The NUS Cell Journal

prophetic picture

2009-06-26T01:47:00.003+08:00

hello! i used this prophetic picture to bless my friend today. used GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/)and my tablet pen to draw this. quite a cool and simple way to bless people.
didn't manage to draw the proper perspective. the picture symbolizes a dirt track in the midst of a jungle. see if anyone want to claim it for yourselves too =)

Calling, Gifting, Anointing

2009-06-17T14:59:00.007+08:00

Hey people, I'm sharing this from what i've learnt from School of Supernatural ministry which is helpful to what we talked about in cell. For those of you who have the "basic training for the prophetic ministry" workbook, it's on page 23.

To have a fruitful ministry, 3 components are essential.

Calling - gives identity.
1Cor 1:1 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God"

Gifting - gives ability.
1Pet 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Anointing - gives purpose.
Isa 61:1 "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,"

The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Rom 11:29) but the anointing comes from the relationship we have with the Holy Spirit. When we do not receive God's anointing, we can work under the enemy's anointing while possessing God's calling and giftings.

At the previous cell meeting, we talked about identity and purpose. So here are 2 questions for reflection:

1. Can you find a verse to be the basis of the purpose you have written down last week?

2. Do you know 1 gift that you have received from God or you want to receive from God, which helps you work towards your purpose?

For me,
1. Purpose: to inspire youths to be who they can be, including shepherding them.
Acts 20:28 "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."

2. The gift of hope in God.
Rom 5:5 "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

I hope this is helpful. Feel free to share =)

2009-05-23T01:12:00.007+08:00

cell outing at Mind Cafe

Combat in the Heavenly Realm

2009-03-29T19:08:00.002+08:00

Dear all, would like to share a testimony from an ex-satanist that my friend sent to me through this link : http://www.biible.org/prophecies/mulinde.html . Let us continue to be persistent in prayer and to also put on the armor of God daily!

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Combat in the Heavenly Realm

I want to share with you from a testimony of someone who was saved, someone who had been serving the devil. And when that man gave his testimony, it so challenged me, I did not want to believe it. I had to go ten days before the Lord in fasting, asking Him, «Lord, is this true?» And it was at that time the Lord began to teach me what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray.

This man was born after his parents dedicated themselves to Lucifer. When he was still in the womb, they made so many rituals dedicating him to serve Lucifer. When he was four years old, he began to exercise his spiritual power. And his parents began fearing him. When he was six years, his father surrendered him to the witches to go and be trained. And by ten years, he was doing great things in the kingdom of the devil. He was feared by the normal witches. He was still a young boy, but he was so terrible in the things he did. He grew up to be a young man in his twenties with so much bloodshed on his hands. Killed at will. He had the ability to go out of his body through transcendental meditation. And he could levitate. Sometimes his body would lift off the ground and stay in the air. And sometimes he could go into a trance, and come out of his body; his body would remain behind, and he would go out into the world, called astal-travelling. And this guy was used by Satan to destroy so many churches, to break down so many churches and to destroy so many pastors.

One day, he was assigned to destroy a church that was so full of prayer. There were so many divisions in this church, and so many confusions. And he began to work on this church. But at that time, the pastor called a fast for the whole church. And the church began to fast, and during the fasting, there was a lot of repentance and a lot of reconciliation. And the people came together, and they began to pray for the work of the Lord in their midst. And they continued interceding and crying to God to have mercy and intervene in their lives.

And as they days went by, this man was coming again and again with demon spirits against this church. But there was a word of prophecy that came telling the Christians to rise up and to wage warfare against the powers of darkness that were attacking the church. So one day, this man leaves his body in his room and goes astal-travelling. And leads a mighty force of demonic spirits against this church. Now this is his testimony. He was moving in the spirit in the air over the church and they were trying to attack, but there was a covering of light over the church.

And suddenly, there was an army of angels that attacked them and there was fighting in the air, and all the demons fled, but he was arrested. Arrested by whom? The angels! And he saw himself being held by about six angels, and they brought him through the roof right before the altar. And there he was. And the people were praying. They were deep in prayer in spiritual warfare, binding and breaking and casting out. And the pastor was on the platform leading the prayers and the warfare. And the Spirit of the Lord spoke to the pastor, and said, «The yoke has been broken, and the victim is there before you. Help him through deliverance.» And he opened his eyes and he saw this young man, who had collapsed there. His body was with him. He was in his body.

The young man says he doesn't know how his body joined him; he had left it in his house. But there he was in his body, and he didn't know how he had entered in except the angel had carried him through the roof. Now these things are difficult to believe, but the pastor silenced the church and told the church what the Lord had told him and asked the young man, «Who are you?» The young man was trembling, and the demons began coming out of him. So they prayed for deliverance, and afterwards, he began to share his life.

That young man has now come to the Lord and is now an evangelist, preaching the Gospel. And he is being used by the Lord mightily in setting other people free in the ministry of deliverance. But one night, I went to a dinner, and the sole reason I went is that someone told me about this young man, and I was so curious to see him. So I sat at that dinner and some time in the evening, this man was given the chance to give his testimony. And he talked about so many things. Sometimes he cried because of the things he did. And then as he finished, he made an appeal. There were so many pastors in that room.

And he said, «I appeal to you, pastors. Please teach the people how to pray.» The people who don't pray can be taken in anything, in anything by the devil, and there are ways that the enemy exploits their lives and their prayers. People who don't know how to pray, they literally pray, and the enemy knows even how to exploit their prayers. We're going to talk about that. And he also said to the pastors, «Teach the people how to use the spiritual armor that God provides.»

Then he began to give a testimony of how he used to lead expositions into the air. He would go with other satanic agents and lots of demon spirits into the air. It was like a shift, you've got to go and work your shift. So regularly he had a time he had to go and wage war in the Heavenlies. And he said that in the Heavenlies, in the spiritual realm, if the land is covered under the blanket of darkness, that blanket is so thick, it is like a rock. And it covers the whole area. And these spirits are able to go on top of this as well as below this blanket. And from that level, they influence the events on earth.

Both evil spirits and human agents that are serving the devil and when they leave their shifts they go down on earth at the points of covenant, even waters or on the land at the points of covenant for refreshing of their spirit. And how do they refresh their spirit? By the sacrifices that people give at these altars. They could be sacrifices in open witchcraft, they could be sacrifices in bloodshed of all types including abortion, including warfare and human sacrifices and animal sacrifices. They could be sacrifices of sexual immorality where people go into sexual perversions and all kinds of promiscuity. And that act services the strength of these powers. And many are the different types of sacrifices.

He talked about lots of things which really troubled my mind. He said when they are up there and the Christians begin to pray on earth, the prayers of the Christians appear to them in three forms.

All prayers appear like smoke that is rising up into the heavens, and he says that some prayers appear like smoke and they go meandering and disappear in the air. He says that the people who normally pray like that and their prayers disappear are people who have sin in their lives and they are not willing to deal with it. Their prayers are so weak, they are blown and they disappear in the air.

And he said there are others whose prayers are like smoke that rises up until it reaches this rock, but it does not break through the rock. He says, usually these are who try to purify themselves, but they lack the faith in what they are doing as they pray. And usually they ignore the other keys to use; areas that they need to put together in prayer.

It says that the third type of prayer is like smoke that is filled with fire. And as it rises up, it is so hot that as it reaches the rock, the rock begins to melt like wax and it pierces that rock and goes through, and he said many times, people begin to pray and their prayers are like the first type of prayer, but as they continue praying, their prayers change and become like the second prayer. And as they continue praying, suddenly there is suddenly fire that is filling their prayers. And their prayers become so powerful, they pierce through the rock.

And he said, many times would they notice the prayers of the saints changing and coming very close to the state of fire, they communicate to other spirits on earth and they tell them, «Distract that person from prayer. Stop them praying. Pull them out.»

And many times so many Christians yield to these distractions. They are pressing through, they are repenting. They are allowing the Word to check their spirit up. Faith has been building up. Their prayers are becoming more focused. Then the devil sees their prayers are gaining strength and the distractions begin. Telephones ring. Sometimes we, in the middle of very, very intense prayer, the telephone rings and you think you can go to answer the phone and then come back and continue praying. When you come back, you go back to the beginning. And that's what the devil wants. Other kinds of distractions come your way, even if it means touching your body and bringing some pain somewhere. Even if it means making you hungry and you want to go to the kitchen and fix something to eat. As long as they can get you out of that place, they, have defeated you.

And he will say to the pastors, «Teach people. Set aside some time. Not for just some casual kind of praying. They can do that the rest of the day. Once in a day, they should have a time when they are focusing wholeheartedly on God, nothing distracting them. And if people persist in this kind of prayer and allow themselves to be inspired in the spirit and keep going and keep going, something happens in the spirit. The fire touches that rock, and it melts.

And this man said, when the melting begins, it is so hot, no demon spirit can stand it. No human spirit can stand it. They all flee. They all run away. There comes an opening in the spiritual realm. And as soon as this comes, all this trouble in prayer stops. The person who is praying on the ground just feels like prayer is suddenly so smooth, so enjoy some and so powerful and intense.

And I've discovered at that moment, we normally lose consciousness of time and other things. Not that we become disorderly. God takes care of our time. But it is like you lay down everything, and you hook up with God.

And this man said that when the prayers go through, from that moment there can be no resistance at all, and the person praying will continue as long as he wants. There is no resistance that can stop him. And then he said, after he finishes praying, the hole remains open, and he said that people, when they rise out of their place of prayer, and they walk out, this open hole moves along with them. They are no longer operating under the blanket. They are operating under open heavens. And he said in that state, the devil cannot do what he wants against them. And the presence of the Lord is like a pillar from heaven resting on their lives. They are protected, and there is so much power inside that pillar that as they move around, that presence touches other people. It discerns what the enemy has done in other people. And as they talk to people and those people are standing with them, they come inside this pillar. And as long as they stay inside that pillar, all the bondages of the enemy weaken. So when these people who have this spiritual break-through share Jesus Christ with the sinners, their resistance is low. It is so easy to bring them through. When! they pray for the sick or pray about things, the presence which is there makes all the difference.

And this man said the devil hates such people. And it said if there are places where prayer is regularly being prayed through like that, the presence comes upon that place and does not leave. So even the people who don't know God, when they come into this place suddenly all the bondages are weakened. And if someone cared to just minister to them patiently and with love, they can easily be pulled through, not by power nor by might but by the Spirit of God, who is present.

And he said, if no one bothers about these people, they come into his presence, they feel convicted, they begin to debate whether to yield or not, but if they are not pulled through, when they walk away from this place, bondages get stronger. And the devil tries his best not to allow them to come back into such an environment.

You can imagine we were all seated looking at this man. He was telling us the things he used to do and what he used to see. Then he told us what they would do to people who have broken through in prayer. He said they marked such people; they studied such people. They dug up everything they could find about such people. So they knew their weaknesses, and when someone overcomes them in prayer and breaks through, they communicate with other spirits and say, «Target him with this and with this and with this. These are his weaknesses.»

So when this person walks out of the prayer closet, the spirit of prayer is upon him, the presence is upon him, his spirits are high, the joy of the Lord is his strength. As he moves the enemy tries to bring those things that can distract him from focusing on the Lord. If his weakness is in the area of temper, then the enemy is going to cause people to do things which can make him really angry. And if he is not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and he allows himself to go into the temper, he takes his eyes off the Lord. He gets angry, he feels so furious, and after a few minutes later, he wants to put that behind him and move along in the joy of the Lord, but he doesn't feel it anymore. He tries to feel good again; he doesn't feel any good again. Why? As he yielded to the temptation, they worked hard to close the door upstairs. And once they restore the rock, the presence is cut off. The person does not cease being a child of God. But that extra anointing that goes on his life, that presence that could do things without his manipulating anything, it's just cut off.

They seek out where the weaknesses are. If it is in the temptation to sexuality, the enemy will prepare people, events, something that will suddenly draw out that passion to go towards that temptation. And if that man yields to this temptation and opens up his mind to receive these thoughts, entertains them, when he is through with everything and wants to move again in the anointing, he just discovers! it is no longer there.

Maybe you say, «That's not fair.» Just remember what the Bible says, «Put on the helmet of salvation. Put on the breastplate of righteousness.» We normally do not see the position, the place of these weapons of warfare. But remember what Jesus told us to pray towards the end of the Lord?s prayer, «Take us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.»

Every time you have a breakthrough in prayer, as you come to the end, remember you are still a weak human being. Remember you have not yet been perfected. Ask the Lord, say «Lord, I've enjoyed this time of prayer, but when I walk out into this world, lead me not into temptation. Don't allow me to walk into the devil's trap. I know the enemy is setting a trap out there. I don't know what form it is going to take. And I know I am still weak in certain areas. If I am just put in the right place, I will yield to that. Protect me, Lord. When you see me turning that corner where the trap is, just cause me to turn to the other side. Intervene, O Lord. Don't allow me to move by just my own strength and ability. Deliver me from the evil one.»

God is able to do that. He is able. That is why sometimes things happen, all you need to say is, «Thank you, Jesus.» That's why Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Thessalonians and said, «Thank God in everything for that is the will of God in Christ for you.»

Some things are not good. They are painful, and we wonder why God would allow it. But if only we knew what He is saving us from, we would thank Him. When we learn to trust the Lord, we just thank Him in everything.

Beloved, I don't know whether to go deeper because I do not want to start something I cannot finish. Let me just try to take one step forward. And this man said that when prayer breaks through like that, the answer will always come. He said he does not know a case where prayer broke through and the answer did not come. He said the answer always came, but in most cases, it would never get to the person who asked. Why? Battle in the Heavenlies.

He says as long as they succeed in cutting off the open heavens and the rock is restored, they watch this person, they are waiting because they know the answer is definitely coming. And then this man spoke something that really shook my faith. It is because of the next part he shared that I went into fasting ten days to say, Lord, is this true? Can you prove it to me?

This man said that every Christian has got an angel serving that Christian. Now we know the Bible says angels are ministering spirits to us. He said that when people pray, the answer comes in the hands of the angel. The angel brings the answer like we can read it in the book of Daniel. Then he said something really tough; if the one who prays knows the spiritual armors and is clothed with them, the answer comes by an angel who is also clothed in full armor. if the one who prays doesn't care about spiritual armory, their angels come without spiritual armor. Christians who don't care about what kind of thoughts come into their minds. They don't fight the battle of their minds. Their angels come without the helmet. Whatever spiritual weapon you ignore on earth, the angel doesn't have it as he serves you. In other words, our spiritual armor is not protecting our physical bodies; it's protecting our spiritual exploits. This man said, when the angel is coming, they would focus and look at him and notice the areas which are not covered, and those are the areas they would attack. If he has no helmet, they would shoot at his head. If he has no breastplate, they would shoot at his chest. If he has no shoes, they would make a fire that he is walking in the fire.

Now I am just repeating what this man said. Actually, we asked him, «Can angels feel fire?» And you know what he said to us? Remember this is a spiritual realm. These are spirits dealing with spirits.

The battle is intensive, and when they overpower an angel of God, the first thing they target is the answer he is carrying, and they get that from him, that is what they give through the cults, the witchcraft, and people say, «I got this because of witchcraft.»

Remember what the Bible says in the book of James? All good things come from God. So where does the devil get the things he gives to his people? Some people who cannot have children, they go to witch doctor and satanists, and they get pregnant! Who gave them that baby? Is Satan a creator? NO! He steals from those who don't pray to the end. Jesus said, «Pray without ceasing.» And then He said, «But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith?» Will He find you still there waiting? Or will you have given up and the enemy would steal what you have prayed for?

Then this man said that they are not satisfied with just stealing the answer. They are also interested in detaining the angel. And they start fighting him. And he said sometimes they succeed in holding and binding the angel. And he says, when that happens, the Christian is a victim on earth. They can do anything with that Christian because he is totally left without ministry in the Spirit.

I said to him, «Do you mean an angel can be held in captivity by demonic forces?» This man did not even know the scriptures by the time he was saying all this. He did not know very many scriptures. He was just sharing his experiences. And he said, they wouldn't hold the angel too long because as other Christians prayed elsewhere, reinforcement would come, and the angels would go free. If the Christian responsible did not pray through, he remains a captive. Then the enemy sends his own angel as an angel of light to this person, and that is where the deceptions come in. False visions and false prophecies. False leadership, I mean leading, guidance in the spirit, making wrong decisions of all types. And many times this person is open to all kinds of attack and bondages.

And I asked the Lord. I left that dinner so troubled, so troubled. I said, «Lord, I don't want to even try and believe this.» It removes all my confidence, my security. When I went to seek the Lord, it was ten days, the Lord did two things.

He did not only confirm the things I had heard, he opened my mind to see a lot more that this man could not tell us of what happens in the spiritual realm. And two, he led me to see what we are supposed to do as the things are happening so that we are not overcome but that we can overcome.

And we need to know three things and really come to terms with these three things.

One: how to operate with the weapons of our warfare. The Bible calls them the armor of God. It is not our armor; it is God's armor. When we use it, we allow God to fight on our behalf.

Two: understand the relationship of the ministering spirits, the angels, to our spiritual lives. And to be sensitive to what is happening in our hearts as a leading to what needs to be happening in the spirit concerning us. That brings us to the third thing.

Three: that is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not supposed to come as our servant, serving us and bringing things to us. He does not run to and fro to the Father to tell Him what we need. That is the work of angels. But He stands by our side. Doing what? Guiding us, teaching us, leading us, and helping us to pray the right way. And when these things are happening in the spiritual realm, He tells us, sometimes He wakes you up in the night and says, «Pray.» You say, «No! My time is not yet come.» And He says, «Pray now!» Why? He sees what is happening in the spirit. Sometimes He says, «Tomorrow? Fasting!» You say, «Oh, no, I'll start on Monday!» But He understands what is happening in the spiritual realm. We should learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He guides us in the paths of righteousness.

An excerpt from a sermon by John Mulinde. John Mulinde is the founder and leader of World Trumpet Mission, Uganda.

A short post in a long while

2009-03-26T18:21:00.006+08:00

Just something to encourage everyone during the lead-up to exams. This is actually Kaijie's birthday present of sorts but I think it has really blessed me too, so just want to share with you guys. Amidst all the stress of our project deadlines etc, let's remember that God is with us in everything!

Through An Open Window
It's morning
Bright sun's shining
With no clouds
Through your open window
You wake up with a frown
It's getting late
Time just seems to dwindle away

Maybe your mind's sky's turning gray
But it doesn't have to stay this way

Take a little time
Turn your eye
To that open window
As birds burst out in song
And a gentle breeze
Sets the leaves to rustle

And hear what He will say to you today
And know that He walks where you walk today

I see His light shine forth
Into your heart
Through that open window
He wants to be a part of your life
Change the world as you know

Come see how He holds your life in His hands
And find hidden treasures placed in your hands

It's morning
Bright sun's shining
Through the clouds
Through your open window
You wake up with a smile
It's more time to see the world that He knows

Kai Jie's Birthday @ TCC

2009-03-08T15:30:00.002+08:00

The hand and foot works together ;)

2009-02-06T15:01:00.001+08:00

Try this!

It is from an orthopaedic surgeon............
This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't.
It's pre-programmed in your brain!

1. While sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right Hand. Your foot will change direction.

Cool huh?!

23 Jan cell meeting

2009-02-03T00:06:00.001+08:00

Dear cell,
Below is my script for the Word for our cell meeting on 23 Jan. Hope all of you have learnt a lot about whatever God used this Word to speak to you! Let us spur one another on [Heb 10:24] to reach the personal goals we have set, for we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! [Rom 8:37] =)

Here are my goals so that I can be accountable to all of you:
1. To write at least 2 reflections a week.
2. To meet chris kwan/chris yang at least once every 2 weeks.

Love,
Kev

1. Lately, I’ve learnt that an important aspect of being successful is to be able to set a direction and move towards it.
-> E.g. I want to be a good student for Jesus.

But a more important thing is what values we adopt and how we behave, when we move towards that direction.

The direction we want to reach and the values we adopt can be very clear cut but the challenge comes when we need to make decisions en route to the destination.
Firstly, how do we know we are moving in the desired direction?
-> we set SMART goals to keep ourselves in check.

Then, we have to ask ourselves, do our decisions align with our values?

When things are not going well, are we able to hold on to our values? Or do we compromise them?
The stress and emotions we are facing can overcome us in adverse situations.

2. Let us look at how Jesus moved towards His goal:
Matt 26:53 “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

-> Simply, He laid down His rights, to fulfil Scriptures. Do we do the same?
3. Let us take time to set 3 goals: 1 for your own walk with God, 1 for cell mate, 1 for pre-believer whom you are reaching out to.

- Keep it short and sweet. We start small and work our way to greater things.
Matt 25:21 “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

- Freely express your talents and abilities!
Matt 25:15 … each according to his ability
Matt 25:29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Cell meeting 7 Nov

2008-11-10T20:38:00.002+08:00

Chris Yang released this during worship:

Heb 12:3
Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
"So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.

Qns:
Do we find rest in God?
Do we keep our Sabbath? -> what is our definition of work? [Lk 13:14]

Word:
2Cor 5:7
We live by faith, not by sight.

Matt 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Qns:
How do we see God?
What happens when we do not see God in our lives? -> 2Cor 4:18, 2Kings 6:15-17, Matt 14:28-32

Matt 14:28-32
Why did Peter sink? -> Heb 12:1-2
What can we commend Peter on? -> How can the answer to this question link to the body of Christ? [1Cor 12:14-20]

love,
kev

The Well

2008-10-27T12:10:00.005+08:00

Dear cell,
This is the prophetic drawing which I shared about. I felt led to draw when I was going to have quiet time with Daddy some time ago. The interpretation I got is that God's Word and promises are more than enough for me. It's like an endless well. The "roof" on top of the well signifies that there is no need to replenish the well by means by rain and also that the water inside the well is being kept pure by not allowing any contaminants in.

This led me to realize that I need to "dig deeper" into the Bible. It is simple logic. If I let down my pail into the well 3m deep and fetch no water, I have to let it down further. For me, it's basically to put in more time and effort to find out more about the context of Scriptures and re-enact the scene to help me understand the things of the Bible which are beyond the surface. This drawing led me to John 4 [Samaritan woman at the well] and subsequently to verse 24 "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." That's all for now =)

Pearl's testimony!! =)

2008-10-13T00:40:00.001+08:00

The Faith to be Healed

On 22nd September 2008, I felt desperate for God to heal me supernaturally from the growth in the left underarm.This was because I did not want to be hospitalised again as it will affect my daily activities. I recall the experience of being hospitalised in September last year because of a growth in the right underarm and missing 2-3 weeks of school. So I dreaded repeating the incident. I was also desperate because it was also painful and it restricted the movement of my arms.

So I turned to the back of the Bible which gives us verses to flip to for insight. One of the verses for "if you are sick or in pain" was in James 5:13-16. It says, " Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

After reading this, I decided to take action.

I interpreted the elders of the church to be the pastors of the church. I also thought that there was no time to lose, I was not able to wait till Saturday's service to ask the Pastors to pray for me. For if I didn't recover before Saturday, I would need to be hospitalised. So I decided to drop Pastor Charissa an SMS to tell her about my problem and ask if she could pray for me. She said Yes! She also told me to go get a good night's rest and not worry anymore. And so, I decided, okay God, I believe in you and I believe that the Holy Bible is true. If what James said was in the Bible, that what James said is true. I believe God, you can heal me. I also asked God to forgive me if my attitude towards healing or anything else in the past has been bad.

That night, I slept as soundly as a baby, and woke up in the morning, to feel a very much lighter left arm. I was excited, and I checked my t-shirt and was actually pleased to find blood stains on the left sleeve. I knew immediately that a miracle had taken place! There was a breakthrough. On Wednesday, I shared with my Doctor that I think the reason for the 90% improvement was because of God. I also shared with my Grandma, a pre-believer, that it was through prayer and doing what the Bible said to do that my condition improved tremendously.

Saturday arrived, and instead of being hospitalised, I was able to come to COOS and attend the Youth Service! Today, I want to testify that I am completely 100% healed by Doctor Jesus!

--
Agape,
Pearl

Priceless

2008-10-11T11:14:00.003+08:00

Chanced upon this when I was searching for something else :P Those who joined us after cell yesterday will know why this is funny...hehehe

---

One day I started one of my seminars by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, I asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. I said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." I proceeded to crumple the bill up. I then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," I replied, "what if I do this?" And I dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. I picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your true value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him.

---

bus testimony

2008-09-30T13:33:00.002+08:00

Hello dear cell! A short testimony to share of Dad's faithfulness =)
I was on the bus to my tuition kid's place yesterday. I forgot to press the bell to alight at the stop! but then the bell was pressed and i quickly rushed off the bus. When i looked back, no one else got off the bus. I believe Daddy sent an angel to help me press the bell so tat i wun miss my stop!

I was occupied with calculating my tithes when i forgot to press the bell. This month i'm [some of u also] are getting the GST credits and my tuition fees so i had to prepare my calculations in case i missed out some tithes.

As much as i believe Dad's grace is given regardless of wad we do, i believe Dad also chooses to honour us for our efforts to honour Him [no matter how small it may seem]. Like how He pressed the bell for me when i was calculating my tithes =)

love,
kev

chris kwan bday pics! - 19 sept

2008-09-21T14:08:00.006+08:00

3 of the 8 layers of wrapping paper! =D with bday cake

bday man! 23 yrs old! =p

family photos:

tina teleported in just in time for the photo =p

icebreakers - 19 sept cell meeting

2008-09-21T13:06:00.009+08:00

hey cell, here are our lovely drawings for our win-lose-or-draw icebreakers lol! for those who weren't there, try and guess! =D answers at the bottom of the post!

guess a food place!

guess an occupation!

guess a location!

guess a food!

guess a Bible phrase

guess an animal!

food place - kfc [someone guessed i drew a duck (-.-')]
occupation - surgeon
location - sentosa beach
food - chocolate cake
Bible phrase - Noah's Ark
animal - cheetah

Prophetic painting! - 12 sept cell

2008-09-21T12:58:00.002+08:00

dear cell, for those who weren't able to make it for 12 sept cell, we had prophetic painting for worship! we drew as we soaked in the Lord's Presence using instrumental songs from a "soaking" cd.
below is the drawing kaijie drew for me:
he prophesied tat i will be a teacher of the ways of the Lord. the blackboard and table is the symbol for a teacher. thanks kaijie!! =)
Pr 3:1-4
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

All we like sheep

2008-09-21T09:40:00.004+08:00

From last week's cell sharing (19 Sept 2008), here's somemore interesting insights into Psalms 23 :)

Source: http://smilingattomorrow.blogspot.com/2008/08/jehovah-raah-lord-is-my-shepherd.html

"(Most of this information came from Kay Arthur’s book, Lord I Want to Know You. Page numbers refer to this book.)

What are sheep like? They are timid, helpless, dumb, feeble, weak, and require constant supervision and care. “The welfare of sheep depends solely upon the care they get from their shepherd.” (p 141) The shepherd’s chief end is to care for his sheep so completely that they are not in want.

Consider Psalm 23:1-6
1 The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

In order for sheep to thrive, there are four needs that must be met. The sheep must be free from hunger, free from fear, free from friction, and free from pests.

Free from hunger (v 2) I’ve always been confused as to why a sheep would lie down in a green pasture. Shouldn’t they be up eating? Wouldn’t you have to force them to lie down in such a place? In the Hebrew, the word “makes” does not imply force. Instead, it implies that the shepherd lets the sheep lie down, or made the circumstance such that the sheep can lie down. The sheep are so full and satisfied that they can lie down in the middle of a smorgasbord! As Christians, how can we be free from hunger, to the point of, in human terms, lying down at an all-you- can-eat buffet on Sunday after church? Feast on the Word of God! It is pure milk (1 Pet 2:2), solid food (Heb 5:13-14), the basis for growth (2 Tim 3:16-17), and bread (Deut 8:3; Jn 6:35).

Free from fear (v 4) The rod and staff of a Shepherd are a comfort to His flock, not a burden. They are used to direct the sheep, to keep them safe, to defend them, and to save them from danger if needed. Also, sheep are not driven from behind, like cattle. Instead, they are led from the front and they follow their shepherd.The boundaries set by scripture function as our rod and staff. They are there for our benefit, to keep us safe and out of trouble (Ecc 12:13; Ps 119:105), and to provide direction (Is 30:21). Jesus will lead us, but He will not force us. In the same way that He called His disciples, He calls us: “Come, follow me” (Matt 4:19). Because we are following a Good Shepherd, we do not have to be afraid (1 Jn 4:16,18; 2 Tim 1:7; Ps 56:3-4).

Free from friction (v 2-3) Did you know that sheep will not drink from fast-moving water? It scares them. When sheep are afraid, they are paralyzed by that fear. Shepherds sometimes dam up the stream so that the sheep can drink from “quieted” water. Bear in mind though that the shepherd will not lead them to stagnant water for that would be bad for their health. Instead, he lovingly accommodates his sheep. And whenever there is a ruckus in the flock, all of the sheep are up and moving. Not one of them continues to rest. The shepherd must step in to quiet the flock.God intends for His church to be unified (Jn 17:11) and functioning as one body (1 Cor 12; Col 3:15). He does not intend for us to be causing a ruckus among the believers (1 Thes 4:11-12). So then, how are we unified? So many scriptures apply here (Matt 6:12,14-15; Matt 5:23-24; Matt 5:44-45,48; Phil 2:3-8) with the most obvious one being “love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal 5:14-15).

Free from pests (v 5) Sheep have one pest that drives them crazy: the nose fly.“Sheep can suffer greatly because of the nose fly. This is a fly that seeks to deposit its eggs on the mucus membrane of the sheep’s nose. There the eggs hatch into small wormlike larvae that eventually work their way up the nose into the sheep’s head. As these larvae burrow into the sheep’s flesh, they cause a tremendous irritation, which in turn causes the sheep to thrash and beat its head against anything it can find. A sheep can become so driven to distraction by the irritation that it will actually kill itself in a desperate attempt to get rid of the source of aggravation…Just as there is an oil the shepherd can prepare to protect the sheep from nose flies and their destructive work, so our Shepherd has a way to keep His sheep from such torment.” (p 150)People are no different! We have an enemy, one who seeks to destroy us physically, mentally, and spiritually (Jn 10:10a; 1 Pet 5:8). As God’s children, we have a shepherd who is able to defend against the attacks of the devil (Eph 6:16). By donning the armor of God (Eph 6), we will be ready for battle. Through His Word we can control our thought lives (2 Cor 10:3-5; Phil 4:6-7; Phil 4:8-9; Is 26:3).

My largest battlefield is that of my mind. One of the ways I was able to gain victory over post-partum depression was through a visual picture that the Lord gave me. I imagined each one of my thoughts written on a leaf with the wind blowing them through my mind. I had to chase that leaf down, scratch out the disobedient thought, and re-write the thought such that it was obedient to Christ (2Cor 10:3-5). Once the thought was obedient, I could release it into the wind again. Sometimes it takes that sort of attention to detail for us to live without the pests of our thought life.

The Voice of the Shepherd

When we were in Israel, we saw a number of shepherds with their flocks. However, there was only one to whom I was close enough to hear him interact with his sheep. The only sound he made was a little click. With that click, the entire herd looked up and followed instantly. Truly the sheep know the voice of the shepherd (Jn 10:4-5). How do we get to know the voice of our Shepherd? We do it by spending time with Him, by spending time in His Word, by listening to His under-shepherds (1Pet 5:2-4), by spending time in fellowship with other believers (Heb 10:24-25), and by spending time in prayer (1 Thes 5:17). Learn the voice of the Shepherd! This is the result:“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps 23:6)

An aside"The LORD" is Jehovah God, the covenant making God of Israel. The compound names of Jehovah in the Old Testament reflect the contents of this psalm.

"I shall not want" — Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide" (Gen 22:14)
"still waters" — Jehovah-Shalom, "the Lord our peace" (Judg 6:24)
"restores my soul" — Jehovah-Rapha, "the Lord who heals" (Ex 15:26)
"paths of righteousness" — Jehovah-Tsidkenu, "the Lord our righteousness" (Jer 33:16)
"you are with me" — Jehovah-Shammah, "the Lord is there" (Ezek 48:35)
"presence of my enemies" — "Jehovah-Nissi, "the Lord our banner" (Ex 17:15)
"anoint my head" — Jehovah-Mekoddishkem, "the Lord who sanctifies" (Lev 20:8)

(from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)"

Poem =)

2008-09-03T11:18:00.000+08:00

May the wings of faith uphold you
When your cross is hard to bear,
As temptations surround you,
And no one seems to care.
May the wings of faith surround you
And shield you from the pain
When sorrows overcome you
And teardrops fall like rain.
May you know that God is with you
In times of deep despair.
May the spirit, who's within you,
Confirm that He is there!
May the valley of the shadow
Provide angels unaware...
May the wings of faith uphold you
When your cross is hard to bear.

Poet, Clay Harrison

Borders discount!

2008-08-28T11:37:00.001+08:00

If you love to read, you would love to know this ... 25% discount on books/ magazines at Borders this weekend!! Hurry and grab one now!!

For books:
http://e.bordersstores.com/a/tBIrh3BAdlBzFB7SbMi$Onb7jL3/coupon01sg

For Mag:
http://e.bordersstores.com/a/tBIrh3BAdlBzFB7SbMi$Onb7jL3/coupon02sg

prayer warfare

2008-08-24T16:18:00.002+08:00

dear cell, let's pray against this!

taken from:

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080823/tap-singapore-disease-c3bb44c.html

SINGAPORE, Aug 23 - Singapore is on the verge of a hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak, the Straits Times reported on Saturday, quoting government health officials.

The paper said 553 people were afflicted with the virus last week, up from 415 the week before. Last week's figure was just 12 fewer than the Health Ministry's official "epidemic level".

Hand, foot and mouth disease, which is treatable, usually affects children and causes fever and rashes on the hands, feet and buttocks. A three-year child died earlier this month in the city-state.

The disease has this year killed 44 people in China, 10 in Taiwan and 11 in Vietnam.

A.A.A.D.D.

2008-08-22T18:06:00.003+08:00

THIS IS A STORY OF THE COMING OF AGE ... SO PLEASE READ AND DO NOT LAUGH ... HAHAHA.

A.A.A.D.D.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table,
put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back
on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think,
since I'm going to be near the mailbox
when I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my check book off the table,
and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
so I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks,
but first I need to push the Pepsi aside
so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
The Pepsi is getting warm,
and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi,
a vase of flowers on the counter
catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Pepsi on the counter and
discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,
but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter,
fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers,
but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table,
get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to
remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,
and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem,
and I'll try to get some help for it,
but first I'll check my e-mail....

-----

*LOL* Funny right? Anyway, I honestly pray that we all would not be hit with this disease :P...

(serious mode now) One verse that strucked me though while reading this was Philippians 3:13-14 "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Are there any past issues and things that we should forget? And what is the one thing that we should all strive towards?

sat service 16aug

2008-08-19T11:46:00.003+08:00

hey cell, did u feel an extra strong presence of God during the last youth service? not tat God is not present during previous ones but His presence seemed very strong last week. i was very ministered.

i asked God wad He wanna speak to us abt and He told me Ps 114. i tink the whole Psalm can be summarized in verse 7:
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,

the next thing i know, Chris led "here in Your Presence" which has the words "tremble" and "presence". still trying to find out wad is God speakin to me abt. anyone has any experiences to share abt tremblin in God's presence? =)

sermon talked abt 17 year old David used by God to change a nation's destiny. the power of God is evident in the fact tat a stone can't really break the bronze helmet of Goliath. David's worship onto God translated to obedience, then servanthood, and lastly to taking a position which no one wanted to take [no one wanted to fight Goliath]. the question to bring away with is "what is my Phillistine giant?".
my giant is tat i lack courage at times to take a position which no one wants to take. but i'm actively learning to lean on Dad and be rooted in His Word. this will allow me to focus on following His heart and not to be intimidated by wad other people may think.
what is your giant? =)

love,
kev

Harvest Haven

2008-08-11T21:57:00.002+08:00

A little promo on this Christian holiday place that my parents told me about :) A good place for camps or just to have fun!

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- A new Christian holiday conference centre located on 6.8 acres of land in Gopeng, Perak state of Malaysia. It is in the Ipoh Country Park next to the Perak Matriculation College on the way to Kota Bahru. The building was completed in April 2007 and dedicated on May 27, 2007 by The Founder of Torchbearers International, Major W. Ian Thomas himself.

-ConferencesConferences, camps, seminars, trainings, will be available throughout the school holidays. These will be posted at our website. Churches are welcomed to check on available dates for their own camps on a first-come-first-served basis.

- Accommodation Types and RatesAll rates include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two tea / coffee breaks. Facilities include accommodation for about 80 persons. All rooms come with air conditioner, fan, and water heater.

Type of Room No. of Rooms Rate / person / day
Double 6 RM 60.00
Quad 8 RM 52.00
Dormitory
for 5 people 2 RM 45.00
Dormitory
for 6 people 1 RM 45.00
Dormitory
for 8 people 2 RM 45.00

Children above 4-9 @ RM 35.00 / person / day
Children below 3 FOC (with separate children mattress)
Extra for Buffet @ RM 10.00 / person (min. 20 persons)
Extra for Barbeque and Steamboat @ RM10.00 / person (max. 40 persons)

Facilities
Swimming pool
Broadband with wireless
Basketball, Volleyball and Futsal CourtField for outdoor games
Jogging track
Table tennis
Library
Dining Hall
Meeting Hall
Lounges

Places of interest and things to do in the vicinity
Gua TempurungKellie’s CastlePangkor IslandCameron Highlands Golfing at the Clearwater Sanctuary Golf ResortGetting wet in the Lost World of TambunOrang Asli villageWhite water rafting and canoeing in Kampar River

DirectionsComing from the North-South Highway, exit at the Gopeng Toll; turn right at the traffic light after the toll, then turn left at the next traffic light to Lawan Kuda. Go along the road for about 5 km and you will see the Perak Matriculation College on the hill. Go another 1 km and turn right at the main entrance of the Ipoh Country Park. You will see the signs to Harvest Haven from then on.
For Information and EnquiryHarvest Haven
Capernwray (Malaysia) Sdn BhdPT 4035, Ipoh Country Park,Jalan Kota Bahru, Mukim Teja,
31600 Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel. & Fax. (+605-3593255) Mobile (+6012-4884708) Email: office@capernwray.my

Source: http://www.capernwray.com.my/Ministries.html

Day of His Power!

2008-08-09T02:05:00.001+08:00

DOHP was very inspiring.
we had a great time of worship. then prayed for repentance and reconciliation with foreign workers in our land.
Representatives from China, Indonesia, Phillipines, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka had their feet washed on stage after Singaporean pastors confessed mistreatment of their foreign counterparts and asked for forgiveness on behalf of our nation.

i realised i've taken foreign workers for granted. Singapore is so indebted to her foreign workers. They do a lot of dirty jobs which most of us would shun. Without them, our society and economy probably wouldn't work so efficiently.
i felt very humbled during the repentance part for the foreign workers. now i believe i'll be able to see them thru the loving eyes of Jesus more and more. if u also take them for granted, do repent and ask God for a heart to love them too =)

we also prayed for blessings upon our government. Ps Lawrence then shared wad God has spoken to him. the gist is abt Singapore entering into a 7year period leading up to Jubilee [Lev 25] on her 50th bday. whether the Jubilee year is one tat enables Singapore to bless her neighbours or a year of frustration is up to God's people.
will u commit to be a part of God's plan to bless other nations? i want to. Lord, show me how. i can do all things thru You who gives me strength!

For such a time as this (part 1)

2008-08-07T00:41:00.002+08:00

Hey dearly beloveds...just want to share what I have reflected on today :)

Was talking to God about Pray & Bless (by the way, what is your faith target?) and also thinking about Day of His Power...Well, honestly although I am contented with staying here in SG, my thoughts on all these started to wander to 'hey, i'm Malaysian lahhh..why need to be so bothered about Singapore?'. Sigh, even writing this grieves me now but that actually ran through my mind!

God started to speak to me in the midst of falling asleep (and now, I can't sleep) and reminded me of Esther's story. He said that we are all placed where we are for a purpose. The verse in Esther 4:14 says:

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

and i paraphrase:

"...And who knows but that you are placed in your university/ workplace/ neighbourhood for such a time as this?"

Let us use the opportunities that we have, wherever we are placed, to pray like never before, and bless like there's no tomorrow.

40day booklet 3aug

2008-08-03T15:47:00.002+08:00

Matt 20 [NIV]
20Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

21"What is it you want?" he asked.
She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

22"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
"We can," they answered.

23Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

The passage for today in the 40 day booklet talks abt our fiercely competitive world. The following sentences struck me and it would be very exciting if they came to pass!
“imagine Singapore as the number one nation for philanthropy and volunteerism.”
“ ”
Then a thought came into my mind. I could work as a teacher to gain educational skills. Then when God’s timing come, i can go to poor nations with my lovely teacher gf/wife terri and start schools! Education will help the poor nations to break out of their poverty cycles! With this long term goal in mind now, i have something to work towards to!

anyone have anything to share? =)

Luke 8:15-21 sermon 2Aug

2008-08-03T01:21:00.003+08:00

As i reflected on the verses, i looked at the word “persevering” in verse 15.

v15
[NIV] But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Greek word for persevering is "hupomone" meaning cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: - enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting).
[MSG] But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.
[ESV] As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

I find it hard to persevere as compared to retaining the Word. I’m not a very patient person so the implication of patience in “persevere” really stands like a giant in front of me. But i’m determined to face this giant and make it fall coz giants are meant to be defeated. Dad, i pray that U help me to accomplish wad i set to achieve in my personal mission statement and to really hang on to Ya promise of “bearing fruit with patience”.

v18
[NIV] "Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

Verse 18’s meaning was imparted to me by the minister during my SOZO session. Since then, i have held on to this verse to motivate myself during “valley times”. I tell myself tat if i dun exercise the gifts which Holy Spirit has given me, i will lose them. Even if i exercise them during my “mountain times”, the situation will not be improved as i’ll lose them during my “valley times”.

Wad did Dad speak to u guys thru the sermon? =)

singaporean anime! =D

2008-07-30T22:31:00.003+08:00

Inside matters

2008-07-29T13:23:00.006+08:00

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messyand that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actuallytake delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making boldX's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to revieweach child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However,when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with aready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around. .'

His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, wellliked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'

His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but h is father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.'

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed ofherself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmaspresents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except forTeddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paperthat he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it inthe middle of the other presents. Some of the children started tolaugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.'After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.

By the end of the year,Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and,despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teacher's pets..'A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and shewas still the best teacher he ever had in life.Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that whilethings had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honours.He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favouriteteacher he had ever had in his whole life.Then four more years passed and yet another letter cam e. This time heexplained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go alittle further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favourite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer...The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letterthat spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to bemarried. He explained that his father had died a couple of years agoand he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at thewedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of thegroom. Of cou rse, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his motherwearing on their last Christmas together.They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.'Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said,'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'
(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodistin Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

aurelia's forfeit =p

2008-07-24T14:06:00.000+08:00

YES pre-service prayer!

2008-07-24T13:50:00.000+08:00

YES 5 – “Yes and Amen”!

More than an event...
More than a service...
More than a programme...

YES is an expression of our agreement with heaven, that none shall perish but all to have eternal life through Jesus Christ.

YES is an outworking of our faith that Jesus is the Saviour of all, and we can’t keep the good news to ourselves!

Most of all, YES is a response of love – from God, through us, to the world!

So pray and encourage each other to bring your friends who need to hear and experience the love of Jesus.

This Saturday,
Party starts at 5pm @ The Plaza
Service starts at 6pm in the Auditorium.
Worship, Music, Drama, Food and Games...
With Guest Speaker – Pastor Gary Koh

Pre-service prayer at Blk 40A Room 1. Let’s come and PRAY!

cell debrief 180708

2008-07-21T17:25:00.002+08:00

hey cell,

we talked about Holy Spirit being a Person. Holy Spirit being a person, means that we can communicate and grow in intimacy with Him. And the more we are intimate with Him, the more we are abe to tap on our spiritual gifts which He has given to us!

hope everyone enjoy the Worship and ministry time! remember to journal down what Dad has told you and continue to process it =)

love,
kev

marathon anyone?

2008-07-21T16:46:00.000+08:00

anyone interested in standard chartered marathon?
for more info:
http://www.singaporemarathon.com/en/faqs/?sec=199&ssec=808

kev =)

Yet another reason to YADAH!

2008-07-20T10:21:00.002+08:00

After youth service yesterday, I started thinking about our Father's definition of beauty and whether I would define it the same way as Him. Just want to share with whoever that is reading this- my conversation with Him...it may seem silly, but it is really something from my heart..:P

me: God, what do You consider as beautiful? Could You show me a verse that shows what we must have or do to be beautiful?

G: My love for you is sufficient and it is more than enough to cover the whole universe.

me: Wow..I just can't imagine how someone can love each and everyone of us this much..ehh..my question is still not answered?

G: Aurelia, you do not have to do anything at all...for Me to consider you as beautiful! See Psalms 139

me: :) ok...(then I read Psalms 139:13 and although I have read this verse countless of times, a new revelation dawned upon me - that it is not enough to stop complaining about how ugly I feel, but that I should praise God instead for how He has created me to be!)

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I PRAISE you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

I realized that He has already made us to be beautiful, and that we should not only stop comparing and complaining (secretly or not) and start PRAISING Him!

Checked out http://scripturetext.com/psalms/139-14.htm and the root word of 'praise' in this verse is YADAH.

YADAH - يدا Definition: Yadah is a verb with a root meaning, "the extended hand, to throw out the hand, therefore to worship with extended hand.

Thank You God, for this is yet another reason to YADAH, for Your wonderful works in each of our lives!

interesting quotes

2008-07-13T01:02:00.002+08:00

dear cell, these are some interesting quotes i've gotten from my email devotional =)

  1. Be Fishers of Men.... You catch 'em, He'll Clean 'em.
 2. A family altar can alter a family.
 3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
 4. Don't put a question mark where God put a full stop.
 5. Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
 6. Exercise daily... Walk with the Lord!
 7. Forbidden fruits create many jams.
 8. Give God what's right, not what's left!
 9. Give satan an inch and he'll be a ruler.
10. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
11. God grades on the cross, not the curve.
12. God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit"
     over "religious nuts"!
13. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
14. Having truth decay? Brush up on your Bible!
15. He who angers you, controls you!
16. He who is good at making excuses, is seldom good for
     anything else.
17. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone!
18. Kindness is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.
19. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.
20. Never give the devil a ride! He will always want to drive!
21. Nothing ruins the truth like stretching it.
22. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
23. "Pray" is a four-letter word that you can say anywhere.
24. Prayer - Don't give God instructions - just report for duty!
25. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of
     God will not protect you.
26. This Church is "Prayer Conditioned"!
27. To be almost saved is to be totally lost.
28. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning!
29. Watch your step carefully! Everyone else does!
30. We don't change the message, the message changes us.
31. Wisdom has two parts: 1) Having a lot to say.  2) Not saying it.
32. Worry is the darkroom in which "negatives" are developed
33. The work will wait while you look at the rainbow, but the
     rainbow won't wait while you do the work.

Your Pizza IS Coming!

2008-07-11T12:43:00.003+08:00

Here's something I came across today while surfing the net. The actual article can be found here . Read, have a good laugh and be encouraged!

Pizza My Heart
Written by: Bill Johnson
I often go down to the local pizza parlor and order pizza. The pizzas in this particular place are so expensive that I can"t afford them. Thankfully, a very wealthy man gave me his credit card to use whenever I want. He simply said, "Just use my card; you can have any pizza you want at any time."
On this particular day, I walk up to the counter and order a pizza. I am given a little plastic sign that has a number on it.
Then I am told as usual, "Go put this on your table. Your order is number fifty-nine. It means that when pizza number 59 is ready, it's your pizza." They always give me number 59; nowadays it almost feels like I own it myself!
After I've been given the number, they give me a receipt; I sign my benefactor"s name on it and start walking back to my table. I am hungry enough I could eat the sign, but I know my pizza is coming soon. You see, the little number is "the substance of things hoped for." 1
As I"m still walking, I hear a man snicker and say, "You're not really getting a pizza." I look straight at the tall, lanky man. His eyes are flitting back and forth nervously. Then I say confidently, "Look at this number, number 59. It represents my pizza. When it"s delivered, it's coming to my table."

Well, I've been noticing over time that there haven't been too many people in this restaurant ordering pizza. I don"t know why. It's my favorite place and has an atmosphere like none other! There"s something so majestic in this place that I can't help going back.
Finally, some of my friends have been starting to come in, but mostly to rescue me from the illusion that I was actually going to be eating a pizza. The first one came a few years ago. He sat down, his glasses and countenance clearly distinguishing his high level of theological education. He and his family thought I just hadn't been educated enough on the subject of "ordering pizzas" (as if it were really complicated).
"Bill," he said, "there aren't any pizzas anymore. They weren"t made anymore after the last apostle in the Bible died. It"s really vain for you to think you could actually have a pizza! So, my family and I have come because of our burden for you and your well-being. We don't want you to live with the illusion that you could actually eat a pizza."
I said, "It's too late! My family's been ordering pizzas for years. I've come from a long line of pizza-eaters! I mean, my grandfather sat in the same pizza parlor as Wigglesworth, one of the greatest pizza-eaters in history! I haven't had too many pizzas myself, but I"ve ordered and I know they are real. I"ve tasted some of the most exquisite kinds and I can't go back."
He became so upset that he said matter-of-factly, "Well, those are counterfeit pizzas. There's no such thing as true pizzas today! So if you think you've eaten pizzas, they are counterfeit pizzas!" At that point, he wouldn't even listen to me, so he and his family left.

Unfortunately, he hasn't been the only one who's wanted to pay me an unfriendly visit when I've been at the pizza parlor. In fact, after quite a few had come, something strange started to happen. The more I listened to people, even though I didn't believe what they were saying, the number 59 just started to disappear! Once I thought I had completely lost it behind the salt-shaker. I couldn"t even see it anymore. I had to come to my senses, find it, and put it in front of me again because I had almost lost my own number!
Sometimes I would just get confused after hearing so many negative words. Then I would sit there and stare at number 59 and remind myself, "This is the substance of things hoped for. The pizza is coming!"
"Why" I'd think to myself, "because I've got number 59." I'd bring out my receipts and start looking at them. Genesis through Revelation"it"s just filled with receipts! I'd go over all the different types, simply trying to meditate on them in order to encourage my faith.

One man who troubled me the most, barely knew me, but he definitely wanted to have his say. He seemed to carry a pompous and angry attitude when he came in.
He asked bluntly, "Who do you think you are ordering pizza? You can't afford these pizzas!"
I calmly brought out the receipt and said, "I didn't use my card. Somebody else bought this for me. Look. It says "Bill Gates" there. He's offered to buy them. It's his resources, not mine. It isn't based on who I am; it's based on that little name there "Bill Gates. He bought this pizza."
Frustrated, he asked, "Who do you think you are just using his name"?
"Well, he told me I could. He said I could do that," I responded innocently. Thankfully he walked out, but he was huffing and puffing the whole way. It really shook me up for a while. I started to wonder, "Well goodness, who do I think I am"? Then I realized I'm a buddy of Bill. I've got the same name!

Another memory that stands out at the parlor was with a well-meaning person. When I looked into his eyes, I knew he was trying to be gentle and thoughtful for my benefit. He had always been a caring friend.
"Now, Bill . . . ," he said. "We just don't want you to get your hopes up. We know that you've ordered pepperoni, but the Chef knows best and he just might give you anchovies. This restaurant should be called "Russian Roulette." You never know. You may get it, or you may not."
I thought to myself, "I don't know about you, but anchovies don"t belong on a pizza. If you like it that way, then I'm sure He'll get it to you that way." I was so disturbed for a moment that I lost sight of my number again and then started to wander on the road of disbelief thinking, "Maybe my friend is right . . . ."

It finally began to dawn on me why there weren't many people in this restaurant. I hadn't known it was such an ordeal to order a pizza! The war that was surrounding me was dramatic. And it was for simply an order! Then I started to remember, "If you abide in Me and I abide in you, you may ask for whatever pizza you desire and it will be given to you." 2 It wasn't until that receipt came to mind that I began to have the presence of mind to make it through the battle that was going on inside.
I kept on meditating on number 59 and look over other receipts, "By His stripes you are healed." 3 "Oh, that's good!" I thought. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the pizza that you desire." 4 "Oh, what a receipt!" "Taste and see!"5 "Wow! The Chef really knows what He"s talking about!" I began to bring these particular receipts to memory, became tremendously encouraged, and was somehow able to silence the unbelieving thoughts. As often as I would quote receipts in my mind, the number on the table became clearer, and people"s negative voices were not quite as loud.
Finally, I was calm enough again so that I began to anticipate and then drool as I waited for my pizza.

More recently a narrow-minded person came in and said, "Did you know that pizzas weren"t meant for this country? This particular restaurant is a chain and they sell well in Brazil and in Africa. But pizzas really weren"t meant for an educated culture. Pizzas are necessary for third-world countries where they don"t have as high an education as we do."
I laughed and thought, "Man, where do I trade in my education? I want pizza. If education equipped me not to get a pizza, what am I going to do with it"?

Just this last year, I struggled with helping a good friend understand why I was there at the parlor again, ordering pizza.
He had told me, "Bill, I don"t want to discourage you." (That is always a sign that what someone is going to say is going to be discouraging!)
"I don"t want to discourage you, but just two weeks ago my aunt ordered a pizza and she never got it. Our whole family was here together when she ordered it. We watched the order go through. We just became so hurt that we left the restaurant, threw the number in the trash and then left the building entirely."
I didn"t know how to tell him that just because his pizza didn"t come through, he shouldn"t have given up ordering. I had tasted this one-of-a-kind, delicious pizza and I knew I would again. Discouragement wouldn"t make me give up!

Back to this particular day, I"ve become so excited because the restaurant is getting packed!
I ask the people in the next booth, "Hey, what number are you"?
"I"m sixty-one."
"Oh yeah? Yours is coming up!"
"Who signed your receipt"? some ask me.
"The same one as yours," I always say. I encourage them and say, "Cool. You should have that one in no time."

As I go back now, every day, I notice that there are actually more pizzas than there are numbers on the table, and not an anchovy to be seen (except for those who like them)! There used to be football fields between tables; now people are sitting right next to each other. It"s so fun to look around the restaurant and see people not just waiting for pizza, but also see all the people who have already gotten them! Sometimes I sit there without my pizza, but somebody next to me always offers me some of theirs.
I look across the aisle and think, "Oh! I can hardly wait ?¬•til mine comes. Look at that thing! There"s more cheese and pepperoni on that than should be legal! I"m about to have an amazing experience!" I get encouraged by listening to the stories of how they got their pizzas, and I treasure those moments because they are a testimony that prophesies what I"m waiting for.
I think again, "Man. It"s going to be sweet when mine comes!"

One of the greatest privileges of my life was to sit and wait for pizza alone, when the culture around me had reason to do otherwise. I will never trade my experiences at the pizza parlor, but let me tell you, it"s getting even better! Faith is material; it is concrete. We cannot bypass it if we want the kingdom of heaven here on earth. It is the only way to open the floodgates of heaven and create a descending and ascending portal that allows Jesus" nature to become our own. If I get to stand in faith with another"it is an honor; if I have to stand by myself"still, it is an honor. Faith is a privilege I dare not live without.
Let us join in the opportunity to eat all that we can in the pizza parlor of His goodness!

*****************************************************************

EXPLANATION of God by an 8 yr old

2008-07-09T08:47:00.000+08:00

It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in
Chula Vista , CA . He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment,
to 'explain God.'
I wonder if any of us could have done as well?

[ ... and he had such an assignment, in California , and someone
published it, I guess miracles do happen ! . ]

EXPLANATION OF GOD:
'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace
the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of
things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies I think
because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have
to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can
just leave that to mothers and fathers.'

'God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful
lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things,
pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the
radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must
be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a
way to turn it o ff.'

'God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which
keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going
over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you
couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there
are any in Chula Vista . At least there aren't any who come to our
church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on
water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who
didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him
preaching to them and they crucified him But he was good and kind,
like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what
they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK.'
'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his
hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the
road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps h
is dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are
important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of
himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more
important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because
they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.'
'You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy,
and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God!
Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like
going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come
out at the beach until noon anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be
very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like
to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're
scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into
real deep water by big kids.'

'But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I
figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.

And...that's why I believe in God.'

2008-07-04T14:18:00.003+08:00

hi guys!

us is fantastic so far. been doing a lot of traveling and working when i'm not so been pretty busy. havent really got a time to update and post photos or anything.. so here's a few. waiting for my stuff to cook so got a bit of time. haha..

place where i do qt once a week. we'll sit on the rocks overlooking the river. quite cool.

another shot. buildings are downtown Richmond, the capital of virginia

the ride where i work. called the tornado. basically u sit in a raft of 4 and u slide down the mega funnel and go up and down. many times. super fun.

i'll be back soon. a few more weeks. take care and god bless guys! hope you're enjoying your hols.

funny story!

2008-06-21T15:04:00.001+08:00

Pecans in the Cemetery

    On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree
  just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a
  bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began
  dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for
  me," said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the
  fence.

    Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he
  passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He
  slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you,
  one for me. One for you, one for me." He just knew what it was,
  so he jumped back on his bike and rode off.

    Now just around the bend he met an old man with a cane,
  hobbling along. "Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe
  what I heard!  Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing
  up the souls."

      The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to
  walk." When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled to the
  cemetery.  Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for
  me. One for you, one for me..." The old man whispered, "Boy,
  you've been tellin' the truth.  Let's see if we can see the Lord."
  Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence yet were still
  unable to see anything.

    The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the
  fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the
Lord.
  At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all.  Now let's
  go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done."

    They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes
  ahead of the boy on the bike!
                                                             Author Unknown

  In HIS Love & Service,
        Pastor Allen

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Some Chill-Out Pics :)

2008-06-14T23:30:00.008+08:00

Introducing Kevinstone!

7-8 June: Arty Weekend Getaway

@ Timbre Substation - Listening to local bands Lunarin and Giants Must Fall

(Jean Low, Gabriel and Gerald Kang, and ...!)

Pearl jumped at the premises of OldSchool... hehe ... we had a great time together watching a local film - Singapore Dreaming and looking at pics from the photoart gallery!

btw, there's a 'ShowOff' card that you can sign up for to watch free movies on Mondays at Sinema OldSchool!!

More pics from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohreallyah/

060608 cell meeting debrief

2008-06-14T15:34:00.001+08:00

Dear cell,

This is the debrief for 6june 2008!

anchor verse: Jn 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
=> We want to bear fruit which lasts.

objectives:
Set 2 goals for cell for the rest of 2008, apart from stated campus segment goals.

Responding to the campus segment goals, our cell will facilitate praying in tongues, prophesy and praying for healing during cell session and have a faith target of 40 salvations.

To reach out, our goal is to meet at least 1 prebelieving friend for a meal/other activity once every 2 weeks.
We keep them in prayer, initiate spiritual conversations/share testimonies and love them sincerely.

To reach in, our goal is to meet at least 1 cell mate for a meal/other activity once every 2 weeks.
We can pray for each other, chill out together, write each other encouragement cards and call up absentees from the previous cell meeting to let them know that they are not forgotten. =)

Let us achieve the goals consistently and then review them to make our efforts more effective, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us =) Do feel free to comment.

love,
kev

The Everglow

2008-06-10T23:44:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone!

This is the final call to all to sign up for The Everglow - a post-secondary advance, for those in the the JC, Poly, ITE, Campus, and NS segments. This camp is going to be chock full of power-packed teaching sessions as well as fun and exciting activities. Most importantly, we believe that God has something very important to impart to us at this camp, and we want everyone to be a part of it!

We are going to learn how our lives can be part of God's redemption plan just by following simple principles that Jesus has left us through His teaching and example.
So, we've decided to extend the closing date to 15 June, so you still have one last chance to sign up at this weekend's Youth Service or Sunday services. If you're still considering, don't think anymore, just hurry and sign up!

Details of THE EVERGLOW are:

When? - 16 to 20 June
Where? - NUS, Prince George's Park Residences, 27 Prince George Parl (off South Buona Vista Road)
How much? $80

How do I sign up?
1. Complete the registration form (comment on this post if you need one and we will email it to you).
2. Have a copy of my student ID if you are currently a student. If you do not have an ID, you will still pay $80.
3. Bring your registration form, student ID and camp fees to the admin counter.

What if I cannot make it to church on Saturday or Sunday?
If you are unable to make it down to church this weekend, submit your registration through your respective Cell Leader, Supervisor or Pastor.

I hope to see you there!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Charissa

Church of our Saviour
Tel: +65.6885.0700
Fax: +65.6278.0130
Website: www.coos.org.sg

Office: Blk 203 (Wing B) #07-09 Henderson Road, Singapore 159546

Church: 130 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149300

spiritual significance of numbers

2008-05-14T21:02:00.000+08:00


        The Name's and Numbers used in the Scriptures have
  spiritual significance.  Thus knowing what they mean can
  help one study the Word with a deeper understanding!

      So Today Kevin, we will take a look at some
  instances of numbers used representatively, and thus
  probably by Divine design.

  ONE:     Denotes unity, and commencement. Such as the
  first day (GEN 1:5)

  TWO:      Denotes opposition, enmity, and division.  It can
  also mean 'difference," for it is written that if two people both
  agree in testimony it is conclusive.
  (DEUT 17.,6 & DEUT 19:15)

  THREE:    Denotes Divine perfection and completeness.
  Such as The Father, Son & Holy Spirit, often called the
  "Holy Trinity."

  FOUR:      Denotes things of the Earth. Such as The Four
  Winds (DAN 7:2);  the Four corners of the Earth. (ISA II: 1 2)
  the Four rivers that flowed out of the Garden of Eden.
  (GEN 2:10-14) and of course the Four Horsemen of the
  Apocalypse. (REV 6:1-8)

  The most significant multiple of four is Forty, which means
  "Probation."  Such as rain flood the Earth for Forty days
  (GEN 7:12)  The children wondered the wilderness for Forty
  years.( EX 16:35), and Jesus withstood satan's temptations
  for Forty days. (MARK 1: 1 3).

  FIVE:     Denotes   "Divine Grace."

  SIX:        Denotes the human number. It is the hallmark
  of mankind, God created man on the Sixth day (GEN 1-27-31);
  man works six days a week. The hours of our day are a
  multiple of the number Six.  Also the great men in the Bible
  that stood out against God (Goliath, Nebuchadnezzar, and the
  satan ) are all emphatically marked with the number Six.
  (REV 13:18)

  SEVEN:    Denotes spiritual perfection. It is the hallmark of
  the Holy Spirit at work. Also the number Seven is the number
  which regulates every period of Incubation and Gestation,
  in insects, birds, animals, and mankind.

  EIGHT:    Denotes a new beginning.

  NINE       Denotes finality or judgment. The number Nine
  is seen in all cases when judgment is the subject.

  TEN:       Denotes Ordinal Perfection. Such as the Ten
  Commandments ( EX 20:2-17)  It is another new first after
  the Ninth digit, when numeration commences anew.

  ELEVEN: Denotes disorder, and disorganization.  (2 KINGS 25:2)
  and (JER 52:5)

  TWELVE: Denotes Governmental perfection. It is the number or
  factor of things that have to do with government in the Heavens
  and on Earth. Such as  The Twelve Tribes of Israel, ( GEN 49:28)
  and Twelve Apostles. (MARK 3:14) etc.

  THIRTEEN: Denotes rebellion. It is written: "In the thirteenth year
  they rebelled' (GEN 14:4)

      Now, I hope that will help you find a deeper level of
  understanding when you read the Bible. Have a Wonderful Week,
  and know that you and your family are in my prayers!   Amen.

  In HIS Love & Service,
        Pastor Allen

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 (c) copyright 2008 by Apostle Paul Ministries.  All Rights Reserved

Testimony Of Healing To My Womb

2008-05-11T20:15:00.002+08:00

I always had this problem of heavy bleeding during my monthly period (It was so bad till I had to visit the toilet every one and a half hour). This is because I have a bulky womb with thick wall lining. Besides this, my womb is tilted and it’s resting on the spinal bone and hence, about 1 week prior to and during my period, I would experience aches around my lower back and at my lower right waist. The pain at the lower right waist would stretch to my right knee and I would experience difficulty in walking. This would be my most terrible time of the month. I’m like a walking zombie performing my daily tasks. The bleeding would worsen if I carried a heavy object and I often had to rush to the toilet immediately.

I also had to abstain from all fruits, cold foods and cold drinks at all times as these would add on to the heavy bleeding. It was very torturous, especially when ice cream is one of my favourite foods. I’ve always envied those who were enjoying their fruit juices during lunch time.

There was a time when my bleeding was not so heavy. But, just recently, I suffered a relapse again. This was the second time my condition took a turn for the worse. There is no medical cure for this illness, unless, I remove my womb or go for womb cleansing. These were not practical options. Nevertheless, there were times when I did have thoughts of removing my womb as I could not endure all the pre-menstrual symptoms and heavy bleeding. It was affecting my daily activities.

I shared with Aurelia about this problem. She prayed for me on one Saturday after service. Whilst she was praying, I felt this warmness around my head and I believe it was God’s anointing on me and I was going to be healed by Him. My period for this month delayed and this was a good sign.

Then again, I still had a heavy flow on the first day of my period and every single thing irritated me.

I attended the special healing service on 9 May 2008 and this happened to be my first day of my period. After the message, Prophet Kobus asked us to stand as he prayed. The moment I got up from my seat, the bleeding was so heavy that it was like a running tap water. During this prayer, I had this feeling of wanting to fall back but I controlled as I did not want to be the first one to slain. The moment he prayed for healing to those with a tilted womb, this heavy bleeding stopped immediately and I also experienced the same warmness when Aurelia prayed for me earlier on.

Aurelia then accompanied me to the altar for prayer as I did not have the courage to go up alone. Prophet Kobus’ wife prayed for me. I finally slained and during that time, I had this peaceful feeling and I experienced the same warmness earlier on while at my seat. That night, my bleeding lessened.

Yesterday (my second day of period), the bleeding lessened tremendously, compared to the previous months. Also, my womb has shrunk. Previously, my abdominal area looks as if I was three months pregnant. Now, the abdominal area has reduced in size!

From this, I conclude that GOD HAS COMPLETELY HEALED ME of this illness which I was suffering from for many years.

I thank God for this miraculous work that he has done for me! I also would like to thank Aurelia and all those who had prayed with me.

Praise be to God!!!

myanmar cyclone

2008-05-08T11:45:00.002+08:00

hey guys if u haven't heard abt the mynamar cyclone, can read abt it here
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/346201/1/.html

if u wish to donate money here are the details which can be found in the webpage:

To help the victims of Cyclone Nargis, please send donations to the Singapore Red Cross at 15 Penang Lane, or call 6334 9152/53 for more information.

The public can also call Mercy Relief at 1900 112 1010 for a S$10 donation, or 1900 112 1050 for a S$50 donation. Crossed cheques made out to "Mercy Relief Limited" can be sent to 172 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore 118558.

Mercy Relief also accepts transfers via ATM or through internet banking. Its DBS account number is 054-900493-6.

World Vision is also collecting donations for the victims in Myanmar. Besides ATM funds transfer to its DBS Autosave Account (001-030600-6) or its Standard Chartered Bank Fusion Account (130-830-6900), the public can also send cash or cheques made out to "World Vision International" to its office at 10 Anson Road, #13-08, International Plaza, Singapore 079903.

gardening

2008-05-03T13:36:00.001+08:00

THE LORD WILL GUIDE YOU ALWAYS; HE WILL SATISFY YOUR
NEEDS IN A SUN-SCORCHED LAND AND WILL STRENGTHEN
YOUR FRAME. YOU WILL BECOME LIKE A WELL-WATERED
( GARDEN, ) LIKE A SPRING WHOSE WATERS NEVER FAIL.
( ISAIAH 58:11 *NIV )

Dear Kevin,
Now that it is May it is time to start thinking about planting
a garden. So today I will share with you something that I
received this week. It is the type of garden that we may plant
anywhere or anytime of year. So I hope you will enjoy this
special garden so much that you will start planting one today!

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS - FOR THE GARDEN OF
YOUR DAILY LIVING

1. PEACE OF MIND
2. PEACE OF HEART
3. PEACE OF SOUL

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

Now NO GARDEN SHOULD BE WITHOUT TURNIPS - SO
PLANT 3 ROWS OF TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

FINALLY, YOUR GARDEN MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends
4. Thyme for prayer

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE & CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.
THERE SHOULD BE MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN, AFTER
ALL "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW." Therefore happy gardening
Kevin. Amen.

In HIS Love & Service,
Pastor Allen

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choice of story

2008-04-28T01:51:00.002+08:00

let's start off with

Jer 33:8
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.

Heb 8:12
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

first, God not only forgives our sins, He forgets them. and He cleanses us, not leave us to rot with the sin after forgivin us. next, let's talk about an example: Abraham.

Rom 4:18
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Abraham and Sarah were growing old, and childless. "against all hope", Abraham believed God will give him an offspring. but let's take a look at

Gen 16:2
[amplified] ... “Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said.”
[NLT] ... “And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.”
[Today's NIV] ... “Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”

Abraham, to certain extent, thought about Sarah's suggestion of having a baby with Hagar and agreed to do so. why? he probably thought that would be a shortcut to having a baby. after all, God promised him "a son coming from your own body" [Gen 15:4] but didn't specify the mum. he probably chose to "conveniently forget" the importance God placed on being husband and wife after his experience with the Pharoah in Gen 12:10-20.

so what's my point? Abraham made a mistake by having a child with Hagar. but how did Dad write about him? "against all hope, Abraham in hope believed". in this case, Abraham's righteousness [Gen 15:6] was the key to God rewriting his story. for us, the righteousness comes from the blood of Jesus. the Blood changes our story!

we face discouragement, struggles and failures. let's leave them at the foot of the Cross, covered by the Blood. have positive self talk.
Joel 3:10
... let the weakling say, "I am strong!"
a study shows an average person hears 1200 words a min [self talk and self thoughts]. 1100 are negative. dun partner religious/terrorist spirits which condemn us. we will be discouraged and afraid. we have been born anew! [Gal 2:20]. we don't wanna kill ourselves over and over again. the old has gone [2Cor 5:17]. the new man/woman needs to be nourished. talk strength into ourselves.

hand to Dad our lives and let Him tell our stories. it will be different from how we tell them. do not let our past determine our future. refuse to live in regret, "forgetting what is behind and and straining toward what is ahead" [Phil 3:13]. sounds easier said than done? bear in mind who said that. Apostle Paul, who was Saul, who persecuted Christians.

This message is for all of us, myself included [notice "we", "us", "our"]. hope this message blesses you all. adapted from a bethel sermon which is no longer available on their website. u can get it from here http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~teoweich/%5bheard%5d%20Living_Powerfully_10_45am_48kbps.mp3

love,
kev

Just some thoughts

2008-04-26T00:20:00.002+08:00

Here I am writing a blog post 13 hours before my exam :) . I just received notice this week that I've failed to get a place in the summer internship I was trying for. While it does make me feel somewhat disappointed, I'm quite amazed at the things I believe God is reminding me I can now do since the 2 months overseas isn't there anymore.

I now have more time for guitar class, the opportunity to take part in any camps etc during the holidays, more time to meet up with friends coming back from overseas, free time to start learning to drive (after putting it off for years despite my father and sister's nagging), and more. As I think about it more, I believe that not being able to go might just be the better deal! I'm still contemplating and praying over what to do with my 3 months break (work maybe... suggestions?), but I think I should give thanks to God here for closing the door this time. I believe He really knows best!

God's love

2008-04-25T15:07:00.000+08:00

   If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

  If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.

  He sends you flowers every spring.

  He sends you a sunrise every morning.

  Whenever you want to talk, He listens.

  He can live anywhere in the Universe, but He chose your heart.

  Now God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without
  sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the
  day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

  So face it, He is crazy about you!

      Therefore let us; GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE
  IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!   Amen.
  ( 1 CHRONICLES 16:34 )

  In HIS Love & Service,
        Pastor Allen

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chris yang bday cake

2008-04-23T15:33:00.005+08:00

Chris Yang cutting his cake.

video of him receiving present:

Sam's Birthday Celebration!

2008-04-12T11:46:00.005+08:00

Sam's sister Sarah playing the birthday song on her guitar, and the rest singing :)

Durian Cake!! Yummy (for durian lovers :D)

Had a great time celebrating Sam's bday, eating all the delicious food and drinks prepared lovingly by Sam, Sufern, Sarah, and ...?

Stepping Out...

2008-04-09T20:55:00.003+08:00

Kevin asked me to post an account of what we did today, so here goes:
This afternoon, Chris, Kevin and I met up at Science faculty to pray. We spent some quiet time with God in one of the classrooms in S16. After that, Chris said that he felt that God was challenging him to enter one of the classrooms on our floor and share with the people there. We left the classroom we were in and went from door to door, peeking in to see which was the room to enter. We finally entered the one opposite our room. There were 4 girls in there. Chris asked for a few minutes of their time and shared about the blessing campaign with them. After they filled up the pamphlets, Chris and Kevin prayed a short prayer of blessing over them.

We continued to pray at S16 for a while longer, before eventually moving through S15 to SoC1. Since Chris had already shown us a good example, Kevin and I were also nervously on the lookout for a classroom where we could do likewise. As we walked through the corridor of SoC1 level 3, there was 1 tutorial room with 1 person inside. Kevin kept asking me whether I wanted to approach the guy inside. We dithered quite along the corridor, and by the time we were thinking of giving it a shot, another girl went into the room. Now there were 2 people in the room. After some mental preparation, we went in and tried to share with the 2 people inside. The guy wasn't really interested, but the girl took out some time to fill out the pamphlet and let me pray for her.

And so ends my account of our little adventure with God on Wednesday afternoon. We were very encouraged and I personally felt very challenged during the whole thing. Before we went out of our room, Chris shared with us some of his thoughts, about how, sometimes, when we come to God in desperation, we come with an attitude of doubt, and we ask God for things that we already have. I believe that, sometimes, our own reservations hold us back and make us feel inadequate. When Chris first mentioned what he felt God wanted him to do, I felt very uncomfortable. But as we entered that first room and Chris spoke to the girls, I believe fear and apprehension slowly gave way to faith, and when the time came for me to share in that room in SoC1, I wasn't really nervous or stiff about it. Hope this will be an encouragement to you all!

the tongue

2008-04-07T01:48:00.005+08:00

i was blog-hopping and reading an article posted on ntu cell's blog http://www.jesusculture.org/index.php?page=articles&tPid=4&id=20

these verses from the article struck me but i forgot to note them down...
Prov 20:5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
Prov 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

so i went to biblegateway to search fer the verses to note down... and Dad led me to Prov 26...
ouch!
Prov 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Prov 26:18 Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows 19 is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"

Confession to make... i haven't gotten rid of the bad habit of lying completely [yes, a joke can be a lie... and i have a bad habit of joking with ppl]... knowing i have this bad habit, i have placed James 3:8-10 in my personal mission statement a long time back

James 3
8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

and i pray always that the Holy Spirit will continue to keep my tongue in check... i tink Dad is reminding me abt this as i have made a mistake in this recently which i recognized, confessed and repented... One of tina's fav verses also came to my mind:
Songs 2:15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

i shall end the post now... amazing how Dad can work eh? ask tina fer the meaning behind the verse if u are interested... as i've shared this, i hope this has blessed u all in any way and i'm now accountable to each of u who has read this =)

love,
kev

ps: a biblegateway search on “speaks truth” gives a manageable 5 results fer those who are interested to read up more... and one more wise verse in Prov 26:22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

Corporate Prayer 28-March

2008-04-05T11:33:00.005+08:00

Maybe I have been going for too many meetings already haha...but this was what came out of the blue when i was thinking about what corporate prayer is-

Prayer: Talking to God
Corporate Prayer: Board Meeting with God who runs the Family Business

God is like the CEO who has the power to decide what gets done and how. We are the children who have inherited the positions in the 'company', sitting in this meeting to present the needs that we have. Whenever a 'case' is presented, God the CEO will ask- "Who is in favour of this proposition?" And we will then vote to agree or disagree.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20

But we may ask ourselves, if God knows all things, He will already know what we need and hence there is no need for prayer. Yet, He still asks us to pray! Jesus' whole ministry was also saturated in prayer and just as an earthly father who wants his children to come to him with requests, our Father in Heaven also loves us to come to Him in prayer!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Hmm, how about unanswered prayers then? :( It is up to God to decide what the outcome is and we should trust in Him no matter what. :)
------
Anyway, here are the brief prayer pointers that we touched on for the last corporate prayer:

1. Salvation in the Arab nations
2. Malaysia's political situation
3. Mental well-being of Singaporean children and youth
4. Healing (we were given a slip of paper each that contains the specific prayer requests of the sick)

There was also a prophetic art painting session where some youths and adults painted the pictures that they have seen during a time of prayer before the service. A few came out to share what they painted, and what God has spoken to them. The overall theme was music and sounds.

Here are the pics of some of the paintings!

Directions to our Father's house

2008-04-05T10:00:00.000+08:00

Make a Right onto Believeth Blvd. Keep straight and go through
the Green Light, which is Jesus Christ. There, you must turn onto
the Bridge of Faith, which is over troubled water.

Now when you get off the bridge, make a Right turn and Keep
Straight. You are on the King's Highway - Heaven-bound.
Keep going for three miles: One for the Father, One for the Son,
and One for the Holy Spirit.

Then take the Grace Blvd exit. From there, make a Right turn
on Gospel Lane. Keep Straight and then make another Right on
Prayer Road. As you go on your way, Yield Not to the traffic on
Temptation Ave. Also, avoid SIN STREET because it is a DEAD
END. Pass up Envy Drive, and Hate Avenue. Also, pass
Hypocrisy Street, Gossiping Lane, and Backbiting Blvd.

However, you will have to go down Long-suffering Lane,
Persecution Blvd. and Trials and Tribulations Ave, but that's all
right, because VICTORY Street is straight ahead!

hosaywood productions... support local productions

2008-03-21T22:07:00.002+08:00

tak giu [play soccer]

zo peng [be a soldier]

zo gang [work]

tina's icebreaker

2008-03-21T13:04:00.000+08:00

farewell fer eeli [super late upload =p]

2008-03-21T12:36:00.003+08:00

fulfilling sam's request

2008-03-17T00:19:00.001+08:00

[12:39:04] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
nvm we meet at raffles
[12:39:10] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
then we hunt the place down together
[12:39:14] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
i dunno where also =p
[12:39:35] Sam says:
ok haha
[12:40:07] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
wahahahha ok set =) eh u not turnin in yet? gettin late
[12:44:01] Sam says:
ya turning in
[12:44:08] Sam says:
ok good nite bro
[12:44:18] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
gdnite =) sweet dreams
[12:44:22] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
dream of me
[12:44:28] Sam says:
yuck
[12:44:48] Sam says:
ok good nite ahha
[12:44:52] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
bleah
[12:44:54] Sam says:
love you wahahah
[12:44:58] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
love u too
[12:44:59] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
muack
[12:45:00] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
LOL
[12:45:15] Sam says:
ok too much omg save this and put in cell blog
[12:45:30] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
ok i'll post it
[12:45:33] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
lol
[12:45:34] +-- ^+nitesky+^ --+ says:
seeya
[12:45:37] Sam says:
hahah see ya

2008-03-15T19:36:00.005+08:00

hullllo.

its been a month in aus and 2+ weeks since my mom left!
AND ITS BEEEEN GOOOOD!

so so many things to thank God for :DD
He's been taking care of my every need. and amazingly i havent been homesick much! which is a humongous miracle! and also, last week, i was quite overwhelmed by schoolwork and how difficult it seems to be.and thoughts about why i came over and why i changed course and why i "wasted" so much time just kept flooding my brain.but God just kept telling me to trust Him.and the devotions i read that night was really relevent.and i knew that He was watching out for me.

recently, i realised i won't be able to go for BS on tuesday cos of tutorials.and then i realise i wont be able to go for christian dental fellowship(cdf, and we kind of do some bible study too) on wed cos of tutorials too! and thats not goood! BUT! the wed tutorial managed to be changed to sat :DD so i get to go to cdf, which is really cool.cos everyone's in the same fac.and you realise that there are christians ard in school! and also, God has placed soo many christians in my life! i've been visiting quite some churches and bible study sessions cos somehow there're so many ppl i meet who are christians or they are finding a church as well!

and there's quite some talk about which cell group and which church we'll be visiting each week, both at school and in hall, so much that my neighbour (non-christian) said she wanted to go check it out too.ANDANDAND!! that day, my door was left open, so my floormate walked in and sat down and she saw my daily devotions and she picked it up and started reading.and she's muslim! and at that point of time, i felt that it wasn't a coincidence, it wasn't by chance that she's reading what she's reading! and after reading some pages, she asked who the Father is.and we talked abit about Jesus.just a little bit.but i'm sure the few pages that she read was special, like God just wanted to tell her sth.

melbourne's been good :D
its been reallyreally good :D

HOW'S EVERYONEEE?? the sem's ending soon for most of you guys right!! only one more plus month to go and then its the super long breakkk!! hope everyone's doing goood!

eeli :D

3 Birthday Celebrations @ Holland V Settlers

2008-03-11T21:26:00.006+08:00

Kai Jie, Jake, and Franco's bday celebration

Pineapple in frog gift by NTU cell 0.o

Franco: 'After I kiss this froggie ah, she will become a beeeeauutiful princess!!'

For more pics, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohreallyah/sets/72157604097478059/

Kai Jie's Bday!

2008-03-11T21:02:00.003+08:00

'Unsuspecting' Kai Jie and Christopher trying to stall time

22 years old liao!

Sabo Time! Nyek Nyek ;p

Donut Cake

Gift presentation haha...

celebrating Franco's birthday

2008-03-02T21:06:00.006+08:00

here's what we did to Franco on sat after service before showing him his birthday cake. Happy 25th bday to Franco!

watch out, here I come!!

2008-02-21T20:59:00.003+08:00

hulllllo :DD

melbourne is niceeee. school and orientation hasnt started so i'm like holidaying for now.. with my mom and aunt. the people at my hall are extremely friendly. they say hi to every single person :D hope everyone's coping well with schh and work!

keeping you guys in prayer, eeli

food for thought

2008-02-18T11:41:00.002+08:00

Heb 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

taken from www.m-w.com:

sure - careful to remember, attend to, or find out something eg. "be sure to lock the door"

certain - assured in mind or action eg. "I am certain they are right"

cell outreach @ sam's

2008-02-05T00:27:00.000+08:00

for those who weren't there, we had kfc and canadian pizza for dinner! xianjie's friend, alfred came ard 2030 and then we 'lao yu sheng' ... we decided not to continue with the skit so tat alfred wun feel awkward... towards the end, we played a game which xj came up with... i'll let the pics tell the story

pic taken durin rehearsal of skit durin cell... too bad it was not performed... thanz fer all the hard work actors!!

yu sheng

sleepin beauties lol

pic taken durin game... they had to keep still when i turn back to look at them... they can only move towards me when my back is facin them =p alfred is the guy on the left foreground

cell outreach @ sam's videos

2008-02-04T23:53:00.000+08:00

seth dancing part 1

seth dancing part 2

seth doin a michael jackson

seth drumming part 1

seth drumming part 2

late cell advance pics

2008-02-04T23:51:00.000+08:00

cycled to bedok jetty

eeli and chris kwan

the 2 jies

bridge

dinner at some jap restaurant

kaijie

idioms

2008-02-03T16:28:00.001+08:00

The Bible is full of Hebrew & Greek Idioms which can make
understanding God's Holy Word difficult in many verses throughout
the Old & New Testaments. So today we will take a look at some
of these Idioms to gain a better understanding of how much they
can change the English meaning of some verses.

The following verses are a few examples of this:
GENESIS 19:26, speaking of Lott's wife, "BUT HIS WIFE LOOKED
BACK BEHIND HIM, AND SHE BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT."
(Pillar of Salt) meaning lifeless; stricken dead.

DEUTERONOMY 32:33 "THEIR WINE IS THE POISON OF
SERPENTS, AND THE CRUEL VENOM OF COBRAS."
Meaning Pagan teaching; corrupt practices and slanderous
actions. In this verse Moses was speaking of Enemy Nations'
like Sodom & Gomorrah, thus Nations which were cruel,
immoral and corruptive!

2 SAMUEL 22:9 "SMOKE WENT UP FROM HIS NOSTRILS;"
Idiom meaning very angry, enraged!

JOB 15:2 "FILL HIS BELLY WITH THE EAST WIND.
Idiom meaning he was proud, bragging, boasting.

PSALM 29:10 "THE LORD SITTETH UPON THE FLOOD."
Idiom meaning that God is in control. He crushes the armies
of the enemy.

PROVERBS 23:34 "LIETH DOWN IN THE MIDST OF THE SEA."
Idiom meaning Lost; in a dilemma; senseless; in doubt.

ECCLESIASTES 4:2 "CAST THY BREAD UPON THE WATER
AND THOU SHALL FIND IT."
Idiom meaning to give generously to charities and it shall be
given back to you.
Note: Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12 in filled with Idioms in all
most
ever verse!

ISAIAH 2:10 "ENTER INTO THE ROCK, AND HIDE IN THE DUST."
Idiom meaning take refuge in a cave; flee for your life.

MATTHEW 5:29 "IF THY RIGHT EYE OFFEND THEE PLUCK IT
OUT."
Idiom meaning If you have a habit of envying others, stop it.

MATTHEW 5:30 "CUT YOUR HAND OFF."
Idiom meaning to stop stealing!

MATTHEW 5:39 " WHOSOEVER SHALL SMITE THEE ON THY
RIGHT CHEEK, TURN TO HIM THE OTHER ALSO."
Idiom meaning Don't start an argument or fight. Instead be
humble.

MARK 14:22 "EAT MY BODY."
Idiom meaning Share my sufferings. Make my teachings part
of you. Think of me when you celebrate the Passover!

MARK 14:24 "DRINK MY BLOOD."
Idiom also meaning make my teachings part of your life. Be
willing to suffer for my truth. Think of me when you celebrate
the Passover!

MARK 16:18 "DRINK ANY DEADLY THING."
Idiom meaning live a clean life so if others attack your
character
no one will believe them!

Kevin, each Book of the Bible is filled with such Idioms.
Especially Books such as Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Ezekiel and
Revelation, to name a few. So the above is just a short sampling
of these type verses. If you have a verse that is confusing you,
please let me know and I will try to explain its meaning to you.

For the deeper student of God's Word, you may purchase a
Book listing the meanings of many of the Idioms in the Scriptures,
Book by Book.

In HIS Love & Service,
Pastor Allen

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2008-01-26T22:28:00.000+08:00

hey guys,
thought i should share sth coool with you all.

today, i attended a briefing held by my uni.
and i amazingly got to know 2 people.
one's gg to stay in the same hall as me.
and the other's gg to be in the same course as i am.

i've prayed for true real friends as i go over.
and these 2 are really GOD sent.
in the short time tt i spent with them, it was alot of helping each other and clarifying whatever doubts we have about the procedures we have to get done etc, instead of getting stuck after the initial "so how old are you?" kind of questions.
i feel that its God's way of reminding me that He's with me as i go over and that with Him, i will be able to overcome whatever big small problem that comes my way.

and also, i un-intentionally found out that both of them are non-believers.
which was also a reminder that i'm not just gg over to be happy, study, graduate and come back.
i'm excited that He's got sth in store for me :D in that place, some miles away.
i pray for courage and wisdom for the right words.
cos alot of times i just melt into a pool of human lard and miss out on telling others what God has done in my life.

THANK GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS :DD and HIS LOVE for the imperfect us.

in awe,
eeli

Chinese New Year Outreach

2008-01-17T21:02:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone!

CNY is coming and we are holding a CNY outreach! Woohoo! email is pretty long but bear with me and go thru it!

Tentatively
Time: 1st of Feb (Fri)
Location: Franco's condo function room (Mr Franco take note!!! I'll let you know again if there is any changes)

Position/Roles
Attendance IC: Kai Jie
- get the strength of people coming as this might affect the food catered

Welcome IC: Xian Jie
- think and prepare icebreakers, games.
- will be done before the dinner 10-15mins

Food IC: ??? (Anyone wanna fill it up? Priscilla would you mind?)
- search for caterers alias with attendance ic on the amount of people coming

Program IC: Sam
- doing all these stuff....

All ICs Note: Please keep each other in loop of new info and work hand in hand

Schedule (As at 17th Jan)
06.30 PM Meet @ Designated location
07.00 PM Ice-breakers
07.30 PM Dinner
08.30 PM Skits/Drama & interaction/sharing
10.30 PM End

Skits/Drama

1. Lifehouse drama need volunteers quickly
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=139f9c4c0036b123ee12

Jesus Franco? (Male)

Person (Female)

Charmer Winston? (Male)

Greed Samuel? (Male)

Alcoholic (Female)

Model Janice? Priscilla? (Female)

Suicidal spirit (Either)

2. Box / 2 Masters

I’ll explain this to the volunteers on the practice day itself. Pretty easy.

What every cell member needs to do?
1. EVERYONE please inform Kai Jie if you can make it for the outreach ASAP as we are closing to the deadline and we don't have much time left and lots of stuff to be done..... yikes.... Including friends you are brining on your impact list or otherwise (Max 2 friends)

2. Prepare whatever you have learnt during bacc that would be useful during the event. etc 5min testimony, transition question and answers, bridge, formula, story of judge methods. Taking in consideration which is best suited for you friend(s).

3. Inform me if your volunteering for the skit. Dont make me call you!!

Hurry get back to me !! We’ll hold at least 2 practice session next week between (fri-sun) 25^th -27^th. Each about 2hrs long max. Any changes let me know and please if your interested but have trouble with the timeslots let me know so we can work things out.

Guys I know there's lot to be done and i need volunteers, remember we are doing all these for God. So to prevent any regret that one did not help much, step out now. Trust me all things will turn out good for the LOVE of Jesus. So just do it!!

Samuel
HP: 96562864

cell advance videos

2008-01-14T23:51:00.000+08:00

some long delayed cell advance pics

2008-01-14T19:43:00.000+08:00

ok i know this is soooo delayed, so sorry about it!!

pris got a surprise cause we celebrated her birthday for her.

yea the cheesecake.

look! we got a shot of Tina! absolutely rewarding.

kevin looking cool in this pic

world record, cutting the cake with DENTAL FLOSS!

SETH!

trying to get a shot but thanks to the tree in the middle

sunlight rays.

aure!

cell review

2008-01-14T11:30:00.000+08:00

things done well
- bible study
- fellowship
- worship

comments/suggestions
- momentum in cell broken during growth track and BACC
- intimacy with God [church plays a smaller role as we grow older]
- bimonthly all gals and all guys night

things to improve on
- pray for stuff outside of cell and for one another
-> aurelia and i can cater time during cell session for this; we can make use of the prayer section of the cell blog to keep each other updated on our prayer requests!

- meet up more outside of cell session

- more Presence of God in cell, to be more hungry and supernatural

- more evangelism as a group, advance the Kingdom of God, trust God and go forth for His Kingdom

- juggling between priorities

- accountability
-> aurelia and i will enforce this

letz work as a team to improve all these! on a side note, start praying for the ppl u are intending to bring for the cell outreach

cell advance pics

2008-01-10T23:24:00.000+08:00

started the day off with cycling! pic taken with one hand on camera phone and one hand on bike... not bad rite? =p

hanging out at the porch aft we finished programme for the day

this pic looks like a movie poster to me... anyone tinks the same?

welcome our newest member, marcus!!

he is... ... xianjie... he has superpowers...

he is... ... scout man... then...

rabbit scout man...

on the way to breakfast... abigail, eeli and monster

2008-01-10T22:27:00.001+08:00

hey marcus! dunno whether you will see this in time.. but happy enlistment! (not so happy actually) haha.. ok we (NS min) usually prays for someone before he enlists if we manage to get in contact with the person.. so yeah.. i'll post it on the blog! so hope you see it in time.

Dear Lord, thank you for our brother Marcus, for him joining our cell and for this new season in his life where he enters National Service. Lord, I pray that as he enters this exciting phase of his life, he will learn so much more about You through his daily experiences. I pray that through the tough times he can seek and find you and hide in your refuge, and through the joyous occasions that he will praise you for all your blessings.

As he goes through these next two years, I pray that he will learn to lean on you always and not on his own strength, may you be a stronghold in his life. I pray Lord, that as he walks into the gates on his camp, he will be victorious in his walk with you, that he will have a positive mindset to the things that you are teaching him. Lord, I pray for marcus that when trials and temptations come, he will stand firm and rooted in you and your word, and that he will be pleasing to you.

Lord, we know it is going to be a tough period for him, but Lord, I pray that marcus will enjoy your presence anywhere he is, in the camp, the cookhouse, his bunk, in the jungles. No matter where he is and what situation he is in, he will always remember your divine will for his life and the goodness and blessings you have provided him. May he rejoice in the good times and bad times with you Lord. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

All the best in camp! you guys can pray for him too! yep.

2008-01-04T21:27:00.000+08:00

the past 6 months was a BLAST!! thanks to God and everyone else in the cell. i don't really know if im in the right mind to blog. as i have quite low tolerance to bullshit, i could not possibly take in what i went through. as of today, i am still in the state of shock. though not dying physically, i am slowly dying. my heart has shattered to pieces.

recalling the past, i was struggling with maths. and on top of that, i have 4 very incompetent team members. basically, i handled 8 projects/assignments/reports on my own. i slept only 3-4hours everyday for 2 months. as a result, i couldn't wake up to go to school. and my attendance sucks(attendance is a criteria to fulfil to take part in exams)

i was called down to the admin office one day because i signed in and went home to sleep. when i was there, i felt God with me, everything i said, the programme officer took in, she not only listened to me patiently, and from the sparkle i saw in her eyes, i knew i made a good impression.

on one of the fridays, my friend was terminated from school, and i have not receive news about my examination notice. and my friend was talking about some meeting the unisim ppl are holding. deep in me, i know this meeting is about retaining the good, potential achievers. as i had a constant stream of good results, and my good impression with that officer, i think they allowed me to take the exams. best of all, i believe God softened their hearts. (for those whom were updated every now and then about that situation, u should know better wad im talking about)

during the study break, i still made my way to church. a part of me was very lost.. not wanting to come to church because all is lost.. no more hope. yet another part of me want to go to church and praise and glorify God even when im undergoing henshit. "i'll praise you in this storm!!!!!!!" "God will honour those who honour Him!"

not long after that, i received my examination notice. it was dated ONE week before that day i receive it. which is like even before the study break started. so in the end, i spent the entire study break not studying but stoning and playing games. HAHA. i was supposed to look up integration. BUT WOW. talking about this, i really want to say a big THANK YOU to Franco So, Crystal Oh & Kevin Teo(here and there la on msn =P) FOR teaching me maths. thankzszzssszszszzss muchhhh.

though i didnt have time to study at all, i kept believing that, if God bring me to it, He'll bring me through it. God's army doesnt go to war without armaments and armour! (and again, for those whom i updated with my exams, u know la..) haha. financial accounting, 5 questions of 20 marks each, i am sure i got one full marks, thats 20marks. but i got one totally blank. so that's 20 marks gone too. =(

then for maths. HAHA. to be honest, prior to the exam i was telling God that its not important at all, even if i fail, its secondary, wad's most important is my loving relationship with You!!! when i flip open the paper, i was like WHAT THE HECK?!i can't do some la of cos. then i go and do all the derivatives. differentiate this, leave this blah blah. then i anyhow smoke thru the higher derivative stuff smoke smoke smoke. wow i think the ppl sitting ard me must be suffocating from all the smoke la!!! the last question, 20 marks, i left blank. cos is integration.. and i know bulls about it. then i went home and kept praying to God, not so much for my exam, but thanking Him for giving me the chance to take the exams and glorify His name. i was so super happy la when i sat in the grand hall.. (that's wad its called in SIM.. THE GRAND HALL.. ) then i kicked each paper's ass. as what my friend would say, "yeah man, i kicked the paper's ass all over the room" WHEE. GOD, WE KICKED ASS TOGETHER MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

throughout the holidays (up till the date i receive my results (2 weeks after exams)) i wasnt 1 bit kan chiong. i had this peace, this peace that tell me that whatever the results, God still love me, and i can, and will, move on in life with confidence that He is with me and all I do is for my best, even if its not from God, He can still salvage the situation and make the best out of it. WHEE, i even volunteered to help out in the Christmas performance production. overall, good stuff. i got to know some younger people. one of them even gave me a christmas card she made herself. how sweet. and jesselene, a girl whom i was suppose to teach accounts, she told me that she's really nervous about her o levels because its her 2nd attempt. but deep in me, my results are coming out even sooner but i wasnt one bit nervous at all. so powerful oh God almighty oh so powerful!!!!!!!!

LO AND BEHOLD, that night after the rehearsals, i went home and login to the student portal to check. as i type in my password, i was really looking forward to my results. HO HO HO, I PASSED EACH EVERY SINGLE MODULE. and alot of people was expelled from school. all those that relied on me, gone. i knew it... i knew they dont have what it takes to advance.. if you can even do projects with me, what more about the exams? so in essence, i conquered MATH, something i've never beat before.

on wednesday, my first day of school this sem, my class was like a ghost class. no longer a big class. but right now im still suffering from.... suffering from (depression?) i don't know hahahah! maybe its because it takes time to resurrect my heart... to piece together the fragments, to mend the cracks... then paint a layer of care, an outer layer of love, and the aura of concern... i will return... someday i will come back... and to chris yang: I WILL RETURN. I PROMISE. i want to make a difference. i want to be part of something BIG. and i will carve out a road of happiness. ta!

ivan

2008-01-03T01:53:00.000+08:00

hello! fri movie. nanking at 730, vivo.. who's interested?? its 10 bucks btw cos its the arty farty cinema. yep. rsvp soon! cos i think prob gonna book tix. yep.

anyway who has a xbox. i'm gonna bring mine i think for the advance. so if anyone got more controllers or more games can bring along. yep. thank you!

xj

@ sufern's house

2007-12-30T22:03:00.000+08:00

uno game b4 feast begins

lady of the house!

cell mascot sam!

xmas tree

jasper

scrabble while watchin soccer

green socks

cell mini choir

expressions from watchin "300"

Jaw-Dropping Results

2007-12-26T10:09:00.001+08:00

Just want to thank God for my results. For the final slog, I've found that I was unprepared and unsure for practically every paper even as I sat for each and every one of them. So when I look at the results here, I don't really know what to say except a big 'THANK YOU!' to God. Even as He has shown me much on my trip to Timor, He has shown yet again that my future is really in His hands!

Christopher

7dec outing @ settlers clarke quay

2007-12-20T00:48:00.001+08:00

xmas decor

nice lights

prop of the "police-catch-criminal" game we played

our newest member Priscilla!! with her bro Josiah

Priscilla and Aurelia tracking down the criminal!

cell model of the year!

picture of the model again

a scene from the model's latest movie

posting on behalf of janice

2007-12-10T01:32:00.001+08:00

POSTING ON BEHALF OF JANICE!

The man at the Pool

2007-12-05T22:36:00.001+08:00

Hello guys,

Time flies, and in about 10 plus days I will finally be back home. Have not been updating any thoughts recently because I have just been stuck at one. I cannot go anywhere other than this one thought, about the man at the Pool. One thing I have learnt is to let His word Brew inside of you, till the point you can literally taste it and experience it and truly understand the essence of it. This is the amazing power of His word. It brings life. The more you read, the more it gets to you. The more you read, the more it taste sweeter and the more the essence (the best part) starts to reveal itself. I never thought I could have learnt from a man at the pool, but obviously, He has proven me wrong. We can learn from anything in the Bible. We just need to sit and listen and be still, and not be too busy with our lives…

John 5 speaks about the Healing at the Pool of Bethesda. And in this story, there is a protagonist. Other than Jesus, it will be the Paralyzed man.

This passage showed me the healing powers of Jesus, but other than this, it showed me something that will stick with me through eternity. I always know that Jesus can heal, and He does all the time. But I never knew, the man at the pool could have thought me one of life’s most important virtues and how Daddy honored him in the end, for this virtue.

The virtue of Patience…

There are so much more “essences” in John 5 that I have yet to share with all of you, but I shall do it a little at a time if you all allow me to. For now, it is the virtue of Patience. The King James Version of John 5:1-7 reads:

“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.”
Many times we read too quickly that we fail to see many hidden meanings in the Bible. “And a certain man was there, who had infirmity thirty and eight years.”

The man, had been by the pool, for 38 years! And look on to what he said later…
“…Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.”
This man has been at the pool for 38 years. From time to time, an angel will come to stir up the water and THE FIRST PERSON into the pool after each of such troubling of the water, will be completely healed. This man has been present by the pool for 38 years. He knows that if he could just get into the pool, if he could just be that first one, he will get healed. This man believes he will get healed. All he needs is to be the first person into the pool. For 38 years, this man have been trying. How do I know? Because of his reply to Jesus. “While I am coming, another stepped down before me.”

This man have been trying for 38 years! With one goal. To be the first person into the Pool of Bethesda, because he knows he will get healed. The best part comes when Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to get well?”

Jesus loves to ask Stupid questions. That is the most amazing part of Him. Cause to us it is stupid. If He asked me, I would be like “DUH! I am here for 38 years!! What do you think!!” HAHA… But in Heaven’s perspective, this question holds deeper meaning. That is another sharing hopefully in another time. But right now let us see what is the man’s reply.

“…Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.”

That’s the reply to Jesus’ question. It is not a Yes or a No. The man did not even show that he knew Jesus could heal him. He did not even realize that he is talking to the Healer Himself, the One that does not need any water to heal him. All He needs is just to speak out, and the man will be healed. The man did not ask Jesus to heal him; he did not reply that he wants to get healed. All he said was, if only he is the first one to get into the pool, he will be healed.

This man is SO DETERMINED. He blew me away. He has been failing for 38 years!! And he still did not give up. He still takes a tiny step at a time and each time being beaten by someone who went ahead of him. He tried, and tried, and tried each time he failed. And finally, he got his reward that is better than his initial humanly conceived reward. He wanted to get into the water to get healed. In the end, Jesus spoke, and he got healed.

If I was the man, I wonder how would I have reacted. If I have placed my unanswered prayers, my discouragements, in comparison with what this man by the pool has experienced, I wonder if it will even qualify for a comparison.

God uses the simplest people to teach us the most extraordinary virtues.

I know many people who have been discouraged, whose lives suck to the core. I know of people who have not seen any breakthrough in their lives for ages, for years. I know of people who are going to give up anytime soon. I know of the times I wish to give up, I know of the times when I am here and the loneliness was so tough but yet, I know of people who suffers infinite times more than many of us.

DO NOT GIVE UP. Learn from the man at the pool. 38 YEARS! And he gave up.

God honors those that persevere. May all of us learn from this man, whose quality of patience is truly admirable.

“Father, I pray for my beloved cell members including myself and also anyone reading the blog. Lord, I ask for the virtue of patience to be deeply implanted in our hearts. I ask for the “Never Give Up” spirit to be placed in us in Jesus name. I pray against the evil one who seeks to discourage us and I ask that Lord, no matter how the going gets tough, I believe that the tough will get going, when we look to You. Lord I commit every person into Your hands. Continue to shower them with Your love and Lord, I pray, that everyone will seek greater intimacy with You everyday, and never be satisfied with the level of intimacy they are having with you right now, but to ask for more everyday. More of You God, more and more and more…

In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!

Love you guys.

Chris

marathon testimony

2007-12-03T15:13:00.000+08:00

hey cell i have 2 testimonies to share durin my marathon experience...

1. i was abt to have diarrhoea when i juz started the race at abt the 4km mark...
i dun tink i can finish the race if i went to the toilet... so i prayed tat Dad will take it away... and i rem "God is bigger than our problems"... He did take it away but it came back a while later... i can feel my faith decreasing so i prayed and focused on God again... then it went away fer the rest of the race...

2. i was preparin to jog all the way to the finishin line aft i walked past the 40km mark... but when i took off, both legs cramped... then i prayed fer strength knowing tat God didn't bring me to the 40km mark to give up... He answered and i jogged to the finishin line...

last but not the least, pls pray fer a fast recovery fer me =D i'm sunburnt, my lower back, thighs and the part behind the knees are aching like mad... an old man can overtake me easily =p fer those who know Gabriel [bob's cell] pray fer him too he's worse off coz he's havin blisters on his soles... thanz!

all the best to those still havin exams! jiayou! seeya at cell outing this fri!

Caleb

2007-12-03T14:29:00.000+08:00

Dear cell, God spoke to me clearly about this when I read about Caleb in the book [my birthday gift] and a daily bread entry http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-11-30-07.shtml

Caleb's name means "dog", probably a nickname. Dogs back then were not pets but ferocious wild animals. He was a Kenizzite, not an Israelite, meaning he was an outsider saved by the grace of God. The Kenizzites were a wild tribe of nomads who ranged throught the Sinai and southern Palestine.

He and Joshua spoke up while Moses and Aaron fell on their faces when the Israelites "rebelled" [Num 14:1-9]. The Israelites believed in the words of the 10 spies that they can't enter the Promised Land because the enemies are too strong. They doubted even when God has promised to give them the Promised Land. That's why God allowed spies to be sent [Num 13:2] because He knew the Israelites didn't have enough faith. And the worst scenario happened.

Caleb was 40 years old when he spied the land. He received the area he scouted as his reward 45 years later. At the age of 85, he conquered Hebron [Jos 15:14-15]. Hebron was the dwelling place of the giant Anakites.

Hebron wasn't the end of the story. He stirred up his nephew Othniel [Jos 15:16-17] who later became the first judge of Israel [Jdg 3:7-11]

The underlying theme is that Caleb "has a different spirit and follows God wholeheartedly" [Num 14:24, Jos 14:9]. He continued his challenge at the age of 85 years old which may seem daunting to a lot of people.

For his case age may seem daunting, what about ours? Are there any issues preventing our faith from rising? How do we go about them? I pray that Dad will speak clearly to each and every one of you reading this =) "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." [2Cor 13:14]

love,
kev

Interested?

2007-11-28T15:47:00.000+08:00

1. Exhibition - GROOVISIONSSIN, 28 Nov 07 to 6 Jan 08 at the National Museum of Singapore from 10am - 6pm, daily. Free Admission. http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/home.html

2. NParks would like to invite you to our GardenTech 2007 Exhibition from 7 to 11 Dec at HortPark.
For more information, visit us at http://www.gardentech.com.sg

2007-11-28T00:41:00.000+08:00

just some photos to lighten up the stress of those mugging for exams.

preparing the donut cake...

the two birthday girls

another shot of the 2 birthday girls

i'm so touched! sobz...

the tasty and yummy donuts....

the last donut was used for something else...

no comments....

it wasn't easy to get a shot of aurelia...

featuring the bengs...

an inspirational story

2007-11-27T16:54:00.000+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USUvzKDroqM

To Still see You even when we are in Valley times...

2007-11-26T11:25:00.000+08:00

I was thinking about my experience at Bethel Church in June 2007, and I was thinking of all the conferences that I have attended since I became a Christian, all the camps, the advances, every single mountain top experience that I have been through. I realized that all these mountain top experience simply points to one direction. Down.

From the mountain top, down to the valley. While walking to the bus stop everyday, on my way to school, I will see huge landscapes. There seems to be no end. The entire place seems to be surrounded by huge mountains everywhere. And each day I walked past them. Each day I have seen them till I am pretty much used to the sight. But today, it was different. I saw a picture of the mountains, but my eyes did not just stayed up at the mountain top. They scanned downwards towards the bottom of the mountains. The valley.

God brought me to Psalm 84 today.

"As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains ALSO cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion."

The Valley of Baka (NIV) is also known as the Valley of Weeping (NASB version). One thing I will absolutely hold firm, is that every single word in the Bible is from God. Every word, not one is not from Him. David wrote that as the people passes through the Valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs.

I stared at the mountains but slowly the top of the mountains do not catch my attention anymore. It is the Valley that caught my attention. When the people pass through the Valley, they wept. That is why it is call the Valley of Weeping. But they make it a place of Springs. God showed me a picture, of many crying, many going through enormous challenges. And they just wept and cried and cried. The tears by right should accumulate and become like a pool of tears. But David said, they make it a place of springs. Springs are places where water wells up from an underground source. They do not form pools. It symbolizes life and vibrance.

I stared at this verse and God showed me even more. "The autumn rains ALSO covers it with pools. These people as they go thru valley times, they cried and wept. But their tears, together with the rain that God had sent, the autumn rains, they seeped through the dirt and soil they piles up the valleys and they nourished the soils. The water and the tears, brought LIFE.

That is why there is verse 7. "They go from STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, till each appears before God in Zion."

Our valley times are times when we are marked for great promotion, IF we know and recognize that the tears we shed, are not tears of hopelessness. The mindset that we have MUST change. God has hidden refreshments FOR us, not FROM us. There is a difference. The tears we shed during our valley times, is like Springs, that gushes out and spurts out. And it pushes through the dirts and the soils of our trials. These valley times are some of the greatest moments for promotion.

Why did the people go from strength to strength? Because in their disappointment, in their valley times, they did not give up. We fail to overcome when we face disappointments and we need an explanation to make us feel better about the moment where instead we should be discontented so that we will wage a violent war against all that restrains us to find His solution that will never dissipate.

Valley times will bring great promotion and victory. I know some of us are going through terrible times. I just do not want to say names cause there is no need to do so at all. With what He has shown me, I just wish to share them with any of you that is going thru screwed up times. I can only share with you what I have experienced from Him. But I cannot experience the experience for you. I will be there to pray, to love and support any of you, but I cannot experience this experience FOR you. You have to see it from your own eyes.

His scriptures truly brings life IF we allow it to speak to us. If they are just merely words we read everyday, and not experience a transformation within us, then the bible is simply a book. But it isn't just a book. It is a launching pad for everyone of us, to experience the author. We do not worship the bible. We worship the One that the Bible talks about...

These are just the many thoughts in my mind that are not exactly very organized. But I know, they are my honest thoughts with a simple passion that I wish to share with whoever reads this blog. God bless!

Luke 2:49-52

2007-11-25T23:37:00.001+08:00

Luke 2:49-52:

"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Over the pass few days, I am not able to go any further other than being stuck at the above verses. Luke 2:49-52. It has been so overwhelming to me and it has spoken very deeply to me. I am finally able to pen down my thoughts and I just wish to share them with every one of you, my beloved cellmates.

Luke 2 shows a life of Jesus growing up. I believed all of us have read this passage before. Each of us may have different verses that stood out and have special meaning, personal meanings. I would call these verses those verses that we will fight for. Verses that we will even become “jealous” when we hear others speak of it. Why? Because these verses are those verses that changed our perspective and our mindset. Verses that have such precious meaning to us in which God spoke, that we hold on to so tightly forever.

These pass few days as I allowed Luke 2:49-52 to brew inside me, these have become verses that I hold onto so tightly. It is like saying, “these are MY verses.” Why? Cause they have changed the perspective that I have used to see. To sum it up, it has been life changing.

I believe each of you have your own verses that you hold onto tightly. May I be allowed to share a little of what He has taught me.

Whatever He has taught me has never been very difficult to grasp. It is the one and only simple truth that has always revolved around Him. INTIMACY above everything else. Intimacy with the Father.

Jesus understood this since He was young. He has began cultivating a relationship of intimacy with His heavenly Father since He was young. Much more than that of His earthly father. The bible says, Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and IN FAVOR with God and men.

Here is why I am stucked these few days. I can understand the part about Jesus growing in favor with men. But it stunned me that the bible says, Jesus grew IN FAVOR with GOD!

This verse brought me to a stop. If even Jesus needs to increase and grow and favor with His heavenly Father, what more me? If the Son of God, who is perfect in character and sinless, needs to obtain favor from His Father, what more me?

Jesus is our example of the greatest privilege that we have been given since we accepted Christ. Intimacy with the Father. Through this, He grew in favor with God, even when He and the Father are One. I know, within my own limited mind and biblical knowledge, that I cannot provide a satisfactory answer as to why the Bible said, Jesus grew in Favor with God. Why does He need to grow in Favor? Shouldn’t He not need to do so?

While I cannot provide you guys with an answer, but in my heart, all I know is, if Jesus, the sinless and perfect one, needs to grow in favor with God, I know I need to even more…

How Extravagant Will I Be For You Jesus?

2007-11-20T17:20:00.000+08:00

Dear cell,

How have everyone of you been? Have not heard from all of you for very long time already. Is everyone doing well? Persevere on as you all study hard for your exams. Mine is coming soon as well, right after the NUS exams.

Just wish to share about 2 words that have been ringing constantly thru my mind this whole day. Never left me till the point it just keep echoing in my mind.

"Reckless Abandonment"

2 Samuel 6:14-16, 23, fully describes the 2 words. King David, stripping off his kingly garments and dancing wildly before God, till the point where his own wife despised him.

WOW! Well it sure caught my attention in that. The fullness of reckless abandonment, lived out right in front of my eyes.

It is truly very humbling to know how a king with status will give up that reputation and dance wildly for the Father. It is yet hurting and painful for me at the same time when I search myself and know there are times I withhold my worship from Him.

To ask for reckless abandonment is not just about asking Him. It is about doing it as well. Thru the doing, you will receive. There will be a shift in our spirits that align what that of the Jesus. I truly believe that. God gives us opportunities for us to see Him work. I like that, rather than merely giving us whatever we want. He knows best and somehow throughout the course of being away, I have come to realize that is usually how He likes to work. He gives opportunities to answers, not answers straight away.

King David knew what it meant to be extravagant for Jesus. He knows that when it comes to Jesus, nothing else actually matters. The pride, and reputation just melts away from Him. Reckless Abandonment brings our faith, our intimacy with Him into another level. Another realm where we will be able to experience how tangible our Father is.

In UCSC, there are lots of forests and trees. And I got to walk very far to go from one lecture to another. He gave me the opportunity to worship Him in the woods, while walking from lectures to lectures. It was fearful because many students walk pass everyday. But there is no breakthrough for me if I choose to be safe all the time. I started putting on my headphones and blasted my worship music in my ears. And I started singing so loudly, many times people just walked pass and stared at me.

Who cares! HAHA. When it comes to the Father, I have realized it ain't going to matter for me. Our Father is an extravagant God, but yet He is not wasteful. There is a big difference. Often times, the things that are reckless, seem wasteful to people. Things that in our humanly minds make us think that we should not do, and it will make us look bad, it is not worth doing this, doing that.

When Mary poured an ointment on Jesus, that ointment costs a full year's income. You can find the story in Matthew 26. The disciples thought it was a waste and it could be put into better use if it was sold and the money given to the poor. To them this is silly. Such a waste!

But to Jesus, it takes delight in Him. Kingdom perspective is very different from earthly perspective. It is about time we see from the Father's perspective, that He longs to see fully abandoned worshippers that when they come into His presence, they will be lost with Him. That they will put aside everything they have and say to the Father,"I just want You. It does not matter what I do, I just want to be in Your presence, soaking up everything. I just want to give whatever I can give to You. Even if it looks silly. I love to do it."

A heart of excellence has no place for the poverty spirit that seeks to make us feel inferior to the world when we do certain things that make us different from this world. We are not from this world in the first place. So there is nothing inferior to feel about. I would like the world to see the joy that is in you and I that overflows when we worship the Father with reckless abandonment.

Satisfied with Lack. That is the only thing we should be satisfied with...

2007-11-19T18:40:00.001+08:00

"One thing i desire, one thing i seek. To gaze upon your beauty, your majesty. God of my Salvation, lifter of my head. Teach me how to live oh Lord, in Your righteousness. So I pray to You, so i pray to You.

Lord Your name, is higher than the heavens, Lord Your name is higher than all created things. Higher than hope, higher than dreams. The name of the Lord.

In the day of trouble, You cover me. In the secret place of refuge, Lord I will sing. So I pray to You. So I pray to You.

Lord Your name, is higher than the heavens, Lord Your name is higher than all created things. Higher than hope, higher than dreams. The name of the Lord.

I will seek Your face, call upon Your name, Jesus. And all I want is You, Jesus, Jesus.

Lord Your name, is higher than the heavens, Lord Your name is higher than all created things. Higher than hope, higher than dreams. The name of the Lord."

What beautiful lyrics! May this words from a song i love, touch you all. He is such a beauty!

"Father, I pray for great breakthroughs in the lives of my cell members. Father teach us to only be satisfied with LACK. This means Lord, teach us to NEVER be satisfied with what we have now, but to seek greater intimacy with You. Lord help us to understand that we can never be complacent with what we already have. We have to always ask for more from You Lord. Greater passion, greater intimacy, understanding, love for others. Father, I ask You be centre stage even during this period of time. Lord I pray against academics now. That In Jesus name, I bind the spirit of academics, that it will not replace You in our lives. Lord, i pray for Quality Time spent with you in the midst of this reading week for my cell mates. I pray for NO COMPROMISING of time when it comes to spending time with You. I pray for discipline, and time management. Father, I pray for the lives of every single cell member now. Those that are going through tough times, those that are giving up, pls Lord, restore them. And please change us from within, that we know how to love, to understand, from Your perspective. I lift up everyone into Your hands. Fill us with the Holy Spirit that will be our guide as we live each day for You. In Jesus name I pray. AMEN!"

His Creation

2007-11-18T18:12:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

I attached a photo of the view I got when I climbed up a cliff today, at Santa Cruz. it was freezing up there but the view of the mountains and seas is just simply majestic and it just reminds me of how great our Father is. Hope to share it all with you all.

There Is Something More Than Mere Survival...

2007-11-18T17:48:00.000+08:00

Isaiah 60:1-2 was the verse I read today.

"Arise, Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you, and His glory appears over you."

It has been 2 months since I left for USA. And in the blink of an eye, I have one month left. As I reflected the pass 2 months, the ONLY reason why I am still surviving, is Jesus. As I thought about everything that happened while I'm here, I can only attribute the reason of me still being here, to His abundant grace.

I found out something amazing as I thought about Isaiah 60:1-2.

The Lord rises upon us, His glory appears over us. His grace fills us and towers over every adversity and trial we face. His love shatters every darkness of the evil one. Often times, I realized, that I just wish for God to help me survive a particular trial. That I will still be ok after the trial. That I will survive it and not be defeated by the challenge.

But somehow my mindset has changed after reading Isaiah 60 and I thank God for the change.

We are NOT destine to SURVIVE a Challenge. We are destined to be OVERCOMERS. We are destined to OVERCOME the challenge.

A challenge is not meant to be survived! If we survived a challenge, it is like the challenge is still present and we are merely sticking our heads out of water and finding our breath. It is like saying a person who fell into a deep swimming pool, is simply floating with his head bumping in and out of water catching breath, instead of holding onto a buoy that is right in front of him. He is SURVIVING, but he has not overcome yet. If he has overcome, he will be holfing the buoy and not constantly struggling to catch his breath.

That is the picture God gave me. We are not meant to just be on the fringe, hanging, surviving. We have a God that will help us OVERCOME the trials we face and when we overcome a challenge, it is not a challenge anymore because God has challenged it and won.

There is a very big difference between survival and overcoming.

We are destined to overcome.

Overcome means to prevail to triumph over something.

Look at Revelations 12:11.

"They triumph over him (the evil one), by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony..."

We are the "They" that Revelations 12:11 is talking about.

We triumph over our situations. We do not merely survive.

As we all enter into a time of exams, desserts (I refuse to say "stressed" because I refuse to agree with the enemy that stress exit. Because I do not have to give satan the authority to carry out his evil plans), and as each of you all have your own trials, battles to fight, either relationships with friends, tension, or whatever situation, remember one thing...

We are Overcomers!! That is clearly stated in the Bible. And we are His sons and daughter, with authority from Heaven.

Satan only has authority when we empower him. He is nothing but a leech. He takes our power only if we allow him to stick to us. We are the ones with the authority. Not satan. Let us stop giving the stupid guy authority!!

I sincerely believe we all will overcome the upcoming challenge and testify that Jesus has brought each of us thru. I look forward to all the wonderful stories from you guys.

"Father, thank You for the authority You have given to us. That we are the established generation. A generation of Youths, that are of royal blood. Father, with You in us, I believe all of us will triumph over our situations. We are for the strength, the power, the wisdom, the joy, to study for You, to serve You, to love You, and to obey You. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!"

Love you all very much.

Chris

Calling

2007-11-17T16:17:00.001+08:00

this caught my attention... i pray that we'll wait on Dad always so that we'll hear Him always... and when He calls us to do somethin we'll obey and bring glory to Him!

Calling of Moses -> [Exo 3]

3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up."

4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!
And Moses said, "Here I am."

Calling of Paul -> [Acts 22]

6"About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'

8" 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked.

" 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 9My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

10"'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked.

Calling of Samuel -> [1 Sam 3]

10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Calling of Peter, James, John -> [Lk5]

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.

...

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Calling of Isaiah -> [Isa 6]

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

What He intends for us is not exactly what we have in mind.

2007-11-16T18:04:00.001+08:00

Dearest cell mates,

Today marks the end of my mid-term exams. I finished 6 exams over the course of the last few weeks. It will be 4 more weeks to my Final Year exam before I fly back and I will see you all again. Miss you all very much.

At the end of today, I learnt something from Daddy which I believe is the essence of how Our Father works.

Many times, when we pray, we ask God to grant our requests. "Lord, please help me through this exam." "Lord, please grant me courage to handle this issue." Lord, please grant me the strength and please grant me the love that is from You, to love this person the way You do."

We ask God for many things. But I am not sure if it has ever occurred to all of you, but what I am about to describe to you all, it somehow occurs to me very often...

Often times, the answer from God is very different to what my human mind had originally perceived to be. We often have a perceived answer to what our prayers will turn out to be.

"Lord, if I have asked You for courage, You will give me the courage. I will feel it inside of me right away. Cause You said, ask and You shall receive."

True, but only half true...

Why? Because I believe Our Lord sees much deeper than we do. Very often, when we receive a reply to our prayers from Him, it is often not what we expected it to be. Well guess what, very often, the answer that we get from Him, is the BEST answer to our prayers, and it always contains what we have asked Him for in our prayers. We just need to start seeing it from His perspective. How? Well, that is why we have the Holy Spirit. Let me reveal what He shared with me today.

If we ask for courage to do something, if we say, ask for Faith to carry out something really humanly impossible, do you think God will just give us that courage and faith just like that, OR do you think God will give us opportunities in which our courage and faith will be acted out.

I believe God gives OPPORTUNITIES. If I want more faith, He will provide me with situations where I will be able to see faith being exercised.

Our God is a God of opportunities. And thru these opportunities, we find the answers to our prayers. And we learn and grow from it and become a better person.

There are times where He supplies immediately, but I just wish to provide another suggestion, that there are times too, where He provides opportunities that reveals the very thing we have been asking for.

He never spoon-feeds.

And each time, He Knows Best. What a great God we have. Thank You Daddy. :)

trust <-- tree --> delight

2007-11-15T21:31:00.000+08:00

Jer 17
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Ps 1
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

somethin to ponder abt the verses...

love,
kev

Just a simple quote.

2007-11-15T17:55:00.000+08:00

"We must plan as if we have a lifetime to live, but pray and work as though we have very little time left." - Pastor Bill Johnson

How true is this statement. Lord, may You teach us to grasp the meaning of this statement.

The Greatest Man in History

2007-11-15T09:49:00.001+08:00

J E S U S
had no servants, yet they called Him
M a s t e r.
Had no degree, yet they called Him
T e a c h e r .
Had no medicines, yet they called Him
H e a l e r.
He had no army, yet
Kings Feared Him .
He won no military battles, yet
He Conquered the World.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet
He lives today.
I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!
AND HE IS COMING AGAIN!!!!

Roshan.J.Thaliath

If we love God sincerely, then all that we do, think & say will be
directed towards pleasing God. But if God is not so important to us,
then we will think & seek Him only when we are desperate. Our love for
God should permeate every aspect of our ordinary life.
- Fr Philip Heng, S.J.

Stick to it or give up?

2007-11-14T23:04:00.000+08:00

Hebrews 13:11-14

“The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus ALSO suffered OUTSIDE the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”

If you ask yourself, do you have something that you just wish to do for God inside your heart, but yet you just do not know how to execute it because you feel you are not strong enough, not capable enough, not daring enough, OR even you feel that if you ever mention it to anyone, people will just think you are nuts?

Do you have a passion that has been inside you for so long never daring to say it out for the fear that you will receive reproach? And because of that, you dampened the passion and put it inside you, never releasing it.

I did.

When I studied Hebrews 13 today, I realized many times if I want a breakthrough, often times I have to face some reproach. Let me explain…

I strongly believe God will use each and every one of us in a great way for Him. EVERYONE. Not a single one will be left out.

I am not sure if I assume correctly but I shall go ahead with it. I believe each of us does have things in our hearts, passions, ideas, that are from God and we just WISH we can do it for Him. BUT, often we just fear what others will say.

I reflected upon all my experiences. There are times I know that there are things He dropped inside me but I never dared to say them out cause of the fear of reproach from humans.

I came to realize one thing today. The way Heaven functions is pretty much different from the way we function here on earth. Often times favor from Heaven, is not always so pleasant from our point of view. Maybe that is why Jesus says, my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.

Jesus suffered OUTSIDE the city gate for the people. To make them holy. The holy of holies did not belong to the MOST HOLY PLACE stated in Hebrews 13. Instead He was outside and He bore the disgrace of human’s sins. How ironic is that right? Of all people, Jesus should be inside the Most Holy Place!!

Jesus was not in there because He came for the sinners, those that do not belong inside the city. Outcasts. He who has no sin is made a sinner so we can become the righteousness of God.

If we read the story of Jesus, did the people understand why He did that? Many think He is nuts. But Jesus knows, deep down in His heart, what He is called to do, BY GOD. For He only does what the Father says.

As followers of Jesus, we too are to carry that reproach. Breakthroughs often take place outside the city gate. People may not understand the intentions you have inside of you. They may ask you, “Are you sure?”, “Maybe you should reconsider again…”. Some may think you are just being extra or doing something redundant. Some may not be as passionate as you.

But please do not back down. IF you know it is clearly from God, keep that flame burning. Always remain true to your call. Do not let that passion or that desire inside of you die because of what others say.

“Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.”

Who is the one person who has been most strongly misunderstood? Jesus.

Who is the person that has been discouraged countless times, but has never given up? Jesus. Look at the number of times Jesus has seen the sins of this world that His creation has fallen away from Him. But yet, He has never given up on each of us.

I know of people that are very close to me, who have been discouraged, and that passion for what they once love doing is slowly dying off. Please hang on. Please do not give up. James 5 talks about, “ENDURANCE!!...Fight till the finish…”

Even when no one understands, even when you are the only one person, keep going. Even if it means to go outside the city gate, away from where everyone else is, where human support is present, GO! Go outside of that city gate. Hang on to your dream and passion. Because we belong to the outside. Breakthrough will come when we exit the place of human support and FULLY ask for Godly support.

Keep fighting. Keep pursuing Jesus and keep doing what He has told you to do, amidst the discouragement. Because HE will honor your faithfulness.

Love,
Chris