Sunday, 26 December 2010

A Heart, Renewed

A Heart, Renewed

by Alice Weng Yin Chan on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 7:24pm on FB

It has been such a long long time since I feel so "hot" serving Him. Few months ago a sister in Church asked me whether I want to teach tambourine, and I thought, why not?; since I have the knowledge and doing nothing about it, might as well share it out.

I still remember that I do not really planned my teaching materials and most of the time, I just played by ear. There was a week I was feeling very tired due to insufficient sleep and I just do not know what to teach the children. Coincidentally there was an altar call and I went out for prayer. I was touched by God and was renewed for the rest of the day.

I always wonder whether this really worth the effort. That week itself, having no idea what to teach, I decided to have a mini-presentation for the children. I gave them a song, and asked them to think what step they want to put to that song. I was encouraged after that session, because they could remember the steps and although there were some imperfections, it was acceptable.

I try to use a different approach to teach the children as I noticed that many had a different perception on the instrument. To many, it is just another musical instrument. To me, it is an instrument to praise God, and the tambouriners are the front liners.

In September, I asked the children if they want to perform for Christmas and their feedback was positive. On one hand, I was happy because of their passion; on the other, this would mean more work for myself.

To cut the long story short, I was happy to see the children on stage, because they have shown me their effort and commitment. I was taken by surprise myself when they could continue the dance although there was technical problem to the sound system. This really gave me a big encouragement, because they are not relying on the music to dance; and this had also proven that they know what should be their focus.

I hope the children will continue to serve the Lord with the right attitude, and that was my condition when I chose the performers. I have also learnt to be more flexible with the children, and to set my expectation slightly lower. A sister told me to enjoy and not to be too hard on the children, because after all, they are children. A brother told me "a little messy" is actually enjoyable because the adults would find them "cute".

I thank God for the opportunity given, and although it was tiring, and sometimes tedious and frustrating, it was indeed an enjoyable process. There was some technical problems to my slide show today, but in the end, everything turned out to be fine.

Jesus, I thank You for Your Wisdom, Guidance and Strength; and I thank You because You have reminded me to work out on the inspiration. I know that some of the children's father do not attend Church, and I took the opportunity to get the children to draw an invitation card to their parents. I am glad to see some of the fathers today. At least some seeds are being sprinkled on them.

Jesus is amazing, Amen!
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Monday, 20 December 2010

Grateful [III]

Yesterday during the children worship session, the song "Path of Grace" was sung. I was close to tears because I feel that God has been very good to me.

When I was six [6] years old I told my mom I wanted to learn ballet. She brought me to the ballet school, only to be told that I was not accepted because the "oldest" age they accept was three [3] years old. I went back with disappointment because I thought I like dancing.

Sometimes God is amazing, He took away one option and gave us a better option. At nine [9] years old I told my mom I wanted to learn piano, and ta-daa, I began my first piano lesson at the age of nine [9]. I thought, given the condition of our family back then, if I learnt ballet, I would not have the opportunity to learn piano. God is good, Amen?

Also at the age of nine [9] I had the opportunity to learn dancing at Church, and that was my very first performance on stage. From then on, I started to serve God with performances. At the age of twelve [12] our Mrs Pastor saw a need for tambourine and the very few youths back then were chosen to be the first batch. At that time I thought, "God is so good to me! He knows I like dancing and although I had no opportunity to learn ballet, tambourine also not bad!"

From then on, I danced tambourine till 1st January 2006, and that was my last day dancing at GTPJ.

I love the tambourine because it is a way for me to build a relationship with God. Few months ago when a Sister asked me whether I am interested to teach tambourine, I said yes and just trust God to lead me through.

My aim was to change the people's perception on the instrument. Many think that it is just another musical instrument to praise God, but to me tambourine is an instrument used during war and tambouriners are the frontliners. The worship team leader is the General leading the team to war.

It is so amazing to see that things just come in place at the right time. For example, I did not purposely choose the colours of the ribbon but it was such a coincidence that the meaning of the colours just match at the right place:-

White - Purity (Jesus)
Red - Blood of Jesus
Silver Lining - Redemption
Purple - Kingship, Royalty
Gold Lining - Glory to God


圣诞节,是庆祝主耶稣基督的诞生.他来到这个世界,为要担当我们的罪,甘心被人钉在十字架上,舍命流血.
  
主耶稣是无罪 的,他的宝血中洗去我们一切的罪,把我们从罪救赎出来.

他死后,被人埋葬,就在死后第三天,神叫他从死里复活了. 耶稣显现四十天后,就升天,坐在神的右边.

他就是我们的万王之王,万主之主!

我们将一切的荣耀都归给神!

The performance is finally over but the mission still remains. I always remind the kids that they are serving God and He should be their only focus. I hope they will continue to serve Jesus with all their hearts, all their mind and all their soul. I pray that God will continue to give me His wisdom, guidance and strength because I am to be a good example to my students.

It is indeed a blessing to see that they are growing up in Christ. No words can describe how grateful I am. I do not want people to say how good the performance is, I want them to see that tambourine is not an ordinary musical instrument to serve God.

I told my students to take good care of their tambourine because it is an instrument mentioned in the Bible, and I am happy that they take my words.

God should be our focus at all times and we should not drift from it. I give all glory to Jesus because without Him, I am nothing and I would have no idea what to do with the students.

Thank You Jesus. Please be my only satisfaction!

A Trip To Hell by Pastor Philip Mantofa

~A trip to hell by Pastor Philip Mantofa

This is a True story wrote by Pastor Philip Mantofa. Please spend sometime to read through this article: 
A TRIP TO HELL

Dear Friend,

January 1st, 2000, 5 am in the morning, I was in the large desert, dry and infertile. The wind was so heavy and weather was so hot. I saw a lot of weird and disgusting animals that I've never seen before in my life. I walked step by step through the desert till I found my self in a gloomy place.I had strange feeling that time and I could feel the pain spread to all of my bones. The situation was silent and dark. No wind blew. Dark cloud appeared surround that place.I could not describe it in better words� because there was only horrified of hell!A huge gate appeared in front of me. I felt nervous and worried but I tried to open that gate anxiously. It was not difficult to open it. I opened it and shocked because there was another gate bigger than the first one. It was written on top of that gate �VALLEY OF TORTURE�.

There was a doubt in my heart implicitly, whether I should continue this trip or not. But something that powerful inside of me made me to go on. My heart beat was loud as I could hear it my self while I opened the next gate and�Oh my God!... I could not believe�I could not believe what I saw�but it was real.

There was a long dark path in front of me. I stood in the side of the gate watching and predicting how large and long that path was but I could not see it clearly. I saw a vogue rise up in the end of that path. I thought it was terrible ocean of fire!

Along way I walked in that dark path, I saw many people were tortured by creatures wearing black clothes and having horns in their heads. I saw they were so cruel in torturing everyone there before they were put into the fire ocean at the end of the path. I heard affecting tears and pain mix up with dirty laugh sounds in that dirty place.

At the edge of the path, there was a young woman whose hands were bound at a piece of wood and she was surrounded by a lot of horned creatures who made fun of her and laugh at her. I saw her face was pail and white filled by fear. A strange weapon that I have never seen before was swinging in front of her face. I did not know exactly what it was but it was like a fork with a sharp cutting edge in the top of it. That weapon was carried by one of the horned devils which surrounded that woman. I heard the devils were threatening that poor frightened woman, �Lie!... Common, lie!!!�I saw her become more frightened. She was completely fell into the power of that horned devils so that she obeyed them whatever they want. That woman answered,� Yes, yes, I lied! I lied!�All of the devils were laugh, seems that they were satisfied with the young woman�s answer. I though after that woman did everything that they want, they will be released her. But what happened next was really made me shock! The devil stabbed that horrible thing into her face! The fresh blood squirted from her face! It was so horrifying! Her face did not have a shape anymore and her cried of pain so heartbreaking!
�Stop! Stop it!� I yelled.

But it strange, they could not heard my voice; even more my appearance seemed invisible for them! I felt disgusted for everything that I saw, but there were a lot of other views that surprise me and made me shock!

Then, I saw a man whose hair was burnt, only rotten skull remain. There were unburnable maggots come out from his skull cavity. He was lying and carrying from the end of the path not far from fire, I thought that they tortured him for a long time. His body was burning and his flesh was melting because he was lying near the hottest fire ever!

The devils who carried him were laughing at him. There was nothing he could do besides surrender him self to them. He was dying but he could not die. He looked like having terrible pain, seemed he wanted to say something for mercy. One of those devils said,� Common, masturbate! Masturbate!!� That man shaking answered, �Yes, I masturbate! I masturbate! Aaaahhhhh!� He was screaming and a lot of maggots come out from all of his body� so many!! I felt disgusted when I saw it, even when I heard his screaming �so horrible�!!!

There were more screaming and commanding that I heard. �Common, drink! Drink! Gambling! Deceive!� and those devils were laughing and enjoying the moaning of pain and tears, as they were listening wonderful music. I was afraid to walk in through that path. I only saw as far as I could and I was sure there were more kind of tortures at that place which is more appropriate to be called barracks of torture.

I found a view that made me really shock, there were many righteous and religion people there!! I did not believe it but I did not have power to deny all that I saw. I heard all their screaming when they were being tortured. They cried out for God, �God, help me! God, do I always be together with You? You tough us at our towns and I served You Lord!

They were begging to God but salvation had already close for them, till I heard they abused Him! My heart was breaking when I saw it! After that I was in the top of the horrible situation� I could not do that �journey� anymore. And I believed if I continued this journey, I will have been dead! �God� I cried �Please bring me out from here! Please God�� All of these were a vision, a horrible vision �vision of Hell! I was so happy when I found out that I was at home, even though after that I got ill for couple days. All of my bones and pivots were hurt; I suffered stomach disorder and got shock day by day.

I prayed to God and wondered what it�s all about, what He wants through my experience. God gave me understanding and deep burden for people around me. God wants me to tell what have been happened and will be happened to everyone. A lot of them are having fun, eating, drinking, having party, free sex, drugs and others seems that they can enjoy them forever. They do not realize that hell and the horned devils are waiting for them. They are the next victims.

I know that God really loves you. This �vision� that is showed to me proof that He still gives you a chance to repent.

My dear friend, I have to write this article to warn you. I do not want you having the same experiences as those people there. Truly, I love you all and I hope you will meditate all of these and repent. Accept Jesus Christ as your savior personally and start a new life and do not come out from the road that Jesus has decided to us.
 
God Bless You.Your friend, Philip Mantofa.

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

The Ship [V]

It has been such a long time since Janice met up with Jeff until one day, Jeff called Janice up and asked her out for lunch. Janice was taken by surprise but accepted the invitation.

Usually Janice would take the initiative to start a conversation, but that day Janice just kept quiet and strangely enough, Jeff talked most of the time. Janice found out that there was something different about Jeff and yet, she was afraid to ask him why.

Friendship, can be like a roller coaster. Sometimes it is exciting, sometimes it is mundane, sometimes it is mysterious ~ it can be anything.

On the way home, Janice was thinking, what if...

Monday, 6 December 2010

Touched [II]

I am very happy to see that my students take their "ministry" seriously. I am glad to see that they enjoy the tambourine. I always put emphasis on their attitude and hope that they will serve God with the right attitude.

When I saw them yesterday, dancing without me guiding them, I Praise the Lord because I could see that this "ministry" bears some fruit. I pray hard that these students will continue to love God with all their heart, all their mind, and all their soul.

I stressed on "attitude" since the first day of class and I am happy to see that they understood what I want. However, it is not me, because it is God who is OUR focus at the end of the day.

18th and 19th December, 2010 will be coming soon! Girls, let's shine for Jesus =)

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Hello! It's DECEMBER =)

Hi All,

It is December already!! In another 30 days we will be ending our year 2010 and going to enter year 2011!! Are you excited about it? How are we going to prepare for next year?

This year I am so lost in my own wonderland. Yes, I had no idea which career path to take, which firm to join, which area to practise in, et cetera.

Even now, I am still wondering, what should my resolutions for year 2011 be?

I cannot believe it that I will be entering year 2011 soon. I cannot believe it that I took up a responsibility to prepare my students for the Christmas performance. I cannot believe it that I agreed to take up another responsibility in respect of a friend's event. I cannot believe it that I have continued to stay in practice. I cannot believe it that I agreed to become an assistant to my leader. I cannot believe it that I have agreed to take up some responsibility for the Christmas event.

I just cannot believe it that I am wearing so many hats at one time.

Oh Lord, Your grace is sufficient for us. I pray hard for Your wisdom and strength everyday. Please renew me. I need You, Lord; for You alone are able to satisfy me. Jesus, I cast myself unto You. In Jesus' precious name, I pray, Amen.

So, let's go through the rest of the year with JOY =)

God bless!!

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

STRESSED = DESSERTS

Borrowing the idea from my fellow blogger/Brother-in-Christ, Andrew TTY; he told us about this sometime back in 2008. Indeed, stressed = desserts :-)

From last week to this week I could feel the stress at work, at Church, and even at home. Life is never juicy, but we can choose to face it from a positive point of view.

I had a bad headache yesterday and could not concentrate at all, and I just need to go home early to have a good rest. Today, I feel much better because I had nine (9) hours of sleep last night =)

How could stressed = desserts? Each morning I cast my day unto Him and pray that He would lead me through in everything. From being really stressed, we could learn to cast all our burdens and anxieties unto Him.

I may be repeating these words again and again; this is because this is a never ending lesson to be learnt by all of us. Sometimes we tend to forget that we have a BIG GOD and would rather take things into our own hands. Perhaps we felt that we are smart enough to settle everything on our own.

However, this is not so. There are a lot of things that are not within our control. We may encounter some mishaps at every stage of life. I remember telling a friend that life is like a journey on the bus. At this station, I believe I would be able to learn things that God wants me to learn; things that I have never learnt before.

Working at this place is somehow more stressful than my previous firms. From workload, to colleagues, to time management et cetera. However, I trust Him that He would lead me through. Jesus, I love you! Please be my only satisfaction!!

On Saturday night, I could not sleep well, probably due to the coffee I took at about 15:00 (no more coffees after 14:00 :p). Since I could not sleep, I spent some time praying and I thank God for His presence which fell on me. Although I was very tired on Sunday, but I could feel the joy in me.

Christmas is coming soon, and this is the busiest moment for myself; preparations after preparations that need to be observed from time to time. I have no idea how to cope, but I trust that I am not alone, for God Himself promised to us that He would never leave us alone ~ IMMANUEL :)

I may sound unrealistic, because I seem to be portraying something that cannot be seen, but isn't that faith? Faith is something not physical, yet we believe its existence!

Yes! let's have faith in Him and enjoy the DESSERTS =)

Thursday, 25 November 2010

My First Time

Whilst my comrades are busy working, I chose to post a blog; probably because I have lost my concentration and need a break, and instead of disturbing my fellow comrades, I chose the blog to share my feelings with.

For the first time in my entire working life, I stayed until 02:00 this "morning" to complete a task given to us. In the past, the latest I stayed was about 00:++, and that was at the request of a partner in the firm. This time, I did it quite willingly.

It has been such a long long time since I started to feel motivated to work in such a manner. I remember in the past, no matter how trivial a task was, I would try my 110% best to complete it. However, as time goes by, my battery was getting lower and lower each day.

Perhaps that was due to the first firm I chose to enter, which left me with negative thoughts more than the positive ones. I must say, my confidence and self esteem dropped during the tenure in that firm. In my second firm, I was left to wander about the industry; having no focus in any of the areas, I finally decided to move on after two (2) years.

As for now, I have started to gain some interest in conveyancing practice. I remembered that I dislike this area, because it is rather mundane. Perhaps I have learnt to take ownership of the files handled by me. I have learnt to appreciate the nature of the whole practice. My colleague told me this, "We are helping others to solve their problems everday"; and my former employer said, "We are, in a way, helping those who are in need. In each person's life, probably they own one and only house, and we are facilitating them to acquire their "dream" house."

All this while, I thought of being a lawyer because I want to help those who are in need, especially women and children, because I feel that a lot of them are not aware of their rights. However, my choice to enter a conveyancing firm as a stepping stone, has changed my perspective on the profession all together. Hence, I was rather demotivated to become a lawyer.

I believe that God has His reasons for allowing me choose this profession when I was 13. Although I am still searching for the purpose, I believe that following His path is the way to go. We do our best in whatever position we are at, and in whatever circumstances, and let God do the rest.

Each day I come to office, although those lazy muscles are ringing in my body, I found that it is quite interesting to figure out what is the next step to take. In conveyancing practice, time is of the essence, and I learned to appreciate time and responsibility more and more, day after day.

As for communications, I am still learning to communicate with my fellow comrades, and my fellow colleagues. I have always been a quiet person, and seldom like to express myself verbally, but I know I need to take up the challenge to communicate with all the people, as we know quite clearly, no man is an island. Also, it can be quite challenging as well to learn to use different ways to communicate with different people, because we are all unique in our own way.

I have a comrade, who commented that I am "scary" because I asked personal questions. Perhaps I do not know how to find a better topic to talk about, or else, that was because I chose to be warm at the very initial stage. Friends who know me, will know me, and accept me as who I am :)

Oops, I have side tracked a little :p I left my office at 23:00 on Tuesday, and 02:00 on Wednesday; and today is Thursday, will I leave at 05:00? :p

Although the task given is rather mundane, it is challenging; because I need to crack my brain to think of words, words and words. To be frank, my exposure on vocabulary is rather limited; nonetheless, I would try my very best to complete this as soon as possible, so that I could go home earlier and SLEEP =)

All right, I guess that is all for now. It is 20:20 now; a good time to start work :)

God bless!!

Sunday, 14 November 2010

Cautious

I have always been quite "open" and tend to tell people about myself. At times I would feel that I am immature, because I hold nothing back from others. Hm, call me naive? call me straight? call me honest? My mom has always been advising me to keep things to myself so that I would not expose myself to vulnerability.

A friend once told me that he likes to keep mum about a lot of things. He said that this is a step taken to protect himself. Therefore, a lot of times he would not give a direct answer to everything.

Another friend said that I am "scary" because I asked "personal" questions at the very initial stage of friendship. Hm, I thought I was just being friendly *confused*.

I remember few years ago my friend advised me to be more reserved instead of being too open. She is a good friend of mine and when I moved on to another company she advised me not tell people everything about myself.

 To a certain extent, I am "open" about myself and I do not draw a line with new acquaintances. I would answer their questions without thinking much into it. I would not also be suspicious about the new friends that I make with. In short, I just had one conclusion on my mind ~ all people are good, therefore we do not need to be cautious.

Is that true? There are a lot of people in this world and each person carries different personality. Some people are naive, some are straightforward, some are tricky, some are funny, some are serious, some are humorous, some are secretive, some are easy-going, some are laid back, some are stubborn et cetera.

Do we need to be cautious with everyone whom we meet? I just thought, let's be ourselves. If I am naive, straightforward and warm, what should stop me from being so? Am I considered as immature if I have the tendency to "blah" about everything to everyone I meet?

Of course, I do not tell everyone about everything, and I do choose what type of information I am willing to share out. If we feel comfortable sharing, then just share it out and vice versa. At work, sometimes I would go to my colleague's room and talk talk talk. Well, that is my way to de-stress, am not sure about her, but would I be considered as immature by doing so? Hm, inconsiderate perhaps, as I was "disturbing" her with her work.

Anyhow, I do hope that I would control my tongue and be more cautious because we never know who is our friend, and who is our enemy. It would be good to be neutral and indifferent about everything, so that we are not being harmed, and we are not harming anyone as well.

Sunday, 7 November 2010

I am Tired

I did not attend Church last week and was wondering if my students practised tambourine at home. The first session I had with them, I asked them to do some artwork. Thereafter we started the practice. I was disappointed with them as they could not remember the steps I taught them and they have been learning for about two (2) months now. I really have no idea how to proceed because I still have half way to go.

Nonetheless there is a voice in me to have faith in them. I believe they are able to do it. I pray that God is with us each time we practise. Lord, please lead me through. I know I am feeling tired now. I pray for Your wisdom and strength. I cannot do the impossible, but I believe that You can do the impossible.

Jesus, You love the children. I trust them in Your hands. Please lead us so that we are able to work together as a team to make this performance possible.

In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

Monday, 25 October 2010

Finally Decided

I have started searching for job since 15th day of September 2010, and finally I have found a job on 15th day of October 2010. After a month, finally I have decided to give myself another chance to continue in practice.

Just a few minutes after I accepted the offer to work at a legal firm, I got a call from a construction firm, calling me up for second interview. At that time, I was at crossroad once again, because both were opportunities to me. I decided to attend the second interview and they made an offer to me as well.

I was to start work on 18th day of October 2010, and finally decided to sign the Letter of Appointment after lunch time; I spent half day to observe the environment.

Now that I am here, it is a totally different environment; the people here are friendly and I do have sense of belonging. I hope that this would persist as long as I am here. I give myself three (3) years to be in practice and see how it goes thereafter.

Jesus, be my only satisfaction. You have granted me this job and I pray that You would lead me through. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

Tuesday, 12 October 2010

My Lovely Sister [II]

Cerlyn Yee Zing Zing =)
Sometimes when inspiration comes, it is difficult for us to stop. Somehow there are a lot of feelings in me right now. As I was burning the CDs for the children, checking out on FB, chatting with friend, surfing the net for costumes and dance steps, a lot of things were running in my mind.

From family, to Church, to tambourine, to children, to friends, et cetera. For now, I would like to share about this good Sister of mine.

It was in August 2006, if I remember correctly. I was wearing a red T-shirt and was asked to join the Youth Sunday Service downstairs. I was very reluctant to do so, because I have been joining the Church for few months, yet no one approached me. So, I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Nonetheless I had no choice because if I were to go upstairs, I would be asked to go down again.

I remember my own response when I entered the Chapel. I was wearing RED, I have black hair although I am fair, yet I was invisible. Yes, that was my reaction, I was so surprised that I was not noticed by the people inside because back in my former Church, we we taught to be sensitive to new comers.

I could not remember how, but I was seated next to HER and she was one of my very first friend I made in this Church. Despite the "cool" welcome at the start, I felt warm because of her :) Please allow me to introduce to you, Cerlyn Yee Zing Zing =)

I remember after the service, she introduced me to her sister and other Sisters-in-Christ. We also had some initial conversations.

Whilst I was talking to a Brother-in-Christ, another one of the very first persons I knew in this Church, she took me a drink. I have a habit of fasting for breakfast on Sunday morning but I took the tea anyway because that was a very thoughtful act of her :)

From then on, I have made a new friend in this Church together with another Sister, Kit. If I remember correctly, I knew Kit before I knew Cerlyn. Anyway, most important is we are good friends now :)

I remember that I would send forwarded SMS to the three [3] people I know in this Church during festive seasons, as I have the habit of doing so to people whom I know and I would feel excited when I get their replies, because that would imply that they do remember me :)

She encouraged me to join their activities, but I was always hesitant to join. Nevertheless, she did not give up on me. In August 2008, an announcement to Charis Home was made and I had the urge to join this event. I was still hesitant and shared with Kit about my desire to join, and she advised me to ask Cerlyn along.

Finally one day I asked her on MSN whether she was going for the event, and what she said touched me, "If you want to go, I can accompany you". Indeed, she accompanied me to the event.

As the venue was at Seri Petaling, so we needed to depart from different places because she stayed at Seri Petaling. I was a bit worried, because an unknown Brother called me and told me about the arrangement and I had to go there by myself. At the very last minute, I did intend to withdraw my intention to attend but I could not do so, as I knew she was there because of me :)

Well, to my amaze, I met another new friend in the Gospel Van ~ LOL, I must have been a very friendly person :p The story about this Sister might be posted in due course, depending on availability of time, and of course, INSPIRATIONS :p

I did enjoy the event and I remembered that from that day onwards, I started to join their Youth Fellowship [YF], and again, she had volunteered to accompany me to YF.

In her, I see love and sincerity. I do cherish our friendship and I thank God for her. I guess without her willingness to accompany me back then, I would not be at where I am now. I am grateful to God for such a sweet friend like her =)

There was a moment of silence between us but that did not stop us from taking the initiative to catch up with each other's lives.

To Cerlyn, I wish to thank you for your love and patience. I hope that we can continue to enjoy the journey together in God's presence. I love you =)

She has always been a rational and wise person. I like to get her advice in a lot of aspects, and I know that she can be trusted. Sometimes I do feel guilty because I have not done enough for her. I hope that I will improve myself as a friend from time to time.

Okay, it is now 23:40. I planned to write till 23:30, and I guess I got what I wished for, because I am lack of inspirations now :p After one long day, my mind is tired *yawning*

Good night and God bless!
Immanuel, Shalom and Agape ^ ^

Inspirations

As I was surfing the net yesterday I received a call from my tambourine students. They have been absent for about a month now, because their father disallowed them to attend Church. When I first got to know about it, I felt that it was such a pity because they have the potential to serve God with the tambourine.

What surprised me was, they sent me a letter, together with their contact particulars and asked for mine. When I have given them mine, they called me to chat. Yesterday was the second time I received their call. I was happy to talk to them despite having no idea what to talk about. I was happy that they remembered me even though they are sitting for examination now.

As I was taking my shower this evening, an inspiration came to my mind. I have no idea if this plan would work out but I would like to give it a try. It may not be easy to implement, and I am not sure if the outcome is positive. Actions are always better than words; actions are more powerful. Therefore I would definitely want to include God in this Project.

As I was having that inspiration, I believed that it came from God. I pray hard to God that this Project will be successful, because He makes it workable.

I was browsing through FB a moment ago and a friend posted this:

"Inspiration plus perspiration combine to produce success"

What a coincidence! Lord, I cast this Project unto You. Please give me the wisdom to have this done for You. May Your will be done! In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

365 DAYS OF LOVE: DAY 284 ~ THE 5 PILLARS OF MANHOOD (HOW MEN SHOULD LOVE & RESPECT WOMEN) ~ by Jaeson Ma


I saw this, I feel that I really need to share this out =)

WE NEED MEN OF GOD WHO WILL LOVE & RESPECT WOMEN OF FAITH...NEXT STOP "MANHOOD"

I spent the day with a group of men in our house church learning what it takes to be a man of God when it comes to loving and respecting women. In our day an age most men are not men, they are boys. Most guys still want to marry their mom, have a women serve and take care of them, are not willing to take initiative or commit in a relationship, most men are still living in fear, not pursuing their callings for settling for “safe” because its easy. This is sad, upsetting and the standard must change.

Women don’t want to marry boys, they want to marry men. Women don’t want boys they have to put up with, clean up after and take care of, they want to be lead, pursued and taken on an exciting life adventure. If you go to most of the churches in the Western world today, you will find that there are very few spiritual men, instead there are many spiritual women. It’s disappointing, but I hear it from women of faith all the time, “Pastor Jaeson, where are the godly men?”

Today, a good brother and leader in our GBS community Daniel Ra explained what God showed him to be the “5 Pillars of Manhood” in how men must love, respect and serve women. It was enlightening and reinforcing from what I have been teaching men for years when it comes to pursuing a woman of God… of course none of us are perfect, we all have our mistakes, but we must each strive to be better and greater than what we were before yesterday, everyday making an effort to be more like God, to be just like Jesus, to be a man of faith and honor.

The 5 Pillars of Manhood…

1. Lead - A man must be a leader in a relationship, in a marriage, in a family. There are no excuses. A woman doesn’t want to make the decisions for her man, she wants her man to lead in the relationship. A man must take initiative. A man of God is leader, not a follower, a servant, not a slave, a hero not a coward. A man of God knows God and therefore knows himself. He should be the leader spiritually first, emotionally, mentally and physically he should set the standard for others to follow.

2. Protect - A real man of God will protect his partner. That means he is willing to lay down his very own life, needs and wants for the protection of the one he loves. Every decision he makes when it comes to a relationship has her protection in mind. A woman needs to feel secure, that she is protected and safe with her man. She doesn’t need to second guess, wonder if she will be okay, or have her heart and mind played with. A real man of God will not only protect his woman physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He always has the highest good in his mind for her safety, well being and wholeness. This is for the Christian guys out there, don’t emotionally rape a sister, play with her heart and tell her you are just her brother or friend. That is BS. Man up. You either pursue a woman of God because she is God’s precious creation, or you don’t try touching it at all, or play with their hearts emotionally, unless you are willing to be up front and clear with your intentions and the direction of the relationship from the start. Emotional rape is as painful to a woman as physical rape. Women are emotional beings and their hearts are not to be played with. Protect your sisters heart.

3. Provide – A real man of God will do whatever it takes to provide for his significant other. That means monetarily in finances, in basic needs and as well as what she desires. When a man asks a father for his daughter in marriage, the father will not ask, “How are you doing spiritually first?” No, the first thing the father will ask is, “How will you provide for my daughter?” Because part of being and becoming a man is providing for others, especially your wife and children. If a man can’t provide, he isn’t a man. God gave us hands and we must put our hands to work, no excuses to be lazy, God made us to rule the earth. Women are not be treated as toys, trophies or a luxury item, women are God’s highest creation, the very image of God.

I tell men all the time, “Treat your woman like a queen and you will live like a king.” Don’t be cheap brothers, you need to go all out when it comes to pursuing a woman. This is not a one time thing, but a continual practice. Women were created for beauty. They were created beautiful, to feel beautiful to be treated beautiful. You don’t handle a rose without care, it is the same with a woman of God, you treat her with the utmost care, honor and respect. Practically, that means you don’t take a woman to Denny’s on a first date, you take her to a place that hurts your wallet, but it’s worth it because she is worthy.

Also, men must also provide for women emotionally. When a women asks you, “How are you doing?” She is really asking, “How are you being?” Meaning, what are you feeling, thinking, seeing, being about at the moment. To love a women we must provide at every level – basic needs all the way to providing for them mentally, emotionally and spiritually, if not their hearts will die. Be a man, provide for your women.

4. Integrity – A true man of God is a man of his word. Too many men in our culture break promises, play with women’s hearts, date girls as if it was a game, and have no respect for women at all. This is disgusting. In old times, when a man said “You have my word!” that word was bond, it was as if an actual contract had been written, because your word was your reputation. How many men do we know today who say one thing, but do another? Men who do not keep their word, their promise or follow through with their verbal commitments. In our culture we don’t take words seriously, but in God’s world words are everything. Blessings and curses come out of the same mouth. What comes out of our mouths determines what is truly in our hearts.

What a woman wants is a man of integrity. Someone who says what he does and does what he says. Someone they can trust at their word. So as a man you must come through. Words means nothing if they are not backed up with action. Don’t sorry unless you mean it. Don’t say sorry unless you are able to back up your apologies with doing the right thing. Integrity is doing what is right, whether people are watching or not. Integrity is what you do when no one is looking. Does your woman trust you completely? If not, it is a question of integrity. Don’t tell a women you love her unless your love shows, words carry weight. They either carry false weight or real weight, a woman knows when a man means what he says.

So live by your words, live by action, be a living proof of your values, convictions and commitments. Don’t get involved in a relationship unless you are sure this what you want and what God is leading you both to do. I’ve had my share of mistakes in the past, where I got into a relationship without thinking about the consequences, protecting my sisters heart and the fear of the Lord from the get go, I’ve had to make amends and face the results of my sin and foolishness. Trust me brothers, don’t do what I’ve done in the past, don’t play games, don’t feed your fleshly desires, rather seek God, seek the best interest of the one you are pursuing, be honest, forthright from the start about your commitment and your vision for the relationship and stick to your word. Be a man of integrity.

If you pursue a women, it should be with the intentions of marriage. If not, stop playing yourself and her. It’s not about finding the right woman, it’s about being the right man. That starts with first knowing God in order to know yourself, then you will know how to love and respect a woman.

5) Courage - You are not a man until you climb the great wall of China! This is what it says at the actual great wall. Well, I have climbed the Great Wall of China so I guess I must be more of a man than others, just kidding. What is the greater underlying message here? It is a message of courage. It is a message of adventure. A man of God is a man of courage, a man of adventure, a man who is willing to take risks and do the impossible. Men were born to live a life of great adventure. Men were created to fight battles. Men were created to rescue beauties. Men were created to live.

Sadly, most men are not living. Most men are cowards, fearful and afraid of failure. Imprisoned by their own thinking and what others think about them. Many men are just boys waiting for their mother’s approval, or the approval of others in society. Most men I know are people pleasers, not God pleasers. They are more afraid of how others may reject them or not accept them if they choose to take the road less traveled.
All men die, few men truly live.

Women don’t want nice guys or good boys, women want men on a mission, men on adventure, men who are dangerous. This is why many women are drawn to bad boys because bad boys live with a sense of risk, danger, mystery and unknown. Men were created to live fearless and to live by faith. But if you walk into a church today what you find are a bunch of boys playing with their toys, working at predictable jobs, and living boring lives. It’s sad, but most guys get their sense of adventure from playing video games or watching TV, what happened to our men?

A man of faith will sweep a woman of God off of her feet. He will challenge her to go the distance in God, in their relationship and in life. A man of courage is someone who in the face of fear still chooses to move forward with trust in God, setting out to obey God’s voice at whatever the cost, because that is what matters the most. We need men who have hearts fully alive, hearts full of passion and are on a mission to change the world. There is a high cost to being a man of courage, there is a price to pay if we want to be a real hero, it means we are willing to go against the grain, follow God against all odds and live a life of honor, courage and righteousness.

When a woman finds a man of courage, it will encourage her to be all that God has created her to be. As a man, your goal is not how your woman can serve you, but how can you serve your woman? As a man, your goal is not how a woman can serve your destiny, but how can you do all that you possibly can to release the fullness of God’s glory and destiny in her.

Men take the lead, protect at all costs, provide in every way, live by your word and live a life of adventure with the Holy Spirit — obey God, not man and you will be the man of God you were created to be — and your woman will love you for it.

Thursday, 7 October 2010

PDYM ~ Component 2: Discovering the Five Purposes for Your Youth Ministry

Summary:

The MOST IMPORTANT Q: WHY DOES OUR YOUTH MINISTRY EXIST?

~ "Any Youth Ministry is capable of growth when it is built on God's purposes for the Church"
~ "The process of understanding God's purposes and applying them will slow down the get-in-there-and-get-some-programs-going mentality"

The Five [5] Eternal Purposes of a PYDM
 We do not create the five [5] purposes; we DISCOVER them
~ the element of innovation does not rest with us when it comes to God's purposes for His Church
~ " Our programs and style may reflect our personality and creativity, but God's purposes reflect his plan and love for the church"

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
Matthew 22: 37-40
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[e] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

THE GREAT COMMISSION
Matthew 28: 19-20
19 Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.[d]

The five [5] purposes are found in these two [2] passages:-  
1. Worship ~ "Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart"
2. Ministry ~ "Love your neighbour as yourself"
3. Evangelism ~ "Go and make disciples"
4. Fellowship ~ "Baptising them"
5. Discipleship ~ "Teaching them to obey"

"When the five [5] purposes lay the foundation for why you do what you do, yours will become a PYDM" 


The Purpose of Evangelism
- evangelism: sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who have yet to build a personal relationship with Him
- Acts 1:8 
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 
- Adult leadership must model the purpose of evangelism in order to show the students the importance of this commission
- Evangelism is not only our responsibility as believers but it is also our privilege
- "This growth won't depend on an evangelistic program but will happen because of evangelistic students"


The Purpose of Worship
- worship: celebrating God's presence and honouring Him with our lifestyle
- Romans 12:1
 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
- worship is expressed in several ways:-

(a) praying ~ Psalm 95:6
 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
         Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

(b) hearing the Word
John 17:17 -  17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Deuteronomy 31:11 - 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

(c) baptising ~ Romans 6: 3-4
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

(d) giving ~ 1 Corinthians 16: 1-2
 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

(e) meditating ~ Habakkuk 2: 20
20 “ But the LORD is in His holy temple.
      Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

(f) partaking of the Lord's Supper ~ 1 Corinthians 11: 23-36
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;[b] this is My body which is broken[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.


The Purpose of Fellowship
- Ephesians 2:19
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
- "True fellowship happens when students are known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their spiritual journey"


The Purpose of Discipleship
- discipleship: building up or strengthening of believers in their quest to be like Christ
- Hebrews 6:1
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  
- "Discipleship is a lifelong process that God uses to bring us to maturity in Christ"
- "Healthy discipleship flourishes under spiritual leaders who are willing to do the possible. They consistently plant seeds and water students' faith. All this is done with faith that God will do the impossible and growth"
- 1 Corinthians 3: 6-7
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 


The Purpose of Ministry
- ministry: "meeting needs with love"
- "A healthy youth ministry will constantly encourage students to discover their gifts and put them into practice through ministry and mission opportunities"

Q: How would you grade the purposes in your youth ministry?
Q: Perhaps your youth ministry emphasises a few purposes more strongly than others. Create an action plan that brings balance to your ministry. What steps can we take to strengthen our ministry?
Q: What will it take to ensure that our ministry expresses all five [5] purposes?

WORDS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT ACTIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT

Praise Dance

PraiseDance
by Alice Weng Yin Chan on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 2:40pm

PraiseDance is a kind of 'exercise' created by a Sister-in-Christ at the age of 75 (if I remember correctly). She composed the songs and created the steps based on the verses in the Bible. One would be impressed, because at this age, she could do such a thing! This, is the grace and gift from God.

This exercise, not only targets on our physical health, but it also emphasises on our mind and soul. The songs and steps are based on Bible verses, thus, every move is actually an act of 'praise and worship'. It nourishes our soul, deeply.

The first impression would be that, this exercise is created for 'aunties' because those who join the PraiseDance, is mostly the 'elderly' people. I wouldn't say 'elderly' because middle-age people join as well, and most of them are women.

I remember one Uncle, who joins PraiseDance asked us, youngsters what was our opinion on PraiseDance. We replied that it's boring, it's for aunties, it's 'womanly' etc. As for myself, after giving it a try for few times, I find it a bit mundane.

God has His way to work wonders. The theme for our Church is 'Missionary Work' and a Sister from Taiwan came yesterday to share about PraiseDance, and how it works as a missionary exercise. She also taught us some moves that are beneficial to our body; and showed us a video clip describing how PraiseDance was born, and there were various people from different backgrounds sharing their personal testimony.

Seven years ago, PraiseDance started with only six people ('aunties') in Taiwan and seven years later, PraiseDance is known and practised in many countries, by the old and young, male and female, and people of all kinds of ethnicity. Wow, isn't God amazing?

Personally, I was touched by those testimonies and I was close to tears when I heard about the stories of those people who were touched by God through PraiseDance; and I have a different perception on this exercise - it is still boring, but sometimes it is the not-so-happening thing that will bring results. It is not the step that matters, what is more important is the benefit that we gain from such activity.

We work out, so that we are fitter and more healthy; our body is healthy, thus our mind is healthy. PraiseDance is different. We exercise PraiseDance so that our soul is fed with the most precious food on earth i.e. the Word of God, and with a healthy soul, we have a healthy mind and body.

Can you believe that PraiseDance is able to heal diseases? depressions? mental problems? chronic illnesses? Yes! Those people were healed by God personally just by doing the exercise. It may sound unbelievable but it is true.

When our soul is healthy, our mind is healthy; when our mind is healthy, our physical body will be healthy. This is something general that all of us are familiar with.

A doctor said, you have to know the cause of your sickness and heal the cause; if the cause is not healed, the sickness remains. Can I say, our soul, although unseen, plays a more important role in us?

Again, with a healthy soul, comes a healthy mind and body!

God bless!

PDYM ~ Component 1: Healthy Youth Ministries have Spiritually Healthy Leaders

Summary:-

Problem 1 - I Couldn't Create Attractive Programs Like Those of Other Churches
~ "Copying someone else's program always led to failure"

Problem 2 - Perhaps I Wasn't the Right Person for Youth Ministry
~ "My desire for doing ministry had long moved from pleasing God to appeasing people"

Problem 3 - I Could Never Do Enough to Please Everyone
~ "I sensed God saying, "Doug, you'll never be able to do enough to please everyone. Focus on me. Rest in me. Abide in me. When your heart is turned toward me, we can work together and do some good things.""
~ "I was spending all my time doing the work of God without being a person of God"
~ "...if I stayed dependent and focused on God, he would empower me to be his servant and thus accomplish his purposes in my ministry"

Q: How does one become a Youth Worker who depends on God?

Answer 1 - Recognise God's Power Through Personal Humility
~ "God doesn't need a program in order to work"
~ "When lives are changed, when attendance increases, when good things happen, we need to recognise God's power and give praise and credit to him"
~ "It is truly humbling to think about the awesome privilege and responsibility of being used by God"

Answer 2 - Submit Your Abilities to God and Allow His Power to Work Through Who You Are
~ "Allow your abilities to be ignited by the divine power that is revealed in a believer's life. Rejoice that your presence and your words give the power of God another opportunity to be communicated to student whom God loves"

Answer 3 - Focus on Being a Person of God Before Doing the Work of God
~ "You can never do enough"
~ "Don't allow doing the work of God to come at the expense of being God's person"
~ "Strengthen your youth ministry by placing a higher priority on being than doing"
~ "The power of God working in the lives of leaders is the foundation of a healthy youth ministry"

"Olley, Olley Oxen, Free, Free, Free"
~ "God is compassionately calling us back home where we are free to be safe and secure in our relationship with him. It is here that we can put first things first by developing our own spiritual lives and focusing on growing in Christ"
~ the students need a living model - a person of God who is passionate about his or her faith
~ our faith will help us develop a strong foundation for a healthy youth ministry
~ "No youth ministry idea or program can compete with God's power working in and through you as he gives you a passion for students and you give him a pure heart"
~ "By relying on God and trusting in his power, you leave room for him to do his work"

Making It Personal
~ our spiritual walk is a vital part of our ministry's health equation
1. Admit our struggles to ourselves
2. Ask God for the power to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness [1 Timothy 4:7]
3. Ask God for the courage to confess these struggles to a friend who cares deeply about us and who can help us
4. Work with this friend on a spiritual restoration plan

Discussion:
1. Do you have a youth ministry environment where spiritual growth is valued?
2. Do your students sense that the youth ministry leaders are men and women of God?
3. What role does prayer play in your ministry?
4. As a team, are you honestly concerned with students' spiritual health or the exhilaration from the hype of great programs?
5. How can you encourage spirituality among your leadership?
6. What will you do if you see a leader showing signs of a hard heart?
7. Where is God's power evident in your ministry?

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

The 9 Components of a Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry ~ Doug Fields

Perseverance ~ knowing how to stay focused, remain fresh – and stay alive!
- learning how to survive the overwhelming responsibilities, discipline problems, and the adventure of change

Participating Leaders ~ knowing how to bring others on board to help fulfil the purposes
- finding volunteers and developing them into ministries who fulfil the purposes

Parents ~ teaming up with the family for a stronger youth ministry
- teaming up with the family for a stronger youth ministry and church

Planned Values ~ identifying the beliefs and styles that will help support the purposes
- defining what values will strengthen your ministry and enhance your purposes

Process ~ showing how you intend to move your audience toward spiritual maturity
- displaying your programs so you can help students move toward spiritual maturity

Programs ~ creating programs to fulfil the purposes and reach the potential audiences
- deciding what programs will reach your potential audience and help fulfil God’s purposes

Potential Audience ~ identifying your students and their receptivity to your purposes
- identifying which students are the target for the purposes

Purpose ~ knowing why your ministry exists, writing it out, and putting leadership behind it
- discovering why your ministry exists and following it up with communication and leadership

Power of God ~ helping passionate leaders with pure hearts to rely on God
- working through passionate leaders with pure hearts

The 5 Eternal Purposes:-
1) Evangelism
2) Worship
3) Fellowship
4) Discipleship
5) Ministry

Christmas Isn't Christmas

 I like the lyrics of this song, initially wanted to choose this song for the tambourine performance but it is a bit slow...


Christmas isn’t Christmas ‘til it’s Christmas in your heart
Somewhere, deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to Jesus, you’ll discover when you do
That’s it Christmas, really Christmas for you.

Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire, a light like a candle’s glow
He’s waiting now to come inside, like He did so long ago
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life and makes them bloom and grow
So welcome Him with a song of joy, and when He comes you’ll know….

That Christmas isn’t Christmas ‘til it’s Christmas in your heart
Somewhere, deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to Jesus, you’ll discover when you do
That’s it Christmas, really Christmas

Christmas, really Christmas
Christmas, really Christmas for your

Sunday, 3 October 2010

Expectation

I have been teaching tambourine since July this year. Frankly, I have no idea why I took up the responsibility, probably because of my love for tambourine. Today I figured out that I have high expectations on the children. I am preparing them for the Christmas presentation and started to teach them the steps today. I was "fierce" to them and some of them were not too happy about it. Hm, something that was "fun" to them, turns out to be very stressful.

It is not my intention to make them feel stressful about the presentation. Perhaps the fact that I grew up in a strict environment, I just applied what I have learnt in the past. However, I seemed to forget that they may be different from me.

I went to Church Camp and became close to two [2] of my pupils. They could not come to Church because their father opposed to them attending Church service. They wrote me a letter telling me so, and I replied their letter [in Chinese :p]. I left my number with them and they called me today.

I could feel the joy being a teacher, and because I could feel that the children like me too. Once I received a card from another student telling me that she was sorry because she could not be consistent in her attendance. This is the second case.

Lord, what do you want me to learn from here? I pray for Your guidance.

Friday, 1 October 2010

Kingdom Online 2010 [X] ~ Finale

Phew, after typing for about three [3] hours, I feel so relieved that I have finally typed out the whole message! Two [2] purpose:- firstly, to remind myself of what I have learnt during the camp, and secondly, to share with those who did not attend the camp.

As I was typing, my memory flashed back to about two [2] months ago. I was at first enthusiastic about the camp when I first knew about it. However, I was disappointed that no one [young adults or youths] wanted to join. As time went by, I no longer wanted to go.

Somehow, something in me kept pushing me. At that time, I wanted to spend some quiet time with God, to discuss with Him on my career; so I was reluctant to attend. Anyway, in the end I registered myself at the very last minute.

Expected and unexpectedly, I did enjoy the camp. I was a bit lonely in the sense that I had no one to be with initially. I was glad to know that a junior youth went and she accompanied me most of the time. Unexpectedly, I made friends with children :s; and I did enjoy my time with them. Oh, how I love children :)

In the past, whenever we attended Church Camp, we would expect altar call sessions; but there was none here. Nonetheless, it did not matter, because I was touched by God most of the time. Kingdom Online, the theme for the camp, reminds us to get connected with God ALL the time! It turns out that when we have a intimate relationship with God, everything is going to be all right :)


Do you see this? What a beautiful scenery! As a nature lover, I love scenery! Given the chance, I would attend a Church Camp again. Oh, by the way, although I have been to Peacehaven numerous times, this was the first time I slept in the dormitory. Hm, not a bad experience after all :)

Finally, Praise the Lord and thank You to JESUS for giving me the opportunity to attend this camp, and to build up a relationship with Him.

Jesus, be my only satisfaction~ Amen!