peopleofpassion

i'm just gonna copy and paste for a while

2009-10-18T21:21:00.002+08:00

hi guys, so here's some copy and pasting

tithe |tʌɪð|nounone tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the church and clergy.• (in certain religious denominations) a tenth of an individual's income pledged to the church.• [in sing. ] archaic a tenth of a specified thing : he hadn't said a tithe ofthe prayers he knew.verb [ trans. ]pay or give as a tithe : he tithes 10 percent of his income to the church.• historical subject to a tax of one tenth of income or produce.
ever wondered what happens if we apply this to time?a bit of mathematics here: in a day, we have 24 hoursif we tithe our time to God, it would be 2.4 hours, which would be 2 hours and 24 minutes. 2 hours and 24 minutes of 1 day, solely given to God. how bout that? how does that sound?i find it, at the moment, impossible. i'm thinking i may leave it as something to do when i'm old, gray, and not as handsome anymore. but i don't think it's such a good idea. habits form, don't they? i don't want to find out what happens if i form a habit of putting God at 2nd place.

2009-10-14T21:51:00.000+08:00

The Qualities of a Godly Mate

By: Bob Deffinbaugh

Introduction

I once had a college professor who told of the most honest funeral sermon he had ever heard. The man who had died was a drunk, a failure as a father, and a miserable husband. Everyone listened intently to the words of the preacher, wondering what he could possibly say that was good about this drunkard. To their surprise, the preacher leaned over the pulpit and spoke directly to the widow. His message to her was clear and simple--“Don’t make the same mistake twice!”

Many of the marriages in the Bible are less than ideal. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, has always struck me as being cranky and bossy. Job’s wife offered little comfort in the midst of his trials. In fact, it might have been considered a blessing for her to have been taken in one of the disasters that wiped out his children and his flocks.

One of the most pathetic marriages in the Old Testament is that of Abigail and her husband Nabal, described in 1 Samuel 25. She was wise and beautiful, while he was harsh and evil (1 Sam. 25:3). As his name indicated, he was a fool (25:25). I doubt that Abigail had much to say in the choice of this man as her husband. The tragedy of this marriage is turned around in the account recorded in 1 Samuel 25, however, for the Lord takes the life of Nabal and Abigail becomes the David’s wife.

For the one unfortunate enough to have married a fool, Proverbs offers no promises of an easy life or a quick cure. The assumption throughout the book is that a person must live with his or her mistake in marriage. Divorce is never mentioned as the solution for a foolish decision concerning a mate. The picture painted of such a marriage is deliberately bleak.

One might think that the authors of Proverbs were somewhat cynical about marriage, having much more to say about its dangers than its delights. We must remember, however, that this book was written primarily to young men (“my son,” cf. 1:8; 2:1; 3:1) who had not yet married. One purpose of Proverbs is to urge young men to consider their life’s mate carefully, since the consequences of a wrong choice are both painful and permanent.

Marriage is the norm so far as Proverbs is concerned. The single life is nowhere presented as an alternative (such as Paul does in 1 Corinthians 7). Marriage is viewed as a divine institution, and it is God who gives a man a virtuous wife.

House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord (19:14).

A man’s choice of a life’s mate can be his making or his breaking. be either a delight or a disaster.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord (18:22).

It is better to live in a desert land, Than with a contentious and vexing woman (21:19).

A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike; He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand (27:15-16).

The potential of a wife for good or evil is summed up in the words of this proverb:

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones (12:4).

One purpose for dealing with the dangers of marriage is to warn those who would enter into marriage casually, without serious consideration of the consequences of their decision. When one enters into a marriage, he makes a vow, a vow which he is obligated to keep.

It is a snare for a man to say rashly, “It Is holy!” And after the vows to make inquiry (20:25).³²

Most of us have already entered into the commitment of marriage. I would gladly marry my wife again, if I had it to do over. Many are not so fortunate. For those of us who are married, what does Proverbs have to teach us, since we have already made our choice? While we cannot retrace our steps, we can certainly strive to become the kind of mate which Proverbs holds before us as the biblical ideal.

Women may initially be distressed by the fact that Proverbs seems to emphasize the need for a young man to give thought to his choice of a wife, but gives no counsel to the woman about her choice of a godly husband. But this is to be expected of a king who is teaching his sons about the decisions they must make in the next few years of their life. We shall also see that Proverbs has much to teach young women about the kind of man they should marry. After all, if Proverbs is a book intended to teach young men how to become godly leaders, it has the fringe benefit of instructing young women about the kind of man to marry--a man who will become the godly leader of their home.

This study is intended to encourage those who have not yet married to make their choice carefully and on the basis of character. For those who are already married, we should not focus our attention on those areas in which our mate fails to measure up, but rather seek to better understand and apply what Proverbs teaches us about how to be a godly husband or wife.

The approach of this study will be to consider the various lines of evidence which give us a composite picture of the character of the godly mate. There are verses which deal directly with the husband and the wife. Some of them present positive character traits, while others are presented in contrast (e.g., the “contentious wife”).We also have indirect instruction to consider. For example, Proverbs has much to say about the characteristics of a good friend, as well as warning us concerning those with whom we should not associate. It is my intention to consider these in order, that we might better understand those qualities which we should seek in a mate (if we are not yet married) and as a mate (if we are already married). It must be remembered as we consider the character traits of a godly mate that godliness can only be found in a maturing believer. Although an unbeliever and an immature

Christian may exhibit some of these characteristics, in the final analysis he cannot be a godly individual and therefore the single person must avoid him or her as a life partner. May God guide us in this crucial study.

The Importance of Character Traits

In the Book of Genesis there is an interesting contrast between the selection of Rebekah as Isaac’s wife (chap. 24) and Jacob’s choice of Rachel, rather than Leah (chap. 29). Abraham sent his oldest and most trusted servant to select a wife for Isaac, within the guidelines he laid down (24:2-4). The test which the servant wisely devised (24:13-14) was one which revealed the character of the young woman--she would be a servant at heart, willing to give water to the stranger and his camels.

Jacob, on the other hand, chose a wife for himself. He was unwilling to marry Leah, the older daughter, even though that was the accepted custom in those days (29:26). Jacob favored Rachel over Leah, not because of her character, but because of her looks and her personality (29:17). Later developments seem to establish the fact that Leah was God’s preference while Rachel was Jacob’s. Leah outlived her younger sister, for example. Leah and her handmaid bore twice as many children as Rachel and her maiden. Leah bore Judah, the one through whom Messiah would come, and Levi, the leader of the priestly tribe. It was Leah who was buried in the cave of Machpelah, beside Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah (49:31), while Rachel was buried along the way to Bethlehem (35:19).

What Genesis teaches us in practice, Proverbs teaches us in principle--a man who would marry well will choose his life’s mate on the basis of her character, not on the basis of her looks or her personality.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised (31:30).

We shall now seek to discover the character traits of a godly mate.

The Character Traits of a Godly Wife

Proverbs is most specific with regard to the qualities of the godly wife. These are highlighted by contrasting the moral flaws of a woman who is far from virtuous.

1. A GODLY WIFE IS GODLY. Godliness begins with a proper relationship to God. A godly wife is, first and foremost, a woman who fears God.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised (31:30).

In contrast, the woman to avoid is the one who does not know or fear God. She is sometimes referred to as a “strange woman,” that is a foreigner, one who has no knowledge of the God of Israel (cf. 2:25; 5:3,20; 7:5). She is actively evil and has no grasp of the way of the Lord.

She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it (5:6).

To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress (6:24).

While perhaps not synonymous with a fear of God, the godly wife is referred to as virtuous or excellent (12:4; 31:10). This seems to describe the moral excellence of the godly wife, a result of her godliness.

2. A GODLY WIFE IS WISE. You will recall that wisdom is personified as a woman in the Book of Proverbs (cf. 1:20-33; 8:1-36; 9:1-6). So also the ideal wife is characterized as a woman of wisdom.

The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands (14:1).

She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue (31:26).

The opposite of the godly woman is the woman of folly.

The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive, and knows nothing (9:13).

As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion (11:22).

3. A GODLY WIFE HONORS HER HUSBAND. A man who has married a godly wife has a wife who will bring honor to him. She is truly a helper to her husband.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones (12:4).

The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack, of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life (31:11-12).

An ungodly wife humiliates and harasses her husband. She is not a helper but a hindrance to her mate. She is “as rottenness in his bones” (12:4). By her haranguing, she makes him miserable:

A foolish son is destruction to his father, And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping (19:13).

4. A GODLY WIFE IS GRACIOUS. One reason honor is given the godly woman is that she is known for her graciousness.

A gracious woman attains honor, And violent men attain riches (11:16).

The ungodly woman is spoken of in very unbecoming terms. She is vexing, due to her contentious nature:

It is better to live in a corner of a roof, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman (21:9; cf. 25:24).

It is better to live in a desert land, Than with a contentious and vexing woman (21:19).

5. A GODLY WIFE IS FAITHFUL TO HER HUSBAND. This is most clearly shown by contrast with the woman of folly who is an adulteress.

To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; That leaves the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God (2:16-17).

To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress (6:24).

“Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses For the man is not at home. . . ” (7:18-19).

While it is not stated explicitly, it is implied and assumed that a godly wife is one who maintains sexual purity. She is a woman who is virtuous or excellent (31:10), in whom her husband has complete trust (31:11). She does her husband only good and not evil (31:12).She teaches her son the virtues of sexual purity (31:3). Certainly she is a woman of sexual purity.

The Character Traits of a Good Friend

Some may not realize that the traits of a good friend relate to the character of one’s mate, but a little reflection shows why this must be so. The breaking of the marriage covenant is a sin against a companion, a close and intimate friend.

That leaves the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God (2:17).

The term rendered “companion” here is used elsewhere (cf. 16:28; 17:9; Ps. 55:13) for the closest of friends.³³If my mate is not a friend, what is she? And yet some have foolishly chosen to marry one who fails to qualify even as a friend. We will briefly summarize the qualities of a good friend, considering also the characteristics of those with whom we should avoid associating.

1. A GOOD FRIEND IS FAITHFUL. Fair weather friends are numerous, and Proverbs mentions these (cf. 14:20; 19:4,6,7). But a true friend is a person who is still there even when the going gets tough.

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity (17:17).

A man of many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (18:24).

Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away (27:10).

2. A GOOD FRIEND REBUKES US WHEN NECESSARY. There are things which may need to be said to a friend that are not easy to say. I am disappointed by the sentimentalism that pervades our friendships so that we flatter our friends when we need to frankly rebuke them. A true friend is the one who is honest enough to tell us what we need to hear, rather than to flatter us.

A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps (29:5).

Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (27:5-6).

Why is it, then, that we seem to think that a wife should never criticize her husband? Is it not better to be corrected by our closest friend than by an enemy? Sometimes the kindest thing a wife can do for her husband is to tell him that his idea is absolutely ridiculous--in a gracious way, of course.

3. A GOOD FRIEND IS THOUGHTFUL AND TACTFUL. A good friend is sensitive to our needs and speaks in such a way that we are encouraged and enriched. His sensitivity is demonstrated in his understanding that gaiety and goodwill is not always appropriate nor appreciated. “It matters not only ‘what’ we say, but ‘how,’ ‘when’ and ‘why’ we say it.”³⁴

Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is he who sings songs to a troubled heart (25:20).

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be reckoned a curse to him (27:14).

4. A GOOD FRIEND SHARPENS US. Not only do we need to be criticized when necessary, but sometimes we need to be probed or stretched in our thinking. A good friend does not allow us to become intellectually stagnant, but prods us on to higher and greater thoughts.

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another (27:17).

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out (20:5).

Isn’t this true to life? Don’t you seek to develop friendships with those who will challenge your thinking and present you with new avenues of thought? Why should one of these friends not be your mate?

5. A GOOD FRIEND OFFERS US WISE COUNSEL. Those whom we choose as friends should be marked by wisdom and thus have godly counsel to offer.

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend (27:9).

Think back for a moment to the account of David, Nabal, and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. David was angered because of the ungracious words of Nabal to his young men. He was determined to wipe out every male in the house of Nabal (25:13,34).Abigail quickly formulated a plan to appease David’s anger and then spoke words of wise counsel, pointing out how detrimental David’s actions would be to his future rule as king (25:28-31). David’s reply indicates his appreciation of the wisdom of her words:

Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand” (1 Sam. 25:32-33).

I would simply point out that David was indeed wise to marry a woman who could offer such wise counsel. And we would do well to marry one who offers wise counsel as well. Why is it, then, that husbands seem to think that the biblical instruction concerning the submission of the wife to her husband precludes her offering him wise counsel, if offered tactfully and in a submissive spirit? Let us learn from David and Abigail.

While we should seek those with the above-mentioned qualities to be our friends, we must also shun those who have characteristics which would hinder our walk in wisdom. If we are not to associate with the following kinds of people, certainly we ought not to marry them either. Here are some character traits which would seem to disqualify a person as a partner in marriage:

1. WE OUGHT NOT ASSOCIATE WITH A FOOL.

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm (13:20).

Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge (14:7).

2. WE OUGHT NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THOSE WHO HAVE AN UNCONTROLLABLE TEMPER.

Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man, Lest you learn his ways, And find a snare for yourself (22:24-25).

3. WE SHOULD NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THOSE WHO ARE EVIL:

Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble (24:1-2).

He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing (29:24).

4. WE SHOULD NOT ASSOCIATE WITH ONE WHO IS A REVOLUTIONARY.

My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them? (24:21-22)

There are some who are always out to change things--society, government, other people. It is not wrong to try to improve things, but the revolutionary is more bent on removing than improving. The revolutionary wants change for the sake of change, not change for the sake of improvement. Incidentally, some seem bent on finding a mate who needs improving--a sort of life-long project. Proverbs does not recommend it.

5. WE SHOULD NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THOSE WHO HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THEIR APPETITES.

He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father (28:7).

The Character Traits of a Godly Child

Some time ago I was arrested by the words of the Centurion in the Gospel of Matthew:

“For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, “Go” and he goes, and to another, “Come” and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this” and he does it” (Matt. 8:9, emphasis mine).

Up until this time I had always understood the Centurion to say that he was a man of authority, not a manunder it. Perhaps this is some kind of euphemism. But I believe that it is a biblical principle (and one that is evident in life) that no man is fit for authority who has not learned to be subject to it. After all, even our Lord learned obedience (Heb. 5:8).

I believe that Proverbs teaches us that we can tell much about the character of a person by observing his relationship to his parents. Note these passages:

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke (13:1).

A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who regards reproof is prudent (15:5).

A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother (15:20).

A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him (17:25).

He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son (19:26).

Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old (23:22).

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you (23:24-25).

There is a kind of man who curses his father, And does not bless his mother (30:11).

All of these passages point to the fact that a good son is a godly man, and a godly man makes a good husband. Any man who is not a good son will not be a good husband.

There is one more proverb which has to do with parents. Frankly, I find it troublesome, but it informs us that we must seek to learn something of the home life of our mate before we marry him--or her:

Under three things the earth quakes, And under four, it cannot bear up: Under a slave when he becomes king, And a fool when he is satisfied with food, Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband, And a maidservant when she supplants her mistress (30:21-23).

There is a common thread which runs through each of these four unbearable situations--one gets something which he is unaccustomed to and which he will find difficult to handle once he has it. A slave has only known authority over him, yet when he becomes king his authority is absolute. His temptation will be to abuse his newly acquired authority. A fool would normally know only poverty and deprivation. With a full stomach he will hardly know how to behave. Certainly much of his incentive will be lost. A maidservant who now has authority over her mistress will be inclined to get even by making life miserable for her former mistress. She who once felt abused and oppressed will give her mistress a taste of oppression. So too with an unloved woman. Since she has never known genuine love, she may very well presume upon it and by trying to drink this new cup to the full make her husband regret the day he vowed to be faithful in his love toward her.

I realize that some of you have come from homes in which there was little or no love. You may wonder if this proverb condemns you to a life of loneliness. I think not. Certainly God’s grace is sufficient for every need. But it should warn us that those who have not known love in their childhood years will have a tendency to abuse it in marriage. A mate who has not been loved by parents should not take this out on the marriage partner. And the one who marries a mate who has been unloved should be sensitive to the kind of problems such a childhood produces. The sins of the fathers (and mothers) are passed along, to later generations (Ex. 20:5).

Throughout the Book of Proverbs we have seen the teaching of the father and the mother, instructing and warning the child. Unfortunately, that is not the way every home operates. I am sure most of us are not entirely happy with the way we are raising our children. This means that we may learn a great deal about our mate by giving thought to the home environment in which he or she was raised. Proverbs implies that the influence of the home has a great deal to do with a child’s success in life as a partner in marriage. Here is a factor we cannot afford to overlook.

The Qualities of a Godly Husband

Initially it seemed that Proverbs had little to say to the woman who sought to discern the qualities of a godly husband. I have come to see that this is not at all the case. In general, we can say that a woman should seek a man who is wise. Since we have already studied the characteristics of the wise, we will only summarize them here. These seem especially applicable to marriage:

1. A wise husband is kind and compassionate (12:10).

2. A wise husband is honest (29:24).

3. A wise husband is hard-working (12:11; 27:23-27).

4. A wise husband is truthful (12:17,19).

5. A wise husband exercises self-control (12:15; 16:32).

6. A wise husband has a gentle tongue (12:18; 15:1-2,4).

7. A wise husband is generous (14:21; 28:27).

8. A wise husband is willing to be corrected (even by his wife) and listens to counsel (12:15; 15:12,31-32; 28:13; 29:1).

9. A wise husband is a man of integrity (19:1; 20:7).

10. A wise husband is faithful and reliable (17:17; 29:3; contrast 25:19; 31:3).

11. A wise husband is forgiving (19:11).

12. A wise husband is willing to admit he is wrong (28:13).

13. A wise husband is humble (15:25,33; 16:18-19; 18:12; 29:23).

14. A wise husband is not contentious, but a peacemaker (17:1; 18:1,19).

15. A wise husband has control of his temper (14:29; 16:32; 17:27; 29:11).

16. A wise husband is a man who avoids excesses (20:1; 23:20-21, 29-35; 31:3-9).

17. A wise husband has a concern for others, especially the poor and the oppressed (29:7).

18. A wise husband can keep a confidence (17:9; 26:20).

19. A wise husband fears God and is obedient to His Word (13:13; 14:26; 16:20; 28:25; 31:30).

20. A wise husband is not a jealous man (27:4).

21. A The wise husband has a positive outlook on life (15:15; 17:22; 18:14).

As I look at these characteristics of the wise I am reminded of the qualifications laid down by the apostle Paul for elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3.I find a great similarity between the qualifications for church leaders and the characteristics of the wise in Proverbs. But should this come as a surprise? After all, isn’t Proverbs written to young men who will be leaders, instructing them about wisdom? In this sense 1 Timothy 3 only summarizes what Proverbs has taught in greater detail.

Conclusion

For prospective mates the implications of this message should be obvious. Your choice of a life’s partner should be made on the basis of character, not charm or outward beauty. In general, your mate should manifest the characteristics of one who is wise. More specifically, a godly husband or wife will not be the kind of person with whom Proverbs warns us not to associate, but will evidence the qualities of a good friend. Anyone who chooses to disregard the teaching of Proverbs on marriage will live to regret it.

I find it distressing to admit that much of the force of the warnings of Proverbs concerning marriage has been nullified by a fact of 20th century Christian life--divorce has become an acceptable alternative to an unhappy marriage, even among Christians. Even Christians do not tend to heed the warnings about a contentious mate because they believe that if their marriage does not work out they can simply walk away from their commitment and try again. That, to me, is a very sad commentary on contemporary Christianity.

Why is it that our teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage differs so greatly from that of our Lord? If you will recall, it was the Pharisees who asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce for any cause at all (Matt. 19:3). Our Lord’s answer to this question was to emphasize the rule, not the exception, and therefore the stress was on the permanence of the marriage union (19:4-9). The response of the disciples of our Lord is significant: “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry” (19:10). Our Lord did not correct this conception, but confirmed it (19:11-12), and in so doing demonstrated His agreement with the teaching of the Book of Proverbs. Let us be careful to seek to preserve the purpose of God for marriage and not to promote the exceptions. In preserving the permanence of marriage we will once again be able to urge men and women to choose their mates carefully, and then to live in such a way as to keep their marriage vows.

There is also a lesson for us to learn from Proverbs about the matter of personality. I believe many Christians are more concerned about their personality than their character. Worse yet, I fear that some have tended to confuse or equate the two. Some women tend to think that the ideal husband and spiritual leader is the one with the “salesman-type” personality--he is outgoing, aggressive, and assertive. Some women who are married to men who have a less aggressive nature are tempted to look down on their husbands because they are not domineering enough.(They should talk to some of the women who have the assertive husbands.) Some men think that the ideal “submissive” wife is the woman who is shy and passive. In both cases, personality has been confused with character. God is not nearly as concerned with our personality as He is with our character. Aggressive men are not necessarily better leaders, and certainly they may not be more godly leaders, nor are passive women necessarily more submissive.

Let us learn that our character is far more important than our outward beauty or our personality. Is this not what Peter was teaching the women, who are often more sensitive to outward appearance?

And let not your adornment be external only--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, and putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God (1 Pet. 3:3-4).

In Proverbs we are told that charm (personality?) is deceitful and that beauty is vain (the NIV says “fleeting”).Our personality may be deceptive, for we may be both charming and spiritually carnal. And beauty is temporary, but character is eternal. Let us seek to be godly.

As parents, we need to teach our children to seek godly character, for themselves, and in those with whom they would associate. We must teach them, by word and deed, the permanence of the marriage commitment and the delights of marriage when both partners seek to honor God in their marriage. We need not look far for the many examples of failures in marriage and the disastrous consequences for all.

There are those reading this message who, for one reason or another, may never marry. There are reasons for this, some of which are commendable (cf. 1 Cor. 7). Let me simply say that the qualities of a good mate are also the qualities of a godly man or woman. Just as not all men will be a elders or deacons in the church, yet every Christian should strive to meet the qualifications which are laid down for those who would hold such offices (1 Tim. 3); so godly character is befitting every Christian. Let us seek it for ourselves, and encourage other believers to seek it also. And let us demonstrate to the lost that godliness and wisdom are worth the cost, and are available only to those who fear the Lord.

by the way, ben chan coerced me into doing this. i haven't had the time to read this as of now!

HI, DANGER, THIS IS REALLY URGENT

2009-10-06T23:21:00.002+08:00

hi guys and girls, i just had a modified gospel preached to me on my way back to school. this was pretty much an attack on my beliefs and theology, and i thank God for putting me in SMU Christian Fellowship to ground me in His Word.

the culprit is known as the Church of God. the guy preaching to me was from korea, and essentially he was preaching about God the Mother. Don't laugh. it was scary because he tried to back it up with the Bible. so i hope each and every one of us knows

1. God

2. The authentic Gospel

3. The Word of God.

he quoted from Revelations, about a new Jerusalem being the Mother, and another portion about the Spirit and the bride. i questioned him about trinity but he went back to the spirit and the bride again. He even used my favourite verse (Matthew 7: 21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father hwo is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!")

he was trying to get to the point that the church today is headed to hell, because we do not know the proper God, which includes God the mother.

suffice to say, I came to the conclusion that all he was saying is pure and utter bull.

Salvation is by faith alone, and faith in Jesus Christ
God's fullness is revealed in Jesus Christ, and the fullness of God dwelled in Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Word, and to know God is to know the Word

anyone trying to take out or add to the Gospel is blaspheming. I'm using such strong words here because i realise the urgency to know God's Word well. this is, very obviously, a sign of a false teacher, a false gospel.

by the way, they also added that we need to partake of the Passover to escape God's judgement and His plagues in the end times, because the passover will cause the seal of God to be on our foreheads, which is also mentioned in Revelations. they quoted Jesus saying that we have to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and that at the last supper, he said take, eat, this is my flesh and so on. i'm sure you know where to find it.

I believe, what Jesus meant by eating His flesh and drinking His blood was that we are supposed to live by God's Word. This is congruent with when the bible says that man shall not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God. the Gospel of John says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word is Jesus Christ.

guys and girls, please remember to read your bible and to be sure of the gospel. i'm grateful that God saved me from straying.

Be thankful:)

2009-06-20T22:43:00.002+08:00

Hey Poopers hope you guys had a great time in cell today. Let me share with you a story that I came across some time back.

There was a blind lady who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to
see everything, including her boyfriend.He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you
marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can' speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive- Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

From JLU-

to quote C.S. Lewis Pt I

2009-06-03T21:08:00.002+08:00

it's been so long since i last posted i almost forgot the password.

ok so i borrowed a book from the library, and it's basically full of quotes from this guy called C.S. Lewis. he's prob one of the most famous Christian writers and BROOKE FRASER reads his stuff. so he's good.

in fact i'm experiencing it firsthand. i've only finished the 2nd chapter or so, and he's quite masterful at manipulating mere words.

by the way, are you guys feeling worried about me after hearing the 'flour power' sermon? haha

ok go put what you have learnt into practice (IF YOU CAN).

'... a Christian can lose the Christ-life which has been put into him, and he has to make efforts to keep it. But even the best Christian that ever lived is not acting on his own steam-he is only nourishing or protecting a life he could never have acquired by his own efforts. And that has practical consequences. As long as the natural life is in your body, it will do a lot towards repairing that body. Cut it, and up to a point it will heal, as a dead body would not. A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble-because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him(in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out'

Mere Christianity, p. 52

I am beginning to feel that we need a preliminary act of submission not only towards possible future afflictions but also towards possible future blessings. I know it sounds fantastic; but think it over. It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good. Do you know what I mean? On every level of our life-in our religious experience, in our gastronomic, erotic, aesthetic and social experience-we are always harking back to some occasion which seemed to us to reach perfection, setting that up as a norm, and depreciating all other occasions by comparison. But these other occasions, I now suspect, are often full of their own new blessings if only we would lay ourselves open to it. God shows us a new facet of the glory, and we refuse to look at it because we're still looking for the old one. And of course we don't get that.

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, p. 24

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be a lunatic-on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make a choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or You can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

Mere Christianity, p. 43

We are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed out our sins, and that by dying He disabled death itself. That is the formula. That is Christianity. That is what has to be believed.

Mere Christianity, p. 46

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else

'Is Theology Poetry?' in Screwtape Proposes a Toast, p. 50

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. i did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing, the divine humility which will accept the convert on even such terms. The prodigal son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can not duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape? These words, compelle intrare, compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but. properly understood, they plumb the depth of the divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and his compulsion is our liberation.

Surprised by Joy, p. 17

POP2's Love Language

2009-02-15T17:18:00.003+08:00

Good evening everyone!!! i hope you guys had a fun and meaningful time at the post cell activities yesterday... to those that could not make it, we missed you!!! anyway, we did a love language test... so these are our cell girls and guys' primary and secondary love languages...

1) Ben Sng - Quality Time, Acts of Service & Words of Affirmation

2) Justin Chan - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation

3) Abigail - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation

4) Ben Chan - Quality Time, Acts of Service & Gifts

5) Priscilla - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation

6) Clara - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation & Touch

7) Christine - Quality Time, Touch

8) Tim Han - Quality Time, Acts of Service

9) Anyi - TOUCH!!!! , Quality Time

10) Chao Yuan - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation

11) Eugenia - Quality Time, Touch

12) Weijin - Quality Time, Touch

13) Esther Goh - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation

14) Adrian - Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, TOUCH!!!!!

15) Justin Lu - Words of Affirmation, Quality Time

As we know each other's love languages, let us use this to build others up... alright have a good week ahead!!!

love,
tim

Lagniappe

2009-02-01T23:43:00.001+08:00

very much adapted from 'The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus' by Brennan Manning.

Scripture reference:

Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:2

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said:"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Lagniappe-Something extra. You can't buy it, you can't earn it, merit it or deserve it. it is simply given.

'I had made grandiose plans as to what this retreat would be-well structured, minimum of give hours of daily prayer, lengthy meditation of the Scriptures, deeper insight into the person of Jesus-lofty expectations of felt intimacy with God. On that first day I couldn't connect two thoughts about God. I was left blowing bubbles and doodling with my crayons.

Becoming a little child meant becoming aware that all is gift, that I am helpless and powerless to add a single inch to my spiritual stature. Without the subjective awareness of utter dependence, the personal consciousness of a dynamism outside of self at work in us, I seriously question whether anyone has made real progress in the spiritual life.

So the first movement of the retreat was getting in touch with the basic truth about the human condition: To be human is to be poor. It was tasting what it is like to be powerless. It is painful to be in desolation and darkness, not to be able to control, manage and manipulate God into letting me experience His loving presence and compassionate care.'

42 generations.

Can you get a slight hint of God's tendency to deliberately honour those who humble themselves before him? Can you imagine Jesus literally calling a child over to the intimidating crowd of the men around Jesus? No small potato could be an apostle of Jesus! Jesus called each one of them to be his apostle; nobody could just apply for a position as an apostle.

So the scene is:Jesus calls a random child over, makes him the centre of attention among the big shots(of course, Jesus is the biggest shot), and says basically, this child here is your role model.

Do you know the role children played in Hebrew society? Not much. they were insignificant balls of dirt who, honestly, could not do a lot of useful things. carry heavy stones to build God's temple? Craft wood, marble, and gold with incredible finesse? Don't bet on it.

What does it mean to you when God asks us to be as children? Does the whole innocent idea of, well, innocence fill your mind? acting cute, childish, talking with squeaky voices? I believe God asks us to realize that the only hope of us achieving anything really useful issola gratia, by grace alone. To realize that everything we have, everything, is a gift from God. Each breath, each uttered word, each spark within our neurons, would cease to be at His word.

This is who we are: children.

2008-12-16T22:52:00.000+08:00

Hi all! a lot of copying and pasting in this post! but here goes

2 Corinthians 12:7

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 18:27
You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

humble in greek is 'aniy'. NO i did not misspell our friend's name. and its meaning is as shown below

1) poor, afflicted, humble, wretched

a) poor, needy

b) poor and weak

c) poor, weak, afflicted, wretched

d) humble, lowly

I think God was trying to tell me that he values our humility. remember the tax collector who confessed his sin? the canaanite woman who said that even dogs eat the scraps from their masters' table?

and on both occasions, Jesus' compassion went out to them!

maybe pride was the original sin; pride caused Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and Adam to listen to Eve. Why else does God detest pride so much? Jesus shunned no sinner, but could not stop criticizing the pharisees.

when we are humble, we acknowledge our needs. and hence this makes us rely on God. no wonder Paul delights in his weakness! Can you imagine a day when we feel we have reached a point where we no longer need God? God forbid that day will ever come.

is it wrong to conclude that God loves it when we need Him? that He loves to provide for us? imagine the depth of God's love!

so for this week's prayer pointers, it is that we will see our need for God more clearly.

God bless!

2008-12-02T23:16:00.002+08:00

so i guess we've all heard about the mumbai blast, and the disturbingly hurting news that one of our fellow country(wo)men died. and i say it's disturbing, because i'm guessing none of us know her, but somehow as singaporeans(not all of us are fond of being one, i can surmise) we do feel affected do we not?

i think it's good if from time to time, we take a pause and ask ourselves whether it's all worth it. i think i was talking bout this with a few people. animals are horribly abused in labs, and china, people are abused everywhere, perhaps even in our neighbourhood, where a maid is treated as a lesser human being.

do you feel like you wish you never had to be on earth? that sometimes, you could have got away as being one of the angels, whom we assume are already holy and righteous? i have, quite a few times. this 3rd (or 4th, i'm not too sure) rock from the sun is getting more depressing as the years go by.

the bible says that this life on earth is a transition(i'm very sorry i dunno where the verse is but it's in one of the new testament letters). and in other places, it tells us not to worry about the things on earth, to focus on heavenly treasure.

yes, the pain is temporary. but pain hurts. let us not be apathetic towards the plight of others. next year's theme for AMKMC is ministry. let us reach out to those whom we know are hurting. let us lose the fear of being perceived as outstanding, 'extra', weird, but instead, let us remember their hurt over our reputation and ego.

prayer pointer:

for God to prepare us, as we strive to be doers of His word

[G]od's [R]iches [A]t [C]hrist's [E]xpense

2008-11-27T08:09:00.019+08:00

I have been reading a book by Philip Yancey called "What's so amazing about Grace" ( from Chao yuan) and yup, since i am pretty free in camp. i have decided to share what i have learnt. And first, let me start of with "What's Grace".

GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Grace is the bounty that God offers us and the payment is not delayed but been covered – entirely – by Jesus Christ.

An honest and careful search of our heart will reveal the guilt, shame and emptiness in our heart. And many of the times, people including christians tend to turn towards worldly ways and desires to overcome that barrier, in hope to fill the emptiness within us .By indulging in worldly and sinful desires to satisfy our craving. Such as drinking, smoking or even drugs, or turning towards less sinful and destructive alternatives such as counselling or deceiving ourself to finding self esteem. And usually , at the end of the day, we seldom find the comfort we are all looking for, even if we do, its never lasting.

To be frank, all of us are imperfect and there is no way we can be called fit to enter the kingdom of God, by doing good alone. ((Romans 3:20 ), for if we were to look, and work according to the law alone, we can never enter the kingdom of God, for we are all sinners . But, its through God's mercy and Grace that we are saved. And if we were to compare Christianity with all the other religions in the world, its Grace alone that makes us Christians stand out from the others, and most importantly, its Grace that saves us. (Romans 11:6)

So then, what is Grace? As seen from the acronym above, Grace is God's Riches At the Christ's Expense. Grace is the bounty that God offers us and the payment is not delayed but been covered – entirely – by Jesus Christ as seen in Ephesians 2:8. There is no need to search for it, but by knowing and believing in God alone, Grace have been showered on us. "T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.And Grace, my fears relieved.How precious did that Grace appear...the hour I first believed". The means of grace are those things, like prayer or reading the Bible, which appropriate God’s grace into our lives.

In context to the topic bout the shame, guilt and the emptiness within us, (which is inevitable, for we are all sinners). These are actually good things if it leads us to repentance. We have no more ability to pay our debt that it does its debt. Thus, if we try to solve our guilt on our own it will only lead to more guilt and ultimately death and hell but if we turn to Jesus for our help and salvation (saving from the debt) we can lose our hopelessness. When we return God to His rightful place in our hearts then, believe me, our hearts are no longer empty. ( Acts 20:32, 2 Corinthian 9:8).

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,That saved a wretch like me.I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now I see"

This is pretty much what i have learnt ,and know about Grace :) Hope u guys learn something from it too. And remember, always turn towards God, for his grace is far more than sufficient, and since it is God's richness, its something so majestic and rich, and far beyond what we can comprehend. (John 1:16) And heres the mega good news! IT HAS ALL BEEN PAID FOR. But with one conditon, FAITH. and that is simply to believe in God :) (Ephesians 2:8-9)

P.S: haha i know there are quite a few bible verses, but please do take the time to read them =)

-Adrian.

whiter than snow

2008-11-19T00:58:00.002+08:00

Hi all, today's passage is taken from Isaiah 1:18

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.

"Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the best from the land;

but if you resist and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword."

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

oh yes, here i go again, you'd almost think i've run out of things to say.

but in the past few weeks i've read this passage 3 times(deliberately using the concordance)

well, i'm not gonna talk about how snow is so white and blah blah blah.

rather i'd just ask all of us to take a couple of minutes from whatever we're doing, and sit(NOT LIE DOWN!) and think about the wonder of the passage.

Colossians 1:21 says

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation-if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

do you fully grasp the picture?

i don't think i can. contentment usually takes over after a while, and diminishes the awesome significance of the imagery of Salvation that God gives us.

but when i can, i find that it takes my breath away. it really is one of those things that leaves me thinking 'I can't believe i'm here.'

just imagine, from condemned enemies of God(ENEMIES!) to his children!

so this week's prayer pointer is to ask God to keep us aware of the miracle of the gospel.

HELLO!

2008-11-13T16:26:00.007+08:00

hello i'm popping over here under an internet blanket so that the big bad wolf cannot see me. sorry ah abit vague, but esther or eugenia will prolly know. anyway i miss you guys ((: see this!

its my desktop now. whee! WHERE IS MY SHIRT! i hope it fits ok :|is judygoh staying till january??? meow ok happy mugging guys. CHAOYUAN. MY BLUE LIKE JAZZ! since you took it for so long, you can lend me ragamuffin gospel. i think we should pool our books and set up a book club or smth for the cg, good good ((:

yawn ok take care. byebye have fun at camp and christmas and newyear! see y'all soon!

lala.

Elisha, child murderer?

2008-11-11T19:51:00.002+08:00

Hi all, today's prayer pointer stems from a rather obscure passage in the bible.

2 Kings 2:23-25

From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

ok, the following is taken from my newest bible.

Was this personal revenge on harmless youths?

Probably not, for the following reasons

1 )Very likely these were young men( the word translated youths often refers to people in their late teens), not little children. To Elisha, the group of at least 42 youths must have appeared a fearsome mob

2)Their mockery represented the irreverance of a generation growing up with increasing contempt for God and his laws (Lev. 19:32)

3)Their insults targeted not just Elisha's baldness but the God whom he represented. In taunting Elisha and rejecting his prophetic authority, the youths were taunting God and rejecting his authority. Go on up may have been a way of saying "get lost!" or perhaps, "If you are really a prophet like Elijah, go on up to heaven as he did."

4)Elisha did not take personal revenge but called on the Lord, who seems to have used the bears to warn a corrupt generation that blasphemy against God would be met with swift consequences.

I hope that upon reading this, you, like me, feel better that one of the most famous prophets in the bible is not a petty and vain man like you once thought he was.

furthermore, there are 2 obvious implications i see from this passage.

1. respect our pastors! i'm sure we have no problem with this, and so, let's take a further step by remembering to pray for them and their families.

2. remember our generation. if you do not have the confidence to save our generation, at least have the commitment to save one person from our generation. pray for your non-Christian friends!

Diversions

2008-11-03T20:03:00.003+08:00

Hi guys, currently i'm reading a book by my newest favourite author(oh how fickle i am) Brennan Manning, titled The Importance of Being Foolish. so i hope to bless you with an excerpt from it.

There are certain burning questions that every Christian must answer in total candor. Do you hunger for Jesus Christ? Do you yearn to spend time alone with him in prayer? Is he the most important person in your life? Does he fill your soul like a song of joy? Is he on your lips as a shout of praise? Or has he been smothered by distractions, nullified by pride? Do you eagerly turn to his memoirs, his Testament, to learn more of him? Do you thirst for the living water of his Holy Spirit? Are you making the effort to die daily to anything and everything that inhibits, diminishes, or threatens your friendship with him?
To ascertain where you really are with the Lord, recall what saddened you the past month. was it the realization that you do not love Jesus enough? That you did not seek his face in prayer often enough? That you did not care for his people enough? Or did you get depressed over a lack of respect, criticism from an authority figure, your finances, a lack of friends, fears about the future, or your bulging waistline?
Conversely, what gladdened you the past month? Reflection on your election to the Christian community? the joy of saying slowly, "Abba, Father"? The afternoon you stole away for two hours with only the gospel as your companion? A small victory over selfishness? Or were the sources of your joy a new car, a Brooks Brothers suit, a great date, great sex, a raise, or a loss of four inches from your hips?
When all Christians surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within; when we submit to the saving truth that we reach life only through death, that we come to light only through darkness; when we acknowledge that the grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die, that Jonah must be buried in the whale's belly, that the alabaster jar of self must be broken if others are to perceive the sweet fragrance of Christ; when we respond to Jesus's call of "Come to me," then the limitless power of the Holy Spirit will be unleashed with astonishing force upon the church and the world.
But that will happen only when we break away from the lives we have grown accustomed to living, lives ruled by our desires for security, pleasure, and power. It is these desires that hold us back from recognizing the truth of our need for God's mercy. It is these desires that prevent us from peeling off the filmy residue of our lives without God and prevent transparency.

well, when i read this, i was pretty shellshocked. i mean, i was obviously guilty. this is not to justify myself, but i think the author's thrust was not for those of us who had the right answers to those questions to gleefully jump up and down and feel big headed, but for those of us who did not have the right answers, that we would see our standing once again.
and still believe that we are forgiven. for commiting evil. for not loving our neighbours. for not loving God enough. for everything.
it's funny how things seem tragic and beautiful at the same time. how we are so helpless by our selves, but how that same helplessness is the opportunity for God's strength to be made perfect. and i cannot say that i understand it all, nor can i ever expect myself to, whether in the near or distant future. but what i do, is that i take a step back, and ask God to take over.

yeah yeah i know this sounds cheesy. but even if it sounds cheesy, i'm not going to let it stop me.

so this week's prayer pointer is that we would desire God.

Photos From Joel

2008-11-03T10:17:00.005+08:00

Hi POP2!

Have been visiting the blog now and then but haven't been editing or doing anything much about it. One thing, you all might want to sign off to say who you are so we know who posted the entry, unless of course you do not wish for people to know it was you.

Anyway, think i should be doing more in future to brighten up our blog and do some little bits of updating here and there. So maybe we can start taking more unglam photos of each other ok!

Those looking to grab the photos that are with me, i have attached them below:

-Jo-

fruity spirit

2008-10-30T21:20:00.003+08:00

Dear All you lovely lovely people who are the sunshine in my life!
I was reading this by Max Lucado yesterday and it seemed so apt that we were going through the fruit of the Holy Spirit and I read this so I had to post it! Enjoy. [as I prepare for tomorrow's fri-mon exam paper- only law has this kind of torture]

Love Christine

EACH DAY
by Max Lucado

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose….

I CHOOSE LOVE…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. I will be kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My spouse will not question my love.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF CONTROL…
I am a spiritual being… After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest

EXAMS!

2008-10-28T23:29:00.004+08:00

right so as i said, this week's prayer pointers are for those taking exams, namely

Adrian

Eugenia

Eunice

Christine

Joel

*whoever i may have left out*

if i have left you out I APOLOGIZE.

but let's pray for God to give them calmness, a clear mind, freedom from panic attacks, and the joy of knowing they are within His will, as well as the peace and serenity to accept whatever He has prepared for them.

ok for those of us who don't mind thinking bout something deep.

when we pray for acceptance, is it an excuse for mediocrity, a lack of faith in God?

from personal experience, my train of thought is usually something like, 'i'll pray, and i'll study'. and i really don't know if it needs any sort of revision. if there is actually something deeper than that. it'll be great if things are that simple, honestly.

well to the boys and girls taking exams, i don't mean to throw any wet blankets of whatever at you guys. but if you do feel discouraged by any and whatever reason, just remember that GOD LOVES YOU.

i know this sounds cheesy and cliche. but it's a truth that we probably have taken for granted.

and this love is a complex love. it's a love that goes through His anger, his righteousness, not nullifying them, but ensuring that all are spent, and then trying to spend itself, but being impossible to completely spend.

I wonder!

2008-10-22T22:19:00.003+08:00

hi guys! sorry for the rather late post

anyway, this week's belated prayer pointer is what eugenia encouraged us to pray about last cg. to better illustrate it, here's an excerpt from my most favourite book of this year. it's titled The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brenan Manning.

it's a prayer from a dying rabbi who called his friend over, and told him that he had never regretted a single moment of his life. and it started from a prayer he asked God. Solomon asked for wisdom. other men have asked for more annointing, more power, more wealth, more wisdom, all these to help others probably. yes, even wealth and power!

but this rabbi asked God for wonder. and so this is his prayer

Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe. Delight me to see how Your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father through the features of men’s faces. Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all.

to be really honest, i think i've become rather cynical. and as a matter of fact, i don't think it's a bad thing at all. i've lost a big bunch of naivety; and for that reason i think my faith is a lot more real, my choices are no longer so one-tracked, and i really hope that God treasures this somewhat more sophisticated and if i may say so, intelligent side of me. because i don't think there's any going back to last time.

but i realised 1 thing i am flawed in. and it's that i don't let myself get awed anymore. i don't let myself sit back and take in the sights. for some reason i just don't. and so this week's prayer pointer is that

we'd allow God to blow our minds away.

cheesy as that sounds, i don't think it's an inapt description. just now, and i really mean just now, God really did blow my mind, when i started simply reminiscing about the amazing lack of logic in the Gospel. how things can ever end up in such a way that dirty rats like us get away scot free, and in fact, with the biggest and best piece of cheese, is not of this world. it really isn't.

have you ever wondered why you remain a Christian?

i have.

and the answer is usually the same. there's nothing better. and there never will be.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.

Matt 13:45-46

God bless you guys!

my fast

2008-10-13T22:37:00.002+08:00

Hi so as promised, this are the details of the fast i had last week, from monday to friday. i fasted from lunch, and during that time i (tried) to seek the Lord. i did manage to learn a lot of stuff, or at least quality stuff, despite it being things we commonly hear of, it really makes an immense difference when we go through it personally, and experience the lesson.

ok i know this is written in the previous post but,

i went on a fast because of this book i was reading, it's titled Fasting as unto the Lord. apparently, fasting has a lot of benefits, of which included training spiritual discipline, knowing God's will, achieving more effective prayer(or something like that), and all these arrive because we crucify the flesh, and as such our spirit man is able to take over and surrender to the Lord.

and the (sadly) most tempting benefit i saw was that fasting had a benefit to health. yes you heard me right. what happens is that our body stops oxidising carbs and fats once they're finished, and we start to use our own cells for energy. yup, we start to eat ourselves. so which cells go first? naturally, the sick, dying, old, ugly, mean, and cancerous cells.

generally what I attained through this fast was a greater sense of self awareness, meaning how aware i was of myself(God revealing more of myself to me), and what i felt toward God.

so, day 1

Psalm 128

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.

You will eat the fruit of your labour, blessing and prosperity will be yours.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine around your house, your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.

Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord

may the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,

and may you live to see your children's children.

Peace be upon Israel.

I felt led to this message, and somehow i felt God telling me that this fast was what he had in mind, not a random spontaneous idea blooming from my own mind. and so, with that, i went on for 4 more days.

Day 2

a journal entry:

I've been daunted by the apparent task of having 1 hour with God. there is a wariness of running out of things to say, things to do, things to pray for, even within the span of 1 hour. maybe i should start contemplating how people can actually spend 1 hour in pure prayer, and maybe it's not so much about talking for 1 hour, but spending a large part of that time in silence. & I know i've really terrible tendency to be distracted whilst in prayer. Even as of now, I keep imagining myself telling others about a successful fast. the strange thing is, i don't even know what this fast is about, what it's for. I do know i was drawn by the health benefits of a fast and from a guilty conscience after reading that fasting is a spiritual discipline.

I hope there is something more to this fast.

Verse for the day: Ezekiel 9:4-5

and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who weep and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." As i listened, He said to the others, "Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.

I felt that the message from this verse was that God does not want us to be indifferent to the sin around us.

Day 3 had nothing that i learned, although i did try to faithfully continue reading the book of Ezekiel.

Day 4

a journal entry:

I'm before You

hungry, tired, but nowhere near

as naked as I hope to be

These rags still cling loosely to me

Each time i pull them off

They drag alongside my feet

in a while, to be picked up, worn over

Your dazzling robes, whiter than fresh sleet

Even now, if i rup them off

only just to wear them back

rip off these soiled, stained, dirty clothes

It brings me joy, to bring you joy

even for a moment

I know the work has been done. that i've got a seat reserved for me at the largest banquet since... since ever. and so when you asked me why i'm running helter skelter after You, i had to pause for a moment.

at first i wanted to answer that i didn't need a reason to love You. but i'm not You, i'm me, flawed and cracked. and so i realised i had a bit more than a million reasons(i think), of which only a few i could remember and effectively put into english.

i can't not run after You, I cannot. in the light of who You are, what You've done, I cannot sit back with a satisfied smile, knowing that things will turn out bright and sunny at the end of time. I do not earn your approving nod by the things I do, but futile as it sounds, I'd earn at least my own nod of approval.

something in me starves for you, it seems to be thirsting to death, and it's reminiscent of how men crawl through a hot desert in search of life giving water. and thankfully I crawl to no mirage. You said the water You give will never let anyone thirst again. But I want to thirst for You! I want to drink and drink, until i can drink no more. and then i want to drink again!

I want to love You more. But things keep getting in the way. Now that i've rediscovered this hunger in the midst of another hunger, i'm not sure what's next. But I know what's here is what should be here.

verse for the day: Psalm 53 : 3

Everyone has turned away,

they have together become corrupt;

There is no one who does good,

not even one.

message: throw away your self-righteousness and your memories of your good works.

Day 5

a journal entry:

I want to know You're here, to feel You holding me each and every step of the way. I'm not asking for power to exorcise demons(although that would be cool), but i'm asking that i'll walk closely with You. I don't need the ability to predict the future with a holy divine premonition, but i want the assurance of Your voice when things go wrong.

I'd be satisfied with a slow quiet and powerful life with You. I don't ask to travel around the world giving world class energy-filled exuberent sermons.

All in all, I want to do what You want me to do.

well i just have 1 last thing to say. i was very weak throughout this week. it was really a weakday(weekday, geddit?) for me. it's not like how i imagined it to be, with divine strength, visions of splendour, angels in the loft and stuff. it was, in fact, very unglam. i was extremely sleepy, i fell asleep each time. and i think i only managed to spend half an hour each day for this devotion.

nevertheless, i do not regret it. although it was rather hard for me(i can be quite hungry at times). i just feel that we in amkmc don't seem to fast, or at least we don't know about others fasting. but if you want to ask me any questions( i can't answer like Joe P and give you a bible verse on each reply, but if you want, i can give a lame joke on each reply) or borrow that book about fasting, just lemme know.

OK I KNOW THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE PRAYER POINTERS. BUT I REALLY THINK THAT THIS WILL BENEFIT US!

2008-10-07T20:24:00.002+08:00

hi all

er i'm not slacking of or anything. anyway er there isn't really anything for this week regarding prayer pointers. BUT BUT BUT i'm currently on a fast(it's killing me) and there has been a message thus far. it's just the weekdays for this week, and i'm fasting lunch.

so next week i'll post all that i've learnt on the fast.

i think very few of us fast, and i have to admit my reasons are not exactly very saintly. basically i bought a book quite a few months ago, it's about fasting. so after re-reading it recently i promised(2 weeks ago) that i'd go on a fast. um well, we'll just see how things turn out. but there are also benefits to fasting, not just spiritual ones. essentially our bodies, when faced with a food shortage, will begin to cannibalize itself, starting with the weak and diseased cells first. however i don't think this is gonna happen to me because i'm only fasting from lunch. but this is just to let you know. right, so if you're feeling nice, please keep me in prayer.

2008-09-23T19:42:00.002+08:00

The story goes that a public sinner was excommunicated and forbidden entry to the church

He took his woes to God, “They won’t let me in, Lord, because I am a sinner.”

“What are you complaining about?” said God. “They won’t let Me in either!”

Often hobbling through our church doors on Sunday morning comes grace on crutches—sinners still unable to throw away their false supports and stand upright in the freedom of the children of God. Yet, their mere presence in the church on Sunday morning is a flickering candle representing a desire to maintain contact with God. To douse the flame is to plunge them into a world of spiritual darkness.

There is a myth flourishing in the church today that has caused incalculable harm.—once converted, fully converted. In other words, once I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, an irresistible, sinless future beckons. Discipleship will be an untarnished success story; life will be an unbroken upward spiral toward holiness. Tell that to poor Peter who, after three times professing his love for Jesus on the beach and after receiving the fullness of the Spirit at Pentecost, was still jealous of Paul’s apostolic success.

Often I have been asked, “Brennan, how is it possible that you became an alcoholic after you got saved?” It is possible because I got battered and bruised by loneliness and failure, because I got discouraged, uncertain, guilt-ridden, and took my eyes off Jesus. Because the Christ-encounter did not transfigure me into an angel. Because justification by grace through faith means I have been set in right relationship with God, not made the equivalent of a patient etherized on a table.

this is an excerpt from a book i recently read called The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning, an ex-alchoholic Catholic priest. the book's main thrust is grace, and how we are lacking it in showing grace to others. this part, as well as 4 others(which i shall post for the next 4 entries) benefited me, so i hope this benefits you as well.

So today's prayer pointer is to ask God to grant us a desire to see sinners in our church saved. but i guess the first step is to start accepting them, instead of condemning them.

Prayer pointers

2008-09-09T15:41:00.002+08:00

Hi all

prayer pointer for this week(and probably the rest of the following weeks) is for YF camp.

pray for

Spirit-led(as much as possible) and effective planning
Common vision for everybody involved(right to the youngest and smallest)
perseverance in planning
desire to see God glorified

I really hope, for all of us, that the prayer pointers don't end up as a mathematical formula, but that we can mean every word we say.(even this sentence also could end up as a mathematical formula).

well, all the best and have a nice week!

another exceprt from blue like jazz

2008-09-01T22:01:00.003+08:00

Hi all, here's another excerpt from Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. prayer pointers are at the post below this.

I felt like both churches came to the table with a them and us mentality, them being the liberal non-Christians in the world, and us being Christians. I felt, once again, that there was this underlying hostility for homosexuals and Democrats and, well, hippie types. I cannot tell you how much I did not want liberal or gay people to be my enemies. I liked them. I cared about them, and they cared about me. I learned that in the woods. I had never felt so alive as I did in the company of my liberal friends. It isn’t that the Christians I had been with had bad community; they didn’t, I just liked the community of the hippies because it was more forgiving, more, I don’t know, healthy.

The real issue in the Christian community was that it was conditional. You were loved, but if you had questions, questions about whether the Bible was true or whether America was a good country or whether last week’s sermon was good, you were not so loved. You were loved in word, but there was, without question, a social commodity that was being withheld from you until you shaped up. By toeing the party line you earned social dollars; by being yourself you did not. If you wanted to be valued, you became a clone. These are broad generalizations, and they are unfair, but this is what I was thinking at the time. Bear with me, and I will tell you what I learned.

I began to attend a Unitarian church. All-Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs was wonderful. The people were wonderful. Like my friends in the woods, they freely and openly accepted everybody the church didn’t seem to accept. I don’t suppose they accepted fundamentalists, but neither did I at the time. I was comfortable there. Everybody was comfortable there. I did not like their flaky theology though. I did not like the way they changed words in the hymns, and I did not like the way they ignored the Bible, but I loved them, and they really liked me. I loved the smiley faces, the hugs, the vulnerable feel to the place, the wonderful old gray-haired professors, former alcoholics and drug addicts, the intellectual feminists who greeted me with the kindest, most authentic faces that I understood as invitations to tell my story.

I began to understand that my pastors and leaders were wrong., that the liberals were not evil, they were liberal for the same reason Christians were Christians, because they believed their philosophies were right, good, and beneficial for the world. I had been raised to believe there were monsters under the bed, but I had peeked, in a moment of bravery, and found a wonderful world, a good world, better, in fact, than the one I had known.

The problem with Christian community was that we had ethics, we had rules and laws and principles to judge each other against. There was love in Christian community, but it was conditional love. Sure, we called it unconditional, but it wasn’t. There were bad people in the world and good people in the world. We were raised to believe this. If people were bad, we treated them as though they were evil or charity: If they were bad and rich, they were evil. If they were bad and poor, they were charity. Christianity was always right, we were always looking down on everybody else. And I hated this. I hated it with a passion. Everything in my soul told me it was wrong. It felt, to me, as wrong as sin. I wanted to love everybody. I wanted everything to be cool. I realize this sounds like tolerance, and to many in the church the word tolerance is profanity, but that is precisely what I wanted. I wanted tolerance. I wanted everybody to leave everybody else alone, regardless of their religious beliefs, regardless of their political affiliation. I wanted people to like each other. Hatred seemed, to me, the product of ignorance. I was tired of biblical ethic being used as a tool with which to judge people rather than heal them. I was tired of Christian leaders using biblical principles to protect their power, to draw a line in the sand separating the good army from the bad one. The truth is I had met the enemy in the woods and discovered they were not the enemy. I wondered whether any human being could be an enemy of God.

On the other hand, however, I felt by loving liberal people, I mean by really endorsing their existence, I was betraying the truth of God because I was encouraging them in their lives apart from God. I felt like there was this war going on between us, the Christians, and them, the homosexuals and environmentalists and feminists. By going to a Unitarian church and truly loving those people, I was helping them, I was giving joy to their life and that didn’t feel right. It was a terrible place to be.

This was, at the time, my primary problem with Christian faith. With all its talk about pure love, in the end it shook down to conditional love. Again, this is a provocative statement, but I want to walk you through the emotional process I went through.

How could I merge the culture of the woods and the Unitarian church with Christian culture and yet not abandon the truth of Scripture? How could I love my neighbor without endorsing what, I truly believed, was unhealthy spirituality?

My answer did not come for many years, and as for that summer, I became very confused. I gave in to keep the peace. I stopped going to the Unitarian church, I shaved, I cut the hippy act and made friends, good friends, friends whom I loved and who loved me. From time to time I would overhear comments by my friends, destructive comments about the political left or about homosexuals or Democrats, and I never knew what to do with those comments. They felt right in my head but not in my heart. I went along, and, looking back, I think we all went along. Even the people who were making the comments were going along. What else was there to do? Truth is truth.

2008-08-31T17:49:00.000+08:00

Hey guys

this may not be the only post regarding prayer pointers this week.

but anyway, church camp is coming up! woots and poots!

so, the first prayer pointer is for

1) Faithfulness in praying.

speaking from my own experience, praying for something usually ends up as a 1 time thingy. and i think we(we refering to those of us who share my problem) should not dismiss this as something that will be non-existent in the near or far future, but decide to start HERE and NOW. i'm sure there have been many situations where we had to make a decision promptly. so let us not belittle this lack of faithfulness, lest it end up as an insidious problem.

2) for God to be there.

Joe P was sharing that there was a passage in the bible where God told Moses that he and Israel would receive all of his blessings, but God was not going with them. and Moses said that they would not go. simple as that. for Moses, life was like a simple mathematical equation. God is there, Moses'll be there. God doesn't go, Moses doesn't go.

it's not that God will not be there. God is EVERYWHERE. but i think the issue is how much we want Him to be there.

Unless the LORD builds the house,
       its builders labor in vain.
       Unless the LORD watches over the city,
       the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Psalm 127:1

ok more bout the camp next week.

see you guys!

2008-08-26T23:15:00.004+08:00

hi guys(and girls)

this is an excerpt from Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz, many thanks to Clara for lending me the book.

I hope this will bless you.

I think the difference in my life came when i realized, after reading those Gospels, that Jesus didn't just love me out of principle; He didn't just love me because it was the right thing to do. Rather, there was something inside me that caused Him to love me. I think I realized that if I walked up to His campfire, He would ask me to sit down, and He would ask me my story. He would take the time to listen to my ramblings or my anger until I could calm down, and then He would look me directly in the eye, and He would speak to me; He would tell me the truth, and I would sense in his voice and in the lines on His face that He liked me. He would rebuke me, too, and he would tell me that I have prejudices against very religious people and that I need to deal with that; He would tell me that there are poor people in the world and I need to feed them and that somehow this will make me more happy. I think He would tell me what my gifts are and why I have them, and He would give me ideas on how to use them. I think He would explain to me why my father left, and He would point out very clearly all the ways God has taken care of me through the years, all the stuff God protected me from

I think it's a very beautiful picture that Donald Miller painted, and somehow it reminds me of the scene where Jesus prepared breakfast for his disciples after the resurrection. while I do not agree with the part about something within us that caused Him to love us(i don't just not believe it, i BELIEVE that we were unworthy of His love), this story managed to make me slow down. i wasn't walking anywhere, rather i was already sitting down, but what i meant was the pace of thoughts in my mind. it started to give me that strange feeling again, where i would be lost for words, while at the same time a vast pool of random words were swirling around in my head. and this time i tried not to arrange the words. instead i tried to embrace the fleeting moment. some part of me either believed this story, or wanted to believe this story.

and another part of me was ashamed at the difference between the love that God gave, and still gives me, contrasted to the love that i offered pathetically. But i guess that's why He died for us.

i know that this post is posted at the risk of turning this blog into my own blog. but to be honest, not only did i not have any pointers for this week's prayer chain, i also felt that this excerpt would benefit us.

so there are not really any prayer pointers for prayer chain this week. but if God puts a prayer pointer in your heart then please share it with your prayer chain group(what else would you do!?).

I really hope this excerpt has blessed each of you.

Chao Yuan

Ministry!

2008-08-17T17:15:00.003+08:00

hi guys

this week's focus will be on ministry within our cell(wow! so timely!)

well i remember having a train of thought, something like, 'man if i'm so involved in ministry i'm probably not gonna have a life'(not that i really had one in the first place la). ok well, maybe not exactly those words, but definitely something along the lines of wanting to take a break, have fun, go diving, blah blah blah.

so then, i remembered this passage

Matthew 10:39

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

(NIV translation)

Matthew 10:38-39

38-39"If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.

(The Message translation)

honestly, this is quite a revelation to me. friends have asked me to heck going church and go out more, go diving more, basically do a lot more stuff on sundays that would conveniently clash for that 9.15am - 12pm timeslot. and though the comments usually bounce off my thick skull, i do find myself wondering how fun it would be, for example, do spend most of my weekends diving(if i wasn't a christian i'd probably do that).

my point here is, if we're seen as people with no life cos we spend all our weekends in church, at church, on church, we're doing at least one thing right.

let's not even talk about Jim Eliot(the guy who wrote 'he is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose'), Stephen, or other martyrs who lost their lives in an obvious way. what Ministry will require is our heart, our love(lots and lots of it) and our time. it will be a sacrifice. it may leave you wondering 'WHY on earth am i in this?', it may leave you disillusioned, broken, angry or hateful.

but does it have to?

This is how we give up our time to the Father. our life(or at least part of it). i count myself more than fortunate that i enjoy being in the ministry i currently am in. but perhaps enjoying our ministry may never have been a prerequisite for joining. what if i get asked to join the dance ministry one day(heaven forbid!)? of course, being asked by mere humans who want to laugh at me hop around in a tutu, and being asked by God, are two entirely different things.

i guess, as many of us know in our heads, that worship is not about gaining anything. and so, it is important that we understand that to enter into a ministry is to sacrifice something. whether or not God gives us anything in His infinite grace and mercy is another matter.

so. finally on to the prayer pointers. just one today.

that God will help us prepare our hearts and mind, to choose between having no life, or having fun.
that we will understand that ministry is a sacrifice.

Prayer Chain

2008-08-12T22:07:00.002+08:00

Hi all! sorry i'm back to work haha. anyway this week's prayer pointers are taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Now then, brothers, you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, as in fact you are doing. We ask and encourage you in the Lord to do so even more. You know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For it is God's will that you be sanctified: You must abstain from sexual immorality. Each of you must know how to control his own body in a holy and honorable manner, not with passion and lust like the gentiles who do not know God. Furthermore, you must never take advantage of or exploit a brother in this regard, because the Lord avenges all these things, just as we already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to be holy. Therefore, whoever rejects this instruction is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Now you do not need anyone to write to you about brotherly love, since you have been taught by God to love each other. In fact, you are showing love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia, but we urge you, brothers, to keep on doing this even more. Also, make it your goal to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you, so that you may win the respect of outsiders, and have need of nothing.

SO.
2 prayer pointers.
1) empowerment for holy living
2)more brotherly love. so we can all start being nice to the guys in pop cell while the girls can go fly kite. KIDDING!

have a great week!

2008-08-05T21:33:00.001+08:00

hi guys

ok i'll be honest i haven't done my homework. there's no prayer pointers as of yet.

sorry!

2008-07-29T21:00:00.000+08:00

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!

Psalm 32 : 1-2

And that means us. How blessed we are. If you haven't in a long time, take this chance now to thank God for the sheer incredulousness of His grace. That because He suffered, we can enjoy. In a way, grace does seem unfair. God had everything to lose, and we had everything to gain. And He still went ahead with His plan of salvation.

The prayer pointer for this week is just 1. to thank God for His grace and mercy.

Prayer Chain

2008-07-23T18:44:00.002+08:00

Luke 8 (Parable of the Sower)

'No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar and puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor in anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

Take care how you HEAR God's word
pray for: correct attitudes during sermon and cell word

Luke 18 : 1-8

.....Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Pray for: Faith until the end

Prayer chain #3

2008-07-08T20:03:00.002+08:00

Hi guys here's the 3rd prayer chain. got 2 so far.

1) Forgiveness

Colossians 3:12-13
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive

Matthew 5:12-13
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your borther has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your borther, and then come and offer your gift

Matthew 18:21-35
-this is the parable of the unforgiving servant. however i was rather drawn to one part(Jesus' commentary about the parable.)-
'..... and i his anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart

when God is angry, we don't wanna be the one at fault. definitely not. somewhere in the old testament(Kings i think), God was angry at either Israel or Jerusalem(well, who else) and there was an account of 2 women going to the king because they agreed to EAT their sons (prehistoric Clara[pronounced 'claire-RER] Woon!) and one of them managed to hide her son from the other. just imagine. if God is mad at you, you might end up as dinner!
but seriously, when God is angry, we definitely do not want to be on the receiving end. and here, in His own words, he gets mad when we do not forgive!
Have any of you struggled with unforgiveness before? I did, and i'm afraid i still will. It's quite strange, the way I hold on to grudges, like they are some kind of unholy source of strength. Somewhere inside me, some part felt good to hate someone. it felt natural. it felt right.

It has to be crucified.
That part is the flesh. it's like a really evil and not cute at all Wile E. Coyote. it just can't die. not yet anyway.
But that doesn't mean I don't try. what it means is that I get help. I hold the nail, and Jesus swings the hammer.

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

if you are OK with it, confess( if any) unforgiveness within yourself to your buddy. You do not have to give exact details, if you do not feel comfortable with it. but really do try to confess.

2) praying more
I think God wants us to pray more.
I remember hearing the words 'we're sorry we have not prayed enough' at a prayer meeting. and it was true. I was filled with guilt. But what makes it really sad is that i have not done much about it. So here i am, passing my guilt on to you. just kidding. but there are always things that we could, and perhaps SHOULD be praying for

the lost:Keeping the gospel among us is selfish. whatever level we may know them at, whether they are nice chaps or not, Christ died for them as well. that should be a good enough reason for us to pray for them

Leaders: i really think there's a passage in the bible that tells us to pray for our leaders. and we should.

Maybe you guys might be like me, and always worry whether there are any original and new prayer pointers to come up with. but i don't think God looks for innovation and creativity. I believe He looks for faithfulness.
so bore your prayer buddy to tears! all in good conscience, knowing that God looks right at our hearts. yes i know it's cliche. but at least i'm proving my point(about faithfulness)

see you!
Chao Yuan

yay!

2008-07-06T01:45:00.002+08:00

hello!

i realise i don't need to log in! this is on my dashboard!!

anyway, thank you chaoyuan for doing the prayer pointers so faithfully (: i hope the prayer chains have been working happily.

THANK YOU GUYS for the video- eugenia you can see when you come back. apparently yanni has joined our cg so they say THEY WILL TAKE KAILING. ie pop1 hee hee. you come back suan zhang la.

i will post up word stuff next time. need to edit cos i have dumb stuff inside also. like er. jackpot machine.

OH CHAOYUAN. I OWE YOU BLUE LIKE JAZZ.

ok this fulfills my one post before eugenia comes back.

2008-06-29T20:11:00.004+08:00

DEAREST POP2!!!

Greetings from Melbourne!

I trust that cell and service were great! Con't to stay close to Jesus and i'll see you guys really soon! :)

Clara dearest! Please drop Kat and Eunice an SMS when you start your own chain to remind them to call each other k? I'll be praying here as well! :)

love,

eU :)

SO! here's the 2nd prayer chain!

2008-06-29T14:51:00.003+08:00

Hi guys. ok i'm really intending to get the prayer pointers more organised. but as of yet it's not really organised, i gotta admit. sorry la, but hopefully it doesn't cause anyone to lose any sleep. anyway this week's one is pretty spontaneous, basically i just asked God what He wanted me to pray for. prayer chain leaders, please feel free to add in prayer pointers of your own.

1)Health-both in the physical and spiritual sense
this is really not something i'd usually say, but i believe God is trying to tell us that this is a season for healing. so for those of you not feeling well, what are you waiting for!
any other prayer pointers are pretty much up to you

2)falling away from the faith

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

this is an extremely pessimistic topic to talk about. and probably that's why we don't talk about it. but not talking about it doesn't make it go away. here's something you might want to do. go find a picture of our cell. close your eyes and randomly point at someone in the picture. what if 10 years from now, that person is no longer with our church? i once had 3 other friends, and to cut the long story short, one of us is now an atheist of sorts, while the other 2 are apparently attending church. but i have no idea what level of faith they have, and neither do i intend to judge them.
pray that God will shield us from the Evil One, that we will not base our spiritual level on our climate or mood, and that God will help us understand how inseparable we are from him.

ok that's all. hopefully i won't be so pessimistic next time hor

Chao Yuan

Prayer Chain Week 1 :)

2008-06-22T22:57:00.003+08:00

Prayer Chain begins this Wednesday, 25th June. 9pm.

Hi guys so this is the first prayer chain mail!! woot!

1) Discernmentthat God will give the grace to discern the thoughts within them, whether they are from God, from themselves or from the enemy.

2) Upcoming visit to Children's Homethat we will love the chidren, to love them like Jesus does, to feel what God feels for them

3) Bringing new friendscourage to ask, wisdom and sensibility to know if we're being a pain in the neck, peace of mind to trust God to work past the person's doubt, and LOVE for the person.

extra long prayer pointer:
read: 2 Kings 23 : 4-15
Idolatry was practiced right WITHIN the house of God!but don't be so quick to 'ORH-HOR!' the Israelites! haven't we been the same? have we been able to devote all of ourselves to God even in church? have we not been distracted? have we been worshipping the Jesus in the bible, or a Jesus that we have created for ourselves, with false doctrine and popular belief?

pray for: forgiveness, and strength to repent

Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heavenMany will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?And then I will say to them openly, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly[wicked referring to disregarding His commands, taken from the Amplified version]

sorry to have such solemn stuff. but i do believe that we need to check ourselves with the scriptures. lastly, if any of you have the time, i REALLY wish you could look at this vid http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=19fd9c84c942a08316e0

ok that's all see you!

The above was prepared by Chao Yuan.

1ST PRAYER CHAIN

2008-06-22T12:59:00.003+08:00

Hi guys so this is the first prayer chain mail!! woot!

1) Discernment
that God will give the grace to discern the thoughts within them, whether they are from God, from themselves or from the enemy.

2) Upcoming visit to Children's Home
that we will love the chidren, to love them like Jesus does, to feel what God feels for them

3) Bringing new friends
courage to ask, wisdom and sensibility to know if we're being a pain in the neck, peace of mind to trust God to work past the person's doubt, and LOVE for the person.

extra long prayer pointer:
read: 2 Kings 23 : 4-15

Idolatry was practiced right WITHIN the house of God!
but don't be so quick to 'ORH-HOR!' the Israelites! haven't we been the same? have we been able to devote all of ourselves to God even in church? have we not been distracted? have we been worshipping the Jesus in the bible, or a Jesus that we have created for ourselves, with false doctrine and popular belief?

pray for: forgiveness, and strength to repent

Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven
Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?
And then I will say to them openly, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly[wicked referring to disregarding His commands, taken from the Amplified version]

sorry to have such solemn stuff. but i do believe that we need to check ourselves with the scriptures.

lastly, if any of you have the time, i REALLY wish you could look at this vid
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=19fd9c84c942a08316e0

ok that's all see you!

Prayer Chain

2008-06-14T21:20:00.003+08:00

HELLO POP!!! I'm so sorry for this post being this late :p

here's the grouping for Prayer Chain. we literally draw lots for the groupings but it was intentional that we're divided base on gender. :) We'll start in July k? Chao Yuan, ok? Can post weekly prayer pointers here :)

Group 1
Chain IC: Tim Han
Members: Joel, Jon Chye, Chao Yuan.

Group 2
Chain IC: Ben Sng
Members: Wilfred, Anyi, Julius

Group 3
Chain IC: Clara
Members: Christine, Weijin

Group 4
Chain IC: Eugenia
Members: Eunice, Kathleen

Do let me know if I've left anyone out k?

Each week, the chain ic will start the chain at 9/10pm depending on the preference/availability of the group members.

so for example, Clara, Christine and Weijin agree on 10pm. Clara will start the chain by calling i.e. Christine and will ask her for any prayer request. Christine shares. Clara prays for her and for the gerneral pointers that Chao Yuan posted on the blog. Christine then calls Weijin, prays for Weijin's prayer requests and also for the what Chao Yuan had posted. lastly, Weijin called Clara to end off the chain by praying for Clara's prayer needs, and the general items. :)

Any question, call Chao Yuan or me k?

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." -1 John 5:14-15

Thanks!

2008-02-17T13:10:00.002+08:00

Just wanna thank all those who made this steamboat thingy possible. I guess most if not all of us felt that it was terrific. Great fellowship and of course, wonderful sharing and discussion. I definitely learn a lot from the discussion that i was in.

Anyway, thanks Ben a million for the absolutely wonderful Tom Yum Soup! We should get u to do it again sometime, or u can teach me how and i can do it for myself in future! =)

-Jo(el)-

HAPPY (belated) V-DAY TO POP 2!

2008-02-15T00:20:00.000+08:00

LOVE is PATIENT and KIND.
LOVE is NOT JEALOUS, it DOES NOT BRAG, and it is NOT PROUD.
LOVE is NOT RUDE, is NOT SELFISH, and DOES NOT BECOME ANGRY EASILY.
LOVE DOES NOT REMEMBER WRONGS DONE AGAINST IT.
LOVE is DOES NOT DELIGHT WITH EVIL, but DELIGHTS WITH THE TRUTH.
LOVE PATIENTLY ACCEPTS ALL THINGS.
IT ALWAYS TRUST, ALWAYS HOPES, and ALWAYS CONTINUES STRONG.
[ 1 Cor 13:4 - 7]

It's simply wonderful the way the Bible defines LOVE for us.

Even though V-Day is over, but i just wanna encourage you all to remember that LOVE is all of that and we should pray that we will learn to LOVE the people around us, even some people whom we may really find it hard to (like those we shared during cell).

Anyway, will be looking forward to Saturday's Big POP STEAMBOAT!!

-Jo(el)-

For 2008

2008-01-06T21:16:00.000+08:00

I know I've not been very good in updating the announcements but hopefully that'll change! Hee.

Anyway, coming into the new year, I want to encourage everyone to take a stand this year, to really show others, Christians or non-Christians, that you have Jesus in you. It's meaningless to be a Christian without a relationship with God, likewise it's meaningless if no one knows you're a Christian because you act just as worldly as the rest. I'm not saying that I've reached that, to have people say I have Jesus in me, or even that I'm always courageous in standing up for what I believe in even though it goes against the norm, I've done that more than once, sometimes with success and sometimes not, but I truly believe that people are smart enough to know who are the hypocrites and who really makes them ask if Jesus is the saviour of the world.

Let's really make that commitment (among others you may have) to be that salt and light for the world. =)

-christine

2007-10-18T02:04:00.000+08:00

Its Just the Way We Are
we hold on to things the tightest,
when we are forced to let them go-
We always want things a certain way,
when we know they cant be so.

Dreams always last the longest,
when they are furthest from our reach-
and the lessons we learn most from,
are often the very ones we teach.

The grass is always greenest,
when it lies on the other side-
Often the truth we preach to others,
are often those we cant abide.

We hold fast to things in a storm,
which are most likely to blow away,
and yet we neglect to wear sunscreen,
on a bright and sunny day.

We spend our time trying to see things,
when perspective is one thing we lack,
And we never appreciate what we've got,
until we cant get it back.

We tell the whole world to give us a break,
and yet ironically we will find,
then when others come asking the same of us,
we tell them they are out of their mind.

We tell everyone whats wrong with the world,
yet we do nothing to make it right, (arent humans all guilty of that?)
we complain about families falling apart,
yet do nothing to keep them tight.

We preach about loving our neighbours,
and we teach children right from wrong
But we never set good examples,
when the real chances come along.

We complain about not having enough time in our lives,
to do what we must do, (sounds familiar?)
yet if we are given more hours in the day,
we will use it all up too.

We desire to be close to the ones we love
yet too often look on from afar,
when it comes to the truth,
do we want to change
or remain forever as we are?

hello everyone, just read this from a book recently, thought it was good for us to think about?
heh..if u have my facebook or blog, u probably read it so sorry for the repetition,
but to those who dont, well just read.heh. anyways i updated the announcements since i am here..hope its right!hahas.
for those who are busy with school, achar achar fighting! jiayou! strive on:) u can do it!!
agape,
weijin:)

2007-10-06T21:50:00.000+08:00

Person who gave the - fruit of the spirit - about another

Ben Sng - Patience - Chao Yuan
Chao Yuan - Gentleness - Ben Sng
Christine - Kindness - Tim
Tim - Peace - Kathleen
Kathleen - Joy - Wilfred
Wilfred - Kindness - Christine
Wei Jin - Goodness - Clara
Clara - Patience - Eugenia
Eugenia - Faithfulness - Wei Jin

Prayer requests for the week

Chao Yuan - Direction for further studies
Wilfred - life in general
Kathleen - strength for events happening at the same time for childcare and school
Wei Jin - peace and direction for further studies, Math exam on the 29th/30th Oct
Clara - trust and faith in God
Eugenia - joy and self control, exams/assignments/projects coming up
Christine - company law module and mock trial
Ben - healing for both elbows and ankle, focus and memory when studying his music
Tim - army posting to be confirmed, hopefully to somewhere that doesn't place too much pressure on his back

And on Eugenia's request:
Clara Moment #1
While playing Captain's Ball,
Clara was the one who was supposed to catch the ball for the team to score a point
Someone throws ball to her, it passes over her head.
Clara: You missed! (Or too high!)
Without noticing that the ball is technically still over her head.
Ball promptly falls on Clara's head.
Everyone laughs, Eugenia laughs so hard she's sprawled on the ground.

(Clara claims that it was Wilfred who lobbed the ball at her and it was his intention for the ball to whack her so that she couldn't catch the ball. Hmm. I think my version is better. Now Clara claims that I embellished Wilfred's intention, he apparently deflected the ball so she couldn't catch it and then it fell on her head. Everything is Wilfred's fault not hers. She is trying to claim defamation but please la, one of the elements of defamation is that it must not be based on real facts. on the facts of this case, that element is not made out and she will not succeed in claiming defamation. Don't mess with the one who did defamation for moots hahahah)

Clara Moment #2
While still playing Captain's Ball
Clara: *to Chao Yuan* I'm going to pull down your shorts! (cos CY was trying to prevent her from getting the ball)
Chao Yuan: You need to pray for self- control! (in line with the fruit of the spirit activity we had earlier)

-christine

2007-09-11T21:42:00.000+08:00

Hey guys,

I know this week is going to be the bible quiz and though I signed up, ha, not really looking forward to it because well, who wants to find out that their bible knowledge is sorely lacking in many (almost all) areas? Haha.

But that doesn't mean you don't come! Come anyway since it's Leong's birthday after that so we can all go together in a big happy group! And there's food, that's something eh. But come because your presence will be much appreciated. =)

Anyway, since I don't think I'll be able to get points for the group except for attendance, how about getting points for memory verses? And even if there weren't points, I realised the verses are pretty short and really easy to remember and it's always good to have some verses to claim as your own when you're facing a problem.

For your convenience:
Jan (Psalm 119:105) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path

Feb (Proverbs 3:6) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Mar (Isaiah 12:2) Surely God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid

Apr (John 3:16) For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life

May (2 Tim 3:16) All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

Jun (1 Peter 5:7) Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you

Jul (Matthew 11:28) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest

Aug (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

Sep (Joshua 24:15) But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord

-christine

sorry ppl...

2007-08-27T18:29:00.000+08:00

so sorry that i haven't been able join u all at pop2 for cell group... I had to join pop1 for cell due to worship prac... hopefully i'll be able to join u all soon... i was away for children's min teachers' retreat last weekend- something like spiritual formation style... there were time set aside for us to be alone with God. Interesting thing was that we had to eat dinner in silence... We could only communicate using signals n body language... Not quite used to it myself though ... Haha :) I'll not be around this weekend too as i'll be away for a short trip to port dickson. I'll see all of u on the 8/9 Sep except for wei jin who will be away for ymlc. Wei Jin, enjoy ur trip!!!

*Note: Those who have not pay cell fund, please pay asap. Thanks!!!

Too Long...

2007-08-27T11:34:00.000+08:00

Hi guys,

and sry haven't been turning up for cell or church lately, weekends had been burnt to do standby and duties ever since i came back from Thailand.

Will try to be there at cell (if there is any this week) but provided the "ARMY OPEN HOUSE" thingy doesn't drag till too late. Hope to see you guys this week!!

God Bless and Cheers,
Joel

hello

2007-08-26T22:37:00.001+08:00

hello
-justin

2007-08-26T21:25:00.000+08:00

heh i just realise our cellgroup blog is ready:) aniwaes since no one post anting yet since christine last post, i shall post now:)
our cell been learning alot on evanglism so i tot that i should share a story tt i read from a book called stories for the extreme teen hearts that really inspire me n show me how a true servant of God really is.
Its the story of John Harper-Titanic last hero.
John harper was born to a pair of solids christian parents on may 29.1872. He was 13 when he received christ into his life. He never knew what it was to sow his wild oats. He begin to preach about 4 years later when he was 17, after preachin in the streets for 5 years. he was taken in by a Reverend E.A Carter of Baptist Church in London. He was man consumed by the word of God. He devote his whole life to God's ministry of evanglism at the age of 23. He started his own church in 1898 (now known as the Harper Memorial Church) John started his church with just 25 members which grown to 500 when he left 13 years later. He got married but was widowes shortly after, but he had a beautiful girl Nana, He almost drown a few times during his life. but God saved him and through this experiences help him to prepare for what is to come. On board the Titanic that night when it sank. He led his daughter to safety,he could have went with his daughter into the lifeboat using the excuse his a single parent.but he did not. he told nana tat he will see her someday, holding his tears back. As the remaining people on board the Titanic, one by one dropped into the water. John swam around in the cold water leading people to Christ and to be saved before the cold water freeze them. He came to a young man and ask if he was saved. He said he was not,and john ask him if he would like to be saved.the man reply no and john took off his life jacket and gave to the man sayin you need this more than i do. he continued swimming on, and leading others into christ. The young man, touched by his actions, accepted Christ into his heart when John swam back to him a few minutes later. soon the water became too cold and John together with 1522 passangers died and drown into the sea. Before goin under water, John last words was Believe on the Name of Lord Jesus and You will be saved. Did hollywood james cameron remembered tis man? No, but it doesnt matter coz John did what God had always wanted him to do.Lead people to Christ. John harper gave up his life so that others could be saved. He is indeed the True Hero of the Titanic.
Romans 5:6-8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we are still sinners, Christ died for us.
-ng wei jin-

2007-06-13T13:57:00.000+08:00

Ho, looks like no one either 1. knows of this blog or 2. don't want to post anything so I shall do it. Since some of the cell went for the church camp, why don't you guys blog about the experience? Or the army boys, (if they're not too tired out) can blog about their army life because that's the purpose of this blog haha.

Anyway, I shall start. I just wanted to let you guys know that what JoP shared with us during one of the cell sessions really touched a chord in me, that God not only helps us through difficult situations but also he protects us from things that could have happened. There IS a reason we're in the circumstances we're in or for the people we meet because nothing is coincidental. I say this because I realised how blessed I am, it doesn't matter what stuff you're going through, but you have someone who is willing to go through it with you.

-christine

2007-04-22T21:33:00.000+08:00

This blog is for us to post our testimonies and news for the cell. Will post the weekly announcements here as well. Bear with me because the new blogger is extremely annoying. And I'm annoyed by it. Poo.
-christine