New Generation

Whatever the cost we will split the bill

2011-07-27T17:52:00.016+08:00

Below is what I shared during two Sunday services on 17 July 2011. I pray that all of my brothers and sisters in AG1 of Hope Singapore will do their part in our current family project known as "Chairs-for-Souls". :)
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17 July 2011

Last week I was in Sydney with some others to attend a conference. We registered for the conference last year and it was meant to be a learning trip cum a bonding time.

The day after the conference was over we were on a sightseeing day trip and we rented two cars in the process.

The sightseeing trip was smooth going until our two cars decided to bump into each other. It was a minor accident. One car was perfectly okay while the other car was a little damaged. This was an unfortunate incident that would cost us money. We are still waiting to know how much it would cost us. And some of us would know that labour is very expensive in Australia.

But something encouraging emerged from this incident. We didn’t really point finger on whose fault it was. Almost immediately after the accident happened somebody suggested that whatever the cost was we would split the bill. And everyone accepted the proposal without objecting.

I thought this is a wonderful display of a family spirit. We don’t point finger but we share the load. “Whatever the cost we will split the bill”

You may wonder about the relevance of this story.

We have a family project at hand called Chairs for Souls. Our family project is to raise enough money for 10,000 chairs. Praise God that we have managed to raise enough money for around 4200 chairs - just around 5800 more chairs to go.

I thought it would be wonderful if as a church family we would complete this family project with a great display of family spirit. We will not point finger but we will share the load. “Whatever the cost we will split the bill”

As I look back into the car incident I realise that it wouldn’t be the same if some of us chose to reject the proposal. “Split the bill? No, no, it’s not my fault.” “Split the bill? Well, let’s see how much it costs first.” I realise that it wouldn’t the same even if only one person chose not to participate. It’s not about the money. It’s about the family spirit.

Similarly, Chairs for Souls is our family project. It wouldn’t be the same even if only one of us chooses not to participate. It is not about the money. It is about each family member playing their part even if it is about a contribution of 10 cents.

It’s not about the money. It’s about the family spirit. It’s about sharing the load and doing life together as a church family.
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Note: I did some minor editing on the original script. The above is the edited version.

My Reflection on Romans

2011-03-24T17:00:00.002+08:00

I have always been fascinated by the book of Romans. Thus it was with great eagerness that I signed up for the course. As the end of the course is just two days away I know that I have gained some valuable insights from the various modes of learning the class has presented. At the same time I wish I had more time to review the materials and to study them more carefully.

Nevertheless, there are at least five insights I have gleaned through my journey of doing the course.

Firstly, it is important for Christians to understand the importance of spiritual Israel in the sight of God.

Many Christians are passionate about blessing the physical Israel believing that Israel is God’s chosen people and that by blessing Israel they will in turn be blessed claiming God’s promise to Abraham. Interestingly, sometimes not many Christians are as passionate in blessing the church which is the spiritual Israel. They attend church to consume. When they don’t like certain things in a particular church they will happily criticise and then leave to another church. It is important that Christians understand the importance of church in the sight of God. God’s promise to Abraham is applicable to the church today as Christians are Abraham’s spiritual descendants. Those who bless the church will be blessed while those who choose to persecute the church will receive judgment.

This understanding is not a new understanding for me. But this is a good reminder for me as I continue to serve God in a full time capacity. God has given me many opportunities to invest my time, talents and resources to build His church. I should count this as privilege knowing how important the church is in God’s sight.

Secondly, predestination is not about salvation but spiritual maturity.

The fact that predestination is not about salvation highlights that God is both a loving and just God. This is the fact that many Christians would enjoy debating about. However, I personally believe that it is important that we meditate on the fact that predestination is about spiritual maturity. God has predestined me to grow in spiritual maturity. This highlights how important spiritual maturity is in the eyes of God. This understanding should motivate me to take my character growth more seriously. This understanding should cause me to be mindful if I am actually growing to be more and more like Christ.

Thirdly, we need to take the ministry of hospitality seriously.

I was born and grew in Indonesia where hospitality is an important part of the culture. Accordingly, it wasn’t hard for me to practice hospitality. However, as I am getting busier living life in a busy urban city there are times that I choose not to practice hospitality even though it may be within my means to do so.

The discussion about hospitality through the class has encouraged me to be a more hospitable person. Even though people would generally consider me to be a hospitable person I know that I can do better. I am also praying that God will help me encourage and inspire individuals under my care to take the ministry of hospitality more seriously.

Fourthly, submission to authorities is a big thing in the eyes of God.

This is not a new lesson for me. I was taught as a young believer that submission to God-given authorities is biblical. I was convicted that it was God who appoints leaders and it is God who will remove them if they are evil. I was so encouraged by the life of David who respected Saul even though he was evil. David understood that Saul was still God’s anointed until God decided to remove him.

This was my conviction as a young believer. This was my conviction as a growing believer. The question is whether this is still my conviction as a 16-year-old believer. As a 16-year-old believer who has been very active in church life for many years I have seen many imperfections in church life. But if I still believe in the authority of the Word over my life I would need to maintain my conviction about submitting myself to the authorities that God has placed over me. This pointer has been a wonderful reminder for me.

Fifthly, God wants us to practice gracious living by accepting those who are weaker and different to us.

Through the group presentation project I gleaned some important insights about living graciously. This is indeed easier said than done. As a group we came out with various realistic scenarios on gracious living. As I look back at those scenarios it is clear that living graciously requires a real commitment in putting the welfare of others above our own welfare. I believe that a gracious Christian community is a powerful witness to our world today which is filled with strife and conflicts. I want to do my part to build that kind of community. And I know that I will need love beyond my own for it to happen.

I want to conclude my blog reflection with an insight I gleaned about Paul, the human author of Romans, as I read a commentary on the book of Romans written by F. F. Bruce. I read about how Paul for over twenty years (when the book of Romans was written) had been faithful to the calling that God had placed upon his life to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. The Romans text tells us that it was Paul’s ambition to preach the Gospel in places where Christ wasn’t known. Am I still faithful to the calling that God has placed upon my life? Is it still my sincere desire to share the Gospel in the lives of people around me where Christ wasn’t known? These are two questions that I want to be able to answer positively today and till the rest of my life, so help me God!

A Powerful Story

2010-12-07T12:02:00.004+08:00

Recently, I stumbled upon a powerful story.

One night a man is sleeping in his room when suddenly his room is filled with light, and God appears. God tells the man he has a work for him to do. God shows him a large rock outside his house. God asks the man to push against the rock with all his strength. The man obeys thus he does it day after day.

For many years the man toils from sunrise to sunset. He pushes and pushes but the massive rock seems to be immovable. Each night the man returns to his room sore and worn out feeling that his whole day has been spent in vain.

Now, knowing that the man begins to feel discouraged, Satan decides to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s tired mind. "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved. It is actually an impossible task. Why kills yourself over it? Just give your minimum effort and it will be enough."

The man ponders upon those thoughts and plans to do just that as he is feeling very tired. But to his credit he decides to talk to God about it.

The man prays, “God, I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even moved that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

Then God replies, “My son, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it.

You think that you have failed. But is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.

It is true that you haven't moved the rock. But your calling is to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. And now that you have done this, I will move the rock."

Indeed, there are times in our lives where we keep praying over the same thing again and again over a long period of time. After awhile we wonder if we have been praying in vain.

During that time Satan would tempt us to give up praying.
And it is exactly during that time that we must choose to trust in God’s wisdom.
God asks to pray.
Thus we will keep praying.
God asks us to pray with faith and persistence.
Thus we will keep praying with faith and persistence.

We must choose obedience.
We must choose faith in God’s wisdom.
We must choose faith in God’s timing in moving the rock.

A Great Movie Night @ Fri, 20 Aug, 7.45pm

2010-08-05T18:30:00.004+08:00

Blessed New Year!

2010-01-01T09:44:00.001+08:00

Blessed Christmas to You!

2009-12-25T09:38:00.004+08:00

Lean Choo and I would like to wish our families (natural & spiritual), relatives and friends a very blessed Christmas. May God fill your hearts with peace, joy and hope this season of Christmas and beyond!

Thank you for being part of our lives. Wherever you are, whether we have caught up with one another recently or not, you are in our thoughts and hearts.

And for those who are looking for a Christmas reflection you may find one below:

Christmas Reflection: Behold Your God!

Many people spell Christmas without Christ, the glory of a Holy Day being supplanted by the glitz of a holiday—a problem that reaches back to the days of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis was born in 1182 in central Italy, son of a rich merchant. After a scanty education, he joined the army and was captured in war. He came to Christ shortly after his release, and soon he began traveling around the countryside, preaching the gospel. At a February 1209 Mass, Francis was gripped by words being read from Matthew 10: As you go, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is near.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff … (NIV).

Francis felt that Christ himself was speaking directly to him. He decided to obey those words as literally as possible, preaching the kingdom and possessing nothing. It is as though a 1,200-year bridge were crossed, putting Francis in the shoes of the original wayfaring apostles themselves.

He spent his remaining days making Christ real to everyone he met—a passion leading to history’s first living nativity scene. On December 24, 1223 Francis found a cave near Greccio, Italy, and brought in animals traditionally associated with the birth of Christ. (Francis loved animals and sometimes even preached to them.) He built the crib, arranged the hay, and finished the scene. Crowds gathered full of curiosity and wonder; and there on Christmas Eve Francis preached the wonder of God made man, born a naked infant and laid in the manger. “Behold your God,” he said, “a poor and helpless child, the ox and donkey beside him. Your God is of your flesh.”

Glitz gave way to glory that evening as the people of Greccio learned afresh how to spell the word CHRISTmas.

She gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn. That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you … a Savior was born.” Luke 2:7-11a

Source:
Morgan, Robert J.: On This Day : 265 Amazing and Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs & Heroes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, c1997, S. December 24

Some Great Christmas Events

2009-12-16T21:43:00.011+08:00

There are many great Christmas events in town tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I do not have all of their details.

Here are some of them:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180047193268&ref=ts

Devotional: Consecrated, Lord, to Thee

2009-12-15T17:14:00.002+08:00

Frances Ridley Havergal received Christ at a young age but struggled for years with Christian victory.

I had hoped that a kind of tableland had been reached in my journey, where I might walk awhile in the light, without the weary succession of rock and hollow, crag and morass, stumbling and striving; but I seem borne back into all the old difficulties of the way, with many sin-made aggravations. I think the great root of my trouble and alienation is that I do not make an unreserved surrender of myself to God; until this is done I shall know no peace. I am sure of it.

She struggled throughout her twenties and thirties, pulled in one direction by the acclaim of great London crowds who loved her singing, and in another direction by the Holy Spirit. Then one day at age 36 she read a booklet entitled “All For Jesus,” which stressed the importance of making Christ King of every corner and cubicle of one’s life. Frances made a fresh, complete consecration to God. Years later her sister asked her about it, and she replied: Yes, it was on Advent Sunday, December 2, 1873, I first saw clearly the blessedness of true consecration. I saw it as a flash of electric light. There must be full surrender before there can be full blessedness. God admits you by the one into the other. He showed me this most clearly.

Shortly after, Frances found herself spending several days with ten people, some of them unconverted, and others of them Christians not fully surrendered. “Lord,” she prayed, “give me all in this house.” Before she left, all ten were yielded Christians. On the last night of her visit, Frances, too excited to sleep, wrote her “Consecration Hymn,” the song that became her life’s theme. She took its words seriously and prayed earnestly over them every December 2nd, making changes to her life and lifestyle as needed. The first verse says:

Take my life and let it be,
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.

I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. (Galatians 2:19b,20)

Source: Morgan, Robert J.: On This Day : 265 Amazing and Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs & Heroes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, c1997, S. December 2

1414 Praying & Fasting Campaign

2009-12-14T11:51:00.002+08:00

Today is the first day of our 1414 praying & fasting campaign. This campaign is for AG1 leaders. However, others are welcomed to join in if they want to as well.

1414 simply means 14 December 2009 to 14 January 2010.

One reason we are fasting and praying together is to cry out to God for Him to move powerfully in our midst (in every single care group in AG1) as we are reaching out to our friends and loved ones with the love of Jesus during the Christmas outreach season.

Even before we started the praying and fasting campaign I have started to hear powerful testimonies happenning in different care groups including one visitor who decided to receive Christ around a week ago. (He joined our movie night some two weeks ago)

I want to fast and pray seriously during this season of time. I want to see more of God in our midst. I want to see many transformation of hearts and lives in our midst. I want to see every single care group in AG1 experiencing mighty breakthroughs and victories. I want to see more people experiencing the love of God for people really matter to God.

Would you join me in this journey? :)

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

2009-11-30T19:06:00.006+08:00

An interesting movie is coming to Singapore just for one day.

"The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry" will be screened for your viewing pleasure in a nice, comfortable auditorium right in the centre of Orchard Road.

It's absolutely FREE! (Yes... it can happen in Singapore)

4 DEC 2009 (FRIDAY)
7:30 PM
NEXUS AUDITORIUM

Movie Synopsis
Best buddies Dustin (Jansen Panettiere), Albert (Frankie Ryan Manriquez), and Mark (Allen Isaacson) are twelve year old boys looking forward to a summer of fun in 1970. When Dustin mows the lawn of seventy-five year old Jonathan Sperry (Gavin MacLeod), a man he has seen at church, a unique friendship develops. What happens the rest of this summer is something Dustin and his friends will never forget!

http://www.sperrymovie.com

From CCK to Punggol

2009-11-10T22:42:00.002+08:00

Finally, we have moved out from our CCK flat after 7 years of staying there. Lean Choo was feeling a little bit sad over it. But I guess it was really time to move on.

We didn't really have much time to pack and move. It was pretty miraculous that we managed to finish packing and moving out in time. Actually, it was barely. We kept clearing our stuff till the very last minute.

It felt so good that we didn't have to throw away many of our stuff at all. We were able to give away many of our stuff to different individuals. Even our used newspaper and papers could bless one of our neigbours.

From CCK we hope to be able to move to Kallang. We have balloted for a flat in Kallang area. We will know our queue number pretty soon.

Temporarily we are now staying with my youngest brother and his wife, Agung & Merlyn. They live in Punggol. We are grateful for their hospitality.

Punggol is a pretty a nice area. Interestingly, we are now just a walking distance to Ps Ben and Ps Lawrence's flats.

It is faster to get to church office from Punggol. It would be even faster from Kallang. :)

We will be in Punggol probably for around 2 months. We will use this opportunity to explore the North Eastern part of Singapore. Punggol, here we come. :)

three uncles and one nephew

2009-09-11T19:16:00.004+08:00

Have you ever watched "Three Uncles And One Nephew" before?

Actually, there is no such movie. :)

But the below picture is what it looks like in our family. I just like this photo.

submitted - within three days

2009-09-02T23:40:00.002+08:00

I just submitted my final assignment. I didn't manage to do within 2 days. But within 3 days is not bad as well. :)

Thank you Lord for helping me through. I commit it into Your hand. Help me bring glory to You through it. Amen!

a research report within two days?

2009-08-31T13:12:00.002+08:00

The month of August has been really full with assignments to do, people to host, conference to serve and stage duty every weekend.

It's not over yet. Within these two days I need to produce a research report on a relatively difficult topic.

Can I produce 25 pages of quality report and submit it before Tuesday midnight? (So that I will not lose to many marks. the deduction of marks are happenning every single day after last Friday)

Well, I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. Please, help me God! :)

A Powerful Story

2009-07-24T16:53:00.003+08:00

This weekend is an important weekend for those in Adults services to share the love of God with our friends and family members.

May the following story inspire many hearts especially those who are doing their best in sharing the love of God with others but often wonder if it is making any difference at all.

Links in the Chain

Edward Kimball was determined to win his Sunday school class to Christ. A teenager named Dwight Moody tended to fall asleep on Sundays, but Kimball, undeterred, set out to reach him at work. His heart was pounding as he entered the store where the young man worked. “I put my hand on his shoulder, and as I leaned over I placed my foot upon a shoebox. I asked him to come to Christ.” But Kimball left thinking he had botched the job. Moody, however, left the store that day a new person and eventually became the most prominent evangelist in America.

On June 17, 1873, Moody arrived in Liverpool, England, for a series of crusades. The meetings went poorly at first, but then the dam burst and blessings began flowing. Moody visited a Baptist chapel pastored by a scholarly man named F. B. Meyer, who at first disdained the American’s unlettered preaching. But Meyer was soon transfixed and transformed by Moody’s message.

At Moody’s invitation, Meyer toured America. At Northfield Bible Conference, he challenged the crowds saying, “If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?” That remark changed the life of a struggling young minister named J. Wilber Chapman.

Chapman proceeded to become a powerful traveling evangelist in the early 1900s, and he recruited a converted baseball player named Billy Sunday. Under Chapman’s eye, Sunday became one of the most spectacular evangelists in American history. His campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina, produced a group of converts who continued praying for another such visitation of the Spirit. In 1934 they invited evangelist Mordecai Ham to conduct a citywide crusade. On October 8th Ham, discouraged, wrote a prayer to God on the stationery of his Charlotte hotel: “Lord, give us a Pentecost here. … Pour out thy Spirit tomorrow. … ”

His prayer was answered beyond his dreams when a Central High School student named Billy Graham gave his heart to Jesus.

And Edward Kimball thought he had botched the job!

I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. John 17:20,21a
[1]

[1]Morgan, Robert J.: On This Day : 265 Amazing and Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs & Heroes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, c1997, S. June 17

"Faith Like Potatoes"

2009-07-15T12:47:00.007+08:00

I am excited about our YA movie night this Friday. This is our third time in two years we have been doing movie night. And we hope to do many more times in the future.

Besides being excited about the movie I am also excited that there is now a team taking care of the entire event including the sourcing out of movies and securing the licenses. I want to commend CN and Gabriel for serving the YA group in this capacity.

This time the movie is "Faith Like Potatoes" which is based on a true story. It was awarded the Audience Choice award at The 2006 Sabaoth International Film Festival (Milan, Italy), and won Best Feature at the 2006 Mumbai International FICTS Festival.

Below are the synopsis of the movie, the link to access the movie's trailer and the e-invite for the Friday event.

Based on a true story, this inspiring film tells the story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer who suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, but through an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and divine interventions, discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith.

Check out the trailer of the movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG0VCYYwziw

If you are reading this blog entry and in Singapore consider this as an invitation to join us this Friday night. By the way, admission is free. :)

I also want to encourage all Christ followers in YA group to invite our friends and family members for this event. Let us also spend a few minutes every day this week to really pray for the success of the movie night. We long to see hearts strengthened, hope renewed and lives transformed in a significant way.

Thanks in advance for the partnership and see you on Friday.

Persist

2009-07-13T23:19:00.003+08:00

Two days ago I was browsing my notebook to look for a specific document. As I was doing that I stumbled upon a poem that I wrote in 2004.

Today I sent out the poem to a group of precious people. The poem is rather amateurish thus I was a little embarrased to share it with others. But I pray that its message will be able to encourage some hearts.

Here is the poem:

Persist

It was Monday morning
And I wondered why the going gets tough
When doing the right things was all I wanted to do
I couldn’t help but feel discouraged
I couldn’t help but feel like giving up

But before I said “I do” to giving up I paused and pondered
Then I saw

I saw the sun faithfully shine its light
Over the righteous and the evil it never failed to rise and set
It dawned on me
The sun persisted because it was its DUTY to do so

I saw a colony of ants working hard carrying bread crumbs
They were storing provision for winter which was to come
It dawned on me
The ants persisted because they had the FUTURE in mind

I saw a runner competing in a world marathon event
His leg was crammed and his throat was dry
Still he kept running
It dawned on me
The runner persisted for the HONOUR of his country

I saw Jesus, the Son of God, walking towards Golgotha
His body was soaked in blood and His flesh was torn out
He was weary due to pain, hunger, thirst and no rest
Still He walked, walked and walked

I saw Jesus being nailed to the cross
The physical pain was excruciating
Insults and mockeries inflicted Him with emotional pain
Humanity’s sins placed on Him inflicted spiritual pain
That He cried “My God My God why have You forsaken me”
Still He remained and remained on that cross

It dawned on me
Jesus chose to keep walking
Jesus chose to remain on the cross
Jesus chose because of LOVE

I am sure glad that I paused and pondered
Now I know that I can choose to persist and not give up
I can persist because it is my DUTY to do so
I can persist because God promises a good FUTURE for me
I can persist because it is for the HONOUR of my God and His Kingdom
I can persist because of my LOVE for Him and His people

It's no 15

2009-07-09T23:16:00.003+08:00

Last Sunday, Lean Choo and I went to my second brother's house to watch our "friend" in action.

Yes, Roger Federer was playing in the final of Wimbledon. We had a fun time together rooting for our "friend".

We left my brother's house at the end of the fourth set.

When we reached home the fifth (final set) wasn't over yet. We continued to support Federer.

At the end, Federer won, to our delight.

History was made that day. Federer was now officially the male player with the most number of grand slam titles.

Here is a great video clip summarising his incredible journey:

Remember the Wonders

2009-07-01T12:52:00.003+08:00

This week is a very packed week for me. Among other things I have CLC2 teaching, one wedding to conduct, a weekend sermon and a Sunday afternoon sharing to prepare.

I was sharing this to several individuals through an e-mail. Steven Yeoh then replied my mail by giving me his personal work. (Thanks Steven) It's a beautiful work. The message of the poster is very similar to the rhema word that God gave me recently about clinging to Him.

Friends, if you are out there being overwhelmed by deadlines, challenges, projects, circumstances, etc, we must do one thing. We must remember God's wonders in our life and cling to Him. And if we do that the following is my conviction: We will be just fine :) .

my first blog entry of 2009

2009-06-23T19:39:00.003+08:00

Wow, it has been so long since I last blogged. I am happy to be back.

I want to restart slowly but hopefully steadily. :)

Recently, I stumbled upon a great quote by Alexander Graham Bell.

"When one door closes another opens; but we often look so long upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

How true! It saddens my heart to see people I care going in circles in life because they refuse to let go of their past. I pray that God will help them to let go and embrace the door that God has opened for them.

KPI services here we come...

2008-12-19T00:27:00.004+08:00

What I have been busy with...

2008-12-13T20:36:00.003+08:00

The months of October, November and December have been very colourful.

Some of the highlights include:

October
* Annual Retreat in Bintan
* Knowing the Will of God WFL Course
* Adults Combined CG
* Various Preaching Commitments
* Laurens and Huiyang's Wedding

November
* Peter Truong's Events
* YA Team Rally 3
* LC in JB
* Gabriel and Sarah's Wedding
* Staff Retreat in Johor
* Birthday Lunch with Ps Ben and Ps Dinah
* Preaching in four services
* My Youngest Brother's Wedding
* Spending Time with Family and Relatives from Overseas

December (thus far)
* MNC in KL
* Family Holiday in Bintan
* A Special Intercessory Meeting
* Catching Up with Ronald, Leslie and Nathan

I will try to write more on some of the above before the year ends. :)

Two Old Photos

2008-11-16T01:27:00.006+08:00

Recently, Fenny sent me two old photos from the Melbourne days.

Wow, I was really slim then.

Would this also be a vision of my future if I really put my heart into exercising and eating healthily? :)

Two Important Events

2008-11-05T15:22:00.005+08:00

Wow, it has been almost two months since I last blogged. Of course I can say that my schedule has been packed. But truthfully I also experienced some loss of momentum. Also, I have been pondering on the way forward regarding my blog including changing blog.

But more of that perhaps next time. :)

Today I want to take time to blog on our two upcoming YA events.

The first one is our YA Combined CG tomorrow. Peter Truong will minister to us. He ministered to us last year and he is back again this year. Yesterday, Peter met the YA leaders to minister to us and to train us for tomorrow. We witnessed several of our leaders receiving physical and emotional healing.

The details of the event is as below:

The second event is our YA Team Rally this Sunday.

Once every a few months we take time to celebrate, look back and look forward. This will be our last Team Rally for the year.

I would like to really invite shepherds, core teams and leaders in YA group to join us for this time. There will be surprises for you. Come and find out. :)

I want to thank Ben and Name from CN & Christine's groups for doing up the wonderful e-invites above.

Now back to tomorrow's combined care group. If you are reading this blog I covet your prayers for God to move mightily in our midst tomorrow administering His renewal, emotional healing and physical healing.

Indeed it is not going to be by our might our our power but it is going to be by the Spirit of God that we will move from strength to strength and glory unto glory.

"Thank You Jesus, Amen!"

After almost three weeks

2008-09-13T14:50:00.020+08:00

Wow, it has been almost three weeks since I last blogged. I would need to catch up in the next few days.

Let me start with where I left, UNVEIL.

We did UNVEIL. It was indeed an entertaining night. I am confident that we have also sown some good seeds into the hearts of around 21 pre-believing visitors who were present that night.
I want thank CN, committee (Jinqi, David Chua and Yoppie) and team (many people) for anchoring the event. I salute all the contestants including those who went for the auditions. We appreciate the judges (Kin Wee, Jaclyn and Angie) and our guest performer (Nel and band). Thank you also to those who were there and for inviting your friends to join us as well.

Congratulations to Megan (the winner) and the Butterfly (the runner up). Cheers to August Rush, J & J and Tian Tian & band for putting up a wonderful show as well.

Here are some pictures of UNVEIL courtesy of Penny. Thanks Penny. You are a faithful servant of God.

For more photos of UNVEIL you can go to Penny's photo website at the following address:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pennypoon/sets/72157607023494468/detail/

Thank God for UNVEIL: THE STAGE.

UNVEIL: THE STAGE

2008-08-25T14:01:00.003+08:00

I am excited about our YA Event 2 this Friday - UNVEIL: THE STAGE. CN and team has been working hard in the planning and coordination of the event. The auditions have been completed. Six contestants (a mixture of individuals and teams) have made it to this Friday.

For those in AG1 district/YA group now is our turn. It is our turn to give the committee and contestants our very best support. One way we can support the committee is by being there and by bringing as many people there as possible. Nexus auditorium needs to be filled up by people to create the kind of atmosphere we need.

We can support the contestants by giving them our votes that day. On Friday, the judging criteria would be as follow:
60% - Judges' decision
30% - SMS voting
10% - Fans/audience support (banner, cheers, etc)

May the best man/woman/team win! :)

For those in AG1 district/YA group it is good to remember the objective of this event. UNVEIL: THE STAGE is a kind of outreach event (Matthew Party). Also, we are in our final week of our Adults region growth and YA360 charge. As such, brothers and sisters, this Friday let us bring as many friends and family members, believers (contacts, visitors, those who have slidden away) and pre-believers (those who are near and those who are still afar) to UNVEIL. Let us fill at least 3/4 of Nexus Auditorium this Friday.

You can download the e-invite from my blog to send it out to your friends and family members.

For those outside AG1 district/YA group we covet your prayers. Pray for us. We will definitely need it. Thanks in advance.

I definitely look forward to a highly entertaining and impactful time at UNVEIL this Friday.

snaphots of the past few weeks

2008-08-11T11:46:00.019+08:00

Many things have happenned in the past few weeks. I could have blogged many entries on those happennings. But I am still on my way in becoming a more frequent blogger. But at least I am a regular blogger? :)

The past few weeks?

Once again, we made various trips to Changi Airport. Changi Airport can be our fourth home after our CCK home, church office, Nexus.

We sent Bairang off. She had been with us in Singapore for years. She was leaving to France to further her studies. May God use her greatly in a new land.

We sent off Leslie and baby Nathan. Leslie was joining Ronald, her husband, in Perth. We look forward to meet this amazing couple again in December in Singapore. I didn't take Leslie's picture. But I took Nathan's pictures. Sorry Leslie. :)

We sent off our STM team to Nairobi, Kenya. There were seven of them. I was pleasantly surprised to see many people sending them off on Thursday after midnight. The team was just going away for 10 days. What will happen if they were going away for some months or years?

Lean Choo, I and my young cousin joined the 4th Indo Service Celebration. It is great to see how the Indo group has grown from strength to strength.

We attended Albert and Marsli's wedding. This is one of the largest wedding dinner I have ever attended, around 60 tables. I do not have the picture of the couple. (becoming a bad habit?) But I have a picture of some friends from Melbourne who attended the wedding as well. (Two of them are from Hope KL)

On Saturday, we had some leaders and friends from the district gracing our humble home. It was great to have Lean Choo's younger sister joining us as well. The game of CITADELS once again captured the attention of some individuals. We also did a pyschological assessment for almost each one present in the gathering. If you want to know what kind of guy or gal they are looking for you can check with me. :)

Well, those were some of the happennings in the past few weeks. Just one more before I sign off. One day when I went to a NTUC supermarket there was . . .

A Memorable Night

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

Last Thursday was indeed a memorable night for me. It was our YA combined care group meeting. Some of us were praying and fasting believing for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully that night. I could sense the hunger and the faith of various individuals for the move of God in our midst.

When we had our prayer meeting at 6.30pm I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a number of people there present for the prayer meeting. Some of them were not on duty. They skipped their dinner just to be present for the prayer meeting.

During the care group meeting we could sense a strong presence of God in our midst. Fenny gave a word of prophecy that flowed very nicely with my short sharing that night. May Hoong prophesied about each individual receiving a personal word from God. Her prophecy came true for later on we heard about people indeed receiving a personal word from God that night. I also heard of people really being ministered by God that night. Praise God and praise God!

The worship team lead by Ah Long and Lean Choo did well that night. Fenny praised the worship band. Even though they were new to one another, having many songs to play and practicing only once they managed to pull it off. Kar Wai , Helen and Wynnie also presented a beautiful dance item in between the praise and worship. Technically it wasn't a presentation as they danced unto the Lord and allowing God to minister to the people through their dance. They danced with grace and beauty.

This morning when I joined Florence's morning devotion I heard one of her members giving a very encouraging testimony. He applied what he learned on Thursday about consulting the Holy Spirit. He wanted to approach his director with some anger in his heart over his paycheck. However, he refrained from doing so. Instead he withdrew to a place and prayed. He asked the Holy Spirit to guide Him. He then heard the Holy Spirit giving him a practical idea of how he should speak to his director. He followed the Holy Spirit's instruction and everything went through very smoothly. Imagine if he had followed through with his anger instead. The Holy Spirit is indeed our Great Consultant and Great Counsellor. I commend this brother for being a doer of the Word of God.

I want to thank Jasmine and team for making thursday night possible. In fact many people served hard behind the scene to anchor the event. I want to thank everyone who were hungry for God and fasted and prayed for the Holy Spirit to move that night. I believe that the God saw the hunger in our hearts and graciously poured a measure of His presence and grace. Thank You Holy Spirit! Thank you people.

I really believe that our Adults Camp was just a beginning. In the recent weeks or even months we have been experiencing a greater presence of the Holy Spirit in our Adults services. We sensed His presence strongly in our combined care group on Thursday as well. I look forward for exciting months ahead.

Come Holy Spirit! We can't enlarge without You. However, with You we won't be able to stop enlarging.

Lewis

2008-07-26T15:51:00.008+08:00

Last week my third nephew was born into the world. He is my sister's second child.

My brother, his girlfriend and my cousin visited my sister and Lewis in the hospital. Lean Choo visited Lewis a few days later.

Anyway, it was a very interesting hospital visit. In short, the room was very noisy for an extended period of time. But to my amazement Lewis remained very calm and peaceful. There were times that he looked like wanting to cry but somehow he calmed down again.

That incident reminds me of having peace in the midst of a storm.

Here are some pictures of Lewis.

Welcome to the world Lewis.

May you grow to be a man after God's heart. :)

Weird Dreams?

2008-07-21T10:46:00.000+08:00

The last few days have been pretty eventful for me. I will take some time to blog about it this week. But for now I would like to blog about dreams.

Last week I woke up remembering my dreams. The dreams were very interesting.

The first dream is about a kind of large animal/monster/creature (octopus, snake or both) that is destroying the city and the house I am in. I see the large creature destroying things in the city. I see part of the large creature appearing in the house. I remember seeing Lean Choo and I running away from the house to escape from the creature. There are two twists to the dream too. The first twist is about me seeing some crews (possibly film crews) in the house signifying that the entire thing is a movie production. The second twist is the discovery that Lean Choo and I are the only ones who can stop this large creature. Cool right? :)

The second dream is about one of my aunties and I. We are in Jakarta. I am helping my aunty to carry her bag. I can even remember the colour, white and pink/red. As I cross a road and reaching the end of the road somebody took away the bag by force. I attempt to get it back but the person takes out a knife to threaten me. Later on I report to my aunty on the lost bag. My aunty says that there is $26,000 in the bag. I think my aunty is bringing the money on behalf of somebody to be passed to another person. In my dream I am wondering to myself about the matter of paying back the money, by installment?

I do dream a lot. But I don't always remember the details of my dream. Sometimes God speaks to me through dreams especially when I was a younger believer.

I am wondering if the above two dreams mean anything or if they are just weird dreams. May be only time will tell. For now what I can do is to record it in case I need to refer to it in the future.

Just Acia

2008-07-17T09:36:00.008+08:00

I seldom blog about food. But it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy eating. Today let me introduce to you Just Acia.

Around two weeks ago Lean Choo, May Hoong and I had dinner together after our meeting on Sunday afternoon. May Hoong brought us to this place in Dhoby Ghaut MRT. That's right Dhoby Ghaut MRT.

She told us that the area (the shops in the MRT area) used to be quiet. However things changed after Just Acia started their open concept restaurant.

The ambience of the place is good. It is good for meetings and mentoring sessions too.

Their set meals are reasonable in pricing (sorry, I forgot how much) and tastes pretty good. (do note that I am not fussy about food though)

One pull factor for me to come back again is below. They give free flow of drink and ice cream for just $2.95. I think that's a pretty good deal.

If you around the area next time you can give it a try. Any queries can be directed to May Hoong. :)

One Tough But Wonderful Week

2008-07-14T11:28:00.007+08:00

Last week was one tough but wonderful week.

Last week was the first week of our new district structure. Whenever a new structure kicks in the administration load would go up (e.g. new floor plan, restructuring forms, etc) I thank God for Lean Choo who shoulders most of the admin work. We are excited about our new structure. We know that this new structure will benefit everyone in the long run. My heart and prayers are for those who are adjusting to their new groups. May each one adjust well and may God bless them greatly!

On Monday, I had lunch with Ee Lee with some others. Later on some of us spent some time praying and prophesying over Ee Lee as well. We are proud of what Ee Lee has done and will continue to do in Santiago. At night Lean Choo and I were in the airport sending off two people to Australia. Wynnie flew to Brisbane and Jia Yin flew to Melbourne. Both for their studies.

On Tuesday, Barnie flew to Adelaide. I didn't manage to send him off. I was spending time with a friend. I do not know this friend for long but God has allowed our paths to cross. I appreciate him for spending time with me and for sharing his heart with me. I am praying for God to continue to lead him and guide him. He is precious to me.

As various ones are furthering their studies overseas I have been communicating with our Hope Churches overseas as well to ask their help to embrace our people. It is so good to have spiritual families in different parts of the world.

On Wednesday, I had my first ever singing class. I signed up for this course just to help me to sing a little better (e.g. it's important for a service leader to know how to sing a little so as to flow better with the worship leader) and to accompany Lean Choo. After the class, I had the privilege to join Ps Jeff to share some thoughts with some upcoming church planters.

On Thursday, I was rushing to prepare for my sermons on Saturday.

On Friday, I was working on my sermons and on the Combined Team Rally (CTR) chairing. I had a good time praying with Ps Jeff and also some others preparing for the night. The CTR was certainly prayerful. After the CTR, many people stayed longer to be prayed for. It was so good seeing many people hungry to receive more from God. After finish praying I went back home and do more preparation for the following day sermons.

On Saturday, I arrived in Nexus slightly before 12pm preparing myself to preach in the two Youth services and Tertiary service. Thank God for helping me through the three sermons. What struck me most about the three services were the many people who came to know Jesus that weekend. The last time I was in Youth 1st Service around 3 people came forward to receive Jesus into their lives. Last Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised to witness so many people wanting to receive Jesus that the front area was filled up with people. In the second service, many people also responded to Jesus. In the Tertiary service, we ran overtime. Thus at the end we just led everyone to pray along if anyone would like to receive Jesus into their lives. At night Jasmine sent me a text message that six people from the Poly group responded to Jesus. Praise God!

I am so happy seeing so many people receiving Jesus into their lives over the weekend. I really want to affirm my brothers and sisters in the Youth and Tertiary Services. "Thank you for not keeping the love of God for yourself. Thank you for loving your friends by inviting them to come to service so that they can have the opportunity to know Jesus."

Last weekend services have stirred up my compassion for the lost once again. It is just so good seeing people responding to Jesus. God has been blessing our young adults ministry with salvations. But I believe that God wants to give us a lot more in the near future. May God continue to enlarge us in every way!

After the Saturday services Lean Choo and I went to CN & Christine's place for their housewarming. It was so good seeing many new friends there. Many of them are internationals. I was reminded about the first care group that I led in Singapore in 99. Lean Choo was in that care group as well. Our care group then had many international friends as well. The difference is that CN & Christine's groups have a lot more labourers to care for their international friends. :) I am excited seeing what God is doing through CN & Christine and their wonderful team.

On Sunday, it was a good service. It was so good having people going for their baptism as well. (I will blog separately on this). I had some fruiful meetings in the afternoon before spending the evening with my aunty and cousin. My cousin just arrived in Singapore to further her study. I was impressed with my young cousin's faith in God. God is going to use her to touch lives.

Last week was one tough but wonderful week. Sometimes the work is hard but the joy is great. Though I have been a believer for almost 14 years God has never failed to surprise me with new experiences again and again.

As I thank God for last week I now shall look forward to this week. The same God who was there last week is the same God who will be there this week.

Some Recent Photos

2008-07-13T00:43:00.001+08:00

I just downloaded some recent photos taken with my simple Samsung mobile phone. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand of words. Behind every photo below there is a story. Can you guess it?

Clues:

1. My regular weighing machine (1 photo)

2. Farm visit with Church Staff Family (7 photos)

3. SBS Bus with VIP Seats (1 photo)

4. Sending Ronald off to Perth (the baby boy's name is Nathan) (3 photos)

5. A personal water dispenser (the number "8" refers to eight glasses of water per day) (1 photo)

Wimbledon and more

2008-06-24T23:26:00.006+08:00

Portugal and Holland lost in their quarter final matches. It proves that soccer is not my calling. Thus I will now change sports. A major tennis tournament started on Monday. Yeap, I am talking about Wimbledon, arguably the greatest tennis tournament in the entire tennis calendar.

Wimbledon is special for many reasons. One of them is because it is played on grass court. Today there are very few grass court tournaments in the world. Another reason is because Federer is a great grass court player. He has won this tournament 5 times on a row. If he wins Wimbledon next Sunday he will be the first player to do so in the open era.

During Federer's first round play yesterday something unusual happenned. Dominik, Federer's opponent, sat besides Federer nearing the end of the match. This is very unusual to say the least. Normally players sit at their own designated chairs during break times. This will help them to focus better on the match. The photo of the incident is below.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/24/sports/tennis.php?page=2

This scene is heartwarming. It reminds players and fans that there is more to life than winning tennis matches. Sometimes we can be too focused on our selfish passion and goals that we sacrifice more important things such as God, people around us and people out there.

On Sunday we had a district event where we celebrated God's goodness in our midst in the past half year, affirmed people and look forward to the months ahead. We called the event, YA Team Rally.

There many people that I want to thank for making the event possible including Desmond & Ziying, the coordinators of the event. However, I want to take this time to make a special mention of the deco team. I discovered that Shiyan and team really put in a lot of efforts in making the deco and gifts to serve all of us that day.

Sometimes the contribution of those who serve behind the scene go unnoticed and unappreciated. But sometimes these people serve the hardest. Sunday's deco team is one example. If you are interested to read more of the story you can read Shiyan's blog on the below link. I have also taken liberty to download a photo from her blog and upload it below. :)

http://shiyansimplyliveforyou.blogspot.com/

I just want to take this opportunity to really appreciate the many people in the district and church who have served behind scene faithfully in many many occassions. Thank you for giving yourself to God and to all of us. Your labours are not in vain. I pray that you will continue to fight the good fight of faith and keep your faithful service to God so that more people like me can be blessed and impacted again and again.

By the way, yes, this is more important than Wimbledon. :)

Euro 2008

2008-06-20T00:20:00.008+08:00

Euro 2008 is underway. The competition is now entering the quarter final stage.

The defending champion, Greece, is out without a point. The hosts, Austria and Switzerland, are also out.

Who do you think will win the cup this year?

Based on my gut feeling and very limited analysis I think I think I think we will see Holland and Portugal in the final.

Exclusion clause: This is not a prophecy. Thus I shall not be responsible for any damage resulted from agreeing with my limited calculated guess. :)

Mini Celebration for YA320

2008-06-18T10:36:00.012+08:00

As a district and young adults ministry we were trusting God and labouring towards YA320 by the end of June. Some weeks ago we broke YA320 once. Before camp we were averaging at YA317 precious souls.

As such we want to consider this goal as done by faith. In our DDMM huddle last Sunday afternoon we did a mini celebration for reaching this milestone. Here are the photos taken by CN.

Those who are not in the photos are Priscilla, Jonathan and Tony. They are also part of the pastoral DDMM team. Fenny, Ah Long, Steven & Bernnise take care of the ministry groups. They are part of the team as well.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all in the district for doing your part in advancing the Kingdom by growing our YA family. Thanks people. God sees your hearts, prayers and labours. On behalf of the DDMM team we also want to really affirm every care leader in the district for caring and leading your people well.

We will continue to trust God and work hard together in seeing every care group in our district to grow by at least two precious people by the end of June or slightly later. We want every single care group in our midst to experience victory so that we all can trust God for bigger victories for the second part of the year.

As YA family we will work towards our new milestone which is YA330 and beyond by the end of August or earlier.

Jesus, we give You all the thanks and glory and we know that You will continue to be with us!

Camp Highlights

2008-06-12T12:03:00.008+08:00

Many of us went to the Adults Camp in Shah Alam last week. The theme of the camp was "Actsperience God". That was exactly what happenned. God visited us tangibly in the camp.

Here are some of the camp highlights for me:

1. God's tangible presence in the camp

It was so good lingering in the tangible presence of God in the camp.

It was so good to see people experiencing the touch of God tangibly.

2. May Hoong stepped out by faith to exercise the gift of tongue

I could sense God's anointing as she spoke out in tongue. People started to clap without being invited to do so. It was awesome.

After she finished speaking in tongue I looked at her. My facial expression was basically telling her, "please interpret". Then I discovered that she didn't have the interpretation. :) But God was in control. When May Hoong broke out in tongue I heard a message in my spirit. As May Hoong didn't have the interpretation I stepped out by faith to interpret.

Later on I discovered that there are several people who had the interpretation of that tongue. As I listened to their interpretations I got worried and excited at the same time. I got worried as I was wondering if my interpretation was only partial. I got excited as I discovered that our interpretations were along a similar theme.

I spoke to Ee Lee during the camp. She had moved in the gift of tongue before. She said that she did some study on it. Apparently it is possible to have several interpretations of the same tongue. However, they would revolve around the same theme. It is like covering it from different angles.

I am really very encouraged by May Hoong's courage to step out by faith to exercise her gift. What if each person in the church steps out by faith to do what God wants them to do? I trust that it would be a truly awesome sight and more.

3. Fruitful time of fellowship

During the camp I went around to spend time with many different groups and individuals. I enjoyed my time with them. I learned some new jokes from some of them as well.

I cherish the opportunity to interact with some of the district people in closer manner. It warmed and refreshed my heart.

Thank you people.

4. Singapore Idol Friendly Contest in a Malaysian Coach

During the bus trip from Shah Alam to Kuala Lumpur, the wonderful people in the coach I was in took turn to sing. Wow, they could really sing.

They almost got me to sing as well. But they kindly allowed me to settle with sharing a joke. Give me one more year. I may be ready to sing by then. :)

5. People making covenant with one another

I believe in the power of covenantal relationships.

In the camp I had the opportunity to witness a group people making covenant with one another.

It was a moving sight.

6. The workshop that Jasmine and I conducted

Jasmine and I conducted a workshop on "Moving in the Spirit".

It was good working together with Jasmine.

One highlight for me was the practice session of the second class. The class stepped out by faith to pray for a sister who had some pain in her hand. After the prayer she was partially healed. The class prayed again and the sister was completely healed. Praise God!

7. Jinqi stepping out by faith to pray for our coach tour guide publicly

Sometimes in the midst of our joy going to and coming back from our camp we may forget the presence of pre-believers around us including the coach driver and the tour guide.

But what an opportunity to make an impact with a coach full of on fire believers.

Thus it was very good to see Jinqi boldy prayed for our tour guide publicly in Mandarin. Our tour guide later on shared that it was her first time that somebody prayed for her and that she was very touched by it.

I did my part by thanking the uncle driver at the end of our journey. :)

Conclusion

There are definitely many other good things that happenned in the camp. The above are just some of the highlights for me.

I praise God for a Spirit-filled and faith-filled camp.

I want to thank Eugene Phang and his committee for working so hard to bless all of us by making the camp possible. Three cheers to Eugene and team.

In the camp Lean Choo & I did two dedications to two groups of people. Somehow this was our first time using the dedication service provided by The Blessing Point ministry. The person-in-charge has kindly sent our dedications to us so that we can send them out to the relevant people in case they missed them during the camp.

Our dedications are as below (with some minor editing):

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

Dearest AG1 District,

We love each one of you.

Thank you for being part of the family.

Let us continue to love God and fulfil His vision for us and for the world.

Love,

Michael & Lean Choo

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Dearest AG1 Leadership Team,

Words alone can’t express our appreciation for you.

You have poured out your time, sweat and tears for the sake of your flock.

Thanks Thanks and Thanks.

With much love,

Michael & Lean Choo

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District WFL - "A Faith Church"

2008-06-02T11:49:00.008+08:00

I should have blogged this entry earlier. But a little late is better than never. :)

Last Tuesday, some of us completed our district WFL, "A Faith Church". This time round we only had one course but we may have more courses the next round.

I really want to take this time to affirm those who have invested their Tuesday nights (3 Tuesdays) to come and learn the Word of God together. I want to affirm those who invested their nights for Hope Sem, CLC1, CLC2 and ULC courses as well. Thank you for investing in Christian Education. I really believe that this investment is one of the most undervalued investment in the world.

I was trying to compose a song about faith and got somebody to sing it during the last session of the WFL class. However, I didn't manage to do it. But I did manage to come out with some raw work on the possible lyrics of the song. :) I think I should continue to work on it and get somebody to sing it one day.

The raw lyrics are below. Please feel free to give me ideas for improvement.

My Faith

Though my stomach is hungry
I will still praise Him
For my faith is not in food
My faith is in God

Though my boss scolds me
I will still praise Him
For my faith is not in my career
My faith is in God

Though I am sick and yet to be healed
I will still love Him
For my faith is not in a life of no pain
My faith is in God

Though no girlfriend/boyfriend appears before me yet
I will still love Him
For my faith is not in life partner
My faith is in God

Though my sheep and follow-uppes wound me
I will still serve Him
For my faith is not in rosy times
My faith is in God

Though my care group hasn’t seen new souls for years
I will still outreach
For my faith is not in failures
My faith is in God

Chorus

My faith is not in blessings
My faith is not in circumstances
My faith is not in failures
My faith is in God
My faith is in God’s Word
My faith is in His will and plan for me

It is my sincere prayer that each one of us will have the kind of faith that performs miracles. However, it is also my sincere prayer that we will also have the kind of faith that will sustain us through life trials and challenges.

There is one movie (not a very new movie) that I look forward to watch. The title is China Cry. It tells the true story of a lady of faith by the name of Nora Lam. Though she had to go through incredibly trying time because of her faith in Christ her faith remained strong and steadfast.

Do watch the movie as if you can (VCD or DVD) and do let me know where you got it from. :)

What is Your Understanding on Miracle?

2008-05-26T11:58:00.007+08:00

I came back from Kota Kinabalu on Friday falling sick. But I couldn't really rest as I needed to catch up on some work, prepare for MPC (Marriage Preparation Course) on Saturday and prepare for prayer & service leading on Sunday. My parents were also around in Singapore thus it was important that I spent time with them as much as I could.

At a point of time I was wondering about my time management. My parents are usually around in Singapore after LC. I knew this fact well. But why didn't I swap my MPC or/and service leading slots with others? I was wondering about this for awhile. Anyway, there was no time to be indulged in self pity. I just had to do what I could.

Interestingly, several other things went wrong:

* I couldn't find one of my MPC lessons' notes. I needed to redo that lesson all over again.

* My office laptop somehow couldn't project out the slides for the MPC lesson.

* The hard disk of our laptop at home crashed. This is the only computer at home that can be connected to a printer. It means that I couldn't print my script for my service leading.

* I was quite busy during LC thus spent very little time with them during LC. How would they feel that even after LC I couldn't spend time with them still?

However God was good. He gave me a miracle.

* I redid the missing MPC lesson notes pretty quickly. Somehow, I remembered the details in the missing notes quite well.

* Simon was in church office (the MPC venue) on Saturday and he somehow brought his brand new laptop with him. He kindly lent me his notebook for the MPC lesson. It worked wonderfully.

* Cui Qin, our neigbour, kindly helped me print the documents I needed for Sunday. She actually went out from her house to meet me in a bus stop to pass me the documents on Saturday after midnight.

* My parents were very understanding and supportive. They didn't say a single word of complaint about my lack of availability to spend time them. (I spent time with them last night. I am spending the majority of today with them as well)

* Lean Choo, my wife, was extremely supportive throughout the weekend. She is usually supportive but she was extremely supportive during the weekend. She actually felt very bad that she couldn't do very much to help me with what I had to do.

* When I went to see a doctor in after MPC the queue was so short. I completed my visit very quickly. I usually go to this same clinic and they usually have a long queue.

* God gave me the strength to go through MPC teaching on Sat. My mind was pretty clear and engaged throughout. On Sun, I could woke very early despite the fact that I was sick and slept late. I arrived in Nexus by 7.30am for the prayer meeting before the pre-service prayer meeting. God gave me the strength for prayer leading and for the service leading in both services as well. Immediately after the second service chairing I felt quite weak and couldn't focus very much listening to the sermon. The drop of fitness and energy level came at the right time, meaning after I had completed what I had to do.

I want to thank God for the mini miracle He gave over the weekend.

This incident has taught me a lesson as well. Many times when we ask God for a miracle we have a pre-conceived idea on how God will perform the miracle. But the Bible tells us that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55)

Have you been praying for a miracle? What is your understanding on miracle today? Are you limiting God by that understanding? Perhaps God has given you the miracle that you are asking for but it is in His way and not your way. If this is indeed the case, would care to notice it and would you join me to give thanks to God for loving us and for giving us the miracle?

Back from Kota Kinabalu

2008-05-24T10:53:00.003+08:00

Lean Choo and I just came back yesterday from Kota Kinabalu for our quarterly Leadership Conference. There are many things that I can write about this trip which I will do so a little later on.

For now I need to focus on my MPC teaching in the afternoon and service leading preparation tomorrow. Also, as my parents are around in Singapore I hope to be able to spend as much time as possible with them in the next few days.

For now I also need to focus on getting well as somehow I fell sick yesterday. I seldom fall sick but recently I have been falling sick a little more often. I know what I should do. It is a matter of really getting it done.

The conclusion of the matter is that I will write more soon.

God be with you everyone. :)

some random thoughts

2008-05-11T01:56:00.004+08:00

It's around 2am on Sunday morning (Saturday after midnight) and I am still awake.

Here are some random thoughts:

Thought no 1:
I had a good time worshipping God and praying at around 11-11.30pm just now. After some time I picked up the guitar again and started playing it to aid my worship time. My guitar skill is really on the average side. Nowadays I only use it if there is an emergency (e.g. nobody is playing guitar for a small group meeting). But I believe that one reason God gave me the ability to play guitar is for my personal worship time. I was very much strengthened after that time of worship and prayer. I was feeling very tired before that and yesterday.

Thought no 2
I was browsing my blog setting menu to see if I can install a chat box in my blog. I couldn't seem to find it. If anyone knows how to do it, do let me know. Thanks in advance. :)

Thought no 3
I am thinking about tomorrow. Our service and the different activities related to it. I am convinced that we must never approach Sunday service or any service just as something we need to attend. God wants to move in midst as we come together in His name. We must have that anticipation. We must have that expectation. When God invade us by His presence things are bound to happen. Hearts are bound to be touched. Lives are bound to be transformed. Miracles are bound to happen. Actions are bound to follow long after the service is over. "Lord, please grant us an unstoppable momentum of growth, in quality and quantity. God, we want more of You. We need more of you."

Thought no 4
Roger Federer lost once again. It was a close match though. Overall, he has been playing better than the first few months of this year. So that's the positive. Tomorrow is the title decider for EPL. Can Man U beat Wigan? Well, I hope so.

Thought no 5
It is time to sleep. Good night! :)

Three Great YA Events

2008-05-07T15:33:00.026+08:00

There were three great young adults events last weekend. I was a happy participant in those three events.

The first event started on Sat morning, 10am. Jacqueline, our district intercessory coordinator, and her team came to pray and intercede together for the district and beyond. They meet once a month. On top of that the intercessors are rostered on different days to pray. I joined them for the first time last Sat. I wanted to joined them earlier but the clash of schedules didn't allow it to happen. We had a great time worshipping and praying. Jacqueline also shared a ministering and convicting lesson on prayer.

I want to take this opportunity to affirm Jacqueline and her team. Many times to be an intercessor is a thankless job. However, I want to assure them that they are indeed a shareholder in every victory, every salvation, every life transformation experienced as a result of the prayer and intercession. Though often nobody knows their labour God knows and He is pleased with them. Keep up the good work and keep praying our dear intercessors. We really need it. :)

The second event happenned in the afternoon. At a very cool place in Singapore a cool event was held. It was our very first installment of our career mentoring seminars, Office Politics and U (Part 1). As I talked to various participants of the seminar they told me that what was shared was indeed very useful for them.

I want to affirm May Hoong, her team and Eugene Phang for a job well-done last Saturday afternoon. Indeed it is our desire to see more and more young adults in our midst making a great impact in their workplaces. Last Saturday event was a definitely a very good step in the right direction.
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A COMMERCIAL BREAK: The next FYA seminar is on Office Politics & U (Part 2). It will be held on Sat, 26 June at the same time possibly at the same cool venue, the Verandah Cafe. :)

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The third event, Metamorphosis, happenned on Sunday afternoon at a cool function room in a cool condominium not too far away from Orchard area. Metamorphosis is our party to celebrate with our new belivers and rededicates. My congratulations again to Liling, Chris, Timothy, Han Wen, Jean, Siang Wei and John. Your decision to embrace or re-embrace Jesus into your life is the coolest and best decision you can ever make in your life.

Siang Wei shared his testimony that afternoon. It was powerful. His simple faith in God really moved the hands of God. It is always refreshing to hear such testimonies especially coming from somebody who just got to know Christ this Easter. Keep trusting and growing bro!

I must thank Stefanie Gui & Jinqi and their team for coordinating the party. Thank you for serving the new believers, the rededicates and all of us.

I have a confession to make. We actually forgot to take photos of the event. Below are some photos that were taken after the event was over. Half of the people had left by that time. We will take photos earlier the next round.

A Memorable 7 days

2008-05-02T23:25:00.003+08:00

The last 7 days have been pretty memorable for me. It started with Saturday. For the first time I was preaching 3 back-to-back full sermons within a day. At the end of 2006 I co-preached with Ps Jeff 4 back-to-back sermons over Saturday and Sunday but it was only for one point and not a full sermon.

It started with the 1st youth service then the 2nd youth service then the tertiary service. I was a little tired during the Tertiary service but it was still managable. Interestingly, it wasn't as bad as I expected (preaching 3 back-to-back sermons). However, I can now identify a little bit with what Ps Ben and Ps Jeff go through for many weekends. Ps Ben & Ps Jeff, if you are reading this I just want to let you know that I appreciate you both much. :)

It is my privilege to be among the younger ones. They are indeed the future of our church. They are God's future leaders for Singapore and the nations. I genuinely like my younger brothers and sisters in youth and tertiary service. They are warm, friendly and enthusiastic for God. I pray that they will continue to grow in their walk with God. I pray that they will embrace the wonderful plan and purpose God has for each one of them in an increasing measure.

Besides Service Sunday was a day filled with quite a number of meetings. Over the years I have come to appreciate the importance of having regular DMM meetings. However, over the years I have learned the importance of doing those meetings more effectively as well. One memorable meeting was my meeting with Danny & May Hoong. Their units joined our district in mid Feb. Initially I took time to get to know the people and observe how they did various things. After some months of doing that last Sunday I shared some of my thoughts about some things they could consider doing or doing differently. It has been a very pleasant experience for me to serve alongside Danny & May Hoong. They are such nice people and leaders. :)

On Monday I had some extended time with some individuals. Ps Jeff spent time with me in the afternoon. At night I met up with CN and Christine. They are leading the JEDI ministry in our church. This couple is really one couple who is truly all out in serving God with all their might and strength. They are really a great role model to others around them and others under their care. May God continue to add to them and their ministry.

On Tuesday, I was teaching a WFL lesson for my district. As a district we are covering a Faith Church material. The WFL committee loved me so much that they asked me to teach three lessons within one session. :) Though it was quite a tough task I thank God for helping me through it. During the lesson I was trying to illustrate about the importance to have a valid object of faith by running to Nexus wall and bang my body against it. Unfortunately, I bang my body a little bit too hard that I felt some pain on it. Next time, I must do it more calculatively. It will be quite silly to injure my body unneccesarily. Also, I should have also mentioned to the people that they should never tried the stunt at home. :)

On Wednesday, some of us, Lean Choo and I were meeting Ps Jeff and Claudia for our regular meeting. They brought us to this pretty nice venue, NTU Alumni house. The ambience and the facilities of the place are pretty cool and attractive. We can definitely use some of their facilities for some YA events in the near future.

Thursday was a public holiday. We had some guests at our house. We had a great time with Tony, Gabriel, Sarah and Jinghe. We talked over snacks and played the Citadels. It was really easy to connect with them. Thanks guys for gracing our home and for the fun time together. :)

Today (Friday) I met and got to know a brother and three sisters from Hope LA. Tonight they were joining one of our YA care group meetings. I will be bringing them to join some various activities on Sunday. It is always good to connect to our international family one way or another.

I thank God for a memorable 7 days.

Before I sign of, my wife reminded me today to put photos in my blog. I guess I have not been doing that in my last several blog entries. As the wise shall listen to others especially when someone is your wife I will just do that in my next blog entry. :)

Failures

2008-04-23T15:21:00.006+08:00

In the school of life we do experience failures from time to time. Not too long ago I was reading a short chapter on responding to failures. Below are some Scriptures and quotes from that short chapter.

It is good to deposit these words into our hearts and minds so that we can put any failure in a proper perspective.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the great twilight that knows not victory or defeat."

"Experience is hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." ---Vernon Sanders

"You don't drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there." ---Ed Cole

"The best way to go on after a failure is to learn the lesson and forget the details." --- John Mason

"A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance." Proverbs 28:13 (TLB)

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighted in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." Psalm 37:23-24

A Day at Home

2008-04-17T20:37:00.003+08:00

I started to feel unwell on Tuesday. It became worse yesterday and this morning. As a result I spent a day at home today resting. I am much better now.

I took time to watch a teaching about the law of the teacher. I am greatly challenged by it. The speaker spoke with great conviction. He exhorted the audience not to bore people with the Word of God. According to him it is a crime to do so. He also defined the law of the teacher very simply "if you stop growing today you stop teaching tomorrow".

Indeed it is a great privilege to be able to teach the Word of God. It is my responsibility to give my best to this task to do justice to the unsearchable riches of the Word. As I reflected on my recent experiences I must admit that there are times I feel a little tired of teaching. This is not because I do not enjoy teaching. This is due to the rush in preparing for the various lessons I have been given the privilege to teach. For example when I look at my calendar I see 5 consecutive Tuesday nights full of teachings starting this week. This is not considering the other days of the week and the fact that Tuesday is normally a quiet day for me for any kind of teaching/sharing.

Thus I thank God for the challenge, encouragement and reminder given to me through the teaching I watched today. May God help me as I am making some commitments in my heart. Firstly, I am committed to never stop learning and growing. Secondly, I am committed not to bore people with the Word of God to the best of my ability. My best may not be enough but I must give my best.

Before I sign off, I want to be continually reminded of the following Scripture and quote.

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)

"I would rather have my students drink from a running stream than from a stagnant pool." A Professor

Thank God for Care Groups

2008-04-05T23:44:00.013+08:00

This week I had the opportunity and privilege to join ten different care groups. It started on Wednesday night where I joined JEDI care group meeting. The care group meeting was held at CN & Christine's place. That night was also their house dedication ceremony.

It was great seeing younger worship leaders emerging. Tian Tian was leading worship that night. Her choice of songs were clearly appealing to the younger adults (YYY generation).

CN & Christine also spent some time affirming different individuals and cast the direction for the quarter 2.

God has been good to them. May God continue to add to the JEDI tribe in the days to come!

On Thursday, six care groups came together to have a sub district cg meeting. May Hoong was in charge of the care group. Adam was chairing and Danny was worship leading. I did the sharing. Adam chaired the care group meeting creatively. He shared a powerful testimony about how God blessed him with around 4 months of bonus as he and his wife put God first even in the area of finance. Danny was natural in leading worship.

I regret that I forgot to take some photos of the care group meeting. Instead let me share with you this picture (taken from somewhere in the internet) that I showed that night. One silly thought that I had about this picture is that "even cats believe in care group."

On Friday, I joined Eugene Chong & Jacqueline's unit care group. The care group meeting was held at Marc & Theresa's place. It was my first time going to their house. They just got married end of last year. It was a good care group meeting. There were two discussion groups. Marc prepared and led the discussion group well. Robert was very creative in how he did his discussion leading.

After care group meeting some of us went to have dinner/supper together at Hongkong Cafe near IKEA. The ambience of the place was good. Indeed good ambience made a difference. We had a good time fellowshipping with one another till around midnight. I only have the picture of the guys. The girls sat somewhere else as the place was pretty crowded.

It always brings me joy to be able to join care group meetings. I always end up leaving the care group meeting feeling refreshed one way or another. Thank God for care groups.

May God continue to help all of us to do better and better in cg life and cg meeting as such that more and more people will give thanks to God for care groups. Amen!

Being God-Conscious

2008-04-04T10:40:00.003+08:00

Read a good story in one book this morning. It is a good reminder on the importance of being God-conscious rather than man-conscious. Indeed, often it is not that God doesn't want to move. He is waiting for someone willing to be used as His instrument.

A man was once flying from Atlanta to Dallas, and it so happened that in the seat next to him there was a little girl with Down's syndrome. After a while she turned to him and said, 'Do you smoke?' 'No,' he said, 'I don't smoke.'

'That's good,' she said, 'My mummy says you shouldn't smoke.' Then she pointed to the businessman who was sitting the other side of him and said, 'Does he smoke?'

The man was naturally rather embarassed by this, but he thought he ought to humour her, so he asked the businessman sitting next to him, 'Excuse me, but do you smoke?' 'No,' he said. 'That's good,' said the girl.

There was a little bit of pause, and then a few minutes later the little girl said, 'Do you love Jesus?'

'Yes,' the man replied, 'As a matter of fact I do love Jesus.'

'That's good,' she said. 'Everyone should love Jesus.' And then it suddenly dawned on him what she was going to say next. And he hunched down in his seat and hoped against hope that she wouldn't. But she did. 'That man next to you,' she said, 'does he love Jesus?' So he swallowed hard, and turned to the businessman sitting next to him, and asked him.

And with a tear in his eye the man replied, 'Do you know, I've been wanting someone to ask me that for a long time.'

And so Milton Cunningham, who was a preacher on his way to speak at a seminary in Dallas, led that businessman to Christ there on that aeroplane, all thanks to a little girl's utter of self-consciousness.

cholesterol

2008-04-01T22:33:00.007+08:00

I had been postponing doing a health check up because it involved taking my blood. I don't mind to give away my blood. The problem is the instrument of needle that has to enter my body.

I had a breakthrough a few weeks ago. Together with some other colleagues I did it.

Last week I collected the result of the check up.

Thank God that everything was okay except for one little problem. My cholesterol was on the high side. According to the doctor my cholesterol level was moderately high. He advised me to modify my diet, exercise and see if it will go down.

Today I did some research on cholesterol. One interesting finding was about top five foods that can help reduce cholesterol level.

They are:

1. Oat for Soluble Fiber

2. Fish for Omega 3 Fatty Acids

3. Nuts for Healthy Fats

4. Foods fortifed with Plant Sterols

5. Soy

For those who are interested more details can be found on the following website: http://www.healthcastle.com/foods_lower_cholesterol.shtml

I guess it is time for me to eat more of those foods. Perhaps some of you need to join me as well. I trust that oat doesn't taste that bad. :)

It is going down and up again

2008-03-27T23:51:00.011+08:00

Watching it going down brings satisfaction. Watching it going up again brings pain. Yes, I am talking about my weight.

At the end of February I was around 78 kg. Not too long after that it became 77 plus kg. Then it became 77 kg. After that it was 76.5 kg. The exercise was working. :)

However, the last two readings were not so encouraging. The last reading was taken today and it brought pain.

My conclusion is as below:

1. Going to gym once a week is not enough to bring it down. When it was going down I believe I was going to gym more than once a week.

2. Chips and chocolates are very fattenning. Recently, I have been eating these two weight boosters quite a bit.

3. Eating late at night is dangerous. I have been doing this quite often lately as well.

Well, the war is ongoing. Exercising frequently and staying away from eating weight boosters are compulsory if I am going to win this war.

May God help me and other weight watchers out there! :)

When God Moves

2008-03-25T13:36:00.002+08:00

As believers we know that it is never about having a religion. Christianity is about having a personal and intimate relationship with God. It is about having an adventure with God. God decides what the adventure is and when we partner with Him the adventure becomes very exciting.

Last Sunday was one of such exciting times. It was our Easter Service. Some of us were praying and fasting for God to move on Sunday. I was chairing the service on Sunday. When I arrived in the auditorium at around 7.45am and joined the prayer meeting I could sense the excitement of those who were on duty for the event. I think it was after the first service, I was backstage, when I sensed God speaking into my heart distinctly that the district I am part of was going to receive some harvest of souls that day.

During the altar call of the second service I went up to the stage just to standby. I kept praying as I knew that it was an important moment. I was touched and elated when I saw the first three people going to the front to receive Jesus into their lives were from the district I am part of. We did receive some harvest of souls that day. I may not heard all of the stories. But as far as I know there were around 6-7 friends responding to Jesus from the district on Sunday. I wrote "6-7" as one friend said the sinner's prayer aloud but she seemed to be unsure about her decision. Please pray for her.

It is so exciting to see how God moves. When God moves lives are transformed and hearts are encouraged. When God moves we are humbled, left in awe and acknowledge that God is indeed God. I am thankful to be able to be a part of this exciting adventure.

I want to take this opportunity to thank those who have laboured one way or another for our Easter outreach. Some of you sang, some of you acted, some of you handled the technical aspects of the service, some of you worked on the deco, some of you ushered, some of you interceded, some of you invited friends, some of you befriended and hosted visitors, some of you are meeting up with the new believers some time this week. Whatever you role is, "Thank you for doing it faithfully and for doing it well." It has been my joy to be able to serve together with you. Indeed it is a privilege to be part of the family of God.

I really believe that we are going to see God moving powerfully in the YA ministry and in the lives of different individuals this year. I want to get ready. I invite you to get ready as well.

"Thank you God. It was so exciting being there when You moved."

Faith Instead of Doubt

2008-03-17T00:29:00.005+08:00

This morning I had a good time with friends from NG1 sub district. It was our first time meeting up as a new sub district. Actually, I am the new kid in the block. They have been together for some time. I want to thank them for welcoming me in their midst.

Later on we had our first Easter ESS service. It was good to see new friends in our midst. It was also good to see more of us in the district participated actively with the Adults services.

In the afternoon, Lean Choo and I hosted Kajin and Uli from Hope Germany for lunch. Consider us as boring but we did bring them to try out Ayam Penyet. :) We had a good time with them. I am inspired by the couple's commitment in pioneering new local churches. Indeed, they really personalise the vision that God has given to our Hope movement.

In this season of outreach there is a poem that I want to constantly remember. The poem really inspires me to continue flame faith within my heart. Indeed, God is pleased when I allow faith instead of doubt to rule my heart and life.

The poem is below:

Doubt sees the obstacles
Faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions “who believes?”
Faith answers “I”
--- Anonymous

In this season of Easter outreach I choose to believe the Word that the harvest is plentiful. May God use all of us as His instrument to touch a few more lives with the love of Jesus even this Easter season!

Project 99 Good Men

2008-03-12T17:37:00.008+08:00

My apologies for those who have been waiting for this blog entry.

As promised, I am doing this blog entry for at least 3 purposes:
*To encourage more people to go for Thai Camp
*To answer more queries about Thai Camp related matters
*As a place where people can submit their entries for the one free ticket to Bangkok

If you are considering to go to Thai Camp but yet to decide I want to let you know that the registration is still open. It is true that the early bird registration is over. But the normal registration is only around $20 more expensive. The late registration is around $28 more expensive than the normal registration.

If you have more queries on Thai Camp matters please feel free to post your questions on the "comment" section. Otherwise, please feel free to write or call our Project 99 consultants:
Mr. Kam Weng at kwwong@hopesingapore.org.sg or 90257736
Mr. Eugene Chong at agape_love07@yahoo.com or 94774227

Now, for the entries for the ONE FREE RETURN TICKET TO BANGKOK (Up to the amount of $160) here are the names so far:
1. Jinqi Ang
2. Tamar
3. Elaine
4. Hendra
5. Edward
6. Gerald
7. Jiay Huey
8. Xin Hua
9. Wei Lin
10. Clarence Ng
11. Ziying
12. Robert
13. Sam
14. Deborah
15. Ray
16. Florence Neo
17. Bairang
18. Florence Chee
19. Raymond Phua
20. Kam Weng
21. Paul
22. Neo Zhi Ge
23. Simon Tan
24. Penny Poon
25. Gerald Lee

Please forgive me if I miss your name and please let me know about it so that I can add you in.

We will draw for the winner during our next combined care group in May.

Any more takers for Project 99 Good Men? :)

Visioneering

2008-03-04T23:55:00.004+08:00

I have been reading "Visioneering" by Andy Stanley on and off since some time last year.

Fenny gave me the book as my birthday present. Thanks Fenny. :)

Today I finally managed to finish reading it. This is a very good book. It should make it to my top 20 or even top 10 list.

In order to help me remember what I have learned and to help me create a new blog entry below is the summary of the lessons found in the book.

1. A vision begins as a concern.

2. A vision does not necessarily require immediate action.

3. Pray for opportunities and plan as if you expect God to answer your prayers.

4. God is using your circumstances to position & prepare you to accomplish His vision for your life.

5. What God originates, He orchestrates.

6. Walk before you talk; investigate before you initiate.

7. Communicate your vision as a solution to a problem that must be addressed immediately.

8. Cast your vision to the appropriate people at the appropriate time.

9. Don't expect others to take greater risk or make greater sacrifices than you have.

10. Don't confuse your plans with God's vision.

11. Visions are refined - they don't change; plans are revised -they rarely stay the same.

12 Respond to criticsm with prayer; remembrance, and if necessary, a revision of the plan.

13. Visions thrive in an environment of unity, they die in an environment of division.

14. Abandon the vision before you abandon your moral authority.

15. Don't get distracted.

16. There is divine potential in all you envision to do.

17. The end of a God-ordained vision is God.

18. Maintaining a vision requires adherence to a set of core beliefs and behaviours.

19. Visions require constant attention.

20. Maintaining a vision requires bold leadership.

My Favourite CNY Photo

2008-02-24T22:04:00.004+08:00

I don't have the habit of taking photos during Chinese New Year (CNY). This year is no different.

However, the church staff family went to have a CNY lunch at a Thai restaurant in Parkway Parade last friday. During the lunch Yin San went around happily taking photos. Below is one of the them. This would be my favourite CNY 2008 photo. I think I do look like a super slim bull. :)

Starting a Journey of Reading, Reflecting & Retelling

2008-02-19T10:24:00.010+08:00

I am currently starting a journey of reading, reflecting and retelling (sharing my reflection). This is as the group I am part of (AG1 of Hope Singapore) is starting a 40-day (or more) YA discipleship campaign. My material for this discipleship campaign is "Devotions for Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life" by Charles R Swindoll.

I actually started my reading last week. But let me just consider yesterday as day 1. Yesterday, from the book, I read a chapter on the topic of patience. The title of the reading is "Impatience". Below is my reflection for the reading.

The chapter talks about how impatient we can be in our daily life (e.g. facing long queue, traffic jam, flight delay, etc) In short, we don't like delay. We want what we want when we want it.

Swindoll points out that the pre-believing people around us (in our daily life) do not care or impressed by our Bible knowledge. But they do take note of our attitude that includes patience or impatience.

Am I gracious when I have to face some delay? Or am I as impatient as everybody else who hasn't got the love of Christ in their heart?

Two seemingly unrelated thoughts came to me on the topic of impatience and patience.

First, delay can be a gift. It came to me that delay can be a gift from God to us. It is a gift because it is an opportunity for some character development. It is a gift because we are reminded once again that we are not in control, God is. It is a gift because God may throw in some surprises during those times if we maintain our cool and be sensitive to what God wants to do and say to us.

Second, be patient with ourselves. Sometimes, we get frustrated with ourselves because we do not change or grow as fast as we want it to be. But self-beating seldom helps. Self-condemnation is not biblical. If the sincere desire to change and grow is there. If we have taken steps towards change and growth. If we are depending on God for empowerment. Then we have to exercise patience with ourselves. We have to avoid the danger of perfectionism. (There is a thin line between excellence and perfectionism) We give our best. But we must be patient when our best is not perfect.

I want to take this opportunity to encourage my brothers and sisters from AG1 group. Let's have a wonderful discipleship journey together from today (or yesterday) till the end of March. If you have not started, don't condemn yourself, just start as soon as you can. If you miss one or two days, don't beat yourself, just come back to it again. This journey is not a journey of perfection. It is a journey for those who are imperfect. It is a journey of growing our character and spiritual maturity. It is a journey with Jesus.

And in case any of you needs the steps of the discipleship campaign again, here they are:

Step 1 – Buy, borrow or pick from your bookshelf a good material (once only)
(enough to last you for 40 days & more)
Step 2 – Read a portion of the material (each day)
Step 3 – Reflect upon what you have read (each day)
Step 4 – Journal your reflection (each day)
Step 5 – Share it with others (e.g. shepherding, cg meeting, dmm meeting, blog it, etc) (at least once a week)

Enjoy your journey! :)

Blessed Lunar New Year to You!

2008-02-06T12:30:00.000+08:00

Lean Choo and I are currently in Segamat, her hometown, for CNY. I think this is either my 7the or 8th time spending CNY in Segamat. Segamat is a town in Johor State, around 2-3 hours by car from Johor Bahru.

We arrived yesterday following Christie's car. This was so convenient. We didn't have to buy bus or train tickets. Actually, we tried to buy train tickets but they were completely sold out.

When we arrived in Lean Choo's house, another pleasant surprise was waiting for us. The house is now equipped with broadband wireless connection. I am so happy to have easy internet connection. I am sure utilising my laptop and internet connection to the full, even right now. Thank God.

Anyway, Lean Choo and I just want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Blessed Lunar New Year wherever you are. And to those who are not celebrating CNY we wish you a Happy Holiday.

May you all have a fruitful and enriching time with family members, relatives & friends and may God give you some pleasant surprises during this festive occassion!

Ayam Penyet

2008-01-31T11:20:00.000+08:00

I have never written a blog entry on food before. This can't be true. Though I may be giving the impression that I seldom eat (i.e. fasting all the time) the truth is that I do enjoy eating. Not as much as my wife though. And look at our sizes. It's so unfair, isn't? :)

You may have heard about "Ayam Penyet", an Indonesian Franchise restaurant whose popularity in Singapore is growing by the day. I cannot really explain very much about the food except that "Ayam Penyet" means "Smashed Chicken". Actually, the chicken looks okay thus I am not sure why they call it smashed. But the most important thing is that it tastes yummy. :)

Besides chicken there are many other things that you can eat in restaurant such as gad0-gado (mixed vegetables with peanut sauce), empal (beef) penyet, ikan (fish) penyet, udang (prawn) penyet, avocado juice, etc, etc.

Now, I am not trying to be bias here. It's not because I am (was) an Indonesian that I am promoting the food. I have brought many kinds of people to try out the food. Indonesians, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Africans, Europeans, they have tried and LIKED the food. :) It seems that this is one type of Indonesian food that really has an international appeal.

Now, I must warn you that there are many imitations out there. Quite a number of stores out there are also selling ayam penyet but they are not the original one. This is understandable. People always like to make imitations of branded stuff. :)

If you would like to try out the food in "Ayam Penyet" restaurants you can find the restaurants in the following locations: Lucky Plaza (1st & 4th levels), Joo Chiat Road (near church office), Novena Square and Marina Square (in the food court). If you do not reside in Singapore you may want to consider bringing this franchise into your country. And please remember me when you are making a lot of profit from it. :)

In case you are wondering whether I am rewarded or paid by "Ayam Penyet" to do this promotion, the answer is "not a single cent". :( But if you keep mentioning my name whenever you go to the restaurants they may reward me one day. :)

Happy trying and eating everyone! :)

Note: the picture above is taken from the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taking5/494739777/

Heart Attack

2008-01-19T23:53:00.000+08:00

I was doing some work at home this afternoon. At the same time I was following a tennis match between Roger Federer (no 1) and Janko Tipsarevic (no 49).

Federer wasn't playing his usual best. He made many unforced errors. Janko, on the other hand, was playing very confidently. As a result it was a thrilling 5 sets lasting almost 4 1/2 hours.

The fifth set was especially gripping. It was a very very close match. Federer was playing a catch up throughout the fifth set. As I am Federer's fan this resulted me in having some HEART ATTACK following the progress of the match. Believe it or not I took the trouble to pray for Federer. :)

I must take my hat off to Federer. He was very strong mentally. The pressure of the possibility of losing the match so early in the tournament he won several times before must have been great on him. (Last year he didn't even drop a set in the same tournament) But he kept at it. He didn't give up. He kept pressing on despite of not playing his best. At the end the breakthrough came and he won the match.

One lesson I learnt from Federer is the importance of mental strength. At times the difference between a champion and an average player is not necessarily skill but mental strength.

Similarly, as Christ followers we do need to develop mental toughness. Our foundation of the Word must be strong. Our character must be maturing. Our mind must be filled with hope and faifh-filled thoughts. After all, we are playing against a very competitive competitor everyday of our life. And at times, that mental toughness is difference between winning and losing.

Strategies for Physical Energy Management

2008-01-16T01:45:00.000+08:00

Lean Choo and I are currently in KL attending a conference with some others. We arrived in KL on Monday around noon time and will be leaving for Singapore on Thursday evening. The conference has been good thus far. However, I do not intend to blog about the conference at this point time.

Rather, I want to blog about some strategies for physical energy management taken from the Power of Full Engagement book (by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz).

1. Go to bed early and wake up early

2. Go to sleep and wake up consistently at the same times

3. Eat five to six small meals daily

4. Eat breakfast everyday

5. Eat a balanced, healthy diet

6. Minimize simple sugars

7. Drink 48 to 64 ounces of water daily

8. Take breaks every ninety minutes during work

9. Get some physical activity daily

10. Do at least two cardiovascular interval workouts and two strength training workouts a week

The above will be great reminders and pointers to me even as I am in the midst of changing my lifestyle. Eating differently and exercising regularly are the way to go for me. :)

why I blog

2008-01-10T09:06:00.000+08:00

I can feel it. I am slowly losing my momentum and desire to blog. This entry is stop and reverse that negative momentum. :)

I believe that when we are losing our momentum in doing something right/good it is helpful to remind ourselves why we do the thing in the first place. When we are connected to the "why" we would have greater motivation to press on.

Why do I blog?

1. Relevance

My team and I are pioneering young adults ministry in Hope Singapore. Many young adults blog. This is a lifestyle for many of them. As such, blogging helps me to be more relevant to the young adults world. I mustn't forget that I am a young adult as well. :)

2. It helps me

Blogging helps me. You see, though I do journal I journal occasionally. Blogging helps me to journal more regularly. Though I cannot write as freely in my blog as compared to when I write in my private journal (as it would be irresponsible for me to do so) at least I am jotting down some key happennings that are happenning in my life through blogging. Somebody once said something like "the weakest ink is stronger than our memory".

3. It helps me to connect to people

I am living amidst a fast moving urban world of Singapore. Usually, I am busy. And I seem to get busier each year. Sometimes I couldn't find as much time as I want to, to connect to different individuals. Blogging helps me to connect to people in some way even when I am unable to spend time with them directly.

Three reasons why I blog. The reasons may look simple but they are powerful in motivating me to continue on blogging.

One simple action point for me. I will attempt to blog twice per week. I will do it every Monday and Thursday mornings before I take care of my e-mails.

May God help me in this wonderful cause of blogging!

what I really want to remember about 2007

2008-01-03T08:35:00.000+08:00

Today is the third day of a new year. What do I really want to remember about last year? Well, certainly there are many things I really want to remember about. I have learned that even bad things and imperfections bring about very precious life lessons. Nevertheless, let me just try to list down some things.

1. The opportunity to catch up and minister together with my old friend, Peter Truong. It was so encouraging to see how God working in his life, from glory unto glory.

2. Hope Manila Annual Camp. It was my first time to speak and minister in a camp setting. It was a very valuable experience. I could see very clearly how God would help you when you are willing to step out by faith.

3. My 2nd Thai Camp. I was truly ministered by the worship sessions. It was great to be able to shed tears in the presence of God after some time without it.

4. My 2nd trip to Nairobi, Kenya. It was good to be back to Kenya. It was good catching up with Lisa and Li Chuang. It was good getting to know Esther there. It was good touching and stroking a Cheetah. :)

5. 3 YA Events (Unplugged, Olympia Ultimatum, 13). It was great seeing many young adults utilising their God-given talents to make a difference in the lives of their counterparts who were far away from God. Indeed, some of them have been brought near to God through the contributions of these events.

6. The Australia trip (Brisbane, Melbourne, Gold Coast) It was really a fruitful trip for Lean Choo and I. I learnt the importance of proactively building relationships. It takes some willingness to step beyond our comfort zones. But once you do it, it really blesses your soul and the Kingdom. We had a great family time with my two siblings and their families in Melboure as well.

7. The blossoming of JEDI group and ministry. It was really a joy seeing the ministry blossoming before my very eyes. I was humbled and encouraged to see how hard some of them work for the Kingdom. I was thrilled to see the newer ones rising up to the occassions.

8. MNC (Malaysia National Convention) in Kuching. It was an eye opener. The missions spirit was very much alive in Hope Malaysia.

9. We broke YA200 goal once during Christmas by a big margin. There is a precious story who belongs to a very precious person behind every single number. Over 200 precious stories about over 200 precious persons. We also treasured the 6 souls who crossed or recrossed the line of faith through the christmas services. Thank you Jesus. I am really thankful for the many people who gave their best to share the love of God during the christmas outreach season last year. Their labours shall never be in vain in the sight of God.

10. Attended a great Christmas Eve Party (The "C" Party). It was a costume party. I came as a cockroach man and ended receiving an award for the most creative costume of the night. :) That was a miracle given my arts & craft skills. But that's not the most important thing. One of the highlights of the night for me was to listen to the testimony of a new brother in Christ who just responded to Jesus some weeks earlier. He really shared from his heart and how he really moved our hearts by his sincere sharing. This reminds me about why am I giving my life for the cause of the Kingdom. It is about life transformation, one life at a time.

Of course, there are many more things that I can write down. But let me just say that year 2007 has been a wonderful year of happennings. It was not without its challenges though. Some of them were really tough. But through it all I prevailed because His grace was sufficient for me. And for that, "Thank you, Lord".

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T22:10:00.000+08:00

We just want to take this time to wish family members, relatives and friends, in Singapore and overseas, "Merry Christmas!"

Thank you for being part of our lives in your unique and special way.

May God continue to watch over you and fulfill His wondrous plan in your life!

Have a blessed christmas everyone!

With much love,

Michael & Lean Choo

A fisherman story

2007-12-21T09:58:00.000+08:00

The following story is a powerful reminder of the importance of faith in our personal life and ministry.

A gentleman is observing a fisherman fishing on a particular lake one afternoon. This gentleman notices that whenever the fisherman catches a small fish he would keep the fish. But whenever he catches a large fish he would throw the fish back into the lake. This keeps happenning throughout the afternoon.

Unable to hold his curiousity any longer this gentleman approaches the fisherman and asks him a question, “Excuse me sir, I have been observing you fishing all afternoon. I noticed that you kept all the small fish and threw back all the big fish. May I know the reason for you doing so?”

“It’s actually very simple”, the fisherman replies. “You see, I only have a small frying pan at home.”

The story is hillarious but to the point. Isn't true that many times the size of our faith limits the kind of blessing and breakthrough we can receive from God?

The fisherman can just get a bigger frying pan instead of doing the unbelievable act of throwing back all the big fish. And similarly, instead of limiting what God can do by the size of our faith we should enlarge our faith so that we can receive all that God wants to give unto us.

This christmas harvest period, I pray that each one of us will enlarge our faith so that we can receive all that God wants to bless our outreach efforts with. After all, the Bible says that the harvest is plentiful.

my hopes and dreams for christmas

2007-12-19T22:44:00.000+08:00

In life, it is important to have some hopes and dreams. For one, hope and dream are an indicator whether faith is operating in our hearts and lives.

Without hope and dream life would only be a motion instead of a delightful anticipation of better things.

I do have some hopes and dreams for this christmas.

* I hope that each person in AG4 district will truly cherish the true meaning of christmas. May each person be awed by the reason behind the season in a fresh way this christmas.

* I hope that each person in AG4 district will approach christmas outreach with a winning mentality and a faith-filled attitude (not a defeated one) this christmas.

* I hope that each person in AG4 district will do christmas outreach with dependency on God and not on mere human strength alone this christmas. (one evidence of this dependency is praying and fasting)

* I hope that each care group in AG4 district will be blessed with at least one stable new brother/sister in Christ this christmas.

These are my hopes and dreams for christmas.

What is yours?

Enriching Moments in East Malaysia

2007-12-10T16:19:00.000+08:00

I just came back from Malaysia National Convention 2007 in Kuching. It was my first time stepping into East Malaysia and joining the convention. I thank God for some enrinching moments in the last few days.

Here are some of those moments:

* The churches in Malaysia have grown from strength to strength. They have now planted a seed community in every state in Malaysia. They have also recently made great progress in the international missions by planting churches in different parts of the world. The emphasis on missions was very strong throughout the convention.

* The wonderful interaction and fellowship time with the Malaysian pastors and co-ordinators through the different meal times. It was great to get to know Ps Dennis and Sister Hai Eng better in this MNC. I am touched by their great humility and servanthood attitude. It was great to be able to ask some specific questions to Ps Simon about his life and ministry experiences during some meal times as well.

* There were around 20 people from our Mandarin group attending the convention. In this convention I was able to get to know some of them better. It was good to be able to catch up a little bit with Jia Huey and Nigel, ex-my care group members when they were still in the Adults group some years ago. It's good to see them doing well in the Mandarin group.

* The opportunity to participate in the convention by teaching a workshop and sharing a testimony within Ps Jeff's teaching. It was a broadening experience for me. I am glad that they laughed at my jokes. :)

* Spending some quality time with Ps Jeff & Claudia. Ps Jeff didn't have to ask me to come along with him. He didn't have to make the various arrangements to enable me do something in the convention and that I would be taken care of while I was there. He didn't have to. But I am thankful to be part of a church and a family of churches that truly believe in the value of discipleship and covenant relationship. We don't just go to church but we do life together. Ps Jeff, if you are reading this, thanks very much for the constant love and impartation. What I have received I will pass on to others. :)

Back from MNC, it is time to rejoin my team to do our best for Jesus this Christmas!

"Jesus, please be with us once again, in an even greater way than last year. Without You we can do nothing. With You we can overcome and prevail through it all. Amen!"

Love Africa

2007-11-27T00:59:00.001+08:00

I am at Changi Airport right now. I am waiting for my parents' flight to arrive from Melbourne. Earlier in the evening I joined the Love Africa meeting. Love Africa is a church level project anchored by AG4 district to gather like-minded people across the church, those who have the heart for the continent of Africa one way or another. Eugene Phang is the man behind this project.

It is great to see people from different groups in our church coming together to do something for people thousands of miles away from us. Indeed missions is done together. When each one of us does our part the combined effort can really go a distance.

Three weeks ago just before we went to Phuket we stopped by in Bangkok to meet Esther. I shared about Esther before. I met Esther in Nairobi, Kenya some time ago. In Bangkok, Esther fetched us from the airport and brought us to visit her company. She is the no 2 person in her company. She is doing business so that she will be able to support the work of missions in Kenya. This is the role that she believes God wants her to play in missions.

Indeed, there are many ways we can do missions. When the heart is willing many things can be a possibility. After all it is always about extraordinary people being used by an extraordinary God.

Tonight (technically last night) I am blessed by the sight of many young adults wanting to take part in the work of missions. I am also blessed by Esther's life, a Thai young adult who is obedient to the call of God in her life to play her part in missions for Africa.

Below are some of the photos I took in Esther's company:

Some Photos from Phuket

2007-11-25T21:31:00.000+08:00

Around three weeks ago some of us were in Phuket attending a conference. We had a good time catching up with some old friends and making some new friends as well. In this conference, we heard many powerful testimonies. I thank God that as a movement we are indeed progressing in fulfilling the Great Commission. Missions work is now in being done in places I previously thought as incredibly difficult.

We also had some time doing some sightseeing. The places we visited were quite interesting. Phuket is a popular tourism place in Thailand.

Just recently, I managed to download the photos of this trip from my humble but useful Samsung phone. We also received some photos from another fellow goer.

Here are some of the photos:

Starting a Momentum for Exercise

2007-11-20T22:44:00.000+08:00

Recently, I discovered that my stamina had been dropping. I would fall asleep easily when I was in bus or train. I would feel like sleeping earlier than usual as well. I believe that a lack of exercise was a contributing factor to this happenning.

In the last few months I hardly had a chance to exercise. I tried to play tennis regularly on Saturday mornings but my schedule on Saturdays had changed quite a lot this year. There were different things that were happenning on Saturdays including district/sub-district activities, weddings, travelling, Tertiary Service and Indonesian Service. Somehow, it is quite seldom now for me to have a Saturday where I don't have to do something major (to me).

Havings said that, at the end of the day, I cannot use that as an excuse. It is up to me to make time to do things that are important.

I realised that the busier you are the more stamina you need to sustain you. As such exercise is not an option but a must.

Today, I picked up my shoes and went to a nearby gym. I ran on a treadmill for around 20 mins plus. The gym only allowed people to run 20 mins each time due to the limited number of treadmills. I ran for around 2.5km in 20 mins. I am not sure if that is an average or below than average performance. But that's not very important. The most important thing is that I did it.

I did sense the difference even only after one run. I felt stronger physically, meaning fitter in my stamina. I felt that I could think and focus more clearly as well. I hope that I can really sustain this momentum for exercise.

As we are a tripartite being (spirit, soul & body) each part of our being interrelates with one another. If one part is down the other two parts will be affected as well. As such it is important for us to care for each part of our being so that we can remain a fully productive individual.

May God help me in this endeavour of taking care of my body!

Photos of 13

2007-11-14T23:13:00.000+08:00

Here are some photos of 13 courtesy of Raymond.

Once again, I want to really thank Sam, Jingqi, Amy, Wynnie and those who are involved in the 13 production to make it into a reality. I want to thank those who invited their friends and family members to join the event. Thus far I know of two friends who came to 13 and recently came to know God.

Indeed, people really matter to God. This is the reason behind 13 and other Young Adults events we did this year. As we do our part God will surely do His part.

Back from Phuket and Going to Port Dickson

2007-11-12T08:49:00.000+08:00

Lean Choo and I spent almost the entire of last week in Bangkok and Phuket. We attended a conference in Phuket. We were blessed much by the fellowship, teachings, testimonies and etc. We came back to Singapore on Saturday night.

We are now about to leave to Port Dickson for the staff retreat.

I will write more once I come back from Port Dickson on Wednesday.

Our Recent Trip to Australia (Part 4)

2007-11-01T10:19:00.000+08:00

This is the final part, part 4.

As mentioned in part 3, we spent quite a lot time with my siblings and their family members. My brother (Anthony), his wife (CE), and their son (Noah) are settling down in Melbourne. My sister (Melia), her husband (Daniel) and their son (Titus) are in Melbourne for one year.

It was really good to spend time and catch up with them again. In Melbourne, we stayed with Daniel and Melia. Anthony and CE just stayed nearby. As such it was easy for them to spend time with one another.

We arrived on Friday. On Friday night we had a family dinner in a family restaurant called Sofia. The serving for their food is incredibly huge. Six of us couldn't finish the food serving for 2. After dinner, we went to Anthony & CE's house for further time of fellowship.

It was also really good to see how Titus and Noah had grown. Titus (1 1/2 years old) are now able to talk. He kept saying words like "car" and "bye bye". Noah (1 year old) was beginning to learn to walk. Some of their photos are below. (Titus on the left and Noah on the right)

The next day, Saturday, was a big day. It was Noah's 1st Birthday Celebration. Wow, we went to Melbourne at the right time. It was a very good party. The food was great. The games were fun. The fellowship was good. There were around 40-50 people in the party. Anthony & CE and some others really put in a lot of efforts to make the party into a success.

On Sunday night, we went to eat in a Vietnamese restaurant before we headed to the South Bank, a nice spot along the Yarra River. We watched the fire work that happened once per hour. It was pretty impressive though it could be scarry for kids as well. Titus was visibly scared by the fire.

On Monday, we went to have a good yum cha. Both Lean Choo and I agreed that the yum cha in Australia was generally better than what we had in Singapore. For one, I found the food to be less oily. But Daniel and Melia told us that there were good yum cha places in Singapore as well. (we just did not know it. :)) We did some other things after the yum cha before heading to the airport.

We had a very good family time in Melbourne. We enjoyed spending time with them. We appreciate them taking care of us really well. Daniel and Anthony actually took leave just to spend time with us. We also enjoyed playing with Titus and Noah. We believe that Titus and Noah enjoyed playing with us too. :)

I saw how each one of us had grown as a person. No, none of us is perfect. But it is clear to me that increased maturity help family members to get along with one another better. Differences in personality, opinion and etc will always be there. But maturity helps us to appreciate those differences instead of using it to attack one another. :)

Titus and Noah are the newest addition to our family. Their presence brings much joy and laughter. They add a new dimension to our family life. Often, they are the stars of the family. Without them realising they are actually unifying the older family members around them.

Very quickly, our recent trip to Australia came to an end. We thank God that it was a very fruitful trip. The three objectives that we had for the trip was more than met except on the annual retreat part which was a little bit short. But it was well compensated with the great time we had with our both spiritual and natural families.

We came back to Singapore feeling thankful and grateful for all that God had allowed us to experience in our recent trip to Australia. Australia will always have a special place in our hearts for many reasons. We hope to be back there again in a not too distant future.

Our Recent Trip to Australia (Part 3)

2007-10-29T11:11:00.000+08:00

We flew from Gold Coast to Melbourne. Daniel (my brother in law), Melia (my sister) and Titus (my nephew) picked us up in the airport. In Melbourne, we spent a lot of time with them as well as with Anthony (my brother), CE (my sister in law) and Noah (my second nephew). I will share more about our time with them in part 4.

In Melbourne, we also spent some time with some brothers and sisters in Hope Melbourne (Waverley & City Centres). I accepted Christ into my life on 29 July 1994 in a care group meeting of Hope Melbourne, Waverley Centre. I left Melbourne to Singapore in June 1998.

We visited Waverley Centre Sunday service. It was great to be able to come back for a visit after 9 years. I have many wonderful memories of my time with the Waverley centre. It was a place where I knew God and grew spiritually. It was a place where I learnt what it meant to really serve God fully. It was a place where I captured God's vision for the world. It was a place where I witnessed great life examples, transformation of lives, the visitations of God, etc.

Back to the visit. The video clip we brought was shown in the service. After service, we spent some time with some brothers and sisters who would be going back to Singapore in the near future. It is nice to get to know them. We hope to be able to know them better, perhaps when they are back in Singapore for holiday. Below are some pictures we took with them.

From Waverley Centre we went to another part of Melbourne to meet some brothers and sisters from the City Centre. It brought back some memories to me as well. One, my younger brother, Anthony accepted Christ in the City Centre. Two, I met Ferry again. Ferry and I met and in the Waverley Centre. However, he later on went to join the City Centre. Three, I used to join City Centre's services occassionally in the past to do skits for their Indonesian Services.

Back to the visit. We went to someone's house and had a great time of fellowship and sharing with Ferry and company. The group was a very joyful group. We laughed a lot during our time together. We showed them the video clip there as well. Below is a picture we took with them.

The next day was Monday. We were leaving Melbourne on Monday evening. On Monday morning, Ferry came a long way from where he lived to the place where we stayed in Melbourne to spend some time together. We had a breakfast and some quality time together in a nearby Milkbar. Ferry's photo is below. Ferry is actually Jorry's elder brother. (Jorry is a key leader in our Indonesian group in Singapore). Can you the resemblace? :)

Both Lean Choo and I really enjoyed getting to know some brothers and sisters in the both centres in Melbourne. I had a good time catching up with some old friends as well. I am really thankful for the big family that God has given me. Wherever I go, in many parts of the world, I can meet people who love God and desire to fulfil His vision for the world. This is indeed is a privilege and joy that God has given me. Thank you, Jesus!

Our Recent Trip to Australia (Part 2)

2007-10-26T11:47:00.000+08:00

This is part 2.

We moved from Brisbane to Gold Coast on Sunday night. We spent the next few days in Gold Coast doing our annual retreat.

Effectively, we only had four days for this retreat. We spent some time playing, planning and praying.

We actually stayed in the same apartment as we did in 2004 when we went to Australia to attend my brother's wedding. What a loyal customer. :)

This was my second trip to Gold Coast. I think it was Lean Choo's third trip. This time I decided to visit one of the worlds as I thought it would be quite strange to go to Gold Coast twice without visiting any of the world at all. :)

Some of our Gold Coast photos are below. Enjoy! :)

The apartment from a distance

The living room with a model from Singapore

This model loves kitchen

The view from the balcony

The Famous Surfers Paradise

I was posing

The Movie World

The Police Academy Stunt Show

Do you like Shrek?

Shrek 4D show was quite cool

That wasn't me

I look thin here

Lean Choo loves flowers

Who poses more convincingly?

A rare couple photo

The painting was large

I am thin in comparison to...

I guess I really like to pose

Our Recent Trip to Australia (Part 1)

2007-10-24T09:52:00.000+08:00

Lean Choo and I are back from our trip to Australia. We left on Thurs, 11 Oct (night) and came back Yesterday (early morning). We went to three places in Australia which are Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne.

We really thank God for giving us a very fruitful trip.

We had three objectives for our trip. Firstly, we would like to build relationships with our brothers and sisters in Hope Brisbane and Melbourne. Secondly, it was a time for our annual retreat. Thirdly, we would like to spend time with my siblings and their families in Melbourne.

As it would be too much to blog everything into a single entry I am going to do it in four parts. I will do this chronologically.

We arrived in Brisbane on Friday (12 Oct) morning. Ps Wenan fetched us in the airport. He drove us to our hotel and then we spent some time together. At night we had dinner with Ps Wenan before we joined a student care group (they call it "life group" there).

........................Some scenic views in Brisbane....................

On Saturday we had lunch with some student leaders (mostly unit leaders). At night we had dinner with some brothers and sisters in which some of them are returning/going to Singapore soon.

........Lunch with Sarah, Evelyn, Kelvin, Chia Yen, Han, Joy...

On Sunday morning we joined a young working adult DMM meeting. Then we had a quick lunch before we joined a WFL class (they call it CDS -Christian Development School- there) After the WFL class we attended the afternoon service (for students and young working adults).

In the service, they showed the video clip of our Young Overseas Graduates and Internationals Ministry. We managed to produce the video clip just in time for this trip. We didn't know that Kelly was very popular in Brisbane. People really cheered when they saw her appearing in the video clip. Eugene Chong was quite popular as well. :)

After service, we had dinner with some young working adults before we moved to Gold Coast. After that, Eddy and Boy kindly drove us from Brisbane to Gold Coast.

..................Eddy's young working adults group and us.......

We were really touched by the warmth and hospitality we received in Brisbane. From the time Ps Wenan fetched us in the airport to the time Eddy & Boy drove us to Gold Coast we felt and experienced Brisbane hospitality all the way through. We received many meal treats and they kindly brought us around Brisbane in their cars. This experience has challenged me to up my hospitality level down here in Singapore. Hospitality is indeed one tangible expression of love and care. I believe that sometimes or often we underestimate its power in touching hearts and lives.

Besides hospitality another thing we saw in Brisbane is that the vision was very much alive there. It is so gratifying to see like minded people in other parts of the world. Though we live in different parts of the world we share the same heart beat and passion.

Well, I shall end the part one of this blog entry here. To Ps Wenan and my brothers and sisters in Brisbane, thanks much for everything. We had a great time there with all of you. To my brothers and sisters in Singapore, it was a great trip and it is good to be back. See you around again soon!

6 weird things about me

2007-10-11T01:16:00.000+08:00

from Jasmine Poon's blog. Rules: Each player of the game starts off by writing 6 weird things about themselves before choosing another 6 of their friends to sabotage. People who get tagged needs to write in a blog on their own, 6 weird things about themselves and state the rules clearly.

Below is what Jasmine wrote...
1. I don't like mushroom!
2. I teared throughout the teaching taught by our Hope Founder in 1996
3. I swallowed a chewing gum when i was young and I thought I'm going to die in the next 1 hour!
4. I like Chemistry, my favourite subject!
5. If I have chance, I love to travel to 238 countries in my life time. (I will be very old by then and I need to be super rich)
6. I love cartoon smurfs - a small blue creatures....
Tag : Nel, Lennon, Leanne, Donald, Ps Jeff, Micheal Santoso

6 weird things about me...
1. I read hundreds or even thousands of comics in my childhood.
2. I used to swim for up to 13 times per week at a point of time in my life.
3. One of my uncles was one of my school teachers in the secondary school.
4. I didn't know what the word "study" meant, perhaps until secondary school.
5. My siblings and I attempted to extort from a cousin. The plot was discovered by his mum.
6. My friends and I joined a basketball club and played against a group of girls quite often.
Tag: Eugene Chong, Jasmine Yeo, Desmond Lee, Christine Chean, Shirley Melinda, Daphne Low

Being innovative

2007-10-09T17:19:00.000+08:00

Some time ago I had an opportunity to sit in a very unique cab in Singapore. There were only five of them. The cab driver was a very friendly guy. His cab wasn't attached to any cab company in Singapore, it was privately owned.

The main bulk of his customers were from a shipyard. Basically, there were people living somewhere in the middle of the sea and only came back to the land every 30 days. They would then spend their one day in the land to shop provision for the next cycle of 30 days. The cab driver would drive them for the whole day to get their stuff. As different groups of people come back to the land each day, his business was basically quite good. On top of this type of customers he also accepted private bookings. (If anyone wants his number, I have it)

The cab driver told me that the he way he reasoned things was quite different to other drivers. For example, if many drivers would tell him that a particular location is not good for business he would purposely go there. He reasoned that if nobody wanted to go there there wouldn't have enough cabs in the area.

I found this cab driver to be innovative. He was thinking out of the box.

I believe that in whatever we do in life it is important for us to be innovative. This is especially true for the work of ministry. We need to maintain our freshness. The world out there is competitive and changing very fast. We must do the work of ministry with the spirit of excellence and innovation all the time to stand a chance for progress and growth.

This may be a high call, especially to those who do not consider themselves to be a creative person. But our God is more than willing to give us wisdom when we ask it. He is the Source of all of good things in life. Those who choose to believe in Him and walk in His ways shall receive a greater share of those good things.

Thanks Mr. Cab Driver for reminding me on the importance of being innovative.

A touching moment...

2007-10-02T21:34:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday afternoon, after a prayer meeting, some of us gathered together for a briefing for our upcoming YA event, 13. It was a touching moment for me as I saw the Y, YY, YYY generations working together for a worthy cause.

Indeed, this is a glimpse of the kind of the church that Jesus is building. A kind of church where people do not allow their differences (age, background, personality, etc) to divide them. Rather they decide to complement one another with their unique strengths. This is a kind of church where each member is not interested in exalting their own individual interest but the interest of the Kingdom.

For those who are not familiar with the definitions of Y, YY, YYY in our young adults ministry, here they are:

Y - those who are in their thirties
YY - those who are in their mid twenties and late twenties
YYY - those who are in their late teens and early twenties

That touching moment provides a perfect platform for me to publish in writing what I shared from my heart verbally during a district missions nite on 20 Sep 2007.

I want to be reminded continually that God has put the Y, YY, YYY generations together to accomplish His purpose in our world.

Below is what I shared that night (not a verbatim copy but almost):

Sharing from the heart to the YYY and YY generation:

I am now part of Y generation. One regret that I have is that I didn’t cultivate dilligence in the early part of my life, when I was part of the YYY and YY generation. In fact today I am still cultivating dilligence though I am thankful that I have progressed.

You see, when I was younger I depended too much on my intellect and the grace of God. I am very far away from being genius. But since young I knew, through a test, that my IQ was higher than average. And somehow I depended on it, at least partly, for survival.

I didn’t understand the word “study” perhaps until Secondary School. Even after I understand the word I didn’t study much still, a trend that continued even until my university studies. Thankfully, I somehow repented I think during my last year of my university studies.

One day when I was in Primary 3 or 4 my teacher was so fed up with me as I didn’t do any of my homework at all, a usual habit for me. He commanded me to leave the classroom. I didn’t want to. He dragged me but I held on to one table and then probably to a chair. But he was stronger than me. I was out of the class. I then wandered away to a particular area in the school. I think the teacher was trying to find me. Later on when I came back to class it was another teacher. He was quite nice to me. Perhaps he was scared that I would wander away from school.

In my life I did many stupid things. When Lean Choo and I got married the theme of our wedding was “Only by grace”. Indeed it was only by grace that I survived physically, emotionally and spiritually to get married that day.

Though I have many stories to tell about my mischiefs and grace encounters I do regret wasting my life a little bit by not being a dilligent person.

YYY and YY people, I urge you not to repeat my mistake. Learn from mistake. You are only in your late teens and twenties once. Do not waste it away. Don’t allow the world and your peers to distract you. Invest your life fully into the cause of the church. Live out the purpose and destiny God has for you fully.

YYY and YY people, you know, it is not about me. It is about you.

Many years ago God birthed into my heart a burden. The burden was for me to be in a place in the world where I can find people from various nationalities to win them for Christ, disciple and train them and release them to the various parts of the world to plant churches or contribute in some ways to the church of Jesus Christ.

When I was Singapore, in the early years, I saw a mental picture of a greyish building with many classrooms, a large auditorium with flags of many countries of the world there. Then I saw a mental picture of the map of the world. One picture of this greyish building appeared on the map then it multiplied to many greyish buildings all over the map. There was fire on top of the picture of one greyish building. The fire also multiplied and appeared on other greyish buildings on the map.

I believe this is it. This is the place. Singapore is getting more multinationals by the day. Singapore is an excellent training ground for world missions.

YYY and YY people, indeed, it is about you. In the years to come, some of you will be leaving Singapore to extend the work of God in different parts of the world. Some of you will be in Singapore to strengthen the base. Some of you will be going while some of you will be training and releasing people to go. Some of you will be in Singapore but you will travel quite a bit to support and strengthen our teams out there. Some of you will be in Singapore but you are pumping financial resources to advance God’s work abroad.

That’s your destiny. In the years to come, whether you are a church planter, a full time staff, a pastoral leader, a specialised minister, a marketplace minister we share the same destiny. God has a vision for the world and He wants us to fulfill it. God wants each us to sign up fully for the cause of the greatest corporation in the universe, the church of Jesus Christ.

YYY and YY generation, live out your destiny fully. Invest your life fully to the cause of the church of Jesus Christ. Do not waste your teens and twenties away. Make it count for yourself, God and the Kingdom.

Sharing from the heart to the Y generation:

I have not forgotten you. How can I forget my own generation?

Whatever I spoke about the YYY and YY generation apply to you as well.

But there is one thing that I would like to speak to you about.

I believe that God wants you to be a mentor to the YYY and YY generation.

In a way, you eat a little bit more than salt than them. As such why don’t we invest our lives so that the YYY and YY people can flourish better than us? Why don’t we allow them to learn from our successes and failures so that they will eventually do better than us in all fronts.

In a LC in Kuala Lumpur some years ago a man of God gave a word of prophecy. He prophesied that God is going to use some people who are not apostles to shepherd and raise apostles from those under their care.

The future apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors, specialist ministers and marketplace ministers are among the YYY and YY generation. But many of them need spiritual mentors. Many of them need career mentors. Many of them need life coaches. Many of them need spiritual fathers and mothers. Many of them need friends who have gone a little bit further than them.

Y generation, that’s our calling and destiny. Would you join me to raise the next generation of leaders for the nations?

Let’s live out our destiny fully as well.

Lessons from a broken chair

2007-09-27T12:31:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday, I was sitting on my chair at home. On several occassion I heard a funny sound, perhaps a cracking kind of sound, for several times. I ignored the sound and didn't think of it at all. The time came for me to sit on the chair one last time. I sat on it and the chair broke and gave away completely sending me to the floor with some pain on my buttock.

As I went down I screamed a little bit because of the surprise/shock. Lean Choo was in the house but she ignored me for awhile. After some time she came and told me that she wasn't sure whether it was for real for whether I was just acting, hix, hix.

I learnt some lessons from this "broken chair" incident.

1. Do not ignore warnings

The chair gave me warnings but I ignored it to my own peril.

At times we tend to ignore the warnings of life as well. These warnings can come from God, others, circumstances or our own conscience. If we do this we are doing this to our own peril.

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches." (Revelation 2:17a - NLT)

2. Appearance can be deceiving

Prior to Tuesday I had never imagined that this kind of chair can ever collapse. But appearance can be deceiving. In life, we must look deeper than appearance. There is nothing wrong with good appearance by itself. But is there substance behind the appearance?

Appearance can be deceiving. What looks good is not necessarily good. The opposite is also true.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12 - NIV)

3. Credibility is earned through integrity

I like acting. Nowadays, I do not have much opportunity to act though. However, when I was with Lean Choo I would act from time to time. As such, when the incident happened she didn't know whether I was acting or whether it was for real.

It is just like the story of a boy who cries out "tiger" when there is none. When there is a real tiger and he cries out for help people think that he is fooling around again.

Indeed, credibility is earned through integrity. People would believe in your testimony if you have been consistent and honest in your words and deeds. :)

Does it mean that I have to stop acting? :)

4. It is important to feel secure in life

I know what my wife was thinking of when she saw the incident. She thought that I was heavy. That's why the chair gave way.

But I know that that's not true. The incident had nothing to do with my weight. :) Definitely, it was the chair's fault, not mine.

Good thing that I was secure. I wasn't affected by what Lean Choo thought of me. Praise God, he he.

One broken chair and four life lessons to learn. I guess I can now lay the chair to rest in peace for it has served its purpose and more.

Our Young Overseas Graduates and Internationals Ministry

2007-09-25T19:40:00.000+08:00

Under the large umbrella of Young Adults ministry we have in our midst our Young Overseas Graduates and Internationals Ministry. Currently, this group is of the size of a large care group which is going to birth a new care group soon. Presently, the beautiful people in this group include those from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hongkong and those who studied abroad in places such as Melbourne, Perth and London.

The purposes of this group and ministry is two-fold. Firstly, it is to assist believing young overseas grads and internationals to transit or adjust back to life in Singapore and to working life. Secondly, it is to reach out to their pre-believing friends especially those with of similar background as them.

Three Sundays ago (9 Sep) after service we had our very first Returnee Party. This party was a party on behalf of Hope Singapore to welcome some returnees to our church. Returnees can be defined as those who are moving from one Hope Church to another or those moving from one country to another. We really had a lot of fun together. Members of this group and ministry are really warm and fun loving people.

Besides an informal and fun time, good food and warm fellowship we had the honour of Ps Jeff sharing some words to encourage the returnees. We closed the party by giving Ps Jeff supposedly surprise birthday celebration. Unfortunately, he was too experienced for us to be able to surprise him. We will try again next time. :)

Here is one photo from the party:

Zynne is one of the sisters in the group and ministry. The people in the group love her very much. After spending some months in Singapore she is going to move to Adelaide very soon to work there. Though we are going to miss her a lot we know that God is going to use her to be a blessing there. She is going to join Hope Adelaide and she is going to be our representative there, introducing Hope Singapore and our ministry to the people there.

Zynne....................................................With CN & Christine

Perhaps this is a glimpse of what is to come. People coming in and going out from and to many parts of the world. I believe that this group and ministry will contribute significantly to world missions in the days to come.

I thank God for CN and Christine for leading the group and ministry well. I thank God for every single person in this group and ministry as well. May God continue to add to this group and expand their influence to the furthest parts of the world.

To those who are outside the group and the ministry you can truly help by praying for them and introducing your young overseas grads and international to them. On behalf of them I thank you much in advance. :)

He confirms...

2007-09-19T00:10:00.000+08:00

This year God has been speaking to me a particular word. Interestingly, this word has been repeated by different people through different prophecies in different times in different places (even continents). Indeed, our God is a very consistent God. And to me it feels great to find God speaking to me about the same thing again and again. It gives me assurance that indeed this is what God wants to do in and through my life.

In the ministry front, in the beginning of the year we developed the following acronym:

Faith

Resilient Love

Urban Discipleship

Inspired Outreach

Tarrying in Prayer

CULTURE

This acroynm represents what we feel collectively as AG4 leadership on God's prophetic direction for us for the year 2007.

In our recent church anniversary celebration God used Ps PN's message to bring some assurance in my heart that He indeed wants us to grow our faith and prayer life.

Ps PN's message was about faith. Abraham against all odds believed and became a father of many nations. Indeed, we need to keep believing in God's promises and sovereignty rather than in the magnitude of our challenges. When I look at the accounts of the Gospel I see faith as one huge factor whether somebody is going to receive their miracle.

The testimony of how Hope Bangkok started the church was also shared. During that time they had prayer meeting weekly. God spoke to them and they interceded according to the revelation received. The result was that the church saw God's divine favour upon them week after week. I really believe that many times we really undermine the power of prayer and intercession. We tend to overly rely on our hard work and skills. And when we pray we tend to pray instant prayers instead of labouring in prayers and listening to the Holy Spirit on what we should pray and intercede.

I really believe that as we serve God dilligently, develop our skills and rely on Him fully we will see mighty breakthroughs in our lives and ministries.

Thank you Lord for confirming your prophetic direction again and again. Help us to continue run this race with faith, prayers and great perseverance for we know that our labours shall never be in vain and that the best is yet to come. Amen!

A Fascinating Video Clip

2007-09-10T15:12:00.000+08:00

I just discovered some days ago that I could actually upload a video clip onto my blog.

That's great news. You see, I have in my posession a fascinating video clip.

Some things in life are worthy to be immortalised. In my humble opinion, this video clip is one of them.

The stars of this fascinating video production are Charmaine, Lisa, Esther and the wonderfully tame cheetah. Where am I? Well, somebody must sacrifice to make this clip possible. :)

The moral of the story?

One of them must be that missions and fun can indeed go hand in hand. :)

The Olympia Ultimatum

2007-09-04T20:28:00.000+08:00

The Olympia Ultimatum is our 2nd YA event of the year.

Talking about young adults recently a thought came to me about the existence of three types of young adults in our community. They are simply single y (y), double y (yy) and triple y (yyy). Y people are people like me, those who are in the third division. YY people are those who are in their mid and late twenties. YYY people are those who are in their late teens and early twenties. The common thread? All of us are young adults! Yes! :)

Back to the event. It's so good to see mostly YYY people running the event last Saturday, 01 Sep. May they continue to do more for the Kingdom in the days to come!

The event was meant to start at 2pm. At 2pm+ it rained very heavily. But people prayed and the rain stopped completely around 15 minutes later. We ended being blessed by a cool weather for our event. Praise the Lord!

The event was very interactive and entertaining. Those who were there enjoyed themselves a lot. The game shows we watched on TV or YouTube shifted venue to East Coast Park. Our young adults' creative sparks, enthusiasm, laughters, intelligence and athleticism coloured East Coast Park that fateful Saturday afternoon.

I want to thank Clarence Tan and his team for putting up a very good event for all of us. I have to also mentioned Desmond Lee, the advisor to the committee, one of the YY people involved in the organisation of the event. Guys and gals, if you are reading this, "Good job. Keep up the good work."

Some friends did join us for the event and they enjoyed it. One of them came for service the next day and rededicated his life to the One who loves him a lot.

Below are some photos of the event, courtesy of Lay Lay and her camera.

Enjoy!

I will still believe

2007-08-27T11:14:00.000+08:00

This blog entry is a recent personal reflection of mine.

There are times in our lives where we are surrounded by difficult and seemingly impossible situations. Wherever we turn to we see difficult and seemingly impossible situations. What do we do in such situation? What should we do in such situation?

Yesterday morning, I was reminded of a precious lesson I learnt many years ago. I learnt a new pointer too. The passage is 1 Samuel 30. In this passage, David went through an incredibly difficult situation. He might be justified to react in many ways but he did not. His godly responses were mainly two responses. Firstly, he strengthened himself in God (v. 6). Secondly, He sought the Lord for a solution to his very difficult situation (v. 7-8). In the remaining verses we could see how God honoured David by giving him a mighty victory. Had David responded in other ways he wouldn't have experienced the victory. Had David responded according to his flesh his seemingly impossible situation would have been turned into a truly impossible situation.

This morning, I listened to a particular Indonesian praise & worship song for the first time ever and I was greatly ministered by the song.

Below are the lyrics of the song in English (my translation).

You Work in a Miraculous Way
Jonathan Prawiradi

When I cannot see You
I will still believe
You always know
What You need to do for me

When I feel that You are far away
I will still believe
You always know
The timing to act for me

Chorus:
You work in a miraculous way
My mind can’t fathom it
How You work things out for the good of me who loves You

"Yes Lord, come what may I will still believe. Thanks much for speaking to me afresh in the last two days."

P.S. If you would like to listen to melody of the song you can go to http://ww.kidung.com and look for the following title, "Kau bekerja dengan cara yang ajaib"

God knows better

2007-08-18T11:50:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday night I wrote an e-mail to my lecturer requesting a conversion of the course I am doing from credit to audit. That was the first time that I had ever made such an application in the course of my studies in the Bible College. I decided to do this as I felt that I wouldn't be able to really complete the assignments well and that I had some important ministry and family considerations. I was concerned that ministry would be affected if I spent the time doing the assignments. There were several family matters that I needed to look into as well including getting a flat in a central area. I didn't like the idea of converting the course into audit as it would mean that i would need to retake the subject again next time. But I thought perhaps God was teaching me a lesson about letting go.

On Wednesday I received a reply e-mail from my lecturer. He told me that it was already too late for me to apply for the conversion. If I wanted to I should have done it during the two weeks of lectures some time ago. He told me that if I didn't submit my assignments he would give me F as my grade and this would bring down my overall grade in my transcript. Later on I also learned that this F would not be able to be erased completely from my transcript ever. Now, the big problem was that the due date of the assignments was the next day (Thursday). This was already an extended date for me. And I had 5 assignments to submit having done around halfway for 1 assignment. The gravity of the situation left me with no choice but to apply for an urgent leave for Thursday and Saturday (I work every Saturday) and for a day off next Monday to complete my assignments. Thank God that my lecturer gave me another extension until Monday. After that 3% of my marks would be deducted per day.

On Thursday, I almost completed 2 assignments. I hope to complete them fully by today. Today, I also hope to complete another 1 assignment, make continual progress in another 1 assignment and started to work on my final assignment, a research paper requiring at least 20 sources.

I thought perhaps God wanted to teach me a lesson about letting go. But God knows better than me. It seems that the lesson that God wants to teach and remind me instead is about how He knows better how much I can be stretched. Just when I thought I couldn't stretch further God proved me wrong. I am surprised that I was able to almost complete 2 assignments on Thursday. I am surprised that I have some good momentum to finish the remaining of the assignments. Come Monday, it will be an achievement to complete 4-5 assignments within a stretch of several days.

I do not know what my grade will be but I am very sure it will not be F. I also have the confidence that the ministry and the family matters at hand will not receive F as a grade as well. This is as my God knows better.

I am back from Nairobi...

2007-08-07T10:38:00.000+08:00

I am back in Singapore. The trip to Nairobi, Kenya was most fruitful. I could see the hand of God moving before, throughout and after the trip. Thanks much for those who prayed and interceded for me, Charmaine and Team Nairobi. Please continue to pray for Team Nairobi as often as you can as your prayers can move their mountains.

Li Chuang and Lisa are doing well. God continues to provide for them. The ministry work continues to progress as well. It has been a privilege for me, AG4 district and AWAM to be able to partner with them to advance the Kingdom in Kenya. Li Chuang and Lisa gave us great hospitality during our stay there. They took care of us so well that I was a little bit embarrased by it. They are indeed some of the most giving people I have ever met in my life.

In this trip Charmaine and I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Esther and some time with Pooh. Esther and Pooh were from Hope Bangkok. They are now in Nairobi, Kenya as God gave them a vision for Kenya. I was greatly inspired and encouraged listening to Esther's sharing and testimonies. God gave her a vision for Kenya after she did a 40-day fast, just drinking milk. In the last 6 months things have not been easy for her (also for Pooh) but as she continued to hold on to God's vision and persevered she saw God's provision and intervention. Actually, there is another brother from Hope Bangkok, Kevin. However, he was in Bangkok when we were there. He will be coming back to Nairobi some time soon. Indeed it is most encouraging to see three young adults stepping out from their comfort zones to be involved in the work of missions.

In case you want to see how they look like here are some photos:

Esther and Li Chuang

Charmaine, Esther and I

Pooh (left), Kevin (right) and a friend (centre)

While I was in Nairobi God spoke to me from Ephesians 6 about the reality of the spiritual warfare. God spoke to me in a fresh way that the struggle is indeed not against flesh and blood. My heart was convicted to up prayers and intercession in Singapore both for the work in Kenya and Singapore. If you are from AG4 district and AWAM group and reading this blog entry please join me to pray and intercede regularly for the work of God in Kenya and Singapore. As the struggle is not against flesh and blood we can't fight the battle with our flesh and blood only. We must do all we can humanly possible and pray hard for God to move by His power.

Before I sign off here is one interesting photo. Indeed nothing is impossible for those who believe. Come and talk to me if you want to know the secret behind it. :)

Cheetah and me

Greetings from Dubai

2007-07-28T11:32:00.000+08:00

I am on my way to Nairobi, Kenya to visit Li Chuang and Lisa and some sisters from Thailand. This is going to be my second trip to Kenya in two years. But this time I am travelling alone. Last year I was travelling with four others. I am meeting Charmaine there though. She is flying from Johannesburg. I don't really like to travel alone. But I guess this is a small price to pay in doing God's work.

For my first leg of the trip (Singapore-Dubai) I was allocated a window seat. When I bought the ticket I requested for an aisle seat (I like aisle seat) and I was given a seat number accordingly. However, when I arrived in the airport they changed my seat twice and I ended at a window seat. For some reasons, that particular seat was very cram. That was the down part. The good part was that the person sitting besides me was a nice person. We chatted a little bit asking about each other's trip. She and her husband (in their fifties I think) are from Scotland. They are on the way back to Scotland after a one-month holiday in Australia. I am very happy with myself that I initiated the conversation. I can be a very shy person. To me sitting besides a complete stranger is a completely different ball game as compared to getting to know a new visitor in the service.

Right now I am at Dubai airport for a 10-hour transit. Dubai is really a very busy airport. People are everywhere. Apparently there are quite a number of things we can do here including shopping, eating and going for message. Eugene Phang told me that there is a wireless connection available throughout the airport. He is right. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to write this blog entry.

If you are reading this blog entry I would appreciate your prayers. Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you. I am getting very excited. In my heart I am sensing that something very good is about to happen in Nairobi. Thanks in advance for praying. May the Kingdom advance powerfully in Kenya!

If you want to see the impossible

2007-07-21T01:09:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday I was in the Indonesian service when I believe God gave a rhema word. The rhema word is as follow: "If you want to see the impossible you must grow your faith."

On Wednesday, we had a Leaders Huddle session which was opened to any Christ follower in the district who wanted to come as well. We explored the topic of faith deeper that night. The below is the summary of the lesson.

Faith according to Hebrews 11

"If you want to see the impossible you need to grow your faith."

There is something about believing in God, that makes God willing to pass over a million people just to anoint you. I believe God will always turn out to meet you on a special line if you dare to believe Him. (Smith Wigglesworth)

Some facets of faith from some verses in Hebrews 11:

1. Confident of God’s power and promises (v. 1)

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

* Things that we can’t see can be as real and better than the things that we can see. However, as we can’t see it, it requires faith for us to believe its reality and goodness.

* Part of that growth in faith is to believe that we are a supernatural being and that we are to live a supernatural life.

A supernatural life is simply living our life in the realm of faith and not in the realm of sight. A supernatural life is simply living our life with God’s power, wisdom and promises to accomplish His purposes.

2. Perceives the divine design (v. 3)

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

How can we apply this in our life and ministry?

* I believe the word therefore I experience the reality of the word

* We need to be careful not to modify our theology or belief based on our experience or lack of experience.

3. Acts on God’s promises (v. 8-22)

“8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.”

4. Esteem Christ above all (v. 24-26)

"24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward."

5. Overcome tremendous odds (v. 29-38)

“29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”

Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials. (Smith Wigglesworth)

Conclusion

"Lord, please grow our faith! Amen!"

Reference

1. Personal Bible Study by Thomas Nelson Publishers

Guarding My Heart

2007-07-16T11:53:00.000+08:00

The last several weeks have been quite intense for me. As part of my Bible College program I took an intensive 2-week course in the last week of June and in the first week of July. We started the course with the introduction of the course syllabus and by the end of the second week we needed to hand in an assignment. It was a group assignment thus as a group we faced a challenge of merging 4 different opinions and working styles. The remaining of the assignments are due this week and in the next few weeks.

In the last three weeks Lean Choo and I have also been spending time with my brother, his wife and our second nephew from Australia and on a separate occassion with my cousin from Indonesia who just came to Singapore to study. We had a great time with them. This week some relatives are coming from Indonesia. Next week my sister and her family are coming from Australia. It seems that we are really becoming an international family.

On Saturday afternoon I attended NG12 Male Group Shepherding or rather NG12 Cool Hunks Gathering? Unfortunately, I had to leave half way as I needed to preach in the Indonesian Service. I asked for the guys to pray for me as I struggled with the lack of time to prepare for the sermon. They guys prayed for me readily. That was brotherhood. I struggled a little bit with my sermon delivery but I was surprised by the responsiveness of the people in the service to the preaching. I really believe that God answered their prayers. Thanks a lot, bros. (you know who you are) Next time, it's my turn to pray for you.

When I look at my schedule for the next two and half months I have to take some deep breaths. Besides having to submit my assignments, making a trip to Kenya and doing some other things I noted 2 interesting 3-week stretch. In Aug, I will be preaching for 3 consecutive Saturdays. In Sep, I will have the privilege to solemnise and share the message for three couples for 3 consecutive Saturdays.

In the the midst of this busyness I was recently reminded of this important exhortation from the Word (Prov 4:23 - NIV):

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

When we are tired, stretched and under a lot of pressure we may allow certain character flaws to manifest that we wouldn't allow under normal circumstances.

Through my personal experiences there are some character flaws that we need to guard our hearts against whenever we are in those pressure cooker situations.

*Unkindness

We can be unkind, impatient and rude to others in those times. We feel that we have the right to do these things because of the difficult situation we are in.

* Pride

When we are busy doing many things we can develop a false sense of self importance, "I am doing many things therefore I am important."

* Self Pity

When we are overwhelmed by things we can have a pity party with ourselves, "Why must it be me all the time? Why am I the only one doing these things? Why aren't others sharing my loads?"

The last few weeks have been intense. The next 2 and half months are going to be intense too. It is time that I am more conscious and deliberate in guarding my hearts against those character flaws.

I must guard my heart for it is the wellspring of life.

"Dear God, please help me and I shall be helped. Amen!"

NG12 Band of Brothers

2007-07-10T21:03:00.000+08:00

The guys in NG12 sub district have been having their monthly macho gatherings since May this year. It is great to see men coming together to have fun together and to spur one another on to become all that God makes them to be.

Here are some photos from the gatherings.

In case you are wondering, Kam Weng and Ronald were special guests in the gatherings.

The next gathering will be this Saturday, 2-4pm at Marc Ong's house in Queenstown.

The dates of the remaining gatherings for this year are below.

Thurs, 9 Aug

Sat, 8 Sep

Sat, 13 Oct

Sat, 10 Nov

Sat, 8 Dec

NG12 sisters, please don't disturb the guys on those dates, okay? :)

Having said that, do keep NG12 guys in prayers. They are going to be a great blessing to many brothers and SISTERS in many countries of the world.

And the sisters say...

My Celebrity Vocal Teachers

2007-06-28T14:03:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, some of us from church office went for "Voice Spa" workshop. The instructors of the course were Jessica Seet and Vernetta Lopez. Jessica used to be a radio broadcaster and the voice behind SIA's flight announcement. Vernetta Lopez is doing many things currently including acting and radio broadcasting.

This is my first time having celebrities as my teachers. I was a little bit overwhelmed by that fact. I was relatively quiet in the class. I could have asked some questions. I could have interacted more with them. I could have been a better SOWer. Instead, I was only a very ordinary and well-behaved student. :)

Well, there may be a second chance for me, if I sign up for the intermediate program, perhaps some time next year.

Both Jessica and Vernetta facilitated the workshop very well. They were definitely qualified teaching the workshop with the wealth of knowledge and experiences they had accumulated on the topic. The class had great fun learning some practical skills to protect and blossom our voices. We even made an interesting voice pledge at the end of the session which includes "I promise to play with my voice everyday."

Though I was a little overwhelmed by the experience thankfully I still had my wisdom and sanity. As it is not everyday that I have celebrities as my teachers I took the opportunity to take photo with them.

And just in case anyone is wondering about it, "yes, I have my wife's permission and support to take the photo."

UNPLUGGED at Jazz@Southbridge

2007-06-25T21:14:00.000+08:00

Finally, it came to pass. Our first Gen-Y event came into being with the birth of UNPLUGGED at Jazz@Southbridge on Sat, 23 June, 6-9pm.

We can only thank God for the overwhelming response to the event. When we chose the venue we knew that the maximum capacity of the venue was 80 people. As such we decided not to make the event a replacement of CG but a big SOW event instead. Those who had friends coming could bring them to the event. The publicity was released around 2 weeks before the event and we knew that we would have limited time to invite due to our Adults Camp in between.

On the day before the event the confirmation was around 60-70 people. But on the day itself, in the morning, I received a sms from Priscilla that we had 105 people and more were streaming in. We had a very good problem to solve. One solution was to turn away 25 people. But God gave Priscilla wisdom. She spoke to the manager of the venue and an arrangement could be made. Lean Choo however needed to sms the leaders to unfortunately stop inviting. This is the first time that we actually had to turn down visitors to join our event. :)

The night was an enjoyable night for many people. Juices and light snacks were supplied. The band led by David did a great job. The hosts were warm, funny and engaging. Our budding singers sang well with one singer truly shone that night. We were in our small groups interacting with our friends by playing some board/card games or just simply chatting. Nearing to the end of the event the band boldly sang one last song, a familiar song, "Love You So Much" by Hillsong. This was the only Christian song sung that night.

UNPLUGGED represents a fresh approach towards outreach. An informal night with clean fun and good music. This reminded me of two things. The first one is about Bill Hybels' parties. (Bill Hybels is the author of the book "Just Walk across the Room") From time to time Bill would organise some parties in his house. The party is informal and he would pray for some meaningful conversations to happen as sinners and redeemed sinners huddle in small groups interacting informally, with some food and drink around, of course. The second one is about a live band playing in an open space near Esplanade some months ago. Some of us were there listening to the band playing for awhile. They sang and played extremelly well. Just when we were about to leave we heard the tune and lyrics of a very familiar song, "Give Thanks". Suprisingly, the people stayed listening to the song. I believe that after singing and playing the other songs so well they earned the right to sing that song. I believe that these two things, informal parties facilitating the blossoming of genuine friendships and earning the right to speak the message, would be keys in the work of outreach in urban world.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Priscilla and team for doing a great job anchoring the event and making it into a wonderful reality. I applaud you for the team work, creativity, freshness and courage. I applaud you for singing that song at the end. I guess after playing and singing beautifully you earned that right to sing it to the audience, whoever they might be. :)

I believe that this is just the beginning. There are much more things that God has in store for us. Young adults in Singapore has bright hope and future for their counterparts in AG4 Hope Singapore dare to make a difference for Jesus. May God guide us on the next steps to take and continue to pour His favour upon us.

Below are some photos of the cool night taken using my humble phone. I am waiting for more photos to come my way.

Adults Camp 2007

2007-06-21T15:40:00.000+08:00

In a blink of an eye the camp was over. It was a great camp as many people were really blessed by it.

God gave me a surprise by fulfilling my camp wish in the first night of the camp. Now, I am anticipating greater suprises in life after camp.

My action point from the camp is to push myself harder in the different things that I do. As I apply this action point I have started seeing my productivity improving. I am now accomplishing more things with the same amount of time. I will definitely continue to apply my action point as I am excited about growing in Christ.

Below are some random photos related to the camp. Perhaps I should have taken more photos. That would be my action point for the next camp. By the way, I stole one photo from Ps Jeff's blog. But they are my family members in the first place. :)

Dear loved ones in AG4 family

2007-06-18T16:10:00.000+08:00

Lean Choo and I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU for the LoVe, SURPRISE gift and KIND words we received on Sunday. We are deeply touched by it.

THANK YOU so much.

It has been a joy and blessing to know all of you. You are very special and dear to us.

For those who missed my singing (thanks for bearing with my voice :) ) here are the words of the song for you.

I believe YOU can fly
I believe YOU can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
YOU spread YOUR wings and fly away (within the Kingdom :) )
I believe YOU can soar
I see YOU running through that open door
I believe YOU can fly
I believe YOU can fly
I believe YOU can fly
(Adapted from “I believe I can fly” by R. Kelly)

I really meant what I sang, every single word of it. I really believe that you can soar up REALLY high with God.

The song is also a token of our love and appreciation for each one of you.

Lean Choo and I are going to attend some vocal lessons. Perhaps one day we can sing this song (the full version) accompanied by a guitar for all of you, he he

We want to thank God that many of us had a great camp experience in Malacca. We pray that God will move powerfully in and through our lives this week even as we apply our action and learning points. For those who couldn’t make it for the camp, we will share the good things with you.

Once again, thanks guys, you are the best!

With much love,

Michael & Lean Choo

My Camp Wish

2007-06-12T23:09:00.000+08:00

This week I have been listening to one song again and again.

I found the song to be very ministering.

The title of the song is "I'm Forever Yours" by planetshakers, a praise & worship band from Australia.

The lyrics of the song is as below:

I'm Forever Yours

I give my all to you

Send me and

i will go for you

To the ends of the earth

I'll follow after you

I want the world to know

Your love endures forever

Tell me and i'll obey

This is far greater than sacrifice

Trusting you and not myself

Will always lead to blessing

Lord have your way in me

Not my will, yours be done

Here i stand within your presence

Longing for your touch

A thousand days cannot compare

To one day in your courts

Hold me now and never ever let me go

My jesus, my precious saviour

I'm forever yours

I will worship you forever

I will worship you

The chorus of this song, "Here i stand within your presence, Longing for your touch, A thousand days cannot compare to one day in your courts" echoes my heart desire for the upcoming camp.

In the past several months God has been speaking to me about intimacy with Him and personal worship.

I long to worship God deeply in the camp. That's my prayer.

I hope this song will be sung in the camp. That's my camp wish.

Maximising Our Camp Experience

2007-06-10T13:25:00.000+08:00

Last night I visited Christine Chean's care group meeting. Christine wasn't there as she was overseas. It was good to see the younger believers rising up to the occassion to anchor the care group meeting.

The focus of the care group meeting was to prepare the people for our upcoming Adults camp in Melaka. Each person shared their camp personal goal, what they want to receive from God in the camp. The goals were written down on a large sheet of paper. I understand that the paper is going to travel to Melaka to remind them on their goals.

NG11A1 care group, me and their camp goals

Talking about camp below are some pointers that I have learned along the years on how we can maximise our camp experience.

1. Before the Camp: Preparation & Consecration

· Cleanse ourselves from sins (Psalms 24:3-4)

· Stir our desire & hunger for God (Matthew 5:6, 2 Kings 4:1-7)

· Set a personal goal (Direction, healing, deliverance, provision, restoration, refreshment, revival, victory, etc)

However, do be open with what God wants to speak and do in ourlives even if it is contrary with our goals.

2. During the Camp: Concentration

It is up to us whether this camp will be a tent of meeting where we experience God in a close and personal way just like Moses did. (Exodus 33:7-11)

· Cut away all possible distractions as best as you know how

(Handphone, TV, newspaper, unnecessary late nites, constant burden & worries, etc)

· Increase your focus toward God by:

* Fasting (Fasting shows desperateness before God. It is our personal decision with God whether we want fast and how intense it is going to be. Fasting is not necessarily food abstinence)

* Discipline our mind to focus on God and the things of God

We should not allow our mind to wander around and to worry about what is happenning outside the camp. We need to remember that God is in control. If there is an emergency God can take care of it or alert us of it. If we have committed everything to God and do our part the best we can we should then allow His peace to rule our hearts.

3. After the Camp: Penetration & Application

After the camp, take time to meditate and reflect.

Paul had some time to reflect and meditate on his encounter with God allowing the experience to penetrate deep into his heart during the days he was temporarily blinded. (Acts 9:8-9)

Some Practical tips:

· Draw up concrete application points before the camp ends and apply them immediately

· If we can afford it take one day off after the camp if not set apart the Monday or Tuesday night after the camp

* Revise the camp materials (Review what God had spoken to us in the camp)
* Let it penetrate/sink into our minds and hearts
* Spend time talk to God about it

I want to maximise my camp experience.

My personal camp goal? Well, I want to laugh with others and God during those four days. Laughing with others to me signifies a quality time with people. Laughing with God to me signifies close and personal moments with God.

Good News

2007-06-08T03:14:00.000+08:00

Many people have been a blessing to my life.

Today I want to remember some of them. Next month I want to remember some others.

Eugene Phang - Somebody said that he was like the road runner character as he was very efficient. Well, this is definitely true. But let us not forget that he is also a nice guy. He has a pastoral heart coupled with a mind of wisdom.

Lean Choo - She is a very supportive person. One of the most supportive you can ever find in the planet. Her love for people are very evident and she is fun to be with. She loves to pray and worship as well. She makes a very good prayer leader and I know that one day she will make a very good worship leader as she continues to work on her voice. Btw, she is also a great and wonderful wife.

Cui Qin - I keep telling her that she is a very stable lady. That remains true. But I have noticed that she is getting trendier and more contemporary as well. Cui Qin exemplifies what availability is about. I see her as a great shepherd of new generation of leaders. I am excited to see great leaders emerging from under her wings.

Chiew Fang - She is a teachable lady. She is a gentle lady. She is a pastoral leader. These are what people see of her generally. But I also see her as a very determined person. Yesterday somebody said that she looked like the pink panther character. Owing to her determination I know that one day she is going to be a super panther for the Kingdom, regardless of her skin colour. :)

Priscilla - When I got to know her better in 2005 she blew me away by her creativity. She is one of the most creative person around. People have been blown away (positively) by her super sanguine personality and her lame jokes. She gives people fun and laughters. But now that I know her even better I say that she is also a very good girl. She has a kind heart. She is the female version of Patch Adams. She is going to be a very strong pillar in the Kingdom.

Desmond Lee - This guy has a charisma. This guy loves people. This guy writes amusing and inspiring sentences. A new genre in writing. It has been great knowing this brother. God has created him to be a joy carrier and an influencer. The best thing is that he just started. He will just shine brighter and brighter in the days to come. I will be there in the front seat, watching.

Jasmine Yeo - If Eugene Phang is road runner she would be the worthy competitor of that character. She is one real efficient lady. She is a lady with much insights as well. She loves people very much and exercises both tough and tender love, both truth and grace. We need more people like her in the world to make it a better one. It has been a blessing knowing her and I know that God is going to show her greater things in a not too distant future.

For those who are reading this blog entry I hope that this entry is good news to you. It is definitely good news to me.

They didn't think so

2007-06-05T07:47:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, the church staff went for a family time together at Labrador Park. It was my first time there. We had a good time of eating, fellowshipping and doing things together.

That day we played one game that required us to think of a character or a celebrity that represented us as a person. I thought of Tony Leung. Personally, I do not consider him as a very handsome actor. But I do admire his acting talent. I chose him as I thought there were some similarities in our facial features (e.g. small eyes). I also chose him because I enjoyed acting.

But sadly, they didn't think so. :(

Note: Tony's photo is taken from http://gfx.filmweb.pl/p/31739/po.81269.jpg

His Name is Titus

2007-05-30T14:59:00.000+08:00

Yesterday evening, Lean Choo, I, Agung and Merlyn went to the airport as our sister, Melia, is leaving to Melbourne together with her husband, Daniel, and their baby boy, Titus. They are going to be there for around one year.

Some of Daniel's family members were also there. It was great to see Hong Teck with his entire family there as well. Both sets of natural family and one set of spiritual family were present for the occassion.

Anyone present yesterday could notice that the star of the night was Titus.

This boy won people's hearts by his cuteness and smile. People were busy playing with him, taking his photo or video clip. Hopefully, his parents did not feel neglected. :)

On the way back home we had the opportunity to talk to Daniel's brother. We talked about many things including Titus. We talked about how Titus would be very different when we see him again. Actually, one part of me wants Titus to remain as he is while another part of me wants him to grow. :)

Through yesterday's happenning God reminded me of something very important. The next time I see Titus he will be a different boy as he will have grown. This is normal and expected. However, the next time I see Titus will I be a different person as I will have grown as well? Indeed, it is God's desire to see me growing continually. The end point is to be like Jesus. There is a long way to go to reach that point.

Indeed, time flies. I am already in the third division. Through these years I have noticed that change and growth do not happen automatically. If I was lazy 10 years ago I can still be lazy today. Indeed, time alone doesn't heal bad habits or characters.

As I am already in the third division I do feel a greater sense of urgency to see more changes and growth in some areas of my life. And if I really want to see more changes and growth more changes on habits and lifestyle will be required as well.

A Scripture came to my mind:

"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22 - NIV)

Am I distracted? Or, am I focus? Am I distracted by the thorns of life? Am I distracted by the urgent and trivial matters of life? Or, am I focus on the truly important things?

I thank God for giving me a great nephew. He is surely cute. And recently, he also reminded me to grow along with him.

And by the way, his name is Titus.

A Happy Day

2007-05-26T14:25:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday was a happy day for me for two good reasons.

Firstly, there was a historical moment in the world of tennis. Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal on Hamburg ATP Masters final on CLAY.

In order to help those who do not follow tennis let me give you a crash course of this wonderful game.

Tennis tournaments are played on three surfaces, clay, grass and cement (hard court). Roger Federer is the reigning no 1 player in the world. Rafael Nadal is the no 2. Federer is the king of grass while Nadal is the king of clay. Nadal had not been beaten on clay for 81 matches until last Sunday. Federer had never beaten Nadal on clay until last Sunday.

Few people thought that Federer could do it as he had not been in a good form in the weeks prior to the tournament and the final. On the other hand, Nadal was in the form of his life. But this is what champions do, they bounce back from their difficulties, they overcome all odds.

I was watching the match on Sunday. Federer was losing in the first set. Honestly, I felt quite scared about it and decided to switched to other channels hoping that the situation would be different when I switched back. Some time later I switched back and Federer was still losing. I switched to other channels again. Some time later I switched back again and there I saw Federer turning the situation around. I then continued to watch. Federer eventually defeated Nadal for the first time (on clay) by a big margin.

I learned two lessons from Federer. One, you just have to keep trying. Two, your breakthrough can come in the midst of impossibilities.

That is the first reason why last Sunday was a happy day for me.

The second reason (but definitely not the lesser one) is that last Sunday five people from the AG4 & AWAM groups decided to get wet for Jesus. Seeing people going through water baptism always warms my heart. Especially, when they are people I know.

My congratulations to Handoko, Irene, Klien, Angela and Pei Yang. I praise God for all of you. I trust that as you have taken this step of obedience the blessings of God will come upon your lives in a greater measure.

I really thank God for last Sunday. It was indeed a happy day.

Note: I took Federer's photo from the ATP official website. I took the water baptism photos from Wong Kam Weng's official camera. I hope to be able to upload more water baptism photos soon. For those who have Irene, Pei Yang and Handoko's water baptism photos please do a good deed by sending them to me. :)

A Powerful Testimony from Hope Manila

2007-05-23T23:40:00.000+08:00

This year I spent Easter in Manila, Phillipines. It was indeed a privilege to be able to participate and minister in their camp.

Eugene Phang joined me for part of my trip. We had a great time there.

The experience and exposure has caused me to grow quite a fair bit. I learned valuable lessons and humbled by what God can and will do when His children choose to step out by faith.

There are many things that I can write about my experiences there. However, presently I just would like to pen down one testimony. This testimony is so powerful that it never fails to encourage my heart whenever I think of it.

Hope Manila has been renting a venue for their service, activities and office space for some years now. The venue can be divided into three areas. The first area is a big hall that can contain around 400-500 people, theatre style. Outside the hall there is this large outdoor space that can be used for all kinds of activities including basketball and volleyball. This is the second area. The third area is an office space that can contain around 8 people.

The owner of the place is a committed Christian from another church. In the beginning, he was asking for 80,000 peso per month for the rental of the venue. That's around $2500 per month. I think that's a quite reasonable pricing. It would definitely costs a lot more in Singapore for such a venue.

Over the years however the price kept going down. From time to time the owner would call and said, "I have been praying and the Holy Spirit told me to reduce the price". This kept happenning that right now they are only paying 10,000 peso per month. That's only around $300. Men, with that kind of pricing we can only rent a small room without an air conditioner in Singapore .

Some time ago the church went through a difficult time. Some people left the church. Many of the high income earners belong to this group. Consequently, the collection of the tithe and offering dropped significantly. But God is faithful. Soon after, the owner of the place unexpectedly called the church and said, "I have been praying and the Holy Spirit told me..."

This testimony truly speaks of the faithfulness of our God in providing for His people. As we take care of the house of God, as we take care of the people of God, God will surely take care of our needs. Our God is indeed our Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider!