NUS B1's blog

Lunar New Year Service 12022010

2010-02-13T01:57:00.005+08:00

1 John 4:19

We love because he first loved us

Edmund

First Post of 2010

2010-01-10T21:50:00.003+08:00

Hey Bone

This is the first post of 2010, where some of us will no longer be teenagers while some others no longer being a student. I'm amazed that this blog is still alive ever since it was created about a year ago and i thank God for all those who had contributed in this social networking platform.

I believe there will be many first times this year for all of us and I pray that we would all take them as God's good, pleasing and perfect plan for us. Let's do make use of this blog to continue to share God's goodness in our lives in spite of adversity or struggles and in our ups and joys.

Edmund

It's that time of the year again

2009-12-12T23:47:00.002+08:00

Before fretting over who you could invite, invite Jesus into your presence once again and remember how it felt the first time you got to know Him. Was it joy? freedom? forgiveness? peace? loved? new beginning?

Edmund

Encouragements

2009-11-23T00:34:00.003+08:00

Dear Bone,

Here's a verse that reminded me about having an expectant spirit towards God. Hopefully it would encourage you today =)

Romans 8:15-17 (The Message)

^15-17This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!

Edmund

2009-11-12T18:02:00.002+08:00

Dear BONE.. The google calender had been updated. But I not specify whose exam is that on that particular day....Quite confuse with the colours.. Will update it after confirm with u all on 2mr cg... Jia you for u all study!!!

Stay awhile and listen ;)

2009-11-06T17:44:00.003+08:00

Not sure if the story is true, but i don't think that's the point.

Are we standing up for our faith in the little things we do?

Edmund

A new life in You

2009-10-19T18:26:00.004+08:00

Yili, Walk with Jesus no matter how tough it goes. Never let go of Him. B-One is here to help you.

Edmund

Mid Week Reflection

2009-10-07T23:59:00.002+08:00

Was browsing through tangle.com and found this video.

Sorry Lord i admit i'm too comfortable in where i'm.
How about you?

Edmund

Thank You

2009-09-28T23:04:00.002+08:00

Hey Bone, I wanna thank all of you who put in so much effort for planning my bdae. I feel really blessed this year.

Thank you Michelle for hosting

Thank you Xinyi for your affirmations

Thank you Ian for the pizzas

Thank you Joyce for my ransom card

Thank you Yili for planning

Thank you Hannah for the adorable soft toys

Thank you Weikai for the cake

Thank you SL for the bag

Edmund

The Work of the Community

2009-09-06T09:40:00.002+08:00

Hey Bone, yesterday may have been any other service to you but it was special to me. No its not Pastor Jeff and his funny quirks only, neither was the ministering music. It was when you know deep in you something clicked. Some call it enlightenment, others call it a moment of truth. I say it was sharpness of the Word of God.

Aint gonna go through 3 points but just one thing that hit me hard. The hand and heart must be connected. Actions must be in proportion to intention and its easy to see the heart of someone through his or her actions. Why am I saying this? Cause I'm guilty of giving a half hearted attitude when it comes to ministry. I confess I am lazy and did not give my all in what I do.

Examine these 2 verses and share with us how can we relate both.

2 Corinthians 8:12

¹²For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

Colossians 3:23

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

When God strikes a chord, then it wasn't just a service. I can say I met my Lord on Saturday.

Edmund

2009-09-04T16:18:00.000+08:00

hey.. just wanna share this with u all.. how God is pulling me up from the current difficulty..

i realised after school term has started, there are more things to do, definitely very very stressful.. i could not catch up with the pace, and there's lots and lots of readings, preparation to do.. i was really very very afraid that i will not be able to do well, and also i scared that i will not shine for his kingdom when my results are bad.. i was so afraid of this and that, worrying about everything, that i kinda left God out while i am studying.. i really wanna thank God for being faithful, constantly assuring me, consoling me.. every service, cg/unit/subd meet, God will remind me of at least one promise.. this time round, during subd He told me, "remember my child, what i want u to give is what you have, give your best with your ability, i will do the rest.." i totally forgot about this while i was trying to study(nth went in though).. "my yoke is lighter, I'm the everlasting God, i can do all things" i just wanna rely on Him for the strength, the wisdom... i really wanna persevere, remember and focus on the end-goal,not those obstacles which are temporal.. Hebrews 12:1-2.. i really wanna fix my eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of my faith..

=joyce=

2009-09-03T22:59:00.000+08:00

why nobody blogg??

today, I'm so happyyy.
I bought a notebook for myself and Eileen and we're gonna embark on this journey of thanksgiving! =)
Gonna write down our big and small testimonies on the book in the upcoming days of our lives and praise God in big and small things. Not only testimonies, we'll probably be writing down our prayers to God as well. It'll be so so fun and when one day, the book is fully filled up, we can see how we've grown through the days as well, and how much God has blessed us daily in big and small ways.
I'm definitely excited to see it come to pass! In growing to become more sensitive to seeing God's hands working in our lives. =))

Something that I've started with my sheep and I'm just so excited that I want to share this news with everyone! =)) Cos its definitely one step to grow closer to God!

When we walk 1 step closer to God, God runs 1000 steps (or more) to us~!

Tham Tham aka Michelle

SAVE LIVES!

2009-08-25T11:20:00.001+08:00

Anyone wants to donate blood?? =)

Title : NUS Blood Donation Drive 2009

Organizer : NUS Red Cross

Description : Many people would not survive today without the help of many generous and voluntary blood donors. Donating blood means you are giving someone another chance in life. Each packet of blood you donate can help to save up to 3 lives. There are people in need! Be a blood donor, be a life saver! There will be vouchers and souvenirs for the voluntary donors! ^_^

* IMPORTANT NOTE:
The actual blood drive is from 1st to 4th September in MPSH 4, but you are advised to sign up with us in the week before in order to avoid long queue. We are at Science Foyer 24-26th Aug and Arts walk way for the rest of the week. Pls come and sign up for your preferred slot. If you are unable to sign up, just walk in to MPSH 4 from Sept 1 to Sept 4. We always welcome you! :D

Date and Time : 1-4 September 2009, 10am - 4pm

Venue : MPSH4

Price : -

Agenda : -

Contact : nusbddsignup2009@yahoo.com.sg, Duy (96117068)/Anh (84044633)

RipplePrayerCGMeet 210809

2009-08-24T01:12:00.004+08:00

Hey Peeps, sometimes we ask God for so many things that we lose track of our prayer requests.

Then when they are fulfilled, we dont even notice it.

Encourage you to cultivate a habit to journal and pen down your prayer requests.

And when the day comes and its fulfilled,

Praise You Lord for being so faithful!

Edmund

cute!

2009-08-21T01:37:00.002+08:00

YiLi u'll like this ;)

Edmund

Reverence

2009-08-09T00:15:00.002+08:00

Wanna share a testimony. For those who were not there for dinner after the ESS on 080809, I felt really sick and unwell during dinner. Couldn't finish the food and really felt that a fever was developing. As if the life had been sucked out of me. To make things worse, i realised that i misplaced my file at Shaw House cinema area. Didnt seem like the best of days at all.

Thank God for the people around me. I told them my problem and how i was feeling. They were concerned and even agreed to follow me to find my file even though its pretty far and that the possibility to find it is slim. I felt loved by all their unanimous decisions to accompany me.

Along the way there, Xinyi prayed for my health and for my file to be found. I genuinely felt better after the prayer and assured. After we reached, we went to the spot where i lost it and it wasnt there. I felt a little disappointed cos it contains many important documents inside. Then we went asking around the staff trying to identify who might have taken it. Thank God that a cleaner found it and kept it. At that moment, it dawned upon me that prayer is so powerful and that Jesus was intervenening in my life.

Not the best week to begin with =(

But it definitely ended well =)

Lord I'm in awe of You.

Edmund

2009-08-01T00:07:00.000+08:00

went for nursing orientation day today.. the most unexpected thing is to see jean hopping around with her left leg, as she injure her right toe.. and it's the lamest reason, cuz she accidentally kicked her bed stand.. then can't walk.. so after the briefings (we skipped the tour), i accompanied her to the A&E.. it's just muscle injury/bruise only.. she went all out to do her boyfriend's birthday card la.. despite her current condition, can't even apply pressure on her right leg, she still go all the way to tampines to get people to write on that card.. lucky got another person accompany her to tampines..

but anyway, that's besides the point.. a few days ago, i opened my drawer and saw a new bible, still nicely in packaged.. wanted to give to a person who wanna come to know christ.. but so far, it's either they never come to know God/they alr have their bibles..

so today after i alighted at outram mrt and took the nel, around boon keng station, i forgot how, but i just suddenly thought of this wrapped bible in my drawer and what i wanted to do with it last time.. then i sense in my heart, wrap it, decorate it then give it to jean - when she's unhappy, feel down, afraid, or whatever circumstances, she can open the bible and read what God has promised her..

so i just started smsing her, if she has a bible, then she replied it was an old version (though all versions contain the same words, but i was just prompted to give her one), then i asked her if she will read the bible, she say never read.. but then i say i will give her one, then she replied if she has the time, then she will read.. so i think so cool la, next time can read bible with her, if she dun mind.. of course, must wait for the right timing too... yea.. Thank God for that prompting and that opportunity.. super happy =)

anyway, i also really wanna thank Ian for fetching us to the A&E, though NUH is super near to NUS.. thank God for his serving heart, and the circumstances that enables him to be ablt to drive even for that short while.. really thank God for him.. thank God for the car too.. haha..

( my language a bit bad ar.. but understand can alr.. haha.. )

= Joyce Elise =

Twitter

2009-07-29T02:34:00.001+08:00

Come follow me on twitter and i'll follow you hahaha

its the latest craze since Facebook

my nick is edmundlwj.

Hmm i think Michelle, you have it too ba...

Edmund

What's your love language?

2009-07-12T18:06:00.002+08:00

Recently when i was doin QT, somehow was reminded of the care aspect of the CG. Then i realised that i do not know what is your love language at all. Yup there are 2 sides to it. One is how you show love to another, the other is how you feel most loved. Please share to one another =)

I show love by acts of service and words of affirmation and giving gifts

I feel most loved by word s of affirmation.

How about you?

Edmund

Night Safari

2009-06-19T11:54:00.003+08:00

Something interesting coming...

Mieow

Edmund

NUSBONEBONDINGTIME

2009-06-08T17:51:00.004+08:00

HAHA! I love my cg! Most importantly, Thank God for all your hearts to wanna be part of this :)

Edmund

Sub D 020609

2009-06-03T17:51:00.002+08:00

Thank you all for taking time off for SubD despite the tired faces I see. Believe yesterday's prophecy and teaching on the natural principles of maintaining victory had struck a chord in our lifes. So just to summarise, here are some questions we can reflect on for the week.

1. How well am I coping with things in my life?

2. What are the 'weak-points' of my life?

3. What are the 'weak-points' of the community?

4. Are we indifferent? Are we MORE concerned about the things of God than ourselves? Are we divided?

5. Are we expectant that God will work in the days ahead?

Edmund

Hindrances to Victory Part 1

2009-05-24T13:29:00.004+08:00

Yups the service is brought to you.

1) Lack of faith/true faith

There will still be fear as Ian has posted in the previous post( Bro you're fast! )
2 Timothy 1:7

Some fears...
a)"We're not good enough"

2 Corinthians 12:7 - 10( Paul was humble enough to recognize his weaknesses and acknowledged God's grace on his weakness )

b)"God is not good enough"

Numbers 14:6 - 9( Out of the 12 spies sent out, only 2 , Joshua and Caleb reported that the land was good cos they trusted God, while the rest of the 10 spies said that the land was filled with giants and decided that the land was bad )

Numbers 14:11(God had done all the miraculous signs and the Israelites continue to treat God with contempt, kinda God was frustrated/'pek chek' at them)

c)"God does not love us anymore"
Psalm 13: 1 - 2 (Even King David struggled with God, knowing whether God still loves him but if you read further in verses 5 - 6, he trusted in God's unfailing love)

Here we talk about what is not true faith, there are 2 types.

- Deluded Faith (Faith based on presumptions and feelings)
Galatians 2:11 - 14 (Even apostles can be deluded)

Galatians 5:7 - 12 (Paul questioned the people as to why they were deluded)

Joshua mentioned when we say God is with us, its a pretty dangerous prayer. Why? Cos God is holy! We've sin in us! If He is indeed amongst us, we gotta expect pruning and cleansing from Him.

He challenged us to exercise wisdom/discernment to speak truth in love into people's lives. A verse supporting this challenge is Galatians 6:1.

- Head Knowledge Faith(Only in the head, theory)
James 2:14 - 26 (James tells us faith without deeds is dead)

James 1:22(Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.)

2nd point
2)Physical & Mental tiredness

Its funny but many identified with this point at svc at that time ahah!

Exodus 18:17 - 18(Moses father in law told Moses he cant 'bao ka liao' cos it will wear him out.)

REST! Please do so and even plan for it. It is so important as God intended rest for us too at appropriate times! So if you've been sleeping late or if we do see each other online in the wee hours, please tell them to get REST once they are done with whatever they are doing.

That's all folks, cant wait for part 2 but WJ was doing what he is preaching at this moment, that is to have rest and carry on next week =)

Edmund

Fear

2009-05-24T09:21:00.002+08:00

After yesterday's sermon, I felt a feeling of relief. I felt God knew what was going through my heart at that point. It was fear. Fear that I cannot do well for the upcoming results release, fear of losing this family because of my need to escape the hurt. God really showed me that he will be with me through this time. I felt very relieved because I was quite scared that God will sabo me.

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

This verse has changed my heart towards this fear. I know God will deliver me through the results and the flak that comes after it.

On a side note, I researched a bit and found that "fear" appears 326 times in the Bible and God has said "do not fear" 18 times, the word "afraid" appears 206 times and the words "do not be afraid" appears 65 times. Fear is normal but God has said 83 times that we should not be afraid for he is with us and he will protect us from what we fear.

I'll end this post with the lyrics from "Fear" by Casting Crowns.

Oh,what I would do
To have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win,
you'll never win."

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armour
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the stone was just the right size
to take the giant down
And the waves don't seem so high
when I'm standing on top of them looking down
And I'd soar with the wings of eagles
if I could just ignore the sound
Of the waves and the giants,
the waves and the giants in my mind

Lord, you've not given me a spirit of fear
But of power and of love,
and of a sound mind
So from now on,
I won't let the tempter's lies
turn my eyes away from the prize

That you have set before me.

That you have set before me.

WWJD

2009-05-18T23:27:00.002+08:00

As I was reflecting on a joke I heard on youtube, I realised something very interesting.In Matthew 9:12-13, Jesus said he came for sinners. He used the analogy of the sick needing a doctor. It struck me that Jesus came to this world to heal. Physical, spiritual, psychological and emotional healing.

To heal the festering wound called sin, Jesus died a death of a sinner despite without sin. The sacrificial lamb, the ultimate guilt/sin offering.

Jesus came down not to start a revolution but to heal. He healed the madman and cast out demons. This was psychological healing. Madness has many forms. In the days of Jesus, the mad were said to be possessed by demons thus Jesus' ability to cast out demons is psychological healing. This in itself is miraculous because most people do not ever recover for mental disorders. It consumes them much like how sin consumes us. Jesus was able to heal the madman completely by cast out the demons to the herd of pigs is purely amazing.

I feel if we ever as ourselves what would Jesus do, I feel we should ask ourselves this follow up question: What would be the best way to heal this person or situation?

If we are tempted to cheat in exam, we know it is wrong. WWJD? How can we heal this situation? It would be not to cheat. How is this healing? In a way, it is healing to the soul of the invigilator. Jesus did things to heal the rift between Man and God. It is up to us to do the same. Only by understanding why Jesus came down, can we make good decisions to help the kingdom and help the people, whether lost or saved.

INC

Reflections

2009-05-18T21:28:00.002+08:00

Today I went back to school to train but God had better plans for me.

It turned out there was no training today so I decided to use the time to take time to seek God while swimming. To reflect on how things have been with God and with people.

I realised that I am not as nua as my baptism name describes. I have passion. Passion to succeed in swimming, passion for soccer and passion for growth. I can be very nua when it comes to studies and God mainly because of lack of progress. After reading Wen Jiang's blog entry on the Uni-Ya blog. I realised that I can turn my passion for worldly things towards passion for Godly things. I can achieve more for God and grow my love for things holy and good. I can be quite nua about QT, saying grace and other things of God but as Timothy said during the Managing Your Life with Christ workship, habits take time to form. I will hold myself accountable to spend Q^2T (Quality Quiet Time) with God and to seek him.

I also redid my spiritual giftings test. I see a need to grow in Faith, Music, Evangelism and Prayer as well as maintain my strengths in Hospitality, Service and Giving. There is so much I can grow. I was talking to God about this and I felt him saying that even though I am very strong in Hospitality, I am very far from pulling my weight for the harvest season.

My time in the water gave me time to think though my life and revive much of my belief. Swimming to me is quite like a walk with God. Various people get in your way, the air you need to survive sometimes slows your progress and God is the lifeguard ready to drag you out of the world (water) when you are struggling to survive.

Let us continue to trust in God and swim to our final objective.

Ian Noah Chan (INC)

2009-05-05T09:21:00.000+08:00

HI ALL~!!!

As we all know, restructuring and farewell is happening so so soon... In less than a week's time... And unknowingly, this blog has been around for about 3 months plus!

I hope this blog has really blessed us all in one way or another, be it sharing of lives, testimonies, perspectives or even further teaching of the sermons from one another.

On the other hand, please do take note that our own cg farewell aka celebration for after exams will be on Friday Evening and its gonna be a stayover! Exact details will be up soon! (I hope! =X) haha...

In the meanwhile, for those still having exams, JIAYOU!! And for those who have finished exams (including me), let's continue to pray for those having exams! =)

OH OH And I'll be asking you guys for some things, some help this week wor.. haha.. be prepared to hear something from me... but will definitely ask you all after exams... everyone should hear quite different things so you guys better not tell one another OK... until FRIDAY itself! =P

Michelle

Exam,Prayer & Fasting

2009-05-01T00:06:00.004+08:00

Some pics...

We ain't just mugging, we're living out the WOG.

Hebrews 10:25
²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Edmund

Sacred Pathways

2009-04-24T23:45:00.002+08:00

yo peeps. Just wanna share my top 3 pathways.

1st Contemplative
2nd Enthusiast
3rd Care-Giver

Post yours soon!

Edmund

A short testimony

2009-04-20T01:36:00.003+08:00

Hey:)
Kinda late, but i would just like to share this short testimony on how I found my notes! LOL.

But before that, as we're approaching the examination period, let's keep one another in prayer. So if we do have any prayer points, blog about it, use our prayer wall (even though sometimes i think it eats up prayer points-- is this true? it ate up mine once.) as well as our tag board. Let's support each other through this period:) Jia you everyone!

My testimony:

My HR project group mate and i were discussing on past year paper and a friend did an elaborated essay outline and we all went to photocopy. So as i was tidying up my notes just now, i remember seeing it and placed it on my table.

Then i went on to pack my table- to replace my desktop keyboard to where it should be (since my lap top keyboard is faulty) and then took another reading of mine out of my room to staple. When I returned to my room, and I filed my reading, then as I was flipping my file, I realised that the essay outlines were missing!!

I searched my table. Searched the whole file. On my bed. Below the table. Nothing. And I was, how could my paper just dissappear? God?! What's this? God, I pray that i can find the essay outline! I continued to search for a while and then concluded that the paper really mysteriously disappeared which was impossible to me. I was, God, if you really want to make something dissappear you can la, but why? And i also knew that I was making a big deal out of it since I could always ask any of my group mates to scan it for me. But I was just trying to imagine the embarrassment that I need to tell them, eh it mysteriously dissappeared..

It was on my mind to post a blog entry for us to post our prayer requests and I was, good, the first thing you guys can pray for me is for me to find my essay outlines! And as I was opening a new internet explorer window, I realised I needed my desktop keyboard and I went out of my room to get it and as I was approaching my desktop, I saw some paper on the chair. In my mind it went, could it be? It must be la. The essay outlines must have been caught under the keyboard when i was returning it to its original position. And it was:) So I want to thank god for helping me find my essay outline. And the spirit of being whiny and complaining- god, where is my paper. How come it mysteriously dissappeared changed to one that is of joy and happiness of finding something that you wanted badly. And I wanted to share it with you guys!

And this situation reminded me of the parable of the Lost sheep, Lost Coin and the Lost Son.
In Luke 15..

5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'

9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'

so in crystal's version it would be "rejoice with me; I have found my essay outlines:)" I think this verse/parable no longer remains as head knowledge, but has changed to heart knowledge as well.

But I do want to experience these verses to greater extent as written in

V10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Just last week, during easter we've experienced this joy. And I hope and pray that we can get to experience and taste more of this rejoicing in our midst!

Yep:) So let's post our prayer requests for exam/non-exam matters!

Crystal

Footprints

2009-04-18T01:05:00.004+08:00

Thank you Michelle for playing the guitar.
Thank you Xinyi and Crystal for leading us in a ministering session of PWing to God. Good job Xinyi for your first time leading :)
Thank you MC and Ian for buying dinner together for the rest of us.
Thank you SL for facilitating the entire session of recalling and remembering our testimonies with God.

Edmund

Thanksgiving

2009-04-08T00:11:00.002+08:00

"I will boast in the Lord my God, I will boast in the One who's worthy"

I think it has been a busy few weeks for most of us as the semester comes to a close. For me, it was a long, hectic few weeks which started from the planning for networking session.

Taking up the responsibility of hosting was a big thing for me. As I've said before, and I say again, I'm not the kind who is naturally outgoing. Hosting requires me to come out from my comfort zone, and the additional stress of being the freshmen's first point of contact affected me. The whole week was summed up by nightly discussions with crystal over the script, whether it be face-to-face or over the phone. Rehearsal went rather badly, adding to the stress level, but when it finally occurred to me that what I was focusing on was completely wrong, things changed. I'm not charismatic, not engaging, not loud, not eloquent, not dynamic, and it was never about me being all these things.

2 Cor 12:9-10 "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."

I learnt a little more about what a life that is submitted to Him is about.. its in the "small-ness", weakness and brokenness of me that His "big-ness" really comes out. To Him be the glory.

One challenge over, the major one came along.. which is my design 2 project. Well, I had the idea that the whole of last week I'll be "hibernating" in either E5 or E2 com labs to do the project, of which the report was due yesterday (Monday). To me a week was the realistic time that I need to finish it on time. It turned out that this "realistic time" was challenged.. by guitaring for service last Sat, my 1-week-overdue-polymer-presentation, planning for cg meet, induction dinner with youth transfer group.. the song Friends in high places really summarised my week, with the lyrics "I was going down, but Someone rescued me" and "now in faith I believe, I've got everything I need" particularly meaningful. It all added up when I touched on the topic of living out our faith in CG.. seeing that God is leading in all situations, choosing to keep close to Him, consecrating ourselves and obeying what He wants us to do. My project deadline, together with all the things I had to do, were not totally, fully dependent on me. Yes I gotta put in my part, at the same time I recognised that my competence comes from God (2 Cor 3:4-5), and He is with me.

Some highlights in this process last week:
- A God-enabled presentation in the LT for my polymer module on Wed.. experienced the empowerment and confidence that comes when we set ourselves to honor Him in what we do.
- Productive stayover in E5 com lab on Sat late night. It started with 7 people, and gradually trickled down to just myself in the room at around 3am. Tiredness set in, but after a short prayer I got more and more awake.. wide awake and refreshed at around 5am, took bus home at 6am to sleep and recharge.
- Slept at 3am every night for the whole week.. physically, it took its toll on me, red eyes and all.

One thing I really feel and want to say after the past week is that, even though it was punishing, God was carrying me through. Reminded of the "Footprints" story.. its easy to complain about what I went through, say why this so tough, why that so siong.. but for this past week, God really carried me through. I'm amazed by how I din fall sick from all the lack of sleep and sometimes even food.. amazed at how certain things in other people's life moved even when I'm too weak to do much.. amazed by how I haven gone mad or mel after all the mental strain. It is Him, Him who carried me through. =)

Thank God that even when we struggle, we struggle with all His energy, which works powerfully in us. Col 1:29. Jiayou with all that we are going to do for the weeks ahead!

Carry Me
Hillsong
You lead me in to Your courts
Surround me with Your love
I walk with You
I do not fear

In this place
Dreams are made
In this place
Where You are

Carry me here
In Your arms of love
Draw me close to You
I want to be where You are

You carry me, You are my strength
I've learnt to trust in You
And once again
I'm reaching out

SL

The Roman Road

2009-04-07T10:17:00.003+08:00

Very long no update le ar.... Anyway, i got something interesting to share.
The cross of righteousness, yup the title of sermon last week brings us back to the basics of our belief. I felt it was a good message not because it was pretty 'chop chop curry pok' but most importantly, it brings the focus to God as the giver of righteousness.

It may seem pretty unfair, when a good man who is not a Christ follower,who does lots of good deeds and a Christ follower who does not do as much both die, the good man does not enter paradise but the Christ follower does. But who are we to say that its unfair to the God of all the Heavens and the Earth, who is the ultimate judge?

God is very clear when it comes to our salvation as written in Acts 4:12 "¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

So now to the interesting stuff. Its called the Roman Road! Its good to share with our friends who have yet to accept Jesus as their lord. You gotta follow the sequence ok! Here goes:

1.Romans 3:10 - 12
¹⁰As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
¹²All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."

2.Romans 3:23
²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3.Romans 5:12
¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned

4.Romans 6:23
²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5.Romans 5:8
⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

6.Romans 10:9-10
⁹That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

7.Romans 10:13
¹³for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Edmund

2009-03-30T09:52:00.004+08:00

Good Morning!!

I was thinking, shall we have a theme for every 2 weeks? From the theme, we can all blog about our views, perspectives, and thoughts about it. It can be anything! As long as there's link to the theme of cos. =)

But then again, if you would like to blog about other things, still, go ahead with it! No problem about it.

Anyone has any theme to suggest for this and next week? =)

Michelle

Things that can be found in my wallet 2

2009-03-27T10:37:00.003+08:00

Lamentations 3:21-23
This I recall to my mind,
therefore I have hope.

It is of the Lord's mercies
that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning
Great is thy faithfulness.

This is card that was given to me when Ming Han and I went to buy Matthew's birthday present. From a Christian bookshop at Queensway Shopping Centre.

Once in a while, it serves as a great way to encourage myself when ever I open my wallet for whatever reason. Be it paying for food, or the ezlink card is undetectable, or perhaps even taking out my matric card for exams to put at the top right hand corner of the table.

2009-03-25T13:47:00.005+08:00

I have something to add on to the list:
If you want to be patient.. look..eh can't look. but For some if you want to be patient, try video editing. For me, it's using Plant Information system to extract data into Excel.
Excel hung on me countless of time yesterday. But thank god, today i came prepared to be more patient, to let it slowly load. Whenever i press F9 for it to manually calculate my data. or whenever I save. I look to do other things.. such as blogging, going to the toilet, going to the pantry etc. haha. I think it just hung on me again :(
But i still thank god that at least this morning i made some progress. It was much better than yesterday when i didn't manage to get any data at all! Spent half my time waiting, spent the next half activating my task manager to end task.
I managed to extract one year's worth of data for one drug, now i'm doing it for the other.
Ya, done for 1 more quarter. Left the first half of last year.
But just wanted to share some of the verses that I came to office to remind myself while using this programme..

1Thess 5:18
NIV: Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
MSG: Thank God NO MATTER what happens.This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live

as well as

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.

and

Col 3:12- Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion , kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Yep, so i'm learning how to give thanks when excel hangs on me. I'm learning to be patient to wait for it to slowly load and calculate my data.
If any one of you have more verses to remind me to give thanks/be patient please write it on a post it note for me ok? I'll stick it on my table. which now has all the above mentioned verses. :)

Crystal

Things that can be found in my wallet

2009-03-24T10:49:00.004+08:00

Something that can be found in my wallet, how about you?

If you want to be... defeated, Look... Back

If you want to be... distressed, Look... Within

If you want to be... dismayed, Look... Ahead

If you want to be... distracted, Look... Around

If you want to be... delivered, Look... Up

Edmund

Please Pray

2009-03-19T23:17:00.003+08:00

Please help to Pray.

My friend, Joel Seah, his mum suffered a stroke at Hong Kong and is currently in coma right now. You can refer to this link: http://jenniferleehk.blogspot.com/ to find out more...

I hope all of us can pray for the family. Joel is actually a fellow brother in Christ. So do pray that he will depend on God during this difficult time, and that he will not fall emotionally, mentally, physically, and most important of all, spiritually. Pray that he will be able to make sense of what's happening as well. Cos his life has been... pretty difficult for him, I would say.

Pray for financial help as well. His mum is currently staying in ICU, which cost S$2500 each night. So pray for financial help. Trust that God is Jehovah Jireh and He will provide, somehow. Pray also that they(the rest of the family) can even find a cheaper place to stay, while in convenience (near the hospital) to look after his mum, Jennifer.

Lastly, pray that Jennifer's condition will get better, her blood pressure to stabilise and the blood clot to disperse somehow. Pray that God will work, and she will get better.

Loves,

Michelle

2009-03-18T14:24:00.003+08:00

Whoooo! Haven't stepped out of Singapore for 15 years, but now I'm going to HONG KONG! =D

-john

my buddy buddy LIN XINYI

2009-03-17T23:47:00.006+08:00

To my buddy buddy XINYI...

I remember the first time I met her, she was sitting beside Jasmine Loh who was my UL back in JC times.. Just last year, christmas service, I met her. She was sitting quietly, looking so shy when she shook our hands after introduction of each other. Well, not to mention that the introduction was a LOUD one by JLOH =x Haha!

I didn't expect myself to meet her again for the second time. I didn't ask myself to remember her face even. But somehow, I remember. If S11 is still open, I can even tell you where she was sitting with JLoh. I'm serious.

6-7 mths later...

The first time our transition cg met the unit, at cuppage upstairs if you don't remember, I was staring at her and swee leong, and they were sitting beside each other if I'm not wrong. Haha. You must be asking why. Cos I'm wondering why Swee Leong is like... SO TALL. LOL. and Xinyi.. cos she looked familiar of cos! So I began to slowly find out more... hahaha...

And somehow, I forgot how, I realized that she's JLoh's friend and I confirmed her being the one I vividly remember! On the way to Kukup trip with my ex-unit, I had a not-so-long-but-probably-the-longest-thus-far chat with JLoh. Talked about how amazing this girl, Xinyi came to know Christ. How amazing God simply asked JLoh to send a message to this girl whom she isn't even really really close to. Simple obedience led to this wonderful buddy of mine coming to know Christ!

(ok that was a loooonnggg introduction)

And NOW, this young but strong woman of God amazes me now and then. And she's also my motivation to grow in the Lord. hee!

Its always amazing how we can relate to one another. How God send this girl to accompany me back home after late late CGs, how God send this girl so that we can go to school or services together, how God send this girl and made us experience similar issues to encourage and look after one another, how God allows certain things to happen for us to discuss... and we did discuss weird issues, worldly issues and even PHYSICS.. yet, can still link to God. haha! Even sleeping can also link to God.

All in all, I just wanna thank God for this sister, my buddy buddy. =)

She never fails to cheer me up!

So Xinyi, during this time of matriculation, exams and all, though it may be busy or things may get tough for you, know that God is there for you ok! And I'll be right here cheering for you! =))) As the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Let's grow to be the TOUGH ones together! hee. but still remain gentle, and sweet and cute like I already am now. =P

MUCH MUCH LOVES,

thamtham

our nerdy nerdy xinyi haha!

and the resident evil xinyi lol!

2009-03-13T13:17:00.002+08:00

Got an sms from Doreen, one of my chem engin frens now on attachment:

"The road to success is not straight...
There is a curve called failure...
A loop called confusion...
Speed bumps called bad friends...
Red lights called enemies...
Caution lights called family...
You will have flat tyres called jobs...

But, if you have a spare wheel called determination...
An engine called perserverance...
Insurance called faith...
and a driver called GOD...
You will make it to a place called SUCCESS"

Amen =)

-john

Quiet Time

2009-03-10T00:25:00.005+08:00

Hey all just wanna share with you my QT experience on Sunday. Been a long week for me and many of us. Sunday was indeed a well deserved rest day and i took things at a slower pace. Spent some time with my brother Edwin cos he came back only on Sunday morning. We had lunch at Pizza Hut and got to understand what in the world is he actually doing in camp. Life's pretty aimless now for him but i do hope that we can play a part in helping him recognize purpose in life.

So i was reading Jeremiah 11:18-20 for my connect journal. Its the Jeremiah / Lamentations one. Crystal bought it for me since last year around Oct bah?

¹⁸ Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. ¹⁹ I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,
"Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more."

²⁰ But, O LORD Almighty, you who judge righteously
and test the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.

Below is a little extract from a sermon(i think) about this passage too, it says:

Prophet Jeremiah lived in a time and place where the forces of the evil one were all
around him. Even though God had delivered His people, bringing the ancestors out of bondage and
slavery, the succeeding generations departed from listening to the LORD and even plotted to kill him.
Though this was a struggle and Jeremiah had to endure suffering, insult, hardship, lies and pain of
body, soul and spirit, still he trusted in God and prayed, "Oh, Lord of Hosts, Who judges justly, and
Who examines the heart and the mind, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I commit my
cause."

What's ahead for you? God knows.
If it is physical pain, fear not, God is not punishing you since
Christ took all your eternal pain of punishment upon Himself when He was crucified.

If it is betrayal, fear not, Jesus was betrayed and God is faithful to His unchanging promise of gracious
love.

If you must stand at the graveside of a loved one, fear not, Christ has defeated death.

If an arm or foot or leg is amputated, fear not, Jesus' Resurrection restores life and limb.

If Alzheimer's Disease awaits you with the insidious possibility that you may not even know who you are, fear not,
God has redeemed you. He has called you by name, you are His and He knows His own.

If you are lonely, fear not, the entire Holy Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit dwells within you. God will never
leave you nor forsake you. Remember the sure promise that Jesus is with you always, even to the
end of the age.

Even if martyrdom awaits you, fear not; that day you will be with Christ in Paradise.

If the weeping tears are bitter, fear not, Jesus turns such tears to ones of rejoicing.

If overwhelming guilt, fear not and recall the truth of God's Good News for you: namely, Christ has paid the price of
all your violations of God's Law and by the grace of God, you are forgiven of all your sins in the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Edmund

2009-03-02T22:27:00.002+08:00

wootz!

blessed day today.

prayed that it won't rain when i ride with edmund and it didn't.

thank God!

enjoyed the fellowship with edmund during the taiji session.

thank God!

just saw my name in the engin dean's list for last sem. third time already.

really amazed at the wonders God can do.

Praise God! (and thanks to crystal for this also!)

-john

2009-03-01T22:21:00.002+08:00

Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches." Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Luke 13:18-21

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:29

Jiayou brothers and sisters, in keeping the focus as we run the race!

SL

2009-02-26T15:28:00.001+08:00

Hi all...

How's everyone during this recess week? =)
It feels like I've not seen all of you for a long time... though its only been exactly a week for those who went for the run last thursday.. and other than Xinyi and Minchen whom I met on Monday for DimSum buffet...

I guess all of us are busy with our mid terms, term papers, and for some, DCLTP... wanna use this blog to say 加油 to all of you wor! As I'm cheering for all of us, I'm sure God wants to and is cheering even more for us too!

By the way, I've added a slide show of photos to our blog!
*clap clap clap!!*
If you have more photos that you wish to update onto the slideshow, do send me or simply go onto http://www.slide.com/ and sign in.
The login and password is as usual.

大家加油!!!
(but don't grow unhealthy unsaturated fats)

your very dearest and very cute caregroup-mate,
michelle=)

Footprints in the Sand

2009-02-19T00:39:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone.Crystal here:) How's life? work's starting to get busy for me. Anyway, wanted to share a song I heard over the radio on my way home..and personally it refreshed me to hear songs over the radio that might sound secular but the lyrics are actually pointing towards God:) I once heard there's no christian music but rather it's the lyrics that makes the music different.

The song is called Footprints in the sand and it's based on the story Footprints in the sand. I'm sure most of you would have heard it, but just in case you haven't, below its the story:

Footprints in the Sand!

Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Author Unknown

I managed to find a video on youtube.. not the official but one that has the song and lyrics. Enjoy:)

2009-02-15T00:46:00.003+08:00

B1爱 B2 & B3

C G

我看见你的CG

Am F

有种特别的感觉

C Am

让我不断想

F G

不敢再忘记你

C G

我记得有一群人

Am Em

永远留在我心中

F G C

我每天只想这样的想你

G Am

如果真的是明天

F Em

耶稣突然要回来

G Am F G

我会努力好好对你比以前多好一点

Em Am

不管路有多么远

F Em

一定会让它实现

G Am F G

我会大声在你耳边对你喊(对你喊)

[chorus]

C Am

我爱你爱着你

F Em

就像 B1爱B2

F Em

不管有多少风雨

F G

我都会依然陪着你

C Am

我想你想着你

F Em

不管有多么的苦

F Em

只要能让你开心

F G

我什么都愿意

这样爱你

Repeat Chorus – Change B2 to B3.

Thanks Michelle and Xinyi for editting the lyrics and printing the lyrics!

Thanks Crystal for being so creative and coming up with a short skit before the song.

Thanks Ian MC and SL for being so supportive in singing the song even though its pretty last minute.

Thank you Lord for giving me this opportunity to bless through playing the guitar and for the song idea that You dropped in my heart.

Oh yea those who took photos please upload k?

~Edmund~

Thoughts after Monday's swim

2009-02-11T19:08:00.003+08:00

Some interesting thoughts I had during my swim.

Sometimes our walk with God is like swimming butterfly, its tough, you are struggling to do the right things but in the end, you feel the sense of achievement.

I find my motivations and beliefs are strengthened when I swim. Helps me to focus my mind on God, on my life and what I want to achieve.

Iin the public pool, people get in the way, swim slow or just are selfish by blocking your way. Though it is very irritating, we must understand not everyone is as good or as selfless as us. The same can be said in our walk with God, we will meet with obstacles, slow pokes and people who are just selfish. We must see things from the point of those who are in our way. It will make us more loving and help them to improve.

Ian

Swimming is fun!!!!

Preparing Ourselves to be God's Best?

2009-02-10T23:48:00.002+08:00

Some questions on my mind after going through what was shared last Sat. For further thinking, understanding and sharing.

1. The 3Ms shared: Maker, Ministry, Mate. Some form of priority seem to be suggested... Does the order really matter? Does it benefit us to follow that order?
2. Perhaps I feel that my relationship with God is strong enough now, same for some of the people around me. Why then, do people choose not to enter BGR and decide to wait instead?
3. If I'm sure of who "the right one" that God has provided for me is, doesn't hesitating mean that I might lose her to someone else?
4. God said it is not good for Adam to be alone, and therefore created Eve. Is marriage, or courtship, the answer to loneliness in our lives?

Any takers?

~Gnoel Eews~

Instructions

2009-02-09T07:37:00.002+08:00

Good Morning!

This is an instructional post on how to update the Google Calendar to put it to good use. Feel free to edit it! Log in your Tests, Quizzes, Exams so that we can pray for you too =) Also, activities that we'll be doing together as a CG such as the doing of the threaded pencils for valentine's. I hope this Google Calendar is easy to use!

1. Click on Addition/Editing of Events just below the Google Calendar to get to the website.

2. Sign in with Email:nusb1@hotmail.com; Password: (you guys should know it, its the same. =) )

3. They will usually show you the timetable for the week. There are tabs on the top right hand corner of the Calendar to change to daily or monthly basis.

4. Tabs on the top left hand corner (the arrows) allow you to change from one day to another, similarly, one month to another if you're under the month tab.

5. Simple click on the box (of the particular time) and drag. This will form the timeframe of the event.

6. You can still edit the timeframe, by dragging the bottom of the frame again so no worries. Just make sure you start on the right box. Otherwise, you have to delete the event and do it again.

That should be all. =)

As for the post-its, its for prayers!
Do type in your prayers, even specific prayers. If its too long, then 'POST IT'! meaning, type in a post on the blog! =) and write a summarised prayer on the post-it. We all want to pray specifically to God so that we'll know its God! =)
Sometimes, the words on the post-its don't seem to appear.. probably takes a while to load or simply refresh the page.

Lastly, today is the last day of CNY!
I'm going to eat my TANG YUANs after this. haha. And count my ang bao money tonight! =x

Enjoy this day that God has blessed us with! =)))
See you guys in school!

Your-very-cute-caregroup-member,
ah tham!
(just for laughs haha)

Thanksgiving

2009-02-04T21:27:00.002+08:00

Psalm 59:16 "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."

Thank God for His strength and His love... last night on my way home on the bus I was feeling really tired and was practically dozing off, head tilting precariously close to the window (thank God din bang against it else it'll be *thud*). I didn't have much sleep for the two nights prior to that, due to the mosquito invasion that has been taking place for the past 2-3 weeks. Anyway, near the end of my bus ride it just occurred to me to pray, for strength, while at the same time I randomly turned to some "classic" songs that I had in my phone. First it was "Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay, then "When God Ran", followed by "I can only imagine" by Mercy Me, and lastly "I will follow Christ" by Clay Crosse. I found myself being lifted by God as I listened closely to the lyrics of each song... God strengthened me, through a combination of being reminded of who i am, who He is and what my purpose is. =D

And finally when I reached home, I saw the verse above being put up as the verse of the day on biblegateway. =DD Naturally, I woke up this morning singing about His love for me, haha.

I think about affirmations and encouragement, how we do these on a personal basis usually, and publicly they happen during times like birthday celebrations, appreciation days etc. Do we need encouragement? YES! Should they be limited to certain occasions? NO! In fact God tells us to encourage one another daily (Heb 3:13). Therefore I'm gonna use the blog as an avenue to do so. =)

Thanks Crystal and Ian for staying back to wait for me for supper on Monday. Though supper did not materialise, glad to know that the 2 of u are willing to stay late to spend time, despite having work the next day. More opportunities ahead!

Thanks Crystal for the sharing of ur perspective towards various things on Monday late night. I'm refreshed by ur insights, hope to be able to put them to good use.

Thanks Michelle for ur teachability and willingness to listen and obey. It really takes 2 hands to clap, so as much as I want to share, it also takes a teachable heart to receive. Keep this spirit, or rather, grow it, it'll serve u well in ur walk!

Thanks Edmund for stepping out of ur comfort zones, it's encouraging to see u doing so to progress the kingdom of God. Continue to seek Him and obey the things He wants u to do, and ur efforts wont be in vain. Thanks for the time today too, I enjoyed it. =)

Let's continue to spur one another on with love and good deeds, to be the tree with branches that the birds of the air can perch in!

SL

Sermon on 31st Jan

2009-02-04T06:32:00.002+08:00

I was thinking of how I can contribute to this blog.. thus started flipping my sermon/QT notebook and reflected quite a bit. Sorry if my post's a little messy. Haha..
So here goes... =)

Title: Leadership Series - The Experience of a Credible Leader
Passage: 2 Cor 1:8-11

1. They can be profound (v8-9a)

There is one thing which Wen Jiang mentioned, which I have actually had a mini discussion with Calyn about this before, the first time just the 2 of us met for lunch together. Though this is not so much of a link to the point itself...

Wen Jiang said this:
No one needs to appoint us as a leader. We will go and do the right things, without titles, motivations and pushing.

I used to think that I'm always 'not good enough', 'not old enough', 'not as spiritual as others'. In fact, now I think I still do at quite a few occasions. I always think that its not appropriate for me to prophesize at unit level and above during worship even if God spoke to me about the group. I always think that I'm not 'proper' enough to rebuke and correct someone else, be it spiritually more mature or younger than me. I always think that I need to be someone of influence before I can influence others. I used to think that we need to be leaders first before we can serve even more. In other words, I can be very insecure about where I am, compared to others. But if we see where God wants to bring us to, its a totally different issue.

Big or small things, we can glorify God. Its easier said than done of cos. But we can make an effort, for God.

Leaders who have been raised as leaders were already doing things that are worthy of being raised as a leader, and that's why God appointed them as leaders. We can all, too, make an effort, and do all things like that of leaders, who follow after Christ, before we are even annointed as Leaders. or rather, God's Workers.

But keep check, we're not working towards being LEADERS, but working towards being a Man/Woman of God, willing to be sent to do God's work, through us. Like what Jie Hui wrote in his blog, doing things FOR GOD through us, instead of doing things for God THROUGH US.

Michelle

2009-02-03T23:11:00.003+08:00

hey:) crystal posting :P
Everyday, i've been checking our blog to see if there's any updates and the latest post will always be swee leong's. And it got me thinking about what is this blog about. what purpose is it suppose to serve as. When we first had the idea of coming up with the blog, we did mention about sharing lives, sermon discussion and.. i don't remember le.. I think all of us can take some time to think through and post it:)

In my opinion this blog is one where

we share our lives (what in your opinion does it mean by sharing lives?) -- For me, its what's happening in our lives lately to keep one another updated. especially for me since i only get to see you guys twice a week during service and cg and its impossible to hear personally from all how you've been. Testimonies:) Anything random etc.
The insights we have from god- through our quiet time, what we learnt from sermon/teachings received etc etc.

So do hope to hear from you guys :)

As for life.. haha.. this is my 2nd day back at work after a week's break and I'm craving for my break! haha. Another intern and I just realised that our next break will be Good Friday. So unless my company gives us more off which I doubt they will, my next break will only be Good Friday.

I thank god for this opportunity for doing my industrial attachment to give me a taste of working life. It's really not easy juggling work,family, friends and ministry. And I don't have to bring work home and i'm already experiencing the lack of time. So imagine what it'd be like for our leaders who have to bring work home to do. prepare teachings.meet people. etc.

I was whining to god about how i'm lacking the time to do what i need to do - prepare for shepherings, spending time with god, doing reflection( i'm currently reading He chose the nails by max lucado and it has a study guide with questions..been wanting to answer them /pen them down but haven't been able to) read my HR reading, having more sleep etc etc.. and it dawned on me that only at times like this that I learn to depend on god on what I need to accomplish and when I do, I'd know its done by god's grace and it was made possible because god intervened. Jehovah Jireh- the lord our provider.

So even as school gets busier for all of you guys (for me as well) , projects assign mid terms, do remember its these times of stress that we should depend more on god and commit our 'to do' lists into god's hands.

Hope to hear from you guys soon!

Crystal.

All the way my Saviour leads me

2009-01-30T00:21:00.004+08:00

Listening to this song by Chris Tomlin, "All the way my Saviour leads me" as I prepare some teachings, think about stuff and type this post. Was reading through some resources and found this lil part which I feel is important but is often times forgotten once we get into an "auto-pilot" mode.

Developing a strong relationship with God through spiritual habits (GOD'S AIM)
G: Gathering for fellowship - Through fellowship, we share lives and this is
important for building up each other’s faith in God.
O: Outreach - It is God’s desire to reach out to people who do not know Him, and
we are His servants whom He has sent out to carry out this responsibility.
D: Devotions with God - This is where we spend time with God in His word and
allow it to speak to us personally.
S: Stewardship - This spiritual discipline teaches us to acknowledge that God is
the provider of all good things and that we need to honour Him by giving Him
what rightfully belongs to Him.
A: Abstinence - Abstaining from something helps us to increase our appetite for
God.
I: Intercession - It is important to present our prayer needs to God, and especially
to pray for others.
M: Ministering to God - This means developing a life of worship, recognising
God’s worth in all that we do.

What are some of the habits that are already very much part of our lives? How about those that are lacking? Hope this helps us as a personal checklist to see what are the areas we can look out for in our inner life. =)

This thing came to life suddenly as I was just thinking through our need for God to lead us in all the things we do... for me, its my first job, matriculation, caregroup plans, working with project mates etc. Decisions to make, words to say, things to do... much more to come when I step into the working world. I definitely do not want to be a builder who labours in vain, or a watchman who watches over the city in vain. I would want God to lead, reach out His hand as an invitation for me to partner with Him, and there I respond to Him, with a smile. And to me, this highlights the importance of a stronger relationship with Him... something that should never reach a point where we think is "strong enough".

I want grow in this relationship with Him. What about you?

SL

2009-01-26T18:06:00.002+08:00

Yeah! Min finally gets to post!
Was thinking off how to get into this place...found it on youtube...
I admit i still use youtube...but who needs youtube on CNY? haha...

Nvm... erh...ha... it's my first time posting a blogpost...Nervous...
Thinking what's there to write...
But I think I just want to support this movement to set up a CG blog n learn to use this method to communicate... arh... Usually i just write n cancel, write n cance, write n cancel n on...
Guess it can be a means to sharpen my thoughts n writing... Maybe can train me to be more confident to expose some thoughts.

Anyway, 除夕初一，敏又吃又睡, 又是看电视。有点想吐了。And she set her NY resolutions le... Learning to add action plans to it... Argh! Gotta get kicking le... can no more be a 死鱼 le。

N potato crystal! feel like using the word 'taupok'... tt's dangerous...

Min!

Over-Night

2009-01-26T01:22:00.010+08:00

Best shot!

The need to take a photo overcomes the desire to sleep...

She wants her mutton cut into smaller pieces.

She wants two servings of mutton.

She is sad cos no mutton.

She sure loves mutton.

She doesnt seem to like mutton.

Happy Lunar New Year NUSB1!hey some photos had creep up while u are asleep... Taken with a Cyber-shot K810i Sony Ericsson. Might wanna consider getting that model for those whose phone keep hanging or got their pay or like to camwhore. Hur hur the quality of the pictures speak for itself...

Mieow

Edmund

2009-01-25T14:00:00.003+08:00

"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."
Quote by: Steven Weinberg

A quote I took off my Jon David's blog. Was planning to rebutt it on his comments page but was too lazy.

Anyway, I will just rebutt it here then copy the whole thing on his comments page. :P

Firstly, by saying that religion is an insult to human dignity, this arrogant atheist ( I assume he is atheist since agnostics are not so intellectually suicidal to make such a deterministic statement) is saying that religion makes people do disgraceful or degrading things. Most widely accepted religions usually preach loving others, giving to charity and believing in a higher order. I would think it is more disgraceful and degrading to your own dignity if you do not love others and give to charity.

Secondly, in saying that religion is the only thing that can make a good person do a bad thing is being simplistic. Anything that you feel strongly about whether it be God, Science, studies, food, sports, etc. will make you do things you would otherwise not do. Most of the things we do for what we believe in are acceptable in the world but some things we do are not. Lets take it from the point of studies. You want good grades and you know everything is marked on the curve. You would do a bad thing to get an advantage over your peers. It could be as innocuous like not sharing you notes or not studying with fellow students. It also as malicious as cheating or stealing people's notes just before the exams. These people could be good people normally, nice guys, loving boy/girlfriends, etc, but when it comes to studies, they turn into bad people.

The irony of his statement is that religion is also one of the rare few things that can make bad people do good things and turn into good people afterwards. What is preached by many religions is aimed at the bad people not the good ones. Jesus came to Earth to save the Lost not to chill with the Righteous. His statement was probably made in response to all the suicide bombings and religious violence in the world. A more careful analysis of the religious texts of Christianity and other widespread religions would say that these 'good' people doing bad things are actually bad people. Nothing is more 'bad' than abusing the name of your God to fulfill your own selfish aims or justify your actions. We as children of God know this all too well.

I came across such an example recently. This person (let this person be A_ has had a bad experience in church owing to the abuse of Jesus' name. A's mentor used physical and mental abuse to get information from A. When A refused, the mentor said that he/she had the authority from Jesus to know. After the revelation of the information, A's cell group used 'Jesus' authority to control A's life. Needless to say, A no longer follows God and hates Jesus to the extent A sees all bad things as from Jesus to destroy A's life.

We know as followers of Christ that such actions are unbiblical but from the perspective of a rabid atheist this is an example of good people doing bad things.

On a less serious note: I got ten vouchers to go watch movies at GV. They expire on 31st Oct. We can use these for any purpose. :)

Ian

Crystal's Announcement

2009-01-24T22:38:00.002+08:00

Happy birthday Ian!
Hm.. no xin yi re bao or lian hua wan bao.. only crystal's announcement..
Anyway, haha.. to those who went for the night cycling.. had enough rest already? i slept from 1pm to 7pm!
Okay, announcements right.. i've got 2..

1) POTATO me! My work place is giving me off next week.. so wed-fri don't be surprised if you see me at HQ.. Please potato me! or let me potato you! Breakfast.Lunch. or Tea. Thursday and friday slots are booked already though. :P But just inform me when you'd be free:)

2) I got my FIRST PAY! :) So dinner next sat MY TREAT! go think of a place you guys want to eat for dinner ok? And i know you guys love me, so we'll just go Le Meridian:P muahaha. kidding. I'm fine with any place just as long as we have good food and a good time there together catching up!

So what'd u guys be doing for the next few days over CNY? I finally can sleep in! :) But i do need to get started on my industrial attachment report though. Done 1/3 of it.. then there's my HR readings to catch up on as well. And lots of reflection to do from all the teachings received. Been putting them aside.

Working life is really different from studying. On one hand there's no need to think about homework, exams etc. But you lack the time. During the school term there's still breaks in between, if you want to meet a friend, go out shopping/for a movie there wouldn't be a problem.. but now that i'm working, evenings are precious! ha.

Opening

2009-01-21T01:30:00.002+08:00

I'm first to post! (Our dear blog administrator Michelle not counted :P But still, thank God for u!) It's been a few weeks since the idea of having a caregroup blog was conceived, and I'm glad that it's finally up. Like what u all mentioned, let's make this a channel with which we can share lil snippets of what we're going through with God with one another, through it encourage one another in our walk with Him.

I'm thankful to God for the whole of last week, and the start of this week... one reason being that God is answering my prayer to be challenged... physically i'm kinda stretched (tired, not becoming taller), mentally there are also lots of things to think about, with new perspectives coming in to familiar circumstances. Anyway, through these I do learn to rely on Him much more and see a strong need to hear from Him, the Shepherd who desires to lead us. Second reason is to see God speaking to many of us with regards to specific areas in our lives, thru subD, prayer meet, service etc.. as sheep many a times we do not know how we are doing in our lives, so when we actually hear from the Shepherd, it just means a clearer direction to work towards! Praise Him! Encourage all of us to have this heart of wanting to obey Him and work at these areas that were illuminated in a deliberate manner, just like the man in James 1:25...

"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."

SL

WELCOME

2009-01-18T23:01:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Let's clap our hands and warmly welcome our caregroup blog!!!

Please do remember the username, password and address. I will be mailing you guys soon with regards to them!

Meanwhile, this blog is still under construction so please do be patient for more (interesting) things coming up! Any suggestions as to what to put up on the blog, do let me know too! =)

Michelle