Why do we love?

Influenza A(H1N1)

2009-06-28T10:05:00.016+08:00

I got HQO'd for a week (and it was the final week of the June hols too!) and had nothing better to do, so I came up with this:

Graph showing projected number of cases versus the number of days since the start of the outbreak (Day 1 - 27 May, first confirmed case in Singapore). Point represent actual data, collated from the MOH press releases http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/pressreleases.aspx.

27 June forecast - 430 cases | Actual - 454 cases (5.3% error)

28 June forecast - 526 cases | Actual - 599 cases (12.2% error)

29 June forecast - 686 cases | Actual - 629 cases (8.3% error)

30 June forecast - 787 cases | Actual - 701 cases (11.0% error)

1 July forecast - 830 cases | Actual - 783 cases (5.7% error)

2 July forecast - 886 cases | Actual - 878 cases (1.1% error)

3 July forecast - 962 cases | Actual - 969 cases (0.7% error)

4 July forecast - 1043 cases | Actual - 1003 cases (3.8% error)

5 July forecast - 1081 cases | Actual - 1055 cases (2.4% error)

6 July forecast - 1117 cases | Actual - 1111 cases (0.5% error)

7 July estimate - 1155 cases

8 July estimate - 1188 cases

9 July estimate - 1215 cases

10 July estimate - 1237 cases

The graph shown is [ y = 1316.66 / (1+ 7040.92e^(-0.2577x)) ] using the logistic function. This model estimates that a total of 1317 people will be infected with H1N1. This estimate is inaccurate, and will change as more data is put into the model.

This page is (should) be updated daily as new reports are released.

Mike G

2008-08-23T23:06:00.003+08:00

Representatives of the National Executive recently met with Michael Guglielmucci. At this meeting he read a statement indicating that his claim to have cancer was untrue. His credential with the ACC was immediately suspended.

The National Executive is taking this matter very seriously and is awaiting the results of medical tests before determining the full extent of the discipline that will be imposed upon him.

We are very concerned for the many people who have been or will be hurt by Michael's actions and we encourage all of our churches to pray for all those affected.

Yours sincerely,

Alun Davies
National Vice President

20 August 2008

http://www.aog.org.au/Media/NationalExecutiveStatement/tabid/1413/language/en-US/Default.aspx

It just makes you wonder who you can trust now. One of the main songwriters and youth pastor at Planetshakers, leading worship side by side with Henry Seeley, Sam Evans, Guy Sebastian, Joel Houston, Darlene Zschech, Reuben Morgan... songs and messages that impacted millions across the world... People are disappointed, angry, frustrated, confused after this. One simple thing to be learnt here.

People Fail.

And once you've done processing that, read this.

God Doesn't.

He still holds our every moment, He still calms the raging seas, He still walks with us through fire, He still heals our diseases, He is still our Healer, He is still all that we need, He is still our Portion, He is still more than enough for us, still nothing is impossible for Him, He still holds our world in His hands and we can still trust in Him.

I trust in You
I trust in You

hi

2008-06-20T23:59:00.000+08:00

blog alive

MacDonald's 5 cent prank

2008-01-21T15:45:00.000+08:00

Ordered a $6.90 meal from macs and paid in 5 cent coins... only...

new year

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!

What The World Needs Now

2007-12-23T18:00:00.000+08:00

What the world needs now by SP Vincent Lun, 22/12/2007

Knocking On The Door Of Heaven

2007-12-23T10:56:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
We will give ourselves no rest
'Till Your Kingdom comes on earth
We've positioned watchmen on the walls
Now our prayers will flow like tears
For You've shared Your heart with us
God of Heaven, on our knees we fall

Pre-Chorus:
Come down in power, reveal Your heart again
Come hear our cries, the tears that plead for rain

Chorus:
We're knocking, knocking on the door of heaven
We're crying, crying for this generation
We're praying for Your Name to be known in all of the earth
We're watching, watching on the walls to see You
We're looking, looking for a time of breakthrough
We're praying for Your Word to bear fruit in all of the earth
All of the earth

- Matt Redman

JC

2007-12-13T09:32:00.000+08:00

VJC!!!*

*for 3 mths

Orang Asli Mission Trip / [ONE] MegaLife Camp 2007

2007-12-06T22:05:00.000+08:00

phew. finally back to rest.

had a GREAT time in malaysia!! i've seen how ppl live in villages, but this time, rly being up close, talking and being wif the ppl, brings the whole experience to anth level. i also saw how on the one hand they were poor compared to what im used to, but even among the villages, and in each village, there was already such a great divide between the rich and poor.

the first two villages in malacca were much better off, sg. mering and kg. jus near batang. most of the houses were made of concrete or wood and had proper roofs with electricity. not too sure abt running water, could be some water tank. all in all it was pretty comfortable. but even then, it was dirty, some of the outhouses and buildings were made of poles and attap or zinc or plastic. there was one home in mering tt we saw, quite deep into the jungle, completely made of wood, rather higgeldy-piggeldy. could really see the children and most of the villagers were really appreciative of what we did there, during the service and especially during the giving out of rations. when i was with the headman, he smiled at me continuously (didnt understand what he was saying though, heard a kasih somewhere so probably appreciation of what we did).

in pahang, kg. simpai and bk. rindan near bandar muadzam shah, the villages were quite badly off. although one village was quite well done (built up by the government as part of the islamisation process), the other village was like completely run down, without electricity or water, even though it was abt 5 minutes from the town. the nicest house was made of wooden poles as pillars and creaky floorboards. everytime u stepped on the support beam the entire house shook. this house wasnt actually part of the village, it was built by a buddhist mission team. the young children in the village were obviously malnutritioned, with bloated stomachs. litter was strewn abt the village. their general diet is made of tapioca leaves.

when i saw the village, my heart really broke for it. it opened my eyes to see how much had to be done for them. i mean, u might say that tts their lifestyle, or they're content with it, but i think tt no human being should live like tt, without proper shelter, food or water. even though 5 mins away was a town with shops, hotels and everything, this village had nothing. most of them looked so lethargic and tired. the children have protein deficiency (and probably the rest too). my guess is that the infant mortality rate is quite high. i often see the older children being taken care of by their parents, but the youngest of children arent give clothes or shoes at all, running around stark naked, and seem to be ignored by the adults. its almost as if no one cares about them, tt they're not expected to live. somehow i wouldnt be surprised, with the lack of proper nutrition.

camp was really wonderful. i've been feeling quite dry lately, or actually for a long time, lyk rly long, and tired frm ministry and evrything, but the camp was a refreshing experience. even though i was sick for a day or three. a reminder of my calling, both where i am now, and in the future. cant rly share here, cos its quite personal, but im going to press onwards. just like in the song, "I act it out in faith / ... / Where do I go from here? / All the way to Your heart", that even though i dont noe where im going, i'll do it in faith according to His will. i wrote the song when i was praying one nite recently, feeling lost and not knowing what to do. then i decided that no matter what i was supposed to do, i'll commit to it first, and pay the price first, before expecting results. it was onli after i decided that, and promised that i'll do anything, and not back away, that God revealed His will to me at camp. He revealed to me lots of other different things, some great, happy, some disturbing, but all stuff tt i rly needed to hear.

the other thing i experienced was his refreshing strength, in two ways. firstly, i was sick and tired from being sick. fever, flu, diarrhea and vomiting all in one. i took a nap and was slightly better, as in no more vomiting but still got the rest. then during one of the worship, my headache started again, then i prayed that God would take away the pain. then dave gave an altar call for those who were sick. like so zhun. after the prayer (thanks guys for praying for me!) the headache went away. by the end of the service, a bit of diarrhea but tts it. all better. also, God took away the tiredness from ministry so long. i told God that if i were to continue the way that i had been for much longer i would just burn out soon. so He refreshed me. just like that.

The Way To Your Heart

2007-12-06T11:09:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
Every step I take, every move I make
Every word I say, is for You
I act it out in faith, reflect Your mercy and grace
I lift up as praise, up to You

Pre-Chorus:
I want to live for You only, Jesus
I want to serve You all my life

Chorus:
Lord, please show me the way to Your heart
Lord, please show how to live
Your will in me, your plans for me
Send me and I will go
Lord, please show me my destiny
Lord, please show me the steps I should take
After I’ve tried so hard, and come so far
Where do I go from here?
All the way to Your heart

Verse 2:
Your power strengthens me, Your love it comforts me
Your hope I will believe, peace is mine
I’ll never run or hide, for You are by my side
In You I will abide, for all time

Made To Worship

2007-11-17T23:33:00.001+08:00

Verse 1:
Before the day, before the light
before the world revolved around the sun
God on High, stepped down into time
and wrote the story of His Love for everyone

Pre-Chorus:
He has filled our hearts with wonder
so that we always remember

Chorus:
You and I are made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free

When you and I embrace surrender
When you and I choose to believe
Then you and I will see
Who we were meant to be

Verse 2:
All we are and all we have
Is all a gift from God that we receive
Brought to life, we open up our eyes
To see the majesty and glory of the King

Bridge:
Even the rocks cry out
Even the heavens shout
At the sound of His Holy Name
So let every voice sing out
And let every knee bow down
He is worthy of all our praise

- Chris Tomlin

Youth Alive

2007-11-13T20:10:00.000+08:00

eInvites and video...

CALLING FOR STATIONARY!

2007-11-13T17:28:00.000+08:00

hey ppl,

if you have any partially used NOTEBOOKS or STATIONARY tt ur willing to donate, can u pls bring it THIS SAT and pass it to me during service? i need as many as possible for my mission trip, we'll be donating it to the orang asli ppl in the malaccan and pahang villages. doesnt matter if its half used, just bring it along. thanks alot.

2007-11-12T11:04:00.001+08:00

HELLO! :D
Jayna here! (:

Sorry to make Chee Yann wait so long, kept on procrastinating. :P

Anyway I was wondering what to say then I decided to test chee yann on this really stupid joke-riddle that I half understand, half don't understand. -.-

Ok, there are 3 workers.
I'm the manager.
The 3 workers stay in my hotel and I charge them all $30, meaning each of them would have to pay $10 each. Then, I realise that there is actually a $5 discount. But then, thinking about it, it would be very hard to divide the $5 I would have to return to them equally among the 3 workers. So, I pass $5 to the bell boy, and ask him to divide among the 3 of them. Thinking it'd be really hard to divide, the bell boy takes $2 for himself as gives the remaining $3 to the 3 workers, $1 per person.
NOW, if the total cost they had to pay at first was $10, then after minusing the $1 (from discount), the total price 3 of them had to pay was $9 x 3=$27. After adding the $2 taken by bell boy, it'd add up to $29.
WHERE DID THAT LAST $1 GO?

All you smart people can go answer I'll just stare blur-ly. :D

Holiday Boredom

2007-11-10T08:37:00.000+08:00

somebody help me... im dying of boredom wif so little to do...

this wk i slacked on monday, then slacked on tuesday, then slacked on wednesday. fun rite?

thursday went out to see guitar stuff wif ryan, ben, pi ying and a few others. went down to guitar 77 and luthermusic. actually dint get to see luthermusic cos all we could find was some tiny shop that had barely anth. couldnt find the main showroom. dumb rite? so basically we wasted half the afternoon doing nothing.

then ystd went to novena square to see the cell jackets again. actually first went to people's mall to buy some stuff for jayna. so we spent lots of time wondering around in circles all over the place. so spent the whole afternoon like tt.

actually in the morning went to church for the global leadership summit. i dint register and wasnt plannning to go at first, but since someone couldnt go so got spare place, so i just took over lorh. quite interesting. 2 sessions, by marcus buckingham and jimmy carter.

haha so my entire hols is going to be wasted lyk tt. slacking, going out and wondering around in circles... what a life... i need to find smth to do.

COMPUTER ALIVEE!!!!!

2007-11-05T18:13:00.000+08:00

hahahahaha my computer is fixed!

but screwy computer keeps dying and refuses to get itself fixed.... took darned long reinstalling everything and all the drivers...

and o-levels are over! almost. except for music (which i don't care for) and phys/chem mcq (which is stupid). getting ready to slack. hee

but to tell the truth, even though im relived tt o-lvls are over, im oso darned bored. what to do during the hols??? nothing....... i think im gg to brush up on my math and sci...

sometimes when i think abt my ex-classmates, im sad at the gap btwn us. of how far ahead they are. of how far behind i am. of how we used to compete, and how they've won now. tt they've accomplished what i would take anth two yrs to do. so i will catch up. no matter what.

getting back into ministry now. have been out so long. tired of the break... ironic, isn it? but im excited. excited to get back into the front lines and continue the fight.

Surrender

2007-10-09T21:41:00.000+08:00

Verse:
I rise with You in the wake of the morning
I walk with You in the cool of the night
Every single day
I'm devoted to Your ways
Only Yours, only Yours

Chorus:
And I surrender all to You
And I surrender all to You

Bridge:
When I'm weak
You are strong
You're my feet when I can't move on
You're my light
In the dark
You're the whisper inside
My heart

Tag:
More for You, more for You

- Phil & Joe Pringle (Christian City Church Oxford Falls)

All Of The Above

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

Verse:
More than me more than mine
More than life is what You are
More than a feeling more than a moment
This is a song for You my King
I lift my eyes to see Your face
I look to you as I run this race
And bit by be I gonna change
Becoming like my Hero

Pre-Chorus:
And I can’t wait to be like You
Help me and change in all I do

Chorus:
Cos all I'm living for is You
Nothing else I wanna do
Than give my life into Your hands
And walk this life with You
You mean everything to me
You changed my life and washed me clean
Now I'm lost without Your love cos
You're all of the above

Bridge:
Not waiting now not backing down
It's time for me the change
Cos His kingdom's near, listen, can you hear
Eternity begins today, today
Lord I just wanna say, You're everything to me

- Youth Alive WA

2007-10-07T21:05:00.000+08:00

HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO! :D

I AM JOANNE ONG YI TING! :D I managed to HACK into Cheeyann's account! :O Actually no. :D I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO POST OKAY! :D MWHAHAHAHAHAHA.

But allowed to post once only! ):

I SHALL SPICE UP THE ATMOSPHERE HERE ABIT! :D Lots of people say that CHEEYANN'S BLOG IS FULL OF EMO STUFFS! D: Other then Alisa's post :D Which was really nice. :D

Some jokes! :D TO CHEER YOU PEOPLE UP! :D I think c2 heard of this before! :D

- Why did the mushroom wants to go to the party? :D
BECAUSE HE WANTED TO MEET FUN-GUYS(FUNGI)! AHAHA.

Cmon, dont hold on yr laughter! I know you're trying NOT to laugh! Don't be mean! D: JUST BURST OUT LAUGHING LA! :D

- Why did the mushroom wants to go to the party the second time? :D:D
BECAUSE HE WANTED TO MEET FUN-GIRLS(FUNGUS)!

I CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING EVER SO LOUDLY ALRDY! That's the way, JUST LAUGH. Stress-free :D

- Why did the mushroom wants to go to the party the THIRD time? :D:D:D
HE WANTED TO BE MOGU(MORE COOL)!!!

LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH MAN! I AM ALRDY HAVING HEART ATTACK FROM LAUGHING LA! :D :D:D

countdown

2007-10-07T19:29:00.001+08:00

5 more days of sch...

15 more days to the apocalypse...

REPENT OF YOUR SLACKINESS TODAY!!!

AHHHHH I'M GOING TO DIE!!!!!

so you say the world is?

2007-09-30T22:41:00.000+08:00

Sunday, 30 September 07.

so the world was meant to be a mix of ingredients.

10 grams of hapiness.
10 grams of depression.
10 grams of surpise.
10 grams of disguse.
10 grams of sadness.
10 grams of joy.
10 grams of drugs.
10 grams of alcohol.
10 grams of crime.
10 grams of rights.
10 grams of fame.
10 grams of.

i run out of things to say.

well.

doesn't the world have its 10 grams of Jesus. Christianity. Church. Bible. Service. Cell.. too?

(:

plus plus plus.

10 grams seems like a small number.
but then again, something small can seem like something big.

my cell and m1 had combined cell today. everything was deep. games was fun, worship was deep, word was deep.

sinking deep into the hearts of every single soul.

and so.

sometimes all we need is to realize that we just need to open our eyes a LITTLE more

AND HEY.

there you go! 10 grams of Christianity, IS NOT THAT SMALL. (:

see. thats why we have eyes- to see.

God, oh God.

when i'm weak, you are strong.
you're my feet, when i can't move on.
you're the light, in the dark.
you're the whisper inside my heart.
and i surrender all to you.
and i surrender all to you.

surrender by CCC.

deep song in muh' heart.

(:

well yeah, i'll end my post, with your request Chee Yann. (:

sorry i can't embed it ): ): i dont know why, its not working.

but!

i have a link though-
http://liruth.imeem.com/music/EjCGbAJ4/surrender/

hopefully it works. (:

anyway, FINAL FINAL FINAL finale now. (:

i just wanna say.

thank you for your care as a friend. (: for really telling that i didn't have to be alone when i felt so alone. for being the one to provide emotional support when i just really needed it.. thank you (:

live your life for God and your loved ones. and! live it to the fullest, cause time passes by and hey! everyday is a beautiful day, every day is a new day. (: keep growing from strength to strength in the Lord and may the joy of the Lord be your strength even in this time of O's where its packed with mugging. where it seems like its always boredoom or mugging, just remember there's always that 10 grams of Jesus that seems small. but if we just open our eyes a little bigger we'll see it. (:

Alisa.

Jesus, Lover of My Soul (It's All About You)

2007-09-30T15:47:00.000+08:00

It's all about You, Jesus
And all this is for You
For Your glory and your fame
It's not about me
As if You should do things my way
You alone are God
And I surrender to your ways

Jesus, lover of my soul
All consuming fire is in Your gaze
Jesus, I want you to know
I will follow you all my days
For no one else in history is like you
And history itself belongs to you
Alpha and Omega, You have loved me
And I will share eternity with You

- Shelly Nirider (Passion)

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

2007-09-24T21:57:00.000+08:00

prelims

2007-09-24T21:41:00.000+08:00

did well in prelims. :D :D :D :D :D

English - A1
Maths - A1
A Maths - A1
Physics - A1
Chemistry - A1
Social Studies + History Elective - A1
Music - ??? (damn tt tow yang)

L1R5 = 6 - 2 (cca) = 4 :D :D :D :D :D

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

holy spirit day

2007-09-17T16:13:00.000+08:00

weird. im more free during the weekdays than during the weekends. probably cos its exams now (what? im freer during exams than sch term? apparently yes)

sat we had holy spirit day after service. it was awesome. the worship we had, even thou it wasnt a complete band, was so passionate, tt it was just so hard to stop. just wanted to remain there and keep singing. haha then got scolded by ben koh cos was worshipping so much and forgot to do the lcd properly :P

then joachim gav a short word on the holy spirit. after tt, he gav a call for those who wanted to receive the gift of tongues and for those who need to be filled with the spirit again. i dint go forward, but i felt God speaking to me, to go and pray for them. then i was lyk, v weird leh, cos at first joachim said ldrs pray, and i thot i needed to do lcd, then just as i was thinking tt, joachim said, pray for ur friends. so i asked ben if still needed to do lcd, he say no need, so i thot, ok cool. i'll go and pray. at first i was going to pray for some of the guys in my cell, but then i felt God telling me to pray for ryan. i said, he's here? i didnt noe. where is he? took a while to find him. didnt recognise him w/o specs. so began to pray for him. i think it rly worked. then after tt prayed for benton for the gift of tongues.

i felt tt after tt, i was coming away frm it rly overwhelmed by the power of the spirit. could just feel his presence overflowing, surrounding me. just so amazing.

Our Deepest Fear

2007-09-10T01:11:00.000+08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

Personality Quiz

2007-09-09T14:57:00.000+08:00

Where are you?

2007-09-06T00:18:00.001+08:00

Where have you gone? I need you now
Without you please tell me how
To continue in the fight
With no end in sight
Upon you I called
In reply you never stalled
You were always there
Your strength I did share
When others needed you
I knew who
I could count on
For them to lean upon
But now when the fight is long
And the novelty is all gone
I've gone on longer than I thought I could
Where are you, my friend Fortitude?
When enemies mock from every side
From my failures I have nowhere to hide
I'm fighting still like a rat in a cage
Where are you, my friend Courage?

Use Me

2007-09-04T09:48:00.000+08:00

If You can use anything, Lord
You can use me
If You can use anything, Lord
You can use me

Take my hands, Lord
And my feet
Touch my heart, Lord
And speak through me
If You can use anything, Lord
You can use me

- Planetshakers (unverified)

4 sep

2007-09-04T09:41:00.001+08:00

today it will be exactly one year.

when i think abt what has happened, i wonder, what has changed since last yr? after the incident last yr, it changed me, forced me to re-evaluate my priorities, and i did. but it seems then up to now, i havent done anth at all.

looking at my classmates and ex-classmates, either as non-christians or apathetic christians, i feel lyk i need to do smth all the time. and i've tried. i invited them for various events, but they were all bz or had other excuses not to go. i tried sharing the gospel with one whom i was the closest to and whom i thot would be the most open, but he was just uninterested.

on the other hand, i see other frens, whom i encouraged, finally invite their frens to church, and they came. ive shared the gospel with some of their frens, and a few of them accepted.

y is it so much more diff for my frens to come to church or to be open to God?

after last yr, i dont ever want to see it happen to any of my classmates again. i still rmb the despair, the fire, the suffering, the loneliness, the place tt i dont ever want to and am happy that i will not have to go again. but what abt others? the ex-classmates whom i studied 3 yrs wif? the classmates around me rite now? y is it tt i cant do anth abt it? y is it tt after 1 yr, and trying so hard, nth changes?

recording

2007-09-03T19:34:00.000+08:00

did the darned recording of the stupid recording today. went quite well. fun! thanks alot man, u saved my life.

i dun noe what to say. oh yeah i forgot. SEC 4 SUX!!! i dun noe what to say other than tt. oh yeah. O-LVL SUX!!! ok now i dun noe what to say.

teachers day

2007-08-31T22:00:00.001+08:00

hee today went back to shps wif some classmates. daryl tan, nicole, michelle, adelyn, wynne, michael. had fun. was watching their performance. they had a giant dance grp on stage, abt 50+ ppl until u couldnt see what was going on. then they danced to "what the world will never take"! me and daryl was so shocked lah. i mean its a christian sch, but last time usually all the old hymns, and maybe a few new songs. then when we heard the bass intro, we were lyk, this sounds v familiar. then reached the chorus. was lyk, woah....

after tt wasted the afternn, then went for music. cycled to kembangan today to pass smth to a fren. i will nvr do tt again. super tiring. took me 2 hrs plus. and my legs r aching.

yeah then umm... wait there was smth i wanted to say and i forgot...

oh yah... crappy tow yang wants us to record the crappy composition based on a crappy poem with crappy words... anybody can sing?

listening to the "praise him" album by planetshakers. v soon my planetshaker collection shall be complete! onli 3 more to go!

Taleban free all Korean hostages

2007-08-31T08:32:00.000+08:00

The release follows a deal between South Korea and the Taleban

The last seven South Korean hostages held by the Taleban in Afghanistan have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

They were released in two groups, within the space of a few hours, late on Thursday.

On Wednesday, 12 of their fellow Christian charity workers were released after a six-week ordeal.

The Taleban seized the group of 23 last month as they travelled by bus on the main highway from Kandahar to Kabul.

Two male hostages were subsequently killed.

The last three captives, two women and a man, were handed over to ICRC officials in Ghazni province late on Thursday.

HOSTAGE TIMELINE

19 July: 23 South Korean Christian volunteer aid workers seized on a bus between Kabul and Kandahar

26 July: One male hostage shot dead - identified as Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, a church pastor and leader of the group

31 July: Another male hostage, Shim Sung-min, a 29-year-old former IT worker, found dead

10 August: South Korean officials and Taleban start talks

14 August: Two female hostages handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross as a goodwill gesture - leaving 19

29 August: 12 more hostages released - leaving seven

30 August: All remaining hostages released

Hostage release in pictures

S Korea press wary over deal

Earlier in the day two women and two men were handed over near the village of Janda.

The BBC's correspondent Alastair Leithead says all seven appear to be in good health.

The releases follow a series of direct talks between the South Korean government and the Taleban.

Two women were freed following the first round of talks a fortnight ago.

The release of 12 more hostages on Wednesday - 10 women and two men - came a day after Seoul said it had reached a deal with the Taleban.

South Korea agreed to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan as scheduled by the end of the year. It also said it would end all missionary work in the country and stop its citizens from travelling there.

There was no mention of money being paid, but it is thought that a ransom may have been part of the deal, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul.

The Taleban appear to have dropped their earlier demand that Taleban members be released from Afghan prisons in exchange for the hostages' freedom.

The hostages are thought to have been held in several different locations in Ghazni province.

trust WHOLLY in god

2007-08-25T23:09:00.000+08:00

i just realised tt all my posts lately were abt the korean updates.

so i shall make my first proper post in a long time.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

cell today was a bit short cos we started super late :( had to cut short worship and stuff :( :(

aniwae, as i was praying for central 2, one of the things tt i felt God speaking to me was, "do you trust me?" i think we need to ask ourselves and review, do we trust God in what we do? have me made that "wisest decision", to put our faith in God? sometimes its so easy to sing songs that says "till i see u face to face, i'll trust in you", "all i need is you", but sometimes, its almost as if God doesnt respond, or he doesnt do anth. i asked God "y is it u alws seem lyk when i call out to u, u dont answer?"

he replied, "i will never leave u, nor forsake u. i go with u, so dont be afraid."

i think the thing tts missing is tt, do we completely and wholly trust him?

in psalms, david writes, over and over again, i call to u, and u answer me. to jeremiah, god says, you will call upon me, and i will listen to u. YOU WILL FIND ME WHEN YOU SEEK ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART. i will be found by you, and restore ur fortunes

seek god with all your heart, and you will find him, and he will rescue you.

I Surender All

2007-08-25T22:16:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

Chorus:
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour
I surrender all

Verse 2:
All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now

Verse 3:
All to Jesus I surrender
Make me Saviour, wholly, Thine
Let me feel the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine

Verse 4:
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessings fall on me.

- Vineyard

Two S Korean hostages arrive home

2007-08-19T22:20:00.000+08:00

Kim Kyung-ja (left) and Kim Ji-na were freed earlier this week

Two South Korean hostages held for almost a month by Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan have arrived back home.

The two women were freed on Monday after South Korean negotiators held direct talks with their Taleban captors.

They were part of a group of 23 South Korean Christian volunteer aid workers seized on 19 July.

Nineteen members of the group are still being held hostage. The Taleban have killed two male hostages.

Taleban officials said that they released the two women partly because they were in poor health and partly as a goodwill gesture.

'Sincerely apologise'

The two women, Kim Kyung-ja, 37, and Kim Ji-na, 32, received medical check-ups in Afghanistan before flying home to South Korea.

They spoke briefly to journalists after arriving at Incheon airport near Seoul.

"I want to thank the Korean government and the Korean people for their concerns and sincerely apologise for causing such worries," Kim Kyung-ja said.

"I hope for safe release for the rest of our team members as well," she said, a statement echoed by Kim Ji-na.

The South Koreans were seized in Ghazni province as they travelled by bus along the main Kandahar to Kabul highway.

It is thought the remaining hostages are being held in a number of small groups in a village about 10km (six miles) from Ghazni.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has urged increased efforts to secure their return.

But there have been no breakthroughs since the release of the two women on Monday.

Create In Me A Clean Heart, O God

2007-08-15T19:19:00.000+08:00

Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me

Cast me not away from thy presence
And take not thy holy spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me

- Keith Green (unverified)

To You My Friend

2007-08-13T17:19:00.001+08:00

You laughed
You smiled
You stood up strong and tall
You knew no fear
You seemed unhurt
I thought you would never fall

People approached
Feared no reproach
They leaned on you
You cared
You shared
Their burden as much as you could

When the going got tight
You could have, you might
Have leaned on me too
But I had lost your faith
Through my mistake
I regret it so

I apologise to you
And hope you could
Teach me how to share
I love you friend
And want to send
To you my greatest care

Two South Koreans 'to be freed'

2007-08-13T17:14:00.000+08:00

Two Taleban officials held talks with South Korean delegates

A senior Afghan official has said he expects two South Koreans being held by Taleban militants to be released by Monday evening.

Ghazni province governor Mirajuddin Pattan said the Taleban had "promised" to release two women aid workers.

Earlier Taleban claims that the two hostages had been freed over the weekend proved to be untrue.

The women - both of whom are ill - are among 21 South Korean aid workers kidnapped last month.

"The Taleban have promised us that they will release two of the female hostages on Monday," Mr Pattan was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Swap ruled out

A Taleban spokesman had told reporters on Saturday that the two had already been freed - but he later said the timing of the release was yet to be decided.

The same spokesman, Yusuf Ahmadi, has now said the two hostages will be freed at 1600 local time (1130 GMT) on Monday.

However, Mr Ahmadi is not always reliable and has at times given false information, reports the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul.

South Korean officials held direct talks with the Taleban over the weekend. The Taleban want their militants released from Afghan jails.

The Afghan government, stung by criticism over a previous prisoner exchange, has ruled out a swap to secure the release of the Koreans.

Mr Ahmadi on Sunday said the two ill hostages would be freed because of progress made during two days of talks in the central city of Ghazni.

The Taleban have already killed two of the Koreans, including the leader of the group.

The South Korean Christian aid workers were seized on 19 July.

The original group of 23 - most of them women - was captured on the main road from Kabul to Kandahar.

It is thought the South Korean aid workers are being held in a number of small groups in a village about 10km (six miles) from Ghazni.

Confusion over Taleban releases

2007-08-12T19:15:00.001+08:00

The Taleban expressed optimism about the Ghazni talks

Hopes that the Taleban in Afghanistan might release two South Korean hostages have been thrown into disarray.

A Taleban spokesman told reporters on Saturday that the two had already been freed - but he now says the timing of the release has yet to be decided.

The women - both of whom are ill - are among 21 South Korean aid workers kidnapped last month.

South Korean officials have held direct talks with the Taleban, who want their militants released from Afghan jails.

Taleban spokesman Yusuf Ahmadi on Sunday said the two ill hostages would be freed because of progress made during two days of talks in the central city of Ghazni.

However he added: "The time hasn't been decided. It could be today."

Mr Ahmadi has at times given false information, reports the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul.

The Taleban have already killed two of the Koreans, including the leader of the group.

The South Korean Christian aid workers were seized on 19 July.

The original group of 23 - most of them women - was captured on the main road from Kabul to Kandahar.

It is thought the South Korean aid workers are being held in a number of small groups in a village about 10km (six miles) from Ghazni.

The Afghan government, stung by criticism over a previous prisoner exchange, has ruled out a swap to secure the release of the Koreans.

The Greatest Love Of All Is Mine

2007-08-07T18:41:00.000+08:00

There's no love greater than the Love of God. That all encompassing, that everlasting, that never failing Love.

Love is patient. He never gives up waiting for you.

Love is kind. He always cares for you more than He cares for Himself.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It never is jealous of you or tries to make you jealous.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It doesn't force itself on others and isn't always "me first".

It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It doesn't fly off the handle and doesn't keep record of your sins.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It doesn't enjoy sin or laughs when you run back to Him for forgiveness, but takes pleasure in the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. It puts up with anything and never lets you down, believes in you and never loses faith in you, hopes for the best and not the worst, and is always there for you and will never leave you, even in the worst of times.

Love never fails. It never dies.

1 Cor 13:1-8

May the saving and merciful grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the everlasting and all powerful love of God and the close and intimate fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Cor 13:14

Majesty

2007-08-07T18:32:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
Here I am humbled by your Majesty
Covered by your grace so free
Here I am, knowing I'm a sinful man
Covered by the blood of the Lamb

Pre-Chorus:
Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine
Since you laid down your life
The greatest sacrifice

Chorus:
Majesty, Majesty
Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed, but alive in your hands
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by your love
In the presence of your Majesty

Verse 2:
Here I am humbled by the love that you give
Forgiven so that I can forgive
Here I stand, knowing that I'm your desire
Sanctified by glory and fire

- Delirious?

finally, a chance to blog

2007-08-05T16:47:00.000+08:00

phwee, fop was fun! (what's phwee?)

both delirious? and don moen was great, but for some reason, there's a difference in atmosphere frm last yr. i think it was lyk last yr, ccc was able to rah the crowd well, so everybody was v engaged. delirious? has great music, but for some reason the ppl not rly connecting with the music and the worship ldr. and don moen shud hav started with god is good instead of ended. tt would hav got the audience going.

ok today i hav a bit of time to myself, so im going to blog a bit more.

this wk was bz. stevie quay is nuts. first he gives a chung cheng prelim and say tt its due before nat day, so evrybody rush. then friday he give a new paper, say its due monday and chung cheng due after nat day hol. so today rush the phys paper like mad.

cut my hair today. stupid barber dunno what "long" means. he thinks tt "long" is anth word for "really short". feel like an airhead.

hav been thinking abt cell alot the past 2 wks. i wonder whats in store. somehow i seem to feel tt one stage is passing, and we're entering the new stage. new changes, with new ppl, new leader. but still, this cell has a place in my heart as the place tt changed me and moulded me, and supported me, pushing me forward and nearer to God. i want to do the same for the other cell members. this is what fellowship and cell is for.

i feel sad tt now tt almost all tts on my mind is sch and exams. granted, o-lvl is coming, but sometimes i rmb the promises i made, and how its slipping away slowly, and for tt im sad. it seems like exams r destroying who i am and who i want to be. i feel lyk i've changed so much in the past yrs, and i feel tt all tts been done in me for 4 yrs is being reversed. stress, i guess. on the bright side, there's onli 3 more mths. which is also the down side, cos it makes me even more stressed.

Taleban to discuss hostages' fate

2007-08-05T15:43:00.000+08:00

Some in South Korea want the US to intervene in the crisis

The Taleban and South Korean officials are expected to hold face-to-face talks to discuss the fate of 21 Koreans, held by the militant group for two weeks.

A suitable location was believed to be still under discussion after the Taleban rejected a venue under the control of Nato-led forces.

Two of the Christian workers have already been killed.

The Taleban are threatening more deaths unless demands are met for the release of eight government-held prisoners.

The militant group agreed on Thursday to direct talks with a South Korean delegation, which is in Ghazni province where the kidnapping took place.

Seoul confirmed there was contact with the Taleban, without going into details, and warned that there were limits to what it could do to resolve the crisis.

HOSTAGE TIMELINE

19 July: 23 South Korean Christian aid workers seized on bus in Ghazni province

26 July: Body of hostage Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu is found

31 July: Second hostage Shim Sung-min, 29, found shot dead

"Through the direct contacts, we intend to stress that our capabilities to meet Taleban demands are limited," presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon told reporters.

His comments appeared to contradict a Taleban spokesman who said on Thursday that Seoul had given assurances that the hostage-for-prisoners swap would go ahead.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has exchanged prisoners for hostages before, but the government has made it clear this is no longer the policy.

Military build-up

Separately, a group of senior South Korean lawmakers has met senior State Department officials in Washington to lobby for support over the crisis.

Washington has been criticised by some in South Korea for not doing enough to resolve the crisis.

The Seoul government has asked the US and Afghanistan - whose leaders meet this weekend for talks which are expected to include the hostage situation - to use "flexibility" in handling the crisis.

"The Afghan and US governments... have a certain level of involvement in this issue," Cheon Ho-sun said.

"We have expectations that the two leaders would have sufficient understanding of our position when they hold a summit".

It is thought the South Korean aid workers are being held in a number of small groups in a village about 10km (six miles) from Ghazni town centre.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Ghazni province said on Thursday that military forces have surrounded the area, searching nearby houses and sealing off roads to the area.

Leaflets were dropped on Wednesday warning local people to leave the area, fuelling rumours that a military rescue operation could be launched.

The South Korean government has repeatedly said it is opposed to direct military action.

However, a senior US diplomat in the region, Richard Boucher, appeared not to rule it out, saying "potential military pressures" were among the "many tools" available to pressure the Taleban.

The Korean Christian workers - 18 of them women - were seized on 19 July as they travelled by bus down the main road from Kabul to Kandahar.

The aid workers' leader, Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, was the first to be shot dead by the militants. His death was reported over the weekend.

On Tuesday, South Korea confirmed that a second hostage had been killed - 29-year-old Shim Sung-min, a former IT worker.

At least two of the remaining hostages are seriously ill, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

posting

2007-08-02T17:17:00.000+08:00

wow i just realised im visiting my cell blog more than i visit my own. but im rly bz. onli enuf time for one. im just thinking of what paul said, that an overseer should have onli one wife. i think handling 2 blogs during exam period is bad enuf, let alone 2 wifes while in ministry.

aniwae, mug mug mug mug mug mug muging for o-lvls. so frustrating. today's physics period got wasted. our teacher, who's also the dm, went to scold some other class during our period. the entire class took their tables and arranged it in front of the staff room. then they stood there and got scolded. weird punishments. almost as weird as the time he told us he'll send us to the track and run and then run tgt with us. what kind of teacher punishes students then goes tgt with them? psycho stevie.

Second Korean hostage found dead

2007-07-31T18:06:00.000+08:00

please pray for mercy on the rest of the hostages.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6923455.stm

The killings have shocked South Koreans

South Korea has confirmed that a second hostage has been killed by the Taleban in central Afghanistan.

The foreign ministry identified the latest victim as 29-year-old Shim Sung-min, a former IT worker.

His body was found at the side of the road in the village of Arizo Valley in Ghazni province. He had been shot.

Shim Sung-min was one of 23 Korean Christian aid workers - 18 of them women - seized on 19 July. The body of their leader was found last Wednesday.

A man claiming to speak on behalf of the Taleban said the militants had killed the Korean hostage on Monday evening because the Afghan government had refused its demands to release eight jailed militants.

Earlier, a video of the hostages was aired on Arabic TV station al-Jazeera.

Raised stakes

Confirming the death, the South Korean foreign ministry said: "We cannot contain our anger at this merciless killing and strongly condemn this."

If such an act of taking the life of our citizens recurs, the government will never just sit idle

Choen Ho-Seon,
S Korean presidential spokesman

Taleban's kidnap tactics

S Korea mission strategy

Spokesman Cheon Ho-sun warned that the Seoul government would not "sit idly by and watch" the lives of its citizens being taken.

"We will ensure they take responsibility for the lives of our people," he said.

The aid workers' leader, Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, was the first to be shot dead by the militants.

His remains were repatriated on Monday to South Korea, where the families of the remaining hostages are holding vigils near Seoul for the release of their loved ones.

A hostage video broadcast by al-Jazeera on Monday showed about seven women wearing headscarves with what appeared to be Taleban militants in the background.

The captives looked frightened but unharmed in the brief, shaky footage.

The group was riding on a bus 12 days ago through Ghazni province on the Kabul to Kandahar highway, when they were abducted.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Afghanistan says the latest killing raises the stakes, piling pressure on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to save the remaining 21 captives.

But Mr Karzai has refused to swap prisoners for hostages after he was criticised for releasing five Taleban members from jail in March in exchange for an Italian reporter.

A delegation of tribal elders, mullahs and members of parliament has been negotiating with the Taleban for the last few days to help secure the hostages' release.

Festival of Praise 2007

2007-07-30T19:34:00.000+08:00

wheee fop is coming!

last yr was great! this yr delirious shud be fun. quite a contrast thou, don moen and them. and then got phil pringle from ccc. woo hoo!

baptismal service

2007-07-29T18:10:00.000+08:00

hees today was fun.

went early in the morning to church to mugmugmug. joan/charis/alisa/jayna was there. and alisa thinks i keep bullying her. haha.

then during lunch the cell girls were doing all sorts of stupid stuff. like squeezing each other's faces to the song 'i can give you gatsby'. joshua said it looks sick and weird and lost his appetite.

congrats to jayna/joanne/marcus/benton/thaddeus/joshua/ryan/naomi/anastasia/debra on ur baptism. haha!

in the midst of it all

2007-07-27T18:04:00.000+08:00

recently, on the kidnapping on the korean missionaries, a taliban military leader actually said that this is the right way to go, and ordered all the militants to continue kidnapping foreigners.

i've been doing some thinking.

these 23 people left their country under the name of God, to do His work, and got kidnapped. one of them was killed, and he was a pastor, someone who had given his life to serving God full time. so y does God still let things like this happen?

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

so why do things like this still happen? we serve His purpose, and we do love Him, but for a moment there, it seems like the entire situation is pointing the opposite direction.

i was listening to ps. sy roger's sermon on the 4 things i learnt the church never taught me (2nd service sermon by ps. sy rogers is here), i thought abt who God is. He is infinite, overwhelming, and there's no way we will ever full understand Him. in spite of what we dont noe abt God, the one thing we can noe is His character. He is good, He is love, and He has proven it time and time again.

in israel, jews often wonder if God were real, then where was He during the holocaust? in about 6 years, almost 6 million jews were killed. in Germany, Austria, Poland and the Baltic states, 90% of the jews were killed, while God seemed to do nothing to save them.

but after the holocaust, the other countries like france, britain and america realised tt it was necessary for a country created for the jews, to prevent anth massacre. and so they did. israel was born out of the holocaust.

what's happened doesnt proof God isnt good. all it proves is tt somehow, some good will come of it. no matter what happens, God is always in control, and it will always work to the good of those who love him and have been called to his will.

Taliban leaders: free the hostages

2007-07-27T17:22:00.000+08:00

Above, is a photo of the hostages the day before they left.

I thought you would like to know about this urgent campaign to free the remaining South Korean aid workers who have been taken hostage by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The Taliban have already executed 1 hostage and are threatening to execute the rest this week, an action that could trigger a mass evacuation of life-giving humanitarian aid from all of Afghanistan.

The situation is desperate, but there is hope. The Taliban are all from the 'Pashtun' ethnic group, and observe a strict code called Pashtunwali. This code demands, above all else: "hospitality to all, especially guests and strangers". There are rumours of infighting among the Taliban over these kidnappings, because they clearly violate the code.

A global outcry for the Taliban to follow their own code would certainly be covered by media in Afghanistan and Pakistan where the Taliban are based – creating massive local pressure on them to free their prisoners. But these hostages are living under a 24 hour death sentence. We have seconds not minutes to act. Sign the petition below and then forward this email:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/honour_the_afghan_code/tf.php/?CLICKTRACK

South Korea is stepping up efforts to secure the release of 22 of its people taken hostage in Afghanistan

2007-07-26T20:00:00.001+08:00

guys, please continue praying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6916762.stm

The Seoul government condemned the Taleban for the death of one of the hostages on Wednesday, and sent an envoy to negotiate the others' release.

However a Taleban commander called the abduction of foreigners, to be traded for Taleban prisoners, "a very successful policy".

Meanwhile, the US military said 50 Taleban fighters were killed elsewhere.

It said US and Afghan troops and US planes targeted a number of compounds in the southern province of Helmand during a 12-hour assault.

There is no independent confirmation of the report.

Increasing unrest

Afghan government officials in Ghazni province where the Koreans are being held confirmed on Thursday that the 22 hostages are still alive.

Following an increase in insurgent attacks, Afghan police have banned foreigners from travelling outside Kabul without their permission, Associated Press news agency said.

South Korean rallies have called for the release of the hostages

There have been increases in kidnappings, as well as clashes between Taleban and foreign troops, roadside bombings and suicide attacks in recent months.

After the mass kidnapping, South Korea banned its citizens from travelling to Afghanistan.

But the Taleban's military commander Mansour Dadullah told Britain's Channel 4 television that kidnapping would continue.

"Of course, kidnapping is a very successful policy and I order all my mujahideen to kidnap foreigners of any nationality wherever they find them and then we should do the same kind of deal," he said.

SAEMMUL COMMUNITY CHURCH

Based in Bundang, on southern outskirts of Seoul

One of a number of big Presbyterian churches in South Korea, with about 1,500 members

Funds social programmes in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East

Sends volunteers from the church to work on projects for short stints

Known for its emphasis on social work rather than evangelism overseasMr Dadullah himself was freed with four other Taleban members in exchange for a kidnapped Italian journalist earlier this year.

He also said he was in close contact with al-Qaeda.

'Inhumane act'

The 23 South Koreans were abducted in Ghazni, south-west of Kabul, one week ago.

The hostages - most of them women - are members of a Christian group doing aid work.

The body of one of the hostages was found with multiple bullet wounds in Ghazni province - where the Koreans are being held.

South Korea's foreign ministry identified the man as Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, a church pastor and leader of the group.

A statement from the office of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun condemned the killing as an "inhumane act".

"Murder of an innocent civilian can never be justified.

"In consideration of such a grave situation, the government decided to despatch a special envoy to Afghanistan for closer consultations with the Afghan government," the statement said.

"We once again strongly urge them to promptly return home the Korean citizens taken hostage."

The Taleban said it would start killing the hostages if a deadline on Wednesday passed without their demands being met. However, a spokesman said on Thursday that the remaining hostages were still alive.

There was no way of confirming if that was true.

Baek Jong-chun, the president's chief security adviser, is to fly to Afghanistan on Thursday to work with the Afghan government to try to secure the hostages' release.

cell blog is up!

2007-07-25T16:23:00.000+08:00

hi all central 2 cellbies,

please visit http://centraltwo.blogspot.com/, our new cell blog.

Heaven Is

2007-07-23T17:40:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
Some folks say that heaven is
At least a million miles away
Next to impossible to get there
Well I don't know philosophy
But it seems mighty simple to me
And I'll count my blessings everyday

Cause I know what heaven is

Chorus:
Walkin' and talkin' with my sweet Lord
That's what heaven is
This and so much more

It's about love
From another world
Livin' in your heart
That's what heaven is

Verse 2:
There's a place for you and me
With streets of gold and a crystal sea
And I can hardly wait until we get there

But I thank God for the Saviour's birth
Cause He brought heaven down to earth
And I know His Spirit lives in me

And that's what heaven is

Bridge
Now I don't have to wait
To go to Heaven
Cause I know it's here right now
The moment I started believing
Forgiveness came in like a flood
When I was washed in the blood

And that's what heaven is

- Lenny LeBlanc

intimacy

2007-07-22T10:40:00.000+08:00

friends r there for each other, and we find it normal or easy to simply just talk to them over anything and everything. sometimes, we may call each other up everyday, in the evening or on the way back from school. we see our classmates everyday, and we have no problem chatting with them right under the teacher's noses. the friends whom we call close to us are probably those whom we either talk to the most or about issues we're going through.

y is it then, tt we find it so hard to talk to God?

granted, we cant see him, or touch him, and there are times tt it feels lyk ur talking to a blank wall. but as we go deeper in our relationship with him, the more strongly we'll feel his presence. i think tt there r usually two things hindering us frm talking with him.

if we dont start talking to God, he's not going to force his way thru. he's a gentle god, and He'll wait for us. start talking with him more often, even daily, and as u talk, talk to him not as if ur writing a letter to a person far away. prayer isnt writing a letter, its a live phone conversation. kneeling down and clasping our hands is lyk picking up the phone and dialing. talk to him, two ways, instead of just going on and on. in a letter, u write all tt u want to write, and then ur done and leave. a conversation is where u pause, and give the other person a chance to talk.

the second is tt sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we cant get there. no matter how hard we push, there just seems to be something blocking us frm God. sometimes there could rly be something blocking. as Jesus hung on the cross, He took on all of our sins, and for the first time, God's presence left him. he cried out, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". sin is unbearable to God, and he can nvr truly commune with u as long as its still there. confess and ask for forgiveness, and He will forgive you. always.

its hard to hear the voice of God sometimes. it can be rly soft, and u can confuse it with your own thots. but each time u hear smth, if u think it might be frm God, the first thing u can do is check it against the Bible. nothing God ever says will contradict Himself. if u cant find exactly where in the Bible it talks abt, ask someone who might noe.

intimacy with God is hard to achieve, and onli over a long period of time. keep trying, and dont ever give up. He's alws there, waiting for u to return to Him. He sent His Son to die so tt u can return to Him, as a friend and as a loved child.

I'm Forever Yours

2007-07-22T10:22:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
I give my all to you
Send me and I will go for you
To the ends of the earth
I'll follow after You
I want the world to know
Your love endures forever

Verse 2:
Tell me and I'll obey
This is far greater than sacrifice
Trusting You and not myself
Will always lead to blessing
Lord have Your way in me
Not my will, Yours be done

Chorus:
Here I stand within Your presence
Longing for Your touch
A thousand days cannot compare
To one day in Your courts

Hold me now
And never ever let me go
My Jesus, my precious Saviour
I'm forever Yours

Bridge:
I will worship You forever
I will worship You

- Planetshakers

mugmugmug

2007-07-20T20:00:00.000+08:00

going cycling in the morning / mugging in the afternoon tmrw. anyone want to join?

cycling prob go tamp/bedok then mug at dte bk. msn me or sms if dun reply.

busy week

2007-07-19T21:06:00.000+08:00

sry couldnt post the whole of this wk. was rly bz. got home at 10 on tuesday after helping the sec 3s figure out how a solar cell works for the national science challenge. ystd had rjc eureka sci contest. today had maths aft sch.

rly tired lately for some reason. too tired to get much work done. haish.

oh yah, everybody backed out for nubian gents. sux. now got no one going. all say need to study, o-lvl coming. rly stupid. as if they cant affor to take an afternoon off. esp since i noe they're just going to lan anw. heard it happened alot with others in cell too. 645 at dte food court. prob go cycling or swimming in the morning then go mug. mug mug mug. eng/maths/phys/chem/ss/hist/music sux. today teacher gave us a set of 19 prelim papers on top of the 10 past yr o-lvl papers. and still got the 20+ eng compre & summary to do, on top of the weekly mock test. and etc. etc. etc.

Tithes and Offering

2007-07-16T21:59:00.000+08:00

Lord, I offer my life... my days to You, as a pleasing sacrifice...

Most of us have no problem tithing. Offering up our 10% to God, or sometimes even more for missions, camps, building fund or special collection comes naturally to us, or sometimes difficult, but in the end we usually can commit.

Have you ever thought of giving 1/10 of your time to God?

If you were to count the time you're awake (about 8 hours for an average person), that would add up to 112 hours a week. 11.2 hours in 1 week means spending 2 hours for service and cell group each and 1 hour a day including weekends in quiet time.

The Bible does not mention the 10% rule for time, only for things like money, but look back at yourself and think about how much time you're spending with God, and how much time you're giving to other things. As students, probably most of your time goes into school work and studying. After that, you have your meals and a little time for that programme on television. And that book your friend lent to you last week. And a couple of people on MSN whom you haven't spoken to in ages. And... The list goes on. At the end of it all, how much time do you have left for God? When you plan your time, is God your priority or is He incidental, something you do when there's a little time left over at the end of the day?

Are you up to the challenge to spending 10% of your time, getting to know someone better and spending time talking and sharing your life with Him?

o-lvl chi listening compre

2007-07-16T17:10:00.001+08:00

I GOT FULL MARKS FOR CHI O-LVL LISTENING COMPRE!!!
(i think)
PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!

1)b 2)a 3)a 4)a 5)d 6)d 7)b 8)d 9)c 10)c

This Kingdom

2007-07-15T15:16:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
Jesus, God's righteousness revealed
The Son of Man, the Son of God
His Kingdom comes
Jesus, redemption's sacrifice
Now glorified, now justified
His Kingdom comes

Chorus:
And this Kingdom will know no end
And it's Glory shall know no bounds
For the majesty and power
Of this Kingdom's King has come
And this Kingdoms reign
And this Kingdoms rule
And this kingdoms power and authority
Jesus, God's righteousness revealed

Verse 2:
Jesus, the expression of God's love
The grace of God the Word of God
Revealed to us
Jesus, God's holiness displayed
Now glorified, now justified
His Kingdom Comes

- Geoff Bullock (Hillsongs)

The Love Of God

2007-07-14T11:03:00.000+08:00

still touching up on the lyrics and the melody... may put the score up some other time... comments please? (non-derogatory criticisms allowed)

Verse 1:
In the darkness, I seek the light
In the suffering, I seek release
But the darkness knocks me down
And the pain keeps me down
And all I have is my belief, that

Chorus:
The love of God
    is all surrounding
The love of God
    is everlasting
The love of God
    it never fails
And I will put my faith
    in the love of God

Verse 2:
I keep on falling, time and time again
A blameless life, I fail yet again
Now I realise that its true
Perfection only comes from You
And all that I can do is trust, in

Verse 3:
I live each day Lord, only for You
Each step I take now, I take it in You
And though I know it may be tough
As I walk the narrow path
I know that You have made it straight, through

boring & tiring

2007-07-10T17:04:00.000+08:00

sch is crap. everyday go to sch and do lots of tests. what's the point of having teachers when all they do is stare at u as u do the test? then when they go thru, they just read frm the as key.if u dun understand anth, they try to explain it to u... somehow... shud just stay at home and do tys evryday, then go to sch once a wk to ask qns.

anw, mugging lyk mad now. prelims in 2 mths, then o-lvls just after. its so tiring thou...im still abt 8 pts off my target now, hope to impv by 6 pts in prelims.

sry if i cant blog too often frm now on. rly bz.

Nubian Gents '07 Promo

2007-07-08T16:08:00.000+08:00

MEGALIFE PRESENTS
NUBIAN GENTS

8.00 pm, saturday, 21 jul '07

worship centre, riverlife church
6 Loyang Besar Close

Nubian Gents

2007-07-08T15:47:00.000+08:00

Nubian Gents is a Christian ministry which utilizes stepping, dancing, singing and even acting as a vehicle to express their love for Jesus Christ. Nubian Gents has toured 11 different countries, spanning 4 separate continents. They have worked with some of the most well known Christian artists today including T.D. Jakes, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond and Darlene Zschech.

life and death

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

btw, im not emo

death is much easier than life. isnt it?

one of the first things man learnt how to do was to kill. in the first generation of man after adam and eve, man learnt to kill one anth. over the years, ppl have discovered new ways to kill, and invented the new international event known as war.

but how do u create life? no one has ever succeeded in creating anth human being. life is so much more precious. its irreplaceable, once lost can never be brought back.

how bt eternal life? your salvation? the fate of your own eternal soul.

although people give up their life for a variety of reasons, i can think of hardly any reason for a person to give up his salvation, or his faith, assuming he really believes in it. in fact, many ppl would give up anth, even their life on this earth, in the name of their god, their faith, their beliefs or their soul. in other words, there is nth more impt than the fate of ur eternal soul. u would not give up ur salvation, or ur place in heaven for anth at all. even if it means being ridiculed, losing frens, giving up ur plans, ur studies or ur careers, or even ur life, u would not exchange it for the grace of God.

"Love your neighbour as yourself."
- Luke 10:27

to love ur neighbour as urself, would mean tt u would care for him as much as u care for urself, tt u would want the best for him as much as u would want the best for urself, and would treat him as well as u treat urself. u would care as much for his soul as ur own, and would not give up his soul for anth. even if it means being ridiculed, losing frens, giving up ur plans, ur studies or ur careers, or even ur life, u would not exchange it for his soul, or his salvation.

"'Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'"
- John 21:15

to love God, to love Jesus, is to take care of his ppl, his children. when Jesus asks peter, do you love me? he uses the word ἀγαπάω, agapaō, which is used to refer to God's perfect, unconditional and unfailing love. peter then replies, you know that i love you. he uses the word φιλέω, phileō, which is used to refer to brotherly, human, imperfect love. but still, Jesus tells him to take care of his ppl. althou we may think we're not gd enuf (we arent), or if we're scared of failure (we might), God still wants us to do his work.

so, just as the priest put it,

"And who is my neighbour?"
- Luke 10:29

jesus then tells the parable of the good samaritan, where a jew was lying almost dead by the side of the road, when a samaritan, the enemy of and the race looked down by the jews, helps him, even thou he's a total stranger. they didnt noe each other, or were related by family, race, country or religion. but still,

"'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'"
- Luke 10:36-37

he was a neigbour becos he saw someone in need, and helped him. he was a neigbour becos he showed mercy on someone who was seeking it. he was a neighbour becos he saved a life, not fearing the risks, the possible consequences or the cost to himself.

who is the person in our life, whom God has called us to be a neighbour to? is it our fren, our relative, our classmate, or the person we met the other day? are u willing to give up all tt its going to take, to bring the gift of eternal life? compare the risks of losing a friend, or being ostracised, while trying to bring them into eternity in heaven. compare it to the comfort of friends, and happy talk and laughter, with their eternal damnation, despair, pain, suffering, loneliness and death in hell.

life or death? take ur pick.

first day back at sch

2007-07-03T22:38:00.000+08:00

wow tdy was tiring. wasn't too bad, just slept late, woke up early, and nvr got a chance to rest.

chem: since you had so many extra lessons and studied so hard for prelims during the hols, i won't give any work for this wk.

study during the hols and rest during sch term. what's the pt of giving holiday? somebody actually complained in the newspaper today. haha.

oh then, we spent an hour after sch with the dm checking evryone's bag and locker cos some guy lost his hp last wk. so today they try to check. a bit late. as expected, the thief was stupid enuf to bring the stolen phone to sch for anth wk after the incident, so no phone found. to bad. and was a 1-mth old phone too.

went home and slacked.

ps: does anyone actually read this blog?

the end of a short-lived holiday

2007-07-02T18:10:00.000+08:00

tdy went cycling in the morning with jensen and geoffrey. route roughly was pasir ris -> tampines -> bedok -> tanah merah -> simei -> tampines -> pasir ris. total time abt 100 mins. quite fun lah. a bit tiring though. will go again when get the chance.

spent the rest of the day chatting, mugging and doing some video and music work. gosh my laptop is slow. keeps lagging whenever i try to do smth. but no choice i guess... in the mean time more mugging. dreading the o's.

mostly, i spent today being bored. ok? happy? i dint feel like mugging the whole day and i dint feel like just wandering around with nth to do. what do u do, when u do realise u do not have anth to do? do u just do what u do, or do u do smth else?

loneliness strikes back.

it's unmerciful and relentless in it's attacks.

i can't escape it.

i can't hide from it.

it taunts me.

and doesn't allow me to see.

beyond the darkness.

this loneliness.

Word Of God Speak

2007-06-30T23:10:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is, it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Chorus:
Word of God, speak
Would you pour down like rain?
Washing my eyes to see Your majesty
To be still and know You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest in Your holiness

Verse 2:
I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet, hear Your voice

- MercyMe

worship experience

2007-06-30T22:28:00.000+08:00

today's service was great. God's beginning to do smth in me.

during the altar call, i could just feel the Spirit within me, like nudging me forward. not forcefully, but gently. when i went forward for ministry, God started reminding me of some of the visions He had shown me, and tt i had promised to do. but sometimes, its just so much, too diff, too heavy and time-consuming, and all at the same time. not tt i've given up, but i've almost forgotten abt it. one vision in particular, i haven't done anth abt it yet. its not smth i could do by myself, but evryone i approached whom i thot might have been interested, and leaders in 2 diff churches, all gave me a variety of reasons y not. i noe. ive alr forseen the diff and problems. i noe how ppl, in fact almost evryone, would feel abt this. but of all the ppl i asked, i was looking for 3 others, but couldnt find one.

and so i saw the vision again tdy. i dun think i want to share abt here, but u can ask me if u want to noe. i saw it, with further clarification. but i still dun noe.

so ltr, during cell, we were watching ps kong hee's sermon frm last yr's emerge conference. spiritual hunger. i think im losing it. im finding and getting it back again. slowly

ltr on, shaun lee prayed for me. praying for me to put my words into action. it sort of struck a chord, but even so, this vision is definitely long term. or at least i think so. im not going to limit God's timing.

i think it was rly encouraging during worship, especially the second segment, where i saw alot of my cell members, just entering into God's presence and engaging. i can understand its abit diff cos of time, but still, they managed it. more of this in the future?

oh yah, and nxt sat is chma! our band is horrible, the rest of the bands are horrible, most of the singers are horrible. i think i'll just leave after the opening dance item. y do u need a keyboard in hotel calif anw? ridiculous.

exams are over

2007-06-29T00:38:00.000+08:00

hahahaha the exams are over!! (more or less for the time being)

tmrw's music paper got postponed to nxt sat, so i got a long holiday!! 4 dys!! tts even longer than my june hols!!

feeling so relaxed... until i see my music txtbk on the flr... nxt sat...

** sianx **

exams r pointless... they onli test to see how much uve studied for each subj. then all the muggers will get A. when actually they dun understand anth.

going to jam one last time before chma. wow we've played tgt lyk, 3 times. we shudnt hav gotten in in the first place.

Placing My Trust

2007-06-27T16:38:00.000+08:00

I was abandoned, left by myself
There was nobody I could trust
To my right and to my left
Watching the darkness engulf
My being and ground me to dust

I reached out and cried
For someone to save me
Someone passed by
Then turned to hide
As my eyes pleaded with he

The things that I had trusted
Had all crumbled to the ground
And now alone I staggered
Forward and onward I struggled
But to nowhere, go I could

Then He lifted me up
High from the dirt
With Him I supped
He filled my cup
And healed me of my hurts

- me

o-lvl chinese

2007-06-27T14:20:00.000+08:00

TOMORROW IS O-LEVEL CHINESE ORAL!!!!!
ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!

M3 Thailand 2 photos

2007-06-26T21:36:00.000+08:00

to all fellow mission trippers and any others interested,

i am closing my webshots account. all the photos have been (or am in the process of being) uploaded to picasa. if you do not see 151 photos, uploading has not been completed yet, so try again later. a gallery will be created in the 'photos' section in due time.

M3 Thailand 2

sch sch sch

2007-06-26T15:43:00.000+08:00

wow i just realised smth.

sec 4 is all abt exams.

we ended term 2 with exams, began the hols with exams, filled up the remaining wks with tests, and started the new term with exams (note the usage of the plural noun in each case).

anw, ystd hist and phys wasnt too bad. hist was manageable, but ive been out of prac long enuf to be short of time. lyk 5 mins more would do. haish. phys was relatively easy. they actually lowered the standard almost to o-lvl difficulty. wow.

tdy chem was hard. the sch has some prob. they give lots of hard qns tt we will nvr even see a similar one in o-lvl. i keep comparing evth in sch to o-lvl. the heat is getting on man.

anw, got ss and math tmrw, followed by a math on thurs and music on fri. wonderful way to start the new term. the flip side is tt i get 1 more wk to do my hw (as if it were humanly possible to complete it).

p.s. i realise i realised this late. don't need to tell me.

back to sch...

2007-06-24T22:15:00.000+08:00

arrggghhhh!!!!! i dun wanna go back to sch!!!!!

facing the giants

2007-06-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

just watched it. great and inspiring movie. catch if u can. dvd is available frm riverside resource.

the football coach has lost every single game in 6 yrs, his house and car is in a mess, and has been trying unsuccessfully for yrs to start a family. reaching a crisis pt, and almost getting fired, he decides to get serious abt his faith, and challenges his players to do the same.

frm then on, miracle after miracle came abt. they won evry single game in God's name, taking the state championship title. he was blessed with a new car thru one of his player's rich dad, and his wife finally got pregnant.

i noe it doesnt sound so great when i explain it like tt. im not a literary writer. go watch it urself.

aniwae, the pt of the movie is to have faith in God, even when things are impossible. like for example, in the finals, when the opposing team was twice their size (rmb, american football is a rough game), and had thrice as many players so they could replace their tired players continuously, and when they had four seconds left, the kicker, whose best kick was 35 yards, miraculously goes over the bar frm 51 yards, narrowly winning the game.

i think its impt to rmb tt even when things r going horribly wrong and seem impossible to turn around, God is the God of the impossible. we must have faith in God, and only then will God bless us. not the other way round.

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:1

there's no pt waiting for God to do smth, then have faith in Him. hope for it, ask God for it, and be sure that you will receive (Matt 7:7-8). see without believing, and u will be truly blessed (John 20:29). tt's faith.

faith is when rain doesnt exist, u live in the middle of the desert, and God tells you it will rain, and the rain will flood the earth, so build a boat on top of the mountain, and collect animals frm all over the world. and for a hundred yrs, it didnt rain. for a hundred yrs, noah preached the gospel, didnt save a single person. yet he still trusted God. tts faith.

faith is when God tells u to leave ur family and frens behind, and go out into an unknown part of the world, and wondered around for years before reaching the land tt God chose for u. yet abraham nvr doubted God. tts faith.

faith is when u see a revelation frm God, showing someone whos abt to do God's will, and u save his life at the risk of ur own. because of what his parents had done, Moses lived to lead his people out of egypt. tts faith.

faith is when u see God as the King of kings and fear not the earthly king, leaving the country. when u stand with the sea in front of u, a grumbling crowd behind u, and the strongest army in the world chasing them not far behind, and trusting God to show u the way. when u head out across the desert, not noeing where to find food or water. yet moses trusted God. tts faith.

faith is when u see a strong city with fearsome warriors, well trained and experienced, and decide to attack and capture it, with a grp of slaves and desert nomads. without any strategies or fighting, joshua did exactly as God instructed, believing tt God had delivered jericho into his hands. tts faith.

faith is when u see a 3 meter tall giant in front of u, and ur country's army hiding behind u, and u step forward, with just a sling and 5 pebbles. david nvr doubted God to defeat goliath. tts faith.

faith is when u see waves crashing, and a fierce thunderstorm, and u step out of the alr shaking and rocking boat into the sea, nvr doubting Jesus to walk on top of the water. tts faith.

faith is when u see a man fall out of a third story window and die, but instead simply hug him and say tt hes alive, then walk away. paul nvr doubted God's resurrecting power. tts faith.

can u imagine what it takes to have tt kind of faith? when i pray, one of the things i ask God is to increase my faith to the nxt lvl. currently reading acts, learning abt the miracles performed by the christians. dont think tt only Jesus performed miracles, but God's power thru His ppl is in no way less. tts the kind of faith i want to have.

It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it. - Arnold Toynbee

i think tt the biggest mistake we can make is to limit God. what isnt possible, for someone who made the earth, the plants, the animals, the planets, the stars and the rest of the galaxies and the other galaxies and humans in less than a wk? for someone who died then came back to life? for someone whos clothes healed paralysed or incurable ppl? for the last, the were cured because they believed. each time someone asks Jesus for healing, He replies, "Go, your faith has made you well." do you want God to do something? it is ur faith tt will accomplish it. with faith, there's nth u can't do, and without it, there's nth u can do.

face ur difficulties, ur problems, ur impossibilities. rite now, im staring at my own impossibilities in life, lyk passing chi, o-lvl results, dream jc, and other visions and dreams i've held onto for yrs. my dream of seeing children serving the Lord in the w&m ministry, i've been waiting and committing myself to it since i was p5. tts 6 yrs, and its onli recently tt i've even begun to see anth close to what my dream is. even then, its still a far way off. i ask myself, how many times has my faith wavered in the 5 yrs of seemingly useless toil? many times. im human, and my faith isnt perfect, not close. but i keep returning to it. even if it takes anth 6 yrs, or anth 6 yrs after tt, im not going to lose faith. i received this dream, affirmed by aunty winnie (then my pastor) and am absolutely sure tt it came frm God. many ppl have told me its impossible, its too difficult, there're too many obstacles, the ppl r not willing, they're too young, there's no one to lead them and train them, but yet, there's no way i'll abandon it, or throw it aside. i will see it thru. will my faith waver? will my strength weaken? will i stumble or veer of the path? yes! definitely! but i noe each time i return, my faith will be stronger than ever, and God will strengthen me more than ever before, and i'll be further down the path hand in hand with God than ever before.

ok i noe this is a long post, but i guess i rly blogged my heart out on this one. if u care, pls read thru it. i wud rly appreciate it.

Voice of Truth

2007-06-24T00:38:00.000+08:00

Verse 1:
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

Pre-Chorus 1:
But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Verse 2:
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes
to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

Pre-Chorus 2:
But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Bridge:
But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

- Casting Crowns

smiling for you...

2007-06-23T23:23:00.000+08:00

ok, im abt to compose a happy post cos JAYNA said tt my "blog like-very depressing". the happy post begins.

ok there we go! a happy post!

today service was POWERFUL! ps ben chew was awesome! i was especially touched when he was sharing abt how he was a stone-hearted, quiet, introverted person. tts how i described myself to daniel a few days ago. the thing was tt, he said tt with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he was empowered, and made an ordinary vessel extraordinary. tts what i want for myself, to be used by God to do His will. i can't do it on my own, but with God's power within me, i can't do nth!

cell was different frm usual, but during cell, i could rly feel the power of God flowing thru the rm, thru each of us. we had a short worship, then spent a solid half-hour praying for the irregulars and backsliders in our cell. hopefully, we can see them coming back. for me, its heavy upon my heart to see ppl coming for cell and svc.

isaac oso shared abt how he wanted to multiply our cell by mid-nxt yr! to do so, we need to bring the irregulars back and invite our frens to come. i think tts a great vision and direction for our cell, but what i'm more concerned with is taking the ppl alr here, and helping them grow deeper. i think tt even if all the irregulars started coming frm nxt wk onwards, we're still not ready. if i were to think abt it as a tree, our cell has wide branches, but our roots only penetrate the surface, barely going deep enuf for support. numerically, we're strong, but i think we need to grow deeper in the Word and in our relationship with God. some of the 'ancients', those who have been here 1 or 2 yrs, seem to be stagnating in their spiritual gwt (only my personal opinion, may not be true, does not apply to all). i am encouraged by a few hu r desperate for God, and whom i've seen grown alot since last yr and since the beginning of the yr, or even the recent mths.

to all cellbies: come down nxt wk for cell, and be prepared for a "worship experience"! zheng xin and i will be leading worship and he'll be sharing, so bring ur frens and other cell members down! keep them and us in prayer, and be ready for a touch frm God! keep watching this blog for more info on nxt wk's cell.

Via Dolorosa

2007-06-22T22:28:00.000+08:00

Scenes taken from "The Passion of Christ"

short video clip i put tgt showing the crucifixion of Jesus

* video may not work properly. if so, please tag and visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WwJYzLfsBo

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed to see
A Man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating - there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Via Dolorosa, called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa all the way to Calvary

The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa all the way to Calvary
- Sandi Patti

The Road Not Takenh

2007-06-21T09:45:00.000+08:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Do the right thing, even if it's different from what others are doing, and it will make a difference in your life. You can't turn back, so don't regret. Make the right choice.

burden for frens

2007-06-21T09:22:00.000+08:00

recently i've been wondering, if any of what i'm doing makes a difference at all. i see the failures, frens tt i din't hlp, hu fell away into darkness. for some, it's not rly too late for me to hlp them, but its just too difficult. i've lost contact with them mostly, other than the occasional msn chat. they've turned away completely, and now, all i can do is stay here beside them, show them i'm here, and watch as they destroy themselves. for one, it's alr too late, and nth more on earth or in heaven can be done for him.

even more, as i try and hlp others around me, i sometimes feel hypocritical, sometimes realising tt i'm going thru similar issues in life, and haven't worked it out yet. even worse, when i give advice to others, they take it more seriously than i do and try harder, while i've sometimes given up too early. conclusion: they recover.

but i realised smth. tt despite the number of times i've failed, there r still others i must hlp. it's their decision to make, whether to turn to God or to continue in what they're doing. i can talk to them, try to convince them, support them, encourage them, warn them, but in the end, it's their decision to make. i need to keep on hlping others hu r going thru tough times, or rough situations. and there r others hu do turn back.

i've been encouraged, by ppl like joan, alisa, daryl, gabriel and others, hu did pull thru the hardship and came out stronger. these r the ppl i'm doing it for, and for them, i will not give up, no matter how heavy the burden is. i noe i can count on my frens to support me, and i can count on God to strengthen and empower me as i do His work, and because of tt, i will not give up, and will nvr give up, this burden of supporting and encouraging ppl around me.

thank you gerry for convincing, convicting and commiting me of/to my burden, so tt i will not lay it down.
thank you joan for supporting me thru this.

Taking up my cross

2007-06-21T00:34:00.000+08:00

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:24

What does it mean, for someone to "take up his cross"? What is the cross?

In churches, on posters, we see crosses as the symbol of our faith, that our sins are forgiven, and that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. But think about how we received this gift of grace.

The cross is the epitome of pain and suffering. In the times of the Romans, the cross was used to punish the most heinous of crimes, and is the cruellest death possible for any man. After a man was flogged (the standard was 39 lashes, with a whip that cuts and rips flesh to the bone), he would then have to carry a wooden beam, weighing 40-50 kg, across town, to the place of crucifixion. After being nailed to the cross, his blood supply would slowly drip away, until there would not be enough oxygen circulated to the body, suffocating over hours.

Our Lord Jesus went through all that, without having committed any crime, but out of love. He knew what He would go through, the pain and the suffering, the mutilation and the humiliation, but went through with it.

Out of love.

For us, we need to lay down our pride and replace it with humility, our self-love and replace it with self-sacrifice. For the people around us, our friends and our enemies, the ones we love, we need to save them. To reach out to them when they are lost, and to help them find their way again. It can get tough, and the burden can get heavy, but we need to carry on, pulling others through.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus went willingly to His death, like a lamb to the slaughter. We have a choice, to bear this burden for others. Be it evangelism, or helping others grow deeper, or your ministry, in the end our goal is the same as Christ's. To help people connect with God and learn about Him. This is our ultimate purpose in life.

Remember, that no matter what happens, no matter how difficult it may get, God will be with us, day after day after day, right up to the end. Even when you fall, He's always there with open arms to pick you up.

So, will you take up your cross?

Don't forget us

2007-06-20T03:43:00.000+08:00

They come and go
Back to and fro
You can’t control it
Are near and far
As the distant star
But still you wish for it

To comfort when hurt
To heal when burnt
To mend when broken
To be beside when lonely
To protect, and surely
To be there to listen

Although perfect they’re far from it
Sometimes wrong, sometimes cheat
They build you up the best they can
When you sometimes your soul make bare
They sometimes hurt, but because they care
They walk with you hand in hand

Sometimes you’re hesitant
Or even unconfident
How much faith you should
Place in them, but remember
For now and forever
They did do the best they could

Friends are there
Because they care
Never forget that

- me!