[WEStWO] - TOGETHER AS ONE , THE WALL WILL FALL.

What do we want to see ourselves achieve in the cell group?

2007-01-11T14:52:00.001+08:00

Jeremy: Doesn't want to be just a leader to us but also our friend.

Victoria: Wants to be more ethusiatic for God by participating actively in oikos and so on.

Liang yi, Bethesda, Ning jie, John: Want to meet up with brothers and sisters in the cell group over lunch/dinner/supper to get to know each other more.

Xueming: Wants to encourage others by making cards or sending messages.

Pei ru: Doesn't want to care about what others think about her but be herself.

different things that we have set for ourselves to achieve, some may seem easy while others not so but in the end we know they are all set for a common goal and that is to see our cell group bond together that we can draw near to God and walk closely with Him everyday of our lives as one. i think victoria added that sometimes what we face may be tough for us but what's most important is that we stay as one piece.

2006-11-13T10:06:00.000+08:00

i spent the whole of last friday afternoon playing with my nephew and niece. haha. they didn't want to let me go up and sleep by blocking off the pathway. i slacked the whole friday in a way. wasn't planning to do anything at all. didn't know why. i had watched cartoons in the morning. quite funny. daryl tricked me to piggy-back him. wasn't expecting him to do that and i was really shocked. as in he stood on a chair and told me to turn and face the other side so that he could check my ears, then he hopped onto me. haha. i don't usually play with children and this is like the first or second time? yup...

then after that i saw shujun at the bus stop. there was a traffic jam and we were stucked on the stretch of road before chinatown for 10 to 15 mins before we decided to ask the bus driver whether he could just drop us since the bus was already at the traffic light. didn't know why there was a traffic jam in the first place. the vehicles packed the whole place. from where we were to where we could see, there were only vehicles on the road. the traffic wasn't moving and more were coming.

-xue

while i was jogging, i looked around me and i...

2006-09-28T18:29:00.000+08:00

road --> path on which vehicles travel --> path which God wants us to walk on, often leading us to the place where He wants us to be

direction signboards --> they tell us where to go --> God directs our every step and He will never leave us to walk by ourselves because He knows that we may lose our sense of direction sometimes

road names --> they tell us where we are --> God shows us where we are so that we can keep track of how far we have gone, be it closer to Him or further from Him

curbs --> they prevent the vehicles from driving onto the footpath --> God keeps us on the path which He wants us to be on as it is dangerous for us to walk elsewhere

road lamps --> they light up the road at night --> in the darkest moments of our lives, God is our light which shines and brightens up our day, giving us sight

drains --> they prevent the road from getting flooded --> in the storms of our lives when we feel that we are going to get drowned, God drains away the water and refreshes us with the little amount of water left on the path

God reminds us of His presence wherever we go. He is a faithful God to all.

-xue

2006-08-10T00:48:00.000+08:00

These are the photos that we took fer the one last time as the old west 2. yeah! haha... let's be sad for awhile only then we all move on together to see greater growth in each one of our lives an our cell groups ok? still keep each other in prayer and can write cards etc etc...for now...let's enjoy our walk thru the passage olden times :)

taken before we leave xm house

jeremy's the photogragher. note that's xm's uncle at the side. back to the 70s
west 2 west 2 once again...

unglam west 2
sad lindy without the care bears.

xm's house kitchen
hahahahah
cool rite?
that's xm's neice--jolin, or is it cheryl

is it a well? the floors of xm kitchen
his kitchen...
a view outside from xm kitchenhahah mr lin with his big big fridge
aiyo... who's that auntie washing the dishes?
about to enjoy our fishball noodles by old mr lim
at xm's room

that's all folks (:
--bethesda--

2006-08-07T00:01:00.000+08:00

i guess when it's time to move on there's no way we can look back now. i really enjoyed the times we had together as a cell group. we started out moving from places to places trying to find a place where we could use when it seemed like there was none. just when we thought that we had found the place that we were looking for, changes have to come.

i feel like we are a family together even though there were only the few of us sometimes. it's not the quantity but it's the quality. the openness that we have during cell group is something which we cannot find outside anywhere. you guys know more about me than anyone else. i feel really comfortable with the cell group and i can't find any words to describe it. i admit that i find it very hard to accept these changes but God's ways are still higher than ours.

to longjun: thanks for bringing me to walk that 2.4m route and then the thrilling 1h coronation road west walk. i will surely miss you. indeed, you are someone complicated on the outside but plain on the inside.

to lindy: thanks for showing your concern the other time. i have learned a lot from you. really.

to meixian: in the midst of all that you are facing, you still gave to God and this is something which not many people are able to do. i am really encouraged by the sincerity that you have in approaching God.

to edwina: continue to grow in the Lord in the new cell group. to seek Him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength.

It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when i am with you. Galatians 4:18

i came across this verse during one of my devotions this week. as long as it is God's purpose for us in our lives, it is good. let's continue to serve Him with zeal always wherever we are and let this not be determined by the people around us.

-xue

2006-08-05T22:32:00.000+08:00

hello. west five will be my 6th cell in 2 years. i just wanted you to know that i never had any qualms leaving and losing contact with all my ex cell members, until i came to westwo. this is the first cell group i felt some form of attachment to, i thought i should at least say thank you before i go.

meixian

2006-08-05T21:20:00.000+08:00

hey there my dearests,

youve all been the best cell members i could ever imagine or hope for, and i thank God for the time He has let me enjoy with you.

sometimes you just wish with all your might, that maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to cling on to that which you cannot lose. but it is His will and you know you cannot fight it. rather unwillingly, you let go of the reins youve been fighting in vain to manipulate, the same ones that youve been hoping against hope that he'll let you control, and place them into His hands. you can only trust that He'll bring you somewhere even better than you expected. and you know that He will, but you stubbornly cling onto the illusion that maybe you can manage on your own. but illusions will be illusions: meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

ive given so much to you, yes you in particular, that this is hurting like anything. i bet you never knew i loved you so much. but i do. and im paying for it. not that i mind, though. try superglueing your hand to your face then ripping it away.

the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.

and as the saying goes, when God closes a door, He opens another.

this is an opportunity for growth, and as i grow, away from you guys, all i can say is that i genuinely hope that you guys will grow exponentially as well. i wish you all the best in west2, and may you guys always soak in the presense of the Lord.

goodbye west2. this will be my last post here. thanks, guys, for everything we did together: happy times, sad times, crazy times, angry times, irritating times, plain stupid times, stubborn times, going home together times. no, really. i appreciate them.

i told you so, didnt i? i said it would be the last time going home together.

dont think i wont miss you! and i mean each and every one of you. continue to have fun, ya?

and dont worry bout me. im like a chameleon, i adapt well. =D

from the bottom of my heat i love you guys forever and ever,
Lindy

p.s. m&ms are colourful and make you high. eat more of em. theyre good anti-depressants.

2006-07-27T01:56:00.000+08:00

woo~ first time bethesda is posting something in the cell blog man *applause* alrites.. enjoy the photos! (: look at edwina and meixian!! another round of applause for them!!

first proper shot

look at lindy!

*who's missing?

haha just in time for another proper shot

hmm... wad are they looking at?

oops! who's missing again?

our sumptuous dinner at edwina's house:

close up shot of the dishes!! yum yum!

us enjoying our dinner (: thanks edwina

last but not least presenting the host of the day: edwina!!!

Oasis Youth Rally - Aftermath

2006-07-17T00:29:00.000+08:00

Total = 32 people responded to the altar call.

22 people were saved and 6 people rededicated their lives to God.

Considering that only about 194 people turned up, this is the largest percentage of people responding in any youth rally so far.

Hallelujah; praise the Lord!

P.S please wear black, to mourn for Xiao Qiang, the pocket cockroach.

2006-06-23T10:39:00.000+08:00

during one of the sermons the pastor mentioned something about taking down notes. he said that it is not the things that we write down that are going to impact lives, but it is our actions and words that are going to do so. maybe this was the reason why he talked so fast.

-xue

Church camp - Place

2006-06-23T10:18:00.000+08:00

the church camp was from 13-16 june at batam and it was great. upon reaching the ferry terminal, we had to ride a bus to the hotel and there were many old houses along the way. from a distance, we could see the hotel as it was one of the tallest buildings there and therefore not blocked by anything. it looked quite dull from the outside but it was really different after we had stepped into it. the hall where we had our service was spacious and it could accommodate a lot of people. the chinese service was held at level 2. the names of the different halls were quite interesting too. the rooms were better than expected. especially the bed which could sleep at least 4 persons. it was really big! we had a mattress on the floor too for the third person. we were provided with 2 bottles of mineral water per day for consumption as the tap water could not be drank. the water was yellowish when we first turned on the tap and had to wait for a while before the water became clear. the hotel has only 3 lifts. the lifts worked in a very weird manner as the weight limit changed every single time we used them. sometimes, more than 10 could go in, sometimes, only about 6 could go in. taking the stairs was the other alternative but it was tiring. the food was nice too. it was served in the form of a buffet and we could eat as much as we want without having to worry that we would not have enough. there were many different foods to choose from and it always leave us having more than 1 serving. that's about all for the place... there were balloon balls for us to kick into a small soccer net at the entrance!

-xue

2006-06-01T18:31:00.000+08:00

xueming is ushering this sunday. hehe. =D all the best.

2006-04-30T20:39:00.000+08:00

yesterday was going to be a normal soccer day for me. however, things weren't the same. on the way to mcdonald's for some rest, my friends and i met 3 persons. a boy, a girl and an aunty. the boy was standing at a distance away from the 2 women. he was complaining about the noodles that he has to eat over and over again whenever he comes back from school or work. the 2 women stood there motionless, not knowing what to do. however, even as an outsider(not involved in this situation), i feel for the 2 women and thought that they must be really sad to hear such harsh comments from the boy. later on, the boy was walking around the area by himself, looking really troubled as he walked around without having a destination in mind. after that, i met the 3 persons again in the hawker centre. they were together again and they might have patched things up.

to others what had happened may not have such a great impact on them but to me, it's like watching my own life from a third person's view. i, too, like the boy, shouts at my mum for preparing the same food everytime i go home, especially if it was a long day in school and tiredness set in. when i looked at the 2 women, i wondered whether my mum and sis were feeling the same way as they were. and even when i saw what happened, i could not help but think of how foolish i was to be so bothered by what i eat. when i looked at the boy, what he did was definitely not right and if i am like him, i really have to change my ways. i, too, walked away after shouting at my mum, just like the boy who walked around aimlessly after the quarrel. indeed, i really have to change my attitude towards my mum and my sis if i want to have a good relationship with them.

God really showed me how foolish i was to shout at my mum.

-xue

2006-04-18T19:12:00.000+08:00

1 Cor, 2 Cor, 1 Thess: Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Philippians: Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus.

Titus: Greet those who love us in the faith.

Hebrews: Greet all your leaders and all God's people.

1 Peter: Greet one another with a kiss of love.

3 John: Greet the friends there by name.

Badminton

2006-04-14T14:38:00.000+08:00

Court 1 at clementi sports complex has been booked from 1-3 pm tomorrow (Saturday).

Please come if you can...

2006-04-13T19:14:00.000+08:00

i think its important to invite people to church. for them to even get a feel of what its like, to get even the most minimum of exposure, will still be better than nothing. it takes time, time we must be willing to sacrifice.

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
matthew 9:37-38

as it is there are not enough workers. so then, the workers that are should work even harder to bring in the harvest.

today, let us reap the harvest. aim to bring at least one person for every rally. what use is a rally if people are not saved?

Photos from Fish and Co

2006-03-31T14:11:00.000+08:00

Truly a night to remember

2006-03-26T22:05:00.000+08:00

Friendship vs Fellowship

the unique and wonderful aspect of fellowship that seperates it from common friendship: giving to others for their growth in Christ and receiving from them for our own growth in Christ. this is what makes fellowship unique.

we are not simply giving human friendship and companionship to others, encouraging them in their life pursuits and holding them up in life's pains; we are actively involved in helping them to grow in their spiritual lives with Christ and His church. the focus of our fellowship is on christ and his church, not merely our shared interests.

friendship is based on common likes and dislikes; fellowship is based on a common identity:
what we have in common is a faith in Jesus Christ so strong and abiding that personal differences are laid aside. it is not important that everyone is like us, because the glue that holds us together is not personal preferences but a common spiritual identity.

friendship can be very selective; fellowship reaches out to those not like us:
"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? ... If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." (james 2:1-4, 8-9 )
fellowship takes friendship into a different realm; it reaches out to those who are not like us.
also see (acts 10-11), when God opened the church to the gentiles.

friendship can be temporary, fellowship is permanent:
the relationship we enter into with Christ and with His church is a permanent, eternal one. true christian fellowship cannot end, any more than you can one day stop being your parents' children.

friendship is optional, fellowship is not:
some christians will definitely get on your nerves. they will be immature, selfish, judgemental, and have a variety of other characteristics that are less than desirable. yet these same people can be capable of great good and effective ministry at times. in any case, we dont have the option of just writing them off. fellowship is not optional.

we choose out friends; god chooses our fellowship:
fellowship is not just a way to avoid loneliness in the church; it has a purpose. we are members of one body, each of us having a seperate and important purpose within the church. fellowship is the means by which God will strengthen out lives, mature us, challenge us to greater growth and development, and use us to do the same in other's lives. he often brings people into our lives to impact us in ways we never imagined - or wanted. God uses people to mopld and shape our lives, strengthening our weaknesses, and challenging us to higher living for Christ. ironically, few of these people would have been natural choices as friends. some of these relationships are difficult and trying, but we have to learn not to try to escape them. there is usually some important lesson or truth that we will learn in them. each christian has something unique and special to offer us. God alone knows what each church and each person in his church needs, and He provides it for us. He does that through the mirable known as fellowship.

friendship places us in a unique relationship with a person; fellowship places us in a unique relationship with a family:
it is tempting for many to bail out of fellowship at the church when it becomes less than pleasant, feeling that they can find the relationships the need or want outside of church just as easily as inside. the truth is that you cant. fellowship was meant to fill a very real and spiritual need that God knew we had; it wasnt just offered as an optional extra to our christian faith. there is indeed a wide gulf between fellowship and friendship, and though both are necessary, they are not interchangeable.

ripped this from a book. oh ok, i'll acknowledge the author so i wont get sued or anything. the book is called faking church, by dan schaeffer. i ripped the whole thing ok, i admit. dont sue me please. and yeah, i like KJV.

lindyhan.

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. i'm meixian.

2006-02-27T19:22:00.000+08:00

haha i just thought i should say something here about something that's been bothering me quite abit. and that is that in my christian fellowship in njc, we've split into small groups so that us meeting wouldn't be against the school rules and blah blah. well the main idea is i've shockingly been made a group leader, so like i'm in charge of 6-7 people. and i say shocking because they've been christians all their lives. and they're much more well-versed with the bible (i only started QT last june!), and they know farrrrrrrr more songs and they go to church every sunday..

you're probably all shaking your heads now because you know all the things i mentioned above don't count for much. it's the faith that matters right. i know that, but sometimes they affect me and i don't know why.

i can't understand why what happened happened, why i was chosen, and because i'm so amateur in this, always seemingly ignorant when i talk to jeremy, and still struggling with everyday sins, it makes me doubt my own capability.

mingzhu said God promoted me. that makes me happy to know it but also supremely daunted.

in a way it's made me more determined than ever to GROW in faith (better worship!). i guess i blogged this so i could ask for you to pray for me please. for me to serve God well with a honest heart, for God to speak to me at the right times and for me to do a goob job glorifying Him.

God Bless then:)

Did you ever know that you're my hero,

and everything I would like to be?

I can fly higher than an eagle,

for you are the wind beneath my wings.

Memoirs ??

2006-01-27T13:50:00.000+08:00

Some light memories of Westwo in Jan 2006:

The hospitable host of our CGMs being appreciated

The terrified LongJun being beaten up by the mystery hand..
Westwo (missing in photo:Karen & Zihao)

We are family!

Can't stop singing about Your love..

and the music continues even at the interchange!

In Loving Memory of...

2006-01-26T14:08:00.000+08:00

Ng Ming Zhu

Dear Ming Zhu, thanks for all the contributions that you have made to the cell, we appreciate you pouring out your heart and your life into the cell group. The things that you've done for us will not be forgotten. As you move on to greener pastures, I believe God will continue to be faithful to you as He's been all this while. Don't be afraid of facing up to challenges, I believe you are bigger and stronger than you think you are. Wishing you all the best, do visit us if you can. God bless you!

~Jeremy Heng

Happy 2006!

2006-01-02T22:55:00.000+08:00

To start of the new year, we have some chances within the cell group:

Mingzhu will be deployed to the North as Zone Leader. We thank her for her countless contributions to the cell and wish her all the best in the new field!

Jeremy will be our new Cell group leader. Let's run alongside him together!

Terence will be deployed to the North, RI/RJC cell group. We wish him well in everything he does!

Bethesda will join West2 as of January2006. Westwo warmly welcomes you into our family!

Changes occur and they may not be pleasing to us at the moment. But let us all continue to place our focus on Christ for we have a all-knowing God who knows very well what He is doing. Trust Him! Let's rise up in faith and live 2006 with integrity and power!

Set you goals and new year resolutions!
Let us continue to work together as a body of Christ and see each other grow from strength to strength, and WESTwo go from glory to glory!

Christmas Spirit

2005-12-23T15:35:00.000+08:00

Christmas is around the corner and a matter of days away. Let's do our part in inviting them for the christmas rallies yea? Here's something you can send them to remind them the true meaning of CHRISTmas. :)

Cheers,
Shufeng

Youth Camp 2005 - Now Risen In Christ

2005-12-13T19:33:00.000+08:00

this was my first camp and i didn't really know what to expect from it. however, i felt that writing down the things that we want to see change in our lives on the first day of the camp really gave us something to work on throughout the 4 days. there were so many different issues each of us was concerned with in our lives.

i really enjoyed the third night of the camp. we had a little picnic in the room and there were so many brothers present. the food that we bought wasn't so yummy (like salt and vinegar potato chips) but everyone had a great time. we shared what we had and even played some games together. the games were kind of simple but it really gave us a lot of entertainment as well as challenge. i got to know more people leh. haha!

the services were wonderful and i felt a need to change. kicking away my bad habits and living a life that is pleasing in the eyes of God. i really have to talk to my parents more. i know that they care a lot for me but i always give them the cold attitude. i must be more accountable to them, as in telling them where i go all the time and what i do when i am out. i feel that they know too little of me and that's because i find it so hard to initiate a conversation since i don't spend a lot of time with them in the first place.

-xue

Have You Grown?

2005-11-22T13:36:00.000+08:00

The year's coming to an end real soon. Guess it'll be good to review ourselves what the happenings over the past year. Below is a list generated during west2 CGM, 29th July 2004. (sHu)

Leading someone to Christ
Change of attitude
Breakthrough in one aspect of my life
More devoted to Christ in Word and prayer
better related to others
Helping others to grow
Helping someone to breakthrough in one area in life
Greater awareness of my calling at home and in school
Forsaking one area of sinful way
Deploying my gift to serve the Lord
Becoming a better steward of time and money

Have You Grown?

NRIC T-Shirt Sizes

2005-11-19T21:40:00.000+08:00

These are the sizes we ordered; if anybody has any objections please raise them.

Mingzhu - XS
Shu Feng - XS
Karen - XS
Lindy - XS
Zihao - M
Long Jun - L
Xue Ming - L
Jeremy - XL

No shirt was ordered for terence; we have no idea if he is going.

By Long Jun, your friendly cell shirt size - estimator.

WHEE!

GO(O)D ADVICE

2005-11-18T14:17:00.000+08:00

Give God what is right, not what is left
Man's way leads to a hopeless end. God's way leads to an endless hope.
A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.
Don't put a question mark to where God puts a period.
Wrinkled and burdened? Come to church for a facelift.
The church is ~~air~~ prayer-conditioned.
When God ordains, He sustains.
WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.
Plan ahead- it wasn't raning when Noah built the ark.
Suffering from ~~tooth~~ truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.
Exercise daily- walk with the Lord.
Never give the devil a ride. He'll insist on driving.
Give Satan an inch and he'll be a ruler.
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
Read the Bible- It wiil scare the hell out of you.

:) Godspeed, shufeng.

Spiritual Atmosphere

2005-11-13T10:40:00.000+08:00

Earlier this week when I led worship at CGM, I felt this lack within the cell group. This lack of a needed spiritual atmosphere when we come before God. The place of agreement is the place of power. Thus when we come before God as a cell group, especially in praise and worship, we must come in agreement, as one united body. The following is an article from my devotion. I pray you will take time to read it. May it be a blessing, revelation and reminder unto you just as it has been unto me. Godspeed. -Shufeng :)

Spiritual Atmosphere

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." -2 Corinthans 13:14

The word "communion" comes from the root word "commute", which means to travel. The communion of the Holy Spirit therefore refers to the moving in the Spirit. But before you can move powerfully in the Spirit, you must become familiar and comfortable with the realm or environment of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual atmosphere is something very real. We live under its influence all the time. There are times when you may come into a room and you feel so uncomfortable that you just want to run out as fast as you possibly can. hen there are other times when you come into a room and you can sense the presence and the power of God. When the Holy spirit fills a room, exciting and powerful things happen. King Saul was totally transformed when he encountered a prophetic atmosphere (2 Chr. 5:12-14).

We must become skillful in discerning the moving of the Holy Spirit and the type of spiritual atmosphere we are in. A sign of spiritual maturity is knowing how to move with the "mood" and "tempo" of the Holy Spirit. Moving correctly wth the "feel" of the spiritual atmosphere is so vital. There are a few ways by which we can build a strong spiritual atmosphere around us every day:

(1) Priase and worship. Heartfelt praise and worship always brings down the presence of God. (Ps. 22:3, 2King. 3:14-15).
(2) Attitude of faith. When we come before God, we need to let go of our fears, anxieties and worries. An attitude of faith helps us to let go and let God (Ps 46:10).
(3) Waiting on the Lord. The head moves quickly but the heart moves slowly. The longest distance is usually between the head and the heart. We should daily wait before the Lord until we can "feel" the presence of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. Learn to delight in a prolonged worship time or prayer time before God. Give time for the words of our song or prayer to move from our head to our heart.
(4) Spiritual actions. Our clapping, kneeling, bowing and faith confessions create powerful Spirit-filled atmospheres. The lifting up of our hands is not just a nice worshipful act; it often brings down the anointing of the Lord (Ex. 17:8-13).

As you learn to commune with the Holy Spirit in His tangible presence, He will take you on an adventure into the exciting realm of vision and dreams, miracles and the supernatural.

BE PERFECT

2005-11-09T21:07:00.000+08:00

HIIIIIIIII. meixian here. God really uses QT to speak to me. the amazing thing is He even takes into account human error and all that. i think he knows when i'll be too lazy/sleepy to do QT, so then when i don't read chapter X on that day and read it the next day instead, it applies more to my life :)

anyway i got a story. umm. my friend's friend K does a lot of things that suggest he's gay, like continuously showing my friend pictures of hot guys and.. ok. OTHER STUFFS. MANY STUFFS. so i asked my friend "is your friend K gay?" and my friend thinking that question was very funny went to tell K about it. and K became very furious with me. and started slamming and flaming me in his blog. and placing curses on me and whatever la. dumb stuff. but i don't know why, it eventually got to me and i started firing back insults.and they were really quite horrible and it sortaf became a competition of "who can fire the best most cutting most hurtful insult" or something, yea.

of course, all this while, i assumed it wasn't my fault, since i didn't actually begin the conflict between us and i thought i was just defending myself.

then talking to zengyu (rj og mate. from harvester aog too:)) made me realise the right thing to do was actually to apologise and make peace. that i myself should repent too for gossip and i'll "find that humility and forgiveness comes when you let yourself bare before God" (his words:)).

and i did matthew 5 for QT that night and God gave me verses.

(matthew 5:9) "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

(matthew 5:23-24) "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. "

(matthew 5:38-39) "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

and the one which left the deepest impression on me:
(matthew 5:48) "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

which basically means strive for perfection and nothing less, and never try to find a way around the laws (which was what majority of the chapter was talking about).

so in the end i ate humble pie, and even though i could think of 1001 better insults to say, i managed a sincere apology to him and he replied some short reply which i dint quite get, but because it wasn't an outright insult back to my face, i presumed i succeeded at making peace:)

hehe yea. just sharing. and i'm going to church this sat and sun. and staying over at mingzhu's on house on saturday night. i honestly can't wait even though it makes me think when's the next time i can go to church again after these two visits.

OHWELL. to end off i'm just gonna say, some might be 'impressed' by my faith but underneath it all, i'm just a normal christian struggling with everyday sins and my own pride. i'm gonna grow though so yea:) take care everybody. all the best shufeng for the exams. longjun too. see y'all!

A wakeup call?

2005-11-06T21:52:00.000+08:00

''Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.'' 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)

1st time: LTS memory verse
2nd time: During morning devotion in school
3rd time: In a book (Touching the heart of God)
4th time: Pasted on the walls of my eldest sis' house

somehow this verse appeared to me 4 times within 2 weeks, just when i was getting arrogant in front of others. well, i can only say that God really knows all our thoughts and there's nothing we can hide from Him.

this sat i played soccer as usual. for the first half of the game, i wanted to do things my own way. to be the goalkeeper thinking that i can save shots by my own strength. of course, i conceded numerous goals. as the game proceeded, i decided to commit the game into the hands of God. surprisingly, i saved almost all the shots that were taken against me. i don't know whether it was right for me to challenge God, but after this i have confirmed this doubt in me, that God is the one who gave me all the abilities that i have today, and through Him nothing is impossible.

-xue-

Boo!

2005-10-31T21:14:00.000+08:00

Alright.. it's a long since some one blogged.. So I will get the ball rolling again. :)
Hmm.. wanna thank you guys for praying for me, My fever's slightly better now, though it's not completely gone. It's the fourth day and it currently at a 38.4deg. I'm rpetty worried about it, so.. do help me out by continuing to keep me in prayer ok? :) missed you guys on sunday! Heard from MZ that Zihao came? OMG.. Zihao. long time since I last saw u la... haha. Glad to have you back. How was Ex service one saturday? did MZ lead? haha..

How was monthly meeting? Kinda feeling double-mndedabout ministries issues. Yea, I wanna go my best for God, using all that He's provided me, the gifts and talents to bring glory to His name. But.. I don't wanna be misunderstood. In a scenario as such, I can't help but focus on the "fact" that I will be misunderstood, that the leader(s) will not know where I'm coming from and what are my original Godly intentions. The things I've to deal with, yes, they are technical issues, very dry issues. No, I'm not doubting the leadership of the worship minsitry, no I'm not doubting the annoiting of God over His chosen leaders- i wouldn't dare. What I'm saying is.. Everyone of us is a member of the body right? Each has it's fuctions? I'm not claiming my speciality in being the "important" or "special" one, but.. I'm sure, I've been given the gift to see certain issues that no one seen- or at least nothing has been done about it as yet. Being in the music scene since 8, playing in the Istana, shaking the presidents (past and present) hands, oversea masterclass at Queensland Uni a 12, performing at Sydney opera house at 17, World Music contest in Nethelands with a Gold with distinction award at 19.. I see myself pretty 'qualified' to comment. BUT, I know there's a difference when it comes to the church context.

You know, i was pretty turned off when I was talking to a certain church leader for the first time regarding ministry issues and he/she said "well, come for monthly meeting next sat, perhaps it'll give u more opportunities to know me better.. and my qualifications." I was horrified. I dont' need to know your qualifications! You can be a newbie in music, but if you're God's chosen one, I believe you'll soar higher than one with Music Uni qualifications! Turned off I was. very. Nevertheless, that's not gonna stop me from serving God. Pst Zhuang from CHC one said in his sermon that "if serving God is your second choice, forget it. If serving God has to be at your convinience, forget it." So.. yea. Though I've been through sufficient torment in myself regarding these technical issues, I'm not gonna let it rest. I've griefed enough during services abt such issues, I've been disturbed enough during worship. Neither am I gonna take the easy way out and run away. I believe God has His plan for me in this church. I believe God has a place for me in this family. I believe I can make a difference for Him, to glorify His kingdom.

Credo. (Latin for 'I believe')
Do you?

I recall being called into the P's office real often in sec. sch days. Once, I was struggling really bad with A-maths and 8 subjects- I was on my braeking point. After crying and passing me sufficient tissue and hot tea, she questioned me how i could improve on my grades and I shaked my head in desperation. She smiled and said "Dwit". I though she just called me a "dimwit"(slang for stupid)! Later i realize, what she meant was D.W.I.T= Do What It Takes. That's what she did all her life, and that's what I will too.

Meixian said:

2005-10-22T20:07:00.000+08:00

hello i know what y'all are all doing now. you're singing "great is His love, great is his everlasting love" in service now(: i get free commentaries from my friend there(:

i donno how to blog in here so i can only leave comments hurhur

i feel the need to update y'all on what's happening at home (which actually is nothing much) and above thanking mingzhu for sharing my testimony to the whole youth congregation, i also need to say how that makes me feel and blahblah, ok here i go:

harvester's great and i don't feel feel quite so alone in this persecution thing and i am thankful, i really am. lately, mingzhu's been informing me of cell meetings and june asked if i was going for service and i didn't reply anything at all. because i don't feel good saying "no i can't" all the time. it feels wrong to keep turning down people who only want the best for you.

i've told lindy bout this. my parents are really actually very strict. all the times i've gone to church, all my excuses were PW (project work). never once did i say im going out with friends or just "to a friend's house" because i dont get permission very easily to just Go Out For Fun. and yesterday when you were all having service, i was at a sec4 cca gathering and even then, when i reached home, my parents wanted to call my friend up and ask if i really was there. i mean like when june was tutoring me for promos, when my dad first met her, the first thing he asked was "are you christian?" and she had to lie that she wasn't simply because my parents are completely against me being friends with christians now. even when my schoolmates aren't spared. even my catholic friends aren't.

of course i want to drop everything and just open the door and go for cell. but i cannot just tell my parents "i'm going to a friend's house" for no reason, and i'm sorry that my parents are so strict.

another thing is right now i'm finding it hard to break out of comfort zone. and i know alot of times being a christian is about going out of our comfort zones but this is how things are right now ok: (i've told jeremy ABIT about this) my parents and i never got along and now somehow, my faith has cooled down my temper alot and in face of criticisms and being put down, i can now turn everything around and just take everything lightly knowing that no matter what they say, i know they love me. and my relationship with my parents has just started becoming smooth and i know slowly but steadily, trust is being built up again (since the saturday they found out i've been lying to them just to go to church) and i am really very unwilling to have to lie to them to go to church again. i never wanted to lie anyway just to go to cell/church and worship God. why must i? it's not right. but yet inside me, i so badly want to go too. and that's my dilemma.

and my sister shares my sentiments in this: that underneath it all, no matter how much they persecute us, we still love our parents. and i really know that if i were to, along with the support of the church, 'emerge victorious' and be able to go to church freely, i know it will be them i am hurting. then i will make them feel like they've failed as parents and I REALLY DONT WANT TO.

maybe the real obstacle isn't really my parents. maybe it's that thing in me that makes me unwilling to hurt them in all that i do.

i haven't gotten arouund to tidying my thoughts yet, this is The Jumbled Up Version. it's just something i have to say, i'm not particularly looking for answers as well. i don't feel the need to understand anything because He knows it all, i can just trust. i'm contented enough doing my QT behind a locked door but i still wanna meet y'all soon, yet i donno how without lying to my parents.

thank you for the relacement card. i'll just keep believing that GOD WILL MAKE A WAY WHEN THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY and pray that He will tell me what to do soon.

Love(:

2005-10-09T15:52:00.000+08:00

crucified
laid behind a stone
you lived to die
rejected and alone

like a rose
trampled on the ground
you took the fall
and thought of me
above all

NRIC Camp 2005

2005-10-02T00:30:00.000+08:00

Harrows... this is Long Jun...

As you probably already know, the youth camp is from 5th to 8th December 2005, and I would like to remind all camp goers that the full payment of $110 should have been paid by 1st October, but since that has past, as soon as possible. If you are unable to come up with the funds, please see Limin about it... otherwise i'm going to get a serious headache... hehe...

Long Jun out.

Hear ye, hear ye!

2005-09-30T22:47:00.000+08:00

Ok, guess everyone had fun at Settlers Cafe yesterday during friendship day. Thanks to our organizers, Jeremy and Xue Ming. *applause* For those who missed out, do join us in the next outting! It's gonna be exciting.

Now for some annoucements:

Treasurer, Long Jun would like to remind all who are paying for youth camp via 'installments' that the first installation is due next week. Please approach him for details. Reminder: Youth camp is from 5-8th Dec @ACS Barker.
As suggested, we will be having a photo-taking shoot this Sunday, 2 October 2005. Please meet @ the Garden after service ASAP so we can get it done snappily, and head down for our lunch together. Dress code: Anything BRIGHT! Single-coloured tops will be prefered, but all in all, just try to dress brightly right. Westwo is a happening cell group shining brightly for Jesus!
Please keep Mei Xian in prayer. Pray for God to grant her peace through this period of exams and parental objectons. Let's all reach out and remember each other in love, yea?
Exam period's coming soon, members having exams are encouraged to spend more time on studies. We ought to be good stewards for God in everything we do. Other members, please keep them in prayer. (Promos: Xueming, Lindy, Meixian, Karen, Terence. O'levels: Long Jun)

Prayer needs? Leave a comment and share it with us. Let us pray for you.

Godspeed to all and have a blessed weekend ahead.

the "unofficial webmaster",

Shufeng

Humility

2005-09-20T23:44:00.000+08:00

During cell group this week, we shared on humility. When asked to define the term, here's what we got:

Shufeng- Putting others above myself
Ming Zhu- Not claiming praises or credits upon myself
Long Jun- Knowing God is everything and everything else is nothing
Xueming- Placing yourself at the same level as others; equality

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. It is to esteem others above yourself. Humility is laying down your own agendas and requires getting out of your comfort zone.

How can I display humility in where God has placed me?
Shufeng- Run extra mileS for others
Xueming- Putting their needs above mine
Ming Zhu- Pray for them CONSISTENTLY
Long Jun- Spend less time for and on yourself. (Time of self-glorification and self-satisfaction)

Let's be practitioners of God's word! Constantly ask God "Lord, how can I humble myself more to serve others? What can I learn out of what you have given me?"

Happy mooncake festival

2005-09-18T20:39:00.000+08:00

once upon a time there was a guy named hou yi and a gal named chang er. hou yi was a marksman.

during their era it was a fad to shoot suns. there were 10 suns in the sky, making it unbearably hot for everyone. all the guys wanted to act macho and so they tried to shoot suns the whole day. of course none of them succeeded.

chang er, being the typical conservative shu2 nu3, was perpetually covered from head to toe, thus making it even hotter for her. so everyday without fail she would complain to her boyfriend, hou yi, about the terribly hot weather.

"wah very hot leh cannot stand it already. how come the sky got so many suns huh, really very nonsensical leh. i mean, wheres the logic?"

"haiya stop whining already la. youre very irritating you know, keep complaining the whole day. you keep wearing those qipaos sure hot one wad. chop off the sleeves or something la."

*shock!!*

"how can!!! like that very indecent leh.. ah mah says, cannot show skin. clothes must cover everywhere, except for the face la of course."

"then what you want me to do? you whine and whine the whole day also no use what. you think if you make more noise then the suns will disappear ah?"

"you and your friends are out the whole day shooting at the suns, but how come no results one? you guys dunno how to aim ah?"

"who said we cannot aim? just that we're afraid the suns will come crashing down, scorching the earth!! you dont insult my shooting skills k, i will prove myself to you tomorrow!"

so the next day the egoistical hou yi set off to prove his girlfriend wrong. how dare she doubt his shooting skills? hes a marksman leh, dont play play.

he proved chang er wrong. he was a superb marksman indeed. he shot 9 arrows towards the sky and 9 suns disappeared. the nation cheered for him and his head grew bigger and bigger.

"i thought you said the suns will come crashing down and all of us will burn to death? now where have the suns gone to?"

"aiyah this is magic la, you girls never understand anything anyway, explain to you also no use."

chang er had been tolerating his chauvinistic behaviour for years and now she could take no more!

"HOU YI! YOU DISGUSTING MCP! IM LEAVING YOU UNTIL YOU LEARN TO TREAT ME DECENTLY!"

and with that she took her pet rabbit named jade rabbit and flew up to the moon.

actually chang er had planned this all along. she hated hou yi's attitude towards her and had wanted to run away to the moon long ago. but the sky was like an inferno! ten suns!! how to fly up? sure become chaotah one. therefore she devised this clever little plan to trick hou yi into shooting down 9 suns to make her escape easier.

till now, sexism still exists, so chang er refuses to get down from the moon. she is still up there with jade rabbit. boing boing boing. maybe if you use a telescope you could catch a glimpse of them. i did.

happy mooncake festival.

God will make a way

2005-09-01T18:09:00.000+08:00

We had cell group for the first time in Prince George's Park in NUS, thanks to the hospitality of June. For some time now, our cell has got no permanent place to take root and have our meetings. Initially we were to have cell at Terence's house, but due to some unforseen circumstances, his house was not open at the last minute, hence the switch. I believe God is faithful and He knows all our needs, so even when we didn't have a place, God gave us one, and I believe He prepared it for us in advance. Because June only started staying on campus just last week.

Her room is rather cosy, its a single room, with one ventilator and one ceiling fan. Somehow the room doesn't seem that well ventilated, so you can feel the warmth of our cell group. But it was a good time of worship and sharing. For the sharing Ming Zhu asked us to draw a picture or write to describe our perception of the current state of West 2. There were several artistic creations, like Long Jun's sail boat, Xue Ming's Trees and flowers, Zi Hao's man chasing after a truck, Ming Zhu's Eagle with an injured wing, Shu Feng's list of good points and bad points about the cell, and my drawing of the biological structures of a cell. Well done guys (and gals must be diplomatic), full marks for creativity everyone! Just goes to show how diverse we all are, with different ways of expressing ourselves.

God Bless and have a fruitful week!

looking forward to next week's cell,
Jeremy

Ready, get set, GO!

2005-08-27T22:21:00.000+08:00

Oh my God.. look at how long ago the last post was! Guess Westwo had officially went M.I.A(missing in action) for a couple of months.

Well, lots of changes have taken place since that. Faith and Tia both left to be a strength in another zone, and we know they'll do a terrific job. Derrick left for his own agenda and reasons.. and let's give a warm warm welcome to KAREN, XUEMING, LONGJUN and Ms Enthu GIRL! :) *applause* Oh ya, let's also welcome back Jeremy! Hey, God place you in the medicine faculty for a great good reason ok? So you can attend cell group! :)

Alright, now that we have everyone back on track, it's time for westwo to bounce back to life in church! Westwo must continue to shine for Christ and influence the youths, lending a helping hand to those in need.

If you think westwo is just a norm wednesday-cell group, guess what? You're wrong! We're back! Bigger, stronger, more might, more energetic and younger than ever! Come on people, let's make an impact in the 'marketplace'(refers to the poeple around us,our schools&work). Whatever it is, do something that brings glory to God! May I remind you guys that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Now that everything is bright and colourful, let's rise up to our calling and serve like never before. Westwo has a long way to go, rejoice!!

Cheers!
shufeng

Serving God

2005-07-29T14:55:00.000+08:00

It takes courage, takes dicipline, takes strength.
"Let not my will be done but Yours, O'Lord."
Not many times have I serve God without letting my own desires play a part.
God's wisdom is beyond imagination.
I stress this, God hears you.
Ask for a chance to repent, He'll immediately respond.
I'm moving away from my comfort zone. God is picking me up from the comfortable cushioned nest and directing me to fly to another direction to serve others.

Suddenly I remember myself telling God I wish to have a realtionship like His and Abraham's where it had so much trust and love... I stress this too, God answers prayers.
Trust? How much do I trust God?
The Lord had said to Abraham, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."
"Yes Lord," says me.

It's been one year already since I've become a Christian.
One year in West two.
I fell, I grew. I tripped, I learned. I got stuck, MingZhu to the rescue.
=)
Now I have to say I'm honoured to be in West Two.
People grow really fast and steady here.
Thank God for MingZhu.
Thank God for everyone in West Two.

this is not the finale please, :) not trying to be emotional here. Just wanna leave traces of Tia here.

I'll see u guys in church.

Love you all.

Tia

Devotion #6

2005-07-17T01:53:00.000+08:00

"When someone does something well, applaud! You will make two people happy." --Samuel Goldwyn

Possibly the greatest ability all of us have is giving signf\ificance to others.
One small spark of recognition can ignite a flame of creativity and drive that releases a person into a collision with destiny.
When you meet someone, anyone, include a\the 'wow' factor.
Be amazed at their life.
Notice their accomplishments with praise.
Tell others how incredible they are.
Thank them for helping you.
Ask them how they do what they do.
Let them teach you something.
We may have just one chance to change a person's life.
Don't miss your chance today.

waking up from the Slumber

2005-06-26T15:45:00.000+08:00

New Look. New People. New Hopes. New Dreams.
Welcome Karen and Long Jun into West2!!

Let's get excited about what God is going to do in this cell group!
Come'on, let's not be lazy but wake up from the slumber!

Hee. Lets make this blog a happening one yea? =)

tia

Upcoming Events

2005-06-20T16:08:00.000+08:00

Journey of Faith
Art and History from the Vatican Collections

18th June- 9th October 2005
ACM, Empress Place

Explore the magnificent collection from the Vatican to discover the importance of Rome as a place of pilgrimage - a journey of faith that was and is still performed by many around the world. This is only the second time the Vatican has sent such a major exhibition to Asia – one not be missed.

For more HERE.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is Wrong with the Human Race?
8-10 July 2005

Time : 19:30 ~ 21:00
Venue : Metropolitan YMCA Singapore (Our Prayer Meeting Venue)
Organiser : Shalom Church
Website : http://www.shalomrb.com
Short Description : Admission is FREE.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conference & Weekend Services with Rev. Dr. A.R. Bernard
19-24 July 2005
City Harvest Church

Rev. Dr. A.R. Bernard is the senior pastor of the 17,000-member New York Christian Life Center. He is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Christian world as well as the secular arena today. Pastor Bernard is also among the foremost Bible teachers and Christian thinkers of our generation. He has a great gift of motivating people to live a life of excellence, bringing out the best in them.

Click HERE for more infomation on Conference and service timings. Web telecasts are available for the weekend services. Do try check them out at the comfort of your home.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Festival of Praise
5-7 August 2005

Time : 19:30 ~ 22:30
Venue : Singapore Indoor Stadium
Organiser : City Harvest Church
Contact : choongtm@chc.org.sg

The long awaited annual FOP is finally drawing near! Expect a great move of God as thousands upon thousands of Singapore Christians gather together. God is gonna bless our nation before it's 40th Birthday!
Come lift up the name of Jesus through Praise and Worship !
Click HERE to see poster.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Children's Ministries Conference 2005
7 - 9 September 2005
9.00am - 5.30pm

Fullfilling your desire for:
* Creative Worship for each age group
* Object Resources for Creative Programming
* Relationship building with Children, teachers & parents
* Extra tips for an extraordinary service

For details, click HERE.
This event is kindly organized by The General Council of the Assemblies of God of Singapore, thus I would think it is reliable and worthy of your time. Note it in your organizer, make an effort. You never know when and how you can impact a young mind.

*************************

Hope you guys actually read and appreciate these.. Took quite some time to research. We need to constantly be on our toes and upgrade ourselves, exposing ourselves to impactful messages from God through His annointed people. Don't know about you, but I'll definitely try to be a part of such God-moving events.

Godspeed,
Shufeng

Devotion #5

2005-06-18T06:01:00.000+08:00

Hannah was despised because she had no children. In her barrenness, she cried out to the Lord. The name "Samuel" means "asked of God". That was exactly what Hannah did when she was childless-- she asked God for a son.
They key to fruitfulmess is the travail of the soul. Hannah didn't come to God with a lackadaisical attitude. She came before the Lord with a heavy burden and a holy dissatisfaction, crying desperately and wailing with auguish. Her soul was going through pain and agony. Just life a mother travails as she goes through childbirth, Hannah went through a "birthing" in her spirit.
Every revival is born out of very intense prayer. Today, 6 out of the 10 largest churches in the world are found in one country-- Sounth Korea. Yet South Korea went through much devastation during the Japanese Occupation and the Korean War. At the turn of the 20th century, Korean Christians were greatly persecuted. Many were incarcerated and martyred. In the midst of their tribulation, the Korean believers cried out to the Lord for revival. There was travailing prayer 24hours a day, 7 days a week. The result of that was a mighty revival that swept through the land after the Korean War. Christians pooled whatever little resources they had to build schools, hospitals and churches. Correspondingly, God blessed the country. Today, South Korea is one of the most advanced nations and powerful economies in the world. It has become a fruitful nation.
Refering to Jesus, Isaiah says that "He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul,and be satisfied" (Is 53:11). In the Garden of Getsemane, Jesus was in such agony as He prayed that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44). Out of Christ's travail came forth a glorious Church!

May we grieve over the unfruitfulmess in our lives and church. May we come before the Lord in pain and brokenness, crying:"Lord, please remove the reproach of barrenness from my life. Make me a productive person for the kingdom." Let us become 'Hannahs' before the Lord, desperate to see fruitfulness in our lives.

P/S: Hope you all actually take time to read and digest these devotions that I've typed and come to an understanding of my heart's cry for our church and people. Hyperlinks are added for easy reference and translation. Please use them. Thanks.

Serving Him,
Shufeng

Devotion #4

2005-06-15T08:37:00.000+08:00

In the scriptures, God reveals Himself by His name. More than just revealing His ability, the name of God reveal His character. God introduces Himself for the first time in Genesis 1:1 as Elohim, the Creator. As the Creator, He is full of creativity, ability and productivity.
When God created man, He put the same nature into man. Adam was created with God's creativity, ability and productivity inside of him. When Adams sinned against God, his fall didn't nullify those gifts. He still had them inside except that they were now corrupted.
For example, consider his son, Cain. In Genesis 4, Cain was able to build a whole city (4:16-17), provide employment (4:20), music and entertainment (4:21), manufacturing, and the building of weapons (4:22). He was able to singlehandedly accomplish great feats out of the same creative potential God has deposited into the entire human race, albeit that they were now perverted and self-serving.
Herein lies a very important concept: When man fell, God didn't plan for the elimination of men, society, culture, or the whole world. Instead, God sought to bring about the restoration of fallen humanity. Elohim God started to reveal Himself by another name-- Yahweh, or God the Redeemer(Ex. 3:13-14). The essence of redemption is taking that which is broken, fixing it, and restoring it back to its original purpose and intention.
Jesus came to be our Redeemer- to bring about the conversion of the fallen man from darkness to light, and from death to life. But He also seeks to convert the creativity, ability and productivity that God has putinside man back to its original purpose. Acts 3:19-21 says that this conversion is not just the restoration of man from the sin problem, it is the restoration of all things in life. People, marriages, businesses, education systems, culture and arts must all be born again.
You are not called to hide from the world. As a followerof Christ the Redeemer, you are now a conversionist. Youare to use your creativity, ability and porductivity to redeem everything you see in your world back to God's original purpose and intention. So that they could be used for the cause and glory of his kingdom. Start being a conversionist in your world today!

Shufeng

yoz........

2005-05-17T00:33:00.000+08:00

haha shocked to see me here.. yeah just to update u guys.. umm i really dun have e habit of blogging that's why i tend to blog once in a blue moon..well my work hasn;'t been easy, having to balanced both ministry n God n fmaily.. someitmes when i reach home, i will really get so exhausted... coz u guys muz know my job requirement... undivided attentionl least anything happen to my kids...well but God really taught me something thru my working experince.. that is to take a look at the positve thing rather than focusing on the negative things fo life . .. this has really give me a ommmmm/ punch to at least be punctual for my workk... haha .. indeed God is good, there's no shadow of doubt abt this, n no one cna fully descibe the goodness of Godd till u have tasted it..okie i'll stop here.. u guys take care
mingzhu....

Extras, extras.. WATCH all about it.

2005-05-10T00:45:00.000+08:00

Ever wonder what lies behind The Da Vinci Code, regarding the truth of Biblical doctrines? It is now on television! This documentry will be broadcasted this coming Thursday(12 May 2005) at 10.00pm on Art Central. Be meticulous- if your faith in God is weak, please be advised not to watch this documentry. May the Holy Spirit guides you as you watch this documentry.

Info from HCC-E2 cell blog.

Devotion #3

2005-04-26T06:21:00.000+08:00

"Feelings arent important." "Emotions get in the way." "Don't trust your feelings." "Don't feel sad." "Real men don't cry." "Just trust God."

Have you ever heard such advice before? I suspect you have because many believers have a serious misunderstanding about the Christian life. They think Christians should livestoic lives and never express strong emotions. Yet, the Bible describes more than 20 different emotions that emotions that Jesus felt. If Christ is our model of perfect spiritual and emotional maturity, then we should take a look at a few of Jesus' emotions:
(1)Compassion: Jesus fed the multitude because they hadn't eaten for 3 days and He had "compassion on these people" (Matt 15:32). He also healed 2 blind men by the roadside out of compassion (20:34). As a compassionate person, Jesus was profoundly moved by the sufferings and troubles of those He encountered.
(2) Love: If compassion characterises Jesus' feeling towards the multitudes, then love epitomizes His relationships with those closest to Him. When Lazarus laid dying. Martha and Mary sent this word to Jesus:"Lord, he whom you love is sick." Then John records, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" (John3:3-5). Jesus didn't try to be less than human by shielding Himself from love and affection.
(3) Joy: One time, following Jesus' prediction of HIs betrayal, He siad, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (15:22).
(4) Grief and sorrow: John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. It reveals a Saviour who could feel pain for those He loved. Jesus didn't try, as we sometimes do in times of sorrow, to be outwardly "strong" and hide or deny His feelings. Through His Jesus showed He had the strength to care enough to weep.
(5) Anger: Perhaps the best-known expression of His anger was whne He drove the moneychangers out of the temple. To those who sold doves, Jesus rebuked, "take thse things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" (2:16). Like Christ, mature Christians will experience angry feelings. But those feelings must be stimulated by a love and concern forothers and for righteousness, rather than by the frustration of our own desires.
(6) Peace: As Jesus prepared to leave His disciples in daeth, He told them, "indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I hvae spoken to you, that in ME you may have peace. In the worlf you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (16:32-33)

Jesus displayed Spirit-controlled emotions freely. Take responsibility for your feelings. No one makes you feel any particular emotion-- positive or negative. You choose to feel they way you feel. So, express those feelings constructively so that in every emotion, God is glorified.

Oh Happy Day~

2005-04-10T18:42:00.000+08:00

So after skipping 2 sunday services, I'm finally back in church! Woohoo.. Bet I was greatly missed (at least Bethesda & Shih said so..). :p It's a pleasure to be back. Though I've some reserves in me about what I feel, I'm not gonna base church just upon emotions. After all, it's a holy place filled with God's presence- that's all that matters. Through this one day, God spoke to my heart about various issues. Just really appreciate the time I have, though little, to cry in His loving arms, humbly before His throne. Then suddenly all things aren't that bad, problems ain't that big- coz I've a bigger God. *winkZ*
Guess recently God has been showing me much about prayer. About being a prayerful woman of God and the results and miracles that prayer can do. As a person involved in this stressful season of SYF(Singapore Youth Festival a.k.a Sends You Frustration), I see my girls falling sick, undergoing too much stress that doctor say they can't play, 1 even had a diagnosed illness that puts that at the fence of life if they keep playing. Nevertheless, they're not giving up,and neither should I. I see myself as a source of strength and support. It's good to see my juniors praying about this whole thing, placing it all in God's hands. Just for that simple faith they have, I know I have to press on together with them. Pray for them- that's 70% of what I can do for them. Encourage them with God's word, be it they're saved or not. Talks for the leaders, prayers for the sick, letters for the discouraged, SMS for the conductor, chocolates for all. What I can do, I do. ILook, I'm not praising myself here, but I truly think I've done beyond my limits.
You know what's the greatest joy of all these? That you become a living testimony for God. That others start to see that compassion and love you have that's from God. And through that, I've changed lives, touched souls and sow seeds in many. In fact, a JC friend of mine who used to be quite a "Anti Christ" person, got saved. Seeing, a bible & Rick Warren's "A Purpose Driven Life" on her table, during a gathering yesterday; I tell you, call I can say is "Thank you Lord for answering my prayers!". So each day now, I challenge myself to pray for others. Like what Adrain said during rally committee meeting, "Every short quick prayer counts.". Thus, people of God, I challenge you too, to care more for others; placing them above & before yourself. Pray for the unsaved, the sick, the poor, the lost, the needy- everyone. You can never run out of things to pray for. If ever you do, just pray for me. :) Plant seeds in peoples lives. Though you may not be the one who reaps it. A plant won't bear fruits if no one bothered to plant it in the first place right? Thus it is more important that we sow!

"Prayers generate Power": You don't know how much power you've generated in someone until that person becomes just like you- a light unto the world.

Godspeed,
sHuZ

Link to atcross.com added. Please patronize it! :)

new begining

2005-04-03T23:57:00.000+08:00

umm will be starting working tml 9am.. really gonna be a new life style, new envt, new begining for me and the close pple around me.. really asking God , lord pls help me to not waver in this period of transition.. haiz but neverthless God is good, He has brought me thus far n i know he 'll con to lead n guide me. well i muz say i'm feeling kinda fearful n worried inside of me, dunno wat top expect, afraid that i won't meet up my boss's expectations..realy need the favour of God.. oki'l stop here will update more.lov mingzhu

---initialising---loading--->

2005-03-24T10:57:00.000+08:00

its been some time.
3 months has juz gone by.
how have i been living my life this 3 months?
what have i been doing in this 3 months?

think the last 2 wks was quite bad. i was very tired in every area. physically, spiritually, mentally and pschologically. my walk was dry and there werent any great expectations n hunger for His holy spirit.

then came baptism and the synerg!z conference/concert. wah, i really par-teed like nvr b4 man! hahaha, what a term to use. seriously, i jumped, yelled, sang and danced like nvr b4. i jumped till my leg hurts! even now. but more imptly, i was able to dream again tt nite. d dreams i had, the visions God has placed in me and the calling i hear came alive once again. i saw our youth ministry staging our youth rally there - right under d marquee. i saw myself standing on tt stage with the whole place filled leading worship and evangelising. sam, the lead singer/preacher said this "dun let anything stop you from realizing ur dream for our Lord Jesus". - "Our God, He's so BIG, He's so mighty...there's nothing my God cannot do!" tt realli spoke volumes to me.

sometimes i feel like a fool. an idiot. when im around my friends, i realized im not as "savvy" as them. i realized im not as "in" as them. i honestly dunno whats on the top charts in the mtv world, whats the latest pop song, the hottest pub in town, which djs spinning what tunes at where...etc. and sometimes i feel out. i realli do. i feel like an idiot sometimes. hello derrick? welcome to earth! where have you been? i dun even dare call myself a media student. sometimes the world and its pleasures are so lucrative. even more than God's. yes, i got to admit it. and yes, i got to admit too that sometimes i wished tt i rather b in the world than walking this small and narrow path.

the pleasures and the riches of the world VS the small and narrow path. which one sounds more attractive? of coz the world - but i only look into the eternity. and it all become clearer. it all become more understandable. things in the world DON'T last. they don't. but Jesus does. and i rather invest my life in something that will last. i wanna live my LIFE - Living Intentionally For Eternity.

Everything's Changed.
You ask me why, why I'm so different?
Why I'm not the same as everybody else?
Well something changed, it just happened.
When I opened my heart and let Him in.

Jesus came in, He came into my life.
And I know I never felt so good.

Coz everything's changed, everything is different.
Everything's changed, everything is different.
Everything's changed, everything is different.
Everything's changed, everything is different.

You ask me how, how I can be sure?
How I know its not just something else for fun?
Coz He's so real, so real in my life,
He picked me up and turned my universe around.

YOU ARE ALL THAT I WANT.

and once i look into the eternity, i know these sacrifices are worth while. time to pick myself up again and continue running. ive not lost the vision yet. and i will not loss it. i love You Lord - and tho my world may fall, i will never let You go!

jiayou shufeng!

2005-03-20T22:51:00.000+08:00

hahaha...
shufeng, you know ur entry is so familar?
it almost seems like a drama script i memorized all these while!

well shufeng, you know tt this was how i felt last yr? honestly, i tell you and i tell the ppl whos reading, i used to "hate" hcc for its "strictness". realli. its such a pain. everything u identified basically la. (and ya, mayb coz we are both in the "industry" where we tend to expect more) - but that is not neccessarily bad. its gd. we need such ppl to push the threshold.

it was so bad last yr tt i contemplated to go over to city harvest, since the "grass is greener there". seriously. they haf all the facilities, the expertise and all the wonderful gadgety i love. workin on the mission conventions, youth rallies, xmas musical din help. i fought, argued, debated, cried, bargained wif the heads. coz they dunno how its to b done, yet they expect so much, and give so many limitations. (not tt im complaining ok!) i know how it feels. seriously. and i had this strong urge to give up, to walk away, to leave church. (tts 1/2 the reason y u guys saw me "dying" last yr.)

but u see...i really thank God for last yr, coz i realli learnt alot. ALOT. and one thing ive learnt is not to fix my eyes on man and on things but on HIM. it is HIS church. HIS ministry. not mine. not how I want to see it become, not how I want it to be, but how HE wants it to be. true, no church is perfect. really. and mayb hcc is worser than other more "perfect" church. but i strongly believe tt God places us here for A PURPOSE. ya see, i could easily b at city harvest playing with the lights, handling the cameras, even playing in their "orchestra". but God place me here at hcc for a reason. God doesnt gives us things that we can already do. then there will b no kick. i prolly get bored after some time playing with the lights, the camera or playing in the band. God gives us things that He know that we will have difficulties in, so we can place our trust in Him. so we can mature and grow, so we can achieve something great for Him!

imagine how great it is, if you part of the "revamping" team in church to birth forth that vibrant creative minsitry? ur that team that spearhead new frontiers for the church. ur the newly appointed conductor for the hcc's orchestra? or that music director for the newly formed hcc's choir? imagine wat joy when you have achieved it. not for urself, not for ur own achievement, but for the glory of GOD! won't it be such a great feeling?

you know to me, last yr xmas musical wasnt great at all? but when i hear so many ppl tell me "hey derrick, thanks for believing. today, in church history, we can have a musical, becoz u believed." now, im not sayin its my achievement. its my glory. its definitely God's. i merely, beleived in it and obeyed. its realli a great feeling to hear ppl say tt.

and i tell ya, tt doesnt stop me from dreaming even more. u know at the planetshakers concert, i started dreaming again. i dreamt tt one day hcc will stage its rally there. one day hcc band will play there. one day ill b there leading worship. one day ill be there evangelising. impossible? radical? merely dreaming? i dun think so. you want more of my dreams? theres more. i see hcc having a multi-camera projection in our new buidling. i see hcc broadcasting our services online. i see hcc having its own tv show. i see our own cd being released. played worldwide. i see hcc touring round the world, evangelising and spreading God's love. crazy? madness? nonsensical? i dun think so.

and i thank God that we are down below, and that actually gives me the chance to bring it higher. if we are already high up there, how can we bring it even greater? we can. but the impact and its extent wun b that great.

however, wif me sayin tt, im not sayin tt we shld b contended where we are, and not progress on. ur right. we shld desire to excel. and honestly, wat u said is true during worship. i feel it too when the keyboardist screws up the fills, the back up singers go lost with the coordination and the PA team running around trying to rectify the situation. it does irks me. it realli does. but i wanna u know tt they are trying ways to improve. alan is really looking into the restructuring. the reshuffling. and i wanna encourage you to really b part of the creative minsitry to b part of this "revamping" coz we need ppl in such expertise.

i feel strongly for wat u say, coz i myself do feel it too. and ive spoken to alan abt it and is still speaking. i wanna encourage u to speak to him. he realli welcomes such feedback. im also very encouraged by your honesty. dun stop. i think one thing tt stop us frm growing is this "face" thing. how ppl will look at us or think of us if we say some things different frm the norms. but u took the courage. u dared to stand out and up. and im realli encouraged by it. //dare.

lost//

2005-03-14T11:22:00.000+08:00

LOST
My heart cries out;
I'm lost.
Inside me there's a turmoil that is stirring,
a volcano waiting to erupt.
This feeling inside of me,
I can't explain.

At the crossroads;
I'm lost.
Where there are so many paths in front of me,
the criss-crossing patterns.
The confusion spins inside of me,
I don't know which to take.

My only Comfort,
When I'm alone.
Lord, I need You,
Show me the way.
I need Your strength; to carry on.

I see a pattern;
why is it when trials come,
I'll run away and hide?
I'll choose to turn away from You?

Lord, teach me.

ppl...plz pray 4 me ye? recently im very tired. physically, mentally and spiritually. there are so many things to do. not that they are all a piece of cake, or life's a bed of roses. life is tt ironical isnt it? you start off full of zeal and jest to challenge ur obstacle. then as time goes by, tt zeal and jest reduces to 1/2. and slowly, you juz loss them all. i see a pattern in me. i start off tt way, and then when things come my way, i run. i dunno how to react. i get discouraged and d devil start planting thots inside me. why bother to give ur life to Jesus? why choose to walk the narrow path? why sacrifice for Him? and then, the other side of my rational mind starts to work. afterall, im not even paid to do the job. afterall, life is more to this. afterall, i could go enjoy the "high life". afterall, the grass is greener in the world.

oh Lord. help me. i refuse in Jesus' name. devil get out of me. i refuse to conform to the world. Lord help me. help me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. bcoz im God's precious child of God. He bought me for a price. and it is a high status to be called a son of a KING!

i'm d CHOSEN GENERATION, d ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, d HOLY NATION, God's own SPECIAL PEOPLE. that's enough reasons for me to b a living sacrifice for God. that's enough reasons devil. now, get out of me. for i have God with me.

cell grp dinner//mz's bdae

2005-03-10T19:05:00.000+08:00

alrighty...so the inaugural cell grp dinner is here! b4 i forget, [shoutout] HAPPY BDAE MZ! hahaha..finally...the BIG 2 is here! its great being 20. ur 1 yr more to b an adult and ur 1 yr less to b a teen. so tts quite cool. best of both worlds - buy 1 get 1 free=).

anyway, felicia and andre joined us for the dinner. hope u guys enjoyed it. well, me, for one enjoyed it. having to rush to cold storage to buy all the food wif tia (thnx shufeng). it was fun. seriously, its been long since i ever stepped into a supermart. tts how bad my schedules are. boo.

so...we had worship first. today's theme's hip hop! all of our members were required to rap. i taught em a new song "Everything's Alright" by city harvest (issit? dunno heard it frm em). and of coz, mz got excited as usual and started grooving. (or is it shaking?)

then dinner commenced. we had a feast! garlic bread, chicken clam chowder, sotong ball and pasta. not forgetting d lemon cordial. talked. crapped. snap snap pics. eat more. talked more. shared more. shared abt our salvation story. crapped even more. snapped more. really spent quality time together eh.

wat a spread...~

tia-mz-moi-faith

then we prayed for andre and felicia's interview on sat.

and mz thot it was over.
she was so sad.
did i mention how thick skin she was? the moment she came in the door, she went "where's my cake, card and present?" tia and me stared at her. super THICK SKIN LAH! and well...think we hid the cake real well? so anyway, we sang happy bdae and cut the cake and presented the card and book to her. AND we had a song presentation too! tia led us wif "You are my all in all".

i like this shot...seems like the cake's on fire=)

arrr..this' betta!

all in all, the evening was sweet. i enjoyed it. and i guess all of us enjoyed it too. *we gotta do tis more often eh?* ^hint^hint^

HCC-W2: tia, felicia, mz, shufeng, faith, andre and moi~! (with terence, jeremy & zihao)

alright.
HAPPY BDAE MZ!

hello world~!

2005-03-08T11:26:00.000+08:00

im finally back!
do you know tt i feel so uncomfortable not having the sat ex drive in me and sun morn service refreshment? it feels WIERD!!! and i dun wanna miss them ever again! screw sch! arrrrgh. sch really sux. BIG TIME. its dreadful. going to sch is a waste of time, especially towards the end of the semester where its proj/consulation period, coz u simply do nothing. juz to fulfil attendance. and talking abt attendance. its a total waste of time. now i regret ponning in the beginning of the sem. ive used off all my "leave" i cant pon anymore! and apart frm all those dreadful stuff, theres still my ministry stuff. God, expand my territory and capacity!!!

and yes. i blacker. i spent the whole of sat at west coast park filming and sun at pasir ris beach filming! how cool is that? im super burnt and my face is peeling!!! my neck is super pain due to the burnt. ARRRGH. but well, one thing to b happy tho, i killed 2 birds with one stone. i got my long awaited tan afterall. now i dun need to go down to tan...tho its fun. thats how busy i am!!! arrrrrrrr. sch's dreadful.

i owe so many ppl their meet ups. esp jfoo sr. b4 he goes in to slim down in the army tis fri. tt'll b tmr nite i guess. then theres my tu dis - jimmy and andre to journey with and evangelism wif travis and follow ups with so n so...ARRRRGH. God i need ur strength. sometimes i feel like quitting sch and jump into full time. but i know God place me there for a reason and studying is my full time ministry for now. jiayou derrick!!!

cell's tonite. we having cell grp dinner. pasta again. coz its mz fav and we celebrating her bdae. tts one thing to look forward to admist the long sch day today. one thing to make me happy tho is now my mondays are off since IS days have been officially over. and its only 2 more wks to sch end. so...tts one big thing to look forward to. meanwhile, its still sloggin. boo.

jeremy's back tho!!! *welcome*welcome*
yeshyesh. i load up the pics of cell grp retreat in due time.
and yeshyesh. ill complete the cell directory in due time.
see wat i mean? so many stuffs to do! arrrrgh.

A love that goes beyond self..

2005-03-03T00:13:00.000+08:00

yaz, just want to share some stuff that really woke me up.. I guess i have shared with you guys with regards to Lional's tock fren blenheim, ya jess and me been visitng him for the past two day,.. First day both of us were really a scary one cause jess n I had to do the " world's scarest thing" DoNAte Blood.. hee but neverthielss we did it.. we talked to Blenheim and even prayed for him. we saw tears rolling from his cheeks when we were praying.. I believe God is working wonders through his life.. thoughout this whole thing, i've personally witness how important a fren can be. First time i've seen lional so serious and upset and first time i've seen someone so fervent and going all to out just to help n support a fren. It really goes beyond a human kind of Love..
Lional, if you are reading this blog, i want to salute you for your love for this fren.. really...you really goes beyond more than wat i could imagine.. you've been there for hiim . ya all i can do is to pray , doante blood and to visit him.. ya.. i've learnt 1 thing in life: Many things can come along our way and many things seems so important but there are only a few that really matters.. the value of reputaion and positon is really nothing comapred to the Verd " Love " and your chrieshed ones around you.. i've leanrt to love them more.. This past 2 nits, i 've really tell myslef and God that help me to love n reflect your love..Lastly: cont to pray for Blenhiem.. He needs our prayer.... MiNGZHU

--- THERE CAN BE MIRACLES ---

2005-02-24T00:21:00.000+08:00

i got to blog tis.
i tell u - im SO EXCITED!

i juz experience d miracles of God FIRST HAND.

i was suppose to have dinner wif waichit yesterday. however i felt the prompting of the spirit to go visit my grandfather. now, let me say tt im NOT extremely close to my grandpa. and being the typical teen, who wanna forgo a dinner fellowship wif a youth than go visit an old folk? but i juz sense tt i needed to go. besides, my grandpa have been callin me the past day abt some scriptures of the bible (he's a christian). so i thot, oh well...ill go down and mayb help him out and share more abt Christ.

so i went. and guess wat. to my horror, he was running a high fever and he cant move (coz of a fall a few days ago). he's whole body was shaking and shivering. so i did the neccessary actions - gave him the medicine, bought porridge for him, called the whole family tree and PRAYED. to cut the whole long story short, if not for God's prompting and for my willingness to obey Him, God knows wat will happen to my grandpa. im not sayin i was the saviour. i was the hero. im sayin tt all credit goes to God. i was merely acting on his behalf. i was merely obeying Him.

i read Matthew today. Peter had to forgo his "fisherman" job to follow Jesus in order for Jesus to bless him. Peter has to make a choice - to remain in his "comfort zone", a job tt he knows inside out, or to give up on it and take a step of faith to the unknown. I had a choice too. i could enjoy my dinner fellowship with waichit or spend my time with my grandpa (which in my opinion was more boring than the dinner). however, i realised whenever God's children obey His command and walk in line with Him, a partnership begins and a miracle is seen.

from juz this short visit wif my grandpa, i led my grandma to Christ. i shared Christ wif her and i led her thru the sinner's prayer. she may not b able to attend church, she may not know everything abt the bible. she may not even agree everything to wat the bible says NOW, but i believe, slowly she will. and i know God loves her and God sees her heart. HALLELUJAH! praise the Lord!

juz when i thot its the end, theres more! my mom couldnt feel amazed the whole nite tt if not for God's prompting and my willingness to obey, wat will happen to my grandpa. she kept sayin tt God is good. and it is a miracle by God. i begin to realise and see tt God uses this small incident of my grandpa to create opportunties for me to share Christ. isn't tt wat ive being prayin for? God open the doors for me in my family. God create opportunities for me. another point ive learned - whenever God open doors for us, seize it. dun wait and say, mayb its not time, God im not prepared yet, God im not well equipped...juz GO! "GO and make disciples..." God din say "wait till ur ready than go and make discples", God says "GO".

praise God. i realli wanna thank all you guys for ur concern abt my grandpa. he's ok now. he's at the hospital resting. at least it sets my mind at peace knowing tt he is well taken care at the hospital. nth serious. juz some viral infection. thnks for ur prayers, concern, phone calls and sms-es i realli appreciate it.

lastly, i wanna thnk God for u galvin. thnx for being such an encouragment to my life. it was your blog and your life tt realli spurs me and encouraged me to lead my grandma to Christ. i will nvr forget it. thnx so much brother!

"Credits roll" comments page

2005-02-19T16:11:00.000+08:00

Nah... not going to say any "jia you" thingy to Shu feng. This tough girl is doing great! Not flaunting or whatsoever but GEE! Am I proud to in West2~! This cellgroup is made up by a bunch of youths so passionate and hungry for God! I never knew the importance of a cellgroup but now I know! I really appreciate these guys for always being around to motivate and push me forward.

Hey mingZhu. You're a great cell leader. Your passion and desire for God really inspire me in alot of ways! and don't you think that you're a bad speaker of whatever, because you're really good at that! Have confident girl, you can do more than what you think you're only capable of!

Shu Feng! thank you for everything you've done for the cellgroup. Ya know, coming forward to pray for me is one thing but asking God to help you become a better sister? You are a great sister already! I really will LOVE to share more with ya. uh-uh, this isn't one of those shallow moments, i meant what i said! God loves you arty-chick!

HellO Faith~! I'll never forget that night of cell retreat at Jeremy's house. That night of sharing really is still SO COOL! And THANK YOU for the encouragement during my first vocal training. It meant so much to me. Continue to serve the Lord using your gentle yet powerful voice, no matter in intercession of prayer or singing, you're a blessing to the church.

DERRICK CHEW CHANG SHENG! *this is the cool dude who set up this cool blog* HEE. thank you for all you've done in church, in cell group. And thank you for being one of those few whom I know of who would go the extra mile for God. Continue to let God use you in so many ways- no matter music, video, theatrical, evangelism etc. Hang in there dude! I believe God have a wonderful plan for you!

Jeremy, well maybe you won't be able to see this since you're in tekong mission field. :) Don't give up and continue to press in! i'm sure God has a plan for where u are now, including all the things that happened in camp I know its tough but I believe He will make a way. Amen? Hee.

Bro Zi Hao~!! *another arty-crafty fellow* I'm so blessed to be able to share with you. Though occasionally but hey! those short conversations and stuffs are preciously treasured by me! I trust that the Lord has a powerful intricate plan in mind for you. Continue to seek Him and don't give up! Because one day in the house of God is a thousand million times better than a thousand days in the world! And you are priceless, brother, so don't let anything get in your way of shining for God!

Always in Christ,
tia

jiayou shufeng!

2005-02-16T00:34:00.000+08:00

juz wanna tell ya tt i know wat ur goin thru shufeng. tt was wat exactly happen to me. being in the "band scene" all my life till sec sch, i came to a crossroad after Os. it was suppose to b bright - fairfield alumn winds, west winds, syo...knew so many ppl then, had many strings tt i could pull. but i decided against it due to some situations. and all of a sudden, im like "cut" out frm the band scene.

i know how it feels. more so for ya, when ur even more into it than me. but i wanna encourage to seek God's will first. "Seek Him first and all His righteouness and all [other things] will be added unto you". im really very encouraged by your love for Him, your sacrifices and your heart cry for our Lord Jesus. know very sure that He has plans for you and His plans are meant to prosper you. continue to walk obediently in Him and see His will revealed to u thru ur life.

just wanna share also abt wat u shared. i can also identify the "pinch from a dream" thing. as you guys know, my calling is really evangelism and pastoral care. moreso for this yr, i see the vision and calling very strongly and evidently in my life. i realli sit up tt day and realised tt there are so many ppl ard me tt are not saved. especially my parents. somehow, i have such a heavy burden for them, esp this yr. and i got to be praying constantly for them. i got to be on my knees, continually interceding on their behalf. i got to be standing in the gap for them. if not, no one will. i juz wanna encourage all of us to continue to be that "salt of the earth and light to the world". let us not let studies, business, stress, struggles, sin hinder us from spreading God's love and proclaiming God's word.

juz a small encounter today. i was goin thru some stuff which DID hinder me from God. and i happen to visit galvin's blog. i read abt his grandmother's death. i read abt him being grateful that his family are saved and different things. i read abt how he spent everyday praying for his family, for his friends. and then i look back at me. i felt so ashamed. i literally cried.

God spoke today. He told me to move on. dun b overwhelmed and stucked with all this small little "elementary teachings" but move on to the advance stuff. dun juz drink milk...advance to chew meat! are we still allowing different things to overwhelm us? are we still allowing our inadequancy to hinder us from evangelising? are we still allowing our low self-esteem, low confidence, introvertness hinder us from spreading God's love. i pray that we will not. i pray tt we move on from all this small little petty situations tt will hinder us from achieving our highest potential, hinder us from allowing God to use us to the maximum and hinder God's purpose of our creation.

jiayou shufeng. we are all here for you.

"hand in hand, we'll run this race - to the very end, that's where we'll go!"
That's Where We'll Go
Galvin Sng.

dare.

My Inaugural Contributions

2005-02-15T12:59:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all~
No idea how all you others have spent your long weekend. For me, time in Malaysia has been... not too great but ok. I enjoyed the time spent with my maternal family, getting to know my cousins better (8/11 of them are younger than me). What I dislike about the trip? the horrible weather (H.O.T)& I missed everyone back in Singapore so much that I as practically counting the hours before I'm back in town! Hhaha.. Oh well, despite having banned fire crackers & fireworks, the rebelling public managed to get their hands on them. So when the clock striked 12 on new year's day, it was an amazing sight in the sky. My closest encounter with fireworks. Alright, now for a little something out of the CNY thingy.
All should know by now that I've been in Philharmonic Winds for quite a while. Being a reputable band in Singapore, it's like the ultimate band in town that music & band people want to get into. To those who understand that kind of a feeling, trying swallowing this: I'm thinking of leaving.
It's not like anything bad has occured there, but it's more like a conviction for me this year- to spend more time with my family. With my brother leaving Singapore for Perth this July, I see the urgency to empty up time in my weekly 168 hours for my parents. With them not knowing Christ... somehow everything burdened upon my heart. For a musician to leave the "ultimate band", ha..guess any bandsmen will think I'm nuts(At least I'm sure my peers & juniors will think likewise). So all's in a struggle. It's neither flesh VS spirit nor want VS need. It's like... convictions VS time. I belive God placed this (crazy)thought upon my heart for a purpose. With the happenings of the past years clearly in mind, I see that urgency in the end times as such that we're living in. My mother's seemingly falling health, my dad's business matters and high blood pressure.. everything seem so real now. It's as if someone just pinched me awake from a dream.. or should I say nightmare? :)
Well, whatever it is, His promises I shall hold on to forever till I see them come to pass one by one. Eternity VS earth: which is more important? I rather invest in the riches of my eternal life than my numbered passing years on earth. God is good, and He will always be.

Godspeed,
Shufeng

some pics of my chinese new yr...

2005-02-14T14:27:00.000+08:00

gong xi fa cai!

food galour.

lo hei ah lo hei!

my grandma, grandaunt and great-grandma!

with my auntie frm US and her baby - daniella=)

my mom's side

yooo

2005-02-14T06:16:00.000+08:00

hello peepz... this iz moi first entry... haha.. and i dunno what to write!!! aiya. i'll just write crap, do bear with me.. :)

Chinese New Year was as usual for moi, went back to m'sia and got ringgit for all my angbao.. I got RM240 and SGD52 in total.... cool huh... went back to eat and eat and eat, watch tv (something i seldom dooo..) super much, tok super much, sleep super much, play cards super much..haha... so slack right.. i also brought my lit book: Silas Marner to read... I managed a few chapters..haha... :D

(man, i really dunno what to write!!)

Oh yesh... school has been fine for me. Currently partly of this orientation 2 committee to plan orientation for the new intakes come the release of the olevel results.. haha... sigh... i dunno why i'm not worried about it (sometimes it's a bad sign), coz many ppl are... and zengyu has been fighting worry quite a bit... :P hope everyone stays though... haha.. our ri/rjc group, wad we call REX (Raffles EX.. hahaha), is quite fine... everyone's like blown away with all da activities, outings, friends and stuff, come to God then siannz... sigh... i guess they need some time to adjust and stabilize.. haha... transistion periods... sigh... samuel was saying ever since come to jc then forget all about God already..haha.. not goood..really... oh ya, we meet on wedesday mornings to pray and stuff, wednesday afternoons to prayer walk in rj and ri, thursday afternoon is for the ri side, friday b4 prayer meeting is for the rj side... it's packed and exciting i tell you... i find that's the most exciting and fulfilling thing in school...

And now workload not so much yet... everyone still more or less in holiday moood..aha.. i guess it will pick up very soon.... man... i hope i can survive... everyone is like super hardworking and stuff... it's really competitive... need to be strong, or else will be blown away by that spirit... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Haha, and west two's praise and worship roster is up.. everyone mus remember what they're supposed to do... :)

Oh ya... i'm involved in teaching some of the little ones keyboard/drums for the chinese side..haha.. it's fun :P i had to teach them some chinese song they're gonna present for the new year rally ... really.. you all should come over to the chinese side. it's fun and exciting... the people there are also really open to the Holy Spirit... Some of the services they can run all over the place, jump here and there, laugh here and there, dance here and there, cry here and there, fall here and there, scream here and there.. (sorry :P)... they really dun care about the formalities... haha.. and we're gonna have a chinese youth ministry sooonn... yeshhhh :D

(hmmm..wad else.... i'm like really looking for something to say...)

Ya... i think that's all that i'm willing to type on an international communication network... haha... see y'll

Terence -

dare's chinese new year...

2005-02-11T10:40:00.000+08:00

alrighty...at mz's command.

THY SHALL WRITE.

well...let me give u a brief insight. i used to hate cny. i am never close to my relatives. (or at least most of em). especially for my father's side. coz there are really ALOT of ppl. and i mean ALOT. some of whom, i dun even know em! secondly, they stay very very far frm me. no, not msia. so i hardly really get to meet them. and they all jiang hua yi. i saya tatt tahu. so basically, like wat pca said - i was guilty of just going to collect ang baos, sit in a corner, gorged myself full with the goodies and watch my own tv programme - uninterrupted. but well, occassionally, got some aunties come talk to me, whom these aunts r quite close to my heart.

ok...so i shall get into proper on my main topic.

0902 - weds morning: woke up to a bad start, mom and dad were delaying due to some ang baos problem. beats me. i just watched teeeve. so in the car start to nag and nag and nag. we were late. only grandma left at home. the rest has gone over to my grand-aunt's hse. so nag even more. then dunno wat they started quarreling. i was - no, not again! here? on cny? then very strangely, this uncle, whom i seldom talked to, gave me a buddhist book. =..=""" and he tried "preaching" but failed. then after not long, the second installment came. he played some buddhist chanting video! i was...WORTZ WRONG MAN!!! so as the chanting continued, my speaking of tongues escalated. thnk goodenss we left not long.

in the car, i was like asking God why all this things had to happen. i also msg zhong, kenneth and zeng yu to grumble. i was like super sian diao already. coz the start of the whole cny and these had to happen. but...unknown to me, God has other plans under His sleeves. well see, during reunion dinner, i felt tt God wants me to talk to this cousin of mine - jinghong. but, coz of the awarkness and long-lost connection, i din know wat to say. so i juz continued in my small world watching tv. then only when we leaving, then i know tt he is studying in ngee ann doing IT. then somehow, it all clicked and made sense. God wants me to bridge this long-lost relationship with him. we had a common topic - school. and this time round, distance can nvr b an excuse for me. God wants me to reach out to him!

so when i was at my grand-aunt's hse, i started talkin to him. nothing of God. juz normal, building relationships talk. and boy, has he matured alot. i used to see him as some cry baby or some childish boy. but he has really grown. and i felt closer after tt talk with him. juz when i thot d whole new yr will come to an end when i leave for my mother's side, i was wrong.

now my uncle's (mother's side) family is kinda complicated. i shant elaborate. but they have 3 sons (my cousins). one of whom is same age as me. and i haven seen them for eons. ok, 2 years. and because they stay far too, we hardly meet up. ok, never. (remember i said their family is kinda complicated?) so anyway, i started talking to them again. and as i was talking, the topic went to Christianity. and it was started by mom, can u believe it! she was juz mentioning tt i was doing some show for my church last yr (the "my quest for you" musical), and then my aunt got all so excited. coz she too went to church. and my 2 cousins too. imagine me. i juz sat there in amazement. God is really a God of surprises! so there and then, started to talk to my cousin abt Chrisitianity! he hasnt been realli attending church regularly and i see tt God is using me to encourage him. wow! God nvr fails to amaze me man! and after it all, we felt close once again. we have mended the broken pieces and "we are together again...just praising the Lord..." in fact, their whole family is saved except for their elder son. WOW! praise the Lord! amazing, amazing!

so, i ended the day getting to know 2 of my dearest cousins better. and the best thing is tt we said tt we will make an attempt to build the long-lost relationship and meet up more often! hallelujah! remember the earlier entry abt me saying tt lets spend some time getting to know our family more? i juz felt tt it was frm God. and true enough, it DID happen to my family. i felt tt God is guiding me to the area of my family. coz there are some unresolved issues and things tt i need to clear. and so long tt is clear, they will very quickly come to Him.

this new yr is the best new yr of all my new yrs...

myself

2005-02-09T17:12:00.000+08:00

yeah ita new yr again.. just share abit of what is happening to me recently..
haiz i'll be stepping into the working world.. really going thru a lot of transitions... ya now i'm currently looking for jobs.. actually one childcare centre offered me a place, but now i'm still pending.. then if the Lord allows i'll be wanting to go for my part time degree while working.. i can picture myself really strectched to the max lo.. haiz then this is a period where i find myself strugling to surrender my future into the hands of God.. somehow i seems to want my own way and craft my own plans..ya this is a time where got reminds me of Abraham offering his son Isace.. really learning to make decisions and grow as an adult, and i know this period of my life is very crucial ..pls pray for me.. i really will appreciate it!

mingzhu...

gong xi fa cai!

2005-02-08T17:55:00.000+08:00

gong xi fa cai! d chinese new yr celebrations is around the corner...juz taking this opportunity to wish all of ye a very happy chinese new year!

i pray that even in the midst of our celebrations, we would be able to be that light to spread God's love. This will be also a very good opportunity for you to ask your loved one for donations to our church building. believe in faith that you will reap a bountiful harvest!

also, this chinese new year is also a good time to rekindle and/or build closer bonds with our family members, relatives and friends. i pray that we will use this time wisely and get to know our family even more!

please be reminded of our cell grp retreat this friday night @ jeremy's house. for those who cannot make it, there will be house visiting on saturday. derrick's house is confirmed. anyone houses is available? *hint*hint* do inform mingzhu abt this.

have a blessed chinese new year once again!

What's Coming ---

2005-02-05T09:31:00.000+08:00

Cell Group #2 will be on MONDAY, o7.02 due to the Chinese New Year Holidays.
time and place is the same.

We will also be having our cell group retreat at Jeremy's house, as well as our house visitation on the 3rd of cny - Friday 11.02. We will be either visiting Lydia or Desmond (Tia's brother) on Saturday 12.02.

Please kindly note the changes.

Have a blessed Happy Chinese New Year!

"salt of the earth...light of the world"

2005-02-03T15:41:00.000+08:00

It was in the middle of the greatest sermon in history, the Sermon on the Mount, that Jesus said these famous words. He wanted all of His followers to see themselves as salt and light in how they lived out their lives in the world.

Why did Jesus use these two words - "salt" and "light"?

Let's examine the first - "salt".
why salt? why not chilli or pepper or vinegar? what does salt do?
looking across the spans of time and thiking about the primary uses of salt throughout history, the first thing that comes to mind is that salt makes us thirsty. salt does sth else too. it spices things up. we reach for the salt when something tastes bland to enhance the flavour. finally, salt preserves. in ancient times, salt is use to preserve food frm turning bad.

Salt - stimulates thirst, adds excitement to the taste of things and holds back decay.

Don't you see now why Jesus want us to be the "salt of the earth"? When Christians are in tune with the Holy Spirit, and when they live in their world with a sense of purpose, and with peace and joy, this often creates a spiritual thrist in the people around them. likewise, when we live out our life with great faith, we catch ppl off guard. we wake people up and catch their attention. we put some spice into the lives of those around us.

In order for salt to have the GREATEST impact, it must be potent enough to have an effect. and secondly, for any impact to take place, salt has to get close to whatever it's supposed to affect. in short, salt requires potency and proximity. or, to put it in another light, salt requires High Potency (HP) and Close Proximity (CP).

what am i saying? what am i doing? why am i giving a whole anaylsis and definition of the word salt?

In order to influence people, in order to bring people to Christ, in order to see many souls coming back to Jesus, that is what we need - HP and CP. we must have high potency - a strong enough concentration and knowledge of Christ's influence in our lives that His power and presence will be undeniable to others. and we need to have close proximity. we need to get close to people we're hoping to reach in order to allow His power to have its intended effect.

Without one, the formula to reaching out to non-believers fail. Matthew 5:13 - Jesus said that salt that is without savour is worthless. it has lost its power. it won't create thrist and add spice. it can have the closest proximity, it can be poured everywhere, but it lacks potency. Jesus says its useless.

likewise, industrial-strength and highly flavoured salt has great potency. but if it isnt poured onto anything, it is pointless. Becky Pippert wrote this "unless salt gets poured out of the shaker, it remains a mere table ornament". let us ask ourselves - do we want to be just a mere decoration ornament?

i hear you ask about "light".

Light, all of us know, travels. and there is so many biblical verses to support it. Jesus wants us to travel. He wants us to spread His love. In another words, He wants us to have a Clear Communication (CC). For light to have its intended effect, Jesus says in Matthew 5:15-16, it must not be covered up or obscured in any way. and in order for us to be the powerful influence God desires, we must know the gospel message well and be ready to communicate it concisely and clearly.

It'll be then ridiculous for us to acquire great knowledge of the Word and having very close contact with our friends but not opening our mouth to share the Gospel! maybe we'll say "ok...let me work on living a consistent Christian life and also make effort to have a relationship with my friends. but pls dont ask me to say anthing. i'll just live out my faith in front of them and maybe some of it will begin to rub it off". that is wishful thinking. because just as words without actions are futile, actions without words are devoid of meaning and content. now do you see why Jesus emphasized that we need to be both salt and light?

Now what am i saying after it all? im saying that to win souls for Jesus, to impact the world requires this very simple formula, we have just discussed.

High Potency (HP) + Close Proximity (CP) + Clear Communication (CC) = Maximum Impact (MI)

Lets take a look at the benefits, shall we?
Apart from the already known stuff like escaping the prospect of hell and gaining the promise of heaven, we know that life on earth will be filled with adventure, purpose, fulfillment, growth, spiritual confidence, lasting investments and the honour of becoming agents for the God of the universe! God rejoices too! Luke 5:10 tells us that "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents!" IT's a celestrial celebration! How better could we invest our time and energy than investing it in people, many of whom will thank us for all of eternity in heaven? What other investment will reap so high a reward?

When we become active and strategic in trying to reach people for Christ, we become more contagious in the way we live and express our faith, we find that we benfit, others benefit and even God benfits! Hallelujah!

"You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world".

Adapted from "Becoming a Contagious Christian" by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg

in-retrospection ---> the many faces of terence.

2005-02-03T14:16:00.000+08:00

and for ya cell members who din get the chance to see my card to him...

020205 - CG#1: Areas of Responsibilities

2005-02-03T11:49:00.000+08:00

Praise & Worship:
-As We Gather
-His Love Is
-As Bread That Is Broken
-All Of My Days

Song Presentation:
-Song of Job, by Sebastian Ku (Faith & Derrick)

Sharing:
-Areas of Responsibilities
1. Family
2. School
3. Church

Areas to Pray:
-Mingzhu/Faith/Shufeng: Pray that God will empower them, to grant them with compassion and humility to love their siblings even though the circumstances is so difficult.

-Shufeng/Derrick: Pray that God will break the chain of family illness namely Heart Attack/Cancer (Shufeng) and Diabetes (Derrick). That they will begin to claim the promise that God has for them.

-Mingzhu/Faith: Pray that God will lead them, guide them and reveal to them His plans for them, even in this times of transition. That they will be so sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit.

-Terence: Pray for strength and wisdom as he juggles his time with school, ministry, cell and the RI/RJ prayer grp. Wisdom to lead the RI/RJ grp and patience and care for the members. Pray that he will not be so concern about how man look at him but rather to fix his eyes on God.

-Derrick: Pray that he will remain focus of the tasks at hand. That he will not be easily distracted/discouraged.

-Jeremy/Zihao: Pray that God will protect them even in the army. That they will stand firm and rooted in His word. That they will not be easily shaken or distracted.

020205 - "remember your Creator in the days of your youth"

2005-02-02T21:50:00.000+08:00

"11:9.Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgement. 10.Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. 12:1.Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them'. 6.Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the well broken at the wall." Ecclesiastes 11:9-10, 12:1,6

This is the passage that God spoke to me today. noticed how many times the word "youth" appears. it appears for 4 times, and in 3 consecutive verses - 11:9, 10 and the following chapter 12:1. God emphasizes for us to "Remember [our] Creator" (in the days of our youth). Also, the phrase "Remember your Creator" appears 2 times in less than 6 verses apart. This is indeed important. God wants us to make full use of our youth. He gives us several metaphors - (v6.) "before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the well broken at the wall" all these hints to us that we better treasure and make full use of our youth before it is too late.

1 month have passed. it is feb le. what have we done with our lives in the past month? have we tried to achieve what we have set out to do? have we drawn closer and personal to God? i just wanna encourage all of us to take a moment to think abt this. and if we have not been productive for the past month, i pray that we will cry out to God, we will say God, come and help us Lord...use the remaining 11 months to raise me up. Lord, empower me, so that i'll rise up and to be that light for the world.

west2ers, im very happy to see such unity in our cell grp...but we have remained in our comfort-zone for quite some time le. we need to sit up and pray. we need to see new blood entering the cell. we need to see the cell multiply. we need to see many lives coming back to God. we need to see many lost souls found. let us all arise and pray and intercede for our friends, our loved ones and all the unsaved souls. let us run this race together one. let us walk together in one seeing the wall fall and the world conquered for our Lord Jesus Christ!

terence bdae.

2005-02-01T23:14:00.000+08:00

And here are the pics of terence's bdae:

all of us...

moi praying for terence

moi and terence + the unwanted hand of zengyu=)

d trio - zengyu, terence and moi. i close my eyes!!!!

terence and his 2 cell leaders - jessica and mingzhu.

terence very happily reading our hand made card=).

one of his present - a cookies and cream ice cream!!!

bdae card frm d cell.

happy bdae bro! may the new yr be an exciting one for ya...a year of growth and discovery. a year of many breakthroughs and miracles taking place!

[HCC-W2]

2005-02-01T18:47:00.000+08:00

It's finally here! We finally have our own webby=)
Do feel free to add your entry here. Share about anything - your day, school, army, work, prayer requests etc...let us journey together as one, seeing the wall fall!

HCC-W2
We see our cell group as a peopler-helper and life-giver cell. We want to be a giver and blessing to others, seeing many people giving their lives to Jesus. We will be that channel to the world. Together, as one, we will see the wall fall.

The pillars:
C.E.O - Ming Zhu
Creative Director - Faith
Music Director - Derrick
Finance Executive - Shu Feng
Worship co-ordinator - Terence
Programmes Manager/F&B Executive - Tia
Missionary-Correspondant - Jeremy & Zihao

top: jeremy-zihao-derrick-terence
btm: mingzhu-faith-tia-shufeng