Hope all is well

Dear Lord,

I'm coming before you today, praying that you will watch over this 6 dear people in my life. I want to thank you for putting them into my life. They have watched me as I grew in faith, guiding me along and journeying with me, we have all grown much from when we first met. Please watch over them at all times, when they are studying, working, serving in police, ns or just during their daily lives. May we always remember that no matter what happens in life, that you are always close by to us, watching over us. And I also pray Lord, that as we continue in our lives, that you will continue to strengthen our faith and grow our relationship with you. Amen.

Love, rach

PRAISING GOD FOR LIFE!
1 Thes. 5:18

Adapted from :
Praising God From A through Z


Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain,
Continue in thanksgiving;
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard.
Fierce winds are bound to blow.
God is forever able;
Hold on to what you know.
Imagine life without His love -
Joy would cease to be.
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee.
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone.
Quit looking at the future;
Redeem the time at hand!
Start every day with worship;
To "thank" is a command.
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky,
We'll run the race with gratitude
eXalting God most high.
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad,
but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

~ Author Unknown ~

The Deacon and the Boy

The Deacon and the Boy

His name is Scott. He has wild hair, wears a
T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes.
This was literally his wardrobe for his entire
four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind
of esoteric and very, very bright. He became
a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well
dressed, very conservative church. They want
to develop a ministry to the students, but
are not sure how to go about it.

One day Scott decides to go there. He walks
in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and
wild hair. The service has already started
and so Scott starts down the aisle looking
for a seat. The church is completely packed
and he can't find a seat. By now, people
are really looking a bit uncomfortable,
but no one says anything. Scott gets closer
and closer and closer to the pulpit, and
when he realizes there are no seats, he just
squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight,
and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that
from way at the back of the church, a deacon
is slowly making his way toward Scott. A godly man,
very elegant, very dignified, and very courtly.
He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking
toward this boy, everyone is saying to
themselves that you can't blame him for what
he's going to do. How can you expect a man of
his age and of his background to understand
some college kid on the floor?



It takes a long time for the man to reach the
boy. The church is utterly silent except for
the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are
focused on him. You can't even hear anyone
breathing. The minister can't even preach the
sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.
And now they see this elderly man drop his cane
on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers
himself and sits down next to Scott and worships
with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion.

When the minister gains control, he says,
"What I'm about to preach, you will never remember.
What you have just seen, you will never forget."

(taken from http://llerrah.com/deaconandtheboy.htm)

Sometimes it's not about just words but actions.
We are called to be there for others and not just ourselves..
God bless

Extravagant

How extravagant do we want to be in our worship of God?

Do we just want to give him the bare minimum of just going for mass, participating in a bit of thing here or bit of activity there?
Or do we want to give our whole selves to Him, wholly and completely?

It's ur choice. It's ur life.
So choose..

Hey HAPPY & PEOPLE!

As suggested by SHAUN KOH, I decided to sort of explain what's happening to me recently in our blog.

Your all know I graduated from ITE already and now ready to move on into my next education level at poly.

Firstly, My application wasn't successful as my GPA is 3.3 without cca points but with cca points then it adds up to 3.5. Unfortunately, the system only has my gpa without cca. Therefore, my application was unsuccessful.

My best friend Jolene followed me down to rp on the day or results to appeal for sonic arts, but the staff was unfriendly and also said there was no appeal for JPAE application in rp.

I felt super sad trying to hide my feelings all the way to and fro from rp. Tried controlling my feelings until at night, I could not control anymore I started to burst out and cry in the middle of the night, waking my poor parents up.

My dad then decided to take urgent leave to follow me to the other polys to appeal as well.

The following day, we went to rp, np and tp to try to appeal.
Rp, to appeal for sonic arts. It did not help very much even though we talked to one of their admin staff. All they just wanted to say is that they could not accept me cause no more vacancy already.

As for Np, even though i did not intend to go film sound and video course at np. I tried my luck as i knew the course manager through the open house. The course manager was really friendly, and could even joked with me. The admin staff there was friendly too, she told us that we could write the appeal letter on the spot and photo copied some of my ite documents including my testimonial and handed up to them on the spot.
But the waiting time for the appeal for np would be until end of this month to second week of april.

As for Tp, it was not as bad as rp. They told us to write the appeal letter, photo copy ite documents and so on to post it to them.

I felt very very very sad from that day on and could not sleep well at night. Everywhere I go or do I keep thinking what if i cannot go poly. I have sleepless nights and whever I thought of it I feel like crying.

That day also, one of my friend just send me jeremiah 29:11 verse. He knew that my application was unsuccessful but he did not know how sad I was. It shocked me. Ever since then jeremiah 29:11 kept appearing to me. I kept questioning god before i sleep and in the adoration room. I asked him, what about jeremiah 29:11. Why is this happening and all when you said that I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

I am very worried I cannot go poly, I don't want to go private. My parents not so rich, plus the bad economy makes it worst. My piano is neither here nor there. I scared I have no future. I only have an ite cert and it can't help me much or should i say it can't help me at all.

Please pray for me. I really really desperately need lots of prayers now. I pray that my appeal to np would be successful.

Anyways, if you guys have anything to say to me after reading this post, do msn me if i am online or sms me or give me a call. Thanks. I would appreciate it very much!

GOD BLESS

Heart Of Worship (HOW)

i'm stuck in camp with 7 working left to my pink I/C and a lot of things going through my mind right now.

Firstly is my future after army. It may seems like i've planned out my future already, having a course in NTU chemistry and biological chemistry, having a part time job of giving tuition (at this moment) and also maybe working at trumpet praise (if daisy manage to help me). I'm really not sure whether i truly want to go into this course but since I've chosen this course, i believe that God also would want me to go thru this course well. Like i keep saying, Jer 29:11 (For i know the plans i have for you declares the Lord, plans to give u a hope and a future). Since i believe this is his plan to give me a hope and a future, i'm going to work hard!

Second thing on my mind is my ex-girlfriend. Been talking to her more often recently. I remembered reading love doesn't die after a relationship ended, it become more of a love lost but still there. I thought the embers have died down but i guess it was only simmering. I'm struggling with jealousy (first time for me cos i dun really get jealous, only when Sly get more char siew pau than me). She shared with me that she is in a more intimate relationship with her current boyfriend compared to me but also she is more emotionally attached to him. As a friend, i try to be there for her but i just can't help by being jealous of him. It's like here u have a wonderful girl as your girlfriend but you don't treasure her. Jealous of him cos he share a deeper intimacy with her. (hey i have never french kiss a girl before okay... but ya she french kiss him sianx). Kinda weird cos it's like after the God and sexuality talk and ya i'm already having more problems than before the talk.. maybe it's because i'm more aware what is at stake? Like i put on my msn pm, girls are nothing but trouble, guys still fall for them anyway.. The law of attraction existed even before newton form his law of gravitation.

Thirdly is Lent. I swear Sylvester know me too well, say for me for my sacrifice for lent is to give up pork. THE SACRED MEAT!!!!! i wonder whether i can survive 40 days without pork.. i think sure can but have temptations and craving for pork.. Meaning no more ikea meatballs... :( But ya i was thinking of doing a something different this Lent.. thinking of going for weekday mass like at least once a week, more if i can. also for fridays maybe wanna eat only bread and fruits? dunno still considering. Also thinking of doing a fornightly thank you Lord for this scenery and posting up on either this blog or the Mover (Amp Environment) Blog. Thinking of making it like a monthly thing after Lent too. So much to give thanks to God for.

Fourthly, thinking of the direction that we the happy 7 people should take. Meetings are almost non-existant but i believe (dunno whether my faith is misplaced) that we are still keeping in touch with one another somehow. I know for a fact that Kenji and Petrina are keeping in contact with one another due to Kenji's obsession of selling insurance. Also Sylvester, Auntie Rachel have been going for Amplify Fridays every week. I know Rachel Lim goes for some Amplify fridays and 6pm mass with me and Sylvester. John, as we all know have just started on his national service liability to the nation and it's going to be tough for him.
Let us keep one another in our prayers k?

Got plenty more but i guess this is long enough.

oh ya HAPPY 7 PEOPLE MEETING ON 14TH MARCH 2009 MOST LIKELY EVENING TO NIGHT.
5PM TILL LATE (ACTUALLY TILL WHAT TIME DINNER END OR SLIGHTLY LATER THAN THAT)
KEEP YOURSELVES FREE!!!!! EARLY WARNING GIVEN

Wanna share with you this song. I think all of you should be familiar with it.
Heart of worship
Was reflecting on its words
When the music fades
all is strip away
and i simply come
Longing just to bring something that's of worth
that will bless your heart
I'll bring you more than a song
For a song in itself is not what is required
You search much deeper within
Thru the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

i feel that it's not about the gifts that we can offer for he is not looking for just our songs but rather the state of our hearts for he search much deeper within, whether we are going back to Him.

dare to you to move

we are all stuck where we are due to the uniqueness of our individual circumstances
for me it's army.. i feel like i'm not progressing anywhere at the moment.. i just wanna wait until my army is over before i do anything. But this is not right i realised as i hear the song below. We are all challenged to do something just by being where we are.. The word DARE YOU TO MOVE echoes deeply within me to move me from my stagnant position to one that is positioned to do something. To do what i not sure, but all i know is I NEED TO MOVE!!

Hosea

I was reading Hosea, 6:6

".. since what I want is love, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts."

In the Good News Bible, it is written like this:

"What I want from you is plain and clear: I want constant love from you, not sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."

I often complain to God how I am sick and tired of the ups and downs of my love life with God. How my faith dips and ebbs from time to time and how I desire for once to experience what it feels like to have a consistency in my relationship with God.

God is a mighty and fearsome God. The way to seek and maintain a consistent relationship with Him is to constantly love him. It is God's way of knocking my head because my faith is merely at the tip of the iceberg and God is far more and has far more concealed just like the tip of the iceberg that I see floating above the sea.

I am most awestruck by His words highlighted in bold and underlined. As much as I desire to have a consistent relationship with God, He desires for my constant love and most importantly he desires that I come to know him intimately. What is mortal sacrifices and offerings in His eyes? Doesn't everything that mortal man offers to God comes from God anyway?

All these while I have been desiring for God's love and attention. But I never really gave much thought about God's desires for me. His words have humbled me.

Praise the Lord!

Hope

1 Corinthians 13:13
In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.


I am humbled by my companions who have journeyed with me thus far in my life and faith. Their reminders that I am here doing God's work. That I am but a poor instrument, a weak instrument but nevertheless an instrument made to do God's work and to give glory to God. Through their reminders I remember that there is still hope. There is still hope for the youths of our church; there is still hope for that passion to be reignited in the hearts of many in our church. We started out with much hope and enthusiasm but perhaps through the ups and downs of life and all the distractions of life, I have lost hope along the way and despaired. Shaun Koh and John Tan's reminders has humbled me. I thank God for these 2 close brothers of mine.

That I realised that I must never be so proud as say that I can do without God in my life.

To keep praying with a humble heart. A short sentence of 7 sentences but how difficult it is to achieve it!

May the Real Servant Please Stand Up

YAY~!!!!!!!!!! 2009

How long How long must we sing the song of Disappointment and Pain?

The Situation May be Disturbing and uncomfortable...But can We ourselves run away from God and his people? Jesus was sent to be rejected, The Apostles were meant to be Ridiculed at. We of Little Faith Do not Throw Our Fist in the Air and Scream like little children we are but instead, look for the one that calms the storm.

I feel so much Hate and Distaste for the Ministry in OLPS now for the exception of YAM... but can these feelings change the situation or will the situation change you to become more like them? Obedience and Acceptance of the situation is crucial then i must say for when the time comes when we will rise again to put God's enemies right where they belong.

I sincerely Pray for things to get better and I know There will be a better time for it to come. Shaun said THE PRESENT is more IMPORTANT than anything else....I agree however i still feel Skeptical about it... I am Human and know exactly how everyone abandoned feels cuz i myself have been exiled for reasons not relevant to a crime nor a rebellion. I will try my best to pray for the youth of OLPS but I know it will extremely hard so please God Give me the strength to rise like an eagle...

well a Secret Society has been created to take a hold of the situation now....for more information on how to be a gang member please msg/call shaun koh or john tan...once recruited in cannot get out i heard...SCARY man~!!!!!!!!!!!


LET THERE BE LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ( says OASIS)

Heaven Here - Dashboard Confessional

We are the only ones who feel it
Tonight we drink
Tonight we dance
We are the last ones who can hear it

We’re calling in whispers
We’re tired of waiting
We’ll take what we want and we’ll
Leave what we know behind

We are still dreamers
In our dead sleep
Naked and tangled
Twisted in love and Tonight
We are the only ones who feel it

So let it last all night
So let it last all night

Let the fire surround us
Let it all cave in
Let it all burn wild
We are leaving it all behind
We are leaving it all behind

Heaven is here (x3)

We are tangled and brave
We are naked and saved

Heaven’s not waiting
It’s spilling its secrets
It's right here between us
And we’ve no other choice but belief
We’ve no other choice but Belief
We’ve no other choice but Belief

So let it last all night (x3)
Oh let it last all night

Naked and tangled
And twisted in love
And tonight
We are the only ones who
Feel it

Heaven is here (x2)

And tonight
We are the only ones who feel it

for those that want this beautiful song Pm me on msn : mstike_soul@hotmail.com