Cell Prayer Requests

Nissi - Getting the firm foundation right
Be real followers of Jesus Christ

HY - 1)For Alice (her sister). Her work is quite bad and she is feeling restless and unhappy. That God will speak to her.
2) To be able to decipher God's plan for me so that I can make up my mind and have courage to carry out the plans.

Billy - Pray for Good Health for his Grandma
Pray that the job application with LTA will be successful.

Lishan - To be less stubborn

Brenda - To continue to be more hungry for God’s word
To focus on him

Karen - Pray for K's manager. She is very cruel to her.

MJ - Pray for God's widom upon him
Amy- Ability to handle the demands of her difficult boss…and also with regards to her relationship with all bosses

Jonathan - Wisdom to know the next step ahead for his life

Ling - Passion to live for Christ & Her exams on Tuesday
Sarah - Keep her mind on Jesus

Ruijie - Exams which are starting in April
Good health and time management

Edmund - Strength & wisdom

Faith

I was watching a christian movie the other day "Facing the Giants"... and one part caught my attention:

The coach was very disheartened about what was happening, and was asking the pastor about what it means to have faith... and this was the reply.

"There are 2 farmers, both desperately crying out for rain. Both were in dire need for rain, and both looked to God for help. Yet only 1 of them went out to prepare the fields, so that when the rain came, he'd be ready. Which of the farmers do you think had greater faith?"

Interesting food for thought eh... How often do we just sit back and wait for God to take the first step... only to grumble when we don't see things moving? What's the attitudes of our hearts when we pray? Are we really enTRUSTing our situations to God?


"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1


-amy

The meaning of marriage

I went to a friend’s ROM recently. It got me into thinking about the meaning of marriage. My conclusion is:

Marriage is meaningful to me only when I link it with God.

I used to think that there was no need to get married. To me, it’s meaningless to be with someone who doesn’t love me. If I am not in his heart, what’s the point of keeping him by my side? A marriage certificate is not a guarantee that both would love each other forever, even if both have said the vow passionately and determinately. The feeling, the chemistry will just eventually vanish.

I was, however, eventually convinced that two people should come together in a marriage and be “one flesh” to serve God. That was after reading the book “Kiss dating goodbye”. I couldn’t summarise or rephrase and give a good explanation for that at that time. I was not a Christian at that time and that was two years ago. This thought came to my mind again after attending the friend’s ROM.

It’s hard for two people to stay together, loving each other for a life time. No matter how compatible, how good the chemistry is, there will be bound to be times when you are just irritated by the other person; there will be bound to be times when there are disagreements. How great can the love be for the other person, especially when you know that you can choose whether you want to marry this person? It is a free will. There are bound to be doubts. I think the only guarantee and binding force for this love is the love for God. In God’s Kingdom, there is a set of rules to guide how people should live. Without following these laws, the society is just chaotic, so is the case for marriage.

Ephesians 5:21-33
21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.
24 But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;
26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;
30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.
31 “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly.
33 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

It is by following this law and following God’s words that the two people can stay together for a life time.

“For with God nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Therefore, marriage is only meaningful when God comes into place.

In the process of growing up, I have been taught that marriage is a milestone in life, maybe a stage that one must go through. However, I just found that somehow all the reasons given to me, supporting marriage were insufficient to convince me. At least, with this reason here, I am convinced.

There are still a lot of things that I have yet to find meaning to...

Yan

Servant Leadership

I have been reflecting on John 13:1-17 for the past few months.

How does one become an effective leader?

I believe it takes a combination of aptitude, people skills, attitude, etc. I shall elaborate on attitude as illustrated in John 13.

Jesus actually washed the feet of his disciples. This is profound and serves as a yardstick of humility and servitude.

When I was in secondary school, my principal and a few teachers actually washed some the feet of some students. This takes place in front of the entire school assembly. The students will sit in a row and my principal will wash their feet. This takes place to show the humility of Jesus Christ.

This simple event has made an impact in my life. It constantly reminded me of the need to be humble and have a golden heart of servitude. I also believe that Jesus deliberately carry out this significant activity before the Last Supper. He wants the disciples to constantly adopt a heart of humility and servitude.

To conclude, I will leave some quotes which I got from Wikipedia.

a) Chanakya or Kautilya, the famous strategic thinker from ancient India, wrote about servant leadership in his 4th century B.C. book Arthashastra:

"the king [leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects [followers]"
"the king [leader] is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people".

b) In approximately 600 B.C., the Chinese sage Lao Tzu wrote The Tao Te Ching, a strategic treatise on servant leadership:

The greatest leader forgets himself
And attends to the development of others.
Good leaders support excellent workers.
Great leaders support the bottom ten percent.
Great leaders know that
The diamond in the rough
Is always found “in the rough.”

c) "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)

-ed-

Running the race!

Hebrews 12:1-3

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles , and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus , the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Good appearance, good heart

Recently I've recovered a bookmark given to me by a friend whom I've known since my internship. She has really sowed seeds for me to know Christ by talking me to across the toilets almost every night. (The layout of the hostel was that there was a common toilet in between two rooms. Both rooms have access to the toilet from either room.) I think I got that bookmark from the toilet door to my room.

Anyway, that's a bookmark with a Bible verse on it:

"For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

It didn't appeal to me when I received that bookmark. I just thought that's cool. A bookmark with a German Bible verse on it and my friend wrote some touching words behind together with the translations of the verse. But when I read it now, it speaks much to me.

I was at first quite disturbed and felt helpless by this verse. I am naturally drawn to good appearance. That may make me look shallow, but I must admit that appearance is definitely something that bothers me. When I am walking on the street and come across some handsome guys or girls, I will definitely take a longer glance. It's just natural. I believe that's also natural for many people. So why shouldn't we look at the appearance?

I finally checked out the whole story from which the verse was taken from. The story was about Samuel anointing the King chosen by the Lord. All the sons of Jesse appeared before him. Samuel saw Eliab and thought that this was the one to be anointed because of his appearance. But the Lord told Samuel that that was not the one and so came that verse. Later on, the Lord told Samuel the one that He has chosen. It came out that this chosen one is "ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking". Therefore, the one that the Lord has chosen not only has good look but also a good heart. So essentially, it's not telling me not to look at good look , it's just that the person must have a good heart also.

I always believe that there is a link between the appearance and the heart. A person can have nice features: the nose can be very straight, big eyes, good complexion...but if the heart is not good, the combination of all these attractive features will not form a good appearance. I will just feel that somehow something is not right and it's not comfortable to look at. On the other hand, there are people with average features yet the whole combination is nice and peaceful to look at.

So after all, it's not wrong for me to look at the appearance. I am not looking at the outward appearance only, but I try to see beyond the outward appearance and know the heart of the person. =)

Yan

Godliness with contentment

Recently, I was led into this verse in 1 Tim 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain"

This is a really interesting verse and it has much relevance with life.

There are essentially 2 main parts here - godliness & contentment. I have seen cases of godliness w/o contentment, contentment w/o godliness, and, of course, godliness with contentment. Needless to say, the optimal state will be godliness with contentment. So, it begets the question on how do we achieve that.

Do we fight for it? Is it a matter of attitude? Or is it just one's circumstance that allows you to follow your principle? Or is it even the people around you that encourages and moves one to adopt godliness with contentment?

Well, i will say all and/or some of the above. It really depends on 2 factors - God & you.

Firstly, godliness with contentment requires grace from God. And grace requires love & generosity. The God I know have all these; He loves us and he is wonderfully generous. Through His character, the outpouring of His grace overflows. There are so many examples in my life whereby his simple & beautiful grace touches me deeply.

Therefore, if God allows & in his perfect will, one will surely have godliness with contentment.

Next, if godliness with contentment depends on the individual. A father may give you good gifts but if you do not accept it, it is really too bad. The receiver needs to play his part. God may you give you a powerful toolkit - bible, church, friends and family, and even the Holy Spirit. But, if you one refuses to be a carpenter and build & repair your life, the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ can be futile.

In short, it can be tough or even easy to be godly with contentment. It really depends on God & you.

-ed-

Beautiful Worship Song

Hi everyone , I would like to share a beautiful worship song to encourage all of us. The lyrics of this song speaks of the identity that we have in Christ and the hope and promise that God has given to us as His children. Hope that it will encourage you as it has encouraged me.

The title of this song is Before the Throne of God Above.

Here is the youtube link,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xUK2Dx5RkY&feature=related

Thanks,

Ruijie

Lyrics:

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I am,
The King of glory and of grace!

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

Sunday Service_15 Feb

1) Those who know how to pray & give thanks - will usually have a healthy life

2) Be a man of joy and thanksgiving & prayer

3) 1 Ths 5: 16 - 18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

4) Thanksgiving is a gift of God. We must have a positive mood of thanksgiving and appreciation. This will be a blessing to others.

5) Count your blessings. Name them one by one

6) Instead of being critical and complaining, remember the small blessings from God.

7) 1 Tim 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.
Don’t complain about food. Give thanks for your food.

8) Let us focus on God and not our problems. God is bigger than our problems.
Rom 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

9) Pray always, Give thanks

10) We should practice thanksgiving as our lifestyle

11) Thanksgiving => more joy

12) If we are thankful for one another, we will complain less about other people.

-ed-

Sat Service Notes_14 Feb

I took down some notes/minutes from Rev John Sim and there were some really good gems. I thought i share them with you all.

1) Great attitude to love God’s word – equivalent to loving God with all of our mind.

2) Cornelius’ problem with the Jews have not deter him from knowing God
What do our colleagues and friends see in us? What do our colleagues and friends see in us? Like Cornelius, people hope to see a Christian friend. People want to see us handle work with passion, enthusiasm, Christian ethics, hope and fear.

3) We are privileged to know God who lavishes us with so much grace
The world is searching for God. People are looking for church to provide us that.

4) Each one of us must experience spiritual reality for ourselves. Spiritual reality has got to do with belief in God and your walk with God.

When is the last time you heard His voice? It is something we need to reclaim and restore it in our lives. We must be passionate for God’s word if we want to hear his voice.

Key to spiritual growth is training, discipline and your heart. We must be mindful to guard your heart

5) Peter is ready and, thus, was used by God to reach out to Cornelius. Thus, the divine encounter took place.

6) Be an example to others when reach out to other people.
People don’t need to know what you fail. Don’t tell people about the bad news.
Instead, share with people on how good God is. People want to hear how good God is, how he has helped us. People don’t want to hear any more complaints, like everyone.

God is good. Say Good morning to the Holy Spirit.

7) Don’t be like Peter and be judgmental. There maybe something that you dun like but dun let it hinder you.

8) Sometimes, we are anxious and miss God out. Sometimes, our lives are filled with problems and frustration. Maybe our hearts are weighed down by the anxieties and our ground is not saturated by the Holy Spirit. And, because we are anxious, we miss out the things that God is working at. Perhaps, his plans and purposes are through the problem and through the people that God brought to our hearts. And we come away defeated.

-ed-

What is your love languages?

When two people are in a relationship, it is important for each one of them to demonstrate in some way the importance of the other in his/her life. The problem often arises in a relationship when these two people don’t speak the same love language. They don’t speak to the other’s deepest emotional need (a need that has been shaped by their childhood). We want to be loved by the other and valued as worth loving by that person. So how you express your love is important in a relationship. You may be saying, “I love you,” to your significant other, but he isn’t hearing it because he doesn’t speak the same love language.

The Five Love LanguagesBy Gary Chapman:

1) Words of Affirmation-Some people need to hear the words from their loved one to believe they are loved. They need verbal compliments and praises.

2) Receiving Gifts-To others the receiving of a gift from their loved one tells them they are loved by that person. The gifts don’t necessary have to be expensive. The thought behind the gift is what is most important. It tells the person he was thinking about her. In a time of turmoil the gift of your presence can be what is valued the most.

3) Acts of Service-There are some who need love expressed through doing something for them. It could be something like doing the dishes or taking out the trash. It is important that the act of service is given freely, not demanded.

4) Quality Time-Another love language is spending quality time with your loved one. I don’t just mean being with him. I mean really talking and listening to him. You must be totally focused on him to the exclusion of everything else. Within this are also quality activities. When doing things together, one should want to do the activity and the other has agreed. You are showing your love by doing the activity together.

5) Physical Touch-A touch on his arm as you walk by, holding hands on a couch, or a back rub when he is tense can be to some an expression of love. There are many levels of physical touch and not all have to be intimate to show you love someone.With your characters determine which love language he/she speaks and use that in your story to show love as well as to keep a distance between two people. An example: A woman who needs words of affirmation from the man she is dating and he is the strong, silent hero—doesn’t express his feelings well. There are so many possibilities to use the five love languages.

To find your love languages, go to this link:
http://www.afo.net/hftw-lovetest.asp

00's Reflections...

v23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. V24 See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139

v8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. V9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55

I hope that by mediating onto these verses, my heart and my mind can be refine by Him daily. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 17 v 9 " The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

Love, 00

Past, Present, Future

Recently, a colleague commented that the three most terrible people on the floor are all Christians. I quite agreed with him. No sense of commitment in their work, no compassion and respect for other people and no sign of professionalism. But when I look at them, they are all very happy.

On the other hand, some Christians that I know who may have a good attitude for work and yet they seem to be very unhappy. Maybe they are at a very low point of their lives. But I am not quite convinced that this is the root cause of their unhappiness. They are very devoted and faithful Christians. Are faith and trust in God not enough for them to be reassured and stop being angry or fearful of the situations that they are in?

This is quite disturbing for me. I do want my friends to be happy, but I know there is nothing that I can do. They are smart and matured people. They understand completely the situation they are in and what they should do. They also know turning to God for guidance and support. But why are they still unhappy? I remember receiving a powerpoint presentation called "A Present" ( A Present from God). I think this is the key to this. Smart and matured Christians sometimes hink too much. They think about the Past, the Future, but have forgotten about the Present. Knowing that you are living in the Present is innate to us. But when people start to think too much, this knowledge is forgotten. Babies are happy because they don't know much and they don't think much. This innate knowledge is obvious to them.

C.S. Lewis has said that God wants us to concern with eternity or with the Present only.

“either meditating on the eternal union with, or separation from, Him, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.”

When people are unhappy, they have probably forgotten that they should treasure whatever they have in the Present. It’s only at Present, are all the “duty, all grace, all knowledge, and all pleasure dwell”. The Past is unchangeable, we can only learn from it; the future is unrealistic, we can only labor faithfully in the present and commend the cause to God. Our lives may be taken away the next day or even the next minute. If you are told that you only have ten more minutes to live, I am sure that all the things that you cannot let go can be let go. All you want to do is to use this ten minutes to tell the people that you love you love them, or you may even love those around you whom you may not quite like if not at this last moment.

The present from God may not be a nice and happy one everyday. But it's still a present from God. We should enjoy each day given by God. If we are being reminded of this, maybe we can be happier.

Yan

The beauty of Esther (esther 2:22-24)

When Queen Esther was faced with the impending destruction of her people, she knew she had to break the law to make a request to the King. Instead of panicking and focusing on the problem, she told Mordecai to fast and pray for three days before she goes to see the king.

This is amazing. It is a tremendous display of courage and faith. Such bravery can easily put Mel Gibson from Braveheart to shame. She is willing to sacrifice her life, reputation and good life.

Over the week, I was reflecting on my personal meaning of success. I shared that it is fulfillment and satisfaction. When I drill this down further, I realize that a lot of things can make me satisfied. A friend shared with me that value creation is his definition of success. I realize that it makes a lot of sense. When one adds and creates value in other people and the things (environment, work, etc) around you, you become useful. It makes you successful. It begins to make me wonder how do I make enhancement to my surroundings and the people I care about. I am not advocating that I am going to be Mother Teresa. But, somehow, I have a feeling that Mother Teresa derives her success in her ability to help the poor.

The reason why I shared this is that it seems Esther’s definition of success is about others. It is not about falling back to her wealth and status as Queen. Her heart to help others portray her true beauty. It is her success story. Besides her beauty, she displayed tremendous wisdom and effectiveness. Perhaps her three days of fasting give her time to assess her situation well and plan her steps. This can be seen in how Esther orchestrate the salvation of her people, despite facing oppositions in Haman.

Dear God, help me to have that reflexive reaction to turn to you in prayer. And grant me wisdom to solve life’s man-made problems. I also prayed that I may possess the strength and courage like Esther and Joshua (Joshua 1:9). Amen

-ed-

29th jan 09, Captivating at curry flavors jap restaurant

Hi all... just to update on our ladies outing on 29th jan 09. We are on our way to do a book(Captivating) that our bro, jon who has kindly brought us a long time ago......We did managed to discuss a bit on the first chapter of the book(10-15mins)... but...we all concluded that we need to read more chapters in order to gain a deeper understanding of what the authors are trying to bring across to us....so...we spent the rest of the hours eating and chatting about other stuffs....hee...anyway it was a great time of fellowship together w/o the presence of the guys in our cell....haha...just joking, no offence.

Okay, personally i find that the first chapter of this book helps us to explore the condition of our hearts as a woman. It also encourages us to examine the common desires that set deep in our hearts but we fail to acknowledge it and downplay it instead. Therefore we need to constantly examine our heart to identify the "pulling forces" in our lives...eg: what are we driven to and why...The things that we are pursuing now, are they a result of our insecurity...? Is God in the picture of our plans? It is important not to miss the heart of a woman as the authors remind us that the scriptures tell us the heart is central. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

Well, I hope that as we continue to meet up monthly to study and share more about the book, we will be about to build each other up spiritually. We can also feel free to share about the area in our lives that we are struggling...or anything...=)

Love: 00

A Persevering Spirit

was reading Nehemiah a few times this week. What a wonderful book! So many lessons you can get from this book. It seems like almost every passage jumps out at me when i read it. I will share one lesson i learn - perseverance.

Neh 4 & 6 are really amazing. I will focus on these verses v 14, 19, 20.

[v14]...Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome,

[v19 & 20]...The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

Nehemiah is so focused on God. When he faced a big problem, he further magnify God. He knows that God is not one who walks on crutches. He knows God is great and awesome. He knows God will fight for us.

Personal Application

When i faced certain problems like work or personal issues, i often look at the problem. Sometimes, i get immobilized and use "eye" and "heart" power to try to wish the problem will be solved by itself.

But, i have learnt to go past the 'immobilization' step and take an active role in solving the problem. I have to become less problem-centric but more problem -solving centric. Although, the problem do not get solved overnight. But, at least i try.

It definitely takes a lot of perseverance. In the past, I will give up if i cannot solve the problem. I am one of those students who will immediately look at the worked solutions when i cannot solve the Maths problem. Why work so hard when there is a solution in the next page? I didn't realize that this problem became a nasty habit of mine.

Now, i realize i cannot go on like that. I want to solve problems. I want to persevere. I want to be Nehemiah and those builders and use every ounce of their strength to press on and finish the task at hand.

I hope i can be like them.

Ed

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

I have been brought to the attention of this parable several times for this past two months: I read about it in the evangelistic materials; I listened to it in the Christmas musical; I read about it during quiet time; I read about it even when I was reading the notes on the Law of Tort. Surely, I know the emphasis here is for me to remember that I should love my neighbour.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said:

36"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"

37And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

(Luke 10 v36-37, NASB)

From the lecture notes, it is stated in DONOGHUE VS STEVENSON [1632] HL that:

"You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbor. Who, then, is my neighbor? The answer seems to be – persons who are so closely and directly affected by my act that I ought reasonably to have them in contemplation as being so affected when I am directing my mind to the acts or omissions which are called in question."

The definitions of "neighbour" are slightly different. The later is a more restricted one. One is on offering help, the other is on not inflicting harm. However both are about caring and loving each other.

To love our neighbour is not easy. I think before one can really love, one must first forgive. Last year, I couldn't bring myself to forgive some people who acted selfishly and did things to hurt me. I didn't want to see them at all. The sight of them just made me shiver. Surprisingly, I find myself being able to forgive them this year. My attention has been directed to the word "Forgiveness" in many occasions. If God can forgive our sins, why can't I forgive others? After being able to do so, I feel less burdened.

Hoi Yan

The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast (Luke 13:18-21)

Recently, I am starting a series of reading the parables that Jesus preach on. Today, I am studying the above mentioned parables. So, what did I learnt?

1. As obvious as it sounds, everything needs time for it to grow. No one becomes great overnight. Beckham does not become a great crosser of the ball overnight. From something raw, they grow and become good. Like the mustard seed, all things start small and grow to something fruitful.

2. Everything needs to work hard to get something. Again, this is obvious. Like the yeast parable, the woman has to work through the dough to get something she wants. Like Tiger Woods and Beckham, they practice and practice and work very hard. In fact, somebody says it takes 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration to be great.

3. So, how do I get the fine balance between work and relaxation? I was exploring this question. Would I rather be overwhelmed with work or overwhelmed with lack of work? Honestly, I prefer the earlier. Naturally, I am a lazy guy. But, I know that I like to achieve something. I like to make my life meaningful. So, I prefer to be overwhelmed with work and challenge myself to complete them efficiently and productively.

Back to the first question, I believe it is all about prioritizing and planning. For me, I split my work to a “Things to do” quadrant (of Urgent/Non Urgent; High Margin/Low Margin) and Schedule of “Things to do”.


4. Applying this to Nissi, I realize that cell is like a mustard seed and it takes time for it to grow. Success in cell does not come overnight. It takes time and hard work. But, surely, it will grow and become good. I am confident of it.
5. In other areas of my life, I am very excited and involved – work, church, cell and evangelism. I just can’t wait for it to grow and let God do such a wonderful work in it. As of now, I am prepared to work hard and work hand in hand with God. Like the woman in the parable, God will provide the large amount of flour and I will work through all the dough. So, help me, Lord I pray.

Ed

Edmund Chan's testimony

Dunno whether if u all interested. Here is my testimony. Hope you will be encouraged.

I was a non-Christian for the most part of my life until the first year of army. In the past, I have attended catholic schools during primary and secondary school, and finally, a Christian JC. Along the way, I was, of course, exposed to Christian teachings. Though I innately believed in them, I didn't give much thought to becoming a Christian. I mean who will actually think so much about such stuffs! Anyway, there were many other reasons why I did not want to be a Christian. Who wants to sacrifice their Sunday mornings? Also, I have a perception that most Christians are hypocrites. And, I believe that all religions lead to god and it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are a good guy. So, why bother?

All these things change one month after my A Level. My beloved father was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. It also didn't help that my family is not well to do. My father is the sole breadwinner and he is a taxi driver. My sister is also in her primary school and my mum has been a house-wife for the past 20 years. Also, it doesn't help that my brother and I were going to NS soon. In short, my situation looks quite bleak.

In such dire circumstances, I turn my eyes to Jesus. I don't know why. I just pray and pray, but, nothing happen. Instead, things took a turn for the worse. I witnessed my father change from a bubbly fat man to a very skinny man with an inflated belly. Simply horrible! I cried; I complaint; I got angry; I pray. But, still nothing happen. I was desperate.

To cut the long story short, my father passed away after 7 months. My entire family witnessed his last breath at SGH. God doesn't seem to be there. Where is God?

A few weeks later, I realized that God is indeed there. It appears that some of my mum's Christian friends came to visit my dad in the hospital. They prayed for his health and, guess what, my father choose to accept the lord as his savior during one of the visits. Amazing! This news was broken to me when my mum's friends came and visit us a few weeks later. It was then our entire family accepted the Lord as our personal savior and friend.

Becoming a Christian is definitely not an easy journey. In fact, until now, a lot of my questions were not answered. Why must my father who is a really good and honest man die? Why didn't God save his life? Is God cruel? Our family all love each other so much. Why must God take away something that is good?

However, over the years, I have learned that, despite these questions, it does not mean that there is no God. There is! God is Jesus who dies on the cross. He loves us so much that he paid the price for our sins. He truly loves us and all we need to do is to reciprocate. Leave all the questions to when you reach heaven and focus on what is really important in life - knowing your creator God and getting to heaven.

Most people who share their testimonies will often illustrate how God has blessed them so much. Likewise, I can go down this route. God has blessed me infinitely, way beyond what I expect. Off the top of my head, I have many examples – getting 4.01 cap score for 2nd Class Upper honours (must get 4 and above to have 2nd Class Upper), passing my first driving test despite getting a failure score of 22 pts. I can share a lot more. Trust me. However, I will go deeper. I will proclaim why I love and accept this beautiful God.

Three main reasons:
1) Look at creation- the birds and the bees, the sun and the moon. All these bear testimonies to a creator God
2) Look at historical records. They will show you that the bible is true. They will tell you that Jesus walk on earth and it is more than enough to prove objectively that Jesus is God
3) Look at the lives of my cell group members. They have many evidences and stories to prove how God is so real and how God loves them so much.

At the end of the day, I can say until the cows come home. It is pretty much up to you all. In this Christmas, many people exchange and receive gifts. And the greatest gift you can ever receive is Jesus Chris who loves you so much and died on the Cross for our sins. And like all gifts, it depends on whether the receiver wants to accept the gifts or not. I hope you can accept this gift. Amazing love.

Merry Christmas

Prayer Requests

Ling:
1) Her mind be transformed by God
2) Godly mindset
3) Always meditating on God

Hoi Yan
1) Communicate better with God
2) To learn how to pray to God
3) To know how to relate to God
4) Need better guidance

Joshua
1) More discipline
- Not to snooze after alarm clock ring
- Not to find excuses not to do QT
2) To focus on what is important
- Not to do things just to satisfy conscience, but to do QT coz he loves God

Amy
1) Meditating on God's word
2) To focus
3) To enjoy learning and growing in God

Jon
1) To be contented in God in where he is and where God is going to lead him
2) To relinquish his life
3) To listen more and spend more time to listen; not to talk so much when communicationg with God

Ed
1) Fix his eyes on God; and not on circumstances & man
2) To love God