Resilience in The Lord

Haha. It's been a long long time since i blogged. Perhaps you could say that I just simply forgot about the blog in hectic seasons when i'm just rushing out so many things. =PpP Anyway, i really thank God for teaching me how to guard my heart and emotions over the past year.

I used to be someone who was very vulnerable emotionally... i can be happy at one moment and sad the next... keeping to myself away from the crowd...But as i grew deeper to allow The Lord to build and strengthen my emotions, i find myself growing to have a greater emotional resilience. I thank God for restoring joy in me... If you knew me in JC, you'll probably find that I wasn't all that joyful always as I am now. In Japanese tutorial today, the whole class said that I was the most lively person in the class! =) I believe that it's only by the transforming work of God that I am who I am today.

"For God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may bost before Him... Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in The Lord." [1Corinthians1:27-31]

Honestly, I am a very weak person... if you ever thought I was strong... well, you were wrong. haha. Ever single bit of strength that I have comes from The Lord, for He is my source of strength. =) Indeed that strength comes daily as I seek Him in stillness and from daily prayer. At times when I feel that I can't go on, God never fails to grant me strength.

So i wanna encourage you today, that if you feel that you're too lousy for any task or are just too tired to continue trying, don't give up! For The Lord will surely grant you the strength that you need. =) And don't forget to eat your 'daily bread'(the Word of God), cos it really gives you all the energy that you need for the day!! =) hee.

IFG Frisbee!

Yay! Thank God for the fruitful and enjoyable time i had yesterday after a long week of mid-terms. haha. it doesn't feel like i just came back from US just a week ago. It feels like a month ago! haha. Anw, here're photos of my IFG Frisbee teammates. It was really exciting playing tgt with them. Before i went, none of us knew each other... but as the day passed, we really played together like a team! =)




And after that, i met up with my cousins and we had a great time catching up. It's really nice to see how they can remember the past so clearly... haha. and we played some of our childhood games too! It's like going back in time. Yay. I love my cousins... they're like my xiaodis. haha. I pray that God'll continue to use me to be a blessing to them in whatever way i can. =)

My US Trip - Part I =)

Yay! Thank God. Recently during the midterm break, i went for a short trip to the US together with my family. It was really nice. =) Here're some pictures we took...

First Stop: Disneyland
This was a model made out of a scene in one of my favourite movies: Ratatouille! =)












Haha. Those are just some of the hundreds of photos my sister took. I'll try to post them on facebook instead. =PpP
It was really exciting and i thank God for the time there =) But somehow during the outing to disneyland it just felt weird. I mean i enjoyed having fun and all, but somehow, i felt that life is more than just about having fun. And I would rather spend a day volunteering to bless others than a day to just play at Disneyland. haha. Or I'd like to bring all the poor kids that havn't had a chance to step into a themepark there! The thought kinda made me feel older. But i thank God that indeed over the years He has taught me to grow and to see that life is really more than just receiving. It is about giving and being a blessing. It is about loving Him wholeheartedly and serving Him wholeheartedly - that sums up the name of my blog... to live a simple life of loving God and loving each and every one of the people whom He created and loves dearly. =)

The Heart of a Youth Worker

This has been an exciting season. =)
Somehow there were some problems with my attachment with a lab in NUS... and I ended up volunteering at Touch Youth once again. But i believe that God has a plan for me even as I choose to avail myself to volunteer. You know, initially when i started volunteering last year, it was just out of the capacity to serve, because I enjoy giving. But this time, as I volunteered, I really caught something very important - the HEART of a YOUTH WORKER!

I start to see myself wanting to build into the lives of the youth, to bring them from one level to the next, to encourage them and affirm them, to correct their wrong values and mindsets. You know, every single youth is a youth-at-risk... because it is so easy to be led astray at their impressionable age. And that is why it is so important to have people to guide them, to teach them at every opportunity, to lead them so that they will grow to be people of great destiny!

Each and every person is a person of great worth. The bible says in [Psalms139:14] that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made"! Isn't that beautiful? I thank God for giving me the heart for the youth. I pray that He will continue to use me to build and impart into the lives of the youth, and to love them, just like God loves them so abundantly. =)

I am NOTHING without God

It's been a long long time since i last blogged. =P whoops. haha... and since my exams, there has been so so many things and exciting activities that I have been participating in. Above you see a picture of the sun that I took on my kelong trip to Tanjung Pinang.

Let's list the amount of things I have done since my exams were over:
1. Kelong Trip to Tanjung Pinang
2. Helping auntie Lily do Admin and logistics in Touch Youth Office
3. CLASS workshop at TeLok Kurau Secondary
4. Service-Learning at Dunman High School
5. Inter-cluster Epic Race
6. QQS preparation and meetings
7. Attending my 'xiaodi's' wake
8. Global Day of Prayer

And can you imagine... I havn't even started my internship yet! haha. But i'm praying that I will get my internship... because somehow the professor hasn't responded.

But I have been very blessed by all the activites that I have gone for and I thank God loads for it... Let me share a picture I took at the kelong trip

This is a picture of me and one of the helpers at the kelong. I really thank God for using me as a blessing. Though we don't speak a common language, but somehow everytime she sees me she'll smile BIG BIG =D like that! haha. And as I reflect, perhaps it's the way i treated her that earned such a response... The other kelong workers are usually very serious and keep a distance from the whole group of us. And i'm excited! Because it's a form of God using me to bring joy to those who are poor in spirit. and i thank Him for that.

In this year of victory, we are called to approach this year with 3 attitudes:
Always thankful
Always victorious in Christ
Always a blessing to all

The million dollar question today is : have i been doing all those 3?

I believe that I have been going through the year with these 3 attitudes... somehow or other they have become apart of me. Of course I'm not 100% perfect, there are moments that I just feel like giving up. But it is God's grace that sustains me and gives me the strength to press on in the race i'm running. =)

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength... Let him who boasts boast in The Lord." [1 Corinthians 1:25,31]

You know the past week, The Lord has been bringing me to the point of brokeness to recognise that I am NOTHING without Him and whatever I can do is all by the grace of God. Truly, i am His creation and everything i have is from Him. Recently, one of my friends passed away. He was only a 15 year old boy!! When I heard the news, i was heartbroken. But i thank God that He received Christ before He died! =) cos that means His salvatian is assured in The Lord.

I prayed for the family fervently and asked God to use me to be a blessing to them as I go for his wake... because I really don't know what to do at wakes and i'm really blur one la. haha. So as I went for the wake after a long day of rushing to and fro from Bukit Merah to Marine Parade, I thank God for using me. I spoke to the sister and she appreciated our presence there. I prayed for the father (in CHINESE!) and told him if he needed help he can ask us. And amazingly, he asked for my telephone number. To me, the fact that he asked showed he appreciated the offer. I thank God for giving me a heart of compassion for the poor. You know, I found out that both my friend's parents weren't working... and as i recalled the state of his house, I just found myself giving over and above what I initially wanted to give in the funeral box. To me, $100 is a lot cos i'm not working, but I know that it will only help them a little bit in paying the expenses for the funeral and even for their daily family expenses.

I pray for the family's salvatian... that they might be able to encounter God in a tangible way over time. =)

Now i have a greater glimpse of how Jesus felt when he "landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." [Mark 6:34]

The world is in need of prayer... Let us intercede on their behalf and go out to be a blessing to them all! =)

Living a Life of Surrender

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit his soul?" [Luke 9:23-25]

The word of God says that if we want to follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross DAILY to follow Him. What does it mean to 'take up our cross'? I believe that to take up our cross is to surrender all and align our lives to the will of God. That means we give up our desires, our plans and ask God what He wants of us.

Someone once told me that there is JOY IN SURRENDER. And recently, i've had a greater taste of it. All year, i've been waiting for the OSIM triathlon... because i want to do the olympic distance tri! haha. But then, i realised it falls on a Sunday and that's the day that I've my Gkidz ministry. And even as I made the decision not to go for the tri, with encouragement from my leader, I just sensed the pleasure of God.

You know the word of God says in [Psalm37:4] "Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

As we choose to surrender all to God, He will bless us with much much more. =)

My Jesus is better than anything in this world!~

Hip hiP huRray! Thank God my organic chemistry paper went well! =) haha. Truly My God is a God of miracles... There were 20 chapters in all for our test and I only studied till chapter 16... and if you know how organic chemistry is like, you will know that if one doesn't study all the topics, it's very very dangerous. It's not like social studies or geography or history where we can just spot a few topics.

But thankfully, by God's grace... there wasn't much about carboxylic acids that was tested! haha. and even if it was tested, it probably came out in the 3rd question, which almost everyone didn't know how to do. And a whole long question came out on the topic that I liked best! wow. what can be better than that? haha. Thank God! Indeed, if my God is for me, who can be against me?

As I claimed God's word that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - [Philippians 4:13] for my exams yesterday, I see God working miracles today. Indeed, The Word of God is living and has power... all it calls for is for us to apply it in our lives.

Isn't our God amazing?

May you be lost in wonder at the amazing, indescribable love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Dream

It is my dream to be a doctor.

Deep in each of our hearts, we all have a dream. And God, our dream-giver will surely help us fulfill that dream! And because I want to be a doctor, I applied for NUS medicine. Last year, I was rejected but they sent me a letter to tell me that I can apply again this year. So, I decided to apply once again! haha. And guess what? I received an email to tell me that my application was unsuccessful.

Honestly, I am disappointed. But I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be. Instead, there's a certain part of me that's thankful that I didn't get in. Cos I know that God has the best plan for me!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."
[Romans 8:28]

"For I know the plans I have for you," declared The Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." [Jeremiah 29:11]

And I sincerely acknowledged before God that being a doctor is my dream and will always be a dream of mine. But I choose to surrender this dream to God... whether I can fulfill it in this lifetime or not, it doesn't really matter. Because there is a greater desire within me - the desire to honour God in all that I do. My prayer is that as long as I can glorify His name wherever I am, it is all that matters to me.

As I made that prayer to God, I sensed God smiling down from heaven, telling me that I have passed the test. I have passed the test of choosing to give thanks in all circumstances, of choosing to rejoice and dwell on His truth regardless of the situations I'm in. And I believe that I have grown stronger emotionally as well - to not place my significance on whether I pass/fail but to place my significance in Him who loves me for who I am. =) So I thank God for not getting into medicine this time. hehs.

I will continue to place my HOPE in Him who loves me. Because He who loves me is a faithful God. =)

"But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." {Romans 8:24-25]

Pictures!

Haha... okae... these are just some pictures that i've uploaded so that my dear friends will not kill me for being so slow at sending them pictures. haha! there's more to come!

Kekek Quarry

"Singapore is looking at re-opening a granite quarry on Pulau Ubin, according to Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu. Singapore's supply of granite and sand from Indonesia had been affected recently when Jakarta announced a ban on sand exports and later detained some barges carrying granite to Singapore.

Ms Fu said that while Singapore has sourced and received imports from other granite sources, efforts will be made to ensure that the supply line is further diversified to enhance resilience for the local construction industry.

She said that while Singapore looks to buy from as many sources as possible, to build its stockpile and work with the industry for more sustainable construction methods, one other alternative is to look into the local granite sources."

Haha... Gosh... That's tianchi! The homeland of Hwa Chong's OAC-ians where we have been camping at for OH and YLTC over the many generations... ah... i hope we can still go there! haha. =)

There are certain people, I called them my friends

Who would you consider your 'friend'? It is important for us to recognise these special people in our lives because with these people, we
- have personal connectedness (give us strength to move on)
- have synergy to create something special (Multiplication effect)
- are challenged to do our best (make us better than ourselves)

Friendship doesn't need structure to hold it together... we need to treasure these "happy-few" who will always be there. =)

Let's begin the search... to identify our "Kairos" Friendships...

1. Who stretches your mind?
- This person probes our minds with different viewpoints and pushes us to grow in our thinking so that we suddenly become more insightful
- The person who benefits the most is me!

2. Who listens to and encourages our dreams?
- Dreams can easily run wild
- But our friends hold us back when the time is not right, although they encourage us to pursue our dream

3. Who will protect you?
- eg. Barnabas who stood up and assured the crowd to believe that Paul had changed and asked them to give him a 2nd chance [Acts 9:26-28]
- This person looks out for our best interests and when people say bad things about us, they will defend us

4. Who are those who share our tears?
- This person will go the extra mile to be there to share our disappointments, exhaustion etc.

5. Who rebukes you?
- We are all capable of making a god called "self"
- These people rebuke us in our best interest and identify our blindspots
- They see our blindspots
- But they are not self-righteous and neither do they judge us

6. Who among our happy few play with us?
- "play" that is good = learning experience
- Recreation is a time of re-creation where we can put aside all our work and burdens and just relax. =)

7. Someone that seeks after God with you
- This person will hold us to a higher standard of Christ-likeness
- We are likely to hear God speak and align to His truth
- Satan is very capable to make us think that certain things are good... but a Christian friend can screen with The Word of God, which has truth and wisdom. A Christian friend will listen to the Holy Spirit and point us to the right direction.

Consistency is seen in our true friends. OF COURSE THEY DON'T NEED TO MEET ALL 7 CRITERIA BEFORE WE CALL THEM OUR 'FRIENDS'... But eventually, allow them to do all seven for us even as we start to do all seven for them. =)

Our ultimate friends is Jesus Himself...
[John 15:12-17]
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."

Do 'kids' ever grow up?

As we graduate from college and approach our twenties, many of us think that we're old enough to make our own decisions. What right do our parents have to control or dictate our lives any longer? We can do what we want. We're mature individuals approaching adulthood. We should know better. Our parents shouldn't be given the opportunity to mess up our lives. They're just so old-fashioned. We're in a NEW generation already.

Do any of those statements echo your thoughts? Well, that was how I felt... moments ago before God changed my heart and taught me to humble myself. Recently as my cell leader has been encouraging me to go deep in relationship with my family, I've been making it a point to spend time with them and to talk things over with them before I make a decision. So far, it has been exciting and I see how God bridges my relationship with my parents and I find it easier to share with them over the past weeks. But today is the one-in-a-millionth time since I graduated from college, where I decided to ask my daddy for permission to do something 'trivial'. I call it 'trivial' cos it will not affect my future in anyway whatsoever. Anyway, I decided to ask my dad whether I could go for night cycling.

Mustering up all the courage I had, I went to look for him and asked, "daddy, can I go for night cycling please?" And guess what? I received the answer that I dreaded the most - the answer that parents usually give us when we're kids - "NO." Haha. A surge of disappointment welled up within me. I wasn't sad because I couldn't go for night cycling. I mean, I have gone for many night cycling trips before. The truth is, I was sad that at my first attempt to start seeking my parent's counsel once again, I was given the same answer that I feared hearing most throughout all my years of growing up.

After sulking and crying out to God for a while, I finally quietened my spirit to listen to His voice. And The Holy Spirit revealed to me how I always expect things to go my way. But my way might not be God's divine way... for His thoughts are higher than my thoughts and His way higher than my ways [Isaiah 55:6-9]. And that is one of the reasons why He gave us parents. Cos they are instruments that God uses to teach us to be humble before Him.

"Children, obey your parents in The Lord, for this is right. 'Honour your father and mother' - which is the first commandment with a promise - 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth." [Ephesians 6:1-3]

Then I asked God whether there will ever be a day where we become 'old enough' and no longer need to seek counsel from our parents. And as I sat there talking to God, I realise that perhaps that day will never come. Just as we, children of the Most High God never stop seeking Him for wisdom, regardless of our age; we needa continually seek counsel from our parents! No matter what, being older and having been enriched with many experiences, they can share their wisdom with us!

And those who read [Ephesians 6:4], asking fathers not to exasperate their children... well, it is not up to us to judge our fathers... because God will hold them accountable for the decisions that they have made. All we need to do as children is to obey our parents. And as we do that, we honour God and He will surely bless us. His peace will dwell with us and we can share that peace of God that transcends all understanding with our loved ones. =)

Do not be meer hearers... be doers of the word

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does." {James 1:22-25]

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You know as I was reading Charles' blog (tanewo.blogspot.com), the Holy Spirit spoke to me. Many a time, during G12 conferences and all, we go into a spiritual 'high'. But why is it that we cannot sustain that 'high'? That's because we're not good soil... we listen to His word and don't apply it in our daily lives. Because we do not apply His word, it shows we havn't truly understood it.

My cry to The Lord is that I will hunger for His word daily... that the hunger will be so great that I cannot go on with my day without first meditating on His word. Indeed, it is His word that has power, it is The Word of God that sustains me, it is The Word of God that transforms and renews our lives. I pray for the one reading this now, that you too might receive that same hunger that The Holy Spirit has put within me for the Word of God... i bless you that as you read God's word, your life will be transformed. =)

YIPPEE! I failed my driving!

Haha... yesyes... i failed my 2nd driving test. But why do i cheer? Honestly, i really really thought i would pass and that God would allow me to pass. But since I didn't, God must be trying to teach me something.

Ok, i admit i was disappointed at the moment when the guy told me that I failed. But i thank God for the difference in me compared to the first time i failed my driving. Firstly, I didn't feel lousy despite my failure... cos I know that my true significance is not placed in worldly measures but in God above. Also, I thank God for the nice tester and the joy in me throughout the whole test. There was a divine peace despite all the weird mistakes that i have never made in my whole driving experience. And i thank God too for all my brothers and sisters who helped to make the day much more cheery. =)

Thank you Yoke Yeong for talking to me on the phone when I was in tears, and for all ur prayers.
Thank you my cousin Eric for your encouragements and asking whether i passed.
Thank you Young Man for praying for me and all the messages of encouragement before the test.
Thank you Korean Bro for giving me a new perspective of looking at driving - that it's the heart behind it that is more important than merely passing or failing. Indeed I've been wanting to pass just so that i can save my parent's money. haha. but I guess God's teaching me to work harder... to drive properly so that I won't hurt anyone on the road in the future! =)
Thank you Rachel for your pretty pretty card and starbursts and the time you spent walking around vivO with me!
Thank you Rachel's cousin for giving me a lift back to hall.
Thank you Sharon & my G12 sisters for your prayers.
Thank you mom and dad for all your understanding and for giving me the 3rd chance to try again.

Yay! Look at that whole lot of names. haha. Thank God that through this experience of testing my heart, you have shown me that my dear brothers and sisters and my family love me very much. =) Indeed, God is great! And that is why I thank God that I failed my driving. Cos through this failure, He has taught me and shown me many many things. =)

There's always 2 sides to a coin. We can choose to be pessimistic and look at it from our human perspective or we can look at it from the Godly perspective!

Underground Church

Yay! We just finished our Barnabas Sanctification Camp. Haha. During the camp, the kids were playing a game called underground church. For those who don’t know what the game is like, well, it’s like everyone is in this ‘land’ where we’re all farmers and our task is to collect beans, which can be exchanged for money to buy REAL stuff. So most of the children were really excited to collect beans to buy stuff. But at the same time, there will be some chosen to be Christians (with a sticker on shirt)… who can choose to go around sharing the gospel with their friends. One can choose to be an open Christian (sticker on front of shirt) or a hidden Christian (hide sticker). The game has 8 shifts. And as each shift progresses, Christians face many more oppositions.

Shift 1: Christians are free to share Christ.
Shift 2: Christians are not allowed to share Christ openly
Shift 3: Christians are not allowed to congregate.
Shift 4: Christians are not allowed to buy stuff in the market
Shift 5: Those who turn in their sticker will be given 50 dollars and will not be caught.
Shift 6: Those who are open Christians will be caught
Shift 7: Those who turn in friends who are Christians will be given 200 dollars.
Shift 8: Public trial where those who are Christians are paraded and publicly accused.

Those who are caught by the secret police will be tortured in the dungeon.

So well, many Children began the game wanting to be Christians. However, as the game progressed, many gave up their stickers. The way they gave up their stickers was really scary. It just made my hair stand when they said, “ok, I give up my sticker.” Especially during shift 6, many couldn’t wait to give up their stickers just to get the 50 dollars.

Actually, the game is an analogy of what really happens in real life! During Ps Linda’s preaching, she shared that many a time, we all look down on Judas, because he betrayed Jesus for 30 shekels of silver. But are we really any different from Judas? The truth is we are not very different from him. Many of us choose to make Christianity part of our lives but not the centre of our lives. Ask ourselves, what is our motivation for being a Christian? Will we give up our faith easily when persecution comes? If your answer is ‘yes’ or ‘dunno’… I pray that today, you will encounter the love of God in a mightily special way. Don’t let this life pass by without knowing the perfect love of God.
Also, many of us are just like the children playing the game. We are distracted by the “beans”, the things of this world that attract us and distract us from following God. Will we continue to be preoccupied with advancing our career, pursuing our dream to be the top student or the prime minister or make lots of money etc… and leave God aside? What if today is the last day I have on earth? Will I be able to say that I have lived my life purposefully and intentionally and not wasted it away?

[Matthew 24:42-51] “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him… Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge”

You know, the game underground church really gave me a glimpse of how it will be in the end times. Many will give up their faith so so easily, because of distractions or persecution. But are we of those that will lose heart and are destroyed? Or will we endure to the end and run the race for God? I want to be like Paul in 2 Tim 4:7-8. At the end of my life, I want to be able to say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

My friends, are we really fighting the good fight? Or have we totally given up fighting and have just given in. In this season when most of us are facing many many challenges, choose to fight the good fight! But before we start fighting, we must first sit tight (Our POSITION in Christ), walk right (Our POSTURE in Christ)… then only can we stand and fight! =)

It’s not about being a good Christian

I realise I havn't blogged for a long long time. Haha. Have been busy with trainings, school work and now comes the season of camps and competition amidst my mid-term tests and my competition season. wow. it's amazing that I choose to post at this very moment. But I wanna share this devotion with all of you! =) hees. I have started reading the book "Search for Significance" recently and it has spoke to me loads. You know, many a time, we're not confident of who we are... and we try to do many many things to be accepted and loved. But ultimately, it's not about what we do, but it's about Jesus Christ who died for us so that we may have eternal life. And my friends, we are formed in the IMAGE of God. So since we are formed in His image, we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. [Psalm 139]

Looking forward to share more of my reflections as I read the book! =) Now, sit back and enjoy John Fischer's article... =) May it speak to you as you read it.
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Here’s one of the greatest things about being a Christian: You can accept yourself for who you are.

Here’s one of the most tragic things about being a Christian: You can be one for a long time without knowing this.

I was. I was what you might call a model Christian. I filled the bill. Any church or Christian school would have seen me as a poster child Christian. There was only one problem: I thought I was, too – when all the while I knew I wasn’t. I knew it was all pretty much a game.

All this was back when I thought a Christian was all about being a good person – someone who would rank high in relative goodness when compared to others more spiritually challenged.

This was before I realized that Christ died to save sinners, and to qualify for the free gift of salvation you have to realize you are desperately in need of being saved. You are drowning. You are dying. As a sinner, you are among the worst.

Once you make “being good” the criteria for being a Christian, out of necessity you become the judge of others because you have to judge others in order to remain good in your own eyes. So if you have not come to this, (i.e. you are still pretty good in your own eyes), and you preach the Gospel (many do, from this perspective), it becomes a Gospel for other people – not for you. And something doesn’t ring true.

You also remain aloof to just about everybody because you can’t really know anyone for fear they might come to know you and find out your secret, that you really are a scoundrel like everybody else. It’s a lonely life. Believe me. It’s much better to be a sinner whom Jesus Christ loves and for whom he died so you can spread the Good News about him to other sinners like you. Then you have nothing to hide, and only Christ – and a lot of friends – to gain by telling the truth.

I think this is one of the things that made Billy Graham such a good evangelist. When he preached about the Gospel, he never excluded himself from needing it. He knew the Gospel wouldn’t preach if it were not, first and foremost, for him.

Which brings us back to being a Christian and accepting yourself as who you are. That’s why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we all have unveiled faces. We have nothing to hide because we are reflecting the face of Christ whom we worship in continual gratitude for our salvation.

Thank goodness. I never liked being a good Christian anyway.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

3 Days of Prayer and Fasting

2 Timothy 2:3-6
"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops."

Wow! Indeed this is a year of victory! =) Throughout the whole of 2006, i've been trying to do a 3-day fast but it never came to pass... i always gave up halfway somehow. But on Sunday as Ps Eugene preached about being a warrior of light, what struck me the most is that a warrior of light needs to endure. "Endurance" is something that's really not easy. If u're an athlete, you'll know that to endure to finish the race (and not to slow down or start walking) is not easy. It really needs alot of mental strength. haha. Endurance entails that we must never give up, we need to start with the end in mind. This time as I began my 3 day fast, i began with the end in mind - to see myself complete the fast. I realise that the past few times, i always gave myself leeway and excuses to give up.

In this year of victory, I want to grow in endurance - to fight the good fight for the Lord Jesus Christ! Some might ask why I want to embark on a 3-day fast? Indeed I want to have a spiritual breakthroughs in many areas of my life - personal, family and marketplace. Indeed, as Matthew 4:4 says, "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Truly as I fast, I rely on God for His divine strength. His grace is more than sufficient for me. My spirit is always especially sensitized to His voice when i fast! =)

I share this not to show-off that i can fast for 3days, and not to ask you to do like-wise. I share this to encourage all of you that nothing is impossible with God. When we choose to endure through the difficulties and trust in His provision, we will emerge victorious! So don't give up, but fight the good fight in the many areas of your lives.

May we be like the apostle Paul, who nearing the end of his life can say that "i have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." [2 Tim 2:7-8]

I Love to Dance

yay! such a nice picture of a ballerina! Looks like me right? *thick skin* hahaha... Honestly, i've a soft spot for stuff to do with ballet... I enjoy ballet concerts loads and i like ballet shoes loads (funny rite). haha. i really regret quitting ballet when i was young. =| I don't know whether I told you this before, but I quit because the teacher scolded me all because of a huge misunderstanding. aishs. Really regret it. But anyway, now i know the importance of watching my words when I speak to children... because every word makes an impact.

Haha... so being a ballerina is just one of those childhood dreams... but 2 years ago... when the theme of the year was "Dream On", God brought me back to that childhood dream of dancing. And that was what made me decide to join the dance ministry in church... because I want to worship God through dancing. Thank God for giving me the privilege to serve in this ministry... cos when i first started ah, i cannot really dance very nicely... but now, got vast improvement alr! =PpP and today when our group rehearsed a song together... we did it with such unity that it was really nice. Thank God for His grace... because it's Him that empowers us to dance well! =) May He continue to bind us together in complete unity, that we may praise Him beautifully with great joy!

Finding Good

In this season of life, i'm learning to live a life of worship. That with every act i do, i do it to please God... but it made me ask myself, how can i do so? This is something i read by John Fischer... and it gave me a glimpse of how i can live a life of worship. =)

“If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!” (Proverbs 11:27)

Why is it that we are often more fascinated by evil than by good? At least, according to this proverb, it appears that evil is easier to come by. Look for it and it will find you. It will be everywhere. Evil does appear to be a hot topic. It shows up in our movies and films. It dominates our intrigue in apocalyptic material. It permeates our science fiction. News about calamity is much more sensational than news about some good service that has been performed by someone.

In contrast, finding good takes a little work. It’s harder to create and harder to portray. It’s as if our default setting is for evil but good has to be searched out. Yet the fact that it can be found and enjoyed makes the search worthwhile.

I’ve always seen this concept as a part of what daily worship is – worship that is not dependent on a religious context. The proverb says that if I look for good I will be rewarded, but it’s not going to come get me. Evil will come get me, but good won’t. Good, I have to wake up and find. It’s all about being alert to it. It’s about looking for God and truth in the daily activities of our lives.

This may sound like a task, and I suppose it is, but it is not cumbersome. It’s a challenge and one with a great deal of joy attached, for the rewards are great. One big reward is discovering that I don’t have to wait for church to worship. I learn that I can worship anywhere to the extent that I have trained myself to seek out that which is good. Finding good is the same thing as finding God, because God is glorified in all that is good.