really dead :( Why no updates from most of you!!!??!?! Take ownership of the blog lei!!!

Anyway, just to update you guys, it is already Spring here in Melb but weather can still be 9 degrees or so sometimes. So, yes! It's very very irritating when it is so cold and windy! I haven even been to a beach in Melbourne!! So much for saying Aussies love the beach!! Hahaha. Maybe in late Oct den I'll take a look at the beach where it's hopefully warmer!!!

Sept is assignment month!!! Alongside with Nov which is assignment and exam month!! I actually sign up for this Terrorism module becoz it has an exam!! Hahahaha... I just wanted to experience taking an exam in Melb la!! I heard no pencil case allowed unless in a ziplock bag? I don't know man.

Anyway, from 25-27 Sept, I will be going skydiving!!! Woohoooo.. Kinda excited becoz I'll be doing the parachute n landing all by myself. So don't just wish me luck but SAFETY!!! Yes i wanna come back in one piece!! hehehehehe

And i'll be doing a full marathon - 42km - on DEC 6 in Singapore!!!! it's on a sundayy....the stand chart run tingy so PLS CHEER ME ON OKAY!!! i prob finish it in 6 hrs 30 mins n hopefully not longer!!!! hehehehe

Well, that's all from me for now!! Take care loads pple!!!

Love love

2009-08-15T13:02:00.000+08:00

Yoz guys! I'm currently reading this book titled 'The five languages oF APOLOGY' by the author of the fanmous The five love languages :)

I think that the insights that this book gives is amazing :) Indeed knowledge is power. Pastor jeffrey Rachmat said in one of the leaders' meeting that relationships are not broken bcoz ppl ran out of love for each other. In fact, surveys have shown that 70% of the couples who r divorced still love each other. What broke these countless relationships is that they have no knowledge or a lack of knowledge on how to cope n manage their relationships.

Just to let u guys have a peek. i haven finish the book. im not even half way done. haha. but here are the 5 languages of Apology. Hopefully u can recognise urs n also that of ur loved ones. The key of this book is that merely saying sorry might not be anough after all....

1. Expressing Regret ''i am sorry''

2. Accepting Responsibility ''i was wrong''

3. Making Restitution ''What can I do to make it right?''

4. Genuinely Repenting ''I'll try not to do that again''

5. Requesting Forgiveness ''Will you please forgive me?''

a rainy day in sg :)

2009-07-07T14:01:00.002+08:00

awesome to have mr darren revive our blog!

it's a rainy day in sg and i'm actually loving it being a tad more cooling! :)

n yes, i absoultely love the praise song on the blog.

gd reminder of so many things... of His goodness. His mercies tt r new every morning.. tt it is God who lifted us out of where we were.

n so i learn sth new in the bible study i gave to izzy, luke n darren yday.

tt being a commited member who participates instead of just being a spectator is like being married instead of just staying tgt.

because behind all the hype and rah-rah and all the gd days, our commitment to the Lord and His house is tested in the crazy storms of life where man and yes, maybe even church friends or leaders may fail us. BUT God has promised He is faithful till the end.

2009-07-06T21:55:00.002+08:00

Heyhey!tweety bird here to post.Extinct blog man..hahas
I revive it man,you see.hahas,lols.Yesterday we have our zone service,and
was preach about Discovering your dream.About haran and etc..
yeah,its on genesis so can go read.lol
That's all,Bye(:

Kristen Kreuk

2009-03-25T20:47:00.001+08:00

We. Heart. Her.

Dragonball Evolution

2009-03-15T00:10:00.013+08:00

Dragonball Evolution the movie? Yes, Dragonball has certainly evolved. From a fanatical Japanese anime to a nonsensical Hollywood movie. The lead actor looks weird in his Asian role, the storyline is cheezy and the action is cartoony. At least that's what me, Joanna, Clara, Sean, Audrey and Marcus all agreed at today's fellowship, with Marcus being our w278 special guest of course.

The highlight of the evening has to be our sumptuous Botak Jones dinner at Youth Park opposite Orchard Cineleisure after our movie session. For all you Botak Jones lovers out there, you know that the food really lives up to its branding of "Damn good food at a damn good price". Yes, is damn good lah.

Aww...don't you just envy couples?

The rest of us enjoying a great time of fellowship.

Black pepper chicken is really yummy.

Fish and chips, I think.

Finally, we caught up with Aaron and Jy at Ngee Ann City (no photos though). Anyway, we gonna catch The Legend of Chun-Li next in our movie fellowship. So stay tune.

ITS CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-21T15:56:00.002+08:00

Hey hey hey!!! how's everybody ?? I wonder how many regular visitors there are to this blog :) anyway, christmas is just around the corner. i cant wait for it really. every christmas is special to me bcoz i got saved on christmas day! Let's make this christmas a special one to the friends we'll bring this yr! Let them celebrate christmas in our way:) Love u guys!

Cheers,

MOJOJOJO

CANDY CANES!!!! yumyum

2008-12-17T16:28:00.001+08:00

Symbols of Christmas: Candy Canes

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. (NAS) Isaiah 53:5

The candy cane was first made by a candymaker from Indiana, USA, who wanted it to be a witness to Christ.

He started with a stick of white, hard candy. White which symbolizes purity, pointed to the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Christ. The hardness or firmness of the candy symbolized the firmness God's promises. The shape of the candy, a "J," represents the name of Jesus, and also depicts the Good Shepherds staff.

The red stripes in the candy, symbolize Jesus' blood shed on the cross, and the stripes of scourging He received prior to His crucifixion. The candymaker incorporated symbols of Jesus' birth, and His life and death.

Although today's candymakers and supermarkets look at the candy cane as another money maker at Christmas time, God continues to give us reminders of His Son's purpose here on earth.

Are you losing site of Christ as we come closer to the celebration of His birth? What do you need to do today to give Him His rightful place at Christmas? Reflect on the purity of His character? Claim the firmness of God's promises? Proclaim the Good News of the gospel to a neighbor? Rest in your Good Shepherd's arms? Accept His death on the cross as payment for your sins? How will you live out Jesus Christ for those around you today?

Written by Marji "Mike" Kruger

a good reminder for us and sth nice to share w our friends at the party! cheers :)

ONE MORE TING!! yanyi, where's our holland v pics!!!!!

A good reminder =)

2008-12-01T22:10:00.001+08:00

Anticipation

A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. (NIV) Isaiah 40:3

When Thanksgiving arrives at our home there's great anticipation of Christmas. There's the anticipation of . . . decorating the Christmas tree. . . new and old Christmas music. . . the entire family getting together and celebrating. . . Christmas Eve church service. . . and celebrating Jesus birthday on Christmas Day. And there's the strong anticipation of a different type of openness in friends and strangers to talk about Jesus Christ.

We pray for individuals who don't have a relationship with God and especially during the Christmas season, we watch for opportunities to share with them how our relationship with Christ has changed our lives.Before Jesus was born, the Jews were anticipating the coming of the Messiah. God had prophesied about it, the prophets had told the people to watch for Him, and the teachers and priests encouraged them to wait in anticipation of the coming King. And although some recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the majority did not. The anticipation was high, but they missed Him!

Who around you is looking for Jesus? They probably won't identify their search as "looking for the Savior," but they are nonetheless seeking after God. The search may be seen in their restlessness. . . the emptiness in their lives. . . their lack of contentment. . . the quest for feeling loved. . . their desire for identity. This Christmas, don't let them miss the Messiah! Point them to Jesus Christ. Tell them about how He has changed your life. You'll be amazed at how many are anticipating the "arrival" of Christ in their lives! Don't wait any longer, watch for someone today who is looking and longing for the love of God!

Written by Marji "Mike" Kruger

christmas is coming in less than 4 weeks and would soon be over before we know it. i'm sure around us, there is at least a dozen of family and friends that do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. let's really take this 3.5 weeks to love them the way God has loved us unconditionally and like Jesus, let's make this love ministry never ending till eternity.

LOVES,
eunice

Nice story

2008-11-11T22:18:00.002+08:00

This is an email that Eunice sent me.. I thought its really touching :) Ladies, dont forget bout ur future husbands' need for attention .. Managing the house should not be above spending time with ur other half :) Gentlemen, remind ur furtue wives to take a break .. Appreciate them with all ur heart n soul :) ENJOY!

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't t alk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer, she had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore . .I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. S he glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer n ow.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I did'nt have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a months time and she did'nt want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes
put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest.. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realised she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me, .. she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.
out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I had n 't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished. Then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realise that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote:

I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart .

The small details of our lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property , the money in the bank, blah..blah..blah. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

weekend off!!

2008-11-11T21:57:00.001+08:00

Im going to kuantan this friday nite!!! See you guys around nxt week :)

this is entirely written by Marji "Mike" Kruger

2008-11-04T12:55:00.002+08:00

Learn how to Praise God for who He is! Praising God for who He is, reminds us of God's identity and reinforces our understanding of who He is. As we praise Him we become more aware of His power in the world and His presence in our lives.

Preparing Your Heart by Praising God

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. (NIV) Psalm 147:5. . .

Why begin with Praising God? It sets the tone for our time with God.

Praising God for who He is, reminds us of God's identity and reinforces our understanding of who He is. As we praise Him we become more aware of His power in the world and His presence in our lives.

Beginning by praising God follows the examples found in the Bible. But, perhaps most importantly God is worthy of our praise!

More Ideas for Praising God:** Praise Him by looking around for what you see that's attributable to God: Take a walk and look, really look around you, and praise God for the glorious creation all around you: "Lord, I praise You for the beauty of the sky, for the warmth of the sun, for bringing the sun up every morning and the moon out in the evening. I praise you for the beauty of the beach, for the little sandpipers that scurry along, for the individual beauty of millions of different seashells, for waves that consistently wash the shore, and for the sand on the beach. . . and to think that Your thoughts of me out number the millions of granules of sand (Ps 139:18)! How I praise You God!"

** Praise Him for what you read about Him in the Bible! Try reading one or more Psalms and praise God for how He is revealed. For example, from Psalm 25:1-5: "To you O Lord I do lift up my soul (and my voice)! It is only in You that I trust. I believe what Your Word says, that 'No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.' Please show me Your ways and teach me Your paths. Give me the strength and courage to be obedient to Your Truth and Your teaching. For You are my God. You are my Savior. And You are my hope, today and tomorrow. In You and You alone do I trust!"

One of my favorite places read in the Bible and praise God is in Revelation. I find that as I praise God as I read how we will praise Him when we see Him face to face. Try some of these passages from the book of Revelation: 1:4-8; 4:8, 11; 5:9-14; 7:10-17; 15:3-4; 19:1-8; 21:1-14, 21-27; 22:1-21.

** Praise Him through music. If you're musically inclined, compose your own psalm, a song, that magnifies and glorifies the greatness of God! Now don't just sit there. . . use one of the ideas above and praise God!Written by Marji "Mike" Kruger

2008-10-25T00:06:00.003+08:00

hello everyone! hope your week has been good so far (: sorry for the uber late entry on this but i'm sure Junrong had a wonderful surprise at Chong Qing's hse last week :D there are quite a few shaky photos though, sorrry! ):
anyhoooo, the link for the rest of the photos are here http://www.zshare.net/download/503503063a1b4a22/

such an honor

2008-10-13T17:46:00.012+08:00

Last Tuesday as I was worshipping and praising Him, I got a revelation.

You noe many times in our lives, it seems like doing our quiet time is such a drag. It's as if we have to force ourselves to do it. Sometimes it even feels like an obligation. And we do it because we don't want to be on a guilt trip when we don't.

I mean - face it. There is a thousand and one reason not to do our qt. To name a few: physical tiredness, no mood la... the sian feeling and what-not..or maybe just having too much homework and assignments and deadlines and exams coming up. Maybe the assignment is due tml or the exam is tml! Ahh!!! That's a valid reason right God? I'm sure you understand.

Whatever you reason may be, they are really not valid. Unless of course you're lying in the hospital with tubes stuck on you and whatever machines are all plugged into you and because of that, you cannot lift your hands or clap your hands to praise and worship Him, THEN FINE! If not, even if your assigment is due tml or if your exam is tml, God still shld have first place.

Praising and worshipping Him should not be only when it's convenient. Paul worshipped God even when he was locked in jail. AND HE HAS INNOCENT. Daniel worshipped God even though that could led him to being killed. And of course he was eventually locked in the lions' den. We all know the story. He didnt die becoz God shut the lions' mouths. GOD WILL NOT MAKE A MOCKERY OF HIMSELF!

Back to my revelation~

God reminded that it was such an honor and privilege to praise and worship Him. Guys, picture this - THIS IS GOD WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. Yes. The king of kings and the Lord of Lords. The creator of heaven and earth. i mean if you have a revelation of who He is, you would really get it that YES, it is indeed such a privilege and honor to be able to praise and worship Him. Can you imagine how it would be like if just one day, God doean't want your praise and worship anymore. Like even if you want to, He doesn't want them anymore?

Many times during cg meetings, we complain bout the presence of God not being there. We complain about the spiritual atmosphere in cg that pales in comparison to that of service. BUT THINK ABOUT IT. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HOW THE SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE IN CG IS GONNA BE LIKE! It's not just based on the cgl. Or a few of the other members. But all of us.

How hungry are you to pull the presence of God in the room? How hungry are you to have the Holy Spirit amongst us? How much do you want His presence?

Don't complain for sth you're not willing to work for~ But together, as a cell group, there's so many breakthrus we can have tgt!!!!!! AMEN :)

2008-10-13T09:18:00.005+08:00

For the benefit of those people whom have left out all the fun on Sunday after service, kindly allow me to share with you a little updates of what we did right after service.... Ho ho ho...
Mmm.. as some of us have bible study after service, all of us went separate ways first... Then later, all the bible study people met up after our bible study lesson and we were being so blessed by Pastor Kenneth to give us a ride to Tang's plaza to meet the rest....

Next, we went to Bakerzin at Paragon to have our lunch and also to fellowship with one another together there... This are some photos taken there...

(super angry with my laptop... just can't upload the food photos... shall update it some other day then)

Quote of the day :)

2008-10-10T09:12:00.002+08:00

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.” - Alex Karras

Let's be Courageous and Strong. Aint gonna be easy for most since we're really TRULY ASIAN :) But with God, all things are possible.. I know all of us have this desire or wish that we can have someone whom we can pour out our soul to and be accepted as who we are.. If u happen not to have that someone yet, go to jesus..Allow the Holy Spirit to hold the key to ur heart and minister to you from time to time. Dont allow issues to accumulate.. God is good. He knows we have needs.. And He will not deprive us of what we long for. As the sermon for cgm last nite mentioned, what we receive from God, is really dependent on how much faith we have in Him. All the pains and hurts from the disappointments that we have will not go to waste bcoz through it all, the lesson that our abba Father wants to teach us is this...... Matt6:33 -->But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Holy Spirit i pray that You will have the key to every member in W278's heart. Amen

READ IT :D

2008-10-09T14:51:00.002+08:00

The Wisdom in Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups -- porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
“Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this:
Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups.
They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate!! “

this is a shout out to all who are facing tremendous pressure in life right now! Hot chocolate cannot be gulped down.. it'll only scald ur tongue and u'll hate hot chocolate forever!! enjoy the drink.. sip it :) enjoy the process of life.. learn to appreciate it.. walk in the will of God and live ur life to its fullest joy :)

2008-10-03T01:44:00.002+08:00

HELLO PPL! guess who this guy is!

hint: cg guitarist who came over to play for a few of our cgms (:

btw constance found this while searching for guitar chords. do remember what present she wants ah! hahaha our future guitarist! (:

2008-09-21T01:13:00.005+08:00

HEYHEY! sorry for the delay in uploading photos. sunday was funfunfun and here are the photos that we took. in honour of our dear NS MAN :D

not to forget the awesome food we ate. LOL

Blood Donation

2008-09-12T12:03:00.008+08:00

Shawn was the 1st to donate.....

Look here ! His blood is flowing out now......

Through the tubes and into the bag......

followed by clara..... waiting patiently for her turn.....

Donating happily with a smile.....

say cheeze..... =D

ermm.... how come her bag is still remains empty huh?..... haha

And Douglas came to donate his blood with us too !

YEAH man.... and another bag is full.....

Just wanna encourage everyone to be a blood donor !.... =D
** both me and iris wanted to donate our blood too, but unfortunately, both of us were being rejected by them....*sad...

Introducing...Essential Brew café

2008-09-08T12:53:00.023+08:00

By the way, this is not an advertorial but still, w278 presents to you our new and latest chill-out place, introducing... Essential Brew - Tea Café & Restaurant, conveniently located at Holland V.

One fine Sunday, Iris, Constance, Chong Qing and I decided to drop by this café, which was recommended by Constance, for a good time of fellowship. So that's what we did, we had a great time of fellowship, food, mindless chatter, food, laughter, food, photographing, food and haha yea, you get the drift...

Something like strawberry milkshake but well, not quite exactly.

Oreo milkshake

Some fried potato snack

Fried chicken wings!

Close-up of the crispy wings

More golden-fried snacks

Our 4 drinks and snack artistically

Constance mistaking Iris' arm as a yummy wing

Colour-coding our clothes and drinks

taken from http://www.anchoryourlife.com/blog/

2008-09-02T13:48:00.005+08:00

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. (NIV) Matthew 8:26

It has been storming all day today and even now as I write this. We’re feeling the effects from Gustav as it heads toward the Gulf Coast. Storms are common here in Sarasota, Florida. During summer months we often have late afternoon thunderstorms. The sky darkens, the thunder rumbles, the wind starts to whirl, the waves start to churn, visibility decreases and before you know it, the rain is coming down in sheets.

As it rains, I’m reminded of another storm on the Sea of Galilee. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat (Matthew 8:24). The disciples went and woke Jesus who was asleep. They were fearing for their lives, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”(Matthew 8:25-27)

Jesus, so strong and so powerful that He stood up, rebuked the winds and stopped the storm. All power belongs to Christ. And yet, how often do I wonder if He can calm of the storms of my life?

The rain I heard when I started to write this is getting stronger; the winds are blowing and I hear thunder. Now picture that storm stopping dead in its tracks with the command from Jesus. One word from Him and the winds stop. There is no lightning, no thunder, no rain, no high seas, just calm.

This is the Jesus who calls us into relationship with Himself. He and He alone can bring calm in the midst of a storm. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to sit in His presence for awhile and enjoy the peace that only He can bring.

when i read this, i was like wow. many times we tend to forget how powerful Jesus is. start speaking peace to your situation pple. Jesus is peace! amen~

SOT of the earth, light of the world

2008-08-27T11:49:00.022+08:00

Earlier this year, Eunice Chan was called to fulfill the cultural mandate by being the SOT of the earth and light of the world. This year, w278 is proud to be involved in the School of Theology graduation service 2008 as we witnessed our very own member receiving the affirmation on stage that she is indeed well-trained and equipped in the services for God. This is also a very proud moment for us as a cell group because she is our very debut SOT graduate, the first in the bloodline.

Let's give Eunice another round of applause! *cheering and wiping tears*

Ok I know you guys can't wait any longer, so here are the photos for the 2 days of graduation...

Junrong and Eunice

Eunice and Jo

Grace, Eunice and Clara

Constance and Eunice

Eunice and the brothers

Ecstatic Eunice with her connect group

Eunice and Grace

Eunice and Jo

Eunice and Shawn

Eunice and Pastor Kenneth

And last but not least, Eunice, us and the 3 nihonjin in the centre!

Final note: With so many Japanese around, even including a Yakuza-turns-pastor, who can resist signing up for SOT? So sign up today.

eunice grad from SOT alr.... :)

2008-08-25T15:22:00.006+08:00

gone are the days where post grad and partying time will be on the dancefloor or some crowd. eunice has toned down~ sorry to diappoint you pple!!!! hahahahaha party at xinwang with food instead! thanks for those who came to support me at e service! lots of thanks and appreciation :)

i still didnt understand why i'm being tortured!

i miss u michelle. this is a special shout out to you... thank you for taking time out to support me. to cheer for me. thank you for your patience and your love and your discipleship. i appreciate you much. THIS SHOUTOUT IS FOR YOU =)

johanna is my saviour! this is one of my close friends whom i have a special friendship with... the one on the right (THE TALLER ONE). she's e one who lent me her hse when she aint at home to hand in my last assignment!! i love u johanna!!

some more pics... just for laugh! will blog when i have e time~ WHEEEEE

jasmine and i before grad service on sat

eunice is caught on screen

au natural

i don't know why i keep laughing.... HAHAHHAHA

ACTING LIKE AN idiot :) but still v cute :)

oh and latest news.... eunice joined facebook. this feels like blackmail! coz pple dun wanna send me the pics unless i join~ RAH!

thank you all :)

and of course how can i forget to thank Jesus. for His never ending grace...endless mercy...everylasting love and unfailing compassion. for the strength and the wisdom the Holy Spirit has poured into me... thank you Lord for accepting the way that i am... for Your Providence and for always being faithful..

and apple and mango and banana. i love u guys ok... i m proud of you fruits!!!!

not forgetting JR... for tahaning my nonsense for 4 yrs alr! u made it!!! hahahaha

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, to my best frien mojojojo for all kinds of support n for always believing in me :)

of course many others too ok~ dun tink i dun appreciate u guys. i do!!!

Batam - Eunice in action!

2008-08-20T01:59:00.005+08:00

Interceding for Batam and for Indonesia

Praying in 3s... My team members - Nicole and Joan

During Ministry praying for the Spelling Bee - Batam Emerge Champion during the altar call

See!!!!! I made myself useful right ? :) And yes, I am gradudating soon! woohoo!

On a side note~~ This is to show Chongqing that your book was really autographed by Pastor Che Ann =) I queued for you ok! haha :)

These Weeks

2008-08-19T18:01:00.026+08:00

These weeks have been incredible for us as a cell group. Waking up early (like really early) for prayer meeting, rocking madly on the dancefloor at the recent Festival of Praise and even hung out together for ice-skating and dinner to welcome missionaries' child, Isabel. But most wonderfully, we now have our FIRST and very own SOT graduate Eunice Chan! Anyway, below are some photos and videos that you guys have been pushing me haha...

THE ICE-SKATERS

Name: Constance Lim
Profession: Designer
Ice-skating experience: Many many times
Ice-skating fall count: 0

Name: Isabel Yeo
Profession: Student
Ice-skating experience: Twice
Ice-skating fall count: 1

Name: Shawn Tan
Profession: Pre-enlistee
Ice-skating experience: Twice
Ice-skating fall count: 0

THE ICY ACTION

Shawn on Ice

Constance and Isabel Duet

After the icy and tiring fun, we headed down to Bukit Timah for some seafood indulgence, together with Luke and CQ. Rainer joined us much later and we went to Eunice's house. Some photos...

Youngest to oldest

The endangered brothers in the CG

FESTIVAL OF PRAISE

Hope you guys thoroughly enjoyed yourselves during FOP! I did, once again! The 3 days of fabulous music and God-encountering experience were definitely worth the...

queueing...

queueing...
(while chewing on donut)

and more queueing!

(while looking at some random shuai ge that walk past)

To end off this entry, some paparazzi (I wonder who?) snapped photos of the big screen containing our prayer warrior members. They definitely look great on TV! =)

Let's keep on praying guys! God bless!

no intellectual property rights :)

2008-08-07T01:12:00.003+08:00

FOP-Sunday's!

Ps 39: 4-5 -> “LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

- Our days are numbered.
- We do not know what will happen tomorrow. That’s why in James 4:13-15, it says [Look
here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there
a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will
be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”] We
ought to live our life everyday with the perspective of eternity in our hearts :)

Here on earth, humans are always drawn by 3 things in life. In 1Jn 2:15-16….

1. Lust of the physical pleasure (Movies, food, sex, etc)
2. Possessions (Consumed with consuming)
3. Prestige (Image, status, popularity)

Not that we’re not allowed to enjoy these things but eternity should be in our heart. (Roms12:2) We know that these things will eventually pass away. If we were to focus most of our energy and efforts on the pleasures of the world, it’ll ultimately be in vain. The world values will eventually pass away (1 Jn 2:17, Ecclesiastes)

Hence Hebrew11:25 :)

So what exactly could we be focused on that has eternal value?

In 1Jn 2:17, it says that whoever who does the will of God abides forever. So what exactly is the will of God for every human being on earth?

1. Knowing God (Being a friend of God)

- How do we make friends? How do we build a relationship with someone? We got to spend
time, communicate and we also want make sure that we do the things that he/she likes
and avoid doing the things that he/she hates.

- Knowing is not a one time thing. Those who have got best/close friends will know that if
you want your friendship to last, you got to keep on working on it. Neglecting your friend
often leads to a break down of that friendship. That’s why we say that salvation is not a
one off thing. We got to keep on working on it.

2. Loving people

- The bible says in 1Cor13 that faith, hope and love last forever and the greatest of the
three is LOVE.

- The way you treat the people around you will last for eternity. If you have been a true
friend to people on earth, that’ll carry on for eternity and you’ll not be alone in heaven!

- But we tend to treat people based on the values we placed on them. If we placed an eight
on someone, we tend to smile brighter and behave better. But if we placed a two on
someone, chances are you wont have too much respect for him.

- JESUS placed a 10 on everyone. His entire ministry is about loving people. Healing the
sick, casting out demons, feeding the hungry, disciplining His followers, giving them a
vision greater than themselves that eventually led them to great destiny, etc. All these
He did out of love. That’s why we say that the purpose of a ministry is love. It is all about
people.

3. Invest your time, talent and resources in the work of God.

Eph2:10 -> For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Although we’re not saved by works, we are created for good works!

- It is in serving that you can find life.

Pastor Mark gave us this example. He got all of us to do an action of getting. (the give me action with your hands) Then he went on to say that when we were a child, we want our parents to give us what we want. When we are in a relationship, we want our partner to love us. When we are in church, we want the people(cell grp leaders, pastors, ushers, etc) to serve us. All our lives, we just want to be served. We want to receive from people. But the bible says that it is more BLESSED to give than to receive! I would rather be able to give $100 with ease than to receive a $100! The rich gives but the poor receives. (Be it physically or spiritually). Any human being with a common sense would want to be the rich. Nobody likes being poor. Some may think that giving too much will cause you to be poorer. This is WRONG! WHY??? It is a biblical principle that you WILL REAP when you SOW! So as you began to sow into people’s life, you’re going to be even wealthier(physically and spiritually) It is in the giving that you receive…

So, right at this very moment, you got to ask yourself 2 Qns.

1. What did you do with Jesus? Do you have a relationship with Him?
2. What did you do with your life?

Sermon on the Mount (The power of brokenness)

2008-08-06T21:35:00.006+08:00

Hi guys....

Just wanna share something that I was very reminded of as I'm currently studying the sermon on the mount again.....

2 Corinthians 7:10 (New King James Version)
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Godly sorrow leads to salvation
The reason why we sin and relapse again and again or struggle with the sin is because there is no godly sorrow.
Only godly sorrow leads to deep remorse, genuine repentance and then to salvation......

Pst Kong shared about the 'C's leads to salvation:

Conviction

Both King Saul and King david sinned against God...but the difference between them was that David knew how to get back to God.
Mt 5:4 - Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
"Blessed" here does not mean happy, it means to be approved.
Ps51:4 - Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
David was convicted - he was strongly convinced that he has sinned against God.
If we are not strongly convinced that we have sinned and be truly repentant, we will relapse into our old lifestyle.

2. Contrition

Deep remorse
Ps 51:17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
Do we repent with hearts that are not broken?
We need to examine our hearts again - do we repent as if God has no choice but to forgive us? Of cos, it can never be that God has no choice but to forgive.....but sometimes we have that rotten attitude that thinks this way.
a heart of brokenness is different from a broken heart - a heart of brokenness is a heart broken by God (whereas broken heart is one broken by hurts, satan etc)
without brokenness, we can't release the the presence of God within us.

Jhn 12:1-3 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Only when the flask was broken, could the fragrance of the bottle come out...
there is the treasure of God inside everyone of us....but it (the anointing and presence of God) can only come out when we are broken.
All of us have an outward shell, and that is our outward man (which is our hardened attitude of pride, rebellion, self sufficiency and self centredness)
so what if one knows a lot of the bible, have many degrees in theology etc, but somehow can't bring ppl to God, can't heal or touch ppl or when he/she prays, nothing happens....
why? because the outward shell is not broken!
we can't be touched by God if we're not broken; inwardly we feel cold for God....
then one becomes full of his opinion about everything, very critical, focussing on the outside, outward things...rather than understanding the things of God or the move of God.
How much we respect those that have contributed to where our church is today (Pst Phil, Pst Ulf, Dr Bernard, Dr Ed Cole and the leaders etc) will determine whether we are going to be approved by God or not.
We can receive something from the messages even if we heard it many times!
even if it's the worst service..lousy preaching, lousy praise and worship, we can still receive something, cos' we're in tune with God..rather than becoming fault finding and focusing on the wrong things.

A great e.g. is the woman with the issue of blood (Mk 5)
This woman is a rich lady, a socialite! Yet that day when she wanted to touch Jesus, she crawled between the legs of the crowd.
She had such humility and brokenness to do such a thing cos' the outward shell of pride is broken...!

Jonah 2:3-7 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 5 The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God. 7 “ When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.
Jonah was acting religious, angry and sulking..
He tried to score points with God, make some faith confessions but nothing happened. He remained in the fish's belly.
It was only when he came to himself, stop getting angry with God and pitying himself and humbly offered his service (v9 - But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.)
there was no face to save, no personal agenda! (even if misunderstood or criticized)

Gen 32: Jacob wrestled with God (encountered and touched God).

He came to the end of himself - that's when he came to close contact with God
He leaned on God (he limped on his hip)
God changed his name to Israel, and till now, the fame of his name still lingers.

*Food for thought:

Is the strength of our will so loud that we drown the voice of God? (He speaks in a still small voice).
Do we choose to die to our self (our own achievements, dreams, ambitions, intellect) ESPECIALLY when we're gifted, talented, intelligent and can do many things on our own? (Lk 14:27 - And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.)
Are we willing to break our self and give it all to Him?
When God wants to bring about brokenness in our lives, He allows some things to happen.
Are we willing to recognise the chastening of the Lord?
Do we hold back cos of self love? loving ourselves too much that we're unwilling to embrace God..
Are u willing to go thru the breaking process?

*My prayer is that all of us will.......Let us break ourselves before the Almighty.

Disciples in the making

No copyright :)

2008-08-04T12:31:00.010+08:00

FOP- Saturday (Growing OLD or Growing UP?)

1Cor13:11-> Dont be childish! Note: Child-likeness is NOT childishness.

The quality of your behaviour reveals your stage in life. Maturity comes with the acceptance of responsibility! * So easy to discern who's mature n who's not now :p

Exo32:21-24 This passage reveals how immature Aaron was bcoz instead of taking responsibility for his mistake, he pointed his finger towards the children of Israel. *Now if you guys think that maturity is only for the more spiritual people(i.e cell leaders, pastors,etc), think again. Aaron was the first high priest of the Hebrews!! VERY HIGH SPIRITUAL POSITION! He was also the brother of Moses. Yet Aaron could display such childishness. Goes to show that maturity does not follow positions. Why do I want to point this out to u guys? We're discipled to respect our leaders and to honour them. That's so important bcoz we love our leaders. But guys, leaders are also imperfect ppl like U n I. They do make mistakes.. They do tumble... So we all gotta guard our hearts against disappointments that'll stumble us. The high expectations that we placed on our leaders can lead to great disappointments. BUT we gotta remind ourselves that ultimately, we serve JESUS. Man disappoints but God NEVER disappoints. Hope in God n we'll not be disappointed. I just feel that this is so important bcoz if u backslide bcoz u r disappointed by a more spiritual person or someone with a more spiritual position than u in the church, u're allowing the devil to win! Bcoz, ultimately, WE SERVE JESUS!

Roms 14:12-> God wants everyone of us to be personally responsible for ourselves.

The one thing that u’ve control over is yourself!
We’re responsible to people BUT NOT for people. Don’t be the Holy Spirit to someone! (Ezekiel 33:3-6)

Your destiny all goes back to how you think

2Cor10:4-5 -> We have to surrender our thoughts to Jesus. Especially the evil ones! We cant prevent thoughts from coming into our head just like we cant prevent birds from flying over our head. But what we can do is not to allow evil thoughts to build a nest on our head!

Your will is the decision making mechanism in your life.
Who you are today is the result of the decisions that you’ve made. So you got to take the initiative to make a decision to be mature if you want to be a mature person. Maturity does not happen overnight! So, change NOW, not tomorrow.

Exo8:9-10 -> Pharaoh had a chance to remove the frogs in Egypt immediately, but he chose to decide the next day! He rather live with the frogs for one more night! Sounds silly but many of us choose to live with bad things in our lives for a few more moments instead of making that decision to remove them! Eg. Bad memories. Instead of asking God to help us to forgive n to forget, we replay them again and again in our head!

We must not be ruled by our emotions. Take responsibility for them!
Just like joy is a choice but happiness is what happened to u that makes u happy. We can learn to direct our emotions. Sometimes, we may have a bad day but we don’t have to show a grouchy face just because of that. Or perhaps we are unhappy with or frustrated with some problems, but it does not mean we treat the people who caused those problems with disrespect. A mature person treats someone with respect even when they don’t deserve it.

1Cor9:27-> We all can preach about maturity but we are not mature, we disqualify ourselves to preach.

Loving someone is respecting the person
When you start taking responsibility for your own live, you’ll start to influence others around you.

Pastor Mark shared his story..

He went back to Australia from the states to study in a high school. But because he spoke with a strong American accent, his teacher thought that he was an American. That was some 20-30 years back. At that time, the war caused his teacher to be especially hateful towards Americans. So, he started treated Pastor Mark very badly even when he was a good student. So Pastor Mark began to develop much hatred towards his teacher. But he decided to still respect his teacher even under such harsh and unfavourable conditions in school. As time passes, his teacher began to soften. Instead of calling Pastor Mark yankee boy all the time, he called him Mark eventually. Everything became well eventually.
We may not be surrounded by mature people all the time and sometimes, we get ill-treatments because of someone elses’ immaturity. But we cant control what others does. However, we can control how we react. The way we react will eventually influence them. We can be placed within a group of very ungodly people and even unchristian like Christians. But the bible instruct to not grow weary while doing good because in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So as long as we persevere in keeping His values in our own lives, others will eventually follow suit J

Enjoy!!! This is friday's sermon from mojojojo's pt of view. heeeee........

2008-08-04T00:32:00.003+08:00

FOP- FRIDAY(1/8/2008) enjoy..... hehehe

Acts 9:31 - 4 things that Luke wrote about the churches in the book of Acts.

1. Peace (Unity)
i. With God
ii. Of God
Phil4: 6-7 -> The peace of God dwells within us even in the midst of a stormy season. It
guards our heart n mind and help us to go through any weather. Having the peace of God
make us 24/7 christians. We're not called to be a weather christian who praise God only
when things are going well. We're called to be reflective of the nature of Christ in all c
circumstances :)
iii. With each other (highlight of his sermon)
Roms12:8 ---- If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
When 2 brothers were caught in a quarrel, which side does the dad take? When churches
are caught in disagreements n hence quarrelled, which side does Father God take? Would
God not want peace to come into place first? That's why the festival of praise is held
annually, to celebrate in the midst of diversity, the one common Lord that we serve as a
body of Christ. Traditional or contemporary, we all are called to serve Him in the different
parts of society.

2. Encouragement (Edification & Strengthening)

Always praise the good of one another. Praise means to make a joyful sound. It means, you gotta actually tell him/her what u thought is positive about him/her. They cant read your mind!
encouragement is also like oxygen to the soul!!!!
Affirmation is good. But we need to go further than that. We need to see each others' potential and speak a future into it. Dont judge others based on their past or how they are right now in the present. Just like God saw who Gideon could become - Gideon was called a great warrior by God even when he went into hiding in the midst of battle. God saw the potential in him. Let's began to see the potential in one another n help each other to release it!
If you see an area(s) that needs to be adjusted or improved on in your bro/sis-in christ, help him/her to correct it. But speak the truth in LOVE! (Ephesians)
Feedbacks may be hard to swallow, but they'll make u a better person :) (mojo can vouch for that)

3. Comfort

Life's not always fair BUT God is good.
Holy Spirit has all the solutions to your problem. But u would have to call on Him. For eg. say u need to fix your computer but u have no idea how to do it. You call ur friend who's a computer expert and he comes over n help to fix it. Problem solved. Hurray! BUT note what was done, u CALLED. This may seem nth spectacular to you but how many times have we called on the Holy Spirit when we encounter problems in our lives? In the computer case, the Holy Spirit had sent a friend to help u. But you have got to call on him first. Similarly, we may have alot of Godly friends who can bring encouragement to our soul but we have to tell them wat's going on first before they could do anything at all! They cant READ YOUR MIND. :)
Sometimes, our need can be a gift to someone elses' need. For eg, as we began to share our problems with a friend, the friend could just start to share a similar problem of his/her to you. Alot of us christians always keep a calm surface but we're actually struggling on the inside. Sometimes,it just take one person to initiate an honest conversation to bring comfort to another :)

4. Fear of the Lord

Pro9:10 ---“ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The fear of God helps us to make wise decisions. Eg. Drivers tend to drive carefully in the presence of a police car even when the policemen are not looking at you. Drivers will check if they had put on their seatbelts n if they're on the mobile, they'll surely put it down. When u noe that God is arnd, and that He is watching, who wouldnt obey His commandments? :) We all know that God's commandments exist to bless us. And if we keep them, we'll surely be blessed for all our lives.
Obedience is the ultimate act of worship.
God wants to see application of the Word in our lives. A mother cant be bothered if her son has written down her instruction to him to clean up his room or not. She just wants him to do it! Jesus says, if u love Me, KEEP my Commandments. Not read, or write or memorise!
People are looking for integrity. For someone who would KEEP to his/her promise.

Well, that's all for fri's sermon :) definitely open up my heart to see what God wants in me. the one point that touched me the most is the forth point :) Obedience is the key. When we go to heaven, all we wanna hear is God saying, 'well done GOOD & FAITHFUL servant'. Wat it takes to be both good n faithful, is ur obedience toward Father God....

Thanks for the Birthday Cake!!

2008-07-31T12:25:00.001+08:00

Hey guys, just wanna say a BIG thank you to all who were present at tcc on sunday :) & To all who made it possible !!

love jo

2008-07-31T01:37:00.007+08:00

hey everyone! hope you're having a wonderful week so far. (: here's my portion of photos from jo's birthday celebration at TCC. some of the photos are a tad bit blur, so sorry. hahaha the link for all the photos is http://www.zshare.net/download/16249317eccb9a7e/

2008-07-26T20:36:00.005+08:00

Went to Woodland's Cavana for dinner/supper after having a great time at cell group yesterday...

CHECK THIS OUT !!!

HAHA... Does the photo above makes you feel like drooling?... LOL =p

Conclusion of the day : The food there is YUMMY ! haha... Shall go back there again ! =p

i noe this is not private. but WELLLL.....

2008-07-24T17:09:00.005+08:00

HEY GUYS :)

I noe this aint a private blog but just thot it would be nice to update on what's been happening.

SOT is coming to an end in a mth's time. This has been a crazy crazy period for me. It's busier than my studies at NP-MassComm. OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Anyway, just wanna post some pics of the NDP preview Joanna and I attended on Sat, 19 July. I know some of you like fireworks~ So here goes~

took all these using my phone!!!!

ok tata!!

2008-07-22T22:47:00.020+08:00

Ate Chicken Rice for lunch after service....

And we had a designing of chicken rice competition.... LOL

IRIS's....

CLARA's...

JOANNA's...

CONSTANCE's...

SHAWN's...

GRACE's...

However, there is no judge for this competition, so everyone becomes the winner ! LOL

Next, we went to SMU, Mr Tea to drink tea / ice Milo and to play games...

Some of the photos of the game we played ....

Some videos... sit back and enjoy bah.... LOL !

w278 tongue twisting competition... LOL

PLEASE VOTE ! Contestant 1 or Contestant 2 ?....

(WHICH ONE HAS A FUNNIER FACE???....)

CONTESTANT 1 :

CONTESTANT 2:

2008-07-22T02:38:00.002+08:00

enjoy and be touched by God (:

[Live]_Walau Seribu Rebah (English) - CHC
Mercies that rise with the new morn
Set me apart as a new born
Each moment I live
By faith I believe
With You, Im never alone

Darkness they come, trials seem so long
You are the light I depend on
Through valleys and storms
Your Word keeps me strong
My shelter, refuge and song
I trust in You

Everyday I live, I know You are my God
I lift my face and look to You my Lord
Even when the mountains tremble
And a thousand fall
I will stand with You
My Jesus, take my all

2008-07-14T23:07:00.004+08:00

after cg on friday, high on royce chocs ;D and after service on sunday

2008-07-13T23:35:00.020+08:00

At Expo Mrt...

Dim sum for lunch, at Zi Yean Grand Central Restaurant....

1st Group Photo...

2nd Group Photo...

And we played, passing the message...

The message was started out from Shawn to Zhao Hua...

And then from Zhao Hua to Jun Rong...

Follow by from Jun Rong to Jun Kang...

Next, from Jun Kang to Michelle Lee...

Carried on, from Michelle Lee to Constance...

Follow by, from Constance to Pei Pei...

And then, from Pei Pei to Yanyi

And then continued from Yanyi to Iris...

And next from, Iris to Grace...

And lastly, from Grace to Chong Qing...

ok.... Our 3rd group photo....

And our 4th Group photo.... =p

(some of us continued our fellowship at PS...)

(at SMU, Mr Tea... playing UNO and drinking tea... )

my 3rd assigment! will post the fourth one in a few days!!!

2008-07-03T21:34:00.004+08:00

The book How to Prepare Bible Messages by James Braga gave me more insight than I expected. More than just another book that states theories and principles, gives format and a standard guideline to follow, etc., it actually blessed me by enhancing the perception I had of the task of preaching and sharing God’s Word.

James Braga stressed the importance of the need for the preacher to be “more and more intimately acquainted with precious portions of the Word” for the preacher to be able to come up with a good sermon to bless and impact the congregation. That was definitely great encouragement as that would mean getting a revelation from God first-hand before you can deliver the revelation to the people. Surely nothing beats hearing from God directly yourself!

And I couldn’t agree more that the most rewarding feature for the diligent worker in sermon preparation is the delight your sermon will bring to those who hear the Word as they receive the spiritual nourishment which a single verse of Scripture can provide. That is indeed the compensation of the hard work that is needed to put a good sermon together.

In Chapter 10, James Braga reminded me that it is so necessary for me to jot down whatever and whenever the Holy Spirit suddenly – in a moment of illumination – plants a striking idea in my mind. Because if I don’t, the thought may be lost forever. It was thus a good wake-up call for me to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit for little revelations that can come about as I make observations of the people and happenings around me. The truth is that God speaks all the time, everywhere, and more often than not, He can be found in the mundane activities of daily living instead of just the big-day events a local church may organise.

However, I would have to say that the most impactful content from the whole book would be a quote by Handley C. G. Moule that that the author quoted. It reads: “Take care that no pre-occupation with things pastoral allows you to forget the supreme need of drawing out of Christ’s fulness and out of the treasures of His Word for your own soul and life, as if that were the one solitary soul and life in existence.”

When I read that quote, I was like “Woah!”. This quote can’t get any more true than that. Many times I may get so busy with the ministry that I start neglecting my own soul and the personal attention that it needs to ensure a continual, growing relationship with my Master.

To sum up what how good preaching can come about, I thought the author puts it very nicely: Preaching which warms the heart and stirs the conscience is not born in the cold atmosphere of intellectualism but in intimate and continual fellowship with the Lord. There is ultimately no eloquence greater than the natural and gracious speech that flows from a warm and loving heart that must first be filled and touched by the Holy Spirit.

some photos....

2008-07-02T17:48:00.008+08:00

my fruits!!!

2008-06-28T11:41:00.001+08:00

apple and mango!!!! wahahahaha

25june 08, 1046pm!!

2008-06-25T22:27:00.003+08:00

yea man. Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He is a classic example of a real man! all the brothers reading this, manhood is synonymous to christ likeness :)

eunice's 2 assigments r great! the spirit filled believers book is a great read. not tt i've finished it(52 CHAPTERS) but the first 8 chpts really made me realised alot alrdy. ur foundation is the key to how high ur building can be built. i remember hearing from the news that some of the schools in sichuan are built on poor foundation n the materials were of poor quality. so when the earthquake came, the sch fell without much resistance. wat a gd analogy. sometimes, bczo of the hard work that is required for us to build a solid foundation with the right values, we try to compromise.in the midst of this compromise, we build our foundation on the wrong values. yes we may still achieve great things at the end of the day, but trials n difficulties will come. just like when the earthquake came all of a sudden n crushed the whole building, wat we have that r built on compromised values will be taken away from us in a blink of an eye.

its nv easy to walk rightly all the time but we have received the power from on high which is the holy spirit and the purpose is that He will walk along side us n help us to walk in the truth n in holiness all the days of our life :) so, lets build our foundation strong and lasting amen? :) all these r done to our benefits. God is here not to take but to give to us an everlasting life..

mojojojo

And the 2nd assignment!!!! :) i hope u guys will be encouraged!!!! =)

2008-06-23T06:06:00.000+08:00

The book Good Morning, Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn reveals the secret to his successful, international healing evangelical ministry – the Holy Spirit. Indeed as Zechariah 4:6 puts it “’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty”.

I finally understood what makes Benny Hinn different from most professing Christians. It was nothing more than his dynamic and highly-intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. His hunger for the Holy Spirit is like no other. There was such an immense desire in him to want to spend time alone with the third Person of the Godhead. Laying everything aside – the worries of life, the exciting activities and fun the world could offer – he would spend literally hours fellowshipping and building a friendship with the Holy Spirit. The time he spent with the Holy Spirit goes beyond the conventional prayer or brief worship that people do during their quiet time. He would have a conversation with the Holy Spirit – a 2-way communication – and he related to the Holy Spirit just like he does to another person!

That really got me thinking. Despite knowing that the Holy Spirit is like a person with a personality, I’ve never really got down to relating to Him like I would to a human being. Somehow my carnal mind just can’t seem to understand how that would be humanly possible. And my desire to spend hours alone with the Holy Spirit somehow didn’t last for long. I would either get distracted by the never-ending pile of tasks to be done or would already be too physically drained by the different events that took place in the day to last worshipping and speaking to Him for hours.

But if Benny Hinn is able to build such a relationship with the Holy Spirit, I want that too. As he mentioned, if the message of salvation that the Holy Spirit brought forth into our hearts is so real and the assurance that our citizenship is in heaven is so real, wouldn’t the messenger be even more real to us?

Another simple truth that Benny Hinn presented was that a sinner is receiving more power from Satan (despite Satan having only a tiny fraction of God’s power) than a believer who asks nothing from God. The truth then began to sink in. The reason why I’m defeated in certain areas in my life does not lie in the fact that God could not help or could not save me in those areas. But simply because I ignored the most powerful person in the universe – the Holy Spirit – in those areas. Indeed, if the Holy Spirit is not the Lord of all, He’s not the Lord at all.
People are starving for a reality that only the Holy Spirit can make possible and He has been waiting ever so patiently for me to start inviting Him to be more intimate and real in my life. It’s time I do something about the present relationship I have with Him and start taking it into a deeper level of fellowship, friendship and understanding. After all, as what Kathryn Kuhlman said, He is indeed all I’ve got.

here's my 1st SOT assigment!! be blessed!

2008-06-23T06:05:00.000+08:00

The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Handbook is more than just another book you see in a Christian bookstore that promises to help you better walk with God. Just like in the natural, before you can be a successful marathon-runner, there are certain techniques to be picked up and foundation that you must first lay before you can be crown champion. Before loading you with bible principles or practical know-hows, this book first helps you to set the necessary foundation which has already been specifically stated in the bible to build a stable, Spirit-filled Christian life.
In particular, there are five main points that really impacted me while I was reading this book:

1. My foundation is Jesus Himself and not a set of values
In chapter 1, the author – Derek Prince, mentioned the importance of knowing the Person of Jesus Christ. For many of us, just like the great apostle Paul, we may never have seen Jesus in the flesh. Yet in 2 Tim 1:12, Paul did not say “I know what I have believed” but instead said “I know whom I have believed”. However, more often than not, our faith is not founded upon a Person whom we can know by direct acquaintance simply because we cannot comprehend in our natural mindset how it is possible to know Christ in a direct, personal way, as if we’ve seen Him in the flesh. And as a result of such a carnal and non-biblical thinking, we never really seek to know the Person of Jesus Christ because we never thought it would be possible. We hence approach the Bible sub-consciously as just a historical record of what had happened and fail to understand internally that the Bible is actually the living Word of God.
The Word is living and its alive because the Word became flesh through Jesus (John 1:14) and Jesus is not a dead Saviour buried in some tomb today. He’s very well alive and Jesus Christ is not a fictional character. He’s as real as we can get! And the faith that is based on the personal experience of Jesus Christ revealed by the Holy Spirit is a kind of confidence that nothing can ever overthrow.

2. The supreme test of my love for God
Keeping God’s Word is the supreme test of my love for Him. It’s as simple as the sentence gets. As Derek Prince mentioned in Chapter 2, “God means as much to you as His Word means to you – just that much, and no more”.
Learning from the parable of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7:24-27, I learn that the difference between the success of these two men do not lie in the testing that their houses have to go through but in the doing of the Word. The man who built his house on the rock hears the Word and does what the Word says (v.24) whereas the man who built his house on the sand hears the Word but is not a doer of the Word (v.26). Just like true scriptural repentance is a change in mind, course and direction (explained in Chapter 9) and requires action on the sinner’s part, so is true love for God. It is a confession and a love declaration that have to be backed up by complete obedience to the Word. If not, we become like what Jesus was quoting the prophet Isaiah in Matthew 15:8. “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

3. Healing is in the Word
As I was reading Chapter 5, it was good reminder to note that God Himself is in His Word and that it is through His Word that He comes into our lives. In Proverbs 4:22 (NIV), it says that God’s Word is “life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body”. The alternative reading for “health” is the word “medicine”, according to the 1611 edition of the King James Version.
And so, just like any medication prescribed to us by medical doctors, God’s “medicine” comes with directions too. One of the directions highlighted, is the necessity to keep both eyes fixed unwaveringly on the Word. That simply means purely looking at His promises and not have the other eye looking in some other direction for other alternatives. After all, though the power of medical science is limited, the power of God’s Word is unlimited; and as shared in Chapter 10, it is vital to note that your spiritual mind should always accept the testimony of God’s Word as invariably and unchangeably true. Subsequently, the testimony of the senses will then be accepted only insofar as it agrees with the testimony of God’s Word and not the other way around!
On a personal note, it is hard to impart faith in God’s healing if I’ve not experienced first-hand the miraculous healing of God through His Word. Yet, because the Word says “health to all their flesh”, all simply means all. And since God says it, that settles it.

4. The devil’s emphasis
For the longest time, even after I got saved, I’ve always viewed Christianity as a set of dos and don’ts, cans and cannots and there is always such a major emphasis on what I cannot or may not do since I’m a born-again Christian. To walk holy and to live a life of sanctification seems to be the result of not doing the big no-nos and there did not seem to be a positive aspect to sanctification, except knowing at the back of your head that it is what God said in His Word.
Through all these years, I’ve failed to see the two sides of sanctification that God has actually already clearly stated in the Word. As Derek Prince mentioned in Chapter 7, sanctification “consists in being separated from sin and the world and from all that is unclean and impure” but it also consists in being a “partaker of God’s holy nature”. And the end result? It is a positive conforming to the image of Christ Himself; a positive partaking of God’s holiness, that Romans 8:29 talks about and that goes far beyond the “barren, legalistic, negative attitude” of just separating ourselves from sin.
The over-emphasis on the negative aspect of sanctification, without having an accurate and balanced view of the ultimate goal of it has thus caused us Christians – and non-Christians alike – to view God as a legalistic God who is hard to please. And this is exactly the image of God that the devil wants to portray to us – that since God is such a controlling person and it seems so impossible following Him, we might as well just not follow Him altogether. This thinking occurs as our goal is then not to conform to the likeness of Christ but just to follow a set of rules. As such, we fail to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and getting to know God’s will personally for our lives, as mentioned in Romans 12:2 . After all, the revelation of His will is granted only to the renewed mind as the old, carnal, unrenewed mind can never know or understand God’s perfect will.

5. Coming under His provision and protection
Quite often, I find my mind invaded by strange moods of depression or find myself being exposed to all kinds of moral and spiritual temptations which usually come so sudden and unexpected. I didn’t understand why this was happening as I failed to understand that when I enter into another realm of new spiritual blessing, I also can find myself entering into a realm of new spiritual conflict, as highlighted in Chapter 28.
“As a logical consequence, increased power from God will always bring with it increased opposition from Satan”. The desire in my life to have a higher level of spiritual experience also means I’ll have to meet and overcome Satan face-to-face. However, it is important to know that I don’t have to meet him alone; unless I fail to come under the protection and power of the Holy Spirit and fail to use the Word that God has provided me with as my attacking weapon. After all, Satan has no defence against the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Nevertheless, the responsibility to pray for protection and to apply God’s Word still lies with me.

Truly, God has already provided us with everything we need to fight the good fight of faith and to live a life of holiness and fulfilment that not just pleases Him but it’s also our benefit, as children of God. Walking with Christ means more than just believing what you hear the pastor preaches on Sundays. It goes beyond just believing what you read but it’s knowing who you’re walking with experientially – the Person of Jesus Christ Himself – and daily conforming to His likeness.

Just dropping by

2008-06-23T05:59:00.003+08:00

Wow Jo. i have to agree with you totally. tt was a v encouraging post. u noe guys, God aint gonna force us to do what we dun wan to. afterall, He can only move when you allow Him to. not becoz He is un-powerful. but becoz He's not like the devil who possesses n force his will on us, but the Holy Spirit fills and enters when we allow Him to.

alrighty~ got to preach a sermon in a couple of hrs n still preparing. tt's called FAITH! whahahahaha. tata

Looking back

2008-06-21T00:41:00.003+08:00

last yr this time, we were so filled with the passion n fire of God. it was that time, when God impressed upon me a closed vision that out of w278 will birth forth a zone. i dunno how many of u remembered that. coincidentally, jr preached bout passion for God today during cgm. that reminded me of how all of us were so much more on fire. maybe there were discouragements along the way, obstacles, huge mountains and failures that distracted us n diminished that fire that we once had for His kingdom. i strongly believe that this closed vision tt God has impressed upon me isnt a wishful thinking for myself but His purpose for us who r willing to brave thru the valleys and to tested by the fire and emerge stronger than ever, more anointed than before.

Some of us r gonna become ministry leaders, some missionaries, some cell grp leaders. All of us r and can walk into the calling(a very high one) of God in our lives. I just wanna urge and encourage my fellow dear ones... dont give up.endure till e very end.it wasnt easy before jesus went to the cross. He cried blood,hoping that God can allow the cup to pass Him by. Even the kings of kings knew it is tough to obey n follow the Father. But the most beautiful thing is that He said, 'not my will but yours be done'.

Let us cover each other with prayers and build a strong atmosphere of faith where all of us can walk in His will and His calling for us. Amen? Indeed, we're just a bunch of youths who love God. 19yrs ago, 20 youths were like us n today, a powerful ministry of God is birth forth. Jesus is the same yesterday, today n forever more. if He can bring to reality a vision He gave 19 yrs ago, He can do it again to W278 :)

With loves,
mojojojo

2008-06-16T23:06:00.003+08:00

HARROW HARROW! sorry for the delayyyy. i've uploaded the photos up here so feel free to download it!

:D:D:D

14 jun!

2008-06-16T12:04:00.003+08:00

thanks all for the joy and laughter! I had a great time with u guys! *cheers to eunice & jo for all e planning!
keep up the joyous spirit ppl!

**announcement!
guys this is the last wk of our 21 day prayer!
let's end this wk with a loud bang!
we're going to have a great cg meeting this fri amen!?

this morning is the 1st day of morning prayer 7.30-8.30am with Pastor Kong @ jw church.
it was a great time in the presence of God! Encouraging & touched to see the audi filled with ppl coming together to pray early in the morning. :) it's truly refreshing to start the day in the presence of the Lord.

encourage those of u who are not working or having sch hols now to come for the morning prayer! if u're working but still able to make it, do come! :) our God never shortchanges....

2 Chron 7:14-16
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

Let's breakthrough and do it together! ~ 22 by Dec 08

unity is strength; the place of agreement is the place of power!*

CG Party at CQ's place!!

2008-06-16T10:07:00.004+08:00

14th June mark the exciting CG party of W278. We had a crazily fun time time together at CQ's HUGE beautiful house. We played some games of Captain Ball with not any usual ball but fruits!! Thanks to our games master Eunice and Jo! :D

First fruit victim was a 1.5kg papaya who lasted merely 2 rounds before it was severly disfigured, smashed into tiny peices all over the ground and on us!! We were almost soaking in papaya juice all over. And we thought we had gotten rid of the papaya before another victim was presented before us, this time round a Sunkist orange which suffered a smiliar fate as beloved papaya. You could say we had a good 'fruit spa' with all the juices all over.

Here are some pictures from the event:

The Blog is Launched!!!!!!

2008-06-15T20:40:00.002+08:00

Woohooooooo!!!! This cell group blog is officially launched!!!!! Oh!!!! And yanyi has uploaded some of the pics for Sat's party!!!! go check them out!!!! :) LOVES