Tuesday, January 15, 2008

thanksgiving

ive gt sth to give thanks to God. last week, i went to make a new pair of spec. the optician told me that my current spec is 'overpowered'. meaning the spec's degree is higher than it should be. my right eye now is 225 (used to be 275). left eye 275 (used to be 325). this wasnt the 1st time it happened. a few years ago, another optician told me the same thing and lowered my degree when i was making my green spec. seems more like my eye sight is getting better. remembered that i ever pray to God to give me a perfect eye sight after hearing miracle stories from my colleagues that God healed ppl with short sightedness. no longer do they need to wear spec. i dont mean to belittle God. in the bible Jesus healed the blind. what's short sightness to Him?! the exciting thingy is that it's happening to me~! yea yea. im so happy. it's sth to rejoice. slowly but surely im able to do without specs in future. Praise God for His faithfulness in my life. Amen.

ps: pray for me yea? for a spec free life.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

i can't believe everyone is so efficient in posting..*gasps*

we are the last group. but the last shall be the first. hehehe. right at the top of the page, our sharing and prayer requests!

elaine:
1. pray that she will make good friends in school, especially when her tutorials consist of different people. may God bless her with favour and one godly good friend!
2. pray for xin yi (her friend who accepted Christ the other time) that God will lead her to Him and that she may find her purpose in life in Him. also, for elaine that she will have wisdom in bringing her to church as well.
3. pray that elaine will not feel uncomfortable or 'don't feel like' meeting up with old friends from primary school, that their friendships will grow beyond superficial level to a deeper one with acceptance of who she is.

charmaine cheong:
1. pray that God will maximise her time (she's very busy haha) , also have time to practice for her piano exam coming in march
2. pray that there will not be awkwardness between her and her piano teacher when she goes for piano lessons next week (due to something that happened la) and that her fingers will be so anointed in playing all the pieces

nuan yi:
1. pray that she will make good friends and pick good project partners as she starts school on monday

-the end-

Prayer requests from Des, Val & Reg...

Please keep us in prayer...

Des - Family Harmony.
Val - Career Direction. Please pray for wisdom and God's direction as to her career...
Reg - Career Direction. Please pray for the correct doors to open, and that she will know that they are open...

Thanks... Due to privacy issues, we don't feel comfortable posting the sharing at this point... But, we'll post up our prayer requests... ;)

Ikea's meatballs are soo delicious.

Please keep Chng's grandma in prayer. Pray for communication between her and her grandma, that language will not be a boundary. Pray for relief of pain, pray for reality of God to show through. Pray for Chng to be strong, to be the light of God to her grandma.

Please keep Jennifer in prayer. Pray that she'll trust God in all decisions that she makes, pray that the Spirit will speak to her and lead her in God's will. Pray that she will have peace in making choices, and faith to let God take over. Pray that she will have the joy of God everyday, which will never be taken away from her no matter what circumstance she is placed in.

Please keep Yvonne in prayer. Pray that she will go to work a happy girl. And leave work a happy girl. Pray for fatigue (and dark eye rings) to go away. Pray that she will be obedient to God, and fear God. Pray that she will love unlovable people around her.

Thank you, you all. God bless =)

Friday, January 11, 2008

prayer requests from Peng

Peng is currently rushing for deadline...trying to finish up her design pieces in time for the exhibition next next week. Please pray for success n completion of project.
Pray for her health as she often has gastric pains whenever she is feeling stressed. Also bcoz of her irregular diet n late nites till 2am. tsk tsk.
Pray for her boss that he will not stress her up some more
Pray for journey mercies and weather in Paris as it will be very cold coz its winter. might worsen skin condition.
Pray for desired rest after exhibition is over
Pray that she will be motivated to read her psalms n that GOD will continue to speak to her during this period.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Ways to stay on the MRT seat tt's not meant to be sat on



Failed attempt



New tactic!


And...success!



Our cute lil' Pris

Hahaha tt was fun i was laughing bout it on my way home. Hehe.

Friday, January 04, 2008

stand firm

imagine you were standing at the pedestrian crossing, waiting for the light to turn green. however, the roads are clear and there are no cars in sight. people around you start crossing the road. would you join them? or would you wait?

i think many a times, we would cross without even thinking. so what if it's still red? the roads are empty and everyone's crossing already.

but today, just as i was standing in that same position, waiting for the light to turn green, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.

it is a law, a rule that we have to wait for the green light before crossing the road. we all know that. we've been taught that since young. and we know, that jaywalking like that is dangerous. but when peer pressure comes, when people around you start crossing, would you stand firm and wait? or would you give in to the world and join them?

crossing the road is a small matter. but when bigger things come along the way in your life, would you give in to the world, or would you stand right where you stood, holding on to your beliefs, your principles, your values and God's commands?

for some of us, perhaps we should try starting from little things today, like waiting for the green light. for others, we may have passed the traffic light test, but when bigger tests come, we need His grace and strength to stand where we were while the whole world is moving past us.

let us stand firm this day and not be complacent. continue to look to His grace for only by His grace can we be brought thus far.

"it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1

Leaders' Appreciation - For Pastor Debra





Can't really hear what they are saying...maybe it's time to get a new phone.

Psalm 4

"You have put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than [they know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly."
(Amplified Bible)

"Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say. "More, more." I have God's more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day"
(The Message)

It's amazing, because there really are many occasions where i am the happiest on an ordinary day. When there's no sign of miracles exploding in the air, nor tangible blessings that i can hold, yet i feel happier than a time when i felt i had everything. Just a normal day, just doing normal things. Joy from the Lord is truly inexplicable. It is one that defies circumstances, one that flaunts its feathers most beautifully when sorrow strikes. What is joy when all is well? It is but a fleeting happiness, here this moment and gone the next. But joy in times of deepest sorrow and pain is one to be beheld, one that invites admiration. It is where joy parades itself in its fullest reign, it is where joy is complete. Thank you God for this joy you've given to us, that never fails, even when our worlds fall apart. =)

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Psalm dua dan tiga

Psalm 2

When God laughed, how did He laugh? In a hysterical way, a joyful hearty chuckle, a mocking manner, or a bitter laughter? I believe in this psalm, God first laughs like a father would when his lil girl tells him, "Daddy, i'm going to kill the lion tmr." Laughing cos of his lil' girl's naviety, and her guts. But that laughter fades as God realises His children are trying to bring Him down, and His ppl along with Him. Though He knows full well that their efforts are futile, like a lil' mouse trying to kill an elephant by hitting it furiously with its lil' palms, it hurts Him deeply, knowing they have such an intention. It's like when the lil' girl tells her dad, "And after i kill the lion, Daddy, i'm going to kill you." And then his laughter turns to that of derision, and of mockery..

I didn't read the Message version until i'd finished writing this, and amazingly the translator seems to have gotten the same idea from God...
"Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first he's amused at their presumption; Then he gets good and angry."

Psalm 3

I read this psalm over and over again a few times, and i asked that God would show me how David felt when he wrote this. How would you feel if your son, your own flesh and blood, betrays you, plots to take over your kingdom and now sends tens of thousands of your own army after you, to take your life? Anger, fear, hurt...i believe these are but some emotions that David experienced at that time. But i believe at the moment of writing this psalm, the main emotion is fear. David could be hiding in some cave in the mountains now, faint from hunger and haven't taken a bath in days. He started the psalm by telling God how he felt, exactly as the situation is. "God! Look! Enemies past counting! Enemies sprouting like mushrooms, Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery: "Hah! No help for him from God!" David is afraid, terrified, and he is honest with God.

And then, Selah. From Ps Debra's devotional, i found out that Selah could either mean 'pause or moment of silent meditation' or 'lifting up of voices or the lifting up/blowing of trumpets' or 'musical interlude'. I doubt David would be blowing trumpets at this point, from my conjecture this Selah prolly meant 'pause or moment of silent meditation'. Why? Maybe cos his emotions were too overwhelming at that point, maybe cos he was crying too hard to continue. After that moment of silent meditation, he goes on to seek solace in God, and declare the Lord's faithfulness even in his extreme circumstances.

Next he said, "I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people. Who have set themselves against me all around." This is quite funny, because the reason i'm awake at this time is because i woke up in the middle of the night feeling wide awake, and i thought maybe God wants to speak to me, so i went to read this psalm, and "I lay down and slept: I awoke, for the Lord sustained me." jumped out at me. That sounds like what just happened to me, i thought. Haha. As i struggled to understand what David meant when he wrote this, God led me to the understanding that David must have been dead tired from days of climbing the mountains and hiding, yet was afraid to sleep lest someone attacks him in his sleep and takes his life. So he gave thanks to God for giving him the peace to fall asleep, and for protecting him from harm, when he awoke.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Psalm 1

This is a psalm that showcases the blessings of the Lord that will be given if we walk in His ways, and also a warning to those who do not. Two verses spoke to me today.

Firstly, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD..."
Delight, that's what God wants to give us in this season. What do we delight in? What we delight in shows where our heart lies. If we truly delight in the Word of God, we would rejoice over it, give thanks for it, and meditate upon it.
"If a person delights in something, you don’t have to beg them to do it or to like it. They will do it all by themselves. You can measure your delight for the word of God by how much you hunger for it."

"...and on His law he meditates day and night"
“Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and life: this is the way the godly bring forth much fruit.” (Ashwood, cited by Spurgeon)It's not just reading. Nor is it sitting in a yoga position for 10 hours in silence. It's going about your daily activities, but thinking constantly of the verses, slowly chewing it, savouring every taste and aftertaste that lingers.

Secondly, "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither." A tree by a river has a constant stream of water, and is strong and stable, sinking down deep roots. (Guzik D. 2006) Yupp, and it will yield its fruit in season. Not all year round, but in its season. Let's look forward to the many bananas, apples, strawberries, mangoes and kiwis that God will give to us this year in our own seasons!

Planning and Group Photo




countdown party 2007