Then Suddenly . . .

Details of the Rap competition!

2008-10-23T22:47:00.001+08:00

Are you ready to Yo the Stage!!!

The Rap is OUT

Rap it All in 30 Secs

YOUTH.EM - Freedom Of Choice (Choose Life) Rap Script
A victim of collision on the open sea

Nobody ever said that life was free

Sank, swam, go down with the ship

But use your freedom of choice

------

I’ll say it now in the land of the free

Use your freedom of choice

Your freedom of choice
-

Freedom of Choice
-

Freedom of choice

Is what you got

Freedom of choice!

Freedom of choice

Is what you got

CHOOSE LIFE!!!

YOUTH.EM - Freedom Of Choice (Choose Life) Rap Track

YOUTH.EM - Freedom Of Choice (Choose Life) Rap Track - Ryan

IMPORTANT
More Details to the RAPPING COMPETITIONAll contestants are to Rap according to the script and track givenEach contestant will be given 30 secs to present his/her Rap on stage

The Judging Criteria:

Rapping Style

Dressing

Time Usage

Entertainment Value

And with that, the Prizes will be Given to:

The Best Rapper

Most Creative Rapper

Most Entertaining Rapper

Come and Rap it OUT!!!

2008-10-22T01:05:00.001+08:00

Following the roaring success of the Youth'em Outback @ Sentosa, the DT youths proudly presents...... *drumroll*

Youth'em - Freedom of Choice!

You're cordially invited to this event that will change and empower your life like never before. Take note of the details below so you can be part of it!

:: 26th October 2008, Sunday ::
:: 3pm to 5pm ::
:: Riverwalk, Clark Quay ::

Activities to look forward to? Read on!

- The next-big-rRrRapper!

What to do?
- Rap your best in 30 secs and stand to win attractive prizes!
- Participants are to follow the script and rap to the beat/track given.

Who can participate?
- Each CG will send a representative to perform this special task.

:: Practise your rapping skills now! =D ::

Also, look forward to special performances from the DT Zone youths. I won't spoil the fun by disclosing too much details BUT...

There's dance and music! Not forgetting games and a powerful message brought to you by Bro Darren himself!

What are you waiting for? Avail yourself for this Youth'em event and start inviting your friends from now till Sunday.

Let them receive the Freedom of Choice!

ehheh/// just passing by

2008-10-20T12:19:00.002+08:00

hmm... been so long since i'd added anything here, hope everyone's fine. thanks to all who prayed and still prays for me for my upcoming A levels. it's an awful period, but thank God he's faithful. i'm really blessed in everyway.

to those who hasn't read the harvest times latest iddue RHEMA by Dr Cho, i think it's really a good article to read. 4 responses so far, all were "very good", "amazing" and "unbelievable"...

ok, i got my prelim results already. guess what. i didn't do well. really. lol. chem- 50%, math-60+% and bio-60+%. in the end, after moderation, i got (in this sequence), C, D, E for bio, math, chem respectively.

came as a huge blow to me. like i wanna cry but no tears are coming out. like i know no longer how to run the race, the path's convoluted, and i'm just fighting in pure darkness. but thank God he's faithful.

ah confession time here. my prayer time became quite irregular, missing days here and there (or just mutter a 5-min prayer and sleep). despite this, the grace of God is still true, and whenever we seek him, he shall be found.

and so i got a rhema, about I AM WHO I AM, the Jehovah who is everything. and thus says the lord, if i'd put him first, everything that i ask i shall receive. ahh... convicted. been studying and not doing quiet time...

and anyway, pastor preached about that the next day, I AM WHO I AM. that was last week. this week, he preached about how you should visualise and think positively ( the water and dr masura emmoto) . i'm a science science student, had always been, and the sermon really blessed me a lot.

how powerful God is, to make all these crystals form, when we CHOOSE to think and speak positively...

hope this encourages you and cheers to all who are going to have exams soon, jia you, and i'll see you around!

love
ZHINIAN

2008-10-02T14:59:00.004+08:00

I was just spending time with God last night and God reminded me about the armour that He has given to us to fight the devil. Even though i have not gone through the BS on spiritual warfare, i feel that God wants me to be prepared. I'm currently reaching out to one of my uni friends and he has quite a disheartening promise to himself. I don't know if it's the devil who prompted him to told me the promise that he has never told anyone.. but i thank God that i can put on His armour and emerge victorious. I thank God and Zoe for cellgroup message on issuing a statement of intent to the devil.

Just a short post regarding what i'm feeling(:

Isa 35:4 "Say to them [that are] of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, valerie's God will come [with] vengeance, [even] God [with] a recompence; he will come and save valerie.

thank God(:

val

youth'em! pop: have a break, have a piece of peace!

2008-09-16T22:20:00.003+08:00

hey everyone! this sunday's our next youth'em!

voting has closed. CHARLES is the official e348 geek! any suggestions on how he should dress up, please contact him personally... there's nerd geek and chic geek btw... i haven't gotten the judging criteria so i'll let you ppl know asap! by wed night...

please go get your friends down ya? promise, it's gonna be good. those who attended the first youth em should have an idea. this time it'll be better...

okie then... check up for more updates!

Journeys

2008-09-14T19:31:00.003+08:00

I just felt that I should post something in here... I was giving tuition earlier and chanced upon one of my old essays that I wrote, a long, long time ago. Figured there's no harm sharing it here for everyone's reading pleasure rather than let it rot in my drawers; this one's entitled 'Journeys', from, do bear in mind, my sec 4 common test, long before I came to know God and you guys. It scored 26/30. Here goes; I dedicate this to Jamie and to Zhinian, and to Hongxiu (come on! you can do better! glory to glory!):

The word 'journeys' evokes images of the passage of time, in which one progresses and travels from one point to another. Journeys are everywhere around us, intricately woven into the very fabric of the universe, from the macroscopic level to the microscopic.

When the universe as we know it began with the Big Bang thirteen billion years ago, an epic saga had begun, a journey through the tunnel of time with the end, if it exists, still far from sight. Nuclear reactions, interstellar collisions, flashes of light; the universe had journeyed from a pinprick of indescribable energy to the container of constellations and galaxies today. Similarly, the planet Earth has journeyed from a barren and rocky planet millions of years ago to become a gaia, a green and blue haven for life. Could it further journey in the near future to become a planet covered with soot and pollution? That is a side issue but one which is dictated by the journeys of its primary inhabitants, humans, otherwise known as homo sapiens.

Humankind has also come a long way since its journey began during the Pre-historic age. From primitive primates (or not, for that matter), mankind has evolved. It has been a journey of progress, and with his ingenuity and guile in solving problems came scientific developments which improved lives. For hunting and defence, sticks and stones evolved to swords and bows, to rifles and cannons, and finally to warplanes and missiles. For travelling, walking gave way to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, to trains, and finally to automobiles and aeroplanes which cover distances that would have required months in the past in merely a few hours. From beings clad in loincloths huddled in caves the typical man has journeyed to become well-rounded beings clad in shirts and pants and dresses living in elaborate man-made structures of concrete, which brings to mind journeys of a subtly different nature.

The rise and fall of empires, of societies; are these not journeys in themselves? From small communities of people in forests and caves man has journeyed to now live in sprawling metropolises housing millions each. When the ancient people of Mesopotamia and China realised that there was safety in numbers, they bonded together to form villages, towns, cities and eventually countries. On another note, the organisation of societies has also evolved in its millenia-old journey. From primitive despotism in prehistoric times where communities were ruled by the most powerful came the monarchy where the class of aristocrats controlled power. The Greeks conceived the ideas of the republic and democracy, rule by the people, and Karl Marx more recently contemplated the idea of communism. The polarity between the last two has subsided with the end of the Cold War. Now, would people hundreds of years from now look back at that part of society's journey with fascination?

More down to earth are journeys of a personal nature. Be it commutes from home to work or school to the journey of an entire life, it is impossible to dismiss any part of our lives as not being a journey. Taking a bus to work is a journey in the literal sense. However, reading a book or participating in online forums can be journeys in knowledge. Encompassing all these is the journey of a life. From the time of conception to the time of death, a living being embarks on a kaleidoscopic journey of senses and experiences, of sights and sounds, of ideas and emotions. There is no rest-point, no break in this journey, and the only possible point where it can end is at death.

Journeys exist not just to teach, to tell, and to entertain. They exist to be experienced. Just as reading a book of fiction or watching a movie, a journey serves to bring character to any being, be it animate or inanimate. As for us, our journey has a long way to go. Taking the words from a computer game Alpha Centauri, 'Eternity lies ahead of us, have you drunk your fill?'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So yeah, there you have it, 'Journeys'. Some journeys run in parallel, some converge at some point or another. Like what Mark mentioned on the train yesterday, all of us are going through our own stepping stones and stumbling blocks in our individual lives. We are not alone in our journeys; none of us are. I have come a long way since writing the above essay back in sec 4, and I know I have a long way to go yet. I know I am not alone in my journey of life, because I have you guys, and God, with me. =) Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Charles

2008-08-24T20:22:00.002+08:00

YO YO YO, ALL YOU PRETTY BABES AND FUNKY DUDES OUT THERE! PRESENTING TO YOU, OUR VERY OWN DT LET-YOUR-HAIR-DOWN YOUTH EVENT

•YOUTH’EM, LOL (live out loud): The Other Meaning of Life

•THERE’S GONNA BE LOTS OF HYPE AND HAPPENINGS, FROM THE high end LIKE “FRIENDS LOOK-O-LIKE CONTEST” TO THE very high end “MOST POPULAR GUY/GIRL*”! EXCITING PRIZES AWAITS, AND LOOK OUT FOR SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY KIM FROM CAMPUS SUPERSTAR, performances AND LOTS OF mYsTeRiOuS, WOW-ing PROGRAMMES LINING UP JUST FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND YOURSELF! •WAIT NO LONGER, SHARE THE FUN AND GET ALL YOUR FRIENDS DOWN, AND WE GONNA •ROCK THE PLACE UPSIDE DOWN !

IT’S HAPPENING ON 31ST August 2008, NEXT SUNDAY FROM 2-5PM@RIVERWALK, CLARKE QUAY. STAY TUNED!

BRING YOUR BIGGEST BUNCH OF FRIENDS DOWN, AND LET THE WORLD KNOW YOU’RE THE MOST IMPACTFUL, THE MOST OUTGOING, AND YES, THE MOST POPULAR!

Make it happen. Get them for the Look-o-Like contest! =)

that's all for now =)

Do get your members to be excited about the Look 'O' Like (LOL) competition, strongly encourage them to participate as its an avenue for them to invite their friends down... ATTRACTIVE PRIZES to be won!!

Note! Member and member also can join!!

The judging criteria is
1) similar features ( no need to be exactly the same luh! )
2) overall similar style (i.e. their mannerisms... the way they dress...)
3) Chemistry (i.e. how well they know each other too)

How to participate:

1) Strongly encourage them to send in their photos to youth.em@live.com.sg during the course of the week so that we can have a rough gauge on the number of contestants

Just have to send one pic and include their names and (cg)

2) They can also sign up on that day itself! There will be a counter to register at the waiting area.
No need to bring photos unless they want to (soft copy)... cos we will probably get someone to take a photo for them on the spot...

that's all for now =)

with lots of smiles =)
THE YOUTH'EM TEAM

2008-07-04T00:13:00.002+08:00

HELLO HANDSOME GUYS AND BEAUTIFUL LADIES!!
I know i haven't been blogging in our thensuddenyle348 for quite some time so it's time for an update! I see that our blog has suddenly become alive again!

Just now had the second prayer meeting with my colleagues and what can i say?! it was beyond what i imagined. We chose a different location this time with light, praise, worship, pray. 2 of them were quite dead during praise and i learnt from what Wendy said when she led praise last time that 'only the dead people cannot praise God, so is everyone alive today?!', it was a good try though. Worship was a great time of dwelling in the presence of God and each one of us taking turns to pray, to share. I was really proud of my friend that even though he had fallen away from God and had just recently went back to church, he shared! It was really an encouraging moment. This time i think we were more open to each other so it was also easier for us to share but at the same time, i thank God that each of us took the step of faith to open our mouths to speak and to edify our souls.

Starting a prayer group has been my vision and urge during the 21 days of prayer and of course, this cannot be done by myself alone for i know i'll not be bold enough to take this step but really thank God for giving me the boldness to do so, to cross my comfort zone and make a difference in my marketplace. We also discussed about who we can reached out to and the girls (my friend and myself), had the same people in my mind. It will not be an easy task as i know that once we started this prayer group the devil will be fighting with us, so we need to become even stronger to fight these wars.

One night when i was in Japan and talking to God, He spoke to me about the first touch. What was the first experience i had with God that i will not forget? Most of us came from non-christian family and we have broken rules just to be with God, like for myself, I told my mum that i was watching movie with my friends at town but i was at jurong west. That first touch from God, the first time we experience God's love pouring down as we open our hearts to Him and how we wanted to know God more and more each day, to walk with Him each day. Let's remember this special relationship we have with God today and renew it each day. (:

Cheers!
Val

My purpose

2008-07-01T14:22:00.002+08:00

Hello guys!

Just wanna share with u my thoughts over the past few weeks..

A few weeks back... Jaydee, my good friend from security got sent by Bro Chris to ask me... "What is my purpose?"

and i thought.. wow! this is easy.. my purpose is to study for this period of my life.. and set up gatekeeperlabs (cpu cooler company) asap.

but i thought.. if that is my purpose.. then why am i not doing anything to pursue it?

So for the next week, i worked everyday to submit a proposal to Spring Sg for a 750k grant to help gatekeeperlabs become "the next technopreneurship SME" in singapore. Finally, after 26 pages and endless number of drafts, and koonpo with beers overnights at my house.. i submitted the proposal.

Then i thought.. ok whats next? Why is my vision so narrow that i feel like it can be completed in 1 week? And that sparked me to think of a greater vision, not only for my present, but for my future.

Its important for a man to have his vision clear, simple, and consistently in his mind. It was during last week's service that God reminded me of "No longer I, but Christ living in me". And somehow i thought to myself .. my vision.. is what i want to accomplish this short time that i have left. It has to only be 1 thing

To live out the fullest potential that God meant for me!

This means so many things to accomplish at different periods of my life..

for now its to do well in school, forge great friendships and be a committed friend, impact and change lives for the better, honor my parents

then i have to take responsibility and start planning for growth financially, make gatekeeper a platform for God to change the industry, find a bubbly, daring, unique, fierce yet shy but pretty and somewhat innocent, but willing to learn and step out, prays sometimes with a deep voice but yet very powerful, Lamborghini loving girl,

and a thousand other things, that will leave a legacy!

All these "tasks" appear daunting and yet i can say i enjoy doing every single one of it.

Dont make a vision something u hate doing, or it will never come to pass!

Finally i found my answer, my purpose is to live out my vision and enjoy the process of seeing lives change while doing it

living every second, up or down,

Joseph

The Next Level...

2008-06-29T03:03:00.002+08:00

Hi guys!

Seriously, our blog needs to undergo a major revamp in terms of contributors...what happened to when this blog was 1st created and everyone was so supportive and blogged?! Aei...say alot of times already laah, please catch the hint if you still call it one can? Let's be givers and sow to each other's lives with our revelations, testimonies and the likes! Or even your prayer requests etc!

Anyway, was just talking to Jamie and God spoke to me about 'the next level'. You guys are always in my prayers, and it really encourages me when I hear and see the effort some of you take to go beyond yourself to make things happen, or when you guys breakthrough in your walk with God. It makes my day, no exaggeration involved!

Things like when Cia came to me today saying that she is back in ministry and is happy about it shows the sermons are not just empty words...when Charles does so well in his NS and yet is so faithful in the KOG...when Val is taking steps to build a spiritual atmosphere in her workplace by initiating prayer groups that have materialized...things like these really make a difference.

Yep, the next level. We are 6 months into 2008. We all want to grow, but wanting is not enough. Like what B.Darren shared, knowing so much but not acting on it is not going to bring about any miracles. We got to reach out and step into the unknown, do the things that we fear most.

Question I want to ask you guys to think about: "What is the next level for me specifically?".

For some of us, it may be to be more diligent to follow through what we always speak but don't do, for others, it may be to join a ministry, yet for some, it may be to be a tither or come for CGM regularly. Whatever it is, I really believe once we all know our next level and take active steps to reach it, 2008 will be a year of transformation for E348. Let's end this year on a high for us yea?! Keep reinforcing the good habits for your breakthrough: the going can get tough, but that's when the tough gets going!

Cheerios,
Zoe

Challenged

2008-06-24T17:54:00.004+08:00

Hi guys! Here to add some life to our blog before it grows mouldy!

haha well they say a good message should be preached twice thrice and as many times to the people who need to hear it right?? hahhaa

I especially like the phrase "if the shoe fits, wear it"!

anyway last sat we were very blessed to have Bro D preach such a great message to us and my heart goes out to those who couldnt be there to hear it! haha well but i'll probably be sharing it during bs with my girls this week so I decided to add in my two cents worth here!

haha you know whats the most scary part about sharing the same message? I'm scared that I dun do justice to it and to the original preacher!

haha so yes heres a disclaimer: its not just about the word... it was the spirit behind the word and the presence of God during cgm that cannot be replicated here!

So guys... get the hint. We really want bro D to come back to preach again this saturday because our friends need to hear the word! and its not exactly the same if you think you can share it with them another day if they dun come, because this saturday is going to be a miracle if we can make it happen! The breakthrough in the spirit is going to be sucha blessing to our whole cellgroup. Its time we move up the next level!! We've been hovering at the same place (number) wayy too long!

I guess one of the things that spoke to me the most was holy discouragement.

How did Elisha get the double anointing??

2 Kings 2:1-17

He had to make a decision to move forward..just like how our Christian walk is progressive...

From Gilgal, to Bethel, to Jericho and finally he had to cross the Jordon

But the main question is why did Elijah ask Elisha to stay where he was??

You see, sometimes God gives us circumstances and conditions to discourage us from moving on... only to challenge, test us! Do we want to stay in our comfort zone or do we really have a passion for God? Will we keep on following him even if our prayers dun seem to be answered? Do we still really really want the breakthrough when we are comfortable where we are?

Elisha chose to follow. No matter what.

v17:
Finally, when they came to the Jordon, there were some men standing at the distance. But Elisha stayed with Elijah, and when Elijah parted the sea, they crossed together on dry grounds.

The Jordon speaks of separation, crossing the line. Crossing the line means stepping into the unknown, the dangerous. It might mean leaving your comfort zone, your friends behind. But at the same time, it is a step to your double anointing.

I think in this season of reaping the harvest... the devil is not just going to sit back and do nothing.. especially when he knows the potential that lies within our friends, and at the same time, we might be experiencing a lot of holy discouragement..(haha with all the rejections by our friends >.< arghhh.) But lets all remember the picture of daddy God and us mowing the lawn! He's in control!

Cheers,
jme

Outing

2008-06-05T21:31:00.002+08:00

Hey guys!

This is not officially a cg outing hah.. but any of u r free to join koonpo and me as we explore the hidden wonders of VIETNAM. lol

When?
It will be from Aug 3rd to Aug 8th ( Sunday to Friday ).

How much?
Air ticket is 168, inc all taxes and stuff. Accommodation is around 5USD a day. TOtal cost sld be SGD 350.

What will YOU be doing?
You will do what we do.
We will do crazy things. Really... really crazy things.

Why VIETNAM?
Its cheap (beer is 1USD, chicken wings and spring rolls 2USD per plate, in the beach hotel!)
Koonpo's been there done that, so he can bring us around
No 1 will ever know us. whahah

Who's Going so far?
Koonpo (gay leader)
Joseph (rocks)
Derek (security super handsome and funny guy)
Arrow (Derek's Girlfriend, pretty, church pageant rank 2)
Zoe (not confirmed)
Jamie (confirmed if zoe confirmed... sheep)

remember....
Malaysia is not truly asia,

Joseph

2008-05-24T00:40:00.002+08:00

HELLO!!((: let's come together and pray for Wendy as she goes for her mission trip this weekend. She'll be one of the backup vocalists for the mission trip and will also be in charge of the prize presentation. It's her first mission trip ever but it'll also be a very hectic one because she'll have to wake up very early for prayer meetings, getting the things ready, the 13 hours to-and-fro journey. She'll be back on Monday morning and head to SOT first thing after she's back. That's how hectic it is!! Nonetheless, let's pray that God's anointing will be upon her as she seeks for His face daily and also for supernatural strength(: Thanks for coming together praying and encourage each other(:

Much love,
Val(:

2008-05-21T02:48:00.002+08:00

I haven't been active in the bloggosphere of late, especially the E348 bloggosphere but here I am now! I hope and pray that this entry will inspire you. =) And you can be expecting some entries from me here this week and the next. =)

I was just reading my bible and these verses from Luke 11 jumped at me:

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Wow! Faith began to arise in my heart as I read these verses. Verse 8 says that the friend may not have wanted to rise initially and attend to the man asking for help but because of his persistence, the friend will eventually rise and give to him what he needs! And not just that but as many as he needs! Everyone who asks, receives!

Also, God being the good God and our Heavenly Father will give us a greater measure of the Holy Spirit when we ask Him! So let’s start asking, seeking and knocking like never before and see His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven! =) Ask for breakthrough in your spiritual walk, ask for revival to break forth in our CG, ask for the salvation of our friends and family, ask for financial abundance, ask for healing, ask for joy . . . ASK ASK ASK! Ask and it shall be given!

surprise!

2008-05-12T13:50:00.000+08:00

haha well for those who couldnt be around on sat, we planned a surprise for our dearest, hottest and youngest mom... ZOE!!

And yes we know her love language ;P

HUGS

ohyeah this was taken just outside bro d's house at bishan loft!
who's the meinu?? hahaha a bit of confusion with the arrows.. who's jo pointing at??

awwww...

For thy exam people...

2008-04-22T02:42:00.000+08:00

Hey all exam peeps!

Just poppin' by to say all the best for your upcoming exams (for those still in the midst of them)! We'll be making a difference for you in the prayer realm too, so you all make sure you study hard (and don't watch too many movies yea?-you know who you are). Be blessed with all the wisdom that you need, and remember we're around the corner if you get too stressed and need someone! ;)

And guess what? Holidays are less than a month away (for you guys lah)! And we're planning for our trip soon...so anyone who is free please do some research and think where you guys wanna head to for a short getaway yea?

Anyway since we're on the topic of school...

*Alright, that was for entertainment value only. Cheers to my fave comic strip! =p*

Saw this too, and guess what it reminded me of? Remember one CGM last year where we talked about how we all make up different parts of a family and we drew our erm...family potrait? Hammie in frame 3 looks similar to what one group drew huh? Umm...

Alright, that's all the strips I will paste up here. The rest are more relevant to my blog...hahaha. Seeya all soon, and keep shining in your marketplaces like you always have had!

Cheers and till Sat,
Zoe

Be moved...

2008-04-11T13:45:00.000+08:00

Hi guys,

Just wanted to share this with you all. A video of a 5 year old Korean girl who was born blind, yet is able to play tunes and sing just after hearing a song once. It will touch your heart tremendously, just as it brought tears to me. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntReE2n15bo&feature=related

Love,
Zoe

P/S: As usual, the comp geek in me has failed to load the youtube vid. Someone please help again...thanks!

(:

addition by J: eh ignore the mutate evolution part but enjoy their abilities!

loving God, loving People

2008-04-06T09:31:00.000+08:00

DST is over! How is everybody doing? Today our head of AGC brought us to a local church. His from FCBC btw. Its my first time attending a service in australia. Just want to share what was preached. BTW, they practice the communion weekly.

The motto of the Church is "loving God, loving people". We all love God. Loving people at a distance is easy, but how about people who are close to you?

Telling a "faith story" is crucial because it may just determine if the person spend eternity in hell or heaven.

How NOT to tell a faith story

Beat around the bush, sharing your personal life instead

Using religious terms

Sharing your encounter with God. (to atheists etc)

How TO tell a faith story

Use everyday term/slang they speak

Try to keep it within 1 min

Let them ask follow up question

Your life before you met Christ

How you came to Christ

Your life after you met Christ

Here are some photos taken. NO COMMENTS. haha

free sweets for all visitors (:

p.s The church gives me the feeling i experience in my very first church, Bread of Life.

Key to staying the course...

2008-04-02T02:29:00.000+08:00

Hi to the most SPECIAL cg around, ever!

Just thought I'll share something that really spoke to me today, which I hope will speak to you in like manner!

We've all been talking about heading the marketplaces that we are in. Today, the word of God showed me something...

Mt 10:1 says "And when He had called His 12 disciples to Him, He gave them power...".
However, Mt 10:2 says "Now the names of the 12 apostles are these..."

Note the progression. One verse before, it was the 12 disciples. 1 verse later, they had 'morphed' to become the 12 apostles. What caused the change that took place in less than a second at most? It was the 12: they no longer saw themselves as followers who needed Daddy to feed them with a milk bottle and clean up after them; they saw themselves now as leaders who were the solutions.

You know, many of us have a mentality that says "I exist to follow. As long as I remain an obedient sheep, I'm sure that's enough. What's the use of being too siao on? There are leaders who will inspire and encourage me, rescue me when I fall, so I can just sit around and mop!

Problem is, when you take on such a position, you literally have already taken the initiative God has for your destiny out of His hands.

God always works in a way where He gives us little by little. However, to keep us going, He empowers us with a vision. And that vision is often larger than we think our feet can fill. The use of this vision? It will keep you going when the going gets tough, because you know that one day, you will grow to that level where you feet will fit those shoes. Although challenges may surround, yet you will find yourself not letting go, because of the anticipation of the fulfilment of the vision one day. And that was how Joshua survived in a land of difficulties: he kept his eyes on the vision for his life, NOT the challenges!

Do you know the vision for your life, so clearly that it will keep you going in your toughest moments? If not, let's take some time aside to clarify our vision yea? You are called to be a leader in your marketplace, period!

In order not to be too philosophical, I shall end here now. Those interested in reading more can be directed to my personal blog. Haha, free advert space again.

On an ending note, just wanna share this video with you, of an 8 year old boy preaching in Indonesia. You'll be stunned...and very inspired. I guess we all have much room to grow and not be bogged down by the busyness of life. How true that out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants, praise is perfected.

Cheers,
Zoe

Choosing despite

2008-03-22T02:54:00.000+08:00

Just to share an ongoing story of petty politics from my army camp. It's just a minor issue but I feel it has relevance:

Z (a person) has, for the past few weeks/months, allegedly been behaving in a self-centered, self-serving, and inconsiderate manner, and all this in an environment that demands social cohesion by the nature of circumstances in order to function. It naturally follows that in so doing, he has offended a number of people (persons A-H, and W, X and Y). Reactions follow:

A-H decide that enough is enough, and decide to form an informal anti-Z alliance. This alliance aims to shake Z up into improving by means such as excluding Z from conversations, boycotting him from social pursuits, and generally marginalising him.

Person W, allegedly arguably the most severely manipulated by Z, doesn't seem to realise he's being taken advantage of at all, and gladly allows himself to be manipulated and gives Z whatever he asks. A-H observe this and take it upon themselves to 'defend' W from manipulation, adding it to the raison(s)-de-etre of the anti-Z alliance. They invite W, X and Y to join in the alliance.

W adopts a laissez-faire poise and refuses to commit.

X and Y feel uncomfotable about the whole issue and decide to hold a private discussion with A. After which, A decides to leave the anti-Z alliance and form an anti-'anti-whatever' alliance with X and Y, and that choosing to love people difficult to love is perhaps one of the highest callings as children of God.

In the above scenario, half of A-H, including A, and W, X and Y are Christians. I'm X, and myself and Y swayed A with the extract that:

'God uses the opposite situation of each fruit to allow us a choice. You can't claim to be good if you've never been tempted to be bad. You can't clain to be faithful if you've never had the opportunity to be unfaithful. Integrity is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when we refuse to be prideful; and endurance develops every time you reject the temptation to give up. Every time you defeat a temptation, you become more like Jesus!'
- 'The Purpose Driven Life', Chapter 26: Growing through Temptation

We all fight battles within ourselves. When marginalised, the natural tendency is often to be vengeful, to fight fire with fire, which can lead to attempting to right wrongs with further wrongs. A admits to having lost the battle here, and to having seriously believed that joining the anti-Z alliance was the only way to go. The 3 of us, A, X, and Y, have since concluded that W has been most examplary in this scenario, having turned the other cheek when slapped on one, and having no loss of charity and innocence in the process. W has won his battle hands down, and in gaming terms, 'own'-ed the temptation to be vengeful.

The 3 of us believe that, with W, we can reason out with B-H individually, and with Z, in the coming week and resolve the entire issue amicably.

The larger battle may be won here already, but the war can only be won if all of us make the conscious choice to do what's right constantly, even, even when it's most difficult to do so.

God bless and regards
Charles

Operations

2008-03-22T01:56:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, and a very happy and blessed Easter season to all of you!

Its been so long since I last posted that I've had difficulty even recalling the login to post entries here.. The easiest way to sum up, to account for my past few weeks, however, I believe would be to quote from a letter my unit has sent to all our parents (To relevant authorities who should read this, I believe this should be alright as parents = the public in my humble opinion, plus this can't possibly be anything but positive publicity for our servicemen. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll remove the post in a jiffy. -3SG Charles, SCT). So here goes:

'... It was not surprising then that the unit was activated on 27 Feb, the day that Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre. We were the first SAF unit to be sent in to establish a cordon around the immediate vicinity. The months of preparations and training showed in the level of discipline and readiness displayed by the soldiers and commanders. You probably would have seen pictures of our soldiers splattered across the pages of all the major newspapers on 29 Feb, and even on the front page of The Straits Times.

3 Guards has been reactivated to assist the police in their search operations through the forested areas of Singapore...... We have not found him yet, but we are convinced that we will, if he is indeed hiding in the forested areas...

......

The going has not been easy for the men. They have been deployed in numerous roles... The weather for the past 2 weeks has also been unrelenting, with almost daily thunderstorms. We have tried to provide the best equipment and clothing to protect and aid them, but it is understandable that they will start to feel worn down after a few days.

The search for Mas Selamat Kastari will continue for as long as he is not caught, and for as long as there is no evidence that he has left the country. It will be a long-drawn operation. I am writing to ask for your understanding if you do not see your son as often during this time. We are mindful of the need for them to rest, recharge and refresh themselves once in a while, and will plan for appropriate breaks.

Mas Selamat Kastari is a dangerous terrorist and he will pose a significant threat to all Singaporeans if he is not apprehended. I hope that you will support and encourage your son as he performs his national duty to secure the way of life for his family, friends and loved ones.

Join us in hoping and praying that Mas Selamat Kastari will soon be found.

- CO, 14 Mar'

2008-03-16T13:34:00.000+08:00

hello hello! i haven't blogged here for quite some time. anyway, just wanna type something short and sweet to you guys.

I've came to know how important it is to always have the joy of the Lord in every situations that we are in. I know that all of us have no problem being joyful in times of happiness, where all things are working so well but what happens when we are faced with trials and difficulties? Will we still be joyful? Trusting God that He will bring us through our trials and we will eventually emerge victorious? being 'cui' on the inside is actually more than enough already, what more God wants all of us to live each day with joy(: my dearest family, I know this is easier said than done but with God, all things are possible(:

Cheers!
val

Come away with me

2008-03-16T06:05:00.000+08:00

goshhh u wun believe how long it took me to even start blogging becos blogger was having problems and it took forever for the page to load. >.<

the time now is 3.54am AHHHHHHHHH
haha but i can sleep in tmr so who cares. better start blogging before i lose the will to blog. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. haha when there is input, there must be output...

Today we sang a worship song in service that can more or less sum up this post.

I feel you tugging at me
A voice that whispers inside of me
Come away Come away
With me.

I think many of you would know that my saturdays are set aside for church and cellgroup...

Buttt last night weini asked if i was interested to work on sat nite for an event at the Singapore Art Museum, 8pm to 1am...haha and the pay was very tempting and and and I really wanted to work >.<
Anyway, by accepting the job...kinda meant that I was going to skip class and choose either i go late for service and leave early or I could go for sunday's svc instead. (haha okae confession to make.... i was seruisly considering going for sun's svc out of convenience.)

Half of me kinda knew I wasnt going to get the job... the other half was just hoping beyond hope that I would get it. And you know that kind of waiting for a reply makes me really restless, increases my heartbeat and makes it very hard for me to study for my test.

Well, I din get it >.< (they said i looked too young!!) I must say I was really disappointed initially... was quite turned off and too sianed to stay on in class... all I wanted to do was to go strait to expo for service. Its the same kind of feeling of wanting to run back home to your mummy and daddy as a little child when you were bullied at school.

But during service, as I begin to sing this song, the presence of God came. Everything that Pst Phil Pringle said today seemed to be just for me. It was definitely worth more than the hundred bucks I could have earned tonight. and it dawned upon me that hey, on Saturday 530pm, I have an appointment with God! Thank God for shutting certain doors in my life to prevent me from making the wrong decisions. Its just like when I was younger, my dad did not allow me to do certain things because he wanted to protect me, he wanted the best for me.

I must admit that if it was march 2007, I probably would have given a definite no to working on saturday night because it was a time I set aside for the church, cellgroup and fellowship...and especially since at that point in time, e348 was just formed and we were all in this new found friendship. Somehow things were different then because we were all trying and putting in so much effort to bond and make this new cellgroup work. Somehow I could feel that there was this passion and fire then in most of us to want to commit to this cellgroup and give it our best. All our prayer requests were directed to deeper relationships within the cg because we were convinced that this was the key to a successful cellgroup. But yet, over the past few months, there are times when I look left and right and wonder if I am fighting this battle alone. Or is everyone else too busy fighting their own personal battles. Looking back on our after service fellowship for the past few weeks, I kind of wonder if it is something everybody wants to get it done and over with so that they can carry on with their plans after that? Has our fellowship sessions come to a place where it makes no difference whether we joined or not, is it still something we look forward to? Will the day come when after service and debrief, everyone just goes off to do their own things cos its a saturday night. Lets not even go into the topic of meeting up during the week.

hahaa okae mayb i'm being over sensitive but its just a thought. I dun even know how I got to this point. its 6am now! and i cant think of a nice ending for this post but I still love this cellgroup ALOT and I want to.

<3
jme

from the past to the present, and back to the past again

2008-03-02T19:44:00.000+08:00

it's been long since i blogged! realised everything has changed so much ever since. like how things in our cell group haas changed, how the connect group system is introduced, and how we've been moving from glory to glory.

it makes me wonder, do maturity comes with conformity? does it come with style? can maturity be a behavior outwardly? or is it just something that deals with the heart?

i've been in city harvest since secondary one. it's been almost five years, but it feels like a twinkling of an eye. expectations of myself soon risen, and somehow i know i gotta do this and not do that.

when i first came, there was a unquenchable thirst for God, to know him more. to pray everyday and tell him all i feel. there's a skip in my step, a faith no words can describe that arises from my heart every time i sneak out to church. the desire to give a sacrifice of praise, and a heart of worship.

God spoke to me during cell group, that in order to progress in the walk of faith, i must find all these back. think it's a good time for all of us to start thinking if our passion got lost on the way, and we're really into customs instead of love.

Pastor Ulf Ekman spoke about fear. Yes, fear cripples us, displeases God and faith overcomes.

Perfect love cast out fear. God's love dispels all the fear in us. That's beautiful, the way He puts it.

LoL... I love FIR! Cheers to Zoe your favourite band!

Zhinian

FIR in CHC!

2008-03-02T00:54:00.000+08:00

Pastor Kong wants the autograph too

our main "stars"

hey hey hey hey. good evening this is your MEDIA IC speaking, you can address me as MIC, media in charge, photographer ok wait, i think kingsley is easier.

here are some updates. (not lazing okayyy!)

A website for the cell. (will talk to zoe when i meet her on tues)
When we have more events, the pictures will naturally increase!

i be away in brunei from 5th to 15th. the jungle needs me to keep it company. whatever IT issues just tell me, i'll try to help okay.

ok gona go listen to FIR FIR FIR FIR FIR

Surviving Dry Seasons...

2008-02-29T01:26:00.001+08:00

Hi guys, just read an article (in blue below) from Spirit-Led Women, that you can subscribe too FOC too. Even the guys, the contents are non-gender differentiating.

Thought this will be a great blessing to you just as it had been to me. It's long, but bear with the length. So...enjoy and let God speak to you!

SURVIVING THE DRY SEASONS
"One Saturday morning several years ago when I was thanking God for the delight of His presence, I heard a quiet voice say, "If you seek Me for the way you feel in My presence, it is no different from any other soul-realm passion."

I had never thought about my relationship with Him in those terms before. God was saying that if I pursue Him simply for the pleasurable experience I have when He makes Himself known to me, then my enjoyment of Him is dictated by my feelings.

For months after this encounter I experienced a season of dryness -- called a "dark night of the soul" by 16th-century mystic John of the Cross -- during which it seemed as if God was not there. This season was all the more difficult because for years prior to it I had walked in an almost continual awareness of His presence. Now, suddenly, I sensed nothing.

During my "dark night" I realized that on our path to spiritual maturity, we don't go from mountaintop to mountaintop. We have to walk through valleys as well. Even after we have arrived in our "promised land" we may experience spiritually dry times.

David confirmed this truth in Psalm 63, in which he expressed the thirst he had for God in the midst of a “dry and weary land” (v. 1 NIV). He wrote the psalm in the desert of Judah -- a dry region in the promised land! David had experienced God intensely before (see v. 2) but found himself for a season in a place "where there [was] no water" (v. 1).

There are different reasons for dryness. Once during David's reign, there was a drought in Israel (see 2 Sam. 21:1). God told David that the drought had been brought on by Israel's sin. When David dealt with the sin, the rains came.

But sin isn't the only reason we enter dry seasons. God may be working in us to prepare us for a greater release. We are like trees in winter that appear to be dormant -- even dead -- while their roots are growing and preparing for greater fruitfulness. During these seasons we are learning to walk by faith rather than by sight or feeling.

Whatever the reason, a dry season can be a difficult period in our lives. So how do we respond?

God's Word tells us that He "will never leave [us] nor forsake [us]" (Deut. 31:6,8; Josh. 1:5; see also Heb. 13:5). This means that whether we sense His presence or not, He is there. We must determine to believe Him and walk by faith.

When I am faced with dryness, I encourage myself in the Lord by reading the promises He has given of His nearness to me. They remind me that His love for me is not diminished even though He seems far away.

Ultimately, the key to breaking through is prayer. There is nothing that will dispel the dryness more quickly than significant time alone in your prayer closet. The main thing is not to despair. God has not abandoned you, and in His time, He will bring you out of the desert and lead you again "beside springs of water" (Is. 49:10)."

Just last night in my QT, one of the things God has been speaking to me about is in 'maturity'. Most of us have been Christians for some time, but what constitutes one that is truly mature? And this is what God said, "Maturity is understanding the life MUST have its seasons. (Double confirmation with the article above!) Maturity involves tenacity and walking through both ups and downs with accountability, because being accountable demonstrates how willing you are to protect yourself as a child of God."

A friend once shared with me that the more accountable and open you are to your peers and leaders, the less your tendency to backslide from your relationship with God. That's coz if you ever do or want to, these people will know which buttons to press to shock you back into realising how much you are not honoring God's possession: yourself. Sometimes we say our friends and leaders do not understand, but how much have we allowed them to do so? Let's take the 1st step to taking the immunization jab today, and give no room for the works of the devil.

Zoe

super late update of CG photos from my HP!

2008-02-19T22:19:00.000+08:00

Our newly appointed...

2008-02-18T00:15:00.001+08:00

The Tribe Has Spoken.

We have voted and below-mentioned are our newly-appointed...

1) Treasurer: We needed ONE brave and detailed soul who can face rejection time and again and still persevere with determination...haha!
~The nominees were...Zhinian, Charles, Mark, Huiyun
~~And boy was it a close fight between 2 of them, but one emerged by a slight margin, and that is...CHARLES!

2) Birthday I/Cs: We needed TWO sweet and creative people who will go to the ends of the earth (wah) to make a birthday celebration memorable, i.e. no longer sing song, blow candle, give present at Expo Hall 8 after service. More more more!
~The nominees were...Huiyun, Kingsley, Val, YQ, Elicia, Zhinian
~~There were 2 names that stood out, but one of them opted out due to a higher calling for another erm, office. So no. 3 took that place. And our winners are...Oba.., oops I mean VAL and ZHINIAN!

3) Events Coordinators: We needed TWO fun-loving and uber cool people who have the hottest hangouts at their fingertips to tell us where we can head to for fellowship, as well as what a fantabulous outreach activity will be. They will determine how much more interesting life can get...haha!
~The nominees were...Terence, YQ, Ade, Elicia, Kingsley, Huiyun, Zhinian, Charles
~~This time round, there was fierce competition between 2nd and 3rd place. The 1st place, however, was unanimous. Almost everyone pointed their fingers at you. Haha! And the winners are...ADE and YONGQUAN!

4) Media I/C: This 'office' was self-opted. No one talked about it till the perfect person meant for it self-opted himself in and even named the office himself. Bravo man! This person will do up our weekly lyrics for CGM on Powerpoint (meaning Jo, please make sure the cables needed are in place by next CGM!), and he has even bought a camera, all ready for capturing our happy moments together in pictures! He has promised that all our pics taken will be up promptly in the same week they were taken, so...he is none other than...
KINGSLEY!

5) Of course, how can we forget our 3 Connect Group Coordinators: JAMIE, JOSEPH and WENDY, who have pledged their lives (hahaha!) to the greater cause?

**So, congrats to all our nominees and winners! Remember point no. 8 in Pst Tan's sermon 'Built to Last' yea? Diligence! =) And as for the rest, your job is to make their job easier, and to take INITIATIVE for other stuff such as refreshments, morning calls, etc... yea? Let's work together!**

happy chinese new year!happy birthday to jamie and zhi nian!

2008-02-10T22:44:00.001+08:00

How many of you say that service was awesome today?? (: WING!! haha. i kept snapping pictures of him, ballad is aww.. love. (:

lou hei time!

the tray shifts as we lou.
the paper card says "think it's time to sing a song..."
happy birthday to jamie and zhi nian!(:

jamie got sabo-ed.zhi nian has already gotten her present but not jamie!!

tadaaa! finally(:

chuan2 jia1 fu2! minus a few faces.

this is my personal fav.(:
pretty ladies(:
lucas is being entertained.

new bs kid with jamie!

last but not least, photo of the day!!! haha.
hope you all had a great time (:

happy 21st birthday Kingsley!

2008-02-03T02:48:00.000+08:00

2008-02-03T00:21:00.000+08:00

21 years ago, Kingsley's first cry was heard! Today, he's a brother to us, a child of God. We are so happy to have you with us. thanks for all the blessings you have given to us!(:
happy birthday to you!

we're so proud of you!

2008-01-23T01:58:00.000+08:00

haha saw terence on Channel News Asia just now!!

2008-01-17T20:01:00.000+08:00

OOOOH! Chinese New Year is coming!

Oh yeah oh yeah! Hongbaos coming!

Yay Yay Yay!

While spending time with my family and cousins and even having Elicia over for at least two weeks for stayover, I felt loved so much, so much by them! Be it just short dinners, hanging out together, shopping for sofas (Haha! *looks at Elicia*), gossiping about neighbors or relatives, the little time that we spent together is so precious. This sunday, some of my relatives and my family are going for an excursion out around Singapore to buy new year goodies. Ahhhh! The warmth of family, the sounds of happiness, the season of giving and receiving (for us, kids) is here again! Just can't wait for Chinese New Year to come!

Family is my largest rock, they are my closest friends and my most trusted soul mates. The ones who will catch you when you fall, always supporting you from behind no matter what. God placed these people in our lives for a reason just like you all are in my cell group for a reason. They are the most suitable, the best parents that you, in your situation, can have. Yep, they are irreplaceable!!!

Haha, actually I do not have much to say. Just want to tell everyone to spend more time with their family, take the initiative to ask even one of your parent, if others cannot make it, for lunch/dinner/breakfast. Be contented in the little things that they do for you. Daddy drove me to school today, and I was overjoyed and touched. I still remember telling some people that my favorite time with Daddy was when he drives me around, that is when we start our heart-to-heart talk. Don't procrastinate already, date them out now now now! Don't be paiseh, especially guys. My dad used to have misunderstandings of my brother, thinking he might be led astray because he was from a neighborhood school. At the same time, he was also pretty busy with his CCA last time that he seldom spent time with the family. Abian, then, took the first step by sacrificing some time for the family and last year, the two guys in my family who seldom talk to each other actually went out for dinners frequently together without my mother and I. Amazing, eh? Yay, hopefully, we can slowly lead Daddy to Christ by being a good testimonial! Haha!

So, this year's 2008 Chinese New Year has a total of four holidays. Make full use of it, do something for them! Go watch Huang Jing Lu already, Au Revoir!

That's my favourite family photo! Memories! Aha, with Elicia in it!

Meanwhile, you guys are all irreplaceable too! Love!

2008-01-15T17:35:00.000+08:00

omgosh omgosh, im so excited!!!!! =D
thank you zoe, jamie, royston (:
val

2008-01-12T18:08:00.000+08:00

happy belated birthday kelvin!!

janet decided to take photos from different different angles.

i kinda impromptu and celebrated kelvin's birthday with them. haha. but it was a fun time C:

Let's look forward to cellgroup and service later on! see ya! C:

val

2008-01-08T15:23:00.000+08:00

more pics!(:
this is the trolley of bags of food that we bought. Guess the price! if you guess correctly, there will be..
no prizes."MA! no hands!"
miss tofu and miss M. (:
miss glad-wrap!(:
preparing the chicken and pork.
unwinding the extension cable.
hong xiu, wendy, kelvin and charles.
jamie, jonathan and elicia.
da jie preparing bee hoon(:
the food(:
ade and terence.
*drools.
future guitarist detected!!(:
wendy and me(: wonder what ade was trying to do. tskk tskk.
sorry that i had to leave early but i really enjoyed the company(:

val

Appreciation Steamboat

2008-01-07T01:38:00.000+08:00

our first cg pic in 2008!

CANDID!

Us doing jon's zhao pai pose!

i lurveee this pic! look at the 2 at da back!

ade and yq in their own world

And the "couple" award goes to......

drumrolls...

heh! they won our mini singing competition!

Kingsley and zhinian!! we missed u guys! some one photoshop them into the pics pls!

cheers~
jme

nothing to worry about.

2008-01-02T08:00:00.000+08:00

Luke 14 (NIV)

26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children,
his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

The love from God is so much that we can never imagine. Far more than anyone can ever loves another being. So mighty that in comparison to the love we have for one another, it is as though we hate one another. but of course not literally. Its so much. so much.

Matthew 6 (NIV)

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more
important than clothes?

26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

If we are worried about our limitations,
our abilities, so focus, then we will not be able to focus on His unlimited love and blessing for us.

If we are worried about our treasures on earth,
how are we going to be prepare to receive our treasure in His Kingdom?

If we are worried about our future,
doesn't it show how little faith we have in Him?

I come to realise if you really, not verbally, but really put everything into God's hand and let Him be the ruler of your life, everything will be unfolded, neatly, like dominos falling one by one. Yes we don't see what is going on. But when all the dominos are down, you will see an amazing picture. That is what He is doing to our lives if we submit everything.

His Love for us, is enough for us to know that with Him ruling our lives, we have absolutely nothing to worry about and i have nothing. Literally nothing to worry about.

My Two Cents Worth.

Happy New Year everyone! Its... 2008!

Party of Da year!

2007-12-24T11:02:00.001+08:00

wooootss

catwalk

armywalk ... haha! CHARLES wenlong and kelvin!!

games!

FOOD

The house was PACKED

Thumbs up for the decor team! you guys did a great job in creating the atmosphere! haha and double thanks to Jo for lending us ur place!!

haha they say a picture speaks a thousand words..so heres some of the photos taken at the christmas party! Great job everyone! More will be uploaded SOON!

Merry Christmas!

Jamie

BreakAwaY camp

2007-12-12T22:15:00.000+08:00

I turned my head, everyone, and i mean everyone i can see, (saved or not saved, member or not, aged 12 to 20+), every single soul, all 150 of them were crying, and i realised at that moment... lives were being changed. Not by our might, but by the power of the Holy spirit!

Just by this fact alone, i felt like i could tahan ANY nonsense ANY HUMAN, leader or not, and take any discipleship, whether i feel im right OR NOT, JUST SO I COULD SEE ONE more soul down there being prayed for, just so i can work for God and see the change in people's lives and feel the harvest... i finally understand why people go for mission trips to renew thier strength!

Very few things leave me speechless,

I cant describe the power of the annoiting on breakaway camp, especially the day bro darren preached...

Until that day,

Not once have I seen or even expect the entire camp to respond and go down to be prayed for! Remember, most of them are secondary sch teens who go there primarily to have fun.

I have never seen so many new comers accept christ on a camp AND IN DAY1, the first night where bro darren preached!

Its amazing.. its powerful beyong measure and words... its BREAKAWAY!

Never cried so much b4,
Joseph

BREAAAAKKAWWAAAYYYYY!

2007-12-07T02:12:00.000+08:00

Hey E348 aka happening and creative and cool and out-of-this-world bestily best CG...why is this blog so quiet! *Hint...* Shall not say too much...

Anyway, I'm REALLY SUPER DUPER excited about Breakaway Camp! Otherwise, why would I even blog at such an unearthly hour about it right...for those of you who have made sacrifices in some way or another to be there, i put my head down that you will walk out of this camp VERY blessed. Your life will be transformed, young or old.

I was watching a video on the Breakaway Camp from another zone (if you want to see ask me...don't want to post it here, hee!), and that initiated me to want to tell you how great this camp will be. Although I am not part of the main organising committee, the efforts they have put in is...I tell you, worth the camp fees to be worth $100 at LEAST. Like what Clement said at the camp briefing "after all, you've already paid $20 for the camp, then must make it worth your money and be the most excited camper around!".

Just spend 3 hours plus jamming for the Camp Sessions with the musicians, and I really believe there will be a great move of God, where our hearts will be renewed and touched by the great love of God. It's going to be overwhelming.

Just to share with you guys, there will be 2 night sessions and 1 morning session, each taken by 1 ZS. During jamming today, we were saying that the morn session better sing some happening songs, otherwise people will end up falling asleep during P and W. But when they heard that it was B.Darren who was preaching during that session, someone said "Wah! B.Darren preaching for morn session, then no one can ever fall asleep liao.". Furthermore, someone was also telling me "Your zone is really a super happening and creative zone! I always feel that DT zone is very different...in the positive way.". The reason why I am sharing this is not for any other reason, but these really make me so so proud of my leader and the people in our zone...namely, us!

I feel we are really VERY blessed to belong to this zone, so let's really show the world what people of DT zone is capable of. Let's be the most excited, most evangelistic, most serving zone during the camp! And that starts with you, my friend! 3 more days to make it happen...let's give 100% chance for the miracle to happen and invite our friends!

BREAKING AWAY,
Zoe ;)

Time to be a REFLECTOR...

2007-11-28T02:12:00.000+08:00

Hi guys, as we come to year end soon in a month's time, just felt that this is something we would want to think about as a cg...so read on if you are part of this amazing family called...E348. ;)

We've been talking about what we want to put our hands to the plow to achieve as individuals in the upcoming month before 2007 whizzes pass us. Probably we have those one or two things that we need to catch up on, then let's really be ON THE BALL to bring them from the realm of talk to the realm of action. Dreams will remain something existent in our sleep until the point when we have the revelation that NOW IS THE TIME to DO something about it.

Anyhow, let's also take some time aside to think of how we started out as E348, how relationships were built and nurtured over time. Remember how we all used to press into each other's lives instead of waiting for others to ask us how we were? Remember how we were of ONE HEART and ONE MIND to 'conquer' each and every friend that joined us? Remember how it was not just a few, but the rallying strength of the WHOLE group of us that stirred up the fire of revival, turning E348 into a place where we all wanted to serve and make a difference?

I'm glad that we have grown as one body. Iron sharpens iron, and we are all imperfect beings. Sometimes we just want to sing "Sorry, can't be perfect" by Simple Plan to the people around us. Yet, amidst our imperfections, God has always been so on time with us.

I believe we have all been trying hard to grow the cg, to rise up and lead. In the past few months, perhaps try as we may, yet things seem to reside in stagnation, in a horizontally-headed growth chart. But one thing that I've always been counting on is that God is a God of surprises, He will show up JUST ON TIME for those who have been sowing.

Just want to challenge different groups of us...

1) Uni Students: I totally understand what you think and feel, although I don't say it. Trust me, I've been there as a uni student only yesterday (haha!). Sometimes as uni students, we tell ourselves that the older people grow, the more mature and set in their beliefs they are. If they do not show any signs of wanting to come to church, let's leave them just as they are. Yes, we want to follow the cultural mandate and be relevant, but people do need the Lord still. The only way for them to know God may be through the radicalized you, if you TAKE ACTION. C'mon guys, it is possible, if only we would be less caught up with our plans and focus on the plans of God. You are all VERY INFLUENTIAL people, sow this seed today.

2) Graduated Students: Yes you A and O Levelers! I always believe in leaving a legacy behind in your school. More than just graduating with a nice cert at the end, what else can people in TPJC and GMSS remember you for? Trust me girls, there is ALOT of potential in your hands. Cia, you have one whole lot of friends already ready for the harvest, don't lose sight of that! And Val, there is a reason why you were in such a position of influence in your school Choir. Use these opportunities well.

3) Students still schooling: If you haven't already started, it's time to use this holidays to introduce Christ into your marketplace! When school is on, people were busy. Now that people are slightly freeR, it all boils down to how much you dare to make it happen!

4) NS guys: Army is a place of make or break. You guys have been faithful, remember that your plans will be established if your sight is fixed on doing the will of God in your marketplace. It may be difficult, but I just feel that we can all remember what B.Darren has shared before, that he can stand proud before God and say that every single person in his platoon (hope I got the term right) has at least heard the gospel. May that encourage you to keep the faith.

*I know this is a long post, but if you will miss anything, don't miss the individual comments to the various groups. I REALLY believe we can do it together, if we rally around to make our revival call speak loud this December. Let's go for it.*

Cheers,
Zoe

Whats UP man

2007-11-20T22:40:00.000+08:00

YO GUYS WHATS UP?

so whats whats up? why do people say whats up when they see each other? Issnt it supposed to be Hello! ? Issnt God whats up there? so "Hey Watsup man!" and the answer sld be " Hey! God God!! "

Ok enough crap.. too much fluid mechanics makes me like that. Today i wana spend the next 15 mins to talk about prayer, miracles and expectations in my life!

Firstly, what is a miracle? A quick search on wiki shows

"A miracle, derived from the old Latin word miraculum meaning "something wonderful", is a striking interposition of divine intervention by God in the universe by which the ordinary course and operation of Nature is overruled, suspended, or modified."

So basically, everytime you pray, you are asking for a miracle. Cus theres really no way u can make it happen on your own strength.

I feel that some miracles can happen instantly while others take time. It really depends on ur faith as well as God.

You can pray for a miracle and God looks into your heart, he assesses the entire situation, both before, present and in the future, then decides if He wants to give it to you. How do i know?

Well, we all have prayers that are unanswered and may remain unanswered forever... and i was thinking, why? So i thought back to some of my unanswered prayers I have and I was shocked. Looking back.. i really prefered that those prayers remain unanswered hahaha. We cannot look into the future, but we know God can, and He loves us. hmm... how about those prayers that we still prefer to be answered but are not?

Then comes to the expectation part. Alot of people feel disappointed when thier prayers are unanswered... Why God? Why?

If we remember Romans 8:28 "all things work together for Good, to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose" and bearing in mind, some miracles take time, and some prayers we would prefer unanswered in future, and some we will never understand, then... All that I expect from God is already fulfilled if and only if I love the Lord! ceteris paribus. Wahhaa sounds like mathematics formulae right...

So guys, Go ahead and pray for watever miracle u need today! cus you know whichever is answered, U will be better off tomorrow than today as long as you Love the Lord! The last thing u should do is, not pray at all... then nothing will happen, ceteris paribus

Remember that His thoughts are higher than ours,
Joseph

How's Your QT? =)

2007-11-19T23:23:00.000+08:00

Have u experienced the supernatural during your Quiet Time(QT)? Well, it was the first time I experienced holy laughter in my own QT so I'm excited to share with you guys about it. I was doing my QT just now and the Holy Spirit showed up. I guffawed for a good ten minutes or so!

I never thought I'll say this but my QT was so fun! =) You know, I tend to associate watching movies, dancing or listening to music as fun but never has it crossed my mind that QT can be really fun! But I tell you, I really enjoyed my QT so much just now. It was like I was spending time with my best friend and we were having fun in each other's presence. =)You should have seen the joy on my face. Nothing beats an encounter with God. One touch from Him and my life changes, just like that.

I was really battling negative emotions for the past few weeks and I really thank God for showing up and setting me free, as He always does. =) I feel very released right now.

Currently, I'm reading 2 books 'The Power of a Praying Woman" by Stormie Omartian (best-selling author of the 'The Power of a Praying" books) and "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson (thank you Zoe for lending it to me). They are really helping me in my walk with God! =)

The devil comes to steal our joy away from us, but Jesus came, that we may have a life more abundantly - abundant joy, abundant peace, abundant strength, abundant wisdom, abundant love and more... Whatever it is that you need today, run to the Source and He will meet your every need because He loves you and wants to shower you with His blessings.

Only God can give you what this world cannot. Every solution to your problem can be found when u seek Him. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the one that knows your future and holds your life in His hands. RUN TO HIM TODAY!

Hello.

2007-11-18T10:18:00.000+08:00

$26 millions! Thats like 4 millions more than our goal.

I caught the beginning of the worship online. Haaa! As i was watching the service, i begin to realise how much i miss Church, being in church.

Anyhow, connection here is really slow and the online broadcast of the service is pretty choppy. also im using my friend's laptop. its like 9.00pm now. 3 hours ahead of singapore.

I hope everyone is doing okay. It feels weird honestly because, i'm only in the cell for about a month and yet to get to know everyone well. But i do enjoy my time spent with the cell, regardless if its cell meeting, outing, or just casual small talks.

Just 2 months ago, i'll never expect myself to hang out in a cell, because i dislike being in a cell group. I hardly go to church and took everything God gave me for granted.

Coming to CHC and e348 changed my life. Especially so spiritually, and my attitude. If you were to know the old me, then you probably may think this could have never happened. When im back in Singapore, im gona take very opportunity to know everyone. Still have lots to learn about God because i was stagnant for years.

Adeline probably gona think im being dramatic here.

Anyhow, next week, probably thursday or friday will be my first test. Well, if i fail, i'll be back probably sooner than expected. Theres a total of 15 sorties i need to go through. sortie = flight. Im will be doing sortie 5 on Monday. And 8th and 15th sortie are test 1 and 2 respectively. The pace is really fast and stress here. And the cruel fact is, we came as 11 for the air grading, but only a few will pass. Not gona give up, just take it as it comes. For i think, whatever you can dream, you can also accomplish.

Rise and Build, $26 millions. Cant believe it. But well, it really is. Praise the Lord.

thanks. kingsley.

2007-11-15T20:50:00.000+08:00

it is 4.50am and i've been tossing and turning on my bed since 1am. i just couldn't sleep, i changed the orientation (from the head to toe, now i sleep the other way round), also cannot sleep, is like my head is cluttered with so many things unknowingly. suddenly i felt my heart raced and heard a voice telling me to get up n read the bible.I was thinking is that God speaking? i was still lying down didn't want to get up but it got a little louder, so i got up, opened my bible and read from Phil 3 to Col 2. At Col 2, i really felt peace in my heart.

Col 2:4-10, 14-17
4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

As i read these few verses, God was speaking, "my dear child, why are you afraid of being alone? even though i'm not with you physically, i'm with you in the spirit. i'm happy to see that you've grown in faith throughout these few years. you have me, your daddy God in heaven who will always protect you because i love you, protecting you from the words that people say to you that may hurt you, protecting you from all those stares that you've been getting. those are the ones who have no right to judge you, in fact there is only one person who can judge, and that is me. so why are you afraid my daughter? i'm always with you."

God is love, i'm feeling so loved by Him right now. This is a precious moment so i just felt like sharing with you guys.

it's past 5am already, gosh.

val

Don't Do His Job

2007-11-15T11:21:00.000+08:00

I happened to come across this yesterday and I hope it will bless you like it did me. =)

"Good morning,

I am God, today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help.

If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it or attempt to remove it. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem.

If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult Me in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution.

Because I do not sleep or slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest my child. If you need to contact Me, I am only a prayer away. As with all good things, please pass this on. "

Yours truly,
God

boooo

2007-11-13T02:08:00.000+08:00

hahaa hey peeps! here to do a lil update abt my life since i think many of u dun read my blog... and some stuff just cant be said there. hahaa anyway its my hols now and i'm looking for a job! so pray i get a good wan! hehe it'll benefit u too!

yea well its after my exams now so i do have more time to think abt stuff which can be a good and bad thing. >.<

u see theres a difference between thinking you have overcomed something and actually overcoming it. how do u noe wen u have not really overcomed that issue or rather the root of the problem? its wen it keeps coming back to haunt u. yeah u may appear fine and happy for a while but u'll be fighting the same issue again next year or few months down the road until u have a breakthrough in that area of your life. Key to overcoming? surrendering. haha sounds like a paradox. EAsier said then done of cos. Indeed God is in the process of moulding our character but yet he will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. and he will always provide a way out. (1 cor 10:13)

haha so yups while He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear...we will always be fighting the same level of battles or in other words the same kind until we truly overcome and move on to the next level.

hahaa okae dunno if anyone gets wad i'm trying to say cos i'm refraining from using examples but i'm gonna stop here cos its freaking 4am!

ciao!
jme

heyys everyone! `from nianz

2007-11-12T22:05:00.000+08:00

hi all! i'm back! realised my last entry was pretty depressing. i'm here to proclaim God's goodness upon my life and share what faith and prayers can do!!

To cut everything short, that day i went out for cell group and service after my mum said she'll kick me out if i do, i went home fearfully but all ready to die for christ, she didn't kick me out. she wasn't even angry. Just feeling a little hopeless about me going to church. She was also quite happy cuz we had expensive fish to eat that day (my aunt gave it to her that day), so altogether it was really deliverance from the Lord. It can't be that my mum's kind to me, it really had to be the Lord, so praise Him!!

Ok ok, many heard I'm going to work but doesn't know what my kind of work is all about. LoL it's seriously hard to explain, but I hope you'll get it somehow. I have an aunt who had a job agent in the past and they had become real good friends. So I somehow gotten her to help me out this time, because time suddenly becomes more precious to me than in the past-so many things to do yet so little time. However, my results are not good, so by right I should study, and not work. Then again, building fund is coming/already here. I opted to work as a temporary instead of having a full-time job. Admin work, simple accounts, receptionist, or even a stand-in when people are on leave or MC. Don't know when I'll work that kind. Yea~

Recently I found out some health irregularities I have (it's personal, don't think I'm comfortable sharing it) and it struck me perhaps I might die soon. Haven't seen the doctor, waiting for a few more days to see if this continues. Have been praying too. Anyway, I realised that humans can die really easily. What would you do if tomorrow's your last day? Is there something you always wanted to do but always hold back due to fear/laziness? It's good to start doing it/planning to do it. It's no wonder people say "Live life as if you're going to die tomorrow". Hmm...

One more testimony before I sign off. Last week Rev Dr Ulf Ekman came. I had a warning from my dad to be home early for dinner, but I left late from service, at around 8. Was supposed to reach home latest before 9, because I was out the whole day. And so I prayed for the train to be coming in 2mins time the first glance I catch on the "panel". Well, the first glance I saw was 3mins, few seconds later it was 2min. So I caught the train. I prayed again, for the next train to come immediately when I reach Tanah Merah. It did!! Well, I tried dismissing it off as coincidence. Then God spoke, "How many times has this happened to you?" Two, including that day. The previous one was when I was rushing to church from school. Exactly the same thing happened. God makes cute miracles, and I thank Him that He's good, so good. He put me in E348.

Hope to hear from all of you out there!! =)

ZHINIAN

Go light your world!

2007-11-08T21:38:00.001+08:00

Cause We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let's raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times

jme

Arise and Build 2007!

2007-11-06T01:00:00.000+08:00

*Okay I know the photo is abit dark and doing the people at the back some measure of injustice...*

Just to say that it was very very nice having Elicia and Val the exam peeps back in our midst to Arise and Build with us! We reeeaaaallly miss you girls...can't wait to have full-time fellowship with you! In the meantime, don't be distracted k by the temptations of fellowship yea? Although I know we are irresistable..;) (That applies to Jme too, focus focus! Few more days!)

Also, just want to wish Kingsley all the best in your SAF training! We believe in you, but more so, we believe in the God that will be supplying your needs! We are always here for you (via msn, sms, email, blog...) so do keep us updated on your progress. You'll be close to us in our prayers too, it's a privilege to have you as part of E348!

As for the Uni people (in the photo or not), it's time to chiong to your battlefield and do your best! I know many of you are really (that is an understatement) stressed, but know that the joy of the Lord will be your greatest strength. Stay close to Him, and to us too!

Cheers,

Zoe

20 October

2007-10-25T15:48:00.000+08:00

Here are some of the pictures taken on Sat.

Kawaii Ade!

Oooh

Bah haha.

Jamie bleahs.

And bleahs again!

We went to Phine's Steakhouse at Liang Seah St for Jonathan. =)

My beer battered fish & chips.

The happy man and his food.

His medium rare steak is smoking!

After eating, it was time to celebrate Jonathan's birthday!

Cheesecake!

Black & Pink! =D

His present!

He wants to take a pic too!

Our new 'Disco Zoo Security'. =P

Thanks Adeline. ('-')"' Haha.

Contented smile. =)

Group photo.

Gege & mei mei. =)

Our tallest supermodel! ;)

LOL.

Sisters forever. =)

In the pursuit of knowledge...

2007-10-23T00:12:00.000+08:00

Hi guys,

Popping by hot on the footsteps of all who have posted exam schedules here...I'm here to present Elicia's O Level Exam Schedule. And since all of us (except Hongxiu ;)) have already added GCE O's to our portfolio, been there done that taken the photo extra large, let's offer all the help we can to Cia with our prayers, support, surprise smses, love, etc...

Here goes:

24th Oct Chemistry
25th Oct Geography
29th Oct English/ Maths P1
30th Oct Maths P2
31st Oct Chinese
1st Nov Accounts
2nd Nov Physics
5th Nov Social Studies
6th Nov Physics
13th Nov Accounts P1

Yes, and so Cia did mention it is a long list, which I totally agree. That is one of the greatest challenges of O Levels, to have the tenacity to last through the full stretch. It sure takes alot of patience, so let's support her!

And to Cia, we REALLY can't wait to have you back with us again. Keep staying the course, your efforts will pay off we're sure. God's strength is made perfect in any weakness! ;)

Cheers,
Zoe

Persist on..

2007-10-22T23:58:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

First and foremost, I wanna apologised for not blogging for eons of years. I've really missed out communicating to you guys whats happening in my life.

My point here today is not entirely about myself, but I want to encourage a few individuals.. Individuals who are undergoing exams, just like me. Some of the words I can immediately think of that strongly correlates with exams are "Stress, anxiety, flustered, multitudes of work load and etc.".

Well, we aren't entirely fighting this battle alone if you guys haven't quite realized that yet... Certainly, we are surrounded with a multitude of things to study, projects to hand up, but we are placed in great company, and of course a GREAT God who certainly understands and have compassion in what you are going through. The great company that I am talking about here is the cell group I am in. (For those non-e348, you have your great clique, so no worries yeah?).

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." ~ Reg Ansett

I am not the exact genius you find on the street, but I believe if you guys persist on, and work hard, doing your best, why won't God do the rest? Having gone through Os, As and university exams, I do know that straight As are for awaiting the Children of God to grab. With that, I hope I've encouraged you guys for the pending task ahead.

I just want to beseech you guys to pray for Jamie, she's having exams: dates are as follows:

Accouting-25-10.
biz computing -01-11
macroecons 06-11
marketing 09-11

Prayer works miracles.. and you can make a difference in someone's life by praying for him/her. One most important thing to pray for is wisdom, divine understanding and being an over-achiever in terms of scoring straight As. So start today, with the people whose exams are ahead. Make a difference. Cya guys around!

2007-10-22T13:40:00.000+08:00

hello(:
A levels' just around the corner, so may i request for prayers?(:
the specific dates are as follow:
30th oct: phy paper 3
31st oct: gp
2nd nov: maths paper 1
5th nov: chem paper 3
6th nov: maths paper 2
12th nov: phy paper 2
13th nov: chem paper 2
14th nov: econs
16th nov: chem paper 1
20th nov: phy paper 1

yups! I''m really looking forward to after exams where I can see you all, and fellowship with you all again(:
i love this family(:

val

Latest Photos!! (AS in LATE)

2007-10-21T21:46:00.000+08:00

N73 is not a good camera at night haha!

Zoe's Birthday!

Charles's BirthDay!!

His CArd~
His Sabo!

Thats a Guardsman!

CreaTiVe CGM!

Presented by ur late photographer,

Joooo

Simple Puzzle

2007-10-21T21:36:00.000+08:00

To any with a passing interest in mathematics or logic (got my email? =P):

Two bicyclists start 20km apart and head straight towards each other, each going at a steady speed of 10km/h. At the same time, a fly that travels at a steady 15km/h starts from the front wheel of the southbound bicycle and flies to the front wheel of the northbound one, then turns around and flies to the front wheel of the southbound one again, and continues in this manner until it is crushed between the 2 front wheels.

Question: What total distance did the fly cover?

Best answer with a good explanation gets a prize! =P

Yours,
Charles

This is the family...

2007-10-21T04:03:00.000+08:00

It really blesses my heart and humbles me greatly to see people on fire for God. Especially so when these are new additions to the family, but the way they talk about God, the way they actions show how hungry they are for God; these really move me.

I'm thankful for a family in E348 who, amidst all the imperfections, is so unique and special in its ways.
I'm thankful to belong to a family who seeks the creative and dares to be different, for people who are not just my members but very much my friends.
I'm thankful for the atmosphere of love that goes beyond weekends, but we are around for each other 24-7.
I'm thankful for the differences so great in every single individual, but how beautiful that they come together so bizarre-ly to form a body blessed to shine for God is every area, each playing our part so harmoniously.

Why wait for birthdays to share what your appreciation for each other? The time is NOW.

To Kingsley: Thanks for being such an encouragement to me in your hungry attitude and always thanking me. You sure know how to affirm me! ;)

To Hongxiu: Thanks for your faithful attitude, for always being around without fail. You may be youngest in age, but you are very much a part of us.

To Lewen: Thanks for being around whenever you can with us, and for adding some cool factor to the group!

To Jon: Thanks for being around to fellowship with us as much as possible and for being so easy-going and open to conversation with everyone. Do bless us more with your presense!

To Cia: Thanks for your sweetness to my life! ;) I understand you are currently going through your O's and may have less time with us, but we're at your beck and call for fellowship sessions yea? Jiayou for O's!

To Val: Thanks being an inspiration to me, in the way that you never fail to try your best despite limitations placed on your life. A's will be over in the flash of an eye, and in the meantime, we are praying!

To Nian: Thanks for your determination, perservering spirit and faith. Your fighting spirit and spunk is one thing we can all afford to learn from you. Again I say, keep pressing for your breakthru!

To Charles: Thanks for your willingness, sacrifices and most awesome attitude. Your undisputable faithfulness and humbleness will take you far, and we do see a budding preacher at hand! ;)

To YQ: Thanks for your selfless sacrifices and sensitivity to the people around you. You certainly are Mr SNAG, and you are one of the few who will look beyond the surface and ask the "Are you okay?" question. ;) Your concern for people is an inspiration truly to me.

To Terence: Thanks for inspiring me with your dreams, goals, and the things you are doing, and still making time in being around with us. Keep making a difference in your marketplace and being Mr President!

To Jo: Thanks for your ideas, contributions and always being so open and frank with me. Thanks for being willing to accept change in this new environment, and for always bringing joy and entertainment to us. Won't be the same without you!

To Wendy: Thanks for always being so willing to listen and be taught. You are someone I know I can count on to carry the vision and run together with me. Your passion for life itself inspires me!

To Ade: Thanks for being the always different, opinionated, quirky girl with an encouraging side seeking to emerge. ;) You have always been someone very close to my heart, and I've always enjoyed fellowshipping with you. More of it soon okay?!

To Jme: Thanks for always being the 1st in line to run this race with me, and for your patience and love for me and the cg. Thanks for bearing the brunt many a times (haha!), and for always seeking to understand my heart. My dear sis, I can't do without you around! Thanks for staying strong and breaking through.

With love,
Your cheerleader, friend, confidante, _____(fill in the blank)...
Zoe

Food For Thought 2: WIkihow on "How to be Optimistic"

2007-10-15T19:47:00.001+08:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Optimistic

Ok folks do check out this. Came across it whilst looking through one of my igoogle.com segments :)

E348 is the best.
WOOOHooo

Why queueing...

SRIRITUAL WARFARE part 2 ~zhinian

2007-10-15T11:48:00.000+08:00

lol. this week's worse than the last. but thank God i'm still alive. haha. and i was really really happy to see all youy guys in the cell group last week! heh. the devil's drillin a hole in my head. things are getting unbearably unpleasant. and probably if i'm lucky, can publish a thriller of my persecution stories. haha. should be quite interestng.

ok, here it is. last week i went to cell group and service, after missing it altogether for one week. however, when i came back, my mum was very upset. scarcasm first, followed by scoldings.

i would have to move out of the house if i go service this week. and she is serious. together with my bro. my bro is currently considering if he should go service this week.

things got so bad till i have churned out a EMERGENCY LEAVE-THE-HOUSE pasking list. gonna pack probably tonight, just in case she decides to throw me out of the house one fine day.

her perception of christians worsen, cuz we went out in spite of ber bojecting.

she went schozophrenic that night. sharted chanting the buddism prayers they whole night for probably one to two hours, and prayer walk around the house, paying particular attention to my room. it's crazy. she walk around chanting chanting, then came into my room and chant exceptionally luod and i was sleeping already. and she cried i think.

she is capapble of coming to me with a knife, so i dared not sleep. after her chanting chanting for dunno how many hours, she started banging on stuff. it was thundering. and it was almost 1am. goodness knows whst she's doing. it was very very loud(every blow was like filled with hatred or something). after that, she started listening to radio late in the night. ok, there's no problem if she does this everyday. but she doesn't. arrghh..

the next morning, she behaved normally. but i realise she became over-paranoid about me and my bro, especially when we are going to grandpa's house together, she thought we were going church. it's crazy.

now i'm thinking of moving out, cuz she made it very clear that if i ever go again, i can pack my luggage and don't come back. sigh.

ahh.. it's not easy to find time to talk to my friends still, everyone's so busy with project work and tutorials and if they can promote. zzz...

-------------------------------------
the happier stuff. haha i realise i''m using this blog space more often tahn not! and this becomes a forum where everyone has their views expressed here. and it's experiencial. believe it or not, this is somewhat the first time in my life that i can know the whole cell group at equal depth, what's going on in life and stuff.

thanks wendy n charles, for reading my long long entries all the time.
to ade and jme,have fun in uni (and having black legs =))
to charles, have fun in camp! i know u're doing very well in guards, do better yea?=)
to hong xiu, thanks for learning to be a little more independent. god bkess ya =)
to elicia, thanks for smiling at me alll the time!! =) your cmile birghtens up anyone's day!
to val, thanks for sharing your life on the blog even though you're having exams real soon. all the best!!
thanks joseph, for all your wonderful stories and interesting things to share, and ur car ride n BK. lolx.
thanks wendy, for always encouraging me when everything's going wrong.
thanks yong quan, for your nice music with cool guitar skills. and that card game we had before the bbq. lols.
and zoe, thanks for being there for me...

to the rest (if i really did miss out any), hope to know youy more each day. lols.

nianz

Beyond reality

2007-10-15T00:08:00.000+08:00

Some men see things as they are and ask why.
Others dream things that never were and ask why not.
- George Bernard Shaw

Doesn't that encapsulate this week's sermon by Pastor Kong so well? Now, how shall we shatter preconceptions and challenge assumptions to transcend reality's glass ceilings?

Will time tell?

----------
As for the CG vision that was discussed the previous cell group, haha I didn't expect what I gave to evoke so much interest. Thanks to all for the affirmation. Here it is (apologies for the week-long delay), my vision of E348 for the next level:

Where everyone plays a part and is treasured,
Where lifelong friendships are fostered and maintained, and
Where potential is developed to excellence.

Well, if anyone has anything to add or edit, please do! If everyone agrees to this, perhaps we can pray for this to come into reality and endeavour to make it both happen, and last.

----------
Bookcast (Only if you're very, very free...)

I've been spending some time reading general books the past week or so in my free time and shall try to showcase them here:

1)Pigeon Feathers and other stories - by John Updike
(A short story collection by 1 of America's literary maestros)

Excerpt from story Lifeguard:

... But when I study the vast tangle of humanity that blackens the beach as far as the sand stretches, absurdities crowd in on me. Is it as maiden, matron, or crone that the females will be eternalized? What will they do without children to watch or gossip to exchange? What of the thousand deaths of memory and bodily change we endure - can each be redeemed at a final Adjustments Counter? The sheer numbers involved make the mind scream. The race is no longer a tiny clan of simian aristocrats lording it over an ocean of grass; mankind is a plague racing like fire across exhausted continents. This immense clot gathered on the beach, a fraction of a fraction - can we not say that this breeding swarm is its own immortality and end the suspense? The beehive in a sense survives; and is each of us not proved to be a hive, a galaxy of cells each of whom is doubtless praying, from its pew in our thumbnail or esophagus, for personal resurrection? Indeed, to the cells themselves cancer may seem a revival of faith. No, in relation to other people oblivion is sensible and sanitary.

2) Seven Lies - by James Lasdun
(Part political thriller, part meditation on the nature of desire and betrayal. Story of a young man growing up in the former East Germany in the 70s, whose yearnings for love, glory and freedom express themselves in a lifelong fantasy of going to America. Based on Martin Luther's quote: Every lie must beget seven more lies if it is to resemble the truth and adopt truth's aura.)

A novel of the brightest of dreams being entangled in a veb, and the vicious cycle of, deceit. Excerpt:

At any rate, my father wasn't. A few days after his return he was told that he had been removed from the UN team. My father must have guessed that that was to be his last trip; in addition to the usual case of miniatures for bribing Herr Brandt, he had brought with him presents of an especially poignant 'Americanness': a racoon-skin hat for my mother, a New Mexican turquoise pin for Kitty, a calculator for Otto, and for me a set of metal ballpoint pens, each in the shape of a famous American skyscraper. These joined the other knick-knacks and gadgets he had brought home on earlier trips, and because they were now part of a finite series, never to be further augmented, they acquired a hallowed quality in our household. They were sacred relics of a brief, visionary connection with a reality larger than our own; one that had tragically eluded our grasp.

3) A Beautiful Mind - by Sylvia Nasar
(True story, biography, of John Nash, the mathematical genius who was a legend by age thirty when he slipped into the madness of schizophrenia, and emerging after decades of ghostlike existence to win a Nobel Prize in economics. Also adapted in film.)

Reading now. Very fascinated by it.

----------
To Val and Zhinian and all the rest of you, from Pastor Kong's sermon,
2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Cheers
Charles

Food for Thought : An Unearthly Love

2007-10-13T01:03:00.000+08:00

An Unearthly Love
Max Lucado

Your goodness can't win God's love.
Nor can your badness lose it.

But you can resist it.
We tend to do so honestly.

Having been rejected so often, we fear God may reject us as well.
Rejections have left us skittish and jumpy.

Like my dog Salty.
He sleeps next to me on the couch as I write.
He's a cranky cuss, but I like him.
We've aged together over the last fifteen years, and he seems worse for the wear.
He's a wiry canine by nature; shave his salt-and-pepper mop, and he'd pass for a bulimic Chihuahua.
He didn't have much to start with; now the seasons have taken his energy, teeth, hearing, and all but eighteen inches' worth of eyesight.

Toss him a dog treat, and he just stares at the floor through cloudy cataracts. (Or, in his case, dogaracts?)
He's nervous and edgy, quick to growl and slow to trust.
As I reach out to pet him, he yanks back.
Still, I pet the old coot.
I know he can't see, and I can only wonder how dark his world has become.

We are a lot like Salty.
I have a feeling that most people who defy and deny God do so more out of fear than conviction.
For all our chest pumping and braggadocio, we are anxious folk--can't see a step into the future, can't hear the one who owns us.
No wonder we try to gum the hand that feeds us.

But God reaches and touches.
He speaks through the immensity of the Russian plain and the density of the Amazon rain forest.
Through a physician's touch in Africa, a bowl of rice in India.
Through a Japanese bow or a South American abraço.
He's even been known to touch people through paragraphs like the ones you are reading.
If he is touching you, let him.

Mark it down: God loves you with an unearthly love.
You can't win it by being winsome.
You can't lose it by being a loser.
But you can be blind enough to resist it.

Don't.

For heaven's sake, don't.
For your sake, don't.

"Take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love.
Reach out and experience the breadth!
Test its length! Plumb the depths!
Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:18--19 MSG).

By YongQuan The Manhunt handsome guy who forgot to sign off

two things to share, whichever is more important...(from zhinian)

2007-10-12T15:47:00.000+08:00

first thing. i missed cell group and service last week.
reason: mum doesn't allow me to go when i ask her and tell her frankly
effect: i was super duper upset, and angry, and disappointed
cause for initiation: to walk in the light
God spoke to me since very l0ng ago, to want me to tell my mum the truth about me coming to church. it was hard, really. and i know she would never allow, thatt's why i didn't want to tell her. every time i had a breakthrough, it was only for a week, at most, a month. she is close to my heart, i really don't want to upset her. but i love God, much much more, that's why i choose church above my family, especially her feelings. yes, she is not what i look for in a mum. kinda sad, but what to do? God gave her to me(or the other way round). well, this time when i went for churchwide BS (victorious living), the preacher shared about walking in the light. and only by walking in the light can the holy spirit work, cuz you can find the spirit only in light. and we are to wear the GIRDLE OF TRUTH (truth=/ bible, but honesty). was very troubled and convicted in the spirit, so decided to believe in God for a miracle, a breakthrough, and that is to ask my mum for approval to come to church. friday, she said no. sat morning, she said no again. hey, i prayed. but it didn't happen. was devastated. called zoe. she encouraged me to persist on, and try another approach for a breakthrough instead. yes, this week i did. yesterday night. talked to her MATURELY (lol...so weird). it didn't happen. she got very emotional and told me, once and for all, if i'm gonna go to church, i won't have a mum anymore. she'll disown me. say christian sucks. very arrogant, no feelings, no compassion, look down on people, selfish, vicious, scheming. very bias right? humans don't like to find themselves exasperated. too bad this time i'm one of them.
decision: i'll stick to my policy. i've already been very very truthful, very calm, very democratic(or whatever), but she remains to be subjective and biased. so this period of time will be hard for me.
what u can do: lol, please pray for me that she'll be open (and by the grace of God she would realise that what she thinks is not true and she'll accept the fact that i go to church)

second thing. much happier stuff. and believe it or not, i told her this before i talked to her. and she doesn't care. zhinian knows nothing and thinks she knows everything. well, too bad.

promos results are back!! average math results in whole level: 30+. more than 75% failed, inclusive of me. lol...

i got 40! and passing mark is shifted to 35. and highest in my class got 48. lkol. i'm fourth in class. praise the lord! overall pass. maybe can get C even. haha =)

i would never do the tys again. cheated me. lol syllabus changed. i'm taking the graphic calculator syllabus. and it's tough. sigh. i finished half the tys u know? yet failed. lol... will try harder.

next best. biology. by the grace of God... 75/100. and there are, of course, many who failed. 75 is a grade i've never seen since j1. and i got it! think i'm second in class. but anyway, thank God for this!

and so, i passed. won't get retained. more than that, i'm offered H3 biology (proteomics and DNA). thinking of taking it up. still considering. but it was a nice surprise la...hehe

LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

chemistry...

i didn't study.

orh hor... sure die la... haha... you know what? quite a lot failed. last question super hard. haha... but, i managed to get 70% overall. and that means... i TOPPED THE CLASS! hallelujah!

thanks to all qho prayed(ahha...pls repent if u haven't) for my exams! finally over, and i passed! GP second in class (56.5%), geog failed (41%), chem pass, bio pass, math "pass". yay!! and overall, i think i did more than i could imagine. and this is God.

promos was hard. 5 out of 20 people in class may retain. failed all three H2. sigh. and one of them is my student. apparently an accident happened to her sis just the day before promos, and she flunk everything cuz she was very tired, stressed, distracted and worried. now i hope a miracle can happen, and she will find out God is real...average in class pass one H1 subject.

sorry ar, if this seem too juvenile. i'm in J1.and this is j1 life. lol. just sharing a little more while i can. hope to inspire everyone who's still studying.

my previous cell group leader asked me how did i manage to perform. well, it was really doing his will, trusting him for results, and holding on to his word. those having exams, don't be discouraged! the best thing is having God with u, cuz with him around, nothing will go wrong.

to all the uni students, do study hard yes? =) i believe God will move when u move. hehe.

another thing. reaching out. managed to share the gospel slowly. but it's really so slow. zzz... i know this is GOd's plan for me. but how can i make the gospel available before this year ends? and how can i be more effective besides studying well and meeting their needs and chillin out with them and blessing them and fellowshipping and sharing their burden and empowering them and encouraging them. funny right? do so much but can't find the opportinuty to share the gosel? so please help out by praying. i believe e348 will do big things for God.

thanks for hearing me crap/share/write. take care yea? i really hope to see u guys soon, and get to know all of u better, not just what you're doing, but spiritual walk, testimonies, vision, dream, and yes, shop if time permits!

zoe is a great leader. she is sensitive to the spirit and encouraging, and very wise. hehe. thanks zoe, for standing by me.

e348 rocks!

-guess who?-
it's from nianz_

2007-10-12T09:34:00.000+08:00

hello!(: exam's drawing nearer and nearer each day, no doubt the stress and pressure is building up but one thing i believe is to have total trust in God. I just had tuition and tcher mentioned how cool I look, I don't even show any signs of stress or whatnots. Then I said it's not because i'm not stressed, just that i dont show it on the outside, so why frown when we can choose to smile? I feel that it's really how we handle the stress that we have. Just yesterday, one of my friends was feeling so stressed and kind of draw away from us. Cuz the 3 of us are Christians, so my friend used the hard approach to wake the girl up as she didn't want to go for the lessons after the 1st break but I'm really glad that she went in the end.

Going through this tough period with myself is impossible because I know I myself is not perfect and I have limited strengths, I will fall and may not pick myself up again. But with God, everything becomes possible even the impossible. This year I started out as a normal,typical Christian going to church and cellgroups but slowly I drew away from God due to busyness, not having time for God. However I'm really glad that I'm relying so much more on God now (this doesn't mean that I don't study.hahaha), trusting Him so much more and to have the joy of the Lord in everything I do. so yups. Thanks for your prayers my brothers and sisters(:

Last but not least, just want to share with you all a few verses that have really encouraged me the past few weeks.
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."-1 Peter 5:6-7

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."-James 1:2-4

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."-James 1:5-6

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-Phillipians 4:13

So remember to have the joy of God in everything that we do and in every circumstances(: love you guys(:
val

Put a title here

2007-10-10T10:33:00.000+08:00

hi everyone, haha, i mia for very long from here oredi. Been bugged alot to start posting again =S.

Anyway, life at SMU has been quite ok so far. Alot of work, and there's hoards of muggers everywhere. The scheduling and projects also mean its still difficult to meet your friends. I've been going to quite a few events in this SMUX group, something like an outdoor adventure club, and its been really fun. Should be joining their canoe polo team, and i'm really hoping they don't ever schedule training on weekends =/.

Haha, i really like the new style of our cgms, and i think most of us enjoy it too. Its much more interactive, and theres alot of humour in it. I think we tend to mix more and speak up more now than before in the old way. We've got new songs too, thought i still can't remember a single lyric, haha.
Hey charles, can share your mission statement again? haha, damn goood leh!

I do agree that we need more initiative...maybe we can all be on time this saturday? Haha, we seem to take turns to be late...

Cheers
LW

P.S To val and jo, maybe my next post should be at christmas? HOHOHO

cell group meeting

2007-10-07T00:53:00.000+08:00

hey peeps! haha i know its been a long time since i last blogged here... haha altho i do update my own blog frequently. haha but today's cgm gave me sucha strong urge to blog here tonite!

For all those hu were not here.... haha i dunwan to gek you... but it was Fab-bu-lous! haha k la... but i'm nice. shall update u guys too! i think today's cgm was really different from our normal cgms and think zoe and diana has put a lot of effort into planning and thinking out of the box to make it happen! haha so lets give them a big hand! Turn to your neighbours and say.... haha kidding. haha okae back to topic.

Anyway today we had kingsley and jonathan to join us in cgm and i think the first thing they felt was that cgm was super interactive today. haha and tts wad it was like! we all got to hear frm one another abt what we thot was the ideal cellgroup. a topic thats very close to our hearts and so today we got to know each other deeper in a way.. more than just the hee hee haa haa part u noe?

But one thing i realise is that many of us felt that our cg relationships can afford to go a deeper level...haha something which we had already shared since the start of the year. haha still remember our first meeting at val's hs. hahaa chinese new year lou hei. haha wad happen to the photos ah??? Anyways we all said we wanted to make the cellgroup a close knitted wan. haha and today... many of us talked abt deeper frienships again... haha and its nearing the end of the year! hahaa point is... like what jo said i think we need to put our thots and words into action! haha and like what ade said... lets be more sensitive to one another.... sometimes i think we dun even know that each other is going thru a rough patch or wad... and normally the person in the rough patch is unlikely to announce it unless we press into their lives!

well think one way to start is to get to know what each of our love languages are and den communicate in that language! haha key word: INITIATIVE!! i believe if we want sth den we got to do sth abt it. hahaa someone said this to me today...This cellgroup is yours! Be proud of it! haha and i am! But lets ALL take ownership of the cg! Cos its never going to be the same w/o any one of us since we make up the body of christ together and each of us play a very important role! The eyes, ears, nose, mouth, lungs, heart, etc. For those having exams, your presence is greatly missed!

haha and charles gave a super power mission statement for our cg today too. hehe but i'll leave it to charles to share w us!

cheers!
jme

Savior King

2007-10-05T23:24:00.000+08:00

Last week, we sang a new song, Here In My Life, during service, and this week we're singing another new song! :

SAVIOR KING - HILLSONG Key: E
Worship

LET NOW THE WEAK SAY I HAVE STRENGTH
BY THE SPIRIT OF POWER
THAT RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD
LET NOW THE POOR STAND AND CONFESS
THAT MY PORTION IS HIM
AND I'M MORE THAN BLESSED

LET NOW OUR HEARTS BURN WITH A FLAME
A FIRE CONSUMING ALL FOR YOUR SON'S HOLY NAME
AND WITH THE HEAVENS WE DECLARE
YOU ARE OUR KING

WE LOVE YOU LORD, WE WORSHIP YOU
YOU ARE OUR GOD, YOU ALONE ARE GOOD

YOU ASKED YOUR SON TO CARRY THIS
THE HEAVY CROSS, OUR WEIGHT OF SIN

I LOVE YOU LORD, I WORSHIP YOU
HOPE WHICH WAS LOST, NOW STANDS RENEWED
I GIVE MY LIFE TO HONOR THIS
THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THE SAVIOR KING

LET NOW YOUR CHURCH SHINE AS YOUR BRIDE
THAT YOU SAW IN YOUR HEART
AS YOU OFFERED UP YOUR LIFE
LET NOW THE LOST BE WELCOMED HOME
BY THE SAVED AND REDEEMED
THOSE ADOPTED AS YOUR OWN

2007-09-26T09:45:00.000+08:00

Hello!(: I've been MIA-ing for such a long time. Prelims had started and ended, just want to say thanks for keeping me in prayers. I was so happy on Saturday because I'm finally able to see you guys after not seeing some of you for so many weeks! Plus not forgetting wonderful refreshment and praise and worship plus a great Word(:

Got back some of my papers and I thought I did relatively well and I was quite confident in scoring in that paper but no, it turned out to be the other way round. Of course I was disappointed and I was even thinking I've put in so much more than I did for my common test six weeks before. What went wrong? I'm still in the midst of finding out what went wrong. That just spoilt my whole day because I received it during the 1st period of my lesson and it didn't get any better because for many times yesterday, my eyes were welled up in tears until I couldn't take it anymore. Just want to say a big thank you to Wendy, for reminding me that I must not grow weary in doing good for I shall reap if I do not lose heart. And of course, " I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me.". Right now, I'm alright already and back on to run the race, this time with even more determination and perseverance, even though I'm not satisfied with my results, and myself alone is not strong enough to conquer just any mountain but God + me, there is no mountain that I cannot conquer with God(: I know God has a purpose for me for placing me in JC and to go through all these stress, disappointments and whatnots, God wouldn't place me in a place where I will not excel(:

New song in the making(: Title is Always. Everytime I compose a song, it kind of speaks out what I'm feeling at that point of time and the lyrics just flow out as I typed them down though the tune has yet to be finalised but soon(: Of course I have not forgotten Zoe's challenge to me(: May I postpone it and work on it at a later time?heh.

Always
For many times O Lord
Thinking I can run this race by myself
But again and again I failed
Only then I know I can't go on alone

My sweet Jesus I need You
I need You to be by my side

I can't go on
I'm not strong enough
I grow in faith
And place my trust in You
You and I as one
Can overcome all things
I no longer fear
You're always with me

Cheers,
Val

hi everyone!

2007-09-25T22:34:00.002+08:00

hmm... didn't manage to upload the song... >.< sorry about that

anyway my exams are coming! and it's tough. really. please pray for me that i'll be strong and tide through. i really wanna shine for jesus. i'm almost at the top already (second in class). this promos will determine how much influence i will have in my class. hope everything's gonna be fine...

this thursday - 27/9 - GP, Chinese
friday - 28/9 - geography
mon - 1/10 - mathematics
wed - 3/10 - biology
thurs - 4/10 - chemistry

=) actually i'll be looking for a job this hols. that would mean
- more income
- more blessings to cell group =)
- more freedom (mom won't have anything to say if i stay out late, so can fellowship more)

yepps!

and the period after promos is CRUCIAL. i gotta reach out, share christ and work towards cell group growth! actually it had really become a burden in my heart to grow the cell group/kingdom of God. it's not that easy when everyone's studying. and that period will be the only time i can really get my friends to come. i have soooo many friends! and each of them need jesus in a different way. i'm a bit scared though i know i have jesus, because it's not in me to share the gospel and talk about jesus. that's really what i have to learn from joseph. haha...

here are the names of people i want to reach out to and i hope this is what God really wants me to do, as in reach out to THESE people instead of others (from the most potential ones to the not so open ones)

from my class 07s03
- vanice. my most committed student. coached her for half a year consistently already
- bee teng. she heard the gospel first time when i shared with her, and she suddenly sees CHC in a new light when i told her the PRAYING is actually praying in tongues/the holy spirit
- brenda. she's excited about city harvest (but not God. no relationship at all. but i saw the bookmark WORDS I CONFESS DAILY)
- hui wen. my (can say) closest friend who is agnostic as she claimed to be. will never believe in miracles unless she sees it with her own eyes
- karen. loves sun ho even though sun is not very well-received in singapore.
- jean. she's either stressed, depressed or hysterical all the time

from my cca civil defence club
- zhen ying. no true friends in school (but i can't seem to enter her life)
- sabina. she's so quiet, sometimes people don't even know she's there

my friends from other class
- wei xiang. my mugging partner whenever i stay in school
- gerald. he's so lonely, think he would'nt mind knowing jesus
- theresa (some of you may know her, she brought me to church, backslided, accepted god again, then backslided a few months ago)

my friends from outside school
- regena(my tuition kid. i integrated her to church, but she backslided)primary6
- madeline (aka maddy)(she was someone so close to my heart, but recently a setback almost blew her off the church, hope she'll be ok soon)
- fanndly (she was from city harvest, but because we shifted to expo, she backslided. recently didn't really respond to me too)

quite a long list. i learnt from zoe to spread your nets, because only one in four who are invited will come...

will share more in the next entry!! =)

Zhinian!

my new song!! =)

2007-09-25T22:12:00.001+08:00

hihi!! been long i came here and blog! just wanna share with all of you my new song... it's called

-WORSHIP-

LOVE
FIRST THING YOU'D GIVEN ME
YOU'D FORGIVEN ALL THAT I'D DONE
AND NOW I HOPE IN YOU JESUS
YOU ARE MY LORD
TAKE CONTROL

LOVE
I WANNA GIVE TO YOU
FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE
YOU ARE MORE THAN I NEED
IN YOU I ADORE AND DESIRE

FOR THIS SONG IS MORE THAN MUSIC
IT'S MORE THAN WORDS
NOW I'M SINGING FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE

WORSHIP I GIVE TO YOU TODAY
SURRENDER MY HEART SOUL AND MIND
UPON THIS ALTAR I PLACE MY LIFE
A LIVING SACRIFICE
I WILL SERVE YOU ALL MY DAYS
YOU ARE ALL THAT I WANT
NO WORDS CAN EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE
FOR JESUS REDEEMED MY LIFE

-lolx..this is not a professional recording, could have been better. but i put it here anyway just to glorify God. yea... have a great day! -

My happenings!

2007-09-25T21:30:00.000+08:00

YOz!! After reading what Charles had blogged here about his life, I really got to know him better and understand whats going on in his life and that has encouraged me to start doing so too and follow in his footsteps! THANKS CHARLES for encouraging me to do so!

I only meet charles once a week and now Im sure I will feel much more connected and closer to him the next time i see him this sat! A little effort by charles goes a longgg way.

Not everyone has a personal blog. I think only zoe, wendy and jamie has 1

And since i dont have a personal blog, im gonna write more about my life happenings here so you people get to know what happened to me in the week too hahahaa

Hey! maybe everyone in e348 should do this, so I dont have to navigate through all the other blogs to know more bout ur life ;P If you feel disconnected from the cell and ur a little tiny bit guilty, hahaa BLOG HERE BOUT WHATS UP AND DOWN in ur life!

Okk,

Here i go... what happened this week... hmm.. actually blogging is quite sian for me... I dont really like to blog cus its troublesome and time consuming lol... but its my responsibility to open a door so that you guys can press into my life if u want to hahaa ;P

Basically i spent most of my time this week doing Zoe's birthday video! Its a breakthrough cus i only had 1 other experience with making a video. That happened during my marketing class last year, and i wasnt the 1 actually making it on the computer, i was the "director" LOL So ZOE, forgive me if ur birthday "card" is not steven speilberg quality... cus its the first video i made, and my only equipment is my N73 handphone + windows movie maker + alot of hard work! The video is on youtube, it has 2 parts and its almost 20 mins long hahahahaa i'll link it below. btw, its 10.21pm now and we're gonna ambush her later... lol hope she doesnt read this... i got 40mins to write this, and bath, and zao

The other interesting thing is... although hanbo says he still havent felt God's presence, in the video to zoe, he actually said in chinese "Thanks for bringing me to know God" waaa, I really hope hanbo will continue to press on and im sure God will pour out his power in hanbo's life! I still remember Hanbo was the only 1 that zoe shared her testimony to in my house's bbq... Its really powerful thinking back that so much has happened after zoe's step of faith..

The last thing thats worth sharing is... the wonderful NUS lost camp outreach @ sentosa on monday!
Hmmm I actually invited lionel cus he joined us for lost camp (which is an orientation camp in NUS organised by city harvesters for our friends!) but he didnt respond.. haiizz
So.. we had telematch at the beach.. used mouth to store seawater ... use hand to paint friends while blindfolded while 1 girl scream like crazy... etc etc hah no time to write more!! Interesting part of the day is.. I got to sit beside 2 lesbians while watching " I pronounce you chuck and larry " with the entire NUS group!

$6 bucks for 2 movies! hahaa yeah! Throughout the movie... which is M18 btw.. hongxiu, zhinian and elicia this part u close ur eyes ar... ok close now... OI STILL PEEP!

At first i thought they were a couple.. boy and girl.. and i was sitting beside the real girl... during the movie where chuck and larry were doing the gay stuff and slapping each other's butt... they started to giggle and say " hahaa i like i like leh!" lolz and when i heard them talking, i thought to myself "eh why 2 girls voice???!?" and i looked over and saw the "boy" hugging the girl.. and "his" hand on her butt... WAH i thought.. "free show ar!" anyway the "boy" didnt look that butch la.. shes still ok.. just very short hair like YongQuan's.. but the girl's pretty hahaa

ok GTG ambush zoe now, Holy spirit, please dont let her see this b4 12am.. thanks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!

Anti-gay with the exception of koonpo,

Joseph ;>

Part 1

Part 2

Vertigo

2007-09-24T22:31:00.000+08:00

Vertigo

This word has for some reason been swimming around in my head ever since last week and, not having considered the U2 song before typing this, I guess I can attribute it to my helicopter rapelling session last friday for the army.

(And oh ya, before I go on, being currently in the Guards formation in the Army, I'll attempt to clarify the apparently popular misconception that what the Guards do involve merely all of standing guard at the Istana gates. Its not the case. Citing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Guards, "In the SAF, the Guards is an elite infantry unit specializing in rapid deployment. In addition, they also receive special forces-level training," which explains why we get to ride on helicopters =P, and also why we get to have driving lessons.)

Anyway, the human mind is an amazing creation by God and as I was walking home earlier, the axons in my brain pulsed in such a precise combination to relate most of my experiences, my life, these past few days to the word 'vertigo', which is, arguably, just a word, a combination of letters. Here's an exposition of some of them:

1) Helicopter Rappelling

Arguably the alpha of the lot, I thank God for the opportunity to experience it and its exhiliration, and also for His coverage of safety over its conduct.

In a nutshell, this involved one dropping down a rope from a height to a lower level under the force of gravity. For those of you who've been to Equinox, imagine leaping from the window and landing safely at ground level (alright, I exagerated the height, but you get the idea..)

Where does vertigo come in? First would be the helicopter ride itself, which unfortunately I can't reproduce in words, and secondly would be standing on the runway of an airfield where all around you is flat grass and tarmac as far as the eyes can see (almost). Imagine Changi airport's runways, replicated at another location in land scarce Singapore. I was so amazed at the places in Singapore that I had never knew even existed.

2) Driving Course

Today's the first day of my jeep driving course for Guards and in driving a real, motorised, vehicle for the first time in my life, a dizzying sense of satisfaction ensures from having reached a milestone in life. (Did you guys play the board game Game of Life when you were younger? =P)

And of course, I'm not complaining that its a stay-out course, which means I can go home at night!

3) Gems of Singapore

Epiphanies abound as I enjoyed my first true free weeknight in NS. Needing a hair trimming, I left for Novana Square seeking a haircut at a QB or EC house. Seek and ye shall find. I found my haircut, and more. Traipsing around the Novena area, I saw a temporary 2-lane bowling alley complete with scoreboards, full length lanes, and ball feeders set up indoors in Novena Square, the very unique mall Square2 which has lots of dining destinations as well as many speciality stores selling Korean, Japanese and Continental food and condiments, and the only place I've ever encountered travellators (those escallators on level ground) outside airports, in Tan Tock Seng hospital. Its a pity I didn't have a camera with me, for the travellators, walking along them, you'd never guesss you're in a hospital.

The cultural mandate in action. Maybe I'll play a more direct role in similar developments in future?

4) Some-sort-of-food-poisoning?

I came down with a bout of puking and dirrhoea last Thursday but thankfully I've recovered since and my stomach churning at dizzying speeds has since slowed comfortably.

5) Vert-I-Go

Maybe this is just come wordplay, but lets keep on going on for the vertical portion of the cross. I know I'm guilty of neglecting this here and there, but ultimately, our spiritual lives are still fundamental, and all things happen for the good of those who love Him.

Yep, so that's it for this entry. Before signing off, here are 2 interesting people on Youtube, over Christian debate and discussion topics. Might interest those of you who can find the time to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LaneCh
http://www.youtube.com/user/reelverse

Cheers!
Charles

PS. Come guys! Do try to spend at least 15 minutes a week posting here so that, even if nothing else, we'll know better the going ons in one another's lives and/or minds, which can only result in good. =P I honestly have no idea currently about what's the biggest issue in each of our lives. If its also true vice versa, shall we not change it?

PPS. www.willyoujoinus.com For those of you who have lots of time to spare; its a simulator, a game, with discussions, that's created by the Economist Group about world energy and environmental issues. I guess it could help in GP. =D

The Whole Household Shall Be Saved

2007-09-20T14:42:00.000+08:00

My grandma just celebrated her 80th birthday recently. I wanna praise God for all that He is doing in my grandma's life. Despite having worshipped idols for the most part of her life, she is currently regularly attending Hokkien services every Sun at Church of Singapore with my aunt. The leaders and workers of the church are also praying fervently for my grandma. Earlier, they came to visit my grandma at my cousin's place and they fellowshipped, spoke God's word to her and prayed for her. I can see that she really enjoys their company. Thank God for these brothers and sisters! Indeed God has heard the cries of my aunties and I and is moving in my grandma's life! God is good! =)

My grandma has yet come to the revelation that God is the one and only true God so I would like to ask you to pray for her salvation, that she will truly experience God. Pls pray also for the healing of her right foot and her back as she has some old injuries. Lastly, pls pray for reconcilation in my 3rd uncle's family.

Believe together with me that when one is saved, the whole household shall be saved!

Prayer Works!

2007-09-09T19:40:00.001+08:00

Valerie and Elicia are having their Prelims so pls keep them close in your prayers!

Valerie

10th Sept: GP paper 1 and 2, Chem paper 3
11th Sept: Econs
12th Sept: Maths paper 1, Phy paper 3
14th Sept: Chem paper 2
17th Sept: Phy paper 2
18th Sept: Maths paper 2
19th Sept: Chem paper 1
20th Sept: Phy paper 1

Elicia

10th Sept: Social Studies
11th Sept: Science Practical
12th Sept: Maths and Geography
13th Sept: Maths
14th Sept: Accounts
17th Sept: Chemistry & Accounts
18th Sept: Physics
19th Sept: Literature
21st Sept: Science paper 1

"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth . . ." Psalms 65:5 (NLT)

"If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. " Deu 28:13 (NLT)

revived

2007-09-02T17:35:00.000+08:00

haha charles is rite. This blog is almost dead la. haha gonna revive it! PLS HELP!!!!SOS!!!

anyway today was the last day for SOTM, and i think its really one of the best and most important series Pst Kong has done so far, i've learnt alot frm it and i'm sure all of us have been blessed by it too. But more than that, i think we need to ask ourselves how our lifes have changed becos of it? Or has it not reallie changed at all?

I'm sure many of us have made sacrifices one way or another thruout our walk with God, and i'm sure there are many others out there, and perhaps some of us who are unable to comprehend why we want to embark on this journey, learning to live not for ourselves but a life that is Christ centered.

And sometimes i think subconsciously we feel that it seems more like "work". Every saturday becomes a day of battle in both flesh and spirit as we try to serve the best we can, bring as many friends, and then rising up to stand in the gap to pull down the presence of God. But yet, like what the song says "in the end, just to hear you say well done". We all have a cause to live for, and we are where we are today for a purpose. And i believe God has not made me go thru so much, just to put me in SIM, and then not empower me to fulfil the purpose he has for me there. But yet, i also know what it feels like to feel so "stuck". Theres so much i want to do, but things just dun seem to be happening the way I want it to. Am i fighting a losing battle?

2Cor 10:3-5

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowlege of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to christ.

How did Job manage to praise God when everything was taken away from him? Because his centre of gravity is not in those things. Its in God. After that cgm when bro d talked about our centre of gravity, i remember asking some of you what is an area in your life, that if the devil attacks, there is a possibility that you may not recover frm it. Yes we talked alot abt knowing our nature so that we will not be caught unaware when it happens one day. But when it does happen, have we found that friend we can count on to talk to and pull us back when it actually happens? Cos by that time, we 'll probably not be in the right frame of mind to make decisions.

And thats where the battle lies. Bro d once said, the devil does not even have to make it come to pass, he just have to make you think of it in your mind, and thats enuff to get you down. And all the devil has to do, is shake that centre of gravity. And whatever can be shaken will be shaken, and only what canot be shaken will remain.

haha but fear not, God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. He knows our limits too and he will provide a way out. So, be of good cheer! For our God has overcomed, and we can be overcomers too!

It may seem like a losing battle now, but we will ultimately win the war.

fighting the fight of faith w u,

jme

*fighto-oh!

44th BSLC

2007-09-02T01:05:00.000+08:00

Hey guys!

Well, it seems like things have been rather stagnant here lately so I shall attempt to inject a little lifeblood in..

For a little update on myself, I'm about 5 months into my NS and have just completed my first course after BMT, that's the Basic Section Leaders' Course (44th batch BSLC) at SISPEC (that's the School of Infantry Specialists), which Joseph went through some years back. I was there from 25th June up till last thursday morning, 30th August.

A very, very brief oveview of what I learnt there in the 10 weeks was stuff like basic leadership principles, weapons handling, basic navigation, communications, unconventional warfare (CBRE), basic first aid including CPR, and knowledge for the operation of small groups of soldiers, besides physical training and conditioning.

As a few of you may know, I've been keeping a journal tracking my days in NS; and reading through it now, I recall beginning the course with feelings of consternation, as SISPEC was not where I had wanted, or expected, to be sent to. Hence, and despite that, I started the 10 weeks with the verses from Romans 5:1-5, which go:

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

How true is that? How has God used the grueling fast marches that gave endless blisters and even a broken toenail, a hand-foot-and-mouth disease outbreak that gave me 10 days of MC, an almost totally non-Christian environment with a general culture of company that I'm not really used to, strict standards seemingly only demanded by my company's instructors, a 12km run at the Army Half Marathon, and an overnight graduation march that played mind games, to mould me? Exactly how I'm not sure, but I believe I can say I've somehow emerged with a more resilient character, after all, tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope.

Ah, hope... What is hope? Harvard Business Review gives it as 'Something more than wishful thinking but short of expectation. A rejection of cynicism and dispiritedness.' Which makes much sense and is certainly a very apt definition of the secular 'hope'. Biblical principles, though, give the Christian's 'hope' as simply, 'a confident expectation of good'.

The presence of Christ elevates something short of expectation, to a confident expectation. I've not given this much thought as yet, but I think I will. Anyone care to join me?

----------

Through misty glasses I watched the buildings of SISPEC creep into sight where there had previously been nothing but dense foilage under faint moonlight. At last. 28km. Ever since BMT, I've had difficulty with route marches, and had been well known for having thin skin; now, my socks in my boots squelched with pus from burst blisters every step I took. I had quietly hummed to the tune of 'God will make a way' in the times of silence during the endless stretches of knolls along the route. At moments I thought I might not have made it, having missed some amounts of physical training during my 10 days of MC, but as the camp gates, and soon parade square arches, passed over my head, I knew that indeed God had made the way... In the graduation ceremony that followed, having the corporal chevrons confered to me by my platoon commander, I knew that the 28km covered paled in comparison to what those in OCS and the specialised vocations go through. Nevertheless, it was a victory, an euphoric victory. Vene, vedi, vici! But who's really the 'I' in that? =P

'It may have been cold night with shrill winds as I stood at that parade square, but dawn was only hours away, and the heavens have littered the abyss of darkness with glittering guardian angels, and the warmth that burns from the glowing candle of love gives me strength. I am blessed.'

----------

Charles

finally back!!!

2007-08-02T19:16:00.000+08:00

hey every rocker of e348!!

ahhaha...finally i'm back after the common test buzz! thanks to those who kept me in prayers and encouraged me throughout the exam... to those who wondered where i went, well, obviously i had been having my annual common test, which is, of course, tiring. yepps.

miss all of ya. i really hope i haven't missed out too much of what's happening in this happening cg! by the way, really wanna thank God for all that He'd done in my life. in school and stuff. He's opening many many doors to my friends' lives.

i was really encouraged by what zoe told me. just go, be think-skinned and ask! don't think so much about what they'll think. yep, i did that! and surprisingly, it really works! my friends are kinda open to coming for FOP, hopefully one will come so that all 8 will come. haha...

i wanna share with you guys a revelation i had while doing my flag day. well, last week i was compelled to do the CIP (cuz i'm an appointment holder) and i went. i hate selling flags. you see all sorts of faces from the crowd. lots of rejection too. but there's some things that i found out.

people will never donate money if you don't ask. similarly, no matter how much you impact the world and smile, no one will come to church unless you ask.

well, there are more rejections than donors. however, there are still many people who are willing to donate money, or at least give you some time to explain whatever your business is and smile to you and say no. it's also liken to reaching out. not the whole world will say no to invitations. the more people you ask, the more people will come.

when it rains, crowds cease. people who are willing to spare you attention decreases. but, there are still people who will entertain you and donate some money. well, even the devil is out there trying to get the souls indoors, those you can see, they are still potential people to reach out to.

some people wear the angry or hurried look to the face. but these people, they do donate money, at least some of them do. never judge by looking. ask and see what happens.

some people wear splendidly in the streets. branded goods and stuff. ask them to donate? no thanks! well, in reaching out, we don't choose the approachable or the likeable and decide to reach out only to them. rather, we go for all kinds of people.

last but not least, remember, THEY'RE GIVING MONEY AWAY! how much more, if we're giving them something now, and it's something we're so proud of, that's Jesus, that's love, and that's eternity...

let's stand together and watch the cell grow, one by one... =)

god bless!!

zhinian_

Happy Birthday Valerie! =)

2007-07-31T15:01:00.000+08:00

This is a tribute to our birthday girl - God-loving, multi-talented guitarist, singer-songwriter, piano extraordinare and up & coming 'A' Levels scholar ......... Valerie! :)

Thanks to our other birthday coordinator, chinese tea-sipping Terence, we celebrated Valerie's birthday at the Hong Kong Cafe at Marina Square on Sun afternoon. Doesn't he look simply dashing in his Levi's t-shirt and Zara white pants?? A present for you if you know whose awesome idea the white pants was! ;)

Val and I were taking photos while waiting for the food to be served . . .
on the other side of the table however . . .

Joseph was MANIFESTING! Manifesting happiness LAH. =P Lol.

I wanted to capture the special moment of Jo and YQ sipping the Hong Kong milk tea from the ancient tin cups but sadly the camera shy duo managed to escape the flashes of my lagging phone and ended up looking like ______ (at yr own creative discretion, LOL) !

So the food came and we ate to our hearts' content(at least I did, haha). We waited and waited for the opportune moment . . .

Tada! We presented Valerie with the tallest birthday cake ever, a mountain of mango ice topped with mango ice cream, one that will put her in Jesus' E348 Book of World Records. Lol. However, we decided that we shall save that record for Val's 21st birthday and so the chocolate- coffee cake behind was bought just for her on behalf of E348 by our dashing birthday coordinator. =D

Valerie wished for good results for her 'A' Levels. YES, we told you her wish so that you can pray for her to get all the As! ;)

Val posing with her cake while somebody was trying to heat things up a little.

Val looking happy with her very creatively wrapped present.

''What is it!? What is it?''

''It's in my fave colour . . . ''

"It's a long top/dress! Yay. :) "

Next up was her birthday card. No present for knowing whose hand is that with the mango! Haha. ''Over the valeries and the seas , your river runs in love for me . . . . ''

The multi-tasking ability of our birthday girl is evident - scooping a piece of her cake while using her birthday card to cover her mouth while laughing at the jokes from across the table while letting me take this picture. Haha.

Finally, she eagerly read the birthday wishes that we left for her. :)

A quick pic with YQ before he went back to work. ~~Somebody from across the table said, " They have the couple look.''~~ Haha. They have the brother and sister look lah.

There you have it...

HAPPY 19th Birthday Valerie!! =)

2007-07-28T08:30:00.000+08:00

new song(:

title: My God always
by: val

Walking back to You
Ask for forgiveness
Wash away my sin
For I've go against You

You've never forsake me
Though I've been wrong
You welcome me with open arms

Running to You
And into Your arms
Embrace by You
I feel the warmth
I'm not afraid
For you're my refuge
My God always
My God always

Walking with You
hand in hand
Dwell in Your House
Forever

Take a break??

2007-07-25T02:11:00.000+08:00

Is there really sucha thing as taking a break from the cellgroup, from God? I realise that it is a mentality that many of us have. Many a times whenever we are facing problems, setbacks, stress, exams, we feel that it is only "right" that we "take a break", take a step back and let the others take over. Its okay to feel sad, emotional, but yet it is when we become overtly self-absorbed in our own problems that it becomes unhealthy. And I feel that this is one area of my life that God has been speaking to me about. What does it mean to have inner strength??

Is it just being able to stand up again after you fall?? What would take a great measure of inner strength to do? Well for me, I guess one of the things would be to lead praise even when you dun feel like it. To bring yourself to smile and laugh when you are actually crying on the inside. And thats one thing I greatly admire our cgls for. I mean, i'm sure many of our leaders have their own problems too, but yet week after week they come before us as an ever strong pillar and continues to lead us and listen to our problems.

I thank God for this cellgroup, because when I was facing the most lowest point in my life, you people were there to encourage, to sa-yang me. And thats what a cellgroup is about. And truth be told, it is a great feeling to be loved and to know that so many people still care about you. But yet at the same time, I kind of took a step back and fell into the " okay.. i'm having problems.. so u guys shud understand" kind of mode. I kind of left my leadership role in the cg in a way during that period which now looking back, i feel that its sth I could very much have improved on.

Because a person of inner strength is not someone who runs away when problems arise. A person of inner strength will not think of givin up but continues to run the race together with the cellgroup. To continue being the pillar of strength for someone else. And thats why I pray that all of us will be people of inner strength... so that e348 will be a cellgroup i know we can all count on to run the race together, knowing that none of us will give up halfway.

And I guess this is something I have been quite burdened about. Initially, we started out with so much fire and passion to improve on the relationships within the cellgroup, to grow the cellgroup. We try our best to spend time fellowshiping more and go all out to make new friends feel welcomed. The prayer list circulated thru emails and we were given constant updates about each other's life. Then we started this blog, and at first we all took the effort to encourage one another, bless one another by sharing our revelations and all. But yet, can we continue to count on each other for the last half of the year? Or are we all going to be so self absorbed in our own lifes, our own problems?

Well, lets all contd. to stay in prayer because it is the secret to our strength. Amen?!

Cheers,
jamie

The basic basis of PRAYER!

2007-07-22T23:38:00.001+08:00

Hi guys,

It's been rather quiet as of late (or of very late) here recently, so decided to make some movement. ;) Would just like to share some thoughts on prayer that I've gotten over the weekend.

Firstly, I believe for those of us who were in Sunday service, we must all have raised both hands and legs when Pst asked who were born-worriers. It's so true for many of us: yes we know we are the head and not the tail, yes we know we are called to win in life, yes we know the blessings of God are reserved for those who love Him; yet why are we still worrying so much? Like what we all got out of CGM, the reason lies in having only the truth as a partial revelation in our lives. How true it is, that knowing head-knowledge truth versus spirit-based revelation will dictate how much we allow success and breakthru into our lives!

We live at a mediocre level because the truth merely exists in our heads, but has never really travelled and remained in our spirit as a full-blown revelation. When a disease becomes full-blown in a city as an epidemic, you realise everyone goes into frenzy mode. Same goes, when a revelation has taken a full-blown effect on you, it will be revealed in the way you live. No longer will we excuse ourselves from attempting the seemingly-impossible, no longer will our attitude be peppered with the 'here-i-am-send-him-instead' notion; but we will throw ourselves at doing the very thing that can be possible only with God.

When there is revival in a school, in someone's life, you realise there will be a buzz in the air, things are being done, and talk becomes action. It's no longer about 'why' we need to be the initiators of revival, its 'what' can we do today specifically for revival to happen. And how can we receive our full-blown revelation? The answer lies in prayer, that saturates us with the thoughts of Christ and allowing us to take on His sense.

I've always believed there is great potential in this dream team of E348. I mean, just look at it, how happening and influential can we get? ;) Yes, I'm also claiming that upon ourselves. But, no matter how talented and influential we are, without prayer, we lose the most basic weapon of every Christian. Samson was a man of great talents and abilities, yet he allowed circumstances to shave off his hair. We can be the most united cg, the hippest and coolest people around, but yet if we allow God and prayer to drop to any other position besides no.1 in our lives, revival will not happen.

Pst has prophesised that the remaining of 2007 will be a season of harvest and growth. I really believe that word is for us, but a team is only as strong as its weakest link. We all need to work together as a team. I understand that we all have our other stuff to be concerned with, especially when school resumes, but lets be most aware of our primary calling unto God. Let's build a greater capacity and strength to do the works of revival, and have a full revelation of what we are called to. Remember that the level of revelation for success will increase over time, proportionally to how much you are willing to engage in prayer and cook up a storm in the spiritual wok of life! =)

How much we are able to proclaim that 2007 has been a victorious year lies in how much of a prayer warrior we are, and how little of a complainer we are. Yes, we face our circumstances, but who ever succeeded by focussing on stress and worry? The one who will have the loudest cry of victory at the end of 2007 is the one whose eyes are set on the Lord, and whose actions can thus be filled with faith. It's for the one whose hands are tied to the sword, for the one who understands there is no turning back, for the one with the despite-all attitude. Can you be that person? ;)

Your fellow battlemate,
Zoe

2007-07-21T10:01:00.000+08:00

You alone - Hossana integrity

YOU ARE THE PEACE
THAT GUARDS MY HEART
MY HELP IN TIMES OF NEEDS
YOU ARE THE HOPE
THAT LEADS ME ON
AND BRINGS ME TO MY KNEES
FOR THERE I FIND YOU WAITING
AND THERE I FIND RELEASE
SO WITH ALL MY HEART I'LL WORSHIP
AND UNTO YOU I SING

FOR YOU ALONE DESERVE ALL GLORY
FOR YOU ALONE DESERVE ALL PRAISE
FATHER WE WORSHIP AND ADORE YOU
FATHER WE LONG TO SEE YOUR FACE
FOR YOU ALONE DESERVE ALL GLORY
FOR YOU ALONE DESERVE ALL PRAISE
FATHER WE LOVE YOU
AND WE WORSHIP YOU THIS DAY

God ministered and touched me deeply during the prayer meeting this afternoon."my daughter, i'm sorry for what you are going through but you are not fighting this all by yourself. i am always here for you, i am always here, always.i know what you are going through even though others may not know. i am here to lead you on when things seem to be hopeless, i am here to lead you out of the valley. i am always always here. i love you my daughter."

thanks guys for encouraging me and being here for me(:
val

Glory to God =)

2007-07-16T01:50:00.001+08:00

I want to thank God for ministering to me at the zone meeting on Sat. I felt much peace immediately afterward and I am at greater liberty now than I was before it.

If you wanna know the specifics, I screamed the moment Bro Darren laid hands on me, fell on the floor, wept for bout a min and then coughed a couple of times. After that, I felt God's peace and holiness coming upon me. It could only be Him. :)

A girl from N380, Xinni, very innocently asked me yesterday, " Why did u scream? How come I didn't? "

"Evil spirits sometimes manifest through screaming," I replied.

Then she expressed that she wants evil spirits to leave her.

"Mike Connell is coming. Pray and fast for your deliverance." I said to her.

Rev. Mike Connell is coming in the weekend of 28 - 29 July. Stay back for the ministering session after service, especially if you have never been ministered in this area. Better yet, start praying and believing God for it now. Don't miss out on this divine opportunity to be healed and delivered. Pst Mike is a great man of God with a tremendous anointing for inner healing and he only comes to our church once a year.

' So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ' - John 8:36 (NIV)

God is a good Healer, an awesome Deliverer. :)

' The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ' - John 10:10 (NKJV)

On a lighter note (haha), I'm going to school for my Advertising and Public Relations classes this month forward. I have taken the initiative to meet my classmates and schoolmates up for lunch. Pls pray the following:

1. Anointing of God to be upon me as I speak out in class and as I fellowship with people.

2. Greater discipline, diligence and wisdom in my life.

3. Pray extra fervently for the salvation of Anggi, Arbella, Calida, Mark, Raymond, Rebacca and Shantha.

4. Pray that my classmate, Emily (a believer), will be planted in the house of God.

A million thanks to YOU for praying!! :)

' You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. ' - Psalm 92:4-5 (NLT)

Love, Wendy =)

2007-07-10T23:25:00.000+08:00

Success isn't being happy, because our emotions will still fluctuate.
Success isn't about getting wealth.
Success isn't about power.

Success is...
Knowing your purpose in life,
growing to reach your maximum potential, and
sowing seeds that benefit others.

"Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding out of bed becuz there's sth out thr that you love to do, that you believe in , that you're good at - sth that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again today!"

-Whit Hobbs

Success is a journey. You can start to be successful right NOW.

John C. Maxwell. Knowing Your Roadmap To Success.

Hmmm...
-YQ

2007-07-04T18:01:00.000+08:00

let me be emo for once.
the past few days i've been on the verge of breaking.perhaps i have not try hard enough. perhaps i have to find new ways of doing things. i've listed out the number of topics there are and the number of days i have left with. it's scary. there are so many things to do.putting studies first or putting God first. which one? of course i know it is the latter one because all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. I can say that all this while, God has been telling me that nothing is impossible, i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. yes. the word strengthens has helped me many many times. God is the one who carries me and gives me strength to carry on even though i'm so tired. i would have had swollen eyes everyday if not for God who never fails to give me strength to continue. i'm walking through one of my deepest n darkest valley this whole period, i have started to pick myself up bit by bit, at the end of it, i know i will succeed.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me

val

Xing Xue Lai Chao

2007-06-24T21:43:00.000+08:00

DUM DEE DUMS.........its been A LONG LONG time since anyhow posted any emo- threads here lei....

Anyway, I guess I should start the ball rolling and hopefully you guys will keep the momentum going...

This week was wierd.

Busi-ness AMPLIFIED x 100000000 ...
No time to rest. Rushing from place to place. Hi bye hi bye cyas around...dots

Yea, and I suffered from post-holiday withdrawal symptoms. Gosh. How i missed the beaches in Redang( though the service was HORRENDOUS)

Ooh well, yes back to my point, Bamm.. back to sg, right smack in all the hectic-ness once more. Do this. Do that. Go here. Go there. I should'nt go further as to list every single thing i did or it'll be too darn bored. Heh. sadistically, i found fulfilment in such a busy schedule. What's more, I had updates on the people whom I kinda lost touch during the hols.

And what's more, all these seem so much more meaningful after what Bro Darren had preached during cellgroup. I'm like wah.. thank God all this busy crap didn't go to waste man. At least I'm impacting ppl's life.

And well, Zoe asked the qns how do u define success during our retreat at Redang...
I guess I found mine through my journey in Man Hunt. It sounds out of the world, but yes but Man hunt really gave me a chance to think of what I want in the future so that I could answer those tacky questions with realism.

SUccess to me : Impacting Lives. As many as possible. I want to see them grow, to see them grab hold of their lives and discover their own purpose on Earth.

I had the revelation that, if we can really look towards Jesus, see the greater purpose that He has for us in life, everything else would seem minute. And yes indeed, the song we sang for worship " my life fades away" ... it exactly depicts the feeling that everything else is small compared to the greater purpose that God has for us. Studies...GPA...Materialism... if we can learn to look beyond all these and focus on greater things, our lives might just become more joyful and purposeful, " and all these things will be added onto us"

Yes, mindless pursuit for GPA results studies might ultimately land you a First Class Honours. So are we going to tell God : HEY, I topped my class lei. Zai not? Instead, why not tell Him : Hey, see I"ve changed this guy's life. I've helped the poor. I've been doing your works. Of whom would you want to be? The former, or latter?

WHoa ok it doesn't sound like me to say all these above. Thus " Xing Xue Lai Chao" :)

On a last note, Ms DUMDEEDUM mascot, why do i keep meeting you n ur darling everywhere i go >.<

-Y.Q.

REDANG (HELP ME EDIT!)

2007-06-21T12:48:00.000+08:00

MoRe MoRe TeA iNN

E348!

ReeedanG!

DAO Our New FriendS!
THE BIG small GAME!!!!!! Created by e348!!!!
Step 1: Big is small, small is Big
Step 2: Each person can add 1 big or small
Step 3: Continue untill ur Bimboeeed!!!!

I was digging jamie's nose after the game btw...

MASS DANCE AT REDANG BEACH!!!

JAP STYLE~!

Snorkelling Trip Photos
Chronicles of The Tsunami....

The CAST

JAMIE

Joseph

YONGQUAN

Adeline

ZOE

TERENCE

.
Their journey to the little Redang Island begins.

Sailing in the sea with life-vests boatie...

All was fine.

THEN SUDDENLY.... a tsunami struck, throwing them off their boatie...

It was so great they were all engulfed in water.

Stay Tune for more Chronicles of Tsunami!

Dum-di-dum-dee-dum CHOC FONDUE Party 07

2007-06-17T17:45:00.000+08:00

moving to the next level of faith

2007-06-10T14:53:00.000+08:00

hello guys(: today's cell group msg and pastor's msg really impacted me a lot.
the story starts about a week before emerge.my school has a handful of chc members and one of them sent out online msg to gather the strength of these few people and to start a revival in tpjc. of course i didn't imagine this to take place. today's cell group msg has made my faith go up to the next level, that nothing is impossible for me because i can do all things through Jesus Christ amen!(: During the last part of the service, when we were praying as a church, i actually had a vision for the first time. i see a tpjc revival, tpjcians getting saved and being added to the kingdom of God. serving God and being on fire for God that His will will be done.

I guess, this is a new thing that i will attempt after emerge this year.to be no longer my old self but to really step out of my comfort zone to reach out to those who are lost. i know i cannot do this all by myself but together with a few others and having God with us, i believe for a breakthrough and a revival in tpjc just like the one that i saw when the whole church was praying. i know i've been in my comfort zone for too long and it's the time to step out and emerge. tpjc is my marketplace and i want to make an impact before i leave college this year. to the the great works of God, of course it will demand for my time for my studies but i know, as i put God first, everything will work out for those who love God. I was really really encouraged(:

secondly, i would like to thank God for my studies. term 2 has been one of the most trying period for me due to the limited time i have for my studies but thank God, i managed to passed 3 h2 subjects(phy, chem, maths). For maths, i wasn't expecting a pass because i know i didn't prepared well for it. on the day itself, i was studying in choir room and those who were about to take the test were saying "aiya, let's just fail the test together lar. " " eh. let's meet in the toilet later okay. cuz i dont think i will be able to do those qns." Of course, i did not let these comments get into my head, instead i asked God to give me wisdom even though i didn't prepared well for the test and yar. of course, getting a E is not a good pass but it's a good start towards greater heights.

i also want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play praise during cell group just now. it's the first time playing and of course it was challenging but nonetheless, i will continue to do my best to use my talents to serve God. yes, i will practice hard(: last time i used to think playing praise seems to be such a breeze when i saw royston played during cell group but now i know. haha. it's harder than worship because praise requires a lot of strength. it was a good experience(: just want to thank you guys for encouraging me(:

i will conclude by saying the things that i would like to pray for:
1. revival in tpjc!
2. studies- exams coming in 2 weeks.

so yups!(:
see you all next week(:

cheers,
val

Emerged? By Joseph!

2007-06-09T02:04:00.000+08:00

What is emerge? Is it just competitions for the youth? Maybe with abit of louder praise, more worship and more visuals?

I feel that this year's emerge sets us apart. The reason why there are so many competitions like lightning chess, dota, warcraft, shoe design, art, entrepreneurial challenge etc etc is so everyone can be a WINNER.

Just as God made us differently, we are given different gifts and talents that we might shine through them. This emerge really forces EVERYONE to step out and use thier gifts and emerge in thier area. There is no excuse to hide!!

I was impacted by pastor Kong's message regarding us holding the trumpet. If you havent realised, we are really living in the last times... we are the last generation... it is US, me and YOU, blowing the trumpet one last time. Everyone is a winner. We are victorious in the name of Jesus. BUT we really have to step out and claim our prize. No use knowing your a winner but not applying your talents or gifts. I wouldnt have guessed my team could be champions for warcraft, but we tried, we trained and we won! AMEN!

I guess the sense of urgency really hit me as pastor was jumping with the trumpet from one generation to another... and then to US... and i realiesed... thats it.. no one will be after us... The trumpet is to be blown the LOUDEST in these final moments. And i really feel honoured to be chosen by God to be placed in this time. I was looking through my msn after emerge and i saw one old friend of mine who wrote " I am beginning to delete old contacts from my msn and hp... "
It hit me that i could be 1 of those he is deleting and the opportunity is just gone like that.

This Emerge to me is not just catching the fire and be HOT for a few weeks. Its really to re-align my LIFE priorities, my DESTINY, my WILL. To know that I am holding the LAST trumpet. To remind myself how much time I really have left to make a difference and let my light shine.

Currently i am going thru my some of my toughest trials of my faith... because i have been broken and broken and broken then comforted and comforted and comforted... Yes sometimes I dont understand why... I cry... I feel terrible... I even felt like a total idiot... But every morning when i wake up... I think of Job and how he faced his trials... I started with nothing, and I will go back with nothing but I will praise You... I think of James when he said "Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." And then I cant help but to Thank and Praise God for moulding me for the final days...

I know many people in E348 are going thru many trials... But please remember to praise God for he is moulding you, developing your perseverance of your faith and AlWAYS REMEMBER!! ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD! Dont just say "FOR GOOD" but understand what is "FOR GOOD"!

I pray that I can truly emerge to take on this trumpet and this responsibility to blow it with all I have.

Open my eyes,
Joseph

Called to NTU...

2007-06-08T01:08:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, I'm really impacted by all that you guys have shared in this blog. Emerge indeed have touched our lives in many different ways, it has touched me in a special way too.

Long time ago, I was I'm very encourage by what Pastor has shared, that you are called to be the light and salt of your respective marketplace.. 4 years ago, while I was choosing my Uni, God told me to go NTU. (Yes.. distance is one factor, but God is the main factor that motivate me there). I say, if I were to go, it better be good.. To be honest, a lot of people asked me why I never go NUS or SMU, clearly they are more reputable school than the one far far west.. Now I finally realize that God has already laid up plans for me in NTU.

God is really awesome, I've been given opportunities that I will never have dreamed of.

1) To be able to head one of the largest and most profitable club- the Investment Club. It is a position of power and when Pastor shared that I can use this for the glory of God, it serves to encourage me further to shine for him in this area. Today, I'm speaking to the management from different banks and financial institutions as a student. I can speak on behalf for the benefit of other students and make changes. This is something that I did not see when God told me to go NTU
2) Good results. I just got back my results. This semester, I got 4 A- and 1 A. Considering that I'm super busy last semester with my IIC events- ran 2 major events (one of them is the trishaw race). I only manage to start studying 2 weeks before exams, Thank God for this awesome result. It is like my A levels.. when I didn't finish my paper for econs (half done actually) and I got an A. Truly amazed.. because my stats paper wasn't finished, and my astro paper was a flop because I can't explain how the auroras came about..

It wouldn't be possible without God giving me strength through it all and giving me the opportunities. I'm blessed, thats all that I can say.

I just wanna say thank you E348 for praying for me together with the rest of the Uni students. All your prayers are effective. I'm really blessed to have such a cell group, to encourage me and pray for me during that difficult season. Most of all, I thank God for placing all of you in my lives. I'm grateful for this cell, a closely knitted cell group who shares eagerly.

Enough Said, I shall share more during cell group.. Haha.. Cya around

Praises,
Terence

The Zoe-d One Speaks...

2007-06-08T00:05:00.000+08:00

Hi guys! It's really encouraging and inspiring to hear people starting to share about Emerge, but hmm, why is it always the sisters who are setting the pace huh? *Hint hint*

Anyway to those who shared, thanks for being a blessing. I'm sure we all took something home from Emerge, and the girls have aptly shared more or less what I want to share, so I will not talk too much about that. If you wanna know more, check out zoe-loveseedplanter.blogspot.com as usual. ;)

I believe something else that I received was not so much from what my auditory senses picked up from all Pastor talked about, but it was something I caught via my visual senses, and through that, something powerful really hit me. I'm sure those who have been with us from the 1st Emerge Conference would realise that there had never been one Emerge organised that same way, and you can be sure every year, surprises will be behind the curtains for us. It was the excellence put into planning that exploded this in me: the church with a living God in it will undoubtly stand at the forefront of all sectors of life. Like what Pst Abraham Ku prophesied, creativity should never cease from flowing from the church of the living God. If the way we have been 'doing' cell group, 'doing' outreaches, 'doing' reaching out and bringing friends every big day has not shown the results we wanted, then it's time for a new dose of creativity! I love the creative. I love to do the things that shock people. I love to make life interesting. I love to inject little surprises into people's lives out of the blue. How about you? (This is beginning to sound like my own blog.)

Another thing that significantly provoked me came from how CHC never fails to surprise me year after year with the best of the lot in the music industry performing for us. When all Tank had to do was shout 'Hallelujah' once and the crowd went wild, when all Daren and Diya had to do was proclaim they are christians and the crowd screamed: that showed me one thing. What stirred me up even more was the story in Liu Gen Hong: he is a loving man to his fiancee (now), a passionate singer-songwriter, and still very much a strong cell leader in his church, loving God and His people. When he shared that there were 100+ people that were won over or under his leadership now in his cell group, it blew my mind, because I realised that influence someone highly visible to the public eye could have. Imagine if someone in E348 was an actor, singer, pop artiste, writer, dancer, politician, sought-after businessman, banker...people will start knocking on your doors asking you to bring them to your cell group! How mind-blowing it is!

Many of us are blessed in some way or another: some sing, some play instruments, some dance, some earn big bucks, many lead clubs or societies, and all look good. We need to introduce the God-factor into our talents and let it penetrate our society. Many times, we excuse ourselves saying that there is someone else better than us. I understand that, being someone who sings myself. Yes, there are many who can sing better, but I know for one that when I am called into the stage by grace, nothing else matters. There will always stand someone more qualified, but one day, plan B will turn into plan A. One day, the testimony will be yours to share with CHC. It's time to move out of the norm and do something different. Take responsibility of your talent, and DO IT NOW!

Cheers,
Zoe

it's [nianz] again

2007-06-07T20:19:00.000+08:00

hi everyone!

been so long since i last posted an entry. emerge has just ended, but a new phase of life has just begun! i'm really inspired by what pastor kong has shared, but more than that, God did show up. It was really phenomenal. i went only for a few services, but learnt quite a lot. these are things that are deepl etched into my soul:
#1. Shamgar - the power of one and how he prayed, was audacious, was willing to obey, etc...

Finally i realise one man can make a difference, and the 5 attributes of SHAMGAR can change the whole nation...

#2. Jesus: DO YOU LOVE ME? DO YOU LOVE ME? DO YOU LOVE ME?

It was really revelational to me. I felt like i was Simon Peter, every time God asks me, "Do you love Me?" i'll always say "OF COURSE!" never once did it occur to me that i don't, nor have i doubted my reply ever. But like Simon Peter, so many times God asked me to do something, I'll say yes, then forgot about it or procrastinate till i forgot. God reminded me of all these times, and i felt so bad, so bad. that was the point of breaking. Jesus loved me to the point He died for me, yet my love to Him was perhaps just phileo instead of agape. At that point, i really didn't know how to answer Jesus if i really loved Him. I could only be like Simon Peter and say "God, i don't know, but i'll try my best." Now i'm hoping that God will still use me as much as He used Simon Peter, after all that i had done to disobey.

#3. Now the trumpet is in your hands, city harvest! If you sound it, you can bring peace and freedom(and much much more) to your land!

Truthfully speaking, i had tried evangelising to the point i'm scared of it. Fear of rejection. I had always set a standard in front of all my peers, and live out the best i can be. True enough, people do look up to me, but WHAT'S THE POINT if everyone knows i'm good yet doesn't know the goodness behind me? That sentence that pastor said about the cultural mandate all for the great commission really shocked me a lot. it slipped my mind about the cultural mandate. But thank God, i caught the fire back! I'm now ready to face the world with the cultural mandate, and carry the gospel wherever i go, because people are dying by the seconds, and pastor is working so hard to ensure he does his best to preach the gospel. I'll support him, and go all out to share the love of christ with my friends and family.

praise the lord! i shared half the gospel with my mum, about hell and heaven and how the other religion are not the route to heaven. i think she received something in the spirit. hopefully with some more opportunity from the Lord she'll be saved one day...

i'll be going back to JJC to "sound the trumpet" of christ. If Peter, Paul and Jesus died because of the gospel, i'm not alone. (fyi i may get expelled should i be found out talking about religion in school because my principal hates it) I'll be wise and hopefully carry the glory and presence of God back to my school. I guess after JC quite hard to reach out already huh? hmm... do pray for me that God will show me something...

a few things that i would like to pray for(and hopefully you will join me)
-hong xiu
-my family, cca (civil defence club) and class , that they'll be open to the gospel
-God to speak to me

That's all for now. Oh btw, thanks to everyone in e348 for being such a wonderful "sibling" in christ! haha... you guys really rock

-ZHINIAN

Emerge Pics!!

2007-06-07T01:11:00.000+08:00

hahaha hey everybody! Pics are up! hahaa yes finally we see more faces on this blog!

ahhh this what u do wen u queue up for hours!

haha guess who

hahaha okay val, dis for u!

zhinian val wendy cia ade

lalala

Evonne!! ahh we'll all be missing u!

hahha zoe looks good. haha

ade wendy jme

Wendy and Jo... ermm.. and Terence on the phone

Ade JO Evonne and Zoe at talenttime!

EMERGE!

2007-06-05T17:03:00.000+08:00

Emerge 2007 has finally come to an end but I must say that this year's emerge conference has been the best one yet. Yea thats right, it just gets better and better year after year. Although I feel that this year may not be as hyped up as the previous years, but I like what pastor said, its not just about the hype, its about the anointing!

Pastor has been focusing on the power of brokeness during this period and God has been working in my life especially in that area. ahh yes, its the whole uni applications thing again. It may not seem to be affecting me much on the outside, but its a very huge blow to me actually, especially to someone who always thought she would get into uni somehow or rather. Saying the wrong thing to me might just cause something inside me to snap. Which was exactly what happened on thursday...I'm so so sorry about that... But come to think about it, it all boils down to my pride. Its the big I word in me. I couldnt stand the thought of having to face all my relatives and telling them that I couldnt get into any uni. I couldnt bear telling people that I was rejected. And i noe everyone is so gonna ask me exactly that question... argh..

I really thank God for this emerge conference because I dunno how i would have survived the last few days without it. God has been my constant strength during this period and has been speaking to me a lot thru Pastor Kong. Seeing how Shamgar pressed on despite the odds being 600 to 1, trusting in God despite his circumstances. And how Jacob wrestled with God and refused to let go until he was blessed by God which ultimately made him walk with a limp for the rest of his life, but yet it was worth it, because he will always remember to lean on God's strength and not fight for everything on his own. It must have been a painful experience for him just as it is now for me, but yet it has given me a greater spiritual hunger for God in my life. haha i dunwan to sound "holy" or anything, but really, this experience has helped me to go up a new level in my walk with God and I do thank him for it. If I had gotten everything so easily, I may not have been as desperate for him to move in my life and my testimony would not have been as impactful.

But the highlight of the whole emerge was on saturday night! I believe all who were there that night felt the tangible presence of God, and for those who were not there... ahhh!!!!

Anyway that night, the presence of God was so strong that I believe even the new friends were touched. But more than that, God spoke to me that night. Okay let me backtrack abit first...

Actually on thursday night... I was just telling ade that I dunno if my faith is strong enuff to take another blow, another set back, if my appeal was unsuccessful... I cant imagine what would happen if I'm ultimately not accepted into NUS fass after all, and end up having to go to poly?? I had never ever thot I would end up having to go to poly or anywhere else like overseas to study or NAFA or whatever. What am I going to do if my appeal was unsucessful? I had nv tot of a back up plan... Am i really going to work for one whole year?

But on sat night, Pastor spoke about love. About Simon Peter's love for Jesus. Three times, Jesus asked him:"do you love me"... And each time, Peter said "yes. you know I love you" But the love Jesus was refering to was the Agape love, love inspite of, sacrificial love. But, Peter had only Phileo (brotherly love) for Jesus and yet he spoke with such confidence. (Just like how he had said he would never betray Jesus. but in the end denied Christ 3 times!) It was only after the third time Jesus asked Peter "do you love me" that caused something inside Peter to snap.The Bible says Peter was hurt. Finally Peter realise what Jesus was saying and he loved Jesus so much he was ultimately crucified on the cross, upside down. He was willing to be crucified because of his love for Jesus.

That was when he asked me... Do i love him?? What if his plan for me was to go to School of Theology first, before I carry on with my uni studies. Why not spend a year to be equiped with the word of God before I penetrate my marketplace. Now u must understand that SOT has never ever crossed my mind before. Friends who know me.. will know that I'm so not that kind.. hahaa oops... but that night for the first time ever I struggled with that thought. I really did not know if my faith was strong enuff. What would my friends and relatives say? Was I even ready for it? I mean in terms of my spiritual maturity..But yet, like Peter, I wanted to tell Jesus that I do love him... the question lies in just how much..

To cut short everything, I did find the peace of God in the end, and I have decided that even if my appeal is unsucessful, hahaa i wun backslide la. hahhaa. and ya I would be seriously considering SOT. Have spoken to my parents and they are willing to support me... hahaa. So in the meantime, do contd to pray for God's will to be done in my life.

hahaha last but not least THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED ME IN MY APPEAL~
ade yq charles wendy and zoe! ahhh i'm ever so grateful. and to the rest of you, thanks for all your prayers! I love all of u!

with lots of love,

jme

2007-06-04T05:49:00.000+08:00

another week is coming to an end, so how was your week?
the beginning of this week was physically and mentally draining due to the long hours of practices for the concert on wednesday but i guess all the hard work was paid off by the successful concert! stall tickets were sold out a few hours before the concert. i just want to thank you guys for supporting me throughout this whole event, especially to joie, joseph, jamie n jerome for coming down, and terence's surprise. not forgetting all those sms-es and well wishes(: i'm really grateful to have such supportive people to run the race with(:

let me tell you exciting things(:
i wasn't feeling very well on wednesday itself.when i was at raffles city's subway on wednesday afternoon, i was feeling faint, everything appeared to be flashes of white. So, for the remaining hours before the concert, i was feeling light-headed. During rehearsal, i was just praying in my heart that God will heal me and take away the sickness. I ate very little for dinner but thank God, i felt totally fine just before going on stage(:

secondly, on thursday night, i was just thanking God for His blessings, like how He has blessed my family and immediately after that, my mum came running into my room with excitement written all over her face,she told me that 2 of her bears were sold. These 2 bears were handed over to the shop owner that very afternoon. ever since the building fund period, i've been really amazed by how God has poured out His blessings into my life. i've finally understand the meaning of having many folds of blessings pour back to me upon my giving and i thank God for that(:

from God as exams are in 3 weeks' time. at the same time, i wanna pray that the cell gwell, this week i wanna pray that i will continue to have the discipline to study and wisdomroup will be more bonded together(:

now is the photo time!(:2 of the classic pose(:
see you guys next week.
cheers,
val

it's all about love.

2007-06-03T00:53:00.000+08:00

For those who went Saturday's night EMERGE session, I am sure you all felt God's tangible presence, not just once but twice, thrice, and many hundred and thousand times, yes? It was an amazing fellowship with God while we worship and praise Him. His presence was so strong that I was able to step into the supernatural realm with God a few times. I saw the vision again! The vision I had when I started out in church and got laid hands by Zoe during a combined cell group meeting. I was prancing around a huge grass plain with Jesus. There was no sorrows, no disturbance, no burdens, just happiness and lots of love and Jesus Christ! Awww, how I wished time would stop and we could keep worshiping God in church!

God truly is God of love - His message for us today! A simple word, LOVE, from God can touch the entire church and brought tears and peace to all of us during service. God's love is like a trampoline, where we can forever rely on whenever we fall. He not only provides support to us, but also empower us with more "potential energy" to push us further to our goals. No matter what setbacks or disappointments in life we may have, never be discouraged because God's love is always stretched out to us. He allows disappointments into our lives so that we can return to His presence and be recharged for the next battle!

Thinking back, this is so real in my life because last year when my world seemed to be falling apart, God's love mended my broken heart and sent me back to the marketplace once again. I kept all the problems to myself during that period (now, that is not a good idea!!!! kids at home, please do not try it!) and refused to tell anyone about it, not even God. It was until the pain was unbearable that I decided to lift them up to God. And so I was able to carry on my days and weeks in school, all because God's love and peace manage to soothe my heart a little each night. He recharged me a little by little slowly. It was not easy to recover from a huge blow, so, of course, that little bit of love medicine did not heal me entirely. Nevertheless, God did not stop just there. He sent Pastor Mike Connell (Muahaha!) to remove all negativities in my mind and had Sister Jialing, Zoe and my ex cell group and some other friends to encourage and support me. God's love came through them and yeah, thank God for His thoughtful planning, that I am able to recover before my A Levels! Hallelujah!

So yeah, feeling down today? No worries, God's love gonna TOUCH you soon when your feet reached the trampoline! You will be recharged, empowered and jump out even higher, come out even stronger to reach for the stars! His love is agape love, He will be with you forever. His perfect love cast out all fears, you don't have to worry about tomorrow! It's all about God's love! For this, let's love God back even more tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that and on and on and on, shall we?! (Zahhh!)

Before ending, I want to thank everyone in the present E348 too because God's love certainly moved through you guys!
To Zoe, thanks for being an inspiration and encouragement. From my discipler to my leader now, you have always believed in me and walked closely with me in my life.
To Jamie, my best friend for eternity! Thanks for everything la, too many to list out, shall tell you when we're in the bedroom! Hah!
To Cia, my darling!!!! Thanks for everything too, too many to list out, shall tell you when we're in the bedroom too! =X
To Wendy, thanks for your bubbliness and care! Muacks!
To Zhi Nian, touched by your postcard and your desire to learn eyelining skills from watashi!
To Shi Fan, thanks for shopping with me and chinese-speaking practise!
To Val, thanks for the angelic voice and wonderful guitar play!
To Hong Xiu, thanks for fellowshipping!
To Joseph, thanks for the car rides, chocolate milkshake treats and many many many jokes!
To Yong Quan, your himboness and everything else!
To Terence, your "are you okay"s and sacrificed time to hangout with the cell!
To Jonathan, your smiley faces! Muahaha!
To Le Wen, YAYS my one and only Linkin Park fanatic in the cell group!
To Charles, your inspiration to make me write all this messages out and the few kilometres walk we had just now!
Zahhhh! I LOVE YOU all to bits and pieces!!!!!!!!! Hahahaha. =X

``adelineJOIE

Man-Hunting

2007-06-02T01:43:00.000+08:00

It has sure been a rollercoaster ride :) ALas, my man-hunting expedition has come to an end. And yes, though I'm not in the top 5 (sigh), it was a great relief then because I did not have to go through the agony of answering the question in front of a gargantuan crowd, 10 times that of the crowd during the semi-finals.

Haha, of course, after going down the stage, I felt that I should be up there. DARN!

Gahh....a wave of regret overwhelmed me.

Not to mention, out of the 5 male finalist, 4 of them are from Pst Zhuang's Cellgrp. Out of which, 2 are CGLs, 1 is a PCGL(ManHunter no1 Edwin). And Reid, the cool dude's a strikeforce guy who performed during yesterday's opening performance. The other is a pwetty boy. Well-deserved top 5, i'd say.

EH althought i nv win, seriously, i tink its one experieeeence of a life-time lei. I might nv get the chance to strut my stuff again. But out of all these, I feel that the best thing which I gotten out of the Man-hunting is the ppl that I got to know of. Davin Samuel, Wei Ren & Edwin, the 2 CGLs and 1 PCGL to be are zai kias and powerful ldrs of the kingdom man. They have the HOLY AURA emitting out of them, and yet they're still contempary, fashionable and relatable. I'm totally blown away by their spirit of excellence and their ability to quote bible verses for any situation that we faced during the whole man-hunting process.

And yes, sth which Davin Samuel said to me will always stay in me forever, which goes like this " Without the word and daily revelation from God, your members would just dwindle, from 20, to 10, to 5." Its like how true la... Without God in our lives, and without the strong relationship betw ldr, God and member, the members themselves would fall away.

Its truly my honour to be able to get to know them on a personal level, not on the basis that they're ldrs over my life because there isn't a line to be drawn as they're more like peers and friends to me. From them, I could really see the obstacles that a CGL will face, and how they overcome it by faith. They're one of those few ppl who really resonates "from the inside out". I'm really proud to be able to be their fellow man-hunters. Though its only a short period, I am truly impacted by their fire and passion emitting from them. Thank God for the strong leaders in our church :) Cheers.

AND WITH WHICH, I'll end of with this........

Some usher gave it to me....super touched. haha. THANKS!

OF CUZ NOT forgetting THE SWORD!!!! Thanks so much, especially all the cheering hahahah, boosted confidence x10! THANK YOU e348!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

The Post worth Waiting for...

2007-05-29T02:44:00.000+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Board of Directors... I present to you.. the post worth waiting for..

Haha, sorry for the super long delay, actually, i dun really blog, so its like a new experience for me. But I'm encouraged to see this initiative, since there are so many posts and replies. I hope there will be frequent fresh updates. Yup.. Anyway, as I've promised... I present to you, the photos.

Hail to the wonderful cell group.. This was taken during the baptism of the 3Js. Most of them are in black or white though, except me..

Photo taken after appreciation to our dear CGL for her EM promotion. She's indeed feeling 'secure' and happy at this moment.
After the appreciation, we flew down, literally, to Gary's. Joseph is seen here posing behind Jamie. Joseph... are you trying to imitate King Kong? HAha..

Post-Transformation after Jamie says "YES" to "do you wanna be pretty?". The curls here are hard to revive after she went to sleep and all. So people, I've got exclusive coverage on Jamie's new look. Get it from me pls... More photos on my computer.

There ends the photos from Gary's. You really don't get to see this new look of Jamie except from here.. Haha.. I'll move on to Miscellaneous photos..

Had a very interesting prayer meeting at SMU last sunday. Yong Quan was our dear guitarist. He is seen here (on the right) teaching Charles how to play. Joseph however (on the left), is pushing for a new initiative, a 2-man guitar team. Woah...

Our cell group is small, yet I believe, the relationships forged here are strong. I affirm to what Joseph has written, this is a cell group that will run with you. Our walk with God, is not alone. God places people here in our lives, to lead us, to support us.. and I'm indeed blessed to have known all of you to run this race together. Thank you E348, lets move on glory to glory.

I think my post is long enough, with the photos. Updates of my life on the next post... Cya.

Regards,
Terence

When I look into the sky above...

2007-05-28T15:44:00.000+08:00

'When I look into the sky above,
Wonder how my life has changed,
Wonder how Your love it came to me.
When I look into the sky above,
All my fears so far away,
All I feel is heaven calling me.'

This wonderful song was sung during the previous weekend's services and has been resounding in me the entire week serving in Tekong. After all, NS is a place where I am in the open, literally able to look into the blue sky above, at least 75% of my waking time, which is much more than I can say for school, work and even church.

Going through the verse's last 2 lines, as little-Christs, God has taken away from us spirits of fear and in place has provided provision for a spirit of faith. And as it goes, this faith puts no limit on God and likewise God puts no limit on this faith.

Throughout the week's proceedings, this truth has only managed to prove itself to be true to an ever increasing extent. In my earlier emails, I think I did mention that I found considerable difficulty in route marches and looked upon each successive, longer one with apprehension. There's another Christian in my platoon who's my size who also dreads route marches. Faced with a 12km one last Thursday, we prayed together for faith and strength for it and for the experience to refine us. A revelation that came to us, which I think applies to all burdens and trials we might face, is that Jesus had carried the immeasurably heavy cross all the way to Calvary 2 millennia ago without uttering a word of complaint because of His perfect love for us. And so we realise that as Christians, called to love as Christ loved us, we should similarly bear our personal crosses and burdens in faith, without complaint, as Christ did; for after all, any weights we carry pale in comparison to what Christ carried.

As it turns out, the both of us small-sized guys cleared the march and we attribute it to our faith. Yes, there are others who conquered it through natural willpower alone and perhaps we could have managed similarly. But nah.. we know that that's not true.

'From the inside out' is another song that's constantly accompanied me through the week. There's 1 Malay guy in my platoon who loves the song and appreciates Christians and what we do and represent. In our free time, I was playing the song for him on my guitar =P. A Muslim, can you imagine? Its quite amazing I feel. =D

On a separate note, God usually reveals things he wants us to know through the most unusual ways and He sometimes places little mirrors in our lives to show us aspects of ourselves that we are unaware of; perhaps to mould us. He has done so at least once for me this week and thanks Joie for listening to some of it.

And hmm, I'm running quite late for my book-in already and there's plenty more I'd like to write on varying issues if not for the time constraint. But I shall have to end here.

To E348 and the church and Pst Kong, thanks for a great service (I wassn't able to make Saturday's..) and prayer meeting!
To Zoe, Joseph, Terence, Joie and Jme; thanks for a certainly unique and filling dinner of Egyptian cuisine! =P
To Joseph; thanks so much for the treat and the car rides! =)
To Joie; thanks for listening to some of my crap and for your affirmation! =D
To YQ; thanks for playing the guitar well for the PM! Its definitely a level up from the previous time at cg! Keep it up! =) And all the way for manhunt!
To Terence; thanks for Death Note! =P
To Wendy; thanks for the sermon notes and your company during the train ride from expo! (Haha i'll have to get it from you next week) And all the best to you and Ebodicons! =)
To Val; thanks for sharing and sing with God for your concert! (I'll be there spirtually even if not physically). All the best! =) And for your studies too! And get well soon!
To Zhinian and Elicia; jiayou for your examinations and keep shining as God's salt and light in school!
To Evonne; (did i spell your name right?) thanks for picking me and Wendy up for PM and for being a great member of the E348 family! =)
To Lewen; have fun in Japan!! =) I know you are.
To Hongxiu; God's with you whatever trials you may face.

To God; 'So I look to You'. =)

Signing off
Charles