Melbourne snaps (& moooves...)

After being on a number of holidays so far, I have concluded that I'm definitely not a good holiday photographer. (or actually, I'm not a good photographer... period).

But seriously, I always get so caught up in the moment, enjoying my holiday and whatever specific activity I'm engaged in at that point, that I always forget to whip out the camera to capture it.

I really marvel at those who, in the middle of something really fun or whatever, can suddenly go,"oh! this would be a great photo opportunity!... Let me get out my trusty sony/nikon/canon/panasonic digicam (or camera phone)!"

Like how DO they do that?! I'm normally just too engrossed in whatever's happening at the moment.

BUT, in spite of that I managed to capture some snaps from my trip... here goes... =)

My trusty sneakers which took a severe pounding during the trip from all that walking I did.

Quiet time at a cafe? Haha... I do this in Singapore too!

(I thought this flower shop looked cool... )

I should really learn to smile more... =p


The chapel at Scotch College which Sue Lynn got married in.

Inside the chapel.

And the wedding begins...

Sue looks gorgeous...

Someone's happy...

Chris and Kax feasting on some antipasto platter at some random time of the day during which people normally do NOT eat... haha.

A picture of my future. Me and MY LAKE... and my 1000 pet ducks. (ok seriously, it's just the wedding dinner place)

A sampling of the food. This was deep fried zuchini flowers, which totally rocked.

And that's Sue, Chris & myself. (like seriously check out the girl on my right. Her name is Ann. She's a post grad pharmacy student. And I think she's like quite the pretty... )
And she sat beside me the whole night. She must have been honored.

A shot with the bride & groom.

Deserts from Greco @ Crowne. Taken on the last night of the trip. It's a Mars bar cake on the left, and Hazelnut meringue on the right. Shiokness...

And to prove I actually met Kax... here's a shot of us... hahahaha... (why do we both look so sleepy? Must be the amount of food we ate)


And here come the videos...


I look like terrible in this... Haha... rough plane ride lah.


Yum Cha?


check out this guy man!... wow

Melbourne April '08

My short trip to Melbourne (4 days) was just about the best thing that could happen to me over the since the year started. It was just what I needed: time away; many hours to do nothing; great food; too many coffees for your own good... pretty much perfect.

Ok I'm sure many people know I love Australia, especially Sydney. But when you can't get Sydney, Melbourne comes a close 2nd!


Here's some highlights from my trip:

Matthew & Sue Lynn's wedding
Ok this wedding was the reason for our (Chris & I) need to make the trip down to Melbourne in the first place. Sue Lynn is our longtime friend from ACJC (she was in SB1, me in SB2, Chris in SB3).

Ok about this point, I could actually start gushing and raving about the wedding like how silly girls do, but I'm gonna spare you people that horror. Haha...

But seriously now, it was a fantastic wedding. THE BEST. The quaint little chapel on a hill; the fantastic weather; the simple worship team made our of just a guitar, a piano and 2 voices; the 2 fantastic pastors who did the ceremony and the exhortation: and of course... the bride and groom themselves.

The ceremony was similar to what we have in Singapore, in our Anglican church. But the pastor conducting the ceremony (Ps Timothy Goh, their pastor over there) just put so much heart into the whole ceremony, bringing out the rich meanings and symbolisms of each step in the marriage service. Fantastic...and the speaker who did the exhortations was awesome too. (he's from Singapore, so Connect... you'll get to hear him! haha)

Oh oh.. and the wedding dinner!... it was at this restaurant by the lake, which was beautiful. And Matt & Sue chose the place because their first date was at a restaurant ACROSS the lake on the other side! Haha... how cool.

Ok I'm done talking about the wedding. If you wanna know more ask me when you see me.

Kax
Kax was our "host" for the trip, and I think we hung out with her every day we were there, except when we were at the wedding.

It was good to see her again and I think I spoke to her more than I ever did in Singapore... (maybe... haha). Hanging out with her was good fun. And we spent most of our time eating, and eating... Haha!... Hanging out at cafes, yum cha, meat & wine co. Shiokness...

Take care Kax! Thanks so much for the company and the chats. I hope you managed to get your "money's worth" of dirt. Heh...

Planetshakers
Oh yeah, and we (the people) went to Planetshakers for church as well. This was my 2nd time to the church for service and I was blessed by the service. It was an awesome time. The songs were unfamiliar and quite hard to catch at times, but God's presence was there and there was a real sense of worship in the place.

The Word of God was brought by Christine Caine from Hillsong. What a woman of God, with an even more powerful testimony! I was pretty impacted by her message as well. She preached on "Stop Acting Like a Christian, BE One!". Good stuff. We were saying she really reminds us of Auntie Carol at times.

If anyone wants to borrow her book, you can let me know. I bought a copy. Haha. (ihavetoomanybooks)

Ok I'm done with Melbourne for now. If I've got anything else to post I'll add it later... meanwhile standby for pics...

Jeremy Camp's testimony...

I know this is stuff you normally see in movies and other hollywood fluff.

But to see that this is possible by the love of God is pretty amazing... Now I know why many girls are crazy about Jeremy Camp.

WATCH THIS:

Mixed bag...

I haven't been posting much... cos I think what's been on my heart and mind over the past few months isn't something you can easily blog about. They're not things about which I can easily let the words flow... unfortunately.

Add to that various feelings of anger and disappointment (in various people), you have one entirely mixed bag. (and i wish i had Mag's "sighing pau" icon right now). Learning to surrender and pick up and move on has been one humbling experience...

Lord, I need Your grace and mercy......

Congratulations......

Congratulations to the both of you! (i hate how round my face looks)

Thank You Pastor William...

Thank you Pastor, for believing in us... for encouraging us. You're much loved by all of us. We'll miss you.

The past few days in pictures. I don't take good pictures, but......

I know I know... Why did I take so many pictures of the kids right?

WHO HAS MY DESPERATION BAND "WHO YOU ARE" CD?

I've just turned my room inside out to find it, and it's no where to be found...

So please let me know if it's with one of you... Please......

Haha... Desperation is the word alright.

(EDIT: ok ok... FOUND the cd... or rather i remember now who i lent it to... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...)

SG 2 JKT

I'll be off to Jakarta to spend some time with the Lims (TFEEEN) over the weekend. Do pray that we have a blessed time together.

But while I'll definitely miss everyone back home, I'm actually also looking forward to getting away (if only for a few days), from the madness of it all.

Have fun everyone...

Prison Break >>>>> FREE MAN

There was a man named M.S. (NOT Michael Scofield), who broke out of prison. And now has every top miliary and law enforcement official in the country tearing their hair out trying to figure out how they can nab the guy.

But this M.S. has brought me some joy because all resources are deployed looking for the fella, and hence, MY RESERVIST IS CANCELED. Whoopeedoodaadee...

Not that I like you Mr M.S. You is still a bad bad man... with a bad bad leg...

Everything hinges on everything....

Everything changes...... everyone changes...... Shouldn't we expect it?

I should expect it. But why do I still feel the way I do?

It's like history is repeating itself... but it's gotten even worse...

(edit: ok maybe not... then again)

Someone's promise......

"Lord, I know I'm not exceptionally gifted any area per se. I don't have a brain of a genius; I'm not a natural dynamic leader; I'm not a great singer; I don't have a fantastic voice; I am not in any way extremly gifted in music.

What I do have, is a senstive heart, a heart which has been given the ability and freedom to feel. A heart that feels joy, pain, hurt, sorrow. A heart that all too easily expriences a full range of emotions that oftentimes causes me alot of needless and unnecessary pain and heartache.

And this heart, O Lord, is my gift to You. This heart, which You have given me, I give back to You. That which you gave me, I will use in freedom to LOVE. You have a given me a heart that can LOVE, and LOVE is all I can and will do.

This heart, I pledge to pour out, pour out entirely to loving You, and Your people. My ability to experience an entire spectrum of emotions I surrender to You, for the service of feeling along WITH, and FOR Your people whom You've placed me among. I will cry with them, laugh with them, feel their hurt, feel their joy. All this, for Your glory.

My heart, O Lord, I dedicate entirely to loving You, and loving You people, as You would love them.

The one thing I have that's of worth I give to You.

This is my offering to You.

This is my worship.

May You be pleased with it.

May it bring You glory.

This is all I ask.

This is all I desire."

(Your child, a prince by grace)

S.C.R.E.A.M.

I REALLY think I've reached the limit
I can't go on...

A True Love Story, according to Perry......

I've been thinking recently about how we're constantly fed with the rubbish that is the world's definition of love. We take the movies, the stories in the magazines and books that are thrown our way, and allow them watered down, counterfeit definitions to tug at our heart strings and satisfy us as if they were the real thing.

I believe with all my heart that there is another reality, a new reality that was, and IS meant to be the original reality. But the problem is that we settle. We settle on what THEY tell us what all this should be about. And we forget what HE says...

Anyhow, I'd like to share this article I found on www.perrynoble.com. Check it out...

"America is WAY too fascinated with Hollywood and the “love stories” that keep coming out of there…sort of like vomit coming out of someone with food poisoning. Basically…all the tabloids are reporting is who is screwing who this month…and for some reason we are obsessed with it.
And movies…those are horrible as well when it comes to “love stories.” Remember the movie Titanic? Yep, quite a love story…girl meets guy on a boat & has sex with him without even knowing him (can anyone say “ho” boys & girls) and then swears she will never let him go! And when he dies…uh…she lets him go!!! And everyone in the theatre cried because they thought that was love.

Our world is so screwed up when it comes to identifying love…what true love is and how it makes a difference. Too many have equated love with a feeling…and when the feeling is gone then the love must be as well–so they jump from one relationship to the next, forgetting the vows they took before God and friends on their wedding day…and doing damage to their lives.
BUT yesterday–WOW–I heard a love story that put a lump in my throat. I am about to cry right now just thinking about it…and I want to share it with you.

Jason Wilson (Executive Pastor) and his brother Ken (Graphics/motion engineer) both work here at NewSpring. In fact, both of them were in the original group that met in a living room a little over seven years ago.

I’ve always told them that their family was “dysfunctional.” You see…their grandparents are still living on both sides…and there has been no divorce in their family…and their family actually loves hanging out with each other–isn’t that weird?

Anyway, their grandparents on their father’s side are the only set of grandparents that I have met…and they are two of the coolest people in the world. He is in his early 90’s and she is in her mid 80’s…and they are STILL together…still in love…and have established a legacy that is the same. I remember meeting them several years ago and being impressed with how full of life they were!

On Monday Jason had to leave the office rather quickly–he told us that his grandmother had fell as a result of a massive stroke and was in the hospital…and that they were not expecting her to make it through the night.

Yesterday morning he came in and we asked him what happened. He told us that she had fallen as a result of the stroke. The grandfather cannot hear very well–so he can’t make a phone call. And he could not pick her up because, well, he’s 92 I believe. So when Jason’s aunt could not reach the grandmother by phone she became concerned and went over to the house and found her mother lying in the floor…and her husband standing there right beside her. He refused to leave the side of his bride–for better or worse, in sickness and in health…’till death do us part!

They took her to the hospital and admitted her into ICU. After the entire family had gotten there they brought Jason’s grandfather into the room. He had to be brought in by wheel chair…and when they rolled him up by her bedside he got up out of the chair, leaned over his bride, kissed her and said, “I love you!”

THAT is a love story! Hearing that made me want to leave my desk & go home & hold my wife. I remember saying to Jason when he told me his story, “I want that so bad for my marriage–I want the only thing that can separate us to be death…and even when it tries it will know it has been in a fight!”

Love is not jumping from bedroom to bedroom…love is a commitment that sticks through whatever situation life throws at you. Ken & Jason were able to witness first hand the power of true love–Jason said when his grandfather kissed his grandmother that there was not a dry eye in the room…why…because true love is motivating!!!

Singles–my challenge to you is HOLD OUT for what is REAL! If he’s trying to get in your pants…or your relationship is based on something other than true love–then you may have what Hollywood has…vomit…and the pain that it will bring will leave a scar.

And if you are married–I challenge you right now to stop what you are doing–right now, pick up the phone & call your spouse & tell them that you love them…and that you always will!!!

I am not sure how Jason & Ken’s grandmother is doing right now…but please keep them in your prayers…and when you are doing so–thank God for allowing us to see a demonstration of the kind of love He has for us…a love that will not leave us…no matter what!"

Selah......

"The significance of our lives doesn't come from the specific thing(s) we're doing, but from the greater thing we're part of......" (Glenn Packiam - New Life Church)

Pause for a moment, and think about it. What are we part of? What are YOU part of?

We've part of something that's much much bigger than ourselves, bigger than this life we live. And this something, is a huge move of God across our land, across the nations. The creator of the universe is preparing for the return of the Bridegroom. He's on the move, and calling out to us to move along with Him.

Now what would YOU do? What are YOU part of?

Selah......

Melaka... Malacca... Ma Liu Jia...

As most would know by now, I spend my CNYs in Malacca, where my maternal grandparents live. I've been coming up to Malacca for CNY ever since I was born. I don't even know what Singapore smells like on the 1st day of CNY, and I wonder when I'll ever find out... Some tell me that as far as smells go, it ain't that great. Hmmmm......

Anyhow, this year the hotel which we always stay in decided to provide FREE Wi-Fi in the lobby. So guess where I've been spending most of my time when the relatives are sleeping... Heh.. Thank You Lord...

I've also managed to get some time to catch up on my reading, which is fantastic. The past few trips to SKS have left me with a huge backlog of books to finish. Haha. =) Here's some of the books that I hope to get through within the next few months:

1. A Hunger For God - John Piper
2. By Faith and Failure - David Harley (a gift from Andrew & Diana)
3. In Pursuit Of His Glory - RT Kendall
4. The Living Church: Confessions of a lifelong pastor - John Stott
5. Sex God - Rob Bell (sounds "dangerous"... But I thoroughly enjoyed his previous book, Velvet Elvis)
6. someemobook that Maggie gave me for my birthday (I temporarily forgot the title of it, but it looks potentially suicide causing... haha)

Haha... looks like I've got alot of reading to do. But I'm loving every minute of it. Especially together with checking out the different albums I've procured over the last month. =)

I'm now listening to a whole mix of Ross Parsely and The Desperation Band (4 albums worth! haha), Lifehouse (Collin Kam is the latest fan... yeahhhh), Matt Redman (Facedown, not a new album, but a good one), and Damien Rice Live (i should try listening to it while reading Mag's book... in a child safe environment).

And of course, being here away from work and all, I have the chance to just spend time with God, reflecting on the past month. And also reflecting on some of the stuff that people have said to me over the past month...

No one has a monopoly on the truth, most definitely not me. So it's up to me to cry out to the Holy Spirit to reveal to me the truth of God present in all the things that I've experienced and heard from different people this past January. And it's up to Him to reveal.

Ok glenn's off to e.o.c. with a book. (what's e.o.c.? ask John... that's what John are for... ) Have a great CNY y'all... Shine for Him!

P.S. Oh yeah... Marcus, fellow pine grove mate, I dunno if you ever read my blog, but I'm praying for you yeah? Hopefully I'll be able to say hi to you online soon. God will provide... He is faithful. He is... =)

When everything hinges on...

It's one of those days when it feels like everything's on your shoulders
When everything hinges on YOU
But still THE ONE says that His yoke is easy
That His burden is light

And then He says,"My grace is sufficient for you..."
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And there's an intense struggle right now to surrender these feelings of being taken for granted... because I don't need them.

But, who would I be to the people around me if I wasn't who I am... if I didn't do the things I do?

Maybe tomorrow...

I still remember back in 2002, when a friend from NUS first introduced this band to me. I loved this song so much that I had it on repeat on my discman (remember them frisbee looking things?)

The harmonies, the simple acoustic sound which I so love, all these are simply wonderful on the song. But to me what truly got me about this song are the lyrics. I loved the lyrics then, and I still love them now. Theologically probably a bit salah I know... Haha. But I guess they just resonate with that little Mr Emo in me (who's starting to think that his amazing 5 year plan isn't so amazing after all, cos he'll probably fail it).

Sadly, I have no idea what happened to this band. If anyone knows anything about them please let me know. They just kinda disappeared after this album. And if anyone wants the mp3 of this song please let me know, good things must share......


The heavens paint a silent symphony
As Orion shines for me
Are you there feeling the same as I
Whispering love songs to the lonely sky
And though I don't know where you are
I know you must be there
So for now I'll lay me down to sleep and dream and maybe tomorrow

I'll kiss the air that covers you -
I'll watch the moonlight dance in your eyes
I'll hold you safely in my arms -
Maybe tomorrow you'll be mine

I said a prayer for you today
May troubles be far away
And I'll be here on bended knee
Until the day you say you'll marry me
And though I don't know who you are
I know you're beautiful
So for now I'll lay me down to sleep and dream and maybe tomorrow

I'll kiss the air that covers you -
I'll watch the moonlight dance in your eyes
I'll hold you safely in my arms -
Maybe tomorrow you'll be mine

I'll be waiting patiently -
promise you will wait for me
No one else to hold on to - until I'm holding you

I'll kiss the air that covers you -
I'll watch the moonlight dance in your eyes
I'll hold you safely in my arms -
Maybe tomorrow

I'll love you more than life itself -
I'll watch the moonlight dance in your eyes
I'll hold you safely in my arms -
Maybe tomorrow

(Maybe Tomorrow by Nouveaux)

Like it says in the song, "and though I don't know who you are, I know you're beautiful". Haha... Sometimes I wonder about YOU... What if......

Ok Mr Sentimental is outta here......

that's what friends are for.....

Amidst the busy-ness, emo-ness, the broken clock and broken lights on the freeway which have been the "highlights" of January 2008, I still actually managed to take some time off to make someone laugh...

Check this out... taken from my fwen (to those who don't know, i HAVE to type it like that) Michelle's blog... it kinda shows how people of a certain kind naturally gravitate towards Michelle and be her friend (ok ok ok... her fwen)

"The things my fwens say sometimes really crack me up....:)

In Jason's car:
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Mich: Abi, where should we park? (we're not exactly familiar with the boat quay area)
Abi: *very slowly* Ermmm.....CARR-PARKK??
Mich: What the??

In the BMI office:
===============
Abi: I'm going to cut my hair after work.
Mich: Oh where?
Abi: Errr...TOWN??
Mich: What's with the vague answers?? (I was expecting the name of the Hair Salon)

Over msn:
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Desmond: I highlighted my hair!
Mich: Oh cool! Where? (once again, expecting the name of the Hair Salon)
Desmond: Head.
Mich: ?!?!?! [obviously lah!!!! er duh!]

Over dinner discussing places to visit in Sydney:
=====================================
Mich: So do you think I should go visit the Sydney Fish Mkt?
Glenn: Err...smells of fish.
Mich: Err yeahh....it IS a fish mkt u know.

Glenn: You should visit the Botanic Gdns.
Mich: Oh yeah?
Glenn: Yeah, its quite nice. Lots of trees.
Mich: ....."


Cheers everyone. To end off, here's some wise words from some very wise people...

"If I could just see You
Everything would be alright
If I could see You
This darkness would turn to light..."
(Storm by Lifehouse)

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I'm actually here...

Hello world of people who actually read this blog (can you imagine how sad it'd be if no one actually reads my blog, and hence my greeting is to no one?!). Well it's not like I do not want to blog. I actually do. But I think I've been so busy with the the gazillion things that have been taking up my time just at the start of this year that I really haven't had time to think of what to blog about.

Not that you really need to plan what to blog per se, but since December '07, what with the mission trip and youth camp and all, I've been really trying to get a handle on everything that's happened around me and within me that it'll probably take a while to be able to properly express it into words.

Meanwhile, yaaay a new year has come. And whilst waiting for the words to come out of my mouth, here's a look back at the end of 2007 for me in pictures.

First up, the mission team to Ban Chang (minus Jea & Jesse who joined us later, i'll post pics with them later). This was really one of the best things to happen to me this year. It was such a fantastic trip... God moved in so many amazing ways during the trip.




everyonelovesAom...she'sthecutest!




OK here's a pic taken after Covenant Service in church (for non-Anglicans, it's a new year's eve service starts at 11 and ends just after midnight, so you countdown with God). Haha. What a wonderful experience to be able to spend the first few moments of your birthday (and the year) among the saints? Thanks also to Jea & all for the cake!


OK lah I'll post more when I have more brain juice running... Ciao all...

Hello

I have updated my blog... =)

I was blessed today...

Our God is truly an awesome God. Today when one of my cell members shared with me how God was good to him in his life, I was totally blown away. It really showed me how you're never really alone and how the Uncreated One is truly in control.

The devil and his minions will try all sorts of ways to get me to focus on myself and my "plight". But His Word NEVER fails. My God is faithful, and He will always provide the way of escape. He will never allow to carry something more than I can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). All I need to do is come to Him in humility, and learn to surrender. I choose to TRUE ROAD to somewhere.

My God used a fellow brother who had walked down a similar path just days earlier to speak His truth into my life. He used this brother to show me I'm never really alone on this pilgrim way.

J, I praise God for how you've grown into maturity in Christ over the past few years. Thank you for demonstrating 1 Corinthians 2:4 in how you've ministered to me.

Hallelujah...

I choose the TRUE ROAD...

Some people aren't quite fans of the Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible, THE MESSAGE, but I am. Or rather... I have come to be.

This practically captures it all for me... I couldn't have described it better myself...

"I'm feeling terrible—I couldn't feel worse!
Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember?
When I told my story, you responded;
train me well in your deep wisdom.
Help me understand these things inside and out
so I can ponder your miracle-wonders.
My sad life's dilapidated, a falling-down barn;
build me up again by your Word.
Barricade the road that goes Nowhere;
grace me with your clear revelation.
I choose the true road to Somewhere,
I post your road signs at every curve and corner.
I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me;
God, don't let me down!
I'll run the course you lay out for me
if you'll just show me how."

Psalm 119:25-32 (The Message)

Them creative types...

You know how they say them creative types are usually temperamental, emotional with weird-ass mood swings?

What about those like me who are sooooo not creative, but still temperamental, emotional with weird-ass mood swings? I have no words to describe myself...

It's disgusting... I'm not satisfied because I know I should be filled with joy. His joy is my strength, and any thing else is just a temporary high.

I've been quite (read: VERY) moody of late. Of course being a guy you kinda just put on a brave front and act like everything's all cool. But this week's been a sort of an emotional roller coaster...
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I'm waiting here...

Sitting in the silence...

Have you ever been in one of those moods where you just wish for a friend who'd be willing to just sit with you in the silence? You're not in the mood for talking, but you would like a friend to just come sit with you... letting you know that he's there.

It's one of them days
Where I ain't much for words
But would appreciate the company
Now would you come sit with me?

on our knees...

I don't think the call to prayer and repentance has ever been stronger than it is now... just one touch... just one touch Lord.

e.m.o.

I'm how tempted to type like 1 x long e dot m dot o dot (e.m.o.) entry now... but then I think it's a bad idea.

Hahaha...

Law v.s. Grace?

Just this week a friend asked me,"Are you as hard on other people as you are on yourself?"
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Well, generally unless I know it's something I'm called to do, then... NO. But if there are people I have offended in the past because of this, I am sorry. Do let me know, and I WILL apologise to you personally, IN PERSON.

I do not think I am too hard on myself. If I am, I think it's because I lack discipline.

Communication breakdowns...

I hate them... I hate being misunderstood, I hate misunderstanding people. But it happens alot to me.

This can't go on...

Church

Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of updates.

Anyway, church was great today. It was one of those Sundays where I wasn't leading worship for main service or for youth. I actually had time to NOT have my lunch in Holland Village! Hahaha...

Ok back to church. For service today, the worship team decided to do a special "Jewish" set, meaning they did all the praise & worship songs with Jewish influences, songs from the Messaianic movement and stuff. Songs like "Kadosh", "Jehovah Jireh"... etc.

It was an awesome time of worship. Technically it was really good. But that's not even the point right now. I appreciate these "Jewish songs" because they're simply ALL ABOUT GOD. They simply declare the awesomeness, the holiness, the majesty of our Holy God. And they are a welcome change from alot of the songs we sing nowadays, about what WE would do for God, about how much we love God. Don't get me wrong there is a place for alot of these songs, and I love them, but we have to realise we're nothing but mere feeble humans. We can SAY we love God, and that we wanna do this and do that for Him, but we WILL fail. And that is why we need Jesus, no?

"Jewish songs" simply capture the nature and character of God, His unchanging nature. It's always good to just totally focus on that from time to time. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore....

But I would like to give props to the band who really pulled off a set that I am pretty sure wasn't a stroll by the beach technically. Praise God! He took their hardwork and multiplied it for His glory! Oh yah, special mention to Junxu, who played acoustic for the first time at main service today. What a set for your debut man! Haha... But it was definitely a great first time. Good job!

The singers sounded really awesome too. Good to see Henry back on vocals too.=)
And of course...Shawn, THE VOICE, he was brilliant (as usual) as worship leader (and sometimes dancer too! haha... "hallelujah hallelujah"). May the Potter continue to shape you into something of beauty that reflects His majesty, as you yield yourself to Him.

I can't forget the dancers as well. They just keep getting better! Good to see Danch on the team as well! I was really ministered by the dancers today. Awesome... (i don't have much of a vocabulary)

Thank you Lord for blessing us with the people in our worship ministry. Every single one of them, not just those who were serving today is special in your eyes, and is made in your image. Lead us to the cross, and may we fall in love with you all over again, Jesus.

Thank you Lord also for 2 very powerful and annointed messages today. The first was delivered at main service by Ps William, on the "Goliaths in our lives" (ok tt's my own title.. but that is what it was about). The 2nd was by Ivan at youth, on finding our rest in Him. This was seriously THE BEST message Ivan has given ever. It could only be you God, taking Ivan's efforts and using it for Your glory.

May Your Word never return to you void.

You know you're old when...

Ok... so this morning I went to Starbucks to get a coffee. When I got there, I ordered my usual and proceeded with the payment.

As the counter girl was getting me my change, she asked, "So...... Not working today?" =(

That's terrible... They've always always asked me, "Not in school today?"

i'monlytwentyfive...really...onlytwentyfive

I surrendered...

bloggercannotorientatemypicturesproperlysoiamnotveryhappy. (icutmyhairbytheway)

I Love You Lord...

I give my life...
To honour YOU
YOU are the Christ
My Saviour King
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How can I give anything less
When you gave heaven's best?

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard......

I totally applaud this pastor for his uncompromising stand. These posts might offend, and they're definitely hard to swallow. But these are issues that we (esp the youth of today), need to address. To say that these things are not a struggle to me would be plain lie.

I really wished the church really talked more about such stuff. Our God isn't a floaty, happy clappy "inthecloudswithprettystuff" type god... He's GOD. GOD OVER ALL. He may be loving, but He's also strict, uncompromising... because He's unchanging.

To give our God anything less would be to cheapen the work of the cross.

Really... EVERYONE needs to read this... THESE rather...

1. http://www.perrynoble.com/2006/11/02/masturbation/

2. http://www.perrynoble.com/2005/08/17/thought-on-pornography/

3. http://www.perrynoble.com/2007/09/11/nice-christian-boys-and-girls-make-me-sick/

War cry...

The battle for this broken world can only be fought on our knees......
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Now who's going to answer the call?

Fine Tension...

Glenn... sucks... at the art of holding things in Fine Tension.
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And thus... he is not a very happy boy.

Leadership Experiences & Struggles #1

1. Sometimes you wonder if it is all worth it.
2. You can't please everyone.
3. You will ALWAYS mess up... ALOT.
4. Never expect people to appreciate you.

Photosss... from the last couple of weeks

Introducing...... TAN WEIYING! (She eats boys for breakfast...)

Weiying: I'm hungryyyy!!! Roarrrrrr..........

Weiying: 1 down... many many many more to go...

Denise: How does she do it?!

The NEW URBAN MALES of Connect. (and some very tall girls... either that or those males are just... errrm... nvm) I love how every single person's expression does not seem related to each other. Haha...

And now for the good stuff. Presenting... The SJC Mission Team to Ban Chang, Thailand!

Ok we're still missing Joel Chan from all these pictures. Do pray for us as we prepare for the trip! =) Lives will be changed... and He's gonna start with us.



idunnowhatweweredoing...

In pain...

Having a pretty rough week. A rollercoaster week of sorts. Trying to hear His voice in the midst of my work... wondering why on earth I do what I do, be it in church or in the office. I figure He's calling me to Him... the question is: How will I respond?.............. (Matthew 11:28)

I love you Lord
And I offer my life to You
I know you're leading me to the point of death
To the death of all that is in me that does not honour You

I ask Lord
For a heart of obedience
Even to the point of death

Do you believe it?

A vision...

Of a young people in love
Young people so in love
So in love with their Saviour
That they're willing to count the cost
And follow Him to the end

For He counted the cost
He paid the price
He crossed the great divide
All for love to take our place
All for love He finished the race
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This is a vision...

Of a people willing
Willing to pay the price
Willing to carry the name of Jesus Christ
The name above all names
The name of the Saviour who gave His life
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A people...

Who are in the world but not of it
Who are willing to have their hearts broken
Broken for the things that break His
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These people...

Are not afraid
Not afraid to take the stand
Not afraid to bow to His plan
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A people...

With a hunger
A passion
An unquenchable desire
To see the name of Jesus Christ
Lifted high above every land
On earth as it is in heaven

Empowered by the Giver of Life
They will give themselves no rest
Holding on and never letting go
Till the day
When every nation, tribe and tongue
Exalts the name of the King of Kings
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Can you see it?
Do you believe it?
Can you see it?
Do you believe it?

A generation carrying the Light
Shining bright against the darkness
A generation of warriors
An army of light, rising forth
From the valley of bones

Beaming like a city on a hill
There is none but ONE whom they fear
Breaking free
There is no turning back
The battle cry is on their lips

His hands, His feet they will be
In the midst of a world that's lost
They will be speakers of truth
Believing that the time is near
And the hour is almost here

Can you see it?
Do you believe it?

Sydney...

Few places in the world make me smile like Sydney can. I can't even explain why. I just like the place.

And right now... I wish I could just run away and stay there.
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.Of course I know I can't...

Drink? No Drink?

http://www.dankimball.com/vintage_faith/2007/07/would-jesus-be-.html

Good, well-written article. So what do YOU think? Feel free to leave comments.... But don't unreasonably slam anyone.

This just blew me away...

From a Franciscan Benediction…

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Wow......

Snaps

So many things (I want) to do, so little time. I know I'm supposed to post on Japan. I promise I'll do that in detail soon (soon enough). In the meantime, picture update.

Me on the subway in Japan. My dad's pretty trigger happy with his phone camera, much more than me! So anyway, when we first got to the hotel our rooms weren't ready yet so we decided to go explore first. So that means those were the clothes I wore on the plane! Haha!

Taken at the Mt Fuji Visitor's Centre. This picture apparently depicts an ancient myth about history of the mountain. Haha.... quite the funny.

Ok enough about Japan for this post. Couple more before I go...



The Lims have gone to Jakarta. And while it's really sad to see them leave, I also couldn't be happier for them because they're right smack where God wants them to be. Our prayers are with you. You'll be missed, all 7 of you.

Little Things

"Come to Me... and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

My first post back and it isn't happy stuff. Haven't been the happiest camper at work. It's just been terribly difficult to motivate myself to actually do my work, and be happy whilst at it. I keep thinking of church, Connect, JYM, the worship min, people I wish I had time to meet with, etc. And then I wish I had 48 hours a day (and of course the rest of the world has to have 48 too).

Sometimes one struggles. While I am certain of where He's leading me in my life, I just can't keep focusing THERE and not be at rest in Him NOW, where He's placed me for the moment. God is not just THERE, but He's also HERE, walking the journey with me. I need a fresh revelation of Him in these areas of my life which I find myself far from Him, unable to see Him or hear Him. Do pray for me.

But God is faithful, in the midst of tough times He does these things just to show me He's listening, that He's there:

• I'm in the prayer room and I'm praying hard for this person who's in this situation. Almost immediately after I finish praying, I get an sms about this person, and it's positive! =)
• I had the privilege to be used to minister to someone today, and God literally gave me all the words (through His Word) to say to this brother! The words were like a perfect match to his situation! And those verses were all the verses He led me to read and meditate upon last week! Coolness beyond words.
  

"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

Think BIG, Start SMALL, Build DEEP! Let's be faithful in the little things my friends! Let our lives be windows to HEAVEN!

Back... almost

Hello all,

Been missing for a while cos the past 2-3 weeks have been pretty darn crazy, what with my Tokyo trip, 24/7, IDMC, the Lim's leaving, etc... Add to that me trying to get back into the swing of things at work, you have one insane time.

So anyway, to those who actually read my blog (whoever you people are, if you are actually out there...), I'll be back soon... I think.

Looking back, I also realised that this last 2-3 weeks has really been a time of cleaning out the closet. Things are changing, things are falling in place. So praise God... I'm a gonna let Him clean out the closet in my life some more.

Ok... till I actually have time to blog properly... toodles.

1st September 2007

While I still maintain that I thoroughly enjoyed myself this past week here in Tokyo, today was probably the least enjoyable of all the days. I went through the day with the nagging unsettled feeling in me once again. And I realised it was because today was the Family A'fair carnival that we've been looking forward to for quite a while now.

Throughout the day I actually felt this longing to be back in Singapore with the Connectors getting all hot and sweaty making and serving drinks. It got so bad I really couldn't enjoy myelf at certain points. All I could do was pray continually for the Connectors and the church as they came together to serve one another.

Thank you Lord, for blessing the church with good weather today, and for making the carnival a success. Thank you Lord, also, for the really WONDERFUL bunch of people we have in the Connect Ministry. Thank you for the unity in the ministry and also for their relentless commitment to see this project to completion, and not just to completion, but to SUCCESS!

All BLESSING, HONOUR, GLORY & POWER be unto YOU LORD! (Also, Thank You Lord that the Connect Ministry doesn't hate me for "abandoning" them as we neared the carnival...... I hope they don't...)

To the Connect Ministry: THANK YOU. It's truly a testament to His goodness they way you guys & girls pulled this off. Awesome... AWESOME.

To Collin, Jeanette, Debbie, Weiying: I passed the baton on to the 4 of you, and I know you people did the FAB job pulling everything together. It's only the night of the carnival and i'm already hearing praises! Dinner on me when I get back (someone remind me about this).

I can't wait for Friday.

iHeart Connect.

at least it's not a brAwl...

I'll be leaving Tokyo tomorrow morning. It's been a great week so far. In brief:

1. I didn't get no BEEF with anyone. Not with my parents, not with any locals (of course not!).
2. Overall, I must say I had a BALL of a time here in Tokyo. More on this when I get home and transfer all my pics onto my computer.
3. It's in Tokyo (Harajuku to be precise), where I had the best BOWL of ramen everrrrr....... I don't know if I can go back to eating the normal stuff back home. Haha.
4. The english here is really quite bad. Haha... as you can see.

So is it BOWL, BALL, or BRAWL?! Hur Hur Hur...
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My parents and I during the Mt Fuji & Hakone tour.

Tokyo Blog #1

Herro everyone.

Ok so here I am in my little sardine can of a hotel room in Asakusa, Tokyo. It's the end of Day 2 of my holiday here. It's been good fun so far, getting lost in the complicated (mainly due to the language barrier) subway system, hunting down obscure eating places, EATING, shopping (Uniqlo rocks my socks). I intended to do a photo update every night (make that every 2 nights), but Glenn the clever boy forgot to bring the USB cable for the camera.

Just a snippet of stuff from the 2 days, I'll do a proper post (or posts) when I have pics lah:

1. the food rocks. the raw fish melts in your mouth, and the ramen is like how shiok, and beer is cheap!
2. Mcdonald's has a McPork here... hahaha... I want!
3. Japanese people are actually really nice. I can't understand a word they say, but the service beats Singapore's anytime.
4. Tokyo is messier and dirtier and less futuristic than I imagined it to be. =(
5. It's SUPERRRRRRR HOT, but minus Singapore's humidity.
6. Uniqlo UT is heaven in the form of a THREE storey t-shirt shop, and every tee is $20SGD!

btw, I haven't bumped into Hello Kitty on the street yet. I wonder why... hmmmm

And I MUST remember to blog about the FLIGHT, which kinda sucked. Haha.

Things one should never do when leading worship

1. Never attempt Chris Tomlin's Forever with no band (2 acoustics) AND without practicing beforehand with your co-leader/guitarist.

2. Never start preparing for worship at 5.15PM the day you are leading.

3. Never have completely no time of practice with your co-leader (no matter how good he is).

I'm sure there are more... but for starters I did all 3 tonight. =( There was some hiccup with our roster and the person who was supposed to lead wasn't aware of it. So I took over. Technically it bombed. =(

But God is faithful, and I saw people worshipping, which is great. Cos then I know it's CONFIRM NOT me, but Him at work. Hallelujah

History Maker (by Delirious?)

Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run
Into your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for you

Free Will (taken from "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis)

Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.

The only thing worse than a guy in women's clothing...

... is a guy in a little girl's clothing. Here's everyone's favourite guitarist wearing Emily's hoodie. (and you thought his brother wearing the same stripes as a girl who looked like him was weird enough...)

This is war...

Enemy-occupied territory - that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.

(taken from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis)

Pain...

It does hurt... whatever this is. And sometimes you just want to run away. Walk with me friends... pray with me. Let's dance upon this barren land together.

We'll sow in tears... but we'll reap in joy.

I see the clouds...

Something's happening, to me, within me... but I don't know what it is...... yet. All I know, is that there is an uneasiness within me, a certain restlessness, like a storm brewing.

It's time for things to change. No matter how much this hurts, whatever it takes, it will happen. The rain will come.

"I see the clouds and yes I'm ready, to dance upon this barren land. Hope in my hand...... Rain down. My heart is dry but still i'm singing" (Rain Down by Delirious?)

Random photo post (again)

I have no time to blog... so I post photos. Enjoy (if possible)...

Beer talks to me I tell you... it cries out to me every day! "Drink! Drink!"

Taken at Edward & Derrick's place just before Edward left. idunnowhattothink. Derrick's actually smiling.

(Note: Red throw cushions make for BAD backdrops. Can you say "Samsui Woman"?)

We made a new friend. I call him Woody.

As if they didn't ALREADY look alike. (dunkillmedunkillmedunkillme)

Oh the madness...

It's been a busy week... and might possibly get busier still in the weeks to come. Dealing with Mexicans ain't fun at all. I can't speak Spanish, they suck at English. Boo...

I've been so busy I haven't had time to:

1. Read my bible study materials
2. Change my guitar strings
3. PLAY my guitar
4. Finish my pile of books
5. BLOG (haha)

Lord, please give me the discipline to sepnd my time wisely, and to REST when I should (I really should learn how to SLEEP).

Sometimes... (an emotional rant of an aging twentysomething)

Sometimes... just sometimes, it gets lonely. I'm not gonna pretend life is perfect, all fine and dandy and stuff. Life isn't perfect. It has never been, because we're on our way to so much more. But for the here and now, it can get tough.

I've never really expressed this side of me, with regards to life in church. It's not like I don't have friends. It's not like everyone hates me (please Lord, I really hope they don't!). But there are sometimes when you just feel all alone in a crowd.

I don't think it'd be totally wrong to say that, where I am, I don't have many peers. Most of my friends are either OLDER than me (sometimes quite significantly... right Andrew? Hence, the propect of having to possibly wait 11 years to get married is something I sometimes I shudder at), or YOUNGER than me (by no small amount sometimes). The rest have either left church or are caught up in the world. Others maybe have a group of Godly brothers & sisters to fall back on out of church. I don't.

While having friends of all ages (literally, imagine from Nathan to ANDREW!... haha) is something that I've truly appreciated and cherished about church life and the Body of Christ (I never thought I'd have such a wide spectrum of friends back in my secondary school/JC days), sometimes you need your peers too: people your age, at a similar stage of life to be able to relate to the same journeys/struggles you go through. Much as I love my friends, who are mostly younger, and much as I love sharing stuff with them as well, I can't expect them to really understand where I'm coming from at times.

Many have left church over the years, and people around my age... there aren't many left. If there are, they're probably girls. I do try get to know everyone around as best as I can, never satisfied with the satus quo, always willing to go deeper. Many times things don't work the way I'd like, and I get disappointed. But I need to find my comfort in Him, trusting that in Him I will find that which I seek, in His time. Many times I tend to rush things, rush friendships, rush relationships, not willing to make home where He has placed me for the moment (this is quite important for those of us following God in our lives, look at the lives of Abraham & Moses... ). I need to trust in His grace.

Where are the friends? Who are my friends? Sometimes it's not so easy to tell. Sometimes you don't really know. But I shall learn... I will learn... to trust in His grace... to be able to declare that "my portion is Him, and I'm more than blessed..."

To those of you who have been there for me, and who will continue to be there for me, in Him, I thank you...