Central Christian Church Campus Ministry

Hope

2009-03-23T13:02:00.001+08:00

Dear Campus,

Just read a note made by an Indonesian sister, Wulan, who is a diplomat in Frankfurt. She represented the Indonesian Embassy there n has been living in lots of countries before. She is also a strong disciple and her aunt just got baptisted in Indonesia. Think it's just interesting to see a part of her life journey to learn that our situation now is not so bad compared to the old days, and when we fight we'll get through. (provide the original text for the Indonesians :P).

Berapa dari kita, karena situasi dan realita hidup yang menekan kemudian menjadikan kita orang yang sarkastik, pesimis, penuh kemarahan, penyesalan, sakit hati, dan akhirnya menjadi kehilangan harapan? Dan itulah yang terjadi ketika jiwa kehilangan harapan. Itulah kematian jiwa sebenarnya yang menjadikan hidup kita secara fisik juga semakin menderita.

Today, I am reminded of how important to keep on hoping, despite of circumstances looks like or seems to be.

Kadang aku mendengar beberapa teman membanggakan siapa teman-teman mereka waktu sekolah atau darimana mereka sekolah atau keluarga mereka siapa….. Aku? Ketika aku pulang ke Solo beberapa tahun lalu setelah cukup lama merantau di jakarta, ibuku dengan bangga bercerita telah bertemu teman SDku yang bernama Sukinem, di pasar induk, sedang berjualan tempeh dan beranak tiga. Ehemm… Sekarang itu menjawab bukan, kenapa tak satupun teman SD dan SMPku di Solo dapat kutemukan di Facebook. Mungkin seperti Sukinem, teman-temanku entah hidup sebagai buruh di pasar, atau jualan martabak di Pasar jongke, jangankan berharap ber facebook.

Aku masih ingat masa-masa remajaku dengan keadaan ekonomi yang sulit dna menekan. Kalau dikalkulasi dengan realita sekelilingku, aku seharusnya tidak berada dalam posisiku sekarang ini.
Lalu apa yang membuat keadaanku dan Sukinem berbeda? Harapan.

Ayahku memiliki kelebihan dalam menanamkan Harapan ke masing-masing dari anaknya dengan caranya sendiri. Aku ingat ayahku ingin setiap anaknya bisa berbahasa inggris. Padahal ayahku, yang sekolah SDpun tidak lulus tapi hobi nonton film-film barat Ketika ia tidak mampu membeli kamus bahasa Inggris, karena tak berpenghasilan (ayahku menganggur sejak bangkrut toko bukunya di Widuran sewaktu banjir besar terjadi di solo pada tahun 60an), maka ia mengambil kamus dari perpustakaan kotamadya dan mencatat semua kata-kata dalam bahasa inggris untuk dilatih menghapalkan ke delapan anak2nya...setiap hari, agar tidak berakhir seperti dia.

Harapan pula yang menyebabkan --- walaupun kondisi sekelilingku menyuruhku untuk berhenti berpengharapan ---- setelah kuliah S1ku kelar aku berupaya meminta rekomendasi untuk dapat mengambil kuliah lagi sastra atau untuk aplikasi beasiswa S2 di Jakarta atau di Inggris, tetapi ditolak mentah-mentah oleh salah satu dosenku di FKIP, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Aku ingat cemoohannya, bahwa aku seharusnya melihat realita dan tidak banyak bermimpi. Salah satu temanku SDpun yang aku ajak curhat, malahan juga mencemooh dan mengatakan bahwa aku tidak usah berharap terlalu tinggi sebagai perempuan, dan mengingatkan aku untuk tetap tinggal di Solo, dan mengajar di salah satu sekolah SMA atau SMP saja. Itu lebih realistis dengan keadaan ekonomi keluargaku, daripada bermimpi untuk sekolah lagi.

Cemoohan itu memang menyakitkan dan datang silih berganti, tetapi tidak membuat harapan yang ada dalam hatiku lumpuh. Aku terus maju, bersama harapan yang aku miliki, mencari dosen lain yang mau memberikan rekomendasi untuk kuliahku dan terus mencoba mengirim aplikasi beasiswa S2 yang diumumkan di koran termasuk ke Leeds University, Inggris dan juga aplikasi kuliah S2 di Universitas Jakarta. Keduanya memang aku tidak berhasil diterima, tetapi, akhirnya aku memperoleh pekerjaan dan beasiswa kuliah S2 di Universitas Indonesia dan selesai pada tahun 2001.
Kenapa aku ceritakan ini? Realita sekeliling kita kadang-kadang tidak selalu mendukung harapan kita. Dalam sharingku diatas, aku memiliki keinginan baik untuk sekolah lagi, tetapi belum tentu sekelilingku menyetujuinya, bahkan memberi restupun tidak , yang ibaratnya gratis. What is the loss anyway? Apakah upaya-upaya yang kulakukan langsung berhasil? Tidak juga.

Bagi banyak orang, apabila kegagalan, dan kegagalan terus yang didapatkan, sangat mudah tergoda untuk menyerah, kapok dan berhenti. Dan kegagalan-kegagalan itu mungkin terjadi dalam studi, karir, hubungan, kerohanian dst,. Menyerah adalah pilihan yang mudah dan banyak dipilih orang.
Namun, aku memilih tidak menyerah sebagai jawabannya. Walaupun harga yang dibayar tidak murah dan tidak gampang. Perlu kemauan dan tekad untuk merubah diri juga agar sesuai harapan. Harapan membuat hidup menjadi hidup karena tidak menyerah pada realita.

Aku terinspirasi beberapa pengalaman orang-orang yang terus berpengharapan dan termuat dalam Alkitab;
1. Paulus dan Silas berdoa dan menyanyikan pujian pada Allah di dalam penjara, dengan kaki dibelenggu. Keadaan yang menyakitkan, sulit diterima pikiran untuk tetap bersukacita, kecuali mereka memiliki harapan pada Allah. (Kisah para Rasul 16: 25)
2. Daniel dan 2 temannya (Sadrach, Mesakh dan Abednego) dibakar dalam tungku pemanas oleh Raja Nebukadnezzar sebagai hukuman karena percaya pada Allah dan tidak menyembah dewa, tetapi tetap terus percaya dan berpengharapan pada Allah (Daniel 3: 14-18)
3. Jusuf yang dibuang dan dijual saudara-saudaranya sebagai budak, dikhianati, dilupakan, dianggap mati oleh ayahnya dan dipenjara, tetapi tetap setia dnengan baik dalam pekerjaan-pekerjaannya selama masa penjara itu karena pengharapan pada Allah ( Kejadian 37-41)

My point is harapan itu penting dan harus tetap ada dalam setiap jiwa, karena hidup tanpa harapan, adalah kematian. Mungkin saat ini, kita terjebak dalam keadaan seperti orang lumpuh di tepi kolam Bethesda, tetapi attitude jiwa kita jangan pernah lumpuh…karena bila waktunya tiba, harapan itu menjadi kenyataan…Keep hopeful..and have a cheerful heart. Have a Great Sunday….

Renunganku , Frankfurt, 22 April 2009

How many of us, because of depressing life situations and realities, becoming a sarcastic, pesimistic, full of anger, regret, heart ache ,and finally lose hope? That is what happened when our soul lose hope. That is the real death of soul that makes our lives suffer more.

Today, I am reminded of how important to keep on hoping, despite of circumstances looks like or seems to be.

Sometimes I hear how some of my friends boast about who their schoolmates were or where they went to school or who are their relatives. Me...? When I went back to Solo (a city in Central Java, Indonesia) a few years back after I stayed so long in Jakarta, my mom proudly said that she met my primary school friend Sukinem, in the traditional market, selling tempe (soya bean product like tofu) and have 3 kids. Well... that answers why, none of my primary or sec school friends can't be found in facebook. Maybe like Sukinem, my friends live either as a rough worker in the traditional market, selling traditional pancakes in Jongke Market, don't expect them to even know what facebook is.

I still remembered my teenage years at depressing economy time. If you see the reality around me, I am not supposed to be where I am now.
So what makes my condition and Sukinem's different? Hope.

My dad has the ability of planting hope to each of his children in his own way. I recalled how my dad wants each of his kids to speak English. He didn't even pass primary school education but love to watch english movies. When he couldn't buy english dictionary, coz he didn't have any income (my dad was jobless since his bookshop was bankrupt during the big flood in Solo at the 60's), he borrowed a dictionary from the regional library and wrote all the english words to train his 8 kids memorized all of them... everyday, so we wouldn't end up like him.

Hope also that caused - though the situation told me to quit hoping - after I got my degree, I tried to get recommendation so I could further my study in literature, applied for scholarship in Jakarta or England, but obtain full rejection in my face by one of my prof in my uni in Solo. I remembered his mocking, to see the reality and not to daydream. I told my primary school friend about it, and he/she also mocked me and said I shouldn't have too high hope as a girl, and reminded me to stay in Solo, and just teach in one of the high school or sec school. It's more realistic for my family's economic condition, compared to having a dream for gradschool.

Discouragement was painful and it always came all the time, but it didn't paralyze the hope in my heart. I kept moving forward, with the faith I had, looking for another prof that was willing to give me recommendation and kept applying any master degree scholarship in newspaper, including to Leeds Uni, England and also Uni of Jakarta. I didn't get accepted at both, but finally I got a job and a scholarship for master degree in Uni of Indonesia and finished my master in 2001.

Why I told you about all this? The reality in our surrounding sometimes doesn't support our hope. In my sharing above, I wanted to further my study, but no one helped me or even gave me encouragement, though giving encouragement was effortless. Did all my efforts successful? Not really.

For most people, when you fail, and you keep on failing, it's tempting to give up and stop. Those failures may happened in your study, career, relationship, spirituality, etc. Giving up is an easy choice a lot of people take. But I choose to not give up thought the price is not cheap and not easy. It takes strong will to change yourself to be what you hope to be. Hope makes you alive coz you don't give up to reality.

I am inspired by some people in the Bible who kept their hope high:
1. Paul and Silas prayed and praised God in the prison, with chained legs. It's painful, and it's not rational to keep being joyful, except if they had hope in God (Acts 16:25)
2. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego burnt alive in fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar as a punishment for believing in God and not praising idol, but kept to have faith and hope in God (Dan 3:14-18)
3. Joseph, abandoned and sold by his brothers as a slave, betrayed, forgotten and considered die by his dad and prisoned, but kept being faithful with good deeds during his prison times because of his hope in God (Gen 37-41)

My point is it's important to have hope in our soul, because life without hope is death. Maybe right now, we're stuck like the disabled in the pool of Bethesda, but never let our soul paralyzed.. cause when the right time has come, hope will become reality.. Keep your hope ..and have a cheerful heart. Have a great Sunday..

The Making of a Right Relationship with God - Humility

2009-02-25T11:14:00.003+08:00

A little something I read for my quiet time today that absolutely pierced me. I feel broken about my pride and am a lot more aware now of the life that I've been leading.

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"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." Philippians 2:3

Case Study: Katie Brazelton - Having been duly Humbled.

I remember my cocky attitude many years ago when I was a director of public relations for a very profitable, publicly held company. It was my heyday of wearing expensive clothes and costly jewelry, and being treated well by my employer -- financially and emotionally. I was in the inner circle of those few who got invited to the owner's home for Christmas parties. I had arrived! I think what I loved most about that job was that my opinion counted; I had a voice. The problem was that I wasn't embarrassed to brag about my good fortune. Then, in the blink of an eye, a corporate reorganization occurred as the company was being positioned for sale, and I was "on the streets" looking for a job with many other coworkers.

It was about that time that someone called me vapor-ware. It was one person's unique way of saying that I only had vapor in the personal Tupperware of my life, that I had nothing to offer. My heart sank. I was humiliated! I knew that statement was not true, but it hurt me deeply to realize that someone that someone thought that poorly of me. What I learnt that day was that cruel humiliation is not God's way, only man's way. What I decided to do about the unkind remark was life-changing. I went on a personal quest to "get real" and fill my plastic life with Christlike substance. I'd say that God used the layoff from a pride-producing job, as well as the humiliating comment, to get my attention and cause me to want to work on building more of him, more humility into my life. For that, i will be eternally grateful.

So, how does one go about becoming humble? Does it require coming from humble circumstances? Or being mortified? Should we endure slander from helping the accused? Or be self-deprecating? All these ways could just easily produce anger, self-righteousness, vengeance, pride, and/or depression.

Humility is a natural result of having an accurate view of who God is and having the right perspective of who you are in relation to Him. Truly humble people compare themselves not with people but with Christ. They realize their sinfulness and understand their limitations.

On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs. A truly humble person will serve God in any capacity, even if he/she doesn't feel particularly gifted in that area. What about the person who dutifully shows up every week to sharpen the podium pencil? Is that person truly gifted in pencil sharpening?? No, she knows that the job needs to be done and doesn't feel that she is above that task or think she should conserve her energy for something more attuned to her talents. How often, hen a church ministry is seeking volunteers, do we hear, "That's not my area of giftedness"? Can that be just another way of saying, "I can get more kudos doing something I'm really good at."?

We may be thinking that humility is something that it's not. We may assume that humility is discovering our inner doormat (when you think you should just be stepped over; pushed over). But Humility is not the same as Humiliation. Humiliation is self-mortification that evokes the sense of being debased, unworthy, shamed. It screams at us that we have done something wrong and are therefore worthless. Frankly, I want to be clear that God loves us too much to ever want us to feel that way; His desire is not to shame us or humiliate us. That is the demeaning work of the Devil. The bible tells us that God honors us; he chooses us; he pursues us; he sacrifices for us; he woos us; he protects us; but never once does it say that he humiliates us. Granted, He does discipline us to get our eyes off ourselves and onto Him, but discipline is not the same as humiliation. =)

Humility can coexist with self-worth, esteem and personal value. Right thinking about yourself in relationship to God is realistic thinking -- a full-orbed picture of your strengths and weaknesses, your actual appearance, genuine talents, negative habits, and real worth. Thinking that your more wonderful than you really are is pride, and thinking that you're more wretched than you really are is false humility, which is another form of pride because it's still self-focused.

But make no mistake about it: We are God's chosen ones , his prized possessions.

"No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined. You'll be called Hephzibah (my Delighted)" Isaiah 62:4 (MSG)

Bottom line, we need to get this false humility versus godly humility versus pride thing straightened in our minds by understanding that our values rests in God, not in ourselves.

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This was quite a tough QT to swallow but I like these kinds of QTs. Something that I read myself and I can feel convicted by. Gives me a sense of joy that my heart is still soft enough to take challenges. =)

This was exactly what I needed to to hear. Feel like I've really been living my life quite blindly when it comes to my pride. I guess prideful people don't know they are proud. Which is why it takes a quite a big fall to know that it hurts.

What convicted me the most from what I read was the last few paragraphs, knowing exactly what humility is. Many times I give myself protection with false humility, thinking of myself as more worthless than dust. It's a bit of an exaggeration and I need to wake up from that. As much as I need to be humble, I also need to be aware of the things I need to change in and not to wallow and be affected so much. I also swing to the other extreme, thinking of myself better than I really am. When awareness sets in, humiliation does too.

I realize how powerful the Devil can be. But I also know God is more powerful. =) In the many things that I do not do, i miss out on growth because I am afraid and I fear because I am insecure and I fear the comments of others. But I know that God's comments and discipline has far more worth than anything anyone has to say. And I can't be affected by man's words or actions.

It's been quite an enlightening morning. Please pray for my growth as the first quarter is coming to an end.

Love,

Sera

Sera speaks: "Tough Times, Tougher God" (Lesson from Joyce)

2009-02-21T19:17:00.003+08:00

"Troubles come my way, I gotta pray sometimes."

I guess there's a reason why this song was written. To remind us when we're going through a tough time, we gotta be reminded that God is tougher and He can carry us through. We just gotta let Him pick us up. =)

Proverbs 24:10 "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!"

In most situations when we encounter trouble we're not able to stand firm with nothing to hang on to or rely on. Our bodies and our self made mentalities will never be able to bring us through times of any trouble. Even if we physically get through it, it still effects us emotionally. We can't run from it.

I will be able to overcome my troubles when I put my strength in God. =)

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We wanna end up being where our treasures are. If they are in heaven, we will end up there, if they are on earth, we will stay here, but we will not receive what is the ultimate prize! =) Where are my treasures? Are they those with eternal cause? Will they last forever?

What are my goals? Do I have eternal plans?

Matthew 6:22-23 "The eye us the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness, how great is that darkness!"

What are my eyes looking out for. What I look forward to or what I keep my focus on is what I will get. It will be how my body is affected. If my eyes see love and compassion, I will be loving and compassionate. If my eyes see wonder, I will be motivated toward good things. What do I allow my eyes to see? Let's not be squnity eyed.

Matthew 6:24-27 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink;or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feed them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

There are many things in our lives that compete with God. When we become more aware of God we can also be more aware of the other things that we idolize! Am I feeding contempt? What in my life is taking over God? What will cause God to drift further from my life?

We can chuck God aside.

Matthew 6:28-34 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying What shall we eat or What shall we drink or what shall we wear. For the pagans fun after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

These few verses speak very well for themselves. There's no need for further explanation. =)

Amen!

Sera speaks: "So that others can do the same."

2009-01-24T00:27:00.004+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

I actually read the whole of Galatians to refresh my memory a little hee hee. But i'll be sharing from Galatians 1 today. =) In Galatians 1:9 it says,"As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let that person be under God's curse!" I gulped when I read the word Curse. Usually you would see this word a whole lot more in the old testament then in the new. But it really made me realise how even with the new covenant that we've made with God, God is still very firm with the purpose He gave us from when we were first made. Even after Jesus had died on the cross for us and our lives are fill with grace, God still expects us to be firm with ourselves. How we speak, how we act and who we are needs to reflect God's words and how He has transformed us.?

What do people learn from us? How do we portray ourselves to others? Do we inspire them to think about their lives, or better, inspire them to change their lives?

I appreciate Paul when he shared about his life before and after his conversion from verses 11-24.

Paul consistently praises God and gives credit and glory to Him. He always portrays himself as someone unworthy of the grace shown to him by Jesus. But with that attitude, Paul doesn't wallow in his unworthiness. He uses his changed life and the grace given to teach and to inspire others to do the same.

In verses 23-24 it says,"They only heard the report:'The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they praised God because of him." Personally, I am very inspired by Paul's attitude to his changed life. He was a murderer of christians and a destroyer of churches. I don't think any of us have murdered or destroyed lives. It's definitely humbling for me because I used to wallow and be guilty of the things I've done or have not changed. I didn't have godly sorrow. If Paul could embrace the fact that Jesus was enough to wash away all that he has done in the past, then Jesus is enough to wash away mine. =)?

I can deal with my past and I can be an inspiration to others.?

Let our change help others to do the same. =)

Love you all,

Sera

Alfred speaks: "The Poor Widow"

2009-01-05T12:23:00.001+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

Luke 21:1-4 “¹As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ²He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.^[^a^] ³"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

M 1) More than All the others

In church, we give 10% of our allowance or our income as our tithes. If you have $1000, you give $100 and have $900 for yourself. If you have $200, you give $20 and have $180 for yourself. However, for this poor widow, she gave 100%... everything to God.

The bible said that she put in two very small copper coins. How much is that two small copper coins worth in today’s context? If you check the footnotes at the bottom of the page, you will see the Greek word two lepta... How much is two lepta?

According to the World English Bible, Lepta are very small, brass, Jewish coins. Lepta are worth less than 1% of an agricultural worker’s daily wages.

According to another reference, a book title “Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” written by Edersheim, he stated a denarius is the common pay for a day's work in Jesus' era, a letpon is just a tiny, tiny portion. If a laborer can earn US $100 to $200 in our day, then two lepta is 1/128 of it, that would be US75¢ to $1.50. Due to the recent economic, the US dollar becomes weak. You convert US$1.50 to Sing dollar, it is around S$2. The Widow had only S$2! $2 is all she had! She gave everything S$2 all to God. Can you relate with the poor Widow? I believe many campus students can relate with the poor widow? I believe some of you were in the situation where you only left $2.

Bro & sis, you got to see that the poor widow is different from us... Cause we know that for us, the following month, we will surely get our next month allowance. But for the poor widow, she had no idea where to get the money from... She probably had to beg or loan. She didn’t have a constant income. She lived by faith... She gave all she had and... She trusted the Lord...

Sa2) Saving up to Give

According to the book, “Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah”, it stated that Two lepta appears to have been the minimum lawful amount of a temple contribution. In other words, in the past, it seemed like 2 lepta, 2 small of copper coins was the minimum amount to give to God. From this, it shows something... it shows that the poor widow didn’t give any small amount... she probably have to SAVE UP to 2 small of copper coins in order to give the Lord.

Bro and sister, our special con is coming. Are you saving up for your special con? Most of us have already pledged of the amount to give for your special con. That is awesome... I really want to encourage everyone to save up and to give of whatever amount that you have pledge. For those, who haven’t pledge, I really want to urge you to pledge. I understand that some of us are financially tight. If we have financial difficulties, the amount of money that we pledge is not the most important. Most importantly, is the sincere pledge to God and try our very best to give to him.

3) Faith Filled giving.

During my Temasek Poly days, I know of this brother. He was a student like every one of us here. He had savings. Many years ago, when the church announced that they are going to build the church building, he was so excited that he gave $1000 to the church as a campus student. I remembered that the leaders advised him not to give so much as he was young and he may need that money for his future. However, that bro insist on giving. Looking back, the bro did realise that that was an impulsive giving. Because after giving $1000, his family faced some financial difficulties and he had some hard times. Nevertheless, he never regret giving... because he learn something valuable... he learn about faith... He learnt that during his financial low times, God still takes care of him and God has a plan for him. He is still in church. He is a happy man. God has blessed him tremendously. He is grateful to God and he tries his best to help bro and sis who are in need financially.

I will like to end of the poor contribution by asking everyone a question. Have you ever wondered what happened to the poor widow after that? What really happened to the poor widow after she gave everything that she had? If I would ask some of you now, to narrate of what happened to the poor widow after she gave everything that she had... what would that story be?

I don’t know exactly what really happened to her after that... but I do know that God surely take care of her.

In Conclusion:

Let’s us imitate the incredible faith and sacrifice giving of the poor widow. To God be the Glory.

Sera speaks: "Go" until God says "Stop"

2008-12-17T01:36:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Bought this book recently, it's call "Never Blink in a Hailstorm." It's a book on leadership, leading in any way possible. Being leader to your own life for example. =) Already the title says a lot.

We as campus students, first and foremost, should aspire to be great leaders of our own lives. Never Blink in a Hailstorm: It's a lesson in itself. Unexpected things will always come our way, be prepared so you won't do something that will get you into a deeper hole. Building a knowledge to overcome obstacles.

Other analogies apart from "Never Blink in a Hailstorm" are, "Never Swallow Perfume", "Never Hide behind a Gas Mask", "Never Die from Failure." You may think how silly. But if we look into our lives, many times we have done these things (not literally) through and through and not know that we're doing something that will hurt us and stop our growth.

What are some of our resolutions for the coming year?

"Go" until God says "Stop"

When I work for God, what state is my heart in? Do I have a heart that says, "I'm gonna Go until God says Stop". I get extremely inspired to be something like that, but I sometimes do not see myself trying at all. In many situations I forget, and that tells me I'm leading solely with my heart. When I feel good about something, I'm all inspired to be like that and go go go. Then I wake up the next morning not feeling inspired anymore.

Being able to lead my own life, takes a little less heart and little more mind. Finding a conviction and a purpose for doing something that my heart feels right doing. Many times our gut feelings are accurate, but we need to back them up with solid conviction and what the bible says we must do.

My top priority this year was to be secured and surrendered. And I think I've achieved that to a certain extent. I push myself just a little closer to the edge just to get a sense of how it would feel to jump off and have someone catch me. When I actually jumped off, I realized I had gained enough security to be surrendered. Somehow God worked it all out for me. =)

My top priority next year would be to take my security higher and to build in my Faith. I want to "Go" until God says "Stop". When God gives us so much freedom to do something, God will also give us boundaries. Like what Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 9,"Take nothing for the journey, no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." Jesus had given the Twelve full power and authority but also boundaries. Boundaries to guard their heart and to be Christ-Like.

We've been given freedom because Jesus has died for our sins and has set us free. If we believe in that, then we must also believe in the bible which gives us many boundaries so that when we follow them we might be like Christ. =)

As much as I want to "Go" until God says "Stop", I need to know when to Go fast and when to Go slow. God didn't say, "You need to zoom zoom through your life." He said to "make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Making an effort to keep putting one foot in front of the other is all God wants us to do. But what drives that is, the mercy He has shown us.

In order to lead our lives, we need to understand the basis of what has been given to us. And how to use it to Glorify God.

Keeping God number one, loving the people He puts around us and planting the seed in those we see but do not know. =)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Silvia speaks: "Ephesians 5:1-7"

2008-08-17T01:10:00.000+08:00

Here is something Silvia shared in our small group QT on Ephesians, it totally cut me as I read. Enjoy.

Silvia is a freshman from NTU, newly added to our campus ministry! She's vibrant and adds a deep thought into everything she sees and reads. She brings a smile to all our faces.

5:1-2 says that '...Jesus gave himself up as a fragrant offering...' He willingly went and died. How often is it that I take this so lightly and forget his heart to give himself up for me! There wasn't a hint of regret in him.

5:3-7 talks more about areas we have to be distinctly different from those in the world. Everything we do, say or think has to be something that builds up! We have to be THAT clear minded and led by the spirit so that we do things that please God.

The sentence 'God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient' reminds me of an insight I got from the book that Marliyn gave me - '3:16' by Max Lucado. In it, he concludes that God DOES let people go to hell, despite how much He loves them. But it's simply because He has already given them a lifetime to repent, but they refuse to listen! Sometimes hell doesn't quite scare us, especially when people tend to use it without any meaning. Lucado writes this chapter very well, but the part that hit me the most was the story of Lazarus the beggar that Jesus spoke about. Lazarus had gone to heaven with nothing to lack anymore, while the rich man was suffering in hell. Remember what the rich man asked for? That Lazarus dip his finger in water to cool his tongue. Why not beg to go to heaven instead?! Lucado writes," Contrary to the idea that hell prompts remorse, it doesn't. It intensifies blasphemy". In hell, people don't want to get out. They don't regret being in hell. That scares me. Imagine loving hell, bitterness, and everything at its worst.

If we're disobedient and refuse to listen to what God says, he takes away even the longing for God himself. With that, I pray so much that we'll continue to lead our lives always longing for more of God's love and mercy.

Love,
Silvia

Reliability & Credibility of the Bible!

2008-08-16T16:40:00.000+08:00

Do join us for this event which will be held at SMU this coming wednesday 20th Aug! Hope to see you there. =)

Sera speaks: "God's Mystery"

2008-08-12T20:24:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!
  In Ephesians 3:6 it says, "This mystery is that through the gospel the gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Jesus Christ."


When I read the word 'heirs' I pondered, we're heirs to a throne? We will inherit something when someone dies? I mean these are just first thoughts la. haha... Then I read in different translations for a better picture to visualize.

In NLT it says, And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe in the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Jesus Christ."

In the Message Bible is says, "Outsiders and insiders standing on the same ground...they get the same help, same promise in Jesus Christ. The message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board."

I got a much better picture after reading from my 2 favorite translations. Especially the Message bible. It becomes so personal, like different people can come to God and receive the same love, same help, the same Jesus we all learn and feel inspired and broken from. =)

Myster = Secret Plan of God
- to reach out to gentiles, that His word is for everyone and not just the Jews and the 'promised God's people in the old testament. 
- When is is awkward to reach out to a particular person, remember that the word needs to go out to everyone.

In verse 7-8 is says, "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."

- We were and still are being shown grace, at our least God made us the most important.
- We, inturn, from the outflow of our gratitude should show this grace to others.

Reflection:

Are we grateful for what's been given to us?
- Only you will know.
- When we don't love, it's either we don't feel loved or we don't make the effort to feel the love that God gives.

In verse 15 is says, "...from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives it's name."

From God, I was created.
From God, I am called Sera.
From God, I can walk and talk.
From God, I can create friendships.
From God, I can have a heart.
From God, I can love. =)

Is God the one who makes our life full?

Only when we reflect and understand the love that comes into us and flows through our veins, then we can show this love to someone else and they can feel the same. =)

Love <3

Alfred speaks: "Hard Workers"

2008-08-07T16:04:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

Proverbs 30:24-28

^{PR 30:24} "Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

^{PR 30:25} Ants are creatures of little strength,

yet they store up their food in the summer;

^{PR 30:26} coneys are creatures of little power,

yet they make their home in the crags;

^{PR 30:27} locusts have no king,

yet they advance together in ranks;

^{PR 30:28} a lizard can be caught with the hand,

yet it is found in kings' palaces.

The bible mentions about the four creatures that are small but yet extremely wise. They are Ants, Coneys, Locusts & Lizards. Though all may seem small and harmless, there are areas that the Lord wants us to learn from them. Today, we shall take a closer look of each of this creature. To begin I shall share specifically on Ants.

�The queen ant lays all the eggs in the anthill.
�Wood ants squirt acid from the end of their abdomens.
�Wood ant workers live seven to ten years.
�Wood ants make anthills out of twigs, leaves and soil.
�The queen ant lives up to ten or twenty years.
�The wood ant can threaten the enemy with open jaws.
�There are thirty-five thousand kinds of ants in the world.
�The queen ant has wings.
�The army ant bites and stings any bug that comes toward it.
�The army ant can even bite a huge snake.
�Ants have two stomachs one for them and one to feed others.
�Some ants sleep seven hours a day.
�The queen licks the eggs to make them hatch.
�The queen feeds her eggs her own saliva.
�Some ants can have up to three queens.

One of the main jobs of ants is to look for food. They are scavengers and are one of nature's best clean up crews. Believe it or not, ants are responsible for "cleaning up" much of the environment all around the world. When creatures die, ants will pick at whatever remains until all the edible parts are gone. Once food is found, an ant lays down a scent as it returns to the nest. Other ants will pick up this scent and follow the trail to the food.

Some ants actually care for and "farm" other insects! Aphids, scale insects and mealybugs suck the sap of plants. These insects can't use all the sugar that they get from the plants, so they excrete "honeydew", which the ants collect to feed the colony. Ants will transport aphids from plant to plant and take the eggs into their colony for the winter. Ants will also defend aphids from insect predators, such as lady beetles and lacewings, by attacking them in large numbers.

Ants have set a good example for humans for their hard work and cooperation.
Ø Hard working
Hard working is always the word to use to describe the ants. In the internet, we can easily find stories about the hard working ants. Here are some interesting facts about the hardworking ants:
The ants cut, collect, and scavenge about 200 kg (dry weight) of plant materials each year. Each colony has a foraging range as large as the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.
That’s Amazing! In a year, a colony of ants can collect food up to the size of an aircraft carrier. The ant is indeed a very hard working creature. Let’s us imitate this diligent creature and never give up in doing what is good.

Sera speaks: "Watch Out! High Voltage! Letter from God...continued...."

2008-07-07T00:30:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Hi brothers and Sisters,

I'm here to share about the second point from the first lesson Steven shared with us!

I'm in Action..."that He gave His one and only son..."

There was this analogy that Steven shared:

"One day a man fell into a pit and wasn't able to climb out. Many different people came by and this is what they each had to say.......

The Optimist said, "Hey buddy, looks like you're gonna be alright! I'm sure you'll make it out."

The Pessimist said, "Gosh, all the best man. Looks like it's gonna be tough."

The Civil Engineer said, "If you put one foot into that part of the soil and the other in another part then put your hands here, the weight from your foot should push your weight on to....... blah blah blah...."

The emotional person said, "Waaaa! I feel for you..... it must be so lonely down there!!!!"

The logical person said, "You just gotta get outta there! or else.... you'll starve"

Jesus says, "Give me your hand."

Love that does not serve is totally empty. =)

This point truly hit me and really convicted me so much. There was something I had to learn from, from this point. Putting my love into action and not always standing in the back and be judgmental over things that aren't done. If they're not done, why don't I be the one ho initiates... =)

God's greatest act of love was giving up His son to the merciless cross. Jesus wasn't willing but he was obedient and He loved God enough to know that He is real and to trust Him. The love that God shows us here is something we cannot replicate. Seriously. If you ever do something out of love that is more mind blowing than what God did? Please give me a call...

That was the greatest act of love in all of mankind!! And a whole lot of us including me take that for granted!

Jesus did die on the cross!

God did do that to show His love!

Our sins are forgiven from that act of love!

And we're not grateful!

Those are just 4 facts that have reigned this earth. Let it not be us to not be grateful. =) We know what we read, and we know what we believe. As much as we say we're imperfect, as long as we're aware that we are not grateful, we need to do something because it WILL be held against us when our time comes...

Steven asked this question that kinda shook me a little.... "Am I convinced that God has given His best?"

I think if I can tell myself "YES" I can be totally grateful. Let's all be saying yes to that question... =)

His action speaks so much louder than all the things anyone has to say. Let that be said for us too.. Let us find the security to act out our christian lives. People have eyes, they have ears.. They will see and they will hear.... =)

Amen,

Love and Cheers,

Sera

Sera speaks: "Watch Out! High Voltage! Letter from God."

2008-07-05T02:29:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

Didn't we have the greatest time during the retreat!?!?!

I personally feel very grateful to have had the KL campus do so much for us! There was so much warmth and so many awesome prayer times with the different brothers and sisters from the campus over there. I really loved every single lesson shared, every devotional and every d-grp. I felt totally re-charged when I was there. There was definately some high voltage going on there!

Most of what was shared during the retreat revolved around God's love for us and how we saw ourselves through God's eyes. And I just thought that was really amazing, because we're always thinking about who God is and how awesome God is and how much He works in our lives. But, we never really talked about how He views us?

How precious am I to God?

What's so special about me that He made me?

Why does He want to see me do well?

Why does He love me?

These were just some of the questions asked, and to be honest, I found it difficult to answer them. =) I really need to be thinking about those questions as I'm back home now and getting ready to start school again.

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This is what Steven shared with us on our first night at Dusun Eco!

1. Don't miss out!

2. I'm in action!

3. You're my target!

4. Don't lose it!

These were the points that he used to guide us through the lesson.

Don't miss out... "for God so loved the world..."

- God doesn't want us to miss out on the love that He gives to us so freely. All He wants is to love us and for us to respond to that love. He cannot love us less. =)

- We're so imperfect, living in a world so corrupt. We're constantly falling into the hands of satan. But God said, "for I so loved you...." How does that make us feel? He loves us despite of our iniquities. =)

Do you feel God's love? Kinda reminds me of one of the team's cheer. They asked each other if they felt God's love and the question was past on, when one person said, "I feel God's love." it was then passed back to the rest of the group. God's love is so powerful, it works through people. Amen!

Steve shared Hosea 11 (which is my favorite chapter in the entire bible, because it was a turning point in my christian life. )

Hosea 11 talks about God's love for Israel. How God saw Israel from a child, growing up and growing apart from God. How God had overflowing compassion that He could not bear to punish the people. =) I took the word Israel and replaced it with my own name.

That's how God feels about me. He's willing to stoop down sooo low to feed me, to place his cheek against mine, to hold my hand and walk with me through this journey. But all I do is run away from Him because there are so many things that seem more important or attractive than the love He had to give.

Sometimes I look back and think, "what can be so much more important and attractive than God's love???? What am I thinking???"

God loves us not because we strive to be perfect, He loves us because we ARE perfect, because we are made in His image. Because he carefully put the pieces together.

a finger nail to a finger, a finger to a hand, a hand to an arm, an arm to a shoulder, a shoulder to another's cheek.

That's how God works. If we can just understand this. Wow, imagine what He's really like in life size? You can never imagine the immaculate love that He has to give... =)

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That's what I learnt from the first point. =) And it's rekindled my love for God.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the rest of the points. =)

Love and Cheers,

Sera

Watch Out! High Voltage!!!!

2008-07-03T21:36:00.000+08:00

CAMPUS!!!!!!

We all did a great job for our Passage to Patmos!!! I really want to commend the young christians who chose option 2 and did a great job!! Amen guys!

We had such an awesome prayer night at Wee Keong and Joyce's on wednesday. There was so much warmth and welcoming. I think the retreat did all of us some good!

Please Please Please write something you learnt from the retreat so I can post it here. We want to impact people in anyway possible even people we may not know who might drip by here.. =)

Do send it to me in an email, if not you can directly post in this blog if you've got the username and password...

I'm really looking forward what you guys have to share, it will really help some of us in our quiet times, so pls have a heart for everyone.. =)

Love and Cheers,

Sera

Duminda speaks: 'Kindness Pays'

2008-06-13T23:54:00.000+08:00

Duminda is our brother from the beautiful Sri Lanka, he's quiet but full

of wisdom and gratitude for God's creations. He enjoys praising God for the little things in life.

Duminda has been an inspiration to the Campus Ministry!

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his

way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was
hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost
his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal
he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought
him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How
much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied

"Mother has taught us never to accept payment for a kindness." He
said..."Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt; stronger
physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been
ready to give up and quit.

Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors
were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called
in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called
in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came
from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went
down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's
gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to
the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From
that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the
business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked
at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her
room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest
of her life to pay for it all. Finally, she looked, and something
caught ; her attention on the side as She read these words.....

"Paid in full with one glass of milk."
(Signed) Dr. Howard
Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,
GOD, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

Overall History of the New Testament (According to the book of Acts)

2008-06-06T17:50:00.000+08:00

Overall History of the New Testament

(According to the book of Acts)

In 63BC, Pompey, the Roman general captured Jerusalem

(ever since, the whole of Israel territory is under Roman Empire)

1. Birth of Christ (4BC), during the ruling period of:

- Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, 27BC-AD14 (Luke 2:1)

- King of Judah Herod the Great, the Palestine region divided into 3 provinces between his sons:

Archelaus (4BC-AD6), recorded in Matthew 2:22

Herod Antipas (4BC-AD39) --> beheaded John the baptist, questioning Jesus after Pilate

Philip (4BC-AD33) --> whose wife was taken by Herod Antipas

2. Baptism of Jesus, the starting of Jesus' Ministry (AD26-27):

Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar, AD 14-37

Governor of Judea Pontius Pilate, AD2-36

Herod Antipas tetrach of Galilee, 4BC-AD39

3. Cruxifiction, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus (AD29-30):

After appearance before His disciples for 40 days, Jesus ascended in the vicinity of bethany (Luke 24:50-51) in the region of the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12)

4. The establishment of the early church (started AD30-100)

Centered in Jerusalem, mainly led by Peter and John (Acts 1-7)

Cornelius and his family was the first converted gentile (Acts 10)

The ruling Roman Emperors after Tiberius Caesar were: Caligula (AD37-41), Claudius (AD41-54), Nero (AD54-68), Galba (AD68-69), Vespatian (AD69-79), Titus (AD79-81), Domitian (AD81-96)

The Palestine region was oerall riled by Herod Agrippa I (AD39-44) after the death of Herod Antipas.

5. Conversion of Saul in AD32, as in Acts 9.

He was converted near Damascus.

After his conversion he first preached there, then went to Arabia (Gal 1:17) and then returned to Damascus till driven out by the Jews. Next, he went to Jerusalem, meeting Peter and James (Gal 1:18). There was a plot to kill him, so he left for Tarsus, his home town.

6. Beginning of the foreign missionary

As the church sprouted in Jerusalem, persecution from the Jews and King Herod Agrippa I kept escalating, so that many disciples and apostles scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, Antioch in Syria while spreading the Gospel. During this persecution period, the church in Antioch established (Acts 11:19-26), with Barnabas and Saul leading them.

7. The death of Herod Agrippa I, (AD44) as in Acts 12:23

Persecuted disciples; killed James the apostle (Acts12:2); arrested Peter (Acts 12:3-4)

8. Famine in Roman Empire (AD45) as in Acts 11:28.

During this time, Saul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to send the gift from the church in Antioch (Acts 11:29-30 & Gal 2:1)

9. Paul's FIRST missionary journey (AD46-48) as in Acts 13:2 - 14:28)

Upon returning from Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul sent off to the region of Galatia (together with John Mark who also came from Jerusalem).

Route: Antioch - Seleucia - Cyprus (met Elymus the sorcerer) - Perga (John left for Jerusalem) - Pisdian Antioch - Iconium - Lystra (Paul and Barnabas were perceived as gods, then they were stoned) - Derbe - returned to Lystra - Iconia - Pisidian Antioch - Perga - Attalia - back to Antioch.

10. Jerusalem Council (around AD49) as in Acts 15:1-35)

To address the issue about circumcision for converted gentiles. After the counsel, Paul returned to Antioch, and he wrote a letter to the church in Galatia as they faced the same problem (AD49-50)

11. Paul's SECOND missionary journey (AD49-52) as in Acts 15:36 - 18:22)

Paul parted with Barnabas who took John Mark with him. Paul chose Silas who came with him from Jerusalem after Jerusalem council.

Route: Antioch - Derbe - Lystra (Timothy joined) - Iconium - Pisidian Antioch - Troas - Neapolis - Philippi (for several days; conversion of Lydia and Paul's imprisonment) - Thessalonica (for 3 weeks; Jews mob assaults Jason) - Berea - Athens (Paul preached in Areopagus) - Corinth (for 1.5 years; met Aquila and Priscilla who were expelled from Rome; Paul was brought to proconsul Gallio; books 1&2 Thess written in AD 50-51) - Cenchrea - Ephesus - Caesarea - back to Antioch.

12. Expulsion of the Jews from Rome, by order of Claudius (AD49) as in Acts 18:2

13. Appointment of Gallio as proconsul of Achaia in AD51-52

Paul brought to Gallio by Jews who attacked him in Corinth (Acts 18:12)

14. Paul's third missionary journey (AD53-57) s in Acts 18:23 - 21:17

Route: Antioch - Derbe - Lystra - Iconium - Pisidian Antioch - Ephesus (for 3 months Pauls taught in the Synagogue and for 2 years, Paul taught in the hall of Tyrannus; mass conversions, sorcerers repented by burning their scrolls; riot led by silersmith Demetrius who made shrines for Artemis; book of 1 Corinthians written in AD55) - Troas Macedonia (books of 1Timothy and 2 Corinthians were written in AD 56) - Corinth (3 months; books of Romans and Titus were written in AD57) - returned to Philippi, Macedonia (on the way back to Syria) - Troas (Eutychus fell off the window) - Assos - Miletus (farewell to Ephesian elders) - Cos - Rhodes - Patara - Tyre (stayed for 7 days) - Ptolemais - Caesarea (prophet Agabus came from Judea and predicted Paul's arrest in Jerusalem) - Jerusalem

15. The arrest of Paul in Jerusalem (AD57) as in Acts 21:27 - 22:29

Reason: The Jews provoked the people that Paul's teaching was against the law and had defiled the temple by bringing the gentiles in.

Trials before the Sanhedrin, then transferred to Caesarea fro trials before Governor Felix, Governor Festus, King Agrippa II. That took 2 years (Acts 22:30 - 26:32). During this time, books of Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon were written (AD58).

Paul then appealed to Caesar (the reason for the journey to Rome.)

16. Paul's Journey to Rome. (AD59-60) as in Acts 27:1 - 28:31.

The whole journey to Rome took about 4 months after leaving Caesarea.

Route: Caesarea - Sidon - Myra (change ship to an Alexandrian ship) - Fair Havens in Crete - Driven across the sea, shipwreck before reaching Malta - Malta (Paul bitten by a snake but nothing happened to him; healing the official's father and the sick) - Syracuse in Sicily - Rhegium - Puteoli (stayed for one week; visited by disciples from Three Tavern and Forum of Appius) - Rome.

Upon arrival in AD60, Paul was under house arrest while preaching the gospel and writing letters to various churches and individuals (Philippians in AD60-62 and 2 Timothy in AD64)

17. Rome was set ablaze by Nero in AD64

Christians were blamed for setting the city on fire. The persecution from the Roman Emperor was then more and more severe.

18. Jerusalem was destroyed by Roman Empire in AD 70 during the rule of Vespatian

19. The 4 gospels and the book of Acts were written in the span of AD 60-70

20. The last book : Revelation (in AD95-96)

Written by John the apostle during his exile in Patmos island; John died around AD100.

His last letter: 2 Timothy, written in AD64. He was executed in Rome around AD64 by Nero's order after Rome was set on Fire by Nero.

Sera speaks: "Can you lay your life down, so a stranger can live."

2008-05-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Hi Guys!
Was watching this movie just today, it's called The Guardian. It's about the United States Coast Guard and what they go through physically, mentally and emotionally.

What cut me the most about the show was the song at the credits. Just writing about it now I can feel like crying. Because it's so close to what we go through as christians. =)

There's one part in the show where 2 of the guys from the coast guard training school went to a bar that's meant for only Navy people. And they were talking about how the Navy only appreciates the coast guards when they're in need of rescue. And during other times, they're just not needed.

I guess that's how we feel sometimes as disciples, unsung heros. =) I know I feel that way.

The song is really meaningful and it totally depicts the life that we need to have as disciples.

It's called Never Let Go. In the movie, the main character Senior Chief Randall, has it as his moto to never let go. No matter how much he's hurting he will never let go of you. =) At the end of the movie they called him the Fisher of Man..... (go watch it, won't spoil it for you.)

Here's the song lyrics 

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Never Let Go - Brian Adams

Can you lay your life down, so a stranger can live?
Can you take what you need, but take less than you give?
Could you close every day, without the glory and fame?
Could you hold your head high, when no one knows your name?
That's how legends are made, at least that's what they say.

We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, cause you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.

Can you lose everything, you ever had planned?
Can you sit down again, and play another hand?
Could you risk everything, for the chance of being alone?
Under pressure find the grace, or would you come undone?
That's how legends are made, at least that's what they say?

We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, cause you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.

Never let go, Never let go, Never let go

Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.

We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, 'but you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.

Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.

Never let go, Never let go, Never let go

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Love you guys,

Sera =)

Alfred Speaks: "Improve your Quiet Times"

2008-05-12T22:58:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

My dear Campus,

Today, I will share to you on how I usually do my Quiet Time and I hope this may help you in your daily bible studies. I learnt about this Bloom’s Taxonomy Theory in NIE and it really helps me in classifying and practicing the different Higher order thinking skills.

Bloom Taxonomy

In the late 1940s, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of cognitive psychologists at the University of Chicago to develop a taxonomic hierarchy of cognitive-driven behavior deemed important to learning and to measurable capability. Bloom’s taxonomy in theory helps teachers better prepare objectives and, from there, derive appropriate measures of learned capability and Higher order thinking skills. An awareness of these levels can help one determine how well the students really know their course content. There are six major categories, which are listed in order below, starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex. The categories can be thought of as degrees of difficulties. That is, the first one must be mastered before the next one can take place.

Bloom's levels are:

1. 1) Knowledge

2. 2) Comprehension

3. 3) Application

4. 4) Analysis

5. 5) Synthesis

6. 6) Evaluation

Knowledge & Comprehension

During my young Christian days, I was very new to the bible. Back then, my quiet time was all on knowledge and comprehension. For example:

Matthew 1: Joseph was the father of Jesus (Knowledge)

Matthew 4: Temptation of Jesus _ Story (Comprehension)

Application

After a few months as a Disciple, my QT was more on application. For example:

Matthew 5: 29 “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

I must not treat sin lightly. I must try my best not to fall into sin. (Application)

Analysis

As years went by, my bible study became more in depth. I learnt to put myself in the shoe of the bible characters and started to empathize them during their difficult times. At this stage, I am practicing more on Analysis. For example:

Matthew 27: 27 – 31 “ Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The pain that Jesus had gone through was unbearable. Jesus was innocent and yet he had to go through so much humiliation and beating. I know that I won’t be able to go through the similar painful treatment. Lord, I really want to thank you so much for your sacrifice. (Analysis)

Synthesis

After becoming a disciple for a few years, I was given the opportunity to share lessons for devotions & bible talks. Usually in a lesson, we have a few points of different concepts. Hence when preparing a lesson, we are actually combining many concepts into one lesson. At this stage, we are practicing Synthesis of the higher order thinking skill. For example in a bible talk lesson:

John 2 (Title: Jesus changes water to wine)

1. Jesus can surprise us with his miracles.

John 2: 6 “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.”

1 gallon ≈ 3.7 liters

1 stone water jar contains 20 to 30 gallons. (75 to 115 liters)

6 stone water jars contain 120 to 180 gallons. (450 to 690 liters)

A stone water jar can contain 75 to 115 liters of water. That is really amazing. I went to the internet and found the information about the stone water jar. I am astonished by it! It is really big!!!

http://www.bibleplaces.com/newsletter/december04.htm

6 stone water jars of water can fill ¼ of the Olympic size swimming pool. Imagine Jesus had turned that much of water into wine. Amazing!!! Jesus can surprise us with his miracles. Jesus can do miracles in our life!

2. Jesus was a humble man.

Jesus didn’t show off his power. He did that miracle because his mum asked him to do so. Imagine if we have the same power as Jesus, would we use that power for our own benefit or for others? Would we show off or be humble like Jesus?

From the above lesson, I am combining the concepts of “Jesus can do miracles on our life” & “Jesus’ humility” into a lesson. By doing this, I am demonstrating the higher order thinking skill of Synthesis.

Evaluation

When I am doing my QT now, I am trying to practice this stage of higher order thinking skill of Evaluation. This is the highest stage of high order thinking skill. This is the stage where we study the bible with much more in depth. For example:

Mark 7:8 “You have let go of commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

In this verse, God doesn’t want us to follow the tradition of men but want us to follow the commands of God. I found this verse very useful when I am studying bible with people especially for the study on “Baptism” & “Speaking in Tongues” I would go to the internet and find the origin of the different kind baptisms & speaking tongues and show to them that all these practices are traditions of men. Basically, for any practices and if I can prove that they are traditions of men, I can back it up with this verse. (Evaluation)

The table below is the detailed explanation of the different level of high order thinking skills.

Table 1 : Blooms Taxonomy of Learning

Level	Learner Action	Question Cues	Example
Knowledge	Recall content in the exact form that it was presented. Memorisation of definitions, formulas, or procedures are examples of knowledge-level functioning	List, define, label, identify, name	Mat 1: Joseph was the father of Jesus (Knowledge)
Comprehension	Restate material in their own words, or can recognise previously unseen examples of a concept.	Describe, associate, categorise, summarise	Mat 4: Temptation of Jesus _ Story (Comprehension)
Application	Apply rules to a problem, without being given the rule or formula for solving the problem.	Apply, calculate, illustrate, solve	Mat 5: I must not treat sin lightly. I must try my best not to fall into sin. (Application)
Analysis	Break complex concepts or situations down into their component parts, and analyse how the parts are related to one another.	Analyse, compare, separate, order, explain	Mat 27: The pain that Jesus had gone through was unbearable. Jesus was innocent and yet he had to go through so much humiliation and beating. I know that I won’t be able to go through the similar painful treatment. Lord, I really want to thank you so much for your sacrifice. (Analysis)
Synthesis	Rearrange component parts to form a new whole.	Combine, modify, rearrange, "what-if"	Combining the concepts of “Jesus can do miracles on our life” & “Jesus’ humility” into a lesson.
Evaluation	Evaluate or make judgments on the worth of a concept, object, etc. for a purpose	Assess, decide, grade, recommend, explain, judge	Basically, for any practices and if I can prove that they are traditions of men, I can back it up with Mark 7.

I hope there is something that you can learn from this. Please share about your thoughts. I really want to grow in my bible studies, hence please give me your valuable feed backs.

Thanks!

Alfred

GOD HAS THE POSITIVE ANSWERS

2008-05-03T09:23:00.000+08:00

GOD HAS THE POSITIVE ANSWERS
"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not 'yes' and 'no', but in Him it has always been 'yes'!"
-2 Cor 1:19-

You say:'It's impossible'
God says:All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say:'I'm too tired'
God says:I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say:'Nobody really loves me'
God says:I love you (John 3:16 & John 3:34 )

You say:'I can't go on'
God says:My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say:'I can't figure things out'
God says:I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say:'I can't do it'
God says:You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say:'I'm not able'
God says:I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says:It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say:'I can't forgive myself'
God says:I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say:'I can't manage'
God says:I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say:'I'm afraid'
God says:I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say:'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says:Cast all your anxiety on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say:'I'm not smart enough'
God says:I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30 and James 1:5)

You say:'I feel all alone'
God says:I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Hi... It's been a loooooooooooong time not writing in this blog. Hope everyone is coping well with life. It is great Sera, to see your writing again. Hope that this coming school holiday we'll see more people sharing and flood this blog with many good news.

Love you all,
Poernomo

Sera speaks: An Empowered Ministry.

2008-04-30T01:27:00.000+08:00

Introduction to Acts 1-4 : This is where Jesus was taken up and the spirits came down to guide the disciples.

A small group of Patience.

Acts 1:3-8
~A lot of times we have questions for God that we want answered immediately. But a lot of times, he asks us to wait and be patient. In this case, the apostles couldn't leave Jerusalem until they have recieved the holy spirit to guide them.

~Sometimes we want to know when, what things would happen and be in control of it. But in verse 7, 'He said to them, It is not for you too know the times and dates the father has set by his own authority.' It's surrendering and letting the power of the holy spirit, which is in us, to guide us. Praying for strength and faith always help when you've surrendered to God.

A small group of Preaching.

Acts 2:22-24, 3:12-16, 4:8-12.
~By chapter 2, Jesus had already been taken up to heaven and the holy spirit descends to the people. Here, Peter addresses the crowd, the elders and Priests, preaching about Jesus' death and resurrection. And he speaks to a crowd fill with Jews and Jewish officials.
=> Would you be willing to preach what you know and believe? Knowing that we are all filled with the holy spirit, nothing is impossible if we believe it ourselves and have faith in God that we can pull through.

~Peter, Paul and Philip were persecuted to the point of physical abuse and eventually death. But with their last breath, they were still preaching and were string in their faith. It's about knowing the amazing power that is in us and knowing how God can work through us. It's definately encouraging to know that God lives in us. =)

A small group of Power.

Acts 3:2-6
~Focus on verse 6, 'Then Peter said, Silver or Gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.'
I think this is totally inpiring. He doesn't have silver or gold, nothing material to give the man. All he had and relied on was the power that was given to him. And it takes faith and total surrender to accept that God is working in you. That's what Peter was doing, he knew God was there and the power given to him was real.
=> Are we understanding that the holy spirit that is in us now, is so powerful. We need to turn to it and use it. =) Use the power given to us to do God's will. =)
When I read this I was humbled. =)

A small group of Perseverance.

Acts 4:17-22
~This was when Peter and John were brought to the temple to be questioned of their doings.
They preached the same thing over and over as was commanded by Jesus and because they believed it themselves.

~Even afer the elders said never to preach in Jesus' name ever again, they still did it. Persevering on. Knowing that it was true and it was commanded by Jesus. It was the right thing to do so the nations would hear about Jesus' death and resurrection. About how he was perfect, sent from God. Saving us. =)

~They continued to preach even though there were verbal physical persecutions because it was a command and it was engraved into their hearts.
=> Are we still hanging on to the commands the bible has taught us or are we being complacent?

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I feel like, as a small group or a ministry, we can follow these 4 Ps, hahaha, not marketing principles but spiritual ones. Engraving it deeply into our hearts and always know and believe that God is in us, guiding us and whatever happens, it's God's will. =)

Love you all loads loads!!!!

Sera

Stefanie speaks: "Five Loaves & 2 Fishes."

2008-03-31T15:44:00.000+08:00

Stefanie, our dear sister from Indonesia, is currently doing her Masters in Civil Engineering at NUS. She's full of life and also full of child-like wisdom!

Dear all,
Just want to share a little thoughts as we pray and evangelize and follow up for the DJ service.

John 6:5-13

5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages^[a] would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

I feel that we can relate to Philip and the other disciples, we would wonder how it could happen, it was just not logical. When we had 11 people having lunch today, we bought 11 packages of food. But bear in mind, Jesus "already had in mind what he was going to do."
Let's have the boy's heart, to give whatever we have coz it's never too small in God's eyes. Let's pray n give the best :)
Have a great week...

Love..

Stefanie C.

Let's love the Lost

2008-03-31T03:30:00.000+08:00

Hi there Brothers, sisters and friends who come by our blog,

Douglas Jacoby is coming real soon. 12th of April to be precise. =)

If you're interested do come down, it is going to be a very fruitful time, an eye opener, it's gonna impact, convict and inspire you. Those of us who have heard DJ speak before will know what I mean.

So Brothers and sisters, let's crank for this service! God has been so kind and lavishing blessings on the campus ministry. Giving us baptisms and many friends with open hearts. Let's not take it for granted that God is going to always do it for us.

As loving and kind as He is, we need to fear him because He has commands for us, not requests. We're young and we're vibrant, let's use it to its max-ed out potential!

Love you all, let's love the lost.

Sera

Douglas Jacoby is coming to NUS!

2008-03-25T03:03:00.000+08:00

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Come join us as Douglas Jacoby inspires us with his deep knowledge of the bible. Join in our Question and Answer session after the talk. =)

Hope to see you there!

GOD said NO!!!

2008-03-15T00:52:00.000+08:00

God Said NO!

>I asked God to take away my habit.
>>God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

>I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
>>God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

>I asked God to grant me patience.
>>God said, No.Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.

>I asked God to give me happiness.
>>God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

>I asked God to spare me pain.
>>God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

>I asked God to make my spirit grow.
>>God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

>I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
>>God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

>I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
>>God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

-POERNOMO-

Sera speaks: "1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration."

2008-02-25T17:40:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Hello Hello lovelies!!!

For the most of us, our term break has started! Yay!! Means more time for each other right? =) School for me is the same as usual, if you've already been listening to my stories from year 1 haha. But it's gotten so much easier to go through even though the modules are getting tougher. With God everything is possible, even me doing well in school. haha Yay!

Lemme go on to my sharing. Was in my rehearsal on day and my director, who is actually a really good and wise person but sometimes abit shout-y shout-y la, he told this to the actors. "It's 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration. You can't live with inspiration alone, u don't get anywhere else but under a tree." Haha!! What he meant was, if you're just gonna have vision and day dream under a tree all day, nothing gets done. And what he also meant was, to get what you want, or to pursue God's visions, it's mostly hard work and sometimes suffering a little for it.

In my case, I get an inspiration to lose weight, so I buy a dress 2 sizes smaller than what I would normally wear. The weight doesn't go away just by me staring at the dress and every few hours try it on to see if it fits. It takes a long time, and with exercise and a whole lot of discipline. =)

Lemme share a verse that taught me what it is to be a true disciple. =)

1 Corinthians 4:12
"We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world -- right up to this moment."

Not so easy huh? We all have dreams as disciples, but do we aspire to be the true disciple or do we just live with the name? It's not all daisies and pretty things, sometimes if not many times we have to break a sweat and work hard for what we believe in. Then our dreams come true. =)

There's a reason why it's called a spiritual battle. It's not just chess. We fight for who we are and we fight for God. Don't just look up to heaven and be inspired. =)

Here's something to encourage you. =)

1 Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not recieved mercy, but now you have recieved mercy."

Let's give it our all for God. =)

Love you dearly,
Sera

Wilfred speaks: "Insights from Matthew 11 - Fashion Sense."

2008-02-25T17:00:00.000+08:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I'm counting down the months to ORD (5 to be exact from 18/02/08) and I'm earnestly looking forward to joining you guys in the coming months! I'd also like to ask that you keep me in your prayers as I've re-applied to NUS & NTU to see what options will present themselves and to allow God to make it clear that SMU is His plan for me.

I believe I've received much in terms of the sharing that's been going around this emailing list so now it's time to give something back. I'd like so share from Matthew 11.

Matthew 11:7-9.
"7As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

8If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces.

9Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. "

The following introduction is something i gleaned off from my Student's bible; thought I'd give credit where credit is due.

John the Baptist - Something New
Fashion starts with a single purpose: to turn people's heads. At first the new look is a shock. Many say "Wow!", some say "Ugh!" Whether it's shorts skirts or long, nose rings or ear rings, paisleys or pastels, the new must stand out to gain attention.

John the Baptist was something new, and he certainly stood out from his surroundings. Though he could have been a priest like his father, he exchanged those linen robes for a garment of coarse camel's hair. He took to the wilderness, scavenging grasshoppers and wild honey rather than settling in Jerusalem where he could have savored a portion of the offerings people presented to God.

John's unusual style helped direct attention to his burning message: The Messiah was about to arrive, and people must change their ways. Crowds flocked to hear John, and he baptized them in the Jordan River as a sign of their repentance, thus earning himself the nickname 'the Baptist'
Read Matthew 11:7-11 again and you find Jesus challenging the crowd about what they were looking out for.

Now imagine Jesus challenging the friends that we bring to bibletalks and Church. What have they really come to see?

What are we 'presenting' to them to see?

Jesus pointed out that through John's image and lifestyle people were drawn to him.
Take some time to think about our lifestyles and the image we portray to our colleagues and friends and how we are attracting them to get to know God.

Are our lives attractive spiritually? Is are they just just attractive materially?

When I think about spiritual attractiveness, I think of the Fruits of the Spirit and the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-17. I'll be focusing on the latter.

In today's fashion sense, how attractive can a suit of armor be? It's medieval for one, and others would probably think of it as bulky and burdensome but I'm grateful that the Armor of God we're to put on can be considered weightless! As disciples we ought to wear it like our second skin.

The 6 pieces of armor are:
the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Sandals of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helm of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is God's word.

This suit of armor's purpose is two-fold; it protects us from Satan's attacks and also makes us stand out in our schools and workplaces by being attractive.

Let's take some time this week to examine ourselves and check our armor; if it's rusty let's polish it and let it shine!

Matthew 5:14-15
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Let us strive to set an example and live our lives in such a way that it attracts people to God's Kingdom.

Amen that's all I have for you today.

Love & cheers,
Wilfred

Stefanie speaks: "Jesus Wept."

2008-02-18T15:40:00.000+08:00

Stefanie, our dear sister from Indonesia, is currently doing her Masters in Civil Engineering at NUS. She's full of life and also full of child-like wisdom!

Dear brethrens,

Just catching up with u all and wanna share some thoughts about what I read today.

John 11:1-44, about how Jesus raised Lazarus from death.

21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,[b] the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you."

29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.

31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 Jesus wept.

Well, it's the first time Jesus wept over someone, before he wept for Peter for going to deny him. He planned the whole scene, since He delayed His journey to Judea in order to show God's greatness. But even though he planned everything, He was still deeply moved and even wept when He saw the sisters' sadness. I feel that it applies to us, too. When God let us faces challenges and trials, He plans it well and He know through it we can learn and grow and glorify God after we conquer it. Nevertheless, He will also moved when we struggle in those challenges, for He feels what we feel. When we weep for the loved one we lost, when we feel why things happen to us in such a bad situation, when we try to persevere in our struggle Jesus is there.

Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress he (note: God) too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
So, for everyone, who struggle with the yoke God has put to you because He believes you can handle it, Jesus feels what you feel and relate to it. And, just like Lazarus, Jesus will come to save the day (watched Powerpuff Girls too much :P). For men, it may be "too late", but God has His own timing to give the best for you.

Cheers,

Stefanie C.
In a room with her laptop and tons of lecture notes

Jeremy speaks: "Don't worry be Happy."

2008-02-18T15:00:00.000+08:00

Jeremy is our brother, full of joy and inspiration. He brings smiles to everyone's faces and glory to God with his excitement for His word.

Was reading Mark 7 - 8 and some other supplementary reading. somehow, i just focused on the man and his dying daughter (or dead towards the end of the chapter).

The man approached Jesus for help, because his daughter was dying. Imagine his feeling. Every second that went away, i believe his anxiety, worries increases exponentially. This is his loved ones we're talking about. Though his daughter died when the man and Jesus was about to reach the man's house, but Jesus was able to heal his daughter back to life again!!! Awesome!!! :)

Coming back to the present, it is true that everyday we are bothered by tons of worries and anxieties.

Worries about school and how well we fare as compared to our peers - Students

Worries about meeting deadlines set by the boss, targets etc... - Singles

Worries about providing for the family, spouse, children and parents - Married

My goodness, our life is all about worries if u look at it.. Sad rite, so gloomy. But... that's if we handle everything by ourselvesor allow ourselves to be weigh down by all these anxieties of the world.

Forget not our heavenly Father. He is always here for us. We can bring our fears/anxiety/worries to Him in prayer.

Just like the man in approached Jesus with his worries.

God's peace will guard our mind and heart -> allow us to tackle any problems with a peaceful and calm mind.

God's wisdom will guide us in making the right decisions.

Let God drives us, not our worries in life.

Of course, pls do not have the idea that God is like our nanny/maid, that we throw everything to Him, thinking that life will be a bed of roses. We do our part, God will certainly do His. :)Nothing is too difficult for God. (I mean He can even raise the dead, what is deadlines, career prospect, exams to him? piece of cake :)To those who worries about donno what to do in the future, exams stress, loads of work, etc.... bring your anxiety to God.

Before i end, just wanna share the following with u all:-

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

No matter what your circumstances are, turn your anxiety over to God and let His perfect peace guard your heart

(adopted from "Experiencing God Day-by-day. Henry T. Blackaby and richard Blackaby)

Have you prayed today? :)

Love

Jeremy

Alfred speaks: "The Rich Young Man."

2008-02-18T14:55:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

The Rich Young Man

Mark10:17-22
MK 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

MK 10:18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.' "

MK 10:20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

MK 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

MK 10:22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.’

In this passage, we read about a man who did all the rights things and Jesus pointed out the sin in his heart that he didn’t know was there. Perhaps we can learn from his experience.

Jesus was quoted 6 out of the Ten Commandments. They are:
1) Do not commit adultery.
2) Do not murder.
3) Do not steal.
4) Do not bear false witness — don’t lie.
5) Do not defraud.
6) Honor your father and your mother.
I was brought up by my great dad & mum. They have taught me well and they have inculcated the right value in me. I have never steal… never cheat (actually cheated once, but my dad found out and he gave me a good scolding & caning…)… I honor my dad and mum. I never disobey my dad & mum before. (The only time that I disobey is when I make the decision to become Christian). I am a good son and I listen to my parents.

So when Jesus quoted the Ten Commandments, I will probably give the same answer as the rich young man, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.”

When Jesus saw the rich young man, he saw that one major sin that stopped him to inherit eternal life. It is his love for his wealth…

I may have never violated any of the Ten Commandments. However, I do know that there are many other sins that I have fallen into which are not stated in the Ten Commandments.

Galatians5:19-21
GAL 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
MK 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Jesus did 3 things here. He looked at the young man. He loved him and then he spoke to him. Jesus knows our heart. He understands all our struggles. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. Jesus cares about us and he spoke the truth in love to the young man of how to inherit eternal life.

There were two things that the young man was not able to follow. He was not able to give up his wealth and he didn’t want to take up the cross and follow Jesus.
What are the things that we are not willing to give up for God? What are stopping us to take up the cross and follow Jesus?

Conclusion:
We may be good people but being good people doesn’t mean that we will inherit eternal life. In order to inherit life, 1) We must follow all the commandments in the bible, 2) Give up the things that stop us to be close to God & 3) Carry the cross and follow Jesus.

Sera speaks: "My little dream of being humble."

2008-02-02T14:20:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Hi Brothers and Sisters,

How've we all been? I know for me, it's getting a little tougher. Especially with direction in my life. But all's well, I guess. Need prayer that God will show me a clear path and that my eyes would be opened to see that path He has for me.

Was just thinking back when I was still in kid's kingdom, how my aunt Cynthia (some of y'all might know her) would ask me if I wanted to be a christian and I'd always say yes!! And she'd ask why.

My reply would always be, "Because I want to be humble." I had no clue what being humble was all about. haha. Since then, it has been my dream and it inspires me to know that God gave me that vision even when I didn'tunderstand it. But now I do. I'm glad I held onto that child-like dream.
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I'm gonna share something about humility that I've grown to understand and appreciate the difficulty of attaining.

Deuteronomy 8:3
"Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Been reading quite a lot on humility on top of the NT readings. Just to give my QT a little more flavour.

This passage really taught me the simplicity of the term, 'we do not live by bread a lone.' I've even sung it in songs so many times. (Man shall not live my bread alone.... But by every word~~)

God gave them just enough to live with so that they would understand the greatness of Him. When I got that insight, I immediately thought about the many great worldly things that we have. They all distract us from God. Being humble is also about living our lives free of distractions, so that we can fully absorb the greatness of God and live by Him.

Proverbs 11:2
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

With humility comes wisdom. My two loves that I want to aquire, all in one simple sentence. I feel like, in situations when I've been humble in accepting advice and accepting other's view of me, I'm calmer and I actually make wiser decisions. And at that point I really see myself becoming the woman God wants me to be. Don't ask me how I know... You just do.

I'll leave you guys with that.

Love you all dearly =)

Sera

Alex Theo speaks: "God remembers you."

2008-02-01T06:30:00.000+08:00

A big guy with an even bigger heart, Alex is a brother who is very contented and happy. He finds joy in the little encouragements God places in his life.

Hi guys!

What a privilege it is to be in the mailing list of the campus! Thank you God for that! It has been very encouraging reading all the sharing so far! Trust me, some of the sharing really did make my day better after a really really long one!

Wow! Its been a long time since I last shared my QT with u all! Been sooooo busy with school work over the past few weeks as I was developing a training seminar for my project. Thank God its over already!

Hmm..... Where do I start? I guess since we're on the NT reading thought I'd share some insights I've gained along the way.

My group, House of Rock, are doing something interesting. We have chosen 2 topics to be discussed on 1st Feb's burreans nite! But before I dwell into that here's something I learnt from Matthew 1.

As we all know, it is the genealogy of Christ! We can go away thinking, its just one mega long family tree! But if you look at it deeper, its actually an encouraging chapter! What I kinda gathered was that God was encouraging us by telling us He never forgets those who have served him. If you look properly, the names mentioned actually dates back as far as Genesis 16 or 17, this being Abram then but later known as Abraham! And it goes chronologically all the way till Christ's birth! I think any day if ya feel down, think bout how God DOES remember you as we are all His precious children, more precious than gems or treasures measurable!

The 2 topics my group are looking into are:
1. The Power of the Resurrection
2. The Importance of Hope

I'll share bout it a little further in my next mail out. In the mean time I hope u guys n gals will be encouraged by that short verse and sharing.

Love you all!
@ _ 3 X

Alfred speaks: "The Parable of the Two sons. (Matthew 21 : 28 - 31)

2008-02-01T06:15:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

Hi Campus,

The Parable of the Two Sons

MT 21:28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, `Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'

MT 21:29 " `I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

MT 21:30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, `I will, sir,' but he did not go.

MT 21:31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.

1) God desire a repentant heart.

In this passage, Jesus wants us to imitate the repentant heart of the first son. In the past when I did my QT on this passage, I misinterpreted it wrongly. I read it and thought that if I don’t fulfilled the promises that I ought to do, God will displease me. I felt very down when I missed my QT or fall into sin and I thought that I was like the second son who was not able to keep promises. However, after reading this passage again, I realize that Jesus didn’t say that he disliked the second son. Rather, he said that God desire the repentant heart of the first son. In the passage, God is not focusing on the unfulfilling promises, but rather focusing on the repentant heart.

2) What I need to repent on?

I will like to thank brothers and sisters in for all of your inputs. They have helped me to be a better brother, a better leader and a better son for my family. I am happy that I am now 7 years as a disciple. Without the Campus brothers and sisters helped, I won’t be able to grow much in my leadership, maturity and sensitivity. I am grateful to be in Campus. However, definitely there are many areas that I can grow in. They are…

3) Discipline with my time

In this semester, God has blessed me with a good timetable. I have many breaks in between lessons and I actually have lots of time to do the things that I always wanted to do. When I looked backed for the past few weeks, I can’t remember what I did with my time. I realized that I am far from the goals that I have set myself. I have goals like spending more time studying bible with people and spending more time reading Christianity books to build my knowledge of the bible and also prepare myself for biathlon. I pray that I can be more discipline with my time and to archive the goals that I have set myself.

4) Be a man of Courage

I pray that I can be bold in my area of evangelism and constantly share my faith in NTU.

Love you deeply,
Alfred

Bernard speaks: "The Poor Widow"

2008-01-29T16:23:00.001+08:00

Dear Bros and Sisters,

I am really glad that we are having this church wide simultaneous bible study. Knowing that there are other disciples who are reading at the same pace as I am encourages me to do my quiet time everyday.

Just want to share an insight about the poor widow who put in two small copper coins in the temple treasury.

The Widow's Offering
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

(Luke 20: 1-4)

Before, everytime I read this passage I always imagined that Jesus wants me to give more monetary contributions to the Church. But after being a Christian in our Church and being inspired at how insightful other Christians are when they read the Bible, I realize that there is more to this story than Jesus wanting more out of our pockets.

Certainly God appreciates a giving heart that does not hold back. To Jesus, the poor widow who gave her everything has definitely given more than the rich people who only gave part of what they can truly offer. To delve a bit deeper, I asked myself what does it mean to be a widow in those days?

In 1 Timothy 5:5 Paul says "The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help." For someone to pray night and day to ask God for help sounds pretty desperate to me. And Luke says that the woman who gave the only money she had is a poor widow- being a woman in those days she probably had no work, maybe no relatives to look after her, could possibly resign herself to begging in the streets, and most definitely had no resources or property. And yet she gave all that she had and did not hold back.

Luke 21:1-4 however does not denounce the rich people who gave what what is due of them. But it certainly gives a contrast between a person who gives more than what is expected (the poor widow) and those who just gives what is required of them (rich people). This passage encourages me to give more than what is required of me. Not just monetary but in every endeavour I do for the Lord. Like by serving Him, instead of just doing what is expected of me, I should cheerfully do more by giving my time and putting in more effort. In Jesus' standards, it is simply not enough that we just fulfill our responsibilities, but we should make it a point to bring things higher and do more for the Lord.

In Church I see alot of Christians doing this. Those who use their precious time and energy to give more to God. There are the leaders, the choir singers, the ushers, those who prepare communion every Sunday morning, the disciples at Kid's Kingdom, etc. These are people who go the extra mile to serve our one true Master and Lord and Father. And I am confident that Jesus Christ is very pleased by the acts of sacrifice these people make.

God bless you all!

Love,

Bernz

Marilyn speaks: "It's not the man"

2008-01-29T16:06:00.000+08:00

Amen, Jer! Your email sharings are not just encouraging, but very insightful as well. Also you write in a conversational way which warms my heart, it's like i can imagine you talking to all of us in a bibletalk setting or morning devo. :)

Just some background info about the 12 apostles that Jesus had picked out... have you ever wondered why twelve? Why not eight? Or twenty? Like what Jer shared, why not every single person in the crowd then?

The number twelve is filled with symbolic importance. There were twelve tribes in Israel. And the religion of Judaism of Jesus' time represented a corruption of faith of the Old Testament. Israel had abandoned God's grace in favor of 'doing good works'. Their religion was legalistic, filled with hypocrisy, self-righteous works, man-made regulations and meaningless rituals. Therefore, in choosing 12 apostles, God was in fact appointing new leadership for the new covenant, judgement against the 12 tribes of Old Testament Israel.

None of the 12 apostles Jesus chose were from any religious background. They were common men, fishermen, tax-collecters etc. They were like us. In this world, there are no intrinsically qualified people. God Himself must save sinners, sanctify them, and then transform them from the unqualified into instruments He can use. Just like the 12 disciples...because of them, 2000 years later, millions of people know God! Sometimes, Satan will attempt to convince us that our weaknesses render us useless to God and His church. But God chooses the humble, the lowly and the weak so that there's never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world.

It's not the man, it's the power of God in the man.

Dear lambs, let's be cranking the ministry and save at least 2 men and 2 women this semester :)

Jeremy speaks, "Heart of an intercessor."

2008-01-29T05:45:00.000+08:00

Jeremy is our brother, full of joy and inspiration. He brings smiles to everyone's faces and glory to God with his excitement for His word.

Hi campus,

it's really nice to see emails flying here and there. :)

anywayz today wanna share something after reading from mark 1-2 and Eze 22:30

As i was reading mark 1-2, i notice something. well, Jesus was preaching the gospel to the people and i noticed that a large
crowd followed Him.
Hmmm.. now... why did they follow Jesus? there maybe many reasons, they could probably be
- curious
- since they were there, might as well follow and listen and see if Jesus was really as great as what others proclaim Him
to be
- really believed that He is the Son of God
and the list goes on.

well, i was wondering, why is it that Jesus did not appoint all these people as apostles, imagine there wil be thousands of people.
Spreading the word can never be easier right?
But...
Maybe Jesus saw through them and knew that though there were numbers right before His eyes, but none was ready.

Eze 22:30 - "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on the behalf of the land
so i would not have to destroy it, but i found none."
Perhaps, Jesus was finding someone with the Heart of an Intercessor.

An intercessor is defined as a link between 2 parties. God will look into our heart and choose us. We may not volunteer to be
an intercessor, God will choose us. He will enlist us into His army of intercessor. As a disciple, being called by Him to the kingdom,
we ought to intercede for the lost.
Thinking back, before we got baptised, many pray for us, interceding for us, willing to stand between God and man.
so we should pass it on, right?

So how to intercede? well, i am no expert but the following are my personal opinion:-
- (in conjunction to today's devotional) we evangelise, but we must be sure what is our intention. we should evangelise with love and plant the seed of faith,
God will sprout it, well, we interceded by planting/sowing the seed, making the 1st move.
- We pray, but we stripped away all our status and all earthly authority before Him. Humbly asking for the salvation of
people ard us. Have faith and believe.
- We intercede, because we want to imitate God, imitate His love.

Lastly, "if we truly have God's love within us, we will feel compelled to plead with God on behalf of those who face His imminent judgement"
(taken from Experiencing God Day-by-Day by Henry T.Blackaby & Richard Blackaby)

Happy reading. Yawnzzz gonna sleep. lolx.
Take Care

Love
Jeremy

Victoria speaks, "Healing fo the deaf and mute man."

2008-01-29T05:41:00.000+08:00

Victoria, a fresh psychology grad from NUS, is a full-time teacher in a secondary school. She enjoys cooking and that makes many of us in Campus very happy indeed!

Actually,

I think it's not exactly strange that Jesus brought the man away from the crowd. Jesus did that again in Mark 8. He's not someone who wanted to incite the crowd into excited frenzy due to his miracles. He wants people to listen but so the miracles are more to show that he's the Son of God rather than a publicity hype. I am not sure about his actions part but I read somewhere that Jesus might have put his fingers into the man's ears to demonstrate how he wanted people to listen as one of Jesus's greatest challenge was to get the people to listen to the right message.

(Quite similar to what we see now as well: Are we listening to the right message? Are we responding to the call of the Bible or to the call of the world?)

I do am curious about why Jesus used spit though. It's something rather rare. Is it some property of spit? Or is Jesus trying to say something as well?

Hmmm... anyone?

Wei Lin from the East speaks, "Thoughts on God's divine nature -- perfectly just, loving unconditionally."

2008-01-29T05:40:00.000+08:00

Dear all bros & sis,

Coincidentally, my bible talk berean group was also doing a study on Matt 20. So, tot of sharing our insights with you all. We did our discussion based on the theme, Jesus as the servant.

Let's grow deeper in our love for god and his words this year as we embark on our journey of NT readings. :)

love,
weilin

Matthew 20: 1-16 – Parable of the vineyard workers

God is humble to invite outsiders to His kingdom. God is in fact doing the workers a favour by employing them; as the workers are all idling. Even though it is a losing business for the vineyard owner, he accepts all the idle workers; jus like how god accepts us through grace.

God is generous to give every sinner equal amount of grace and is impartial by not showing favouritism to anyone who enters His kingdom earlier than the rest.

Do our best to serve even though every follower will still receive the same reward from God himself at the end of the day.

The workers who started work earlier; they complained when they only received a denarius; the same amount as the workers who started work later. They feel that they deserved more than a denarius since they put in more hours of work. The workers who complained had a worldly mindset about servant hood. They forgot that it was the vineyard owner who first gave them a job when they were idling.

Do we have a worldly mindset about servant hood? Do we look at other Christians and compare how much we serve and how much we gained?

We need to remind ourselves that we serve because god chose us and gave us salvation first even before we started doing anything for him.

Matthew 20: 24-28 – Being a slave for god

As slaves, when we have victories, the credit is to the master. Sometimes, in the world when we have victories, we claim the credit for ourselves and we built on our reputation in the world. Serve with an attitude without claiming any credit and recognition.

As slaves, we do not have anything, there are no possessions owned by the slaves. They are fully under the control of the master; and submit to the master in obedience. Be grateful to God as a Master who is still willing to provide my needs even when I am His slave.

We are either slaves to sins or slaves to God. Make a stand to choose to be God’s slave to righteousness, letting Him take total control of my life.

Are we being slaves to God or other things in our lives?

Andrew speaks: "Men and Women of Teachable Hearts."

2008-01-29T05:35:00.000+08:00

Dear bro and sisters,

I'm convicted by the fact that God wants us to share our learnings in order that we may grow as a body in Christ. God wants us to be the light of the world. He doesn't put the light in us so that we may hide under a bowl or our bed. Hence let us lead a radiant life as a disciple, glorifying Him in every single way possible.

Recently i've attended a seminar on asking good questions. A good question sounds like this:
1)Is most of our convictions from God? If they are from God, did we get them just from the bible?
2)Is our God-based convictions always applicable in every situation?

As i read Mark 2:23-28 i saw how strongly the Pharisees held on to their 'convictions'. They were a devout sect of Jews that abides the Mosaic Law whole-heartedly and in its entirety. What started out to be God-fearing 'convictions' drifted over time, diluted as it passes down from generation to generation.

Sometimes i find myself so used to doing things in a certain way that i no longer question what are my motivations are. I just do them in a mechanical fashion without much thinking. Do we review and reflect our convictions when other disciples gave us input or do we simply brush them aside because our convictions became the 'untouchables' in our lives. Be mindful that not all convictions are not necessary from God. There are good convictions and not so good convictions and there are cut-and-paste convictions used in a unsuitable situation because the circumstances are different.

Jesus asked the Pharisees in Mark 3:4 whether it is lawful to save a life or to do evil on sabbath. The Pharisees could not answer because clear cut black and white area became a 'grey' area for them. Jesus got angry with them because of their stubborn hearts that refuses to unlearn and re-learn the correct convictions. He was hurt because he saw how much man's heart has drifted from fervor and zeal to indifference.

Some points to ponder:
1)Do i have any not-so-good convictions that i'm not humble to unlearn and re-learn?
2)Have i tried to look at the circumstances before doing a cut-and-paste of other's convictions in my situation?
3)Do i share with people my convictions or the values/reasons behind those convictions?

Three things i've learnt: Question my motivations, Validate the situation, Re-learn the convictions

If we do these, we'll be able to have that teachable heart to allow us to respond humbly whenever we stand corrected by God's Word or by his people.

Love ya all
andrew

Victoria speaks: "Jesus' Last Words."

2008-01-23T14:45:00.000+08:00

Victoria, a fresh psychology grad from NUS, is a full-time teacher in a secondary school. She enjoys cooking and that makes many of us in Campus very happy indeed!

Hi everyone!

Am now sitting on a bench at NTU waiting for some campus brothers and sisters to turn out before we do some evangelism. I am also meeting a friend for dinner after my project meeting as well. Thank you God for allowing me to be a student for a year again! It's AWESOME to be a student but also very GRATIFYING to be a single as well. Amen? Amen. haha, hope u all 'miss' my rambling to myself.

I will just like to share abt what I learnt from Jesus's last words in Luke 23. Today, my key verse was to meditate on verse 34. Have you ever wondered why Jesus said those last words? Why did he choose to phrase the words as it is? It was his last few moments and he only uttered words seven times (Luke only recorded 3 statements he said when he was on the cross). Taking my Literature lesson to heart, I wrote the verse in a HUGE font. It's something like this:

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing

So what did I learn abt the meaning of this verse?
- Jesus was interceding on the people's behalf to ask God to forgive them
- The people were ignorant of that they were carrying out the prophecies written in OT. (Isaiah 53:3-12)
- Jesus did not say this prayer just once.

Then I asked myself the question: why did Jesus ask God to forgive the sins of the masses? In Matthew 9:2, he told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. Why did he not do the same thing now?

Because he's taking the sins of the humans... he's becoming one of us. He's offering himself as a offering to atone for the sins of you and me. Imagine the mighty judge now being wrongly judged so that the wrong can walk free. Very unfair right? It made me think abt how I often catch myself complaining abt how life is so unfair... Jesus's death illustrates the need for us not to hunger for justice but to be merciful. There will always be injustices in the world but hope and mercy made life on earth more bearable.

The whole statement above is in present tense. The people were ignorant that they were killing the Lord. " While they didn't know, they should have known. The prophecies were numerous and very clear. His teachings were profound and filled with wisdom and authority. His miracles should have convinced them. His perfect life and love should have removed all doubt about His identity. There was no excuse for their ignorance." (quote from a website) I can replace 'them', 'they' with my name and it will be a prayer for mercy on my behalf. Before I was a Christian, I was ignorant of the meaning of Jesus's death on the cross for me. Til now, I am still ignorant of the ACTUAL hurt that I am causing God and Jesus everyday with my sins. As humans, we will never fully comprehend God's love for us. We have the Bible aka God's Word with us. Yet everyday, we struggle to love. We struggle to forgive. We struggle to put God in the first place. We get distracted. We get discouraged. We get burnt out. We feel that God has forsaken us when we are the ones who have forsaken him. God knows we are responsible for our sins and what will befall us BUT He still forgives us.

He doesn't just forgive once when we are baptized. It made me think abt my heart to love and forgive. In order to forgive us, Jesus paid a very very painful price. He gave up everything for us. So what's the meaning of forgiveness? The word "forgive" is borrowed from the world of commerce and banking. "It means to cancel a debt or to pardon a loan.To forgive is to cancel the debt of someone so that they never have to pay us back for what they've done to us. It's to give grace to someone who doesn't deserve it. If we choose to not forgive we can end up letting our anger and resentment metastasize into bitterness." (quote from website) So have I put down my bitterness? If Jesus laid down his life to forgive, can't we lay down our bitterness towards others? Can't we lay down our insecurities towards ourselves? Let's write down what we struggle to forgive and ask someone to help us. Let's be VULNERABLE so that we can grow to be even more Christ-like. :)

Love, Victoria

Sera speaks: "It's not how big our faith is."

2008-01-23T14:05:00.000+08:00

Dearest All,

todays quiet time was really insightful and also a tear-jerker for me... Hee hee

Lemme share!

Matthew 17:20

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Can we really move mountains?

Jesus was talking in the shadow of the Mount of Transfiguration, he might have gestured to it as he spoke. The Jews knew the phrase 'to move mountains' as a metaphor, just like when we say we have a mountain of work. When the impossible comes near to us, we need to come to God in faith and ask him to remove that mountain.

Many times in the Gospels Jesus indicates that someone's faith has healed them.

From verses 14 - 20, it talks about the demon possessed boy's father. He admitted that there was unbelief mixed with his faith, and still, his son was healed. Why??? Because even with his so-so faith, he connected with Jesus, the Source of Power.

Jesus reminds us that it's not how big our faith is but how big our God is. The smallest faith, even tinged with doubt, can open the door for great miracles, as long as it is humbly presented before our almighty God. It may sound oh so easy when Jesus said with our mustard seed faith we could move mountains.

That's the mystery of faith and the paradox of prayer. Praying in faith is both easy and hard. It's easy because we now have access to the father.

"For through Him we have access to the Father by one Spirit."

Eph 2:18

It's hard because we struggle against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

"For our struggle is not agains flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Eph 6:12

It's about knowing how big our God is. He moves the mountain. We just call out humbly.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."

Eph 2:8-9

Amen!

Have a great start to the day Brothers and Sisters!

Love you all dearly

Sera

Sera speaks: "A triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

2008-01-22T18:15:00.000+08:00

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

Something I want to share that I'm truly convicted by. Really made me think about my 'partnerships' in the campus ministry.

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Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour. If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up."

There is a need for us to be there for one another when the load is too heavy. We've got to carry each other's burdens. As a ministry, we're the body of christ and we work together with our strengths to complement each other. Everyone plays a part in strengthening each one.

When one member is struggling and feels a need for help, we should give readily to their needs. No matter how strong they can be. Even the strongest can feel burdened.

Let's lift one another up and be there for each in good times, ok times and bad times.

This is a battle that will never end until we see God behind heaven's gates. Let's keep fighting for each other.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Amen Brothers and Sisters,

I love you all dearly,

Sera

Sera speaks: "Wasn't that awesome?!?!?!?!"

2008-01-21T16:25:00.000+08:00

Hey campus!

We really had a great weekend didn't we?

Amazing lessons for the brothers and the sisters on saturday afternoon. Encouraging and also cut to the heart!

I really felt the lesson on saturday night was so simple and yet so amazing and heartfelt! Truly our treasures are in heaven, just like what Marilyn has share in our previous post.

What's our ATM??? Let's all be really thinking about the lessons and putting them into practice! I really felt very moved by Dennis' sharing on saturday night. It was different from what we normally would do, sometimes I really feel like during the services people just write notes then go home to meditate on what was preached. But Dennis made us pray about it right there! He gave us time to think about right there when it is still fresh in our minds.

Do we still think about lessons shared when it is still fresh in our minds? Are we urgent enough to not want to lose the essence of the lesson? =)

Let's all be sharing with one another what has impacted us the most about the weekend. Let's be wanting to share insights to build one another up in the Lord!

You guys are amazing and a wonderful family to me! Love you all dearly!

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I want to now officially welcome our new campus shirt!!! Yayeeeeeee!!!!!

I want people who read the blog to know about the shirt that represents who we are!

Version 2.0 of our campus shirt! "The armour of God!"

This verse was chosen by Poernomo. We want to shine in all our strengths so we can be the light to lead many to righteousness! =)

I present you the Campus Ministry of the Central Christian Church. We seek wisdom to inspire many to lead a Godly life. Many young lives have been changed and many spiritual leaders are born!

Amen!!

Marilyn speaks: "Treasures in Heaven."

2008-01-21T15:40:00.000+08:00

Dear lambs in green,

I feel very inspired by the weekend with the Williams and the couple whose surname i've forgotten haha. It has been a fruitful workshop and i'm so encouraged that we have so many friends today to hear God's word with us. I was convicted by the humility of Dennis and Karla on Saturday when they gave God and the Williams the honour of their rags-to-riches testimony.

Here are some thoughts i'd like to share.

When i was studying in acjc, everyone around me lived in mansions or condos, my classmates /schmates /cca mates were sons and daughters of very affluent families - families who owned huge organisations or shopping malls like Paragon and Millenium Walk, ministers and foreign ambassadors and so on. They lived in Sixth Avenue and were chauffered to school, i was a heartlands girl and my dad gives me a lift in his taxi. Though i'm a simple girl living in a small flat, opulence and wealth do not faze me. A life of glitz is enviable to some, but it was nondescript to me. Show me small luxuries and i will gawk and appreciate. Show me simple pleasures, a good book, good music and exciting fellowship and i will be delighted.

Admittedly there was once or twice in my 2 years there that i wished i had a little more, or that i didn't have to work and study at the same time, but i was NEVER ashamed of my humble background. My parents loved me and worked their fingers to the bone to send me to university and sponsored my trips to China and Vancouver. We lived simply and thus my parents never or had very very little conflicts about finances - something that seems to be tearing marriages apart in Singapore lately. While my wealthy schoolmates had the latest cell phones and a credit card, i had home-cooked food everyday. For the many intangible things that my parents gave to me, i believe God really blessed me tremendously.

On a side note, i always think that the best parents are not the ones that fawn and splurge on you when you bring back straight As or a shiny trophy. The best parents are the ones that who keep the childish comics you've penciled, the unintelligble drawings you've scrawn, the lopsided paper cranes you've folded out of 80cents coloured paper. The best parents are the ones who appreciate every single thing you've done, big or small, nothing is too insignificant for them to be proud of.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:18-21

Sometimes you can tell what a person is like by the possessions they hold on to.

To store up treasures on earth is to set our heart on earthly things. It is difficult, even impossible, to desire the return of our Lord when we have made all of our investments in earthly things. Not only this but we also tend to put our trust, our confidence and hope in our investments. The great difficulty of the rich is that they are deceived into fixing their hope on the uncertainty of riches. Jesus is not telling us that it is wrong to have material possessions, but with material possessions comes responsibility as well; not that we are forbidden to enjoy many of life’s pleasures, but that we view them as temporary and, in the long term, unsatisfying compared to the riches God prepared for us.

Amen, have a great week ahead all :)

Alfred speaks: "A Sick Woman & Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute."

2008-01-20T17:00:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

Matthew 9: 18 – 34

1) Believe in others

From the passage, the bible said that the dead girl’s father was a ruler. Though the father was someone with high status, he humbled himself and knelt before Jesus for help. He believed that Jesus can save his daughter. It was her father’s faith that saved the daughter. It was her father’s faith that made him approach Jesus. In verse 24, when Jesus said that the girl was not dead but asleep, the people were laughing at him. If the father had the same belief like the rest of the people, her daughter wouldn’t be saved. The daughter was saved because her father believed in others.

2) Believe in ourselves

When Jesus cured the sick woman who had bleed for twelve years, Jesus said to her…
Vs 22: "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you."

When the two blind men begged Jesus for cure, Jesus touched their eyes and said…
Vs 29: "According to your faith will it be done to you";

Jesus kept mentioning them that it was their faith that healed them. Jesus sees that great value in everyone’s life and wants us to believe that we can make a difference. When Jesus saw the life of the sick woman and the blind men, Jesus believed that they too can make a difference. They were cured because they believed in themselves.

3) Jesus Believe in us

I was touched when I read the account of Jesus healing the demon possessed. It reminds me that whatever bad state that I am in, Jesus still believes in me and still loves me. The demon possessed man was cured because Jesus believed in him.

Let’s us keep believing in others, believing in ourselves and keep reminding ourselves that Jesus always believe in us.

Love you deeply,
Alfred

Sera responds to "Faith of a Centurion" by Alfred

2008-01-18T10:15:00.000+08:00

I really love the point on The Humility of the Centurion. About knowing his place before God.
I feel like in some ways we have forgotten our places before God. Who we are compared to Him.

We are UNWORTHY!

Unworthy to have him love us, unworthy to have him let His son die for us.

Who are we??

The more we need to be grateful because we are nothing but God thinks of us as perfect and he wants to love us. =)

Amen!
Thanks Alfred!

Sera speaks: "Biblical Judgements."

2008-01-18T09:25:00.000+08:00

Been feeling a little dry with the reading. I think my mind's not in the right place.

But! Do not fret! hee hee

I took a look at Doug J's website and read his insight on Matthew 7.

Woah!! CHEEMALOGY!! (singapore slang for really difficult to understand)

But after reading through again and again and also reading verse references he gave, I got a better idea of what he was saying. =)

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In verses 1 & 2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

A lot of times I tend to see it has judging a person. Do not judge people or I will be judged by them. I never really took deep consideration of the overall meaning of judgement.

Judgement of the Scriptures

I find myself picking and choosing what I feel is right for me. And those scriptures that aren't right, I never consider them to be right for me in another situation.

Question posted by DJ for us to think about:
Does the fact that some sections of the Bible are especially "important" make me less motivated to study the sections I perceive to be less valuable? Or do I truly believe that all scripture is "inspired... and useful" (2 Timothy 3:16)?

Do I make judgement on what is valuable or not?

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

This really applies to me because, not only do I make judgement, I don't make use of the opportunity to be humble an read the bible when it is right there infront of me. =)

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Hope this has inspired you as much as it has for me.

Let's take reading the New Testament together seriously.

Love you all dearly =)

Sera

Fierce Insights from DJ

2008-01-18T06:52:00.000+08:00

hey guys,

for really FIERCE and IN-DEPTH studies for matthew, please check out douglas jacoby's website to get even deeper insight beyond what we normally see at http://www.douglasjacoby.com/

he is also at matthew and we can read it if we dontreally have insights on some days....:)

love you lots,

ling pin

Alfred speaks: "Faith of a Centurion."

2008-01-18T06:50:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

The Faith of the Centurion (Matthew 8: 5 – 13)

A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded a century (centuria) of 80 men, but senior centurions commanded cohorts, or took senior staff roles in their legion.
(Definition from Wikipedia)

1) The Love of the Centurion

The centurion cared about his servant so much that he went to find Jesus personally. The centurion could have given the servant a sum of money and find a cure for himself. But he didn’t. The centurion cared about his servant that he wanted to find a cure for him. In spite of his busy schedule, the centurion had time to care his people under him.

2) The Humility of the Centurion

Vs 8: "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof."

The centurion approached Jesus with Great Humility. He probably understood that it was unclean for Jews to enter a Pagan house. He was making no demands and he knew his place before God.

There is an interesting contrast between the testimonials of the Teachers of the Law and the centurion. The teacher of the Law say, “I am worthy….” But for the centurion, he said, “I am not worthy.” In the centurion’s heart, he felt that he don’t deserve God’s blessing. Let us imitate the centurion’s attitude of receiving God’s blessing with humility and gratefulness.

3) The Faith of the Centurion

The centurion’s faith impressed Jesus. It was the only time in the bible where Jesus cured someone without being physically there. I am amazed of what God can do when we have great faith in him. From my QT today, I learn about the centurion faith. In my daily life, I will strive to have that great faith which impresses the Lord.

Love you deeply,
Alfred

Poernomo speaks: "We serve a purpose."

2008-01-17T17:10:00.000+08:00

Poernomo, a PHD student in chemical engineering from NTU, is a delightful person who inspires all of us with his awe and amazement for God's creations.

Hi all,

Thanks to Jeremy, Sera, Andrew, LP for all your encouraging sharings. Have been a quiet reader these days as I've been fighting fire here at school, yet no my own fire =(
Anyway, only got a chance to do my quiet time at night, but I'm glad I don't fall asleep before finishing it =)

Want to share something from Matthew 1, about the genealogy of Jesus. It always attracts me what insights I can get deeper. After several times reading it, it becomes more obvious to me about God's very own heart towards mankinds.

First, God shows how humble is Himself. This what makes him stand out among other "gods". He purposefully involves us, the sinful humans to fulfill His salvation plan. He is willing to let His Son born from the lineage of sinners, throwing aside His glory and might, to be a little infant, after passing through so many generation.

When I see how many people from very different background and characters that God has chosen to be media for His salvation plan, I am just blown away. He involves a prostitute, wicked kings, timid people, doubter, and even just ordinary people just like me. God trully can makes things possible. What the world sees as foolish, evil, weak, God can make something good, special and glorious out of it.

By reading this passage, there is trully no reason for us not being able to be used by God. Then from this evidence, God undoubtedly has the supremacy over everything; He turns things up side down.

So when I think about my life here, I'm sure God is working something great through me, though I may not see it in my life time, I believe, I will contribute something to His plan. And this is supposed not only to make me grateful and proud to be His child but also reminded of how I should always live according to His command, for we serve a purpose.

Love,
Poernomo

Lingpin speaks: "Beatittudes."

2008-01-17T16:55:00.000+08:00

Lingpin is a full-time servant for God!! He serves in many areas in church, including playing the drums for the church band and editing videos and taking photographs. He inspires many with his sacrificial heart.

Something interesting from wikipedia

The Beatitudes:

The blessed nature that these characteristics endow is not meant to be considered from a worldly perspective, but from a psychological perspective.

The word traditionally translated into English as"blessed" or "happy" is in the Greek original. A more literal translation into contemporary English may be "possessing an inward contentedness and joy that is not affected by the physical circumstances".

The Beatitudes imply that people not normally considered blessed on Earth are in fact blessed by God/Reality and will experience the Kingdom of Heaven.

In other words, its the secret to true, eternal, happiness. Its the gateway to heaven.

But thats almost shocking because the world teaches us the exact opposite. And it seems that was Jesus' intent when he taught this, because he wanted to he wanted to shock people out of their worldliness and love of this world. How are we going to stomach this gut-turning way of changing our perspective of this world? I think it just underscores the difficulties of being a disciple in our world... yet there is light atthe end of the tunnel. Endure!

Attached is a picture of the Church of the Beatitudes on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee in Israel.The traditional spot where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

But you know what, tradition tends to be fuzzy...

But still.... cool hor?

love you lots

ling pin

Jeremy speaks: "Heart of a volunteer."

2008-01-17T16:35:00.000+08:00

Jeremy is our brother, full of joy and inspiration. He brings smiles to everyone's faces and glory to God with his excitement for His word.

Hi all,

How's ur day? Well, I just finish a lesson. lolx. 1st week of school was not too bad. hope u all have fun in school/work. :)

anywayz was reading mattew5-6 and today i wanna share some thoughts of what have inspired me.

i focused more on chapter 5 v13-16

i just got very interested abt the word salt and light. well, have u ever pick out a single grain of salt and taste it? is it salty enough to have arouse ur attention that salt is salty? do u ever single out a ray of light to measure its brightness?

well, i believe most of us wont.

as in i feel that light are bright, because collectively all the rays are bright. in the same way, i feel that salt is salty because collectively all the grains in a teaspoonful of salt is salty.

i just focused christian as the salt/light. well, it's easy enough for a person to shine. like people will say that christian A is holy,

just, righteous etc. they may have good impression abt christians. but then if that's the case, why do some pple shun away from us when we ask/invite them to church? since they are supposed to be together with a bunch of righteous pple, holy and innocent?

becos if only a few pple shine, it's not enough. just like in a teaspoonful of salt, only a handful are salty, it's not enough.

thus i feel that in order to shine and be 'salty' as a christian, as a whole we have to be salty and bright together. then can we be awesome!

so now the qns is how to be awesome?

then i was reading psalm 110:3 and the book that i'm reading says something abt volunteer. and thus i focus on the heart of volunteers. Thinking back from experience, for me i've been to the orphanage in batam and the hope for senior event. well, i feel we can be considered a volunteer. i feel that volunteers are a bunch of pple who serve, give, love out of their free will.

Serve - Serve the pple willingly, imitating the humility of Jesus, remembering the time He lowered himself from a God to being a human just like us.

Give - Give the pple from the bottom of the heart, imitating the grace of God.

Love - Love the pple with a true heart, imitating the unconditional love of God.

Then wat do volunteers gain in return? well, i feel that volunteers gain satisfaction after serving, giving and loving. But then more importantly we gain the satisfaction of God. He will be pleased. Because we showed His love through our acts to others, thus shining as a light and salt to people around us.

in conclusion

Let's have the heart of a volunteer

Serve from the bottom of our heart

Give with a graceful heart (not beautiful but with a heart full of grace)

Love with a true heart.

Let's be motivating each other to be a salt and light of this Earth

Happy reading

Hope u all have fun this week.

Love

Jeremy

Andrew speaks: Thoughts on God's divine nature - perfectly just, loving unconditional.

2008-01-17T00:38:00.000+08:00

Dear bros and sisters,

It's been a great start to the year 2008. Hope I'm not too late to share something from my time with God. The common quiet time has helped me to really focus on my quiet time, knowing that about 900++ disciples are doing it together, i can't help but feel it's so unifying and encouraging. (There's no way I'm gonna be left out :P ) Hasn't been writing down my thoughts on email for a long while but the campus really inspired me to get my engine going again.

Just wanna share some things that convicted me yesterday. I was reading from Matt 20 about the parable of the vineyard workers. All this while when i read this chapter i would focus on the attitudes and reaction from the workers. Yesterday i decided to dig deeper and see what i can find from the other character - owner of the estate instead.

As we all can guess the owner would most likely be God himself, he owns the vineyard, a moral/spiritual vineyard. As i read I've noticed that the owner went out early in the morning and hired idle men to come into his moral vineyard to do some productive work. He went out for a total of four times and three hours apart each time just to see if anyone would be interested to work. Why would God do something like that? It was not logical and in business sense totally crazy.

Another interesting fact I've picked up in the passage, the owner's concern was not his vineyard but the people at the marketplace. He would hire anyone who would be willing to work and he made sure that he go to the marketplace often enough to not miss anybody. I'm sure nobody does that nowadays.

A question floated into my mind - did the owner really needed the additional help? It seems to me that he was actually doing the men at the marketplace a favor by hiring them. I saw God's unconditional love in how he tirelessly reaches out to each and every one of us. He planned friends and relatives during the course of our lives to talk to us about him, he puts strangers along out paths to evangelise to us. He wants us to do productive work and get trained up instead of lazing around at the marketplace(world). He promises us a day's pay when we are done and it doesn't matter at which part of the day(our lives) we chose to respond. For disciples, this passage can be applied to certain areas of our lives that have slackened. We are lazing around, allowing the world to dominate in that area of our lives. Is God calling you to work? Is he prompting you to come into his moral vineyard/spiritual vineyard to get trained up?

At the end of the day God paid the last workers who came in first. It was because they were the most humble and grateful of all those who worked. Remember the gratitude and humility we had when we just got baptised! We have not done much, Jesus did the most and we are not worthy. God looks at our heart. Those who were there since the morning felt taken advantage of. They cannot believe that God is so unfair to pay the same salary to people who did so little work and those who did so much. We would only see it when we are those who felt we have done more and others have done less. Instead of focusing on our rewards, we should be thankful that God keeps his word. all the promises in the bible is 100% trustworthy. He does not change his standards, not for you, not for me.

Have a great day!

Love Andrew

Sera speaks: "What do we do with an open door."

2008-01-16T18:30:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

How have we all been? It's already the 2nd week of 2008. Let not our fires burn out.

I've something to share from reading revelations for some particular reason.. I guess God made it so I can inspire you guys with my insight.

"What He opens no one can shut and what He shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."
Revelations 3:7-8

We're given open doors in our lives, opportunities to shine. And in that room and that room only, which God open's, we're to fill it with with glorification to Him! In whatever job, school, situation we're put in, we're to use it to glorify God. No matter how hard or how easy it is, we're to remember who opened that door for us to shine. Be it a blazing fire or twinkling sparkle, God is glorified. Amen. =)

That's just something short I wanted to share. Hope it inspires you as much as it has for me. =)

Love you all lots,
Sera

Wee Keong responds to "Our Marathon to God."

2008-01-11T08:12:00.000+08:00

Hi Jeremy,

Yes I like your sharing and no, I don’t think its too long of an email J

Then again, I like anything on the topic of running :-p May I add my thots?

1) Training
Physical training helps us to overcome the lactic acid buildup. Spiritual training helps us overcome Satan’s tricks to slow us down.
Not only must we train, we should try to train in the right “zone” of our heart rate. If we train too high of a zone, we can’t last. If we train in too low of a zone,
we don’t benefit. Spiritual training consist of pushing ourselves, but not at the cost of no / low “self-care”. We don’t want to be a matyr then end up falling away.

2) Getting accustomed to the stress
Getting used to the lactic acid buildup in our muscles will help us in one thing at LEAST: not succumbing to the “survival” mode when our bodies undergo stress. Think about it; we all go through times of physical exertion when we are panting, breathless & almost feel like dying. That’s the “ah, ah, ah, ah staying alive, staying alive” mode. Then once we are out of that mode, we take our fitness for granted again, only to wait for the next time we have to exert beyond what we can take.
Spiritual training needs to be consistent so we won’t vacillate betw survival mode & complacent mode.

Have a great day, y’all!

Love,
WK

Jeremy speaks: "Our Marathon to God."

2008-01-11T07:55:00.000+08:00

Jeremy is our brother, full of joy and inspiration. He brings smiles to everyone's faces and glory to God with his excitement for His word.

Hi Campus, Hope u all have a great day! :) Certainly this is the 2nd week of yr 2008, hope everything is well and good for u all.

Well, i feel like sharing something with all of u, so here i am. :)

It's been 7mths since im baptised!! haha. i can still remember the day i was baptised, 27th may 2007. whenever i look at my watch, i will count the duration of me being a christian. haha. i feel this is indeed something im proud of. Im sure all of us can still remember the day we got baptised right? lolx.

Well, i wanna share something abt this 7 mths of walking with God & i wanna start by sharing a personal experience during run-a-movie.

We started the run later than most participants. Though we started late, but i felt it's ok, cos i wasnt going there to win but to have a good run. Indeed the starting was good! I felt like the wind, weightless and felt like i could run for long distance. it was great to overtake some of the runners too, felt a sense of achievement. Viewing the scenery and feel the wind at my face definitely refreshes me.

but as the time ticks away, i slowly felt the lactic acid building up in my muscles. then breathing rate starts to increase per minute the burden on my leg is increasing and i dont feel that weightless anymore. at the same moment, my body starts to burn, as metabolism increases and i started to perspire and every now and then i have to wipe the sweat away to avoid feeling the irritation when the sweat touches the eye. the bottom line is i felt the weight of running the 8km.

As i turned at the 4km mark, my brain starts to give way. my body starts to tell me to give up and to walk. But luckily i still have my logic. logic tells me to continue running because it is the only way to keep running. once stop, it will be difficult to start again. so i kept on.....

nearing the 6km mark, my logic gave way. my logic together with my body starts to scream at me to stop! to take a breaklogic reasoning with me to stop and walk. telling me reasons like 'i've no committment to keep running' and 'this is not a fitness test, why so hard on myself' and so on. frankly speaking i was very near to submitting to the idea of walking and my stride shorten by half.

at this time, a thought occurred to me. I told myself this. 'if God tells me now that if i am able to finish the run without stopping he will guarantee a place in heaven for me. If i stop, my place will be taken away, will i still wanna stop?' i then kept running, though difficult, but i cont to run/jog but not to walk, not to succumb to the idea of taking the easy way out. At some point after that i heard people cheering me on and offering me drinks, and i went on...

i don even know how long it was when i realised i was nearing the bend to the ending point. i suddenly felt strength and power that had already eluded me flow all over my body. i was able to sprint all the way till the end and finish the race.

Brothers and Sisters, i feel that this account is very similar to our walk with God. initially, after our baptism, we are very fired up and wanna do a lot of things. loving people, reaching out to our dear ones, hoping they will be able to join us in the kingdom. And we may at one point felt that we are at the top of the world, felt like with God we can do everything --> we were in love with God.

i believe everyone of us in some point of our life will have felt that pursuing God is burdensome. so many committments and there'sso many things to do. This walk with God seems endless and that we started to find ways to tell ourselves to relax and take the easy way out. 'Why do QT, aiya i prefer using the time for myself.' etc. at some point of time we may even feel like throwing in the white towel and just don't care abt our spiritual growth (just like the temptation and idea of walking)

Satan is just like the lactic acid, working his way to make us feel tired, make us feel like giving up our love for God. But... everything may fail, but God's love will never fail. He is mighty and He is more powerful than Satan. In my weakest, He's there. All we need to go is to call out to Him. (just like my reasoning to keep myself running)

We arent in this alone, there are pple around us to give us motivation and support us as we run, giving us 'drink' and cheering giving us their support. Our walk with God is like a marathon. Keep it up when we are feeling charged up and fired up. Call out to God when we are weak.

Exodus 15:13 - 'In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.' Indeed God will guide us to heaven. Let us remember why we fell in love with God. Let us rejoy together after the race and support each other before we get to Him.

Quote from Wee Keong :- "Can i have an Amen to that?" :)

That's all!Phew!

it is a long email, hopefully u enjoy it. happy reading.

With love

Jeremy

Sera speaks: "His yoke is easy and His burden is light."

2008-01-09T17:30:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from LaSalle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

When a person is born anew and experiences repentance, his attitude about Jesus changes. Jesus himself becomes the central focus and the ultimate value of life. Before the new birth happens and repentance occurs, a hundred other things seem more important and more attractive: health, family, job, friends, sports, music, food, hobbies, retirement. But when God gives the radical change of new birth and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our ultimate treature. =)

Therefore, His demand that we come to him is not burdensome. It means coming to the one who has become everything to us. Jesus did not come into the world mainly to bring a new religion or a new law. He came to offer himself for our eternal enjoyment and to do whatever he had to do, including death, to remove every obstacle to this everlasting joy in him.

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
John 15:11

When Jesus demands that we do things, like "Come to me", the essence of these demands is that we experience the life that most fully savors and spreads his supreme worth.

As Jesus looks out over the religions of the world, including the Judaism of his day, he sees people who are labouring under heavy loads to earn the favour of whatever deity they belive in. He did not come to replace that God-appeasing load with another one. He came to carry that load and call us to himself for rest.

"Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

Make no mistake, there is a yoke and a burden when we come to Jesus, but the yoke is easy and the burden is light. =)

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I really want to pray and also dedicate this message to those who aren't doing so well spiritually. I pray that you will understand the plans of God, to prosper us and not to harm us. Jesus called us into the kingdom because He knows how tough the world is out there. And he's given us a yoke that is light because he carries it with us, walking right beside us.

Some of us may think its so tough to follow Jesus and be a disciple and find that we have no strength to go on. Let me encourage you with this.

It says in Matthew 7:14 that the gate is narrow and the way to life is hard. The reason it is hard is not because Jesus is a hard task master. It's hard because the world is a hard place to enjoy Jesus above all. We have a suicidal tendency to enjoy other things more.

Jesus is not the burden. He is the burden lifter, the soul satisfier, and the life giver.

"Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."
John 7:37

I pray that we can overcome what we naturally decide for our lives which is to follow our own desires. Let's know that God's desires for us outweighs any other... Amen.. =)

Love you all dearly...

Sera speaks: "A treasure chest of holy joy."

2008-01-04T09:20:00.000+08:00

In Jesus' final commission, there was authority and intimacy.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
Matthew 28:18

"Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:20

One says, 'I make demands because I have the right.' The other says, 'I make demands because I will help you forever.'

With all that Jesus demands of us, there is still compassion. He's there to guide us as we are imperfect.

What did Jesus demand from the world? From us? He demanded our hearts and mind be changed, because the kind of obedience He demanded moves from the inside, where the value of Jesus is savoured, to the outside, where the value of Jesus is shown.

For our hearts to be changed, Jesus demanded that we be born again, to repent, to go to Him, to believe in Him, to love Him, to listen to Him, and to abide in Him.

When all these demands are seen for what they really are, they turn the absolute authority of Jesus into a treasure of holy joy. =)

When the most glorious person in the universe pays all my debts...

"just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many." matt 20:28

... and then demands that I come live with Him and enter into His joy...

"His master replied, well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" matt 25:21

... there can be no more desirable demand imaginable. =)

When we choose to obey the authority of Jesus, we find ourselves in that treasure chest of holy joy. =)

Amen

Love you guys lots. =)

Teach me Lord, to wait......on my knees

2007-12-16T20:25:00.000+08:00

Teach me, Lord to wait
Down on my knees
Till in your own good time
You will answer my pleas
Teach me not to rely on what others do
But to wait in prayer
For an answer from You

"He has made everything beautiful in His time"-Ecc 3:11

Teach me, Lord to wait
While my heart is all aflame
Let me humble my pride
And call on our name
Keep my faith renewed;
Keep my eyes fixed on You
Let me be on this earth
What You want me to be

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."-2 Cor 4:18

Those who wait upon the Lord
Shall renew their strength
They shall mount up with wings like eagles
They shall run and not be weary
They shall walk and not faint
Teach me, Lord to wait

"But He said to me,'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"-2 Cor 12:9

"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -James 1:4

-Poernomo-

Sera speaks, "A truly godly person."

2007-11-21T05:45:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from La'Salle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

The truly godly person never forgets that he was at one time an object of God's holy and just wrath. He never forgets that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and he feels along with Paul that he is himself the worst of sinners. But then as he looks to the cross, he sees that Jesus bore his sins in His own body and that the wrath of God -- the wrath that he, a sinner, should have borne -- was expended completely and totally upon the Holy Son of God. And in this view of Calvary, he sees the love of God.

The love of God has no meaning apart from Calvary, and Calvary has no meaning apart from the holy and just wrath of God. Jesus did not die just to give us peace and a purpose in life; He died to save us from the wrath of God. He died to reconcile us to a holy God who was alienated from us because of our sin. He died to ransom us from the penalty of sin -- the punishment of everlasting destruction, shut out from the presence of the Lord. He died that we, the just objects of God's wrath, should become, by His grace, heirs of God and co-heirs with Him.

=)

Lingpin shares some thoughts

2007-11-13T04:30:00.000+08:00

Lingpin works for the Army and is a full-time servant for God. He serves in many areas in church, including playing the drums for the church band and editing videos and taking photographs. He inspires many with his sacrificial heart.

Hi guys,

It's been a while since I posted anything.. I guess work has a way of catching up on you when you least expect it or want it.

I think in recent months it's been quite the rollercoaster ride for all of us. Of course the event that hit us most was the loss of our dear friend David. Now that the dust has settled, I felt that it's time to wipe of the dust and sweat and blood and let the emotions come out. It's time to sort out the emotion thing, so bear with me.

I certainly have felt the loss and the exasperation and frustration of not being able to physically do anything for David. Among the brothers we secretly felt the helplessness of getting front seats to the greatest tragedy playing out before our eyes. Oh yes I have felt helpless and felt the pain. But we bravely decided we had to carry on. The campus guys are a great bunch.

At some point in time i decided that i just had to numb the pain and go on doing the right thing, even ifit meant distancing myself from this whole thing. I felt that I had to take care of everyone else before sorting myself out, just to keep everything stable. Once the dust had settled it would be safe for me to come out of my protective shell again.

The best I could do was to make sure the special service went great, made sure the video was encouraging, make sure the songs would do justice to his favourite kingdom songs, make sure the flow of the service went well and that he could see what went on. Then when it happened I just had to grit my teeth and make sure the whole service was done with the greatest care and respect to the family. I made sure we organised the pall bearers and made sure that if I couldnt say anything to him then I should at least carry him and send him off. And to top it off I had the task of reliving every single moment when I edited the wake video for David's family. Oh I made sure that everything went just fine.

Now I just have to make sure that everything is fine with... me. Maybe shed a tear or two just to make sure.

I thought about my motivation to do all this. Is it glory that i want? Praise from Man? "Oh ling pin you have done so much and you should let people know!" Is it affirmation? I thought long and hard before I plunged into this difficult task of serving the family with all my heart. I promised myself that I shall love as Jesus loved, serve as Jesus served, and live as Jesus lived.

And really that was what I needed to weather the storm. How would i deal with personal tragedy and live to tell the tale? How would I find the stomach to grit my teeth and bear with the pain and still decide to do the right thing? How would I find the will to push my emotions aside and serve with all my heart?

I had no choice.

I just had to rely on Jesus for strength and courage... and love. In a time when everyone is in need of love, who will give it? In a time when I also need love, who will give me love? Who will be my friend? I had no choice but to rely on God more and more each day. That is the valuable gift that this whole thing has given to me and God has strange and mysterious ways to tell people things.

I will lament the passing of David, but I will cherish his memory, and the final gift that he gave to me. Am I ok? I guess I will be fine after a while. Now if only I would unclench my fist from the shovel and stopworking for a while and let God take more control of my life...

But you know what, melancholic-cholerics are all like that....:)

love you lots,

Ling Pin.

Wilfred speaks: "He ain't heavy, He's our brother."

2007-11-06T14:50:00.000+08:00

During one of the hangouts of our small group, the
Awesome 5 (Lubin, Kelvin, Shawn, David and I), we
found ourselves discussing about our funerals. It may
seem odd for a bunch of young men to be discussing
this but for some reason we did and along the way we
made a pact - that since there's five of us, the first
one to depart would be carried by the remaining 4.

That pact was realized last Monday when a few brothers and I were pallbearers at David's funeral.

The thought of organizing the pall bearing was something that weighed heavily on my mind but I had no time to address it until after the second service on Sunday. I hesitated stepping forward to ask but as Kelvin put it best, there won't be another time.

I was glad that David's Dad was open to my suggestion and quickly gathered a group of brothers for the task- Ling Pin, Anthony, Andrew, Shawn and Kelvin. I really appreciate them for serving especially at such late notice. I knew for certain had Lubin been back in Singapore, he would've been there with us.

As did the Church say to David during the appreciation service, from 1 Thessalonians 5:13, 'We hold you inthe highest regard', so did the pallbearers expressthat by bearing the coffin on our shoulders. It was an honor to be carrying a hero on ourshoulders; one who has had tremendous impact on thepeople around him. As I look back on that last act of service we performed for our dear brother, the lyrics of that 60 shit by The Hollies, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother comes to mind.

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where

But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he, to bear
We'll get there

For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on our way to there
Why not share
And the load

Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

The path leading to the hearse did seem long, but it was over too quickly. I knew my prayers for the six of us to be strong and stedfast were answered as we complete that final act of service. And no the load didn't weigh us down at all for He Ain't Heavy, He's Our Brother.

Love Wilfred

Sera speaks: "Total Responsibility and Total Dependence."

2007-11-05T15:20:00.000+08:00

Sera is a theatre production student from La'Salle, she never fails to inspire others around her with her deep convictions and carefree expression of God's love. She's blessed with a beautiful singing voice too!

Though the power for Christlike character comes from Christ, the responsibility for developing and displaying that character is ours.

Philipians 2:12-13

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.

It is us who are called to self-activity, to have active pursuit of the will of God, to promote our spiritual life in himself, to realize the virtues of the Christian life, and to personally apply to salvation. =)

If this was all that was asked of us, we'd be left to our own devices, to our own strength of character and our own willpower.

But Paul does not stop with just our responsibility, he says, "For it is God who works in you."

The spiritual power that enables us to apply ourselves to the cultivation of Christian graces is of God. He works in us so that we can will and act upon it.

Dutch reformed pastor George W. Bethune quotes:

"While, therefore, we grow in the Christian life by divine grace, it is our duty to grow in grace. Besides, the quality of grace is such that, though it is strength from God, we must use it. Grace gives no new faculty, but strengthens the faculties which we have... hence the fruits of the spirit are the qualities and actions of the renewed man, not produced without him, but wrought through him... Let us then be ever mindful of our entire dependence upon the spirit of God... [but] let us be ever mindfu of our duty to maintain good works."

The fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5 are commands addressed to our responsibility. We are to have those traits because God has already given us the power to attain them. =)

With Philippians 3:12-14, we learn that there's a need to press on and strain forward. Paul even tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7 to train himself to be godly. =)

With God's power, we're to use it to develop our characters so that we can display them to please God. No wait for His power to work its way into our hearts. =)

Love you guys....

His name is David

2007-10-30T13:55:00.000+08:00

I heard that bravery is not the absence of fear, but rather, the ability to conquer the fear, and turn it into strength and inspiration.
And I have seen someone who trully wrestles, never gives in, and continuously fight, till the end.
He is courageous enough to give thanks to the Almighty, in knowing what he's going through;
He is not afraid to keep smiling, yet facing the another day of uncertainty;
He is no doubt that tomorrow will definitely be better;
He is secured of having the hope of eternity and never let it fading away;
He is concern enough to ask me, "How are you?" despite himself feeling pain;
He is brave enough to see all the injecting needles, without complaining to God;
He dares to dream, for his loved ones and his friends;
He is valiant enough to take another chance of treatment, instead of giving in;
He is courageous enough to stay faithful, until the end.
And his name is David, who turns all his fears and uncertainties into inspirations, that makes a difference in so many lives.

David will rise again

2007-10-30T11:29:00.000+08:00

(Something that Huixian has sent me, thanks sister)

"Your brother shall rise again."
(John 11:23)

When you told me your loved one passed away, I didn't know what to say.
I asked the Lord,
What do I say to someone who has just experienced such a loss?
Then I remembered what Jesus said, when He saw Mary and Martha crying
after the death of their brother, Lazarus:
"Your brother shall rise again."

That's the verse God led me to right after my own brother's death at age 22.
I knew he was with Jesus, but I still needed something to hold onto,
so I had turned to the Bible: and that verse jumped right off the page.

I wish I could ease your pain.
I know the Lord will sustain you.
He says, "Fear not, for I will strengthen you,
I will uphold you with my strong right hand."

Know that your loved one is in a place of true peace now,
where there is no more pain, neither sorrow, nor crying.
And, as Jesus told Mary and Martha, you shall see him again.

Paul told the Thessalonians they should not grieve
as those who do not have the hope of eternal life,
that those who "fall asleep" in Jesus shall rise again.
We have this hope. Of course, it's normal to sense a loss.

I know Jesus will help you carry that burden, as I know He loves you dearly
and everything that touches you, touches Him.
God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able to endure. This, too, shall pass....

God is supreme and fully in charge of all things.
Nothing takes Him by surprise.
He is personally aware of even the slightest events on earth --
even the fall of a sparrow, Jesus said.
"And you are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12)

Our job is to trust the Father's wisdom
He really does have the eternal perspective and oversight on such things
and truly does have our best interests in mind.
"All things work together for good ..." (Romans 8:28)

Take care, little lamb.
Many things about tomorrow we don't understand,
but we know Who holds tomorrow ... and I know He holds your hand

love in christ,
mari

Sera speaks: "David our Warrior."

2007-10-30T00:30:00.000+08:00

Warrior

I think you should know, this boy
Gentle joyful loyal
I think you should know, this boy
Friendly unassuming
I think you should know, this boy
Pure-hearted courageous
I think you should know, this boy….

Warrior
Warrior
Compassionate spiritual
Our Warrior
Our Warrior

I think you should know, this boy
Encouraging self-sacrificing
I think you should know, this boy
Unfailing unwavering
I think you should know, this boy
Focused on the path that’s lighted
I think you should know, this boy….

Warrior
Warrior
With his sword and his shield
He’s our Warrior

Warrior
Warrior

God is his stronghold
God is his strength
God is his saviour, he said
God is his teacher and God is his master
Now, God is his faith

Warrior
Warrior
Compassionate spiritual
Our Warrior
Our Warrior

Victoria speaks: "Something for David."

2007-10-30T00:18:00.000+08:00

When we first met

He said his name was David

Little did I know that it would be

A name that impact many lives

Many a times we travelled

Together we laughed

We talked and shared

About our dreams and struggles

His age was young

Yet his words were wise

Smaller in size yet his heart

Was the biggest I ever known

Always smiling brightly

Always ready to give

A hug or a kind word

To anyone he meets

His achievements are many

But he never boasts

His listening ear was ever-ready

His advice always sensitively given

Never wavering in his faith

He might have cried out

But he always held on to God's hand

And gave comfort to many

Staring the Goliaths in the eyes

He conquered them one by one

Not out of sheer strength or size

But through pure faith and love for God

He's a friend I will miss

And think about often

When I sing a particular song

I will dedicate it to you

Tears are overflowing

Yet let these tears wash away

The pains and sorrows

To face another new day

I love you, David. You have fought the good fight and inspired to live my life likewise.

Love, Vic

Jun Yan speaks: "In memory of David Liao."

2007-10-30T00:08:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

To wax lyrical on most other people would come out pretentious and false, and yet it seems most deserving and fitting when applied to David Liao. It is testament of the impact and influence of a person when he touches the lives of the numerous people he has met, yet even that is far surpassed when the life he has touched is of someone he has never met, spoken to, nor knows how that person looks like.

For the duration of 5-6 months that I have heard about David, I have had a fairly thorough glimpse into his life through his friends at Central Christian Church's Campus Ministry, and it is a picture painted with vibrant colours and bold strokes, yet utterly down-to-earth and unassuming. For through the stories told by his friends, David had an incredibly active life, excelled in practically all endeavours, brought lots of laughter, and yet defined to me the meaning of humility. It is said that excellence takes "blood, sweat and tears", but many would agree that it takes a great man to remain humble, and in my opinion, David deserves to be called a "great man".

A true test of greatness comes when one faces adversity, and David epitomised the spirit of courage and determination when faced with a deadly disease. Drawing on his faith and support of his loved ones, I am in no doubt that he stared back at the cancer with an intense belief and desire to beat the odds. And even though the odds proved too great, he fought till the very end, never giving up as long as there was still a speck of hope... and we were there cheering him on. This spirit of never giving up, of 自不息, is something I will always remember about David.

Benjamin Disraeli, one of Britain's most astute Prime Ministers of all time, once said that "The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." David is certainly a hero of sorts in our hearts, and he has left behind the legacy of a great example of how to be a good Christian, a good human, a good citizen, and a good son. Let us not mourn the passing of a great person, a great friend, a great inspiration, but let us celebrate the fulfilling life he had and the memorable times that he has spent with us. And as for me who has never met him, I am sure that years down the road when my memory is fading and I can't remember his name, I will still remember his story of courage and inspiration.

With love,
Jun Yan

Gwen speaks: "Let us be comforted."

2007-10-30T00:04:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

As we grieved for our dearest brother David, let us turn to God for comfort. I believe that David is in heaven rejoicing and enjoying the world biggest feast (PS: even better than all the banana prata and dou jiang you tiao in the world).

I love you dear david.

Here are some verses we can meditate on:

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you asthe world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Isaiah 25:8

He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

Psalm 71:20-21

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

Psalm 30:5

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousnessfor his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before mein the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.Surely goodness and love will follow meall the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 27:4-5

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

with love,
Gwen =)

Andrew speaks: "Wonderful memories of David."

2007-10-29T23:56:00.000+08:00

Dear brothers and sisters,

It's been a long time i've written anything lengthy since the time iSMURFS did our common quiet time and often written our sharing and send to one another. Still remembered that though David was sick he was the one who shared the most. : ) Today i just want to pen down my thoughts about our dear brother who has gone back to Our Father's home and i'll always miss the times i've spent with him.

I remember the first times when i actually got to know David was when he's still in NS and confirmed that he's going into SMU. I think that time Weekeong was asking me to get him involve in the campus activities while he is going to come to campus anyway. Then we ended up in the same small group and the initial first spend time with him i was very very impressed by his convictions and the way he loved his family and the disciples. I still remember asking him what was his weaknesses and he mentioned that he struggled in time management. But trust me, David was juggling his commitments so much better than me but i really appreciate his heart because he really hoped to spend more time with the people he has come to love.

After spending considerable time together i'm convinced that David would be the an awesome campus leader and on my part i really felt relieved because even though i've only get to know him for several months but David has such a pure and sincere, totally devoted to God and people that it was a very clear sign as least to me just like when Samuel was told to anoint King David.

In his first semester in SMU he never stop trying to get the disciples on campus to come together. He was very busy and tied down by his own school work but he would always try to arrange them in such a way so that he can come for church. He would be such a fillial and obedient son, he always want to go back home to have his family dinners and be at home with his parents. ALongside all these, David has so many great friendships with the people and he'll always invite them to church. He has them on his mind all the time. One other amazing quality he has is in singing... i'm still amazed how he sang 'One Night in Beijing' so well...

David, I'm glad you've fought the good fight and you hung on to your faith right till the very end. I'm so proud of all the things you have done and through them many have been impacted by your faith. I'm saddened that today we've lost a very dear brother in Christ and that we couldn't fight hand in hand to save the lost together anymore but i'm very happy for you that you've gone to be with the Lord and we see each other again in heaven.

We always miss you in our hearts

Love
Andrew

Weekeong speaks "God and Newton Running"

2007-10-15T15:22:00.000+08:00

Weekeong is our awesome pastor and currently leading the East Sector and Campus Ministry of our church with his beautiful wife, Joyce. He has two adorable sons and enjoys running, sports and reading.

Dear Campus,

It feels great to be back in Singapore after the International Leadership Conference in the sunny city of Los Angeles, California! The theme was “For All Generations” & we had an incredible time of fellowship, praying, worshipping God, listening to His Word & rededicating our hearts back to having faith for all generations to come!

In the midst of having appointments with old friends & meeting new ones, I got to share this with you. I had been dying to get my hands (and feet, actually) on a pair of running shoes that is not widely known in the US & unavailable for sale outside of it. So, I had it pre-ordered from the company that makes it in Boulder, Colorado and got it to be delivered to the hotel I was in the night I arrived! Imagine the thrill of seeing my package at the hotel concierge!

I went back to the room & tore everything open & found myself with the lightest, most responsive, forefoot running shoe I have ever seen! The company is known as Newton Running & the shoes are simply called Newtons. Why is it so different?

First of all, if we try to run barefooted, we naturally land on our forefoot. It’s a god-given natural instinct to allow us to absorb the shock of the impact with our entire leg before running shoes were invented. Most shoes we see on the market have a heel to forefoot ratio of about 2:1. Translated? The heel is a lot thicker & heavier than the front of the shoe, making forefoot running difficult & unnatural under the circumstances. Newtons are NOT designed for people who heel-strike. In fact, the heel is not designed to last very long if one lands on it all the time.

Secondly, gel-cushioning is so 80’s. More & more runners are abandoning the gel & looking for something more absorbing & will last longer. However, they are at a crossroad & don’t know where to go. Did I mention that there are hardly any shoes with gel in the forefoot anyway? Newtons have a few strips of cushioning lugs that reduce normal impacts of 20 G’s to about 12 G’s. In other words, we feel less impact & we run more naturally.

Thirdly, most shoes are designed to wear from the inside out. Translated? Your 4-year old Nike’s still look pretty cool on the outside although all the “bounciness” it used to have may have been lost quite a while ago. Newtons are designed to wear from the outside in meaning that the sole of the shoe may look its been to Irag & back, but the protective cushioning will last far longer.

I had the opportunity to run about 25k over 3 days in my Newtons while I was at the conference (on a treadmill in the gym of course) & when I was out in the desert road for a few days after the conference, I ran about 10 k in them. It felt great! The shoes makes contact with the ground a lot faster than my best Asics shoes & feels weightless!

I think about our relationship with God & the few parallels that comes to mind:

1) We are naturally designed to be worshipful. But the world has given us a life that is filled with distractions & false-gods, making worshipping God difficult. Christians are NOT designed to worship anything other than the Almighty. In fact, we won’t last very long if we continue to worship “idols” like worldliness.

2) More & more people are abandoning their old traditional Chinese beliefs & becoming atheist. They are at a crossroad & don’t know where to go. Christianity teaches us how to protect & cushion our hearts against the evil onslaught of Satan, reducing the hurts that come from sin from unbearable to a totally refreshing feeling when we repent!

3) The world teaches us to wear from the inside out; the first to go are our hearts, our moral principals, our integrity & our beliefs. Everything else on the outside can be plastered & maintained through cosmetics & plastic surgery. The Bible teaches us the “though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

God wants the last thing that goes out to be our hearts! Isn’t it what it’s all about? We don’t have to worry about the outside wearing out. Adam probably looked the way he was from age 60 till he dies at 930 years old. Or do we seriously think we can look like we’re in our twenties ALL the time?

I look forward to continually training & enjoy running. But I look forward more to serving God with a pure heart till the day I die. I am going to have many more pairs of running shoes (provided my body holds out) but in this life, I have only ONE heart. I have no intention of letting it wear out soon. What about you?

Look forward to your thoughts!

Love,

Wee Keong

Alfred speaks: "Soaring like eagles."

2007-10-09T12:35:00.000+08:00

Alfred is our very cheerful, zealous and fired up brother. He loves children and is always inspiring others with his soft heart towards the word of God.

Hi bro and sis,

Let’s us turn to Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I believe everyone is familiar with this passage. I want everyone not to focus on their action but focus on their heart. What do they have that we can learn from?

Gratitude! Are u grateful of what God has bless u?

From this passage, you don’t get a hint of them dragging themselves for meeting. They just love the fellowship. They enjoy the fellowship! They come together and praise God. Praise about the almighty Lord. Through this passage, I see that brothers and sisters are very grateful and they want to meet every day to praise God.

When are our meetings?
-Mid week won’t be in our own individual campus anymore. Our mid week will be on wed in church. The meetings that we have is wed, fri and sun! All meetings are compulsory! I want to see all the brothers and sisters in all meetings. They are compulsory.

If u have good reasons for not coming pls let me know. Don’t just let LP know. I need to know too. When I sms everyone about the detail of the meeting and I don’t get any reply from you, I assume you will be there. I will appreciate if u can just sms me that you are not coming for some good reason.

Why do you need to come for all the meetings? The reason is because all of us need spiritual food. We need spiritual food from the lesson, encouragement from the fellowship, input of how we can do better from our d – group. All these meetings are important! They give us spiritual food.

What stop us from going to meetings?
Ungratefulness and tiredness.

Now, I will teach you how to get strength from the Lord.

SOARING LIKE EAGLES
Have you ever wondered why Isaiah 40:31 is written the way it is?
:30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

ISA 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Question: Why is the Eagle mentioned specifically?
Question: What is so special about Eagles that they have a place in the bible?
Question: What is the linkage between waiting upon the Lord and renewal of strength?
Question: Why is it that when you mount up with wings like eagles, you do not get tired?

The eagle is a creation of God. It is the most majestic of all birds and is mentioned many times in the bible. In fact, the eagle is mentioned 38 times, much more than the dove or other birds. An eagle is around 90 cm tall and reaches over 2 m between the wings. She builds her nest on the cliff or in a high tree. The nest is so large that a human can sleep in it. It can weigh 700 kg and is also comfortable.

With the basis of God's word, we shall see what the king of birds can show us concerning truths about God, and also about Christians.
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Lesson 1: All Baby Eagles Must Learn To Fly

High in the mountains, a baby eagle is born. Like all other babies, there are two things that baby eagles love to do:eat and sleep. The baby eagle would spend its initial life in the comfort of the nest. Everyday, mama eagle would find food and drop it directly into the open mouths of the hungry eaglet. With a satisfied stomach, the eaglet then goes to sleep and the cycle continues when it becomes hungry again.

This goes on for a few weeks, until one day, mama eagle would just hover over the nest. This time, there is no food. After hovering a few rounds, mama eagle would make a dive into the nest and begins to shake it violently. She then takes one of her babies in her mouth and starts rounds, mama eagle would make a dive into the nest and begins to shake it violently. She then takes one of her babies in her mouth and starts soaring into the skies. The baby eaglet begins to tremble, "Mama is mad! Mama is mad!" Suddenly, she drops the baby eaglet who starts to struggle.

Just before the eaglet smashes against the rocks, mama eagle would sweep down and pick it up. This goes on for about five to eight times. The eaglet starts to wonder why mama is doing this. Everytime it is being dropped from the sky, the eaglet would struggle by flapping its wings. "Mama can fly. I want to fly like her too!", the eaglet says to itself. What beautiful picture! Mama is teaching her young to fly. At about the fourteenth to fifteenth try, the eaglet begins to fly.

Relevance
Christians are like baby eagles, comfortable in the nest. They come to church once a week for food. They would wait for pastor to drop "spiritual" food into their mouths. When service is over, they would go home, "sleep" for a few days and the cycle continues, until one day, something happens and they struggle. The nest gets shaken and they don't know what to do. "It's the devil! It's the devil!" they exclaim. No, it's not! It's just our loving Father who allows our nest to be shaken because He wants us to grow into maturity, so that we can fly. It's no point being an eagle that cannot fly.

The Word of God says in Exodus 19:4 that God bare the children of Israel on eagles' wings. Here we see the eagle symbolise God. The way mama eagle treats her young shows us how God treats His children. In the world, they push people upward when they are going up. But God lets us fall down to get us up.

When you are ready, your time will come, God is going to shake your nest, wanting you to leave your comfort zone.

God carries us supernaturally through all our trials, even if we don't feel it. God teaches us to Believe His word and use our Faith.
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Lesson 2: Eagles Are Made For The High Places

Unlike other birds that fly in the lowlands, eagles are created to fly in the high places, out of sight of the naked human eye and out of range of the hunter's rifle. - Relevance God made us to fly in the high places, free from the world's control. A tourist to the Jurong Bird Park once commented that the eagles there looked very clean. In reply, the bird-keeper said: "When eagles are in freedom, they are the cleanest birds. But when they are in captivity, they are the dirtiest."

God made us pure and holy to conform to the image of His Son. If Christians are in captivity, that is subjected to the ways of the world, we can be the "dirtiest" of all creatures.
What are the things that you are subjected to his world that makes us dirty? Greed. Ambition so on… For student, what are the examples of greed? Putting their study above God. I am a teacher and I am a believer in education. As a Christian, we should glorify God in our studies. However, if we study and don’t prioritize our time well and not come to church meetings that is not right.

Don’t let Greed captives you. Don’t let ambition captives you. Let us "fly" in the high places, out of the world's control.
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Lesson 3: Eagles Do Not Fly, They Soar

Eagles do not fly like other birds, flapping their wings profusely and using their own strength. Instead, eagles SOAR majestically, making use of the wind currents to gain height. What makes the eagle so special is that she sits on the rock and reads the wind and when the time is perfect she takes off and soars upward with her great wings.

There is a special up going wind where the eagle rides the wind and circle higher and higher toward the sky, without effort. She just spreads her wings.

The wind is referred many times in the bible as the Holy Spirit. We can learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and let Him lift us closer to Jesus. The eagle in this case is the Christian who is being lifted by the Holy Spirit up and closer to Jesus.

Like eagles, we should learn to ride on the current of the Holy Spirit, instead of relying on our own strength. Only then can we "gain height" to "fly" in the high places. Isaiah 40:31 talks about growing in Christ, that happens when we have fellowship with Him in the Spirit.