Farewell Post

The generous man will be prosperous,

And he who waters will himself be watered.

Proverbs 11:25

Thank you Lord!
...for the clip, spent so many weeks but it was worth it, well worth it!

...for my PCG,

...for my SOLEAD class,

...for the little joys

...for the sharings, breakfasts, acts of kindness, and the laughter!

...for late night runs, climbing ropes, flying foxes, balls that can fit humans!

...for the Youthphorians, and those who wanted to surprise me! thanks!

...for all those who mean something to me

...for all those who mean everything and don't know it...

I'll be away to serve the nation, with immediate effect until 1st week Dec...
No handphone, no internet, no TV...

but strangely, it doesn't bother me at all,

it will be a sweet time with God!

To people with papers and exams still,

study well and be good stewards yah?

Poignant Quote

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
love leaves a memory no one can steal."
(From a headstone in Ireland)

I will boast...in the Lord my God!

This is what the LORD says:

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,"

declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:23,24

Mmm...taking a break from memorising! yeah...the above is the verse of the moment for me! =)

Understand and know God, tall order? nah...i don't think so...not when His beauty is etched in the sunset, and built into the flowers and trees! Just gotta have eyes that see, and a heart that wants to know, REALLY know God...

The other line that got me pondering..."I am the LORD", reminded me of Amy's class and how she was saying that to the Jews "I AM" was such a wonderful expression of the divinity and completeness of God that no other words needed to be added to it..."I AM" is a standalone phrase that speaks of YHWH...hmm...wonderful...

Follow up to the retreat...

It is amazing how God speaks when we are sincerely seeking Him...=) Had an unexpected blessing when Hung Peng sent out an sms saying that field ministry today was cancelled for us to prepare for checkouts...well...i felt that i could best use the time in God's presence and today was like listening to God part 2!

"This life ought to be spent by us only as a journey towards heaven" ~Jonathan Edwards~

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3

The whole life of the good christian is a holy longing" ~Augustine~

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Cor 2:9

He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great. Failure is the test of greatness.
~Herman Melville~

All of us experience failure, and no one likes it. But for some people, it becomes a goad to push on to new learning, deeper persistence, more vigorous commitment, more courageous hearts. For others, failure produces utter defeat - a sense of discouragement, a loss of hope, a desire to hide, a secret resolve to never again get out of the boat. ~John Ortberg~

As long as my sense of being valuable and significant is tied to my success, it will be a fragile thing. But when i come to know in the marrow of my bones that i am just as valued and loved by God when i have fallen flat on my face, then i am gripped by a love stronger than success or failure.

Lord, help me to do great things as though they were little since i do them with your power; and little things as though they were great, since i do them in your name. ~Blaise Pascal~

Ok...to compact my learning into action points...
1) Love God more daily
2) This life i have to live is to be lived for His glory and His kingdom
3) Run the race with eyes set on eternity...persevere even in adversity!
4) No running away! Expect God to show up! He will prove Himself!
5) Failure/Success means nothing if i lose my Love for God,
6) My measure will be...do i love God more today?
Can i trust him, inspite of...despite...eventhough...things may not seem ideal in my eyes...

Beyond Calvary...

Retreat Day today...
Pondered more deeply into God's amazing Love

I've recently put up this line in my MSN messenger...
"Jesus bore the pain, because He looked beyond calvary and saw...you and me...*in awestruck wonder...because you first loved me*"

Was just very touched by the words 'He looked beyond calvary..." that i heard in a Parachute band song, and it led me to think on it and imagine that scene on calvary...

Can you imagine? The Lord of the world, supposedly a coming King and glorious in His splendor, willing to come show us the way...bearing the cross, the symbol of shame, the ultimate humiliation of carrying your instrument of torment and knowing that you would die on it. Jesus did it willingly...He bore that shame, that humilation, the pain, the separation from God, the filthiness of sin, even those uncommitted yet...the spotless lamb, dirtying Himself...and for what purpose? As He wallked up the hill to calvary...all a normal man would be able to see would be the cruel guards, the endless taunting, mocking and heckling of the ignorant mob, BUT...Jesus did not see that...

He looked BEYOND calvary! beyond the hill where death lay for him and beyond that dark moment, that momentary pain and that utter hopelessness...He saw eternity...an eternity where He would see that great crowd of witnesses, that great number who know Jesus, and call Him closer than a friend, sharing a divine intimacy for the whole of eternity! He saw a future hope with the heckling crowd transformed, the crowd that very likely contained you and me...

He walked to calvary willingly because of you and me...that final victory scene...Wow...imagining it in my mind totally brought home the impact of His sacrifice!

Thank you Lord for the nails that you took for me, the holes in your hands and feet that would have been mine, you took them willingly so that i would not have to suffer eternal separation from you. Lord, i want to know more of that kind of agape Love. Loving...in spite of...despite...because of...loving because the Love of the Lord that compels us! Lord, you know my heart, you know the innermost depths and recesses even better than me! And Lord, i want to confess that i do not know you enough, but Lord, i want to lay hold of you, to know the majesty and divine mystery of your Love, you've heard my questions and my heart cry for you...i want a desire and love for you that grows daily and conforms me more and more into your image! Grant me more of you Lord...let me be an unblemished mirror that reflects your glory...a vessel, wholly devoted to you, and showing your love and your example in all situations.

Soar On Eagle's Wings

Though youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the LORD

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:30,31

Soaring, Running, Walking...things we'll constantly be doing as long as we live...

Read this insightful piece this morning and decided to blog it to remind myself of this journey of life, this journey that is meant to lived out in faith and which will have stumbles, hiccups and various assorted challenges along with the joys and the laughter! =)

Birds have 3 methods of flight,

1) Flapping - keeping their wings in constant motion to counteract gravity. Hummingbirds do this extremely well, they can flap up to 70 times a SECOND! Flapping keeps you up in the air, but it is alot of work. It gets us from here to there but it is decidedly awkward and clumsy business, and it isn't graceful at all.

2) Gliding - A bird builds up speed, then coasts for awhile. Gravity sets in quickly, and while gliding is nice, it does not go very far or last very long. It is graceful in spurts.

3) Soaring - Only a few birds (like eagles!) are able to do this! Their wings must be strong enough to catch rising currents of warm air, and without flapping their wings at all, they can fly at great speeds (80mph!) and to great heights! They soar on invisible columns of rising air!

As the above article reminded me, soaring is not easy business, we gotta train our wings (build our faith) to be strong enough and soar constantly by the power of the Holy Spirit. Along the way, we'd be flapping along and occasionally experiencing gliding! But! We CAN soar and the Lord WANTS us to Soar! =)

Back to Isaiah

So...in Isaiah, we read about soaring, running and walking.

It is quite an encouragement! When we wait for the Lord...

We can walk (through the drudgery and daily challenges) and not grow weary!

We can run (do work, achieve goals, grow constantly) and not get tired!

We can mount up with wings as eagles! Soaring by the power of the Holy Spirit constantly! Woo!

Ok...that helps to focus my personal retreat alot! =) Thank you Lord! So amazed by you!

SOLEAD BBQ before Yuting left for Oz!

 

Ling Ling's Birthday on Day 1 of summit!

 

Solead Class at Staff Summit

 

Phew...

Okies...after all that work, i gotta take a break!

It's been an interesting first day back to class yesterday after the summit, have quite abit that i've lined up to seek God about next week during personal retreat, so yups...will blog about some of these interesting stuff on my mind!

D.L Moody said that Moses spent

40 years thinking he was somebody

40 years learning he was nobody and

40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.

Woah...i wanna learn phase 3...

About Complaining

"No talent, no self-denial,

no brains and no character

is required to set up the grumbling business"

The underlying principle between God and His people is LOVE,

Obedience to God's law is a natural by-product of a relationship of Love.

So long as we imagine that it is WE who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about; He is looking for us. And so we can afford to recognise that very often we are NOT looking for God; far from it, we are in full flight FROM Him, in high rebellion against Him. And He knows it and has taken it into account. He has followed us into our own darkness; there where we thought finally to escape Him, we run straight into His arms. So we do not have to erect a false piety for ourselves, to give us the hope of salvation. Our hope is in His determination to save us, and He will not give in

Simon Tugwell ~prayer~

Sabbath day

Last night, had such a stimulating talk with the supper people! Was just telling them about some of the things i was learning in my course and the stuff i'm becoming clearer about. We got to talking about the Sabbath day, and after ding-donging back and forth, we went to the root of it and it is rather intriguing! =)

Take away all the definitions of work, take away all preconceived ideas and just taking the first instance, the example of God taking the sabbath...we get this...

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2,3

Someone asked..."so...God didn't work on the seventh day, yet He blessed it and made it holy, does it mean the rest of the days were not blessed or holy?"

That's an interesting question isn't it?
God created the earth from scratch, made the oceans and sky, the trees, the animals...everything! God did 6 days worth of miracles! were they not blessed or holy?

All the works of God's hands are fantastic miracles, and yet God reminded us still...on the day that He took a complete rest, that the sabbath is considered blessed and Holy, a special day, a day specifically mentioned and set aside!

That's counter to our culture, we value work, results, being busy, but God is asking us to look from His perspective, and to see why He has blessed the Sabbath. Even after 6 days worth of fantastic miracles, He took the time to rest, to relax, to enjoy creation...He called the sabbath blessed, and Holy!

Interesting isn't it...=) It's not an issue i grappel with, but just thot i would blog this very interesting exchange! I'll give no answers here (you can ask me more if you want), but i'll just say this... to follow the Lord's example is the best way! =)

What keeps you going?

The question that begs an answer...What keeps you going?

For me...the Love of God keeps me going, seeking Him daily, learning to lean on Him, joining Him at work, surrendering and letting go so that i can be fully used by Him. After all, how many years do i have? I'd rather use them for His eternal Kingdom then for anything else!

We are always called to 'someone' before we are called to 'do something'...in my case, i've learnt that it is easy to get waylaid if my focus is wrong. So i have to daily determine to make that 'someone' - Jesus Christ, my Lord and saviour, He who will never fail me.

This summit, poignant questions got asked...like
What keeps you going? What is something i've learnt about myself lately? Who do you love? How do you act because of that love?

What we love determines how we live.

Who we love determines what we do.

Are you a grabber

(Man's way, trying to EARN blessing by DOING good things)

or a receiver

(God's way, surrender what you have, no need to prove your self)

The life of surrender

"...then i no longer have to live in frenzy of activity, overwhelmed and afraid of the missed opportunity..." Henri Nouwen ~3 movements of a spiritual life~

Intimacy with God takes effort...

If intimacy is the goal, then discipline is the means

Distance from God is a frightening thing.

Lord, I place intimacy with you as first in my life...your Lordship has never been as true, or as real as it is now in this season, and yes...it certainly is such a difficult discipline to cultivate, but i truly want to learn how to follow hard after you. I've tasted and i've seen, and your ways are truly best...lead me on, i trust you as i know that your ways are best and will prove itself! AMEN!

SCCC Staff Summit

MMmmm...fruitful summit! Been through many planning sessions with company, work unit, army unit, church and youth, and yes, this planning summit was very good! Saw how through the whole process of defining and focussing the mission, the entire staff of SCCC was engaged and interested. I think that this goes a long way to 'owning' the vision! The process is far more important than the end product as the more people are involved, the more it can be translated into work on the ground level! Encouraged by this whole process!

On a personal note, i liked the morning sessions, so many things i can take home from it!

John 6:1-13
1) Don't see what you don't have
2) Don't doubt what you have! (5 loaves and 2 fishes - Little is much when God is in it!)
3) Surrender what you already have (It is sufficient for the Lord to use!)
4) Know that your God has! (gave thanks, spread the 5 loaves and 2 fishes in faith!)
They had MORE than enough! 12 baskets of leftovers! =) WOO!

Where does your confidence lie?

Family Day was awesome!

MMMM....satisfying weekend! Family Day on Sat was a huge success! Fantastic stuff and i'm glad all the PCG's and co-ordinators managed to pull off a well-run and very smooth program! We covered this program well in prayer, and yes...it was truly God's grace that the Parents who came, and the Youthphorians were blessed!

I loved the games for the parents and the kids to know each other better, i loved the testimonies! Special mention to Tiffany Tan and her sisters, Janelle was really chirpy and funny, great honesty and yes...i could see your mum beaming! haha! =) QL and Benben, yups...you made your mum cry and yes...i think you should invite them to church now! Seize the day! Thanks Minyi, for your heartfelt poem and being so real up there...it showed!

The whole program was a success and it is truly wonderful to be serving with all of you! Guess Rufus' and I had the same sense of..."why were my parents not here..." but yes...i trust that the Lord will work in their lives...i will not give up...slowly but surely...i trust that God WILL work!

Lord, as you honour your name and your people by strengthening the bonds of love in families, i pray that you will also build up those that these lovely families contact too! I totally agree with pastor B that full-time workers, youth workers, PCG leaders are no comparison to the REAL youth workers...Parents who influence their children from birth! And Lord as children are such a blessing and like arrows in a quiver, Lord I pray that their families and their friends will be impacted positively by the Godly example of these faithful children. Make them your shining examples, and do not let anyone look down on them because of their youth!

busy week!

Woo! The week is finally over and i've had time to wind down! =) Yahs...felt amazing to just crash in the GCTC lounge earlier! Had friends around me doing work, but yahs...i just totally crashed cuz of the events of the past week! haha! Unglam...but not like i'm the type to care about appearances! =P

Thank God that i passed the comm drill, one more checkout done, but the most important thing is that i gained knowledge of my WYS in an intimate way. So yes, i thank God for that! I keep reinforcing to myself the fact that i do not need to rush through my checkouts...it is best to gain the knowledge especially about the intricacies so that i can do it well, and yes, i think that attitude has helped me absorb all these materials rather well! This week didn't start as busy as it looked...but then, along the way cuz of comm meetings and handling family day co-ord, plus prayer meeting, things really really got busy! Thank God that i still could prepare for the checkout and remember it well! Really...all by His Grace!

Comm drills this week were fun! yahs...a totally fun time of learning, being stretched, doing all the drills with exaggerated actions...stare at someone for 5 seconds, move towards them (invade their space!), make sure your tone and subtext mean the same thing etc...Woo...totally stretching! It was really good to be stretched and challenged, some was really uncomfortable for me, maybe because i always respect people's personal space so staring and walking towards them was abit unnatural, but yes, it is something i will watch!

My own comm drills were so-so...there was one that i REALLY wanted to stretch myself abit, tell the story of granny, but yahs...decided not to in the end, guess i sorted figured it would have make me too emotional to carry on talking so i kopped out, but yes...it was something on my mind. Oh...and i did see a fantastic drill! haha! nah...not gonna name names or make ppl go red, but yes...it was totally impressive, seeing the preparation to get into role and then the whole gamut of emotions and the exclamation at the end! haha! =) great way to end the comm drills i felt! Felt so accomplished for my classmate, and just felt blessed to have been privy to that moment in living colour! It was really pure joy at watching a great performance! Superbly well done!

Anyways...getting back into the groove of writing and exercising my creative juices despite all the hectic days...and yes, i wanna produce more such works, the more i do it, the better it gets and yes, the better i'll be stewarding this gift that i have! Though of course, the other areas will then have to play catch up...=) haha! good problem to have, not complaining in the least bit!

Lord, thank you for this week, as the Youthphoria Comm catches the vision and the fire for personal discipleship and for multiplying beyond our walls, i pray for your strength and enabling to be upon them. For myself, i wanna live out your call more and more clearly, so yes Lord, speak your heart to me, show me exactly how i should live out my life to glorify your name, these seem to be in the intangibles right now, but i'll be patient and wait on you. I thank you for a SOLEAD class that has been a blessing in the way they shine as lights, i'm so blessed by their hearts for the lost and the commitment they have to you Lord Jesus! Each and every talk with them sharpens me and as you build a generation that seeks your glory alone, may your Holy Spirit come in power and mould the individuals in this SOLEAD class into people who really ARE little Christs, and who move in your enabling!

Declaration!

It's been a long while since my last post, been too busy and hectic to write down all the stuff that has happened! But yes...God is good, daily seeking Him and it is amazing how He works everyday! Truly...God is real, daily, just that sometimes we are not looking out for what He is doing.

"It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena...who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

~Theodore Roosevelt~

I never want to be a cold, timid soul, i'll dare greatly, love unconditionally, worship in total abandon, speak Words of Life, not death...everything for the Lord who is my everything!

It's all a process...

Gaining abit more perspective nowadays...

Learning how to truly fall well, learn, do it again, and constantly battle, especially against any fear (especially irrational ones!)

This whole life is a process, a refinement, a moulding, and i want to be moulded by the Master into a masterpiece. Sometimes it may entail pain, sorrow, unpleasant surprises, but the more teachable i am now, the less i will have to undo if God convicts later! Like the army likes to remind me...

Do it once, do it good (it should be...Do it WELL! ahaha!)

Lord, teach me to discern your will and do things according to how you are doing it! Teach me to join you where you are working. I do not want to run ahead of your plans, or linger behind after you have left...teach me to continually follow hard after you! Pressing in to your perfect will!

I pray that you will open the eyes of my heart to discern your will! and Lord, i pray also for the leaders and Youthphoria, lead us and guide us into a ministry used for your kingdom purposes, bind us together with your bonds of love and teach us to be faithful and fruitful.

God never fails!

"As for His failing you, never dream of it - hate the thought. He who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end." - Charles Spurgeon

Real Strength

Real strength is not just a condition of one's muscle, but a tenderness in one's spirit.
-McCallister Dodds-

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?" Romans 15:1 The Message

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. Colossians 1:9-12 The Message

Strength, it was never meant to be for ourselves. But the Lord grants it to us, so that He can work through us.

the spirituality of Choice

Blogging helps me clarify my thots and process what i need to, and yes...i realise that this is the way i journal. Introspectively, and so that i can grow. Challenging myself constantly. Acknowledging my weakness, the Lord's strength, and the countless trials that come unbidden.

Reading this book, 'Seizing your divine moment' by Erwin Raphael McManus and it is challenging me...

"The most important moments rarely come at a convenient time. Sometimes you wish that God would check your calendar first. The ironic part is that our schedules get packed with the mundane and ordinary, and we become irritated with God when he interrupts us with the miraculous and extraordinary. The bible is full of stories of people who were rudely interrupted by God. We read them and long to have the kind of adventure experienced by those men and women. Yet when God interrupts us, are we willing to respond at a moment's notice?"

Opportunity and dilemma, all in a single moment. The path is thick with mystery, danger, the unknown, but isn't that what an adventure is all about? =) The journey begins now - in this moment. That's the mystery of a single moment. It is small enough to ignore and big enough to change your life forever. Life is the sum total of what you do with the moments given you. The divine potential of a moment is unlocked by the choices we make. Each moment's personal, historic and eternal value is directly related to the choices we make. Choice unlocks the adventure. Somehow, the power of choice has been moved from the spiritual to the practical. We have a created a dichotomy between being spiritual and living everyday life, one that was never meant to be there! And we have forgotten that God created us with the power to CHOOSE, He has given us free will. This capacity is perhaps the greatest expression of being created in the image of God!

The most spiritual activity we will engage in today is making choices. All other things we do, worship, prayer, meditation...these are all done in context of choice. Did i choose to worship? Or am i worshipping only cuz it is "time to worship?" Am i choosing to worship or am i just standing and mouthing the words? It's all a choice. Do i feel angry and unable to worship? It is a choice, hold on to anger (or any other emotion) or release it and cling on to God.

"And whatever you do , don't underestimate what you may find, when you seize a divine moment, you instigate an atomic reaction. You become the human catalyst creating a divine impact! "

Lord, teach me to seize the moments boldly, making the most of them and temper my emotions so that i'll not be irritated when you interrupt my plans with your divine ones!