surrending the secret places of our hearts

2006-12-17T17:32:00.000+08:00

What God spoke to me on 3rd day of camp~

For the 3rd day, God did not speak to me during sermons like the previous 2 days. Instead he spoke to me through the workshop on " Serving a Generation". To be honest, this workshop was not my 1st choice, instead I wanted to go to the apologetics workshop. Moreover the other workshops like Occults, Male 101, Female 101 and iDeaf did not appeal to me. The saving grace was that Pastor Jeremy Seaward was in charge of this workshop.

Hehehe, went to this workshop with Kenneth and my assistant group leader, Lynn. Again, his focus was from a passage from the bible. This time it was Acts 13: 36. For when David served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep: he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.
Note: He served people BY the will of God, and not doing God's will by serving people. Many assume that by serving people, they have acomplished God's will for their life. This is wrong.

King David was absolutely passionate and focused on God throughout his own lifetime, such that He was called a man after God's heart. This is because he recognises that God has a plan for him. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has plans to prosper us and nto to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

However, the MORE important reason is that he recognised that God has also a plan for the world and not himself. That is why in Jeremiah 33:3 mentions that whoever calls upon him would be able to find out great and unsearchable things that one does not know of. Many of us, are so caught up with our own plan that we do not recognise God's plan for the world. Our self-centreness can be seen when 99% of our prayer is all about ourself. Like " Lord pls give ME a new playstation 3, God help ME get a pretty girlfriend, God forgive MINE sins, Father pls let ME do well in my exams and others.." Furthermore, the reason why John 3: 16 is so famous is because WHOEVER, be it Eastern or Western, fat or thin, smart or not so smart, poor or rich would be able to receive eternal life should he believe in God.

Note:Those who serve passionately are those who are able to realise that the other person will may be as important or even more important than one own will.

In addition, the reason why people serve is not because they have good talents, but they do so since the other person's will could be more important than theirs. They take the initative and do not take a passive role. As King David waited for his destiny, he sacrificed his time and energy just to see God's will to be accomplished. How amazing is that! AMEN to that.

2006-12-17T17:21:00.000+08:00

~The Resume of Jesus Christ ~

Hey, my father sent this to me, thot that it would be cool to show u people.

Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone: Romans 10:13
Website: The Bible.
Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus

Hello. My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my accomplishments as set forth in my resume.

Qualifications
I founded the earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19)
I formed man from the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7)
I breathed into man the breath of life, (See Genesis 2:7)
I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See Galatians 3:13)
The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me, (See Galatians 3:14)

Occupational Background
I've only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49).
I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful.
My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me, (See Matthew 3:15-17)

Skills Work Experiences
Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised, (See Luke 4:18).
I am a Wonderful Counselor, (See Isaiah 9:6). People who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil, (See Proverbs 1:33).
Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9)

Educational Background
I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6).
In me are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3).
My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a lamp unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105).
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21).

Major Accomplishments

I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting of all times, (See Genesis 1:26).
I laid down my life so that you may live, (See II Corinthians 5:15).
I defeated the archenemy of God and mankind and made a show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15).
I've miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead!
There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at: www dot - the BIBLE. You don't need an Internet connection or computer to access my website.

References

Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healings, salvation, deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance
In Summation Now that you've read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly direct your paths, (See Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life, (See John 6:47). When can I start? Time is of the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15).

Hahaha, so have u decided to allow God be the CEO of your life.

2006-12-13T15:57:00.000+08:00

~ What God spoke to me on day 2 of camp~

Hmmm, the sermon on the 2nd night was done by a different speaker, Pastor Dave Reardon. He is the pastor of Youth Alive, which is based in Australia. BTW, Youth Alive is coming to Singapore on the 12 and 13 jan 2007 for the upcoming FUSION 2007. Be sure to go there.

Anyway, I think Pastor Dave Reardon is a funny person, can get the audience attention very well. His jokes like "sheemo" will always be a YM camp 06 insider joke.

His title for the sermon was " the fear of the lord", although there was not any link to the title, I still felt that there was something important.

-God hates false scales
-Especially, when Christians weigh ourselves at the world
-This causes them to feel lousy.
-However, God thinks that you are incrdible
-Psalms 18: 35 says that God has his right hand to sustain us and he stoops down to make us great.
-Therefore God wants us to be BOLD.
-God also wants us to be INFLUENTIAl.
-God wants us to be GODLY
-godly is not a tickbox, where we gauge our godliness by the number of boxes that are ticked.
-The root word of godliness is " god likeness". Hence, it is the way in which we live our own life.

Goals (so far)
I want to increase my quiet time with him, be it on the bus, car or train, I just want to spend more time praying and reading his word.
I also want to be B.I.G( bold and influential and godly) for god during my school time.

2006-12-13T14:39:00.000+08:00

~What God spoke to me on the 1st day of camp~

Throughout the whole church camp, God spoke to me on many things, therefore I am posting all these over the next few days so that I do not forget them.

Anyway, the sermon on the 1st night was done by Pastor Jeremy Seaward. The topic was on discerning the voice of God. In my opinion, I feel that Pastor Jeremy Seaward is a great preacher, he isn't those who preach extremely complicated sermons on God but rather those on " back to basics " sermons.

His sermon was based on Exodus 32: 1-14 of the bible. In a nitshell, Moses was talking to God on the Mount Of Sinai. However, the people of Israel started to grow impatient and grumble at the long waiting time. This is despite the fact that God was the 1 that brought them out of slavery and gave them mana and birds. They started to enertain thoughts of building an idol, and eventually an idol was built.

Points to note from the passage:

1) The Israelites fail to treasure the voice of God. This is because they didn't wait for him when He was talking to Moses at the Mount Of Sinai. This is disheartening when many Christians either have stop listening to the voice of God or comprehend the voice of God. Similarly, one can sit through the entire speaker session but miss out on the invitation of God.

2) The Israelites were tired and bored. Since, they started to grumble when Moses was a long time in coming down the mountain, despite the fact that Moses were the representative for the poeple of Israel. Many of us have often exchange the voice of God to things that we want or that is convenient. For example, when God calls us to be a missionary, some may choose to ignore him and want their own way, like giving money to missions.

3) The Israelites wanted their own way. They decided to have idols instead of God to go before them. This is because they feel that having an idol to go before them is more convient and appealing. Hence, many of us have choose not to wait for God and ignore his will for us.

In conclusion, many do not hear the voice of God because:

1) We always want to do things our own way, therefore we go against what God wants with our life.
2) We never respect or treasure the word ( bible). If we are not able to treasure the voice of God in the bible, how can we be expected to treasure his word by the spirit.
3) We are not even willing to follow him even if he talks to us.
4) We even make him repeat his word even if God has spoken to us. This is because we like Joshua and Gideon, doubt his word and start to rationalise our actions or push off whatever God speaks to us.

Goals ( so far)
I want to increase my quiet time with him, be it on the bus, car or train, I just want to spend more time praying and reading his word.

2006-12-11T19:12:00.000+08:00

~Answers to the questionaire~

Opps, I noe tt I am lagging, but I have not post my answers to the questionaire.
Anyway here goes, the answers are 4, 8,11,17,20.

option 4- honestly, I dun wan to have 1 million dollars, cos it gives me more problems than comfort.

option 8- To be frank, I was a devil when I was young, always giving me parents hell.

option 11- The answer is already on the right hand side of my blogscreen, people should open their eyes.

option 17- Sorry although I studied hard for my O level year, I was not a nerd.

option 20- Hmmm, I dun wan to die a quick death, since my death might be too hard and sudden for my family and friends.

2006-12-10T16:35:00.000+08:00

~Start of a new year~

-had church camp at YWCA from the period of 5 to 8 dec
-Was a time when I made a new convenant with God
-Also the start of my new spiritual year.
-God touched my heart, and impressed on me 3 things that I should do for next year.
-1) to treasure his word in the bible. For if i can't treasure the bible, how can I be expected to treasure his word when the spirit talks to me.
2) Be B.I.G ( not by eating btw)
3) be more proactive when I am serving Him. Since other people will is sometimes more important than my own.
-Time when every1 was on fire for God. People were slayed by the holy spirit, crying their hearts out, dancing for joy, lifting our hands and voices.
- People may feel that this is all just camp hype, but I beg to differ. For God was very real in our lives during the period of 5 to 8 dec.
-However, I experienced God in a different way. God didn't talk to me through the altar call or workship
-This made me felt depressed, for I long to have him speak to me face to face. Like he had forsaken me due to my sins
-It was only at the last day when I finally realised that God did speak to me, albiet in different way. ( Thank You kenneth for praying for me)
-Realised that God spoke to me through the sermon. And that the reason why I didn't feel his presence during altar call was because of my spiritual maturity.I had matured so much that I had advanced to the next phase of my spiritual walk with God. I no longer needed spiritual milk but solid food for my growth.
-Goals for the new year are 1) do the 3 things that God tould me and 2) bring my classmates ( 1SC3) to church to make up the vision of 1000 changemakers for YM and 3) never let the fire in me die out.

2006-11-29T20:02:00.000+08:00

~ Fear of the Lord~

Hey, I have just realized that my church camp starts next week. Wow, I didn’t know that time passed by that fast. Anyway, decided to talk about the camp theme verse.

" I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their own children after them." It is an extract taken from Jeremiah 32:39, which was God’s reply to the prophet, Jeremiah when he questioned him on the immediate fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians.

Before that, a brief history behind that little chat would be good. During this time the war with the Babylonians not going too well, with the supposedly holy city of Israel being siege by them. Despite this, the people of Israel continue to turn their back to God (Jeremiah 32:33). This made God so angry that he decided to give the people of Israel to the Babylonians. However beneath God’s anger lies his grace and mercy. Since, he did all this to discipline the people of Israel and to develop the "fear: in his people. As a father loves his son, he would still punish him if he did something wrong.

This "fear" is different from the fear that we know of. Most people would assume that this refers to the trembling experience we have when we are faces with a threat or a frightening event. The hebrew word for fear is "YIR'AH", which refers to be in reverence and awe of God.

From the book of proverbs alone, there are 7 reasons why we should have this fear.
The "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of knowledge - Pr 1:7
The "fear of the Lord" will cause one to hate evil - Pr 8:13
The "fear of the Lord" will prolong life - Pr 10:27
The "fear of the Lord" provides strong confidence and is a fountain of life - Pr 14:26-27
The "fear of the Lord" prompts one to depart from evil - Pr 16:6
The "fear of the Lord" leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil - Pr 19:23
The "fear of the Lord" is the way to riches, honor, and life! - Pr 22:4

There are also many evidence when us, Christians fail to portray this " Fear".
Firstly, we are often preoccupied with chatting with our friends during sermons and worship sessions. Secondly, we only behave as a Christian on Sunday, continuing to do our sinful acts on the rest of the days. Thirdly, treating God only as a genie in the bottle. Etc.

In order to develop this " fear", we should read the word of God more often. In Deuteronomy 31:10-13, the children of Israel was taught to gather together for every 7 years and learn his word. This is done so as to learn to fear the Lord. However, we must take care of reading all of God’s word in order not to develop the extreme end of " fear". For example, some may read only the portions of God’s love and forget to have fear for the Lord.

2006-11-28T23:26:00.000+08:00

~Hurry Sickness???~

Well, it has been sometime since I have last blog. Hmm, things have been hectic for me, with my weekend at the x-trainer retreat. And with the upcoming agape worship and the church camp, I seriously think that I won't have time to blog. Anyway, this post was mainly some reading i did from " Our Daily Bread" on the way to school today.

When I was at my x-trainer retreat, I was reflecting on my spiritual growth. After much pondering, I realised that my spiritual growth for this year is slow to none. Fortunately, God spoke to me today through the " Our Daily Bread" book.

How often does words like " Hury up!", " We're late!", " You're too slow" and others crop in our speech, revealing our fast-paced life. Besides that, our world is now equipped with technolgy that aims to speed up the things that we do. To society, slow represent weakness. Experts call this illness to be "Hurry Sickness".

Fortunately, in Philippians 3, the apostle Paul's testimony of lifelong growth tells us that spiritual maturity can only be encouraged and not hurried. Similarly, although an unripe apple is not fit to eat, we should not condemn it. It is yet ready for consumption since God has not done making it. Therefore, I should not be impatient with my spiritual growth, since humans cannot fathom God's plan.Besides that, I should remember that God is not finished with me, nor does he expects to be until he calls me home.

" There are no shortcuts to spiritual mturity~

2006-11-21T21:42:00.000+08:00

~Serving others~

Well, I was so bored that I decided to read email that date way back to the start of the year. And there was this interesting article that was sent by my mentor, Sen.

Since Jesus isn't here in the flesh, He's depending on us to be His hands, feet, arms, ears. Are you using your hands, feet, arms and ears to bring glory to Him? What about the rest of you? Are your eyes seeing people as Jesus sees them? Does your mouth speak words of encouragement as Jesus would? Is your voice singing praises to His name? Are you going the extra mile for someone who needs you?

Jesus always loved. He calls you to do the same. When your friends are hurting, love them. When Juli battles an eating disorder, love her. When Brooke shares that she's been abused, love her. When Geoff confides that his parents are splitting, be Jesus to him. Austin tells you that his mother is dying of cancer. He doesn't need a bunch of philosophical words from you--He needs you to reflect the love of Jesus to him.

Sometimes Jesus loved with "tough love." In other words, He never made excuses for people's sin. He never said, "Well, that's okay. You didn't mean to." He allowed people to feel guilty for the disobedience in their lives, but He continued to love them.

You do the same. And when your friends are battling deep scars, don't allow them to make excuses. Love them like Jesus would. Sometimes that means giving a hug. Sometimes it means telling them something they don't want to hear, like: "I'll be here for you, but you've got to go ask him to forgive you." Or "I'll go with you, but you really need to see a counselor."

Being Jesus to your friends may not be easy, because Jesus didn't always do the popular thing--He always did the right thing. And sometimes doing what's right may cost you some friends.

Being Jesus means being willing to be a servant. Jesus told His disciples to serve--wash each other's feet. And to set the example, He knelt before them and washed their feet. Imagine! The creator of the universe washing feet! (See John 13:1-17 for the whole story.)

Washing feet can get stinky. It's uncomfortable. It's not easy. But it's right. I had taken a group of teens on a missions trip to South America. During the middle of the trip, I gave a devotion on how Jesus has called us to be servants. I called someone up front and knelt in front of him and washed his feet. Then we divided into small groups and began to wash each other's feet.

One group went left the room and went outside for more privacy. As they were washing each other's feet, a national military man walked by.Without hardly thinking, Jarod politely stopped him and motioned for the officer to sit on the ground with them.

A couple of teens from the group gently untied the man's shoes. One of the girls picked up his feet and placed them in the basin of water. Jarod began washing. Calvin grabbed the towel and tenderly dried the officer's feet.

One by one, they began sharing the difference Christ had made in their lives. When they had finished, the military officer was asking how he could know Jesus like they did. He prayed and surrendered his life to Jesus.

Why? Because a great evangelist had come to town? No. Because of a dazzling Christian concert with flashing lights and smoke machines? No. Simply because a group of teens were determined to reach out and be Jesus to him.

God isn't asking you to be flashy. He may or may not provide you with a stage or a microphone. But He is calling you to serve. To reach out. To be His hands to those around you. To be Him to a lost and dying world.

Will you do it? Even when it's tough? When you're wanting to help your friends come out on top of their problems, the very best thing you can do is to be Jesus to them.

2006-11-17T21:59:00.000+08:00

~Questionaire~

Cherie asked me to do this questionaire, so here goes nothing.
One, think up of 15 shortbits of interesting stuff regarding yourself. And they have to be true.
Two, Come up with 5 false statements about yourself, but for the fun's sake, please keep them in the treshold of believability
Three, jumble them up and make a list.

1- I am the shortest guy in my jc class.
2- I was the asst class rep in sec 3 and 4
3- My house looks like a castle
4- I always dreamed of having 1 million dollars.
5- My ambition is to be a doctor. ( To heal the lameness in me)
6- I am in acs for all my school life.
7- I have owned 2 lobsters in my life. They make good dinner btw.
8- I was very well behaved when I was young.( That explains why I am so well behaved now. Haha, joking.)
9- My underwear was left hanging on a palm tree thanks to my friends.
10- I have studied for 12 hours b4 during my 0 lvl year.
11- I hate eating non-fried food like the Dr Yong Tau Fok stall in ACJC
12- I have ate 2 big macs meal in 1 sitting. They not only made me heavier but made my wallet lighter.
13- I have never had a girlfriend before.
14- I left my school bag on the bus during P3. I almost burnt down my house b4
15- I am often the 1st to enter the buffet table but the last to leave the buffet table. =)
16- I won the award for the “ Cutest baby of the year” competition.
17- I was always the first one to hand in my work and be on time for class during my sec 4 year. I know you can call me a teacher’s pet.
18- I stole from my school bookshop before. The book is still in my house
19- I am a Christian.
20- I would like to have a quick and sudden death so as to not suffer.

2006-11-16T09:18:00.001+08:00

~Weekly dose of bible study~

Hmmm. Last night cell meeting was more of a sharing period rather than the usual bible study. Well, most of the usual sensibles came, with a new addition to the cell in the form of marlina ( Opps,not too sure whether the name is like that).

Anyway, Perry posted 3 simple but perosnal questions.
1) What is the closest thing to my heart?
2) What is your greatest fear?
3) How is your faith like?

Well, my 1st answer for the 1st question was my lungs. Haha. Jokes aside, it would most likely be my family and closest friends. I believed that God uses my friends as an instrument to talk to me. Being absent minded, I would often forget the scripture no matter how impactfull it was when I am reading it. Therefore, my family and friends are God's mouth to me.

For the 2nd question, the thing that I fear most is the thought of God not talking to me, no matter how hard that I try. Talking could be in the form of the bible, pastors, small group leaders, family and friends. The thought of God leaving me in the lurch certainly scares me. Fortunately, there are many promises in the bible that he would never leave me nor forsake me.

Lastly, my relationship with God has its period of ups and downs, very similar to a rollarcoaster.
The ups would be during times of conflict whereas the downs would be during times of peace. Isn't it ironic, that only when there is times of crisis that I grow closer to God, since one would have lesser time and energy to talk to God. Haha, I guess that different people have different ways to grow closer to God.

2006-11-14T12:34:00.000+08:00

~Names~

In the past, a name is important since it defines a person. For example, Peter in the bible was another name for rock ( Matthew 16:17). He was the foundation where Jesus Christ would build hhs church.
Similary, God does not only have the name "God". In fact, he has many names, with each name defining his many characteristics.

1)Jehovah-Jireh
Jehovah will see or provide.(Genesis 22:14)
2)Jehovah-Rapha
Jehovah that healeth thee.(Exodus 15:26)
3)Jehovah-Nissi
Jehovah my banner.(Exodus 17: 15)
4)Jehovah-M'kaddesh
Jehovah that doth sanctify you.(Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 20:8, 21:8, 22:32; Ezekiel 20:12)
5)Jehovah-Shalom
Jehovah [send] peace.(Judges 6: 24)
6)Jehovah-Sabaoth
Jehovah of hosts.(1 Samuel 1:3)
7)Jehovah-Tsidkenu
Jehovah our righteousness.(Jeremiah 23:6, 33: 16)
8)Jehovah-Shammah
Jehovah is there.(Ezekiel 48:35)
9)Jehovah-Elyon
Jehovah most high.(Psalms 7:17, 47:2, 97:9)
10)Jehovah-Raah
Jehovah my Shepherd.(Psalms 23:1)
11) Elohim
The Creator
12) El Shaddai
God Almighty
13)El Olam
Everlasting God
14)El Roi
God who sees
15)Adonai
Lord, Master

Isnt it incredible that our God has so many names. = )

2006-11-12T22:47:00.000+08:00

~happy birthday to you~

-Yup, the title just says it all, its my father birthday. Many thanks and hugs and kisses for taking care of me for so many years. If there was a competition for the best dad award, you would surely win 1st prize. ( Although, I m very sure others would say the say abt their dad)
- went to bugis junction to eat at a great japanese resturant. Although I didn't remember the name. Don't worry would bring my friends there the next time. The food was like die, die must try.
- went to my cousin house, who I have never visited for such a long time. Saw her sleeping like a pig, decided not to disturb, or I would find myself missing a head.
- found out that my brother have funny pictures of one of my favourite anime called Bleach. hmmm... just make sure that you don't show the picture on the right to bleach lovers. Trust me, you would not want to know what happens when you upload a video on that on youtube.
-Speaking of youtube, I have managed to find some anime that looks interesting to me. Althought the story line is cliche, it has great animation and nice music song track. hmmm, shall go on a mini anime race 2ml.

2006-11-12T21:48:00.000+08:00

~My thoughts over the past few days~

To be honest, I have been pretty lazy during the past few days, tt explains why I have not been updating on a regular basis.

Anyway, the most eventful thing that happened must surely be the argument I had with my best friend. (Dun want to say any names). Although many may think that I am crazy saying this, but it has taught me many things about myself. Hmmm. So many thanks for my best friend who has highlighted my inadequancies.

Anyway the argument has taughted me an important lesson of restoring broken fellowship.

God has given us a ministry of relationship and reconcilation, which call us to settle our relationship with each other. 2 Corinthians 5:18 mentions " All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation"

The question of why we should do our best to restore broken fellowship is very simple ; in order to be appropriately called a son of God, we must learn to be peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 states that " Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Notice that God did not say blessed are the peace-lovers, since everyone loves peace. He also never mention blessed are the peaceable, who are never disturbed by anything.

This is where I often fail in the peacemaking process. Since I have the tendency to avoid the conflict or simply run away. God did not ask us to run away from the problem or to be a doormat, giving in to people.

To be a peacemaker, one must follow 7 simple biblical steps.

1) talk to God before even talking to the person.

Since God would certainly change your heart or even change the other person heart without your help. How AWESOME is our God. Besides that, he would hear our frustations and cry if we take the time to do so. Moreover, some of us may have expections of the other person that only God can fulfill. Therefore we look up to others to make us happy and feel frustrated when they fail us. James 4:1-2 clearly states that " What causes fight and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and convet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you don;t ask God."

2) Take the initiative.

It doesn't matter whether you are the offender or the offended. God expects you to make the 1st move (think 1st mover advantage of economics). Thi si so important that it takes over group worship. Matthew 5:23-24 supports this by " Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alte. First go amd be reconciled to your brother: then come and offer your gift."

By procrasinate, it would only increase our resentment.

3) Sympathise with the person feelings.

Use your ears more than your mouth. Allow them to express their concern, even though you may disagree with them. Often our feelings are not true or logical. In fact, King David admits that anger makes him a stupid animal.

4) Confess your part of the conflict.

You should always admit your mistakes. Matthew 7:5 states that "you hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Anyone who thinks that he is 100% right is 100% wrong. Even the bible states in 1 john 1:8 " I f we claim to be without sin, we decieve ourselves and the truth is not within us." Finally, confessing always defuse the other person anger.

5) attack the problem and not the person.

In proverbs 15:1 " A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." How you say, is as important to what you say.

6) co-operate with each other.

Nothing to say much except that it may not be as easy as it sound. Since it often cost us our self-centredness. Romans 12: 18 says that " If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

7) emphasise reconciliation and not resolution.

Reconciliation refers to the relationship whereas resolution refers to the problem. Restoring broken fellowship is never easy, but as God's people we should.

finally, sorry for the long post. pray tt u will be touch by this messange.

2006-11-08T23:17:00.000+08:00

~What I learnt from cell group~

Hmmm, the highlight for today would definitely be the cell group. At every wednesday night, our Sensibles would gather together to strengthen our walk with God. Although there were only 6 of us, ( Perry, our YSGL, Annabell, Denise, Wanling, Keith and me) it was still fruitful for me. Despite the fact that the lesson today was mainly about "the stress of decision making" , what struck me the most was the bible passage that they used. The passage was taken from Psalm 23:1-4

1-The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want

2-He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3-he restores my soul. He guide me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake

4-Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for your are with me, your rod and staff,they comfort me.

Verse 1

It talks about God being the Shepherd. Just like a shepherd that keeps his flock of sheep together, God keeps the Church together.It also demonstrates King David ( You know the shortie that kill the giant with a stone, no wonder the phrase " Great things come in small sizes" comes about) great faith, confidence and satisfaction in God. Since God provides everything for him.

Verse 2

Although the phrase might sound to some that God is selfish, for he makes people to lie down . I beg to differ. For behind the phrase, shows a God who despite having the power to control us, grants us freedom to make our own decisions. For he can only coaches us to put all our burdens at his feet.In addition, when we lie down, we must be free from hunger, fear, friction and pest.Hunger refers to our lack of God's word. It is said that in 1 peter 2:, that God's word is spiritual milk ( it can beat high-low milk anytime)Fear refers to any form of fear. 2 timothy 1:7 states that God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.Friction refers to our conflict with anyone. Ephesians 4: 26 states that do not let the sun go down while your are still angry. ( thanks to berNERD for this)Finally, the pest refers to the pest in our life. Like our worries, wrong teaching and so on and so fore. These 4 stuff would prevent us from resting in God.

Verse 3 ( What I feel is the most important verse in this passage)

It talks about by putting all our burden at his feet, he would restore our soul. This means that God would renew our vitality or simply rejuvente us. Giving us much needed strength to face new challenges.It also mentioned that God would sustain and lead us gently to the path that he wants us to be. Besides that, this portion tells us that our motivation for being a good Christian should not be to show others, BUT TO HONOUR AND GLORIFY GOD.

verse 4

This talks about the confidence that Christian have when facing any calamity or trouble. Since, God has numerous promises in his bible that he would never leave us nor forsake us.The rod is a symbol of him protecting, rescuing and guiding us.The staff is an instrument of support and stability in crisis.

The whole lesson today was done by Denise and Wanling. Many thanks to them.

2006-11-08T22:05:00.000+08:00

~Common sense ( or the lack of it )~

Hey, I have found this on today new paper,thought it will be pretty interesting to show you people. Shows how sometimes people can be quite stupid.

~Story 1~

During the height of the space race in the 1960s, Nasa decided that it needed a ballpoint pen to write in the zero-gravity environment of its space capsules.

After considerable research and development, the Astronaunt Pen was developed at a cost of US$1 million.

The pen worked and also and enjoyed some modest success as a novelty item back here on earth.

The former Soviet union, when faced with the same problem, used a pencil. =)

~Story 2~

An elderly couple had problems remembering, so they decided to take a power memory class where they teach one another to remember things by association.

Later, the man was talking to a neighbour about how much the class had helped him.

" Who was the instructor?" the neighbour asked.

"Oh, let's see," pondered the man. " Umm... what's that flower, you know, the one that smells real nice but has those torns?"

"A rose?" offered the neighbour.

"Right," said the man, who turned towards his house and shouted, " Hey, Rosa, what's the name of the guy we took that memory class from?"

2006-11-07T23:27:00.000+08:00

~Looking back at today events~

- Manage to finish OP, say good bye to work and hello to slack
- went out with Cherie, Bernice, Claudia, Xiaojie, Nazrul and daryl to serene centre
- manage to watch finish the entire 24 episode season " shakugan no shana", sourcing for more anime to watch on youtube
- watched CSI. It had the most memorable quote where a guy was attempting to flirt with a girl. He said " Hello, how was heaven when u left". So corny =)

2006-11-07T19:08:00.000+08:00

~Reflections~

" Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I will find no pleasure in them" -Ecclesiastes 12:1

How meaningful is that verse. For many of us are guilty of treating God as a genuie in the bottle? Only depending on him in times of need, pleading him for his grace and mercy. While, I do not find asking God for help is wrong. It only becomes so when we push him to the last of our prority list once the storm calms. Unfortunately, I also have this bad habit of doing so. Therefore I hope to use this blog to write my thoughts and any significant events that would impact me. In this way, God would always be the number 1 in my life.

Therefore, I want to thank God for all his blessings that he has poured upon me over these years. For all the grace he has given me in my family, friends, school and social life, I thank thee.

Shawn Ang =)