Thanksgiving Video

Wow..really really really thank God for zicai, who has come along & helped me to come out with the thanksgiving video. When i got to know that every region die die must produce a performing item for the coming Thanksgiving service, i was like..err..! Right in the middle of my holiday trip at Hanoi. Haha..the morale of the story is not to assess to internet even while you are on holidays, as whatever information received might affect your mood of enjoyment. Well, i couldn't say the news affected me or shook me, but rather it spinned my thinking cap of what to do. Then suddenly, as if there was a magic wand strike on my head (the fact is God is the one), a thought set in. YES! DO A VIDEO!
Haha..the rest fell into place by approaching different individuals to give thanks to God for all that He has done in their lives. More ideas came in-thank God for healing, salvation, provision etc. And then within a span of one week plus, my dear zicai (Jac, don't get jealous huh?) GOT THE JOB DONE. What a cool guy! Thanks bro. Owe you a meal.

Christmas Thanks

Christmas is round the corner. While everyone is busy shopping, feasting & buying gifts for loved ones & friends, i can't help but be thankful for all that God has done & is still doing in my life.

2008 has been a fruitful year for couple of reasons:

1. Because i am now more closer to God, as my prayer life & personal devotion grew in another notch.
2. Because i am now more attached to my region, though still trying my best to get to know them deeper.
3. Because i have supportive & faithful leaders, who are dedicated to serve God & His people.
4. Because i have made more new friends, especially those younger ones, so that i can contribute into their lives.
5. Because i experienced another level of ministry & serving, not just in terms of skills, but more in the building & nurturing of lives.
6. Because i could travel to more places, as this is what i always love to do. (pastors also must know how to relax themselves)
7. Because i was able to reach the target goal of reading the number of Christian books within this year.

As Christmas is drawing near, remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Nothing & no one can beat the sweet love of Jesus, so let's share His love to others in this festive season. He is the Reason we live, praise God!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39)

May i wish you life, joy & peace, even more abundantly.

Blessed Christmas!

Gorgeous

Thank you God for creating such beautiful, gorgeous & wonderful creations.
May you keep them strong & safe in your hands!

A Happening Day (Photos)

A Happening Day (Story)

On 15 Dec, a group of us decided to go for a break! A break to Malacca for a day outing.
It was a fun filling day, where 3 cars sped at different speeds, but all looked out for each other in close view.

Like the HK promotion, we eat and shop, eat and shop. First to the Nonya restaurant for our lunch, then before we decided to cheong for our seafood dinner, we took a breather at one HK cafe. At the start of the journey, we went with empty hands but in the end, you would know we came back with tons of bags. Clothes, shoes, Christian stuff & FRUITS! Yes, cannot believe right? Well, we are talking about shopping leh..so what's new?

After travelling on the road for almost 3 hours, we decided to pump petrol at the kiosk before heading for our dinner. Then something terrible happened. One of us was robbed right at the kiosk & the robber sped off in a motorbike within split seconds. We learnt that it is a common thing in that area. How come the security is so lapse since this is rampant? I wondered.
Since passports were lost, we have to file for police report. If not, the family would not be able to return back home. The amazing thing is that it took us almost 30 mins to find one police station & it was not even outstanding at all. I really wondered!
By the time we finished everything & crossed over to home immigration, it was almost 11. We were farmished, but who cares. Everyone just wanna get back home asap.

What an episode to end the day outing!
Great lessons to be learnt:

• Never think that such things will not happen to you.
• Be watchful & careful at all times.
• Lock the car door regardless if there is passenger or not.

Most of all, thank God for His protection.

MIA Blogger is Back!

Haha..i supposed many of you might be wondering what happened to this blogger elaine? Raptured? Missing in action? MIA? What is this? Have not been updating her blog for almost one month. Haha..i know you all miss me, but don't you worry. I AM BACK IN ACTION!

It has been a BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, SUPER BUSY month for me, especially mid Nov to mid Dec. Not because of Christmas season, but alot of planning & things to tighten for the coming year. I must say, at times it was too overwhelming that mr headache came & knocked on my head. However, God is my healer & strength that i was able to do what i needed to accomplish within the time frame.

Haha..i supposed many did not know that i had just returned from a short holiday trip to Hanoi Vietnam from 7-11 Dec. Catch it more at my next blog. Gtg..chaos!

Something to Consider

"If you have one more day to live, who do you want to spend the time with? Then what will you do?"

If i am married, i would spend the time with my hubby & kids. I will reminscent past sweet memories with video recordings & photo albums with my loved ones.
If i am single, i would spend the time with my parents. I will thank & appreciate them for bringing me up, though not in the ways of the Lord, but at least i didn't become an indecent elaine.

We Have Fun!

25 saints went to Henderson Waves on 25 Nov.
We have a great time together chilling out, making fun, admiring nature & of course perspiring all our fatty juice out. Nice walk, not too panting especially for elderly people & those that have heart problem. Highly recommended!

I wanna go again..probably bring my godchildren too :)
Well, pictures speak a thousand words. Look at all the happy & smiley faces that it is not hard to tell you WE HAVE FUN!

Those Days

After one week of break in blogging, don't ask me why i didn pen down my thoughts. Guess probably just too lazy to write anything, though there are tons of things raced across my little brainy head.

Well, couple of things happened in the past week:

1. Have been watching this meaningful series on channel 8, clearly showing the struggles & ostacising experiences of AIDS patients. While some have to bear the consequences for a moment of pleasure, others have to face it through someone's mistakes. Yet i believe God loves these people because His love is showing forgiveness & grace. His love is selfless giving. There is still hope in the midst of despair.
2. Have been attending weddings & weddings. Haha..just attended one on sat, but this is a special one because i was the wedding coordinator. Running around like a mad woman with the high heels, making sure every event fell into place. My legs were feeling the strain, at that moment, i really wish my slippers were with me. Haha..probably the moral of the story is to wear flat shoes while coordinating for weddings, then change back to heels when not running around. Haiz..simply no logic if one has to do that. So either wear heels & bear the pain. Or wear flat shoes & look not so formal & nice. Haha..you decide!
3. Have been watching Singapore TV programmes all these years, so when i was watching the 45th Celebrations Gala by Mediacorp yesterday, it brought back lovely & memorable memories. The imitations of past characters made me feel that things in the past seem to be more warming & impressive. Even i prefer the past worship songs than the present ones..i think i am getting old liao :(

Yeah..tomorrow the church staff will be going to Henderson Waves for a day outing. In the past, we used to go to Batam (2005) & island-wide hunting (2006). Let's pray that we will have a good time & of course, rain rain go away! Lord, give us cooling & nice weather!

Lovely People

Lovely people make the world more beautiful & warm.
Thank God for lovely people that make a difference in my life.
Thank you for colouring my life.

Flowers from Josline & Jenny:)

Little Flowers

Little flowers never worry
When the rain begins to fall
Little flowers don't complain
When the rain begins to pour

When the cloud begins to gather
And the storms begin to blow
Little flowers never cry
Though they toss to-and-fro

So let it rain, let it rain, let it pour
Let those troubles keep knocking at my door
Cause if we learn the right from wrong
Then it helps to make us strong
Well i guess they've learnt the secret
They don't fret because they know
If it'll never never rain
It will never never grow

Escape

I was reading this article publicised in UW, pretty interesting for you to consider. Enjoy!

Everyone, no matter what age, at which place, will face pressure & stress. You will feel frustrated, at a loss of what to do next, feel everything is meaningless, wish to cut off from everything & everyone temporarily.

If i were to ask you,
"When you feel tired, just wish to disappear for awhile, what will you do?"

1. Hide in the secluded mountains?
2. Stay at a highly technologized place with full-grasped of information & news?
3. Fly to an island for holidays?
4. Hide at home not seeing anyone?

What is your choice? The analysis is:

1. If you choose 1, too complicated things make you headache. You hope things are done in an orderly manner, less troubles. And you hope not much surprises at work.
2. If you choose 2, you are serious in your work & take responsibility in what is in your hands. However, you find it hard to dedicate your work, so you struggle & tire yourself out due to the tremendous workload.
3. If you choose 3, you look for creative ways to find excitement in life. You open yourself in various scenarios to gain experiences, then bring them back to your work. You do not follow a fixed way of doing things, but rather follow your instrinct.
4. If you choose 4, your home is the best hiding place, where you are close to your loved ones. You follow company's rules & work based on your personal belief system.

My choice is 3!

Teamwork

No ministry is an island.
When 2 parties compete, one loses. When 2 parties work, one completes the other. How true it is, my friends that we complete one another as team mates.
We applaud one another.
We cheer one another.
We motivate one another.
We encourage one another.
We backup one another.

When we win, we win as a team.
When we lose, we learn as a team.
Someone said "Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

5 elements of teamwork:

1. Understand the mission of the organization.


2. Have fun together.


3. Be real to one another.


4. Celebrate the wins.


5. Fight hard behind closed doors.

Final note for you: Don't be independent. Be interdependent.

Are You A Hedgehog?

Jim Collins referenced the ancient Greek parable of "The Fox & the Hedgehog". It goes like this: Day after day, the cunning fox plans his attack on the unsuspecting hedgehog. No matter how creative the fox is, the hedgehog always wins. The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. Each time the fox attacks, the hedgehog simply rolls up into a ball of sharp spikes, creating an impenetrable defense. It's what he does best.

If you could do only one thing in ministry, what would you do?

A Wise Leader

I was reading "IT" by Craig Groeschel.
Wow! IT hit me real hard.
Powerful truth: A wise leader should

• PRAY & fast like crazy while asking God to reignite the vision.
• PULL together the key leaders to help them catch the vision.
• PREACH a series of messages to get the church "jazzed up" about the vision.
• HAVE FAITH in God & start taking steps to see the vision come to pass.
• STOP DOING things that aren't accomplishing the vision or moving the church towards seeing the vision fulfilled.
• REALLOCATE funds in the church budget to accomplish the vision.

Cool quotation: "A God-sized vision unifies a church, attracts resources, motivate volunteers & unites strong leaders."

Being a leader, i seriously, solemnly & sincerely need to reconsider IT.
I don't want to be a wander, but a wonder.
I don't want to be a sinker, but a seeker.
I don't want to be a pessimistic, but a positivity.

I want to do well one thing at a time.
I want to do what God has uniquely positioned me to do.
I want to pursue one calling with divine passion.

Divine Positioning

Ps Steven Teo preached at the second service this morning, using reference text Esther 4:14:

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Few pointers to learn:

1. There is a God-given place, where we will face incredible challenges. We need to align & realign else we will miss God-given opportunities. Challenges allow God to use, enable & bring us to the next tier (Rom 4:17)
2. There is a divine timing, where we will discover His will in the process. The way we response will impact the making of God's will in our lives. The will of God is aligned with His perfect timing and divine opportunity (Jere 29:11).
3. There is sure success, where we will bring glory to His name. We should celebrate success because by doing so, we know that there is victory in God-given place in God's divine timing.

Divine positioning takes the step of faith to do great exploits for God's kingdom. Esther was not threatened by her gender, position & enemies. For such a time as this, she positioned herself & brought deliverance to her people.

How about you? For such a time as this, what has God called you to do & you delayed? You might be the Esther of today :)

Slack

Haven been sleeping for so loooonnnggg. Taking the benefit of an off-day, so woke up at 1130am. Haha..for me usually i wake up at 615am & leave house at 650am for work, as i wanna beat the traffic & also send my bro to office. Even on Saturdays, i will wake up latest at 930am & then cannot sleep liao. Guess it's accumulated bah. Good rest anyway!

Slacking my day at the airport & enjoyed the quietness of the place. Shiok man! Seriously, very proud of our airport - COOL! Then went to Popeyes..yummy..the fries & chicken are better than some of the fast food restaurants. Oops..no offence!

Really enjoyed the moments without interruption, without distraction by doing what i love to do - sit at the viewing gallery & read my book.

Today is the last CLT for this year! I truly appreciate all R3's CL & ACL, really proud with all of you - WELL DONE! TQ for your willingness & commitment to work with me, so as to make the region looks good.

One Litre of Tears

I was introduced to this Jap drama "One Litre of Tears" 2 years ago, but did not watch it till now.

It is based on a true story about a girl named Aya who suffered from an incurable disease, but lived life to the fullest until her death at 25. The original story is based on the diary Aya kept writing until she could no longer hold a pen. The book that later followed entitled “One Litre of Tears" has sold over 1.1 million copies. Aya's only wish was “to live."

By carefully depicting Aya's earnest desire to live as well as the love of her family, friends & lover, the drama delivers her simple but strong message: “Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing."





Today, if you want to cry, MAKE SURE you cry with all your heart. Don't bottle your tears.
Today, if you want to live, MAKE SURE you live your life to the fullest. Don't live your life in waste.

History Maker

Congratulations to Democrat Barack Obama, who became the 44th US President, the first black president, to walk into the White House.

My heart leaped with excitement to see someone making history, just like the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd, praised the president-elect for turning Martin Luther King's dream into a reality & said the world looked to America for leadership. "Forty-five years ago Martin Luther King had a dream of an America where men and women would be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character. Today what America has done is turn that dream into a reality." (extracted from www.channelnewsasia.com)

We can also be the history makers like Martin Luther King & Obama, right where we are, in this hour, at this generation.

Think!

Shiok shiok shiok!
Today i went shopping & spent alot of money (200+ lor).
Haha..i did go shoooppping but didn't shop for clothes, shoes or accessories. I went to campus crusade & "raided" the place. Wow, i see until my eyes wanna pop out liao..so many books lor..nearly see stars. BUT I AM FOCUSED! I'm supposed to go there with a purpose, so i shall fulfill my honourable task. After getting what i needed to purchase, i better siam from that place or else i won't just spend 200+ but tons more. Whew!

Happy happy. Talking about books, i m now reading on this book "IT".
A church has IT because of a rare combination of qualities found in her people:

• Passion for His presence
• A deep craving to reach the lost
• Sincere integrity
• Spirit-filled faith
• Down-to-earth humility
• Brokenness

I started to think about our church. How about ours? Where are we? What is missing? Do we have most of the above qualities? Or none? Or some?

Think!

Turkey

I was watching the tourism show featuring on Turkey. I have heard that it is a very beautiful place. If you love scenary & nature, i bet you would fall in love with this country. Let's thank God for His gorgeous & awesome creations.

My Birthday

Today is the day that the Lord has made me. And i will rejoice & be glad in it because He has so wonderfully & fearfully made elaine chua in His image and likeness on this special day.

Why special?
1. Because the Lord has made me lah..aww!
2. Because it is the first day of the month..diao!
3. Because God is in it..yeah!
4. Because i have many wonderful friends who remember my special day..gez!

Haha..but i m sad to tell you that i can only celebrate my day with some friends after the leaders meeting. Well, nevermind lah..sacrifice! Guess what..during the meeting, one of my good friends gave me a bouquet of lilies. That's very nice of her & i want to tell her that i m touched by her lovely gesture, which made my day sweeter in the midst of "bitterness". Thank you josline :) Erm..i wonder if God "sympatheized" with me that the meeting ended slightly early.
How can i forget to thank my good friends like josline, cj, cheryl, paul, dan & dar, who spent the remaining 3 hours of the dae to celebrate my birthday. Also wanna thank friends who sms me their birthday wishes..i am overwhelmed :)

THANK YOU. ALL OF YOU WHO MADE MY DAY!

MOST OF ALL, I THANK GOD FOR CREATING ME SO THAT I CAN BE SHAPED FROM A ROUGH STONE TO A GLAMOURING DIAMOND!

Funny Quotes

I love to read stories, quotes & jokes. Many of them are interesting, inspiring & innovative. Usually i will try to read these once in a week. Today, i wanna share some funny quotes with you. Be blessed :)

1. Men are like parking spots, the good ones are taken and the free ones are handicapped.
2. Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
3. When in charge, ponder. When in doubt, mumble. When in trouble, delegate.
4. It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys.

Wow, now i enjoy reading this newly purchased book "IT". Share with you some principles once i m done with chapter 3. By the way, have you been reading any book? At least do one before the year comes to an end ok?

"Bored"

After 2 days of GLS, back to office again..back to reality again!
Haha..after gaining so much at the conference, somehow you just feel "bored" to go back to office again. Not just because there are many things to settle, but you just want to enjoy in God's presence & worried that it might be watered down by bags of things around me. Well, the only way is to stay tuned in the Spirit & stuck deep in the Word.

One thing when you attend conferences & seminars, especially a full day one, you bound to eat & drink more since the lunch & tea breaks are close by. Haha..though i controlled myself, yet i still find somehow i need to exercise since i couldn't go gym on monday. Went to play badminton & really "whacked" all the way. Hehe..played at least 5 games in a roll without stopping. Wow, panting like nobody's business (shh..don't let my doc know or else sure kena left right centre). Haha but shiok lah to 流汗. Then as if i have tons & tons of energy, i still went to conduct cell group meeting. You know why? Because the joy of the Lord is my strength. Keep yourself happy in the Lord & you can carry on.

In Love

At the start of the GLS conference, i was praying for renewal & refreshment in the spirit. I told the Lord to warm my heart & captivate me into His presence again. God is truly a prayer answering God. Right at the worship time, i was appalled by His awesome presence. It's not just the songs, but i can really sense the sweetness, loveliness & gentleness of God's presence.

God never stopped there. He went on to minister into my spirit through His anointed servants. Not just the speakers, but also the fantastic & dynamic videos that were screened throughout the conference. I was so moved to tears by one particular video, which is about the Names of God, the Attributes of God & the Works of God. Right there, i was paralysed by the beautiful descriptions of my God that once again i fell in love with Him again. The reflection times were one of the best moments to allow me in responding to what had been ministered.

When was the last time you fell in love? With God? With someone?

Blurrrr

How blur can i be? Am i blur person to many of you?
Wah..only today i realised how blur is elaine chua..ya no joke..elaine chua the super blur queen!

Blurrrr story started:
Date: 27 oct
Time: 6.00pm
Venue: Riverlife church underground carpark between B1&B2

When we reached riverlife in the morning, we climbed staircase up to 1st storey from the carpark. So afer the seminar ended, we took a lift down to B2. Then i was turning left & right, cannot locate my little red car. Haha..i still asked josline where did i park. She pointed towards the direction of B1, & i still replied "cannot be lah..we went quite down." Here paul came & said "eh elaine, your car is there". Happily i walked towards my car using the car keys to unlock it. Lo & behold, no movement. After pressing for couple of times, i thought maybe something wrong with the battery, so used the manual way to unlock it. Pushed & pushed the the key into the hole but it just didn't fit. I called out to josline telling her that something was wrong with the key, she even walked over & tried it. Haha..guess what..another bro saw the scene & asked me from his car window if that is really my car. Erm..it didn't struck me at all! YA YA YA..how blur can i be? THAT IS NOT MY CAR AT ALL! Win liao lor..it looks just like my little baby. Can you imagine i didn't locate my car even after paul drove his car up from B3?

Haiz..i shall not give excuse of my blurness to tiredness. Haha..i just laughed over at myself. Have you been that blur before? Haha..thank God it's not a mega carpark or else till now i still cannot locate it. Well, elaine chua, get real & just laugh over it!

Bananas

While i was bathing, suddenly this song that we used to sing in the youth service in the late 1990s rang in my mind. The song goes like this:

I like bananas

I know that mangos are sweet

I like papayas...PAPAYAS

But nothing can beat that sweet love of God

Here we go Here we go Here we go

Well I was walking round in circles five miles an hour

Trying to find my way back to the Heavenly Father

The world tasted sweet, But then it turned sour

So I asked God in and received His power

Like Arnold Schwartzenegger!

Haha..it's an interesting song that speaks on the sweet love of God.
Heaven & earth will pass away, but His love stands forever & it never fails!
Next time, when you eat of any sweet fruit like bananas, mangoes or papayas, think about God's wondrous love.

Suzuki Swift

Wow as i was driving on the way home, i saw my favourite car, the latest silver Lexus model IS250. So classy, so sporty, so cool! Haha..don't know when will i have the chance to own it? Haha..think i will just dream about it.

Too expensive to own one..BUT i am satisfied with my orange red Suzuki Swift. He has been my faithful companion bringing me to Singapore & Malaysia. Not only that, he is not greedy or hungry for food (petrol), only need to pump once in every 2 weeks. Very thrifty & considerate towards his owner. He is rather easy to handle & doesn't cause much problems whether in parking (body short, no buttock), driving (make minimum sound).

Haha..not too bad right if your the other half is like that hor?
Faithful companion...not greedy...thrifty...considerate...easy to handle...doesn't cause much problems!!

Relaxing

Erm..i guess this week will be a relaxing week since most of the deadlines have been met, most of the tasks have been accomplished. All of these are possible because God is in control & His grace is sufficient at all times.

How time passes. Another two more months before 2008 comes to an end. Considering the 2 years of ministry in pastoring Region 3, i conclude that it has been fruitful, exciting & challenging. I have been blessed with friendships, encouragements, supports & loves. Ahead of me, i have more things to learn from people, circumstances, challenges but they will enrich, deepen, mature my life perspectives & experiences even more.

Haha..i guess because it is a relaxing week, i have more time & space to recall, reflect, review things that had happened. Well, of course there are unhappy moments & discouraging times. I still say it has been a good nine months plus.
Though the world economy is collapsing, my hope in God is strengthened.
Though the share market is dropping, my value in God is eternal.
Though the future is bleak, my future in God is secured.

My friends, RELAX in the midst of crisis because we know our God is sovereign & everything is in His hands. Remember: In crisis, there is opportunity.

Cutie Kittens

Cute pictures to make your day because they make mine :)

One after the Other

Haha..today is a crazy day..really crazy!

Morning went to work in the office (have a good time talking to some people over breakfast).

Midday went to check in hotel room for the couple (end up the bridal team was earlier than me because it was drizzling so couldn't take outdoor photo shots).

Afternoon went to settle stuff for the couple (thank God for the sisters. You gals are great!).

Evening went for the couple's solemnisation & dinner (thank God. Everything went smoothly!). Wait, the day hasn't ended.

After reaching home from one whole day of events, my body was worn out. Yet i couldn't sleep because mind was too active thinking about the sermon. I think i didn't sleep till around 2 plus..Lord you must give me strength tomorrow to face what is ahead.

G.O.D.

Last few days has been busy + busy + busy (seems like there is unending stuff to do..hmm), yet i thank God for His

Guidance - helping me in preparing my sermon so that i can finish today

Order -helping me in arranging things properly so that i can get things done before the weekend

Direction - helping me in focusing what needed to be done so that i can prioritise my family, social life, work & ministry


There is something we need to acknowledge & recognise, that is
Whenever we feel weak, in Him we are made strong.
Whenever we feel tired, in Him we are strengthened.
Whenever we feel stressed, in Him we are given peace.
Whenever we feel fearful, in Him we are assured.
Whenever we feel lost, in Him we are secured.

My friends, God's promises are true.
I love you God, my heavenly Daddy :)

Oh No!

Oh no..i haven had anything in mind for this Sunday's preaching at the youth service. How ah? *Stress! Jialat! Headache! Faint!*

Actually started the preparation 2 weeks ago, but nothing just came in mind even after praying & praying. My dear blog readers, please keep me in prayers or else it will be 你看我，我看你了! Everytime when it comes to preaching, i will struggle like nobody's business (maybe it's not my cup of tea?). I really don't know why & many times i wonder if the rest of the preachers face the same. Haha..suddenly this song rang in my mind:

"Lord i need your grace & mercy.

I need to pray like never before.

I need the power of the Holy Spirit to open heaven's doors.

Spirit touch elaine, stir my heart today.

Revive me Lord with your passion once again.

I want to preach Your word like Jesus preaches His.

Let your reign fall on me."

I'm gonna trust in God. I'm gonna believe the message will come. Amen!

Two Powerful Words: Servant & Encouragement

Wow..today i have a fruitful day because Ps Wilson preached a very good message on the "Paradox of Kingdom Leadership" & i was reminded once again to be a servant leader. God's ways are truly different & unique because they do not align with man's ways.

Servant Leadership
In the account when the mother of James & John asked Jesus to consider her sons by placing them at His right & left, it is interesting to see that Jesus did not accede to her request. Yet He acceded to the request of the thief, who was crucified with Jesus, when he asked the Son of God to remember him. Isn't it puzzling to see that God can reject the mother's request of his closest disciples & agree to the one asked by the thief? And what was actually ringing in the mind of the mother when she saw the Messiah hanging on the tree?

Jesus is not concerned about your position or title (so what if James & John were his closest disciples), it is the motive behind the request. James & John were looking for the seat of power & position by sitting the right & left of Jesus, when He was ushering in the Kingdom in their lifetime. On the other hand, the thief's motive is genuine repentance & forgiveness from the Son of God at the point of his death.
Remember #1: The place of power is determined by God.
Remember #2: Servanthood precedes greatness.

Encouragement
I also have a great time teaching at the ACL class, where we talked about building personal relationships with people around us. We ended the class by writing encouraging cards to 4 of our pastors, thanking & appreciating their impartation to the students. It was shiok to see them participating enthusiastically, with the sole desire of appreciation & heart-felt thanks. More so to see broad smiles on the faces of these pastors when the cards were given to them immediately after the class ended. I was thrilled to see the love of God shed among His people by the simple act of writing. TQ God for giving me that idea :)

Hey you might not know the impact by writing to someone an encouraging note. Look at this anonymous encouragement poem and be blessed.

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will

When the road you're trudging seems all up hill

When the funds are low and the debts are high and you want to smile

But you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit

Rest if you must, but don't you quit

Life is queer with its twists and turns

As every one of us sometimes learns

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out

Don't give up though the pace seems slow

You may succeed with another blow

Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt

And you never can tell how close you are

It may be near when it seems so far

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."

Have a Break

After one week's work & school, where do you usually take a break especially if it's Friday? Erm..some has cell group, so they will only hang out on Saturdays while others start to run wild on Fridays. Whatever it is, TGIF. It's the end of the week, so enjoy your weekend & have fun. Don't hide yourself at home. Go out & have a break. Even if you stay home, make sure you do something that you really love for a good break after a week's hard work. Don't forget to eat a kitkat! (Erm..not sure if it still can be eaten leh)

My week is quite packed - deadlines & budgets, cell groups, teaching lessons not forgetting got to preach at the youth service next week.

I WANNA GO BACK FOR HOLIDAYS!! Haha..anyway it's a great week!

Special Peoples

Yesterday i was leading one of my young adults cell groups & i really have a great time with them. Hearing their roaring laughters, their lame jokes, their cute teasing, their super openness, their 100% genuinity lightened my mood & made me so comfortable. One beautiful thing about these cell members is they will not merely listen to you, but they will probe more with questions. They are teachable, respectful, supportive. I am so proud of them :)

Here are some words about them:
TQ kel for going to Canada so that i can lead this group for a week.
TQ wilson for sharing openly about your "pimple".
TQ arnold for helping me to set up the wireless account at mac.
TQ reuben for confessing your "lateness" & trying hard to change.
TQ fan for giving me those goodies coupons that i can have another cup of coffee.
TQ chan for wanting to "fine" me $1 by not bringing the Bible.
TQ rena for telling me about your dec korea trip that i can get you to buy some stuff.
TQ cel for looking out more free cakes since you won the excellence award.
TQ fish for lending me the bible that i won't kena $1 fine by chan.
TQ ning for hugging me so hard & still calling me elainey.
TQ cai for giving those answers in hokkien & making us laugh.
TQ van for being not around else the cell group would end super late.
TQ sam for studying hard in your quiz & hoping you would do well.

Another One

Another one again? Another Korean movie star committed suicide again? What is happening? Why one after the other? Haiz..sad sad sad! Another one gone, how about another one saved? Or how about another one blessed?

Now the economic situation doesn't look too bright, another one again! Financial crisis like 1997 or even back to 1930s again? Oh no! No one knows.
Well, nothing lasts except God, so another one more chance in this current situation to trust in Him.

Before i sign off, another one encouraging note for you:

God will make a way, where there seems to be no way.

He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.

He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side.

With love & strength for each new day,

He will make a way, he will make a way.

By the roadway in the wilderness He'll lead me

With rivers in the desert will i see

Heaven & earth will fail, but His Word will still remain

He will do something new today.

花是美的

I love flowers, so my eyes were fully satisifed when i saw the beautiful & gorgeous flowers blooming during the Korea holiday trip. My camera kept on shooting at these lovely creations & i believe you will agree with me.

Rescuer

Within a month, Korea entertainment circle lost 3 Korean actors & actresses, who had chosen the path of suicide. It is scary to think that someone who used to be glamorous outwardly, can be going through rough patches inwardly. Imagine the amounts of stress, fears, hopelessness & desperation they must have faced before walking into the road of self-destruction. Sometimes one really wonders if that is the ultimate way for these people.

Fame come & go, isn't that goes the same for problems & troubles? If they come & go, then shouldn't it be worthwhile to tarry a little longer to win the battle? Maybe sometimes the battle is really hard that the issues cannot be ironed out. Maybe they are too insurmountable & overwhelming? Maybe suicide is the easy way out? Or maybe ..one chinese saying says it well "笑里藏刀". You won't know someone's pain behind the smiles.

How about being a Christian? How should we react when we hear such saddening news?
In Him we have our being, so we should treasure the life God has given to us. Times may be tough, but lean on the everlasting arms of God where there is safety & security. Tough times never last but tough people do, so be hopeful that they will come & go. Stand in the gap & pray. Also be sensitive & alert to people around you. There may be hurts & struggles one faces behind the smiles. When you turn other's mourning into dancing, other's tears into joy under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, you have rescued a soul.
Aim to be someone like that, then your life will be more meaningful & fulfilling.
Lord, help me to be a rescuer of souls.

TODAY

After gyming, i picked up TODAY afternoon edition & started reading while waiting for the train. Came across one interesting article that is entitled as "Teen Sex and The 'P' Factor" & would like to share its thoughts with you.
If you are a parent who has growing up kids,
If you are going-to-be a parent,
If you are newly-wed,
If you are dating someone for marriage,
If you are a working adult,
If you are a teenager,
These are good stuffs & tips to inculcate the right set of values into your children.

Quoted from the report by Chitra Rajaram:

Statistics:
Among youngsters aged between 15 to 24, the incidence of sexually-transmitted infections (STI) among young people in Singapore has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. The incidence of STI was 231 per 100,000 in 1998, but now it is 418 per 100,000 last year.

Exposure:
In the 1970s, many grew up on a weekly dose of "The Cosby Show" & "The Waltons" where they were good, wholesome family soap dramas with strong value systems. The closest sex scenes were chaste kisses & holding of hands. Today, our teenagers are overdosed with "90210, Gossip Girls, The OC" with the overarching theme of teens & sex.

Television, movies, videos, music & the internet bring a new of people into the teenager's lives. Once they pick up everything - fashion, attitudes, expressions & behaviour trends - they become cool among their own social circles & casual sexual relations.

Solutions:
Parental intervention where more time is spent between parents & children over dinner tables (a powerful platform which we can get the right values across to our teens) & family activities. Parents should make a conscious effort to spend time with their children, so that they have lesser time for external bombardment.

Society responsibility where we have to go back to basics & wean our teens away from the values they are getting from other sources. Make the extra effort for them to spend that time with us.


Be ready to initiate
Be ready to sacrifice &
Be ready to go the extra-mile
To spend time with people you love so that lasting bonds can be fostered & stronger values can be transmitted.

No Man is an Island

Relationships with people are important & they are a part of our lives.
Without relationships, life would be meaningless & purposeless. That's why we have relationship with God, relationship with our parents & siblings, relationship with friends, classmates & colleagues, relationship with church & cell members, relationship with your life partner, relationship with your children, relationship with your grandchildren. Many different kinds of relationships all narrow down to one truth: No man is an island!

Build as many relationships as possible. Good, positive, edifying ones. How sweet it is when the Lord is the Lord of them, they will be your friends forever.

Introduce some of my lovely friends here:

Korea-A Beautiful Country

Korea is a nice country to consider going for holiday trips.

Beautiful scenaries..friendly Koreans..yummy food (especially those who love kimchi, squid)..trendy clothes..stylish accessories..clean toilets.

Share with you some pictures. Pleasure viewing:)