Grace Methodist Church Youth Fellowship

INVERSE

2011-10-06T19:14:00.004+08:00

On 1/1/10, we held a massive outreach night - INVERSE - Contrary to Popular Belief. Thanks to all the people who attended this event!

Credits go to Sarah-Ann and Derek, who organized the skit, the actors and our friends from PCLC to deliver the message. And most of all, thanks to God for working through this night and lead the lives that have been saved and rededicated to You.

If you couldn't come, that's ok. You can watch the skit and message below; and you're welcome to come any week, not just on Outreach.

Message for INVERSE

History of GMCYF (2001 - 2011)

2011-09-06T17:39:00.004+08:00

The Primordial Age: 2001 - 2003

Before Grace Methodist Church (GMC) became a church, it was known as Willetton Preaching Centre (WPC). It was established in 2001 out of a branch of Kingsway Methodist Church (KMC), the parent church. WPC rented Willetton Uniting Church's sanctuary for its services. Rev Peck Kui Kwang was appointed as the minister to this congregation (for 9 years!). Not long after its establishment, the Chinese youth group formed under the leadership of Chin Yih Kwang. In 2003, Joshua Ting became the president of the youth group.

In parallel, Crosby Chang led the youth group at River of Life Community Church (ROL). Pastor Victor Moe was the youth pastor in that period of time. Initially, the church met at Rostrata Community Centre. In late 2003, ROL youths visited WPC youths for the first time. After a few more visitations, both churches and youths started to consider the possibility of working together to pool our resources and God-willing, a church merge.

The Transition Age: 2004 - 2005

Both WPC and ROL at that time were looking for another venue to meet, due to increase in congregation size and cost of rental. In addition, the youths from WPC and ROL gelled together well. In 2004, we found a suitable place in Jandakot, and rented an abandoned child care centre. Both churches moved there, but were still separate entitires at this point.

As for the youths, both committees merged and ran the combined youth group under the adult supervision of Francis Yen and Faith Chong. Youths met together for about a year, while the church leaders from both churches discuss and negotiate the possibility of a merger.

In early 2005, ROL held a member's meeting to vote for/against the merger with WPC. The result was split exactly in half; half were for the merger and half were against the merger. Hence, nothing could be done. The church split as a result, with majority of the ROL youths joining the WPC youth. Half the members of ROL moved to WPC as well, and helped pioneer the English service at WPC.

In mid 2005, WPC moved out of Jandakot and rented a hall in Blue Gum Recreational Centre.

The Early Church Age: 2006 - 2007

In 2006, WPC officially became a church; Grace Methodist Church!

The youth group was run predominantly in English. Native Chinese speaking youths were not properly catered for under the combined youth group, so in early 2007, it was decided that the youth group split into English and Chinese. Joshua led the Chinese youths while Crosby led the English youths.

2007 was also the first time GMC organised a family camp (NOT a youth camp); "Deeper in Love".

The Promised Land Age: 2008 - 2011

2008 was a turning point for GMC in many aspects. It was the year we purchased the land at Forrestdale (where we currently meet). We also organised a major fund-raising concert for the first time. It was also the first time we organised a camp aimed at youths; Joseph Generation!

As for the history of the youth groups of GMC, both the Ting and Chang dynasties came to an end in 2008, replaced by the Wong and Quay dynasties respectively. The Wong dynasty change presidents every year, where the baton is passed on from the older to the younger successively within the family. As for the Quay dynasty, the man at the helm of this dynasty is currently tied with Camberwell Methodist Church's Aidan Tan as the two longest (uninterrupted) serving youth president in the whole of CMCA's history so far.

After months of renovation, GMC moved to the shed in early 2009. For the first time in its history, GMC has a place to call home, no longer nomadic, having to rent community centres or other churches.

The Next Generation: 2012 - ?

What happens from here onwards is up to anyone's guess. The current senior leaders (who have been around from the very beginning) will graduate. The next generation of leaders have many challenges ahead, one of which is the daunting task of organising the 2014 AMYC.

But rest assured that the future of GMCYF is firmly in God's hand; He is still writing the story as we speak. The question is; will you follow His lead?

Cartesian graph - physical and spiritual life explained

2011-08-18T16:25:00.000+08:00

Here is a graphical way to illustrate life-death / physical-spiritual concepts. Remember your good old Cartesian graph. Set the X (real) axis to represent physical life. Set the Y (imaginary) axis to represent spiritual life.

The current "age" we now live in is on the negative X axis. The life to come (resurrection) is on the positive X axis. The positive Y axis represents spiritual life with God. The negative Y axis represents spiritual death and separation from God.

Human beings are both physical and spiritual beings. Our bodies are made out of material that is common to other life forms on earth. What differentiates us from a rock, an ape, or a banana, is our spiritual aspect; we have God's breath in us and made in His Image.

Physically alive, spiritually dead

Adam's original sin plagued the rest of humanity. When we are born, we are physically alive but spiritually dead.

Physically dead, spiritually dead

When such a person dies unsaved, the physical cease to exist. All that remains is spiritual death, hence the person is destined for Hell.

Resurrection, spiritually dead

On resurrection day, everyone will be raised. Everyone will get new physical immortal bodies. The fate of the spiritually dead is the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Thank God that He made a way for us to escape this eternal damnation. God Himself became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to wash away our sins, and reconcile us back to God. Anyone who accepts Him becomes spiritually alive and their eternal life is secured.

Physically alive, spiritually alive

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come.

Physically dead, spiritually alive

When a Christian dies, the physical cease to exist and all that remains is the spirit which finds rest in Heaven, awaiting the resurrection.

Resurrection, spiritually alive

When Christ returns the second time, He will usher in the fullness of God's Kingdom. Everyone will be resurrected, gaining new incorruptible bodies, much like Jesus' glorified body when He rose 2000 years ago. The distinction between heaven and earth will cease, because God Himself will be on earth with us like it was in Eden in the beginning before sin entered the world.

How is it possible that a person can be resurrected, even after the body has decayed away? We believe that God, who formed the entire universe with a mere command, is able. But there is more to it as I pondered on this.

A human being is both physical and spiritual. Think of it as existing on the Cartesian graph with both X and Y components. Now when a person dies (X component cease to exist), the spiritual remains (Y component remains). As far as the world is concerned, that person cease to exist physically. There is no way something can come back out from nothing, physically speaking.

But because the spirit survives (Y component), the information / mind / consciousness of that person survives. Using trigonometry analogy, say a person called "Bob":

Physical life of Bob = Bob Cosine theta

Spiritual life of Bob = Bob Sine theta

Mathematically, it is possible to reconstruct the entirety of that person from just one component. When Bob dies, all that remains of Bob is Bob Sine theta. On resurrection day, all God needs to do is divide Bob Sine theta by Sine theta, and shift Bob by a angle theta, and suddenly Bob has an X component (physical) again (resurrected)! The phase information (angle theta) is stored by God, ready to be used on resurrection day.

The life to come is going to be different yet recognisable. For example, when Jesus resurrected, his appearance was different so his disciples did not initially know it was him, but after revealing himself more to them, they finally recognised him. How it is going to be like, is anyone's guess.

Just like a caterpillar cannot fathom how it is like to be a butterfly, so we can't fully fathom how the resurrected body is going to be like, or even imagine the splendour of heaven. The Bible only gives us small glimpses of it, not to be exhaustive in description but as a source of hope and assurance.

Keeping the fire burning

2011-07-31T23:51:00.001+08:00

I was thinking about the almost inevitable post-camp syndrome, where usually a couple of weeks after camp, the passion and fire starts to fizzle out. I thought to myself, "How do we maintain this fire?" As I pondered on this, three things came to mind (no particular order; they are all equally important!).

#1 Fellowship

What's different about camp that makes it so easy to get on fire for God? One major factor is the element of fellowship. It's the universal truth. A single twig can easily be snapped, but a bundle of sticks is extremely difficult to break. A piece of burning coal taken out of a fire will fizzle out quickly, but together, the fire gets going for a long time.

At camp, we spend pretty much 4 days straight amongst fellow believers. We spur one another on. We pray for one another. We worship together. We play games together. We eat together. We sleep together. We share and encourage one another. We cried, hugged and cared for one another.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25

Back in our playing field of life, we are on our own most of the time. We spend more time in school, university and at the workplace than with our fellow believers at church. It's so easy for the fire to sizzle out. Surely there is another way?

Apart from existing cell groups, I think we can do more, especially those who are still at high school and university.

Why not start a school / university group?

Get together once a week during recess / break for a "half time huddle". Just for one day of the week, get away from the usual cliques that you hang out with, and choose to fellowship with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! Eat lunch together, share your struggles, pray for one another, encourage one another, sing songs of worship even; just like at youth / cell group, except this is done at your school / university.

Not only does this help keep the passion going, it also helps those who are restricted to go to youth / church, plus it is also a great witness to the world:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35
(Note the context of this passage; Jesus was talking to his disciples, ie, us.)

#2 Word

The parable of the 4 soils (Matthew 13:1-23) came to mind. Jesus basically said that when God's Word is sown onto a person's heart, 4 things can happen.

Scenario 1: The seed fell on rocks and gets eaten by birds. The message goes in one ear and comes out the other ear. A person looks in a mirror and then forgets what they look like. James expands on this notion:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. - James 1:22-24

Basically this means that God's Word has no place in that person's heart at all. It never took root in the first place.

Scenario 2: The seed fell on shallow soil. It grows for a while but then when trials come, it withers because the roots are shallow. Jesus expands on this in another parable.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. - Matthew 7:26-27

To rephrase this in our context; faith and passion should not be fueled by just emotions and sheer willpower. Emotions come and go, and willpower will give way eventually under the tides of peer pressure and temptation.

Scenario 3: The seed fell amongst thorny bush and weeds. The seed grows but gets choked by the presence of other things around it.

What is your thorny bush? It is basically anything that gets in the way of your spiritual growth. Things that clog up your spiritual life. For some it might be pride, fear, sinful addictions, popularity, laziness, procrastination, and the list goes on. You know what it is that is inhibiting your relationship with Christ.

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. - Matthew 18:8-9

Jesus is not talking about literally disfiguring yourself! Even the blind and the maim can still sin! He's talking about the conscious and purposeful act of removing whatever that is costing you your walk with God.

Scenario 4: The seed fell onto good fertile soil. It took root and grew healthily.

The contrast between scenario 2 and 4 is like that between grass and a tree. Grass roots are pretty shallow. That is why in summer, grass dries up and dies. A tree on the other hand, has deep roots which go all the way down to the water table. That way, even in the heat of summer, it can still grow. As Christians, we should strive to become like a tree with our roots planted deep in God's Word.

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. - James 1:25

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. - Matthew 7:24-25

Don't build your faith on emotions. Don't even base it on life experience and circumstances. Build your life on the unchanging truth and security of God's Word.

Spend time regularly meditating on God's Word. Learn to memorise key verses; they are usually the ones which gets quoted often by speakers. Get someone to help keep you accountable! Set aside a slot of time - away from distractions - and spend that time seeking God, and reading His Word. For some of you, it may mean not turning on your computer until you've done your daily devotion. For some, you may even read it while commuting to work or uni. Find out whatever works for you and stick to it.

#3 Spirit

If we strive to do all the right things by own own willpower, it can only go so far. God didn't leave us to work it all out on our own; He gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper for us.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:26

Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit within you. He is there to comfort you when you need it. He is there to rejoice with you. He is there to guide you in your decisions; the voice that complements your conscience, nudging you to flee from temptation rather than give in to it. He sometimes prompts you towards a divine appointment.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. - Ephesians 5:18

On a daily, even moment by moment basis, make the conscious decision to surrender all of yourself and allow God to work in your life. Put to death your old self, not just a once off thing, but continuously every day!

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Beyond 2011 - Apologetics Material

2011-07-25T13:52:00.001+08:00

The material covered (and prepared for, but not covered) in the apologetics workshop are now available for download at Dropbox. Simply click on the links below to download the documents.

Christianity 101

The Bible

Jesus: Legend, Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

Hand-out notes

Questions about Origins

Theodicy
Monism
Atrocities committed in name of Christianity
Fate of people who died without hearing the gospel
Does God hate?
Is God selfish, controlling and vindictive?

Proving God's existence by reason alone: 5 ways of Thomas Aquinas

If anyone has any further questions, please direct them to Crosby, Derek or Justin, and we will try our best to answer them.

Coming Up this Youth 23/07/11

2011-07-23T10:25:00.003+08:00

Hey guys and girls!

Hope your'e all getting better from camp and catching up on sleep!

First and foremost, a BIG THANK YOU to everyone that came to GMC's 2011 camp: BEYOND! It would honestly not of been the same without EACH and EVERYONE of you guys there! Truly our God has spiritually filled us up and has definitely provided that burning passion we all so hungrily needed!

This week at youth we will be having a POST-CAMP NIGHT! It will be a time of reflection of our times at camp and a great encouragement and catch up session with all your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! It is very much focused on keeping that fire burning for God and encouraging one another to continue on giving our very best to God! If you need transport, please do NOT hesitate to contact Andre Kurniawan! ALSO, for those who DID NOT attend camp, PLEASE come and visit us this Saturday as well, it'd be great to see you guys there and catch up with all you guys!

Lastly, I'd just like welcome all those people who accepted Christ into their lives at camp! Should you ever need somebody to talk to or somebody to direct a question to, you can simply contact any one of our dedicated youth committee members as they are happy and willing to help with anything!

Have a blessed week everyone!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

- Proverbs 3:5-6

Love

GMC Youth Comm 2011

Beyond BEYOND

2011-07-21T13:06:00.001+08:00

No, that title is not an unnecessary repetition.

So half-time is done and it's back in the game. After the intense spiritual revival, the joy, the fun, and heart-thumping worship sessions: where will you go next?

Take the spirit of BEYOND, beyond the church, beyond yourselves and share the spirit you've found there with everyone you meet, because that's what Christ commanded! The army of God doesn't just stand around, there's an enemy to fight! We live to fight for His cause - against the injustices of the world.

"Sing to the LORD a new song;
   sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
   proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous deeds among all peoples."

- Psalm 96:1-3

For the lost and for the broken,
For the slave and for the orphan,
From the famous to the faceless,
From the beggar to the king,
For everyone to realize Your love.

You restore the broken-hearted,
You bring freedom to the captives,
All Your children come together,
All Your sons and all Your daughters,
Your grace enough, for one and all,
Forever:

This means love.

T minus Ten, Nine, Eight...

2011-07-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

Coming Up this Youth 16/07/11

2011-07-16T11:00:00.002+08:00

(Sorry this post was a bit late)

Hey everyone!
Hope you are all having a wonderful holidays so far!

AS YOU ALL KNOW CAMP BEYOND IS THIS SUNDAY!! HOPE YOU ALL HAVE BOUGHT YOUR FOOD FOR YOUR CHALETS!
This week at youth will be our prep night as GEOFF WESTLAKE will be pumping us up for camp the following day! It will be a great chance to meet your fellow brothers and sisters which are also attending the camp! NOTE: If you need transport to youth please contact ANDRE KURNIAWAN on 0415496306! (sorry if you get prank calls in the middle of the night bro xD). It will be great to see you all there this Saturday as we pump ourselves up and glorify God together as ONE body of Christ.
REMINDER: PLEASE remember to visit our site for TRANSPORT ALLOCATIONS and CHALET ALLOCATIONS if u havent already! AND ALSO please remember to bring a pair of CLEAN OLD UNWANTED SOCKS! to camp. We'll be using them to play a game...so i dont know if you guys will want them back!
LETS GET READY FOR CAMP EVERYONE!!
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
- Matthew 25:40
Love
GMC Youth Comm 2011

Chalet allocations and transport

2011-07-16T00:24:00.003+08:00

Firstly:

Out of respect for my Christian friends, upon joining this camp I agree to do the following:
- not to use language of a kind that may be offensive;
- not to consume alcohol of any kind on the campsite;
- not to consume any illicit drugs of any kind on the campsite;
- not to engage in any aggressive or antisocial physical activity; and
- not to otherwise disrupt the flow of the camp.

I acknowledge not adhering to the above may result in me being asked to leave the camp at the discretion of the Camp Committee.

Relevant stuff can be downloaded below. If anything changes this will be notified on this post. Note that you are to provide your own breakfast and lunch, do arrange this with your chalet members.

Remember to arrive at church at 10:30 am and be picked up at 3 - 3:15 pm; and do remind your parents/whoever is driving you to pick you up. Expect a message from your driver on Friday - if not contact Sharon or Andre. If we have missed you for some reason, see those two. Contacts:

Sharon: zero four six six 557 172, ngsharon01 at gmail.com
Andre: zero four one five 496 306, akaieleven at hotmail.com

Chalet allocations and Transport
What to bring

Fundraiser Lunch

2011-07-08T21:16:00.000+08:00

We are having a fundraiser lunch for camp this Sunday (10th), so do please come and support! Camp is really really close so get excited!

Coming Up this Youth 9/07/11

2011-07-07T13:44:00.002+08:00

HEY EVERYONE!

how you all doing? hope you're all having a wonderful week so far! Congrats in advance to all the high schoolers who finish school on friday!

AS YOU ALL KNOW, camp BEYOND is only ONE WEEK AWAY! YAYY! GET YOUR CAMPING GEAR ON EVERYONE! :D ... and straighteners for you guys -_-"

This week at youth we will be having a MEGA PRAISE NIGHT in hopes of seeking God for camp! For God to truly be at our camp, we gotta want it with ALL our hearts and this week will be aimed at giving up OUR VERY BEST for God! There will be lots of prayer and worship to help YOU seek God alone and with the church. SO come visit us this saturday as we lift up His name and give Him all the glory!

REMINDER: PLEASE remember to visit our site at www.gmcyf.blogspot.com for TRANSPORT ALLOCATIONS and CHALET ALLOCATIONS! They will be posted up very very shortly once everything is finalised! so please keep in tuned!

Let us prepare our hearts this week so we can give it all to Him! CAMP IS ONLY 11 DAYS AWAY EVERYONE LETS GET READYYY!!!

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

- Matthew 25:40

Have great week everyone! :)

Love,

GMC Youth Comm 2011

Coming Up this Youth 25/06/11

2011-06-23T18:21:00.001+08:00

Hey guys and girls!
hope your all having a great week so far!
Last week we had an amazing message from our camp speaker GEOFF WESTLAKE! who taught us how to defend and use the bible!
If any of you guys missed out, not to worry! We'll be seeing more of him in about a months time :D

This week at youth will be a very chilled one after 3 massive weeks! We will have one of our beloved committee members, Brandon sharing a short testimony about how he came to knowing God. We will then have some fun games and fellowship to finish off this months theme BE-READY!

REMINDER: All those people that have not paid for camp, you MUST pay by this week, if you have not paid by this week, your registration will be cancelled to make room for other people.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved usand offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Love,

GMC Youth Comm 2011

Camp Registration Closed!

2011-06-21T09:31:00.001+08:00

Latest camp update: Camp registration is now closed. This means if you have not paid by now you must do so by 25th July, our next youth session; otherwise, sorry - we can't take you in, we're at capacity now!

Not long to go! Stay tuned, watch this space :-)

The Archives of GMC

2011-06-20T11:04:00.000+08:00

see the whole thing here

Geoff Westlake @ GMYCF - The Bible; Fact or Fiction?

2011-06-19T21:46:00.003+08:00

If you couldn't make it to last Saturday's youth group session, you can see a video of our guest speaker Geoff Westlake (who is going to be our speaker for our camp as well) talk about the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the Bible. The video has been spilt into eight parts because I forgot that Youtube had stretched their time limit to 15 mins (otherwise it would have just been in five parts). The embed is a playlist so click on the arrows on the side to get to the next part.

The total length is around 1:13:15

If the embed isn't working here are the direct links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Coming Up this Youth19/06/11

2011-06-15T23:26:00.003+08:00

HEY GUYS!

This week at youth we've got GEOFF WESTLAKE coming all the way from the NORTHERN SUBURBS =O! He's our camp speaker and an EXTREMELY good one, so if you're coming to camp it'd be in your best interests to rock up and meet him! We're going to have an absolutely awesome praise session as well; so PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!

Geoff will be talking about the SWORD of the Spirit and the SHIELD of Faith, from a very interesting point of view. It's not easy to book Geoff guys, he travels around speaking and this is a real blessing that we've been able to get him in; so PLEASE PLEASE ROCK UP!!! =D

Looking forward to seeing you guys (:

love,

Jon

Coming Up this Youth 4/05/11

2011-06-03T01:04:00.004+08:00

Hey guys and girls!

Hope you're all enjoying your freedom from high school exams or fully cramming for your uni exams coming up!

Thank God for such a lovely praise and worship night last saturday. Thank you to everyone that came to our youth and we hope to share many of the same experiences with you guys at camp!

Since its a new month, that also means that theres a new theme! We will be kick starting off BE-READY this saturday night as Uncle Richard will be speaking to us about preparing and standing strong for God! As for the rest of the night, you'll just have to come to find out more!

So come join us this week and be ready for another fun time of games, fellowship and expect God to work his marvels and move this youth group in amazing ways!

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 6:10-11

Love

GMC Youth Comm 2011!

EDIT 4/06/11: Richard is not speaking, it's Derek Lem

Comments: Now Showing

2011-05-28T15:33:00.001+08:00

Comments are now enabled and working on all posts, as you can see on the bottom links of each post and the sidebar.

Moderation of comments will be added later, but for now, to comment you must log in to Facebook (leave a comment if you find this isn't the case and I'll try fix it). We have decided not to put the chatbox in because that allows massive spamage; so we've settled on using Disqus for all comments.

Also the blog import into Facebook sometimes works and sometimes doesn't (I am talking about the official page); it's a bit glitchy, so as always check your email regarding announcements; don't rely just on your notifications.

Thanks! Happy commenting :)

Coming Up this Youth 24/05/11

2011-05-27T12:18:00.000+08:00

Hey guys hows the week been?

At youth this week we have a VERY important program : Mega Prayer and Praise night. It's an event that we haven't done in a while but the summary is basically this; it will be a night of extended worship with intermittent prayer and testimonies. Guys this is a VERY important event for us as a church because we believe that everything we do is by the power of God. And ALL the events we have organised such as camp, and youth nights require us to set our focus, as a youth group, on God. It means to really lay down whatever we're doing and as a team, direct our focus and dedicate this youth group to God. This is not just for the leaders; it is for EVERYBODY who considers themselves a part of this youth. All other events aside, this is one of our most important nights of the year.

"But he said unto me, 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

As a youth, a team and a family; we need to set aside time to meet together and to focus and seek God for the direction of this youth group - it's not just about having fun and games all the time (even though that's awesome too) but as a Christian youth group; it's imperative that we understand the importance of coming together with praise and prayer to acknowledge and seek out God for direction and strength.

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles." - Psalm 34:17

So guys, my appeal is that this week you set aside whatever you're doing, and as a part of this family; come attend this week so that you can seek God not only for this youth; but in YOUR life as well - if we claim to Believe then our life must be marked with signs of belief and dedication to God's word. Please come attend, every single person is important to us! All the more for our regulars; this will be an absolutely awesome night and i am SURE that God will move powerfully through this youth and through your life.

thanks youth (: stay well and study hard for your exams!

love,
Jon

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:25

Cell Group Material 21/05/11

2011-05-23T09:49:00.001+08:00

This is copied and pasted straight as it is from the original document (click here to go to the link). Thanks to Monica who wrote this up but didn't have time to cover through it.

B E L I E F

Why is it important to know what you believe in?

· You can't be passionate about something that you don't even know

· We need to know what we're doing in order for us to do what we need to do.

However, we do not believe in something we don't know.

God didn't just leave us on earth on our own. We know Jesus through the scriptures.

Ephesians 1:17-21 - I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Why are foundations important?

· Foundations are the roots.

· Tozer: "The bough that breaks off from the tree in a storm may bloom briefly and give to the unthinking passerby the impression that it is a healthy and fruitful branch, but its tender blossoms will soon perish and the bough itself wither and die. There is no lasting life apart from the root."

· Mark 11:20-21 about Jesus cursing the fig tree. The tree withered from the roots.

Proverbs 12:12 (KJV) - ...the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit..

John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Colossians 2:6-7 - So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

How do we gain knowledge?

· READ THE BIBLE

· Pray for knowledge

Camp 2011 updates

2011-04-29T14:08:00.000+08:00

Early Bird rego closes: 14/05
All rego closes: 01/06

Get those forms (and the money) in! And get hyped for camp :-)

Camp 2011: BEYOND trailer

2011-04-24T19:39:00.003+08:00

April 23rd

2011-04-11T09:39:00.020+08:00

EASTER EVENT!!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
[please keep this night in your prayers and bring your friends!]

Technical etc.

2011-03-04T00:49:00.004+08:00

Cleaning is still happening. Please wait patiently while placeholders are replaced with new content :-)

Things to do:
- Attempt to port an XML version of this template to Blogger's new Layouts scheme. Unfortunately a difficult task because hardly anyone's done it, and Blogger help is the only available reference.
- Update CSS for things like lists, links etc. for the posts section
- Add content so those links actually go somewhere
- Add Web 2.0 functionality like Facetube and all that

We said this 5 years ago...

2011-03-04T00:21:00.001+08:00

Foreword

On behalf of Grace Methodist Church Youth Fellowship, I declare this blog officially open and dedicate it to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May we use this blog to post things that will edify and stir up our passion for Him.

This is what God did for us...

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3: 16

May our attitude towards this great love be...

No longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself to me.

Galations 2: 20

5 years have since passed, and the blog fell into disrepair. But now it's back again!

So let's rededicate this blog to the cause of Christ! :-)

The Cost

2010-06-23T10:46:00.006+08:00

It costs you nothing to get saved;
It costs you everything to follow Him.

Worship

2008-10-14T12:28:00.000+08:00

Why couldn't God just forgive us?

2008-09-06T10:06:00.003+08:00

Article taken from http://weblog.revelife.com/revelife/673115094/why-couldnt-god-just-forgive-us.html

From several places, I’ve heard what appears to be a common objection to the Gospel message:
“Why did Jesus have to die? If God was so eager to forgive us, why go through the whole shtick of executing an innocent person? Why is that even necessary—why couldn’t God just, well, forgive us?”

This is a perfectly valid question, and it makes a lot of sense to ask it. After all, there is something that seems just plain wrong about saying, “God decided to punish an innocent person instead of you… because He is so concerned about justice.” But one thing I’ve found about many people’s objections to Christian beliefs is that they object to something that it is absolutely right to object to, except that it doesn’t happen to be a Christian belief.

Be that as it may, I think we have a similar case here. The idea that God punished an innocent person instead of just forgiving us does seem objectionable. But is it really the Gospel message? Maybe not. Hang onto your hats; let’s take a look.
Part of the confusion here comes from what I call the “Person C” Fallacy. Too often, you hear the Gospel message presented like this: God (Person A) takes the crimes of a human being (Person B) and places them on an innocent third party, Jesus (Person C), whom He then proceeds to torture and kill so Person B doesn’t have to suffer the consequences. Doesn’t Person B think Person A is a great guy?

A typical skeptic would say to that, “But that’s so unfair, unjust, and cruel!”
The typical skeptic would be absolutely right.

The answer, like the answer to so many objections to the Bible, is 1) That idea really is a moral dilemma, and 2) That idea is not what’s taught in the Bible. At all. Even if you’ve heard some Christians say it is.

If your eyebrows are raised at this point, just work with me here. Look at what the Bible teaches about Jesus. Jesus is said to be “God... manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). In other words, He was not Person C; He was Person A. God doesn’t punish some random innocent third party; He takes the penalty for our sins on Himself. Punishing someone else may be cruel, but voluntarily suffering for someone else is heroic, heartbreaking, and amazingly gracious.
That’s only part of it—even if Jesus is God, why did He have to die at all? Again, if God is so anxious to forgive, why doesn’t he just wipe the slate clean, say “I forgive you,” and start all over again?

The answer: That’s exactly what God did do. And that’s exactly why Jesus had to die.
Confused? Stay with me. The confusion this time comes from our English word “forgive.” We can use the word “forgive” in two different ways:

1) You offend me or otherwise hurt me, but I say, “I forgive you.” That means, “You hurt me, but I’ll overlook it because I don’t want it to wreck our relationship. No hard feelings.”

2) You borrow a thousand dollars from me, fall on hard times, and can’t pay it back. I say, “That’s OK; I’ll forgive you your debt.” That means, “You now no longer owe me a thousand dollars. On your records, it’s as though you’d never defaulted on the loan.”

On my records... well, I’m out a thousand dollars. That’s the price I’d have to pay to forgive the debt.

The Greek language, in which the New Testament was originally written, simplifies matters a bit by having a different word for each of these meanings. (Charizomai is the first and aphiemi the second, for those interested.)

Now clearly, when people ask “Why couldn’t God just forgive us,” they’re thinking about meaning #1. And it’s true that that first word does pop up in the Greek New Testament a few times in reference to forgiving people who have offended you. But by far the more common word is the second—the one that’s used in reference to forgiving debts. Here is just a quick sampling of some of the more notable uses:

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." --Mark 2:7

“Who can forgive sins but God alone?" –Luke 5:21

“…the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins…" –Luke 5:24

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. –1 John 1:9

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. –James 5:15

It even occurs in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12).

Now remember this is aphiemi, the kind of forgiveness that has to do not with overlooking the feelings but with clearing the accounts. As an interesting word-study aside, aphiemi in other contexts can be translated “leave behind,” “let alone,” “send away,” or even “divorce”—it’s talking about making a clean and total break with something.

So God doesn’t just overlook our sins and say “no hard feelings” (though He does that too of course). He does something even greater: The sin that was in your account book gets crossed out. That debt you couldn’t pay back gets canceled. Your sins are sent away—left behind—divorced.

That’s great news for us, but what does it mean for God? Remember, when a debt is forgiven, the creditor becomes the one who suffers the loss. And sin carries a big loss with it: “The wages of sin is death,” according to the Bible (Romans 6:23). Sin carries a consequence, just like work carries a wage. You work an hour; you get a set amount of money. You commit a sin, and something inevitably happens to your soul. You die.

By the way, I don’t think that God decided to set an arbitrary punishment for certain actions: “If they covet, let’s see… I know, I’ll give them the death penalty, bwa ha ha ha.” I see God’s moral laws as an attempt to keep us from doing something that would destroy us whether He made the rule or not: “DANGER! KEEP OUT! HIGH VOLTAGE! If you touch the wire, you’ll die!” The sign is there to keep you from being killed, not to kill you.

So there’s the dilemma: God wants to forgive us our sins as a creditor would forgive his debtor. But if He does that, He’s left with the debt, and in that case, that means He has to suffer death.
God can’t die. But a human can.

If God became a human, then He could die and the debt would be absorbed. The books would be balanced all around. There would be both justice (because the books would be fairly balanced) and mercy (because we didn’t have to die).

So Jesus is not Person C, nor even just Person A: He’s person AB. If Jesus is not fully God and fully Man, this whole arrangement is impossible: If Jesus is only A, B, or C, there’s an insuperable moral dilemma. But if Jesus is who the Bible says He is, there’s Amazing Grace.

“In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Eve's Night Live

2008-08-18T11:16:00.006+08:00

On the 16th of August, the brothers got to run the show at youth while the girls sat on their bums and got pampered the whole night long.

A few things that really impressed the girls...

Guys folding candle holders, led by Casper; and the fact that they all very gently and patiently tried to fold the prettiest flower for us. So gentle they were, that none of them ripped the tissue...

The fact that they were in the kitchen...:O by 5 something...and prepped some crazy awesome refreshments for us (lemon lime bitters from scratch, nachos+dip, turkish bread with olive oil, cookies and cream cheesecake). Not to mention the crazy service and extremely well dressed up butlers/waiters.

Boys being boys...always manage to find some fun even in the kitchen.

Games organized by the guys, including Deal or no Deal, Battle of the Sexes and don't laugh at jap gameshows unless you want to eat raw onion.

Deal or no deal? ($500 is not enough to finance Mon's shopaholicness)

The really nice item put together by Derek and Marcus to serenade the girls was a real hit. Earned them some fans too i think (:

All in all, thank you brothers for such an enjoyable night; every single one of us girls appreciate the effort you guys put in, from barring us from the kitchen, to dressing up, to being early for youth, to organizing the night and to making some way crazy refreshments (:

Hope to have more of that lemon and lime bitters next week ;p

The Joseph Generation

2008-07-09T11:51:00.002+08:00

rock on guys (:

ROFL

2008-06-29T14:36:00.003+08:00

I'm evil. I mean no harm Jon, I mean no harm.

(and to casper as well)

Red vs Black - Fun Night! ...240508

2008-06-02T23:26:00.009+08:00

That Saturday night was one of the best nights we’ve had in a while i reckon! A night of lets-get-tied-together fun, and a lesson on unity in the body of Christ well learnt! Well here are some of the highlights:

There was the black team...

...and then clearly the far more superior and amazing RED TEAM!!

We got stuck into it and here’s what unity in Christ looked like:

Even our own rev melody had her own fair share of laughs n was happy (relatively) to take a few happy snaps!

And of course...in sarah’s clever version of “human fools-ball”, our very own AH MAIIGERRR was the only one to score a goal! ...pity it was into his own goals -_-

All in all it was an awesome night and we were even left with a few words of wisdom...

*a prize to the first person who can remember the golden nugget of wisdom we learnt from the bible (and sarah) that night!...*

~SharoNaT

Parents night 08'

2008-05-11T22:11:00.005+08:00

Hey guys!

So what exactly did happen on parents night? Well, first things first; alot of planning went into the night. Special thank you to this lovely lady:

who despite being the newest member of the youth committee, managed to pull all the right strings and get the correct contacts to not just make this a fun night, but one that we could remember. (that's Monica by the way lol).

For those of you who didn't come, it's ok! Plenty of new and awesome programs still waiting in store for you (:

But in a brief review of the night, we started off with Crosby's sharing (because the singspiration laptop decided to retire early), a good new twist was when congregation members found little notes stuck to the bottom of their seats, and had to read them out (they weren't embarrassing or anything). Does anybody remember the memory verse?! Write it in the tag box ;p

"hellooo ladies"

Singspiration by Nat, was a bit shorter than usual, but no less awesome (Even though a certain electric guitarist decided to go AWOL); kudos to Nat for handling singspiration for Carrie, who was sick (pray for her!).

The turnout for the night was good enough (more than expected), so much so that Monica and Sarah had to run off to the shops to buy extra presents for the parents we didn't anticipate would come.

The games (otherwise known as parent/child bonding), were a great feat that caused many laughs in the house. Without running into too much detail; we briefly visited the mummies in egypt,

Who were struggling to stand still as their team proceeded to wrap (and laugh excessively at) them. With great variety too!! Mummified Dad, Mummy aunty Ina, Uncle Goh and Aunty Saw Bee; were looking very impressive. However, prize of the night went to no less than the amazing:

Aunty Ina! Who managed to personify egypt AND the hippee era on first attempt. Congrats to Aunty Ina!

Our next game/event, was the parent/child quiz; which was a good lot of fun! (and embarrassment for some). Oh sure, you think of the question, it was probably asked there, "what year were your parents born?" "Where did your parents meet" "what's your kid's favorite chocolate" "What phrase does your parent say to you most often?!"

The replies were sometimes extremely obvious:

Sarah: "What phrase does your parent say to you most often?"
Michael Wong: "ahmaigggeerr"

to the extremely witty:

Sarah: "Where did your parents meet?"
Joan Liu: "at a university in china, in the provinc...."

to the sometimes, downright ridiculous >.>:

Sarah: "What's your parent's mobile number?"
Casper Leow: "*successfully rattles off his dads number*"
Sarah: "woah, impressive."
Uncle Bob Leow: "because he always gets into trouble la!"

But at the end of it all, everybody got a good laugh, and kids and parents alike realised just how much (or how little) they know about their parents. If the former, that's great; if the latter, get to know them more!! Hey, at least you see that they have a good sense of fun in them (;

Well, obviously there had to be some form of rivalry, thanks AhmAigGgErRr

but all in all? The night worked out fine. Thank you to all who organised and turned up! It was a real blessing having you there with us (: hope to see you next week! And hey, if you do happen to have not - so - good a week before then, just remember what aunty ina says:

lets get more of that in your life (:

Godbless all!!

Fin~

What is the Bible?

2008-05-08T17:54:00.004+08:00

What it is

The Bible is actually not a book; it is a collection of books. The books were written by various authors, and at various times in history. Most important of all, the Bible is God-breathed; meaning the authors do not just write because they feel like doing it or just for the sake of writting, but rather they were inspired by God through the ages.

The Big Picture

So what is the big picture of the Bible? What's the theme that runs throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation?

1. God created the universe, all life, and humans are the pinnacle of His creation because we bear the image of God. (Genesis 1-2)

2. Humankind rebelled against God, and because of sin, humankind became separated from God. (Genesis 3)

3. Because humankind became so wicked, God destroyed all life on earth with a great flood, sparing Noah's family and the animals on board the ark. (Genesis 4-10)

4. Once again, humankind became wicked, and God scattered the people into different languages and nations. (Genesis 11)

5. God's plan to redeem humankind begins. His plan was to do this through Abraham and his descendants. (Genesis 12-50)

6. Abraham's descendants, the Israelites, were enslaved in Egypt. God rescued them out of Egypt and sets them apart so that they may be His vessels to reach out to the fallen world. (Exodus - Joshua)

7. The nation of Israel was supposed to be a blessing to other nations, but failed due to the fundamental sinful nature of humankind. (Judges - Malachi)

8. Because of Israel's failure, God Himself had to intervene; He himself became flesh and was born into this world as a sinless person. Jesus, the Son of God (God incarnate as human), died a horrible death and became the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the penalty of sin on behalf of the whole human race. He rose from the grave, and returned back into heaven. (Matthew - John)

9. The way back to God is now open. Jesus promised that He'll send the Holy Spirit into everyone who believes in Him, and it shall be a seal of eternal life. We are now in this stage of history; the church age. (Acts - Jude)

10. Jesus did promise that He'll return again at the end of the world to judge every person and to bring the kingdom of God into completion. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and the old order of this will be gone. All of creation will be restored like it was in the beginning before sin entered the world. Believers will dwell with and worship God for eternity. (Revelation)

In short, the Bible portrays God's plan of salvation to save humankind and restore the broken relationship with Him. This is the ultimate theme of the whole Bible.

So what do I do about it?

The Bible is like God's love letter to you. Read it, apply its principles in your daily life, and learn from it. Not only will it guide you in your daily walk, but it will also prepare you for the life to come. I know you've heard this being said many times, so I'll give it a fresh perspective. Consider this earthly life as the "practise session" of the actual "worship" when God's kingdom comes into full fruition.

At the end of the day, you'll meet all the Christians throughout history. You'll also going to meet all the Old Testament faithful people. It will be literally a multitude of people, too many to count (Revelation 7:9). You will meet the people whom you've only read about so far; Abraham, David, Moses, Esther, Isaiah, Samuel, Deborah, Samson, Ruth, and the list goes on! And when the time comes, you don't want to be saying, "Er... who are you? Are you Isaac, the son of Jeremiah?" And the answer comes, "No I'm not! I'm Martin Luther!"

Most importantly, you're going to spend eternity fellowshiping with and worshiping God! So make use of the time here on earth to grow your character, to read His Word as guidance, to pray and get to know God personally. For example, if you don't read about Jesus in the gospels or talk to Him in your quiet time, how can you know Him? You don't want to be standing in front of Jesus saying, "Erm... who are you? Are you Nebuchadnezzar the father of Paul?"

Read Hebrews 11:1 - 12:3 and you'll get a picture of what I mean...

David and Goliath

2008-05-06T20:26:00.004+08:00

the crab version

Hello Guys Easter is coming.

2008-03-19T20:20:00.004+09:00

The blog is dying I have to revive it like Jesus resructing on the cross! Okay, lame comparson but I've got a couple of things to say:

~PRIVACY ISSUES~

I am thinking I might film your exploits at the easter play. So guys, please support me and tell me if you OBJECT seeing your face on youtube. Chances are I already put you on youtube unfortunetaly but caring for you at the fabulous year of 2008 PUT YOUR NAMES ON THE SHOUTBOX if you DON'T WANT TO APPEAR on a little trailer of the play on my youtube channel.

Okay that's done. Now for a little side note about the meaning of Easter.

So, Palm Sunday. I thought Palm Sunday was just waving palms around and celebrating Jesus's arrival in Jersuluem or something like that. The Jews are cheering for Jesus, and the next half a week or so gets crucified. Wow. What I thought was Jesus was dying for the Jews, and so the Jews were happy. Well not in the sense of the Jews really hating Jesus so they crucified him. So, I heard the true story of this Palm Sunday just last year.

Well, the Jews want a ruler. They're sick of being tossed and turned around by Romans. So they want to get out of here and get rid of the Romans, like another Moses leading them out of Eygpt. They thought Jesus was going to get them out of the mess. But no, Jesus wasn't there for that. Jesus was there to die for our sins.

So my point was, I never knew why the Jews were cheering on Jesus. It's simply that. Palm Sunday is the eerie reminder that the Jews were going to crucify Jesus. The people hated Jesus when they found out that He wasn't there to take them out from the Romans. But we have a better thing to celebrate which is the forgivness of sins trhough Jesus.

Yeah, that's just about it. Remember your privacy thingy majgies and put your names on the shoutbox. And I have nothing against Jews for this reason if that's what you're thinking.

The power of prayer

2008-03-08T23:31:00.005+09:00

For those of us who are doing the masterlife series of devotion;

you would have noticed that this current week is a lesson on how to pray. In a nutshell, we are encouraged to firstly;

Thank God for the blessings He has given you.

It is no secret, that if you open your eyes wide enough; you will see the blessings of God. Truly anybody who takes a good look around them will see the amount of blessings that are for a most part, undeserved, but are also so plentiful.

Things like food on the table every single day, (3 meals too!), Parents that love and care about you, a good education, your own room? What about a bible to read? There are many Christians who long to have a bible so they can read and get to know God better; be thankful that many of you have your own personal bible that you can read, whenever you feel like it. (And for those who dont, get one soon!! Or tell a committee member to help you find one)

Matthew 6:26:

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

The blessings of God are innumerable, that is, they cannot be counted. You may thank God for the most advanced things in your life, but dont forget even the most simple things that we take for granted , day by day.

What about the church? The wonderful and amazing group of people that surround you every time you enter the youth group, or mains service. Dont forget to thank God for them!! They are all friends who are so rare in this world, friends that care and will look after you.

Thank God for who He is.

Our God goes by many names. A few are, Jehovah Jireh (God of provision), Jehovah Shalom (the God of peace), my personal favorite, Jehovah Rapha (God of healing). And many many more, our God is not with one face, He has many beautiful and wonderful sides to Him, that deserve adoration, and of course; respect.

So praise God for who He is, for the healing, for the forgiveness, for the glory and honor that He is.

Psalms 46:1-3:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

He is the God of all creation, thank Him for this at least! That everytime you pass one of His glorious and mighty pieces of creation, give Him praise for it! (i mean, cmon, you try creating a tree) Even the wisest and most knowledgeable scientists cannot comprehend all of nature, that is - all of God's creation.

Confess Your sins

Our God is a holy God, and what fellowship does light have with darkness? Thankfully, our God is a God of forgiveness (remember to thank Him for that). And He hears us if we earnestly ask Him to forgive us from our sins.

1 John 1:9 says:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Thank God for such forgiveness and faithfulness. I always used to say that the first step toward solving a problem is to admit that it exists, and it is the same case here; if you confess your sins, then God- in all His great mercy will forgive you.

It is important that you do confess, because in psalm 66:18:

"If i had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened"

If you do not confess your sins and cherish them instead, then God will not hear your prayer. Enough said, it is important that confession must be a part of your prayers.

Bring your needs to God

This is probably one of the main reasons why we all pray isn't it? Because we all have problems, and God is the only One who can solve so many of them. It is so important that we all lay our problems at the feet of Jesus, the only One who can fix them.

The most beautiful thing about this type of prayer is that it's not JUST about you! You can pray for others too, and God hears and answers prayers on their behalf. Isn't it wonderful? That you can pray for somebody else apart from yourself? Think about it!

Known more commonly as 'intercession', It means that even though you may not be able to reach them in person, or may just not understand the situation; you can always bring them in prayer to God, who will be faithful to all prayers that are in accordance to His will. Really, it's quite an amazing thing, prayer.

So whether family or friends, small problem or big problem; bring it to God in prayer.

Psalm 34:17:

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles."

God will hear you if you pray sincerely, and in accordance to His will. Think about the Masterlife memory verse, John 15:7;

"If you remain in me and my word remains in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you."

So try it!! Pray, pray every night. It doesn't matter how long, pray, pray and pray. Bring all your requests humbly to God, but never forget to thank Him for what He's done in your life, and for who He is! Then watch as He answers your prayers, according to His will.

Remember to stop telling your God how big your problems are, and to start telling your problems how big your God is.

To end this post, i'd like to leave you with a few lines of a song that we sang last week.

Are there trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

God bless you all (:

Fin~

Welcome back GMC! '08

2008-02-13T21:19:00.004+09:00

Greetings, welcome, ni hao, salut, selamat datang, bonjour (etc.) to all members of Grace Methodist Church; that join us at this period of time. Indeed it is a VERY exciting time to be joining us, as the church is preparing to move premises in a month or so, we're receiving a new pastor in the form of Reverend Melody Ting, and the program hits the ground running as we prepare for easter, that is only a month away.

There are many new faces in our youth, many old faces returning from holidays, a new pastor in our midst, and a bright and wonderful year ahead of us - filled with many exciting times.

As a start, i'd like to introduce; and to welcome those that are new in our midst. Some may notice around the place, Ken Goh - who joins us as of 2 weeks ago straight from malaysia. Ken now attends year 11 in Rossmoyne Senior High; he's here with his family, although his dad's back in singapore, his mum, brother and 2 sisters are with us (although they haven't officially joined the youth group yet.)

Forgive me for not taking pictures, if you look down 2 posts to Sarah's picture post, he's in there somewhere XD

Also we have a new Luvena with us. Luvena is also year 11, however goes to the proverbial rival school that is, willeton senior high. Although Luvena has been in Perth for a few years now, she is still new to our youth; which calls for a warm welcome on all our parts. Her brother Evan is also with us and sometimes attends the youth, although you'll mostly catch him around church with Luvena's mother.

No doubt there will be many new faces to join us in the future as we move to forrestdale, so look forward to this!

In other news, we're planning to restart the choir,

The choir seems to have suffered a significant loss of members with our present batch of year 12's pulling out to focus on their studies. This is fairly understandable, as the practise time was on Monday.

however, NOW you have absolutely no excuse (yes, that's right Michael Wong); as the practise time is (tentatively) being shifted to Sunday, straight after church. So we expect to see the full body of you there when we commence choir once again!!!

I'm kidding, nobody is obligated to attend choir haha; but since we ARE changing the practise times, purely for convenience sake; we DO appreciate it if you would just stay back that extra 45 mins after church to fit in one practise session. As you would know, the choir is already fairly small; and it takes alot of effort (especially on Emily's part) to keep it running. Do at least ask if you can join us once again, and i'm sure that this year's choir will be as great and able as ever (:

On the same token, we're looking for people who join the choir because they want to sing, not because they've been forced to. So if you like singing, and feel like being part of an awesome team, come down and join us!! Every member is appreciated, and i can guarantee you, most of you wont regret it!

In conclusion to this post; i would like to wish all of you a fantastic year, whether you're in year 12 and mugging 24/7, whether it's your first time jumping into the world of university, whether you've hit year 11 and had to start working hard, whether you're working, whether you're in bible college; to essentially everybody out there reading this post:

GMC youth group wishes you in the most fond of manners, a FANTASTIC year, filled with the love and guidance of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Hope to see you this Saturday!!!

Jon

Kings Park Outing, 24th January 2008

2008-01-28T21:23:00.000+09:00

photos from last friday's picnic!

it was nice just hanging out with one another in the shade and pigging out with food, enjoying ball games (and nearly wrecking a wedding) and frisbee throwing, while enjoying ourselves and relaxing. thank God for an enjoyable time that was injury-free and safe for everyone who attended (:

sarah

The Pencil

2007-10-30T15:40:00.000+09:00

'The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."'

Let's keep writing His story wherever we go and be guided and led by His hand always (:

The Official "How's Justin Going" Post

2007-10-23T19:09:00.000+08:00

Ok, now, i've had some questions on how justin's going, and how's he's doin, but i never got around to publishing these facts and now he's COMING BACK on Wednesday tommorrow, well, here, a short post dedicated to the one and only Justin Ow which he will read when he comes back. Hopefully he has many stories to tell (more than what i've heard from him).

BTW justin is on a solar car race from darwin to adeliade IF YOU DON't Know...

First I'd like to thank all of you who've prayed for his safety and well being. They're prayers worth said and just thank all who're behind him and support him during his journey. And we all missed you Justin.

And secondly, Justin s having a great time of the whole overall experience. I was disapoointed that he didn't get to see ayers rock though (he said it was too far away from the highway). I would have loved a picture. Justin's solar car team also half-made it to Adelaide (apparently the race cut short due to forcasted thunderstorms). They weren't first, but they weren't last either (in other words, they did a pretty good job for a high school)

For the facts, the solar car that earned first place was NUNA (i believe) and the second place was AURALIS (i think). From what i know they are top end competitors from universities around the world. Speaking of which, Justin has aquired a number of souvernirs including a hat from a guy from the philipians. And plenty of photos of the solar cars.

so you can welcome justin on a saturday tommorrow, sure he has lots to talk about...anyway, if you're reading this justin please do not kill me for my bad grammar/speeling lol

You are blessed.

2007-09-17T22:18:00.000+08:00

Hey guys; just wanted to post something after i received a few e-mails from you guys; and also since the blog seems to be growing cobwebs.

As most of you know, i hold the 'master sheet' of the witnessing program, and on it there are names of people mentioned for doing things that help others in many forms. And it surprised me, not only how MANY names were on that list, but the actual names were on that list. To be honest, i partially just expected to see half the committee on the list for their various roles in many aspects of youth; and since they are seen helping out the most.

But what i actually saw was a myriad of names that were actually not committee members, there were names even of some of the youngest members in our youth group; ranging to the eldest. And since i get reports of the things that these people do, i was astounded to find that (although against my instruction) people weren't nominating others in for doing simple things, like washing the dishes, or carrying in chairs;

they were nominating people for HARDCORE things, such as helping another person by 'tutoring' them in order to get them ready for a test, helping somebody who had just been hurt fairly bad to first aid, helping a friend with an emotional need; and the list goes on.

(sorry michael xD but i found that pic so funny, and apparently so did cham XD...not picking on you or anything...)

And while it may sound bad; i 'suddenly' realised how many of us may be taking our youth group; and our youth group members for granted. I know that i'm certainly guilty of that crime. So i'm going to try and open your eyes a bit, as to what an amazing youth group you have.

Grace Methodist Church is the youngest, and if i'm not mistaken; the smallest of the three chinese methodist churches in Western Australia. Our youth group; i'm pretty sure is still the smallest, and by youth group; i do refer to the combined chinese-english youth group. The people in our youth vary widely. We have the chairman Crosby, who is one of the most organised people i know, not to mention the smartest(and best bass players), through to the quieter Joan; who is amazingly hardworking and intelligent.

We have the laughing and always smiling Jenny and Caroline; who never fail to put the bounce into youth; to the universally lovable natalie leow; and her crazy, awesome artist/guitarist boyfriend Ken. (who is, in fact; my cousin.)

We have the humorous little Leon who honestly; has never failed to put a smile on my face; to the ALWAYS-laughing ducky (a.k.a renee). We have the child-genius Justin; through to village clown/idiot (yet very very lovable) Ahmaigger Wong. We have the sporting genius Cham, through to his counter-part in talent Eddie Ng.

We've got the amazingly generous Collin; who is always there to offer a hand (and...who takes up a fair chunk of the master sheet). Through to my best mate Leon; and his crazily good electric guitar skills (and idiotic deeds many of the time XD). We have the bouncy and friendly Sharon to always hi5 you or greet you with a smile; through to the silent heroes such as Sarah, who do everything and don't get near enough recognition.

I've only mentioned a few of the youth actually. And i know i've left out an extremely large chunk of people. Forgive me if i have; i just wanted enough names to make a point.

Our youth is comprised of a great variety of individuals; whose personalities vary greatly amongst each other. Our youth is diverse; with people from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, China, Thailand (....Cham where are you from mate? XD). While the main language we communicate in is English; at least half of the youth group can also communicate in mandarin. And most, if not all; can also speak in another language.

One thing that i love about our youth group is the fact that even though we're the youngest of the three churches, and perhaps the smallest; we're still not afraid to step out of our comfort zone and make our mark; because indeed; our youth is also filled to the brim with talented individuals. Talent for sports, music, arts, academia; and many many other areas.

I'm more than proud to say that our youth group has an enormous pool of potential. It's just up to us to make use of that potential, and it's up to the individuals; to make sure that they are LIVING to their full potential. Because when they do; great, and ...sometimes fairly weird things happen.

Whilst i haven't exactly been in the youth group that long; in fact, probably one of the few people who hasn't been there since the beginning; it's easy to say that i have never felt more comfortable amongst such a diverse and interesting group of individuals such as yourselves. The youth group is filled with vibrancy and life that i'm sure you all have noticed; in a variety of situations; camp perhaps? Team Building night? The amazing race? the church anniversary?

Whatever it is, i implore you to maintain the friends that you have made in youth. Because many of us will be walking down seperate paths in life; while it's sad to think about it - we cant be youth forever can we? Can you imagine yourself 10 years down the track? maybe even 5? Do you think that you'll still be in this youth group?

You may be in a different country for all you know.

You are so blessed to have friends like those at youth. Because most of these friends are the type that will not leave you; and who knows? They are people that you may need some point down the track in life. Grow closer to each other; and grow closer to God. Because one day, in the future, i guarantee you that you will look back upon these times and you will miss them; You will miss the time of praise and worship that you had every saturday night, you will miss walking into blue gum and saying hi to every person you came across; you will miss being chased around by committee members to get in on time; you will miss laughing at each others jokes over a bag of chips; you will miss the laughs you shared while lying on the badminton court with your friends- waiting for youth to begin. You will miss the late night partying in chalet 13 while playing 'ding-dong'. You will miss having a quiet conversation by the dying embers of a fire at 2AM in the morning while you were star-gazing at orchard glory.

Because one of the main aspects of our youth group is : team. And we're all a part of that team. We're here to support each other too, you know?

Even though you may walk different paths in life; some of you will end up successful businessmen, others scientists, yet others may end up as lawyers, as doctors, as dentists. You may even have friends from this youth group that go on to become servants of God, pastors, evangelists, missionaries. These are people who you joke and laugh with, who you praise and worship with; who you talk to in such a friendly environment on a weekly basis. I believe strongly that the friends you make here, are the type of friends that will not leave you in the future. Purely because the people in this youth group are just so amazing.

And even though later on, we may well walk down different paths in life that will take us to places scattered all over the face of the world; may you always look back upon the time you were with this blessed group of people;

and smile.

Jon-a-fin =)

Ahmaiggerwong lazing around

2007-09-10T20:44:00.000+08:00

2007-08-26T01:14:00.000+08:00

Butterfly Gives Darwin an ‘Absolute Breakdown’

Issue Date: July/August 2007

By Thomas Heinze

Darwin felt that natural selection, working by just slight modifications, had formed all the animals and all of their organs. He wrote: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”

Here’s an “absolute break down” surprise for him! Butterflies are not transformed by successive slight modifications from caterpillars, or from any evolutionary ancestor. Neither are any of their complex organs.

When a butterfly egg hatches, a caterpillar steps out, eats, grows, and then builds a little house around itself where it passes into the pupal stage. Inside the leather-like shell of the pupa, or larva, the caterpillar dissolves. I don’t mean he dissolves in tears, or has a squishy feeling. His eyes, legs, intestines, and bristly fuzz, everything that distinguished him as a caterpillar, melts down to form a thick liquid. Everything except his heart becomes homogenized goo.

Darwin said that if any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, his theory would absolutely break down. Compare the organs that crawled in to become the pupa with those of the butterfly that flew out in the chart below.

All these butterfly organs formed from goo! None formed from slight modifications to previous organs! Darwin struck out!

Darwin thought natural selection had lifted all plants and animals up from a single cell by eliminating the less fit and keeping the more fit alive. What is the least fit substance you can think of? Thick liquid? Well, even if you can think of something less fit than thick liquid, you know that liquid goo has no selective advantage over a voracious caterpillar crawling efficiently through the brush avoiding predators with protective coloration and a covering of disgusting stiff fuzz!

Darwin was right! His theory absolutely breaks down, crushed under the weight of one of God’s lightest creatures: the butterfly!

In author Thomas Heinze’s books, The Vanishing Proofs of Evolution, In the Beginning—Soup? and How Life Began, you will find other examples of evolution’s “breakdowns” that you can use in witnessing to those who believe in evolution’s “strong delusion.” (See 2 Thess. 2:11-12.)

Blogging 102

2007-08-13T20:27:00.001+08:00

Hey guys, sorry i have to make this post for people who plan on using the blog.

OK, so most of you will have seen that if you post a blog post too long, it seems to break the rendering somehow (a 'how' which i dont exactly know yet).

Seemingly the only way to avoid this problem for the current moment is to create posts that aren't TOO long, generally not much larger than the notice board post (go count how many words it has if you want to be precise) - it would be appreciated if your post could be contained to that length to make our blog err.. more 'appealing' haha;

but then again, if the post is long and there is no way it can be shortened, just post it up anyway - i'm sure not many people here mind, or provide a link if you're trying to talk about a lengthy article; dont just post the whole article here. Little things like that to shorten posts would be appreciated on behalf of the GMC blog team.

Thanks guys,

just as a side note; Witnessing and Outreach are in charge of this blog (myself..[Jon] and Ken); we're also thinking about establishing a core blog administration/moderator team. We're not looking for many people, probably 2 at most. A slight knowledge of HTML formatting is appreciated...but not neccessary; overall a dedication and attitude of commitment is more sought out for.

If you ARE interested, contact me Jonlq@hotmail.com via E-mail or MSN; and if you make the team (no guarantees) i'll get back to you. Be advised this is a RESPONSIBILITY, that we expect you to fulfil, not just a position.

Thanks again guys! and i hope to hear from you soon ;)

Jon&Ken

The Secret Place

2007-08-07T23:31:00.000+08:00

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. - Matthew 6: 6

So, what is the secret and key to an active and real relationship with God? The truth is... there really isn't any secret or ritual to it! It's not magic. Here, I will talk about practical aspects of being in that "secret place" with God.

New/Fresh Desire for Him

Some grow up in a christian family and all these "christian stuff" has become so familiar. Some of us become His child later on in life (like me). That's why the subtitle is "new"/"fresh", depending on your situation. Your Heavenly Father waits for you every day. He longs to fellowship with you, if only you'll let him. Return to your first love.

Jesus said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near".

Ever wondered why so called "strong christians" are so spiritual? I used to be like that too. Back at my previous church, I admired the wonderfully talented and spiritually strong worship team back in ROL church 5 years ago. I asked God back then to be like them.

But God's answer wasn't like that. God wants us to be ourselves, and come seeking Him. It really is as simple as that. But it requres sincerity for change and child-like faith.

If you want that change and breakthrough in your spiritual life...

"Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" - John 16: 24b

Set aside some time today, a time when you will be alone in your room. Get on your knees before God and ask Him to change you. Confess all your sins and strive to change for the better with His help. Ask God to renew/refresh you. Ask Him to give you a new desire to seek Him. Keep on asking, and asking, and asking... because...

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7: 7 - 8

Guys, don't be afraid to shed tears of repentance. After all, you're alone behind the door and it's between you and Him. Scientifically... tears get rid of toxins from your body. Spiritually... tears represent repentance and you will feel so much lighter and free.

If you're troubled by anything or if you have a sinful habit that you can't get rid of, ask God for help! But you yourself will need to make practical changes in your lifestyle too. Remove things which tempt or distract you away from God. It's not worth the high price of Jesus's blood shed for you on the cross.

Therefore, 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. - Hebrews 12: 1

If you feel like praising and worshipping God, then do it! Listen and sing along to christian songs. Or if you're able, pick up the guitar or sit at the piano. Even if you don't have an instrument, you can just sing from your heart there and then.

If all this is still mystical... it's not! God is not some distant entity out there. He's an actual person, and you can talk to Him just like you would talk to someone. Make it personal by addressing God respectfully either as Father or Jesus... depending on your preference. Personally for me, I use them interchangeably at times.

Here's some more daily practical ways to maintain the vital relationship with God.

Morning Devotion

You all probably know that your day is pretty much shaped by how you experience your mornings. Ever ran into those early morning family arguments? The whole day seems so gloom after that. Ever had a delicious special breakfast cooked for you? The whole day after that seems so bright! (Btw, for those who skip breakfast... it's a BAD habit... eat something!)

Anyway, the point is that we humans are not just physical beings. We are spiritual beings too. The Word of God is our spiritual food. Take the extra initiative to wake up around 15 minutes earlier than usual. It has to be a conscious and deliberate decision, because the flesh part of you will say, "just sleep in!". Instead, wake up and say... "Good morning Jesus!".

It is a good idea to talk to God and read His Word the first thing in the morning, before you come into contact with others outside your room. Get devotional material like "Our Daily Bread". Read through the few verses mentioned in the devotion, and then read the explanation in the booklet. It's a good idea too to re-read those verses again to gain better insight into it, and how you can apply it in your life.

Try it and you will see that your mornings and your whole day will be so much better. We need spiritual food.

Breathe Prayers

Prayer doesn't have to be a ritual like that of a Pharisee! When you're walking to school, riding on the bus or waiting in line, you can utter breathe prayers. What are breathe prayers? Breathe prayers are simple and short prayers uttered while you're doing your daily chores. It's almost like talking to someone while you're doing your stuff. For example...

While walking to class, "Father please help me to concentrate and learn fron this lesson. In Jesus's name, amen."

After a while it will become second nature to you and you will experience a greater relationship wiwth God. Sometimes, quiet is also good. Don't just talk too much until God doesnt have a chance to communicate back! It's not necesarily an audible voice of course; God can also speak to you through many means... Bible, others, creation, circumstances

Night Quality Time

Also known as "quiet time" or abbreviated QT. I think the term "quality time" is more appropriate because it IS quality time and it ISN'T quiet. This is a special time between you and God. Converse with Him as you would any person.

Set aside a time at night (not before sleeping, otherwise you will fall asleep!), after the day's labour. Get into your room and spend quality time with God. Confess sins which you would have "collected" over the day. If you feel like it, you can also sing praise and worship songs. This is essential time to "recharge" your spiritual manna after a long day.

It's important to make sure that you don't have distractions. Get away from the computer for a moment. Put yourself in a position such that you're just comfortable. If too comfortable, then you might fall asleep! If not comfortable enough, it won't feel good.

Pray for your prayer items. Pray for friends, family, church, and then finally yourself. However, don't forget that prayer is one line communication with God. At times, just relax a bit and listen to God's voice. It is a good idea to open the Bible. Very often, God would speak to your circumstances through the Bible. Meditate on them for a while before retiring to the bed.

Also, I encourage everyone to read the Bible for knowledge, preparing for Bible study or other things. Don't read it from Genesis to Revelations! Starting with the gospel of John is a good idea. This can either be done in the morning or at night.

I hope this post will benefit many others. Remember that it all starts inside you...

Blogging 101

2007-08-06T19:09:00.000+08:00

Hey guys!

Not many rules to put here; just when all publishers of a post are writing; try to use the NORMAL font; and not any larger as this tends to mess up some of the formatting; thank you!!! Oh and also; this goes for those who want to upload Youtube videos onto this place;

for now, i'd beg you NOT to upload them directly, but instead to provide the link. Uploading them here will increase time this page takes to load; ok thanks!!!

I'll let you know about any further problems/bugs; but if you find any; please tell me!

Enjoy!

Jon

Test post final

2007-08-06T17:50:00.001+08:00

All blog posters; if experiencing lag; please notify me.

Jon

functionality test 1

2007-08-06T17:48:00.001+08:00

Functionality test one;

dont comment pleaseee

GMCYF

2007-08-06T17:46:00.000+08:00

blog testing post

- dont comment or i'll hit you -____-

Jon

test

2007-08-06T17:44:00.000+08:00

testinggggggg

2007-08-03T12:22:00.000+08:00

A NEW PERSPECTIVE
I sat with two friends in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food."
My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind.
We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them.
I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square." Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner. I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God:
an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.
"Looking for the pastor?" I asked.
"Not really," he replied, "just resting."
"Have you eaten today?"
"Oh, I ate something early this morning."
"Would you like to have lunch with me?"
"Do you have some work I could do for you?"
"No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch."
"Sure," he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions.
"Where you headed?"
"St. Louis."
"Where you from?"
"Oh, all over; mostly Florida."
"How long you been walking?"
"Fourteen years," came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling.. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus is The Never Ending Story."
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.
He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God.
"Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now"
"Ever think of stopping?" I asked.
"Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?"
"What?"
"To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"
"Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture, that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me."
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, "Come Ye blessed of my Farther and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in."
I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.
"I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see."
I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
"Where are you headed from here?" I asked.
"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."
"Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?"
"No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
"Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched My life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, "declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. plans to give you a future and a hope."
"Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you."
"I know," I said, "I love you, too."
"The Lord is good!"
"Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked. "A long time," he replied.
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."
"I'll be there!" was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
"You bet," I shouted back, "God bless."
"God bless." And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car.
As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry.
"See you in the New Jerusalem," he had said.
Yes, Daniel, I know I will.
--Author Unknown

3 things in life

2007-07-27T19:53:00.000+08:00

THINK IN THREES

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person -
1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose-
1. Hope
2. Faith
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable -
1. Love
2. Family and Friends
3. Charity

Three things in life that are never certain -
1. Dreams
2. Success
3. Tomorrow

Three things that make a person -
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work

Three things that are truly constant -
Father - Son - Holy Spirit

I asked the Lord to bless you, as I prayed for you today; to guide you and protect you, as you go along your way. God's love is always with you, God's promises are true. And when you give God all your cares, you know God will see you through.

CAmp Bloooooooog

2007-07-23T08:59:00.000+08:00

Da CAMP 2007 Vlog by R

"Rachel is slowly adding videos to youtube, so the rest of us can experience camp again, or for those who haven't gone to camp, have a taste of what our camp is about."

update:Another clip has been uploaded. Go figure.

Well, since nobody's made a 'explaination' of camp i reckon a couple of people who didn't go to camp will be going huh? so it's up to me to provide an explaination...

Well, if you ask CAMP WAS FUN. Indeed. Ask anyone who went there.

And the food was great too. Ask anyone who went there too.

Ok, this year's camp had heaps of more events. There was the sermon itself, and the games (crossfire and tug of war; if you don't know what crossfire is read my last post if it is still there...) and presentations and group discussions and Amazing race, and singsparation and...so much more...

The greatest aspect of camp was that we were all put into the teams, Chinese and English youth congragration put together. There were 4 teams, and they were called Lyubov, Agape, Sarang, and Ahava (they are the word 'love' in different languages). (I personally was in team Ahava.) Each had 2 leaders to lead each team. Some of them were unexperienced team leaders (i mean, look at Justin and Eileen, I didn't think they could leadership, and look at where they are now), and some were leaders...I guess Casper was one.

All of the teams had to come up with a flag, a smaller flag for the game Crossfire, and a team chant.

Agape's team chant went something like this: "Team Agape is the best, (team agape is the best), We are better than the rest, (we are better than the rest), and then...rollout, where the team members roll out (disputely Team agape's is considered the best chant in the whole camp because is was simple, and the team said it loud and proudly)

...and Lyubov's one was chanting Lyubov in a line. (Well, can't describe it very well)

Sarang's was a loud "Sarang, Sarang Hoi hoi hoi" which was repeated.

Ahava's...needed a bit of explaining because it was in Chinese. It went something like (broken piin yin XD) green green, zhoa shang jain, liu shang jain, go go niu niu, pi ku niu niu, (and then i don't know the rest...) oh yeah! (sorry, those who are chinese, just tell me if you know it). A translation was bluntly go green, move your left hand, move your right hand, move your head, then move your butt, and (i dunno the rest XD) squat...Oh yeah!

Well, in the various events we had to compete each other in our teams. The first one was crossfire.

OMG. Team Agape owned everyone.

Then there was tug of war.

OMG. Team Ahava owned everyone. And they were the ultimate losers in Crossfire!

Well, everyone complained that the teams on the left hand side of tug of war were always losing becuase the ground was soft. Team Ahava, determined to win this time (after their huliminating lost to Crossfire) decided to to tug of war on the other side against Lyubov (i think). Guess what. Team Ahava proved everyone wrong and won the tug of war event.

Then there was the Amazing Race. It was going up and down Orchard Glory (the camp site) using photos as a guide to the next post. And when you reach the next post, you have to do a mini game, such as balancing bibles on your head. Team Sarang got a head start and rushed through the photos, only to slip way behind as they coudln't find a photo in 20 mins. Team Lyubov rushed through dilentgly. Team ahava raced to first place...only to find that Team agape had beaten them to the mini game and claimed first place!

Straight after that was the skits and praises. Singsparation meant jumping for your life. Everyone sang with a great heart. Then each team had to present a skit in a form of a curtural muscial.

Team Lyubov presented the story of the fall of man in Genesis, Team Agape danced...Team Sarang did Tai Chi with Madam Wei Kee and Team Ahava...let's just say Team Ahava dressed very disturbingly. Team skits down ere:

Sarang:

Lyubov:

Ayam...i mean Agape:

Ahava:

The next item was seperate chalet presentations (which i won't go into) and next was the camp fire. Chalet 14...played Ding dong until 3:00am in the morning...or who knows...you could hear them at Chalet 4 on the other side of the campsite.

I'd like to say last of all, Bro. Robert did a amazing job teaching us on how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ as well.

Well, i've got so much more to say, but i'll reveal it in the camp videos, but for now, adios, and keep shining in the light of God!

Watch this space below for any other videos that might come up. I will allow anyone to shout out requests on the tagboard-i'll put it up if I have it. What i definetly don't have is Chalet 14 playing ding dong all night, I was sleeping back then (I was one of the sane people) and any sermon (excluding presentations from groups).

don't worry, any other chalet presentations you want to watch will come.

If I do have the time to come up with a vlog of camp I'll only post the URL, to avoid those youtube boxes popping everywhere.

Close brushes with death

2007-07-22T13:57:00.000+08:00

Just today (Sunday 22nd July if you're reading this any later than this date), as we were heading home from church, the road on Leach Highway was noticeably wet (due to, of course, the rain this morning). We could see that on the other side of the road a car accident had already occurred.
About a minute later one of the cars in front us moved onto the embankment without warning, then tried to go back into the lane. Mum hit the brakes and the car skidded some 5-10 metres (and the car in front stayed on the embankment). There was not much of a screech because the road was so wet; the car literally glided on the road. We managed to stop in time, and we could see that everyone in our lane in the highway was moving to the next one. It wasn't long until we realised, a car accident had happened right there! Most likely due to the wet road.
Suddenly the reality of Crosby's near-fatal brush with death daunted on me. We have to thank God that He protects us, because we nearly ended up hitting something.
Just for a note, the speed limit on Leach Highway is 70 km/h. We were traveling at around 60, because of the weather. If we had hit a stationary (not moving) car at that speed, that means something. I've seen a photo of two cars hitting each other head on at 50 km/h (which is considered slow), and both cars were practically flying! So, there you go.

Another close brush with death (or serious injury) that I personally had:
I was once sitting next to one of those poles that hold up badminton nets, and this happened to be a particularly unstable one. It fell down and hit me on the side of the head, some few kilos of solid steel. And I swear, it was not far from my temple (knowing how vulnerable that spot is), the end of the pole missed it by millimetres. I ended up with a nice big bruise on my cheekbone, reminding me how close that pole was from KO-ing me.

Crosby's Post Camp Media

2007-07-20T01:56:00.000+08:00

BaSS_LeViTE's Post Camp Media Post

Orchard Glory Farm Resort

Camp Pack

Introduction

Flag Designing

Skit Practise

Team Chant

Team Minigame in Amazing Race

Group Photoshot

Workshop Sessions

Stage Mania

Campfire

Keep the fire alive!

BaSS_LeViTE

CaMp

2007-07-13T15:16:00.001+08:00

THE PRE-CAMP BLOG POST (requested ehm.)

WARNING: there are alot of photos to load. so be patient ^_^
Many people can say that last year's church camp at Orchard Glory had got them hyped up and changed their view of God...making them stronger in Him and ready to praise Jesus. Over the years we've seen our church grow stronger in faith and willing to serve Him. So...what will this year's camp do to us?

Well, a little insight into the previous church camp with pictures:

There was roleplaying different bible stories. That was heaps of fun...

We had the most fun out of singsparation. Jump jump jump! ONE WAY JESUS! WHoo!

Dude.

Fun by the campfire.

Fun and games. There was a tug of war and captain's ball (i think)

So many people got injured! But by the grace of God, they recovered quite quickly.

Waking up early in the morning. Wake up and see God's creation.

Geese. Bring a torch unless you want to run into them.

Sermon. We learnt a lot from Pastor Richard Roy demonstrating how we need a change in Christ. By the way...

...Everyone likes sheep shearing.

So, if you're not going or going to this year's camp, whatever, come, come, come! This year, it's just going to get better! If you can't come, come next year! (i'm presuming it's going to be at Orchard Glory next year...) You won't regret it...

See ya there!

2007-07-08T00:52:00.000+08:00

The 14 Extreme Faces of a Christian

1. The worshipper

Stomps the stage, singing lively and loud songs like "Take It All". May also be seen jamming on the electric guitar and also go into moments of deep free worship.

2. The creationist

Is armed to the teeth with scientific facts and evidences about creationism. Will debate with anyone who denies the fact that God created the universe in 6 literal days and that the earth is young.

3. The bible basher

"According to the bible... you should not... it's a sin. Repent or burn in the flames of hell!"

4. The charismatic prophet

Will see visions and yield great spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues and healing.

5. The demon caster

Is suspicious of anyone who doesn't seem "right", and wages war against the dark side. Seeks out and drives out demons.

6. The apocalypse mongerer

Takes great effort in mapping out the events of the last days of earth. Warns people about the coming Antichrist, rapture and destruction of earth in armageddon before the second coming of Christ.

7. The busy bee

Does everything at church, and hardly have enough time to relax. Church becomes like a second home. (the exact opposite of the bench wamer)

8. The bench wamer

Appears on weekends and then quickly dissappears after the church service. Not interested in lifting a finger to help out or participate in other church minitries. (the exact opposite of the busy bee)

9. The shepherd

The person whom everyone looks up to for advice and responsibilities. Great dedication into checking people's "spiritual temperature".

10. The carer

Goes up to everyone and greets them. Cooks good food, and will almost always be seen in the kitchen.

11. The preacher

"Thus saith the Lord!"

12. The evangelist

Carriers a mini bible and salvation tracts around. Skilled at striking conversations with people and winning them over.

13. The missionary

Hardly ever seen in church.

14. The worker

Takes care of the administrative and maintainence of the church. Carries a file or a toolbox around.

Very unhealthy to adopt any one single characteristic of these. Best to strike a balance and be a disciple! (maybe not the bench warmer...)

Grace Methodist Church's 7th Anniversary

2007-07-05T21:54:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday GMC!!!

GMC is 7 years old~

A day of celebration too for new members and baptisms...

An heaps of talented people performing items...

"He is Jehovah" by the chinese choir

"The Great Southland" by the english choir

"How Deep is God's Love" by the adult fellowship. Superb harmonica soloing by uncle kim tee! Great vocals and guitaring too.

Thumbs up to all who helped clean up after the lunch! =)

Finally, for some laughs...

The hunter becomes the hunted...

No offense on aunty saw bee, but I found this video clip hillarious! Note the many attempts to try to correct the microphone! =P

2007-06-28T16:47:00.000+08:00

Since Rachel did her testimony, i might as well do one (i'm not the type of person that likes missing out).
This is a quite recent happening. Story goes, like so:

I was sitting on at a computer during my English class when this really rather annoying guy decided to have a look at my screen. In the process of leaning over (This was at a corner, so merely leaning over allowed you to see another person's screen), his elbow went down to support himself. Unfortunately, that elbow was misplaced and landed on top of my USB flash drive. And that USB was history. (For a quick damage report, one side of the chip snapped of the board. One side means some 50 wires snapping off. That means: totalled.) I store practically all things in that USB, which means two terms' worth of hard work, staying till 11:00 pm etc, etc. was destroyed in a matter of seconds (or even less, considering how heavy your average human arm weighs, and that the USB was hanging off the computer at one end). Considering my temper isn't that very much good (believe me, you just haven't seen my evil side yet), I was about to fully smash his face inside out (yes, literally). But I changed my mind in a split second and hit the table instead.

So what was the point of all that? If you are wondering (still), read this verse:

Ephesians 4:26 & 27 - "In you anger do not sin". Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

I learnt this verse in Sunday school when I was in the Willetton Church (cnr. High Rd, Rachel said that in the post just below). A prize was to be given out to whoever could memorise the whole thing, chpater/verse and the actual verses (if I remember, there's another part which I've forgotten, but it has something to do with unwholesome talk). I didn't see the use in it yet (I was 8 yrs old or so). But I tried my best to remember it. The verse just quoted up there stuck with me ever since.
Some 6 years later, I look back, and thank the Lord, sincerely, that I was taught this verse and that it stuck with me through 6 years. If it wasn't for that, that guy would most likely have a large black eye, broken nose, loss of teeth or some whatever horrendous injury you can think of. It was 6 years it took until I finally realised the extreme quality of instruction that the Bible possesses. And it was that 6 years of that verse inside my head that told me to hit the table with force I was about to give out to someone's face. And I swear, the mouse jumped up about5-7cm off the table, and the keyboard wasn't far off either. The whole class went silent after hearing the bang. I can't imagine what would have happened if that force hit a face instead, if I had not accepted the teaching of the Bible.

I guess, you could say, memory verses are really important, and I can't stress that enough, once I realised that it probably saved someone's face from who-knows-what.

It's strange.

2007-06-27T22:15:00.000+08:00

I'd like to share a little something that is quite similar to cros' post, but nether the less...

ANOTHER POST-ANNIVERSERY BLOG by Rachel

On wednesday, I was starting this community service component in school,
and it was to look after the old people in the nursing homes or the disabled
guys. I chose the old people (reason 1. Friends were going there.
reason 2. very stupid reason, but someone said there was a piano there
which I can play on all day lol), but the teacher somehow dumped me with the
rest of the group (class) to the disabled people. But anyway...

when i got there it was a suprise (i was with Phoebe at the time; Phoebe goes
to chinese youth for those who don't know and i apoligise if i spelt the name
wrong) cause I went to a VERY familar place. this was the first church i remember
going to. It's the one in Willetton.

By the way, i will go off track a little while to my (puny) understanding of our church's
history just so you know what i'm on about.

When I first joined this church service i was about 10 years old and this
chruchwas in the corner of High road. That was the church i went to on
Wednesday recently for communuity service.

There was Annie, Evelyn, Jason, Emily, William, Caroline and Jenny, Terry
Janelle, Sharon, Monica, Joan and Eddie to name a few familar faces.

(now i'll explain to you how this church became the
church we are today) In the bigger picture, we then
merged with River of Life (which I was told failed, but nether the less it joined in my
opinion, somehow) all the way from Jandakot, then we eventually moved to Blue Gum...

Where we are now!

Ok, in my history, I first went to this church while it was still in Willo
- service kinda started at 3:30pm in the afternoon, and that was when
I had Sunday school and (i think) Caroline's mum would sing sunday school
songs to us and all day i would sing

10 and 9, 8 and 7 6 and 5 and 4, call upon the saviour while you may...

and so on.

And we had junior sunday school, and senoir sunday school.
and we were all young (like 10-13, 7-8) as future youth.

And I thanked God for pokemon cards. (lol)

And then I was moved to senoir sunday school with caro, jenny, michael, this boy
called Daniel (but then he moved to singapore) and this girl called rebecca (same age
as me, but moved to singapore as well) and then a bit sooner later there was also
terry and janelle. And there should be some more people in sunday school

but i can't remembber.

And Anice, WIlliam and Renee were in junior sunday school.

anyway, i was VERY shy at the time, and never talked to anyone and eventually
i went to youth when I was 13. (caro and jenny never went to youth at the time)

and caro and jenny looked so much more like twins at age 13. (it was the ponytails. I swear.)

It was all in chinese. I couldn't understnad a thing.

I eventually stopped going to sunday school for a while and then went to service.
They had those funny headphones which you wear. Joan's dad Uncle Ken normally
did the translations of the sermon, cause it was all in Chinese. And i couldn't understnad
any chinese at the time.

I also used to sit and watch Terry and William have whellchair fights. (sorry guys, had to
put that one in)

And that was the flood of memories that flew to me as my fellow classmates as I had
to look after the diabled people. I wondered how far we went as a church...from our
humble beginnings in this small church. And then to River of Life, then to Blue Gum.
Halfway playing cards with the disabled
Phoebe remarked how she used to
come to this church. I knew. I was also thinking how bad things the disabled
people went through. But's that's going to be another story.

Well, that's it...the first time i've actually written something that doesn't include
any other multimedia...but I'll continue on about how great our church is though.
Cause I haven't finshed my 'history' of this church. Read on
for more anniversery goodness.

Well, after I was told that we moved to River of Life I didn't see much at all.
All I did was hang out and sunday school and be the first person
to refreshments. I stopped goin to youth since then cause I coudln't
understand the chinese. By then, Caro and jenny decided to leave Sunday school
And I was the only girl left. This is pretty much my gap in the history
of our church. I was pretty absent at the time. Also by the time we moved
out of Willo we used to have another pastor...who got replaced by
our very own Pastor Kwang...

It was only when our church moved to Blue Gum when I finally founded about
the rest of the church. The english speaking youth. Suddendly, as well as
Caro and jenny (I keep mentioning them eh) and Sharon and Joan I suddendly
also got to know people like Nat, Jon, Sarah, Crosby and...also I became
stronger friends with the whole youth since the 2 years I've been there.
And then, I was eventually convinced (possibly by Aunt Rebeeca) to come to
the new English sunday service. I was I bit shy to go there, but I did.

That was a long time since I ever went to an actual church service.

And I've realised how much the church has grown. Ever since the last
church camp (and my very first) I have also grown from very
spiritial naive (you don't want to know how very naive I can be) to knowing
a little more about God. I've grown stronger in Him, and also I know
that the whole church as an overall has.

So this anniversery, I plan to think and reflect, like i did in this post. Maybe
you could too.

hahaha! Over and out...

2007-06-24T22:24:00.000+08:00

A Pre-Anniversary Testimonial

It's been some time since I stood in the congregation, praising and worshipping God. Today
was a rare occasion, and the feelings is different to being on stage. I took time to reflect
on the words of the songs and to think about the goodness of God, and all He has done for
me. I did not have to think about playing the next chord or look out for the leader's
signals.

The last song was the most memorable one today. It was "In Moments Like This". I was
reminded of the wonderful spiritual family I have here. I looked around a bit and saw how
little we have in terms of numbers, equipment and talent, nothing compared to bigger
churches out there. But that was just skin deep. What I saw was a strong bond of love. And I
took time off from singing, and thanked Him for the family He has made me part of.

It's true that we're a nomadic church, much like the Israelites in the wilderness. But
because of that, it has brought us together. We set up and pack up together, for one thing.
Reminds me of Rev Chew's message the week before. I hope that we will not lose this trait
when we have a more permanent place to meet in the future.

Sometimes, we treat and take each other for granted. It's great to sometimes take a step
back and reflect on how fortunate we are. So, this post is dedicated to GMC (ie... all of
YOU!). You will see some of the things we do at church on weekends. I hope no one will take
offense at their depiction in the videos.

(all taken using camcorder mode on phone... so the quality is lousy)

Here's what we do every weekend at Blue Gum!

Saturday singspiration practise

Jamming session

Badminton

Saturday youth worship practise

Sunday congregation

Scriptural play - very creative, well done!

The best church to be in is the one you currently serve in.

some videos

2007-06-19T23:57:00.000+08:00

Took these videos with my camera video function... that's why the quality's poor.

Games

Jamming

2007-06-13T11:21:00.000+08:00

God's 26 Guards

Here's a message that will bring you chills. Have you ever felt the urge to pray for someone and then just put it on a list and said, "I'll pray for them later?" Or has anyone ever called you and said, "I need you to pray for me, I have this need"? Read the following story that was sent to me...and may it change the way that you may think about prayer and also the way you pray. You will be blessed by this....

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan.

"While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine, and supplies, and then begin my two-day journey back to the field hospital.

Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had been seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same time talked to him about the Lord. I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home without incident....I was approached by the young man I had treated. He told me that he had known I carried money and medicines.

He said, 'Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards. At this, I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone in that jungle campsite.

The young man pressed the point, however,
and said, 'No, sir, I was not the only person to see the guards, my friends also saw them, and we all counted them. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone.'

At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell him the exact day this happened. The missionary told the congregation the date, and the man who interrupted told him this story:

"On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here and I was preparing to go play golf. I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the Lord was
so strong, I called men in this church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you.

Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?" The men who had met together to pray that day stood up. The missionary wasn't concerned with who they were, he was too busy counting how many men he saw. There were 26!

This story is an incredible example of how the Spirit of the Lord moves in mysterious ways. If you ever hear such prodding, go along with it. Nothing is ever hurt by prayer except the gates of hell. I encourage you to forward this to as many people as you know. If we all take it to heart, we can turn this world toward God once again. As the above true story clearly illustrates,

"With God all things are possible".

More importantly, God hears and answers the prayers of the faithful. After you read this, give God thanks for the beautiful gift of your faith, for the powerful gift of prayer, and for the many miracles He works in your own daily life... and then pass it on.

Who says God does not work in mysterious ways? I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today. To guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you, His promises are true, and when we give Him our cares you know He will see us through. So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best, just remember I'm here praying, and God will do the rest.

Camp!

2007-06-11T22:29:00.000+08:00

It seemed that the "camp fire" had died down. Work, study and exams have smothered it. Let us look forward to this camp. Yea, I know its "Orchard Glory again" sort of feeling. Hey, can't be as bad as me... this would be my 4th time there...

Anyway, let's not focus so much so at the location. Think of it more as a spiritual pilgrimage. A place of refreshment. A place isolated from the world, where you are closer to nature and where you can reflect on God and what He has done for you. Seek not the experience, but only after Him; through the teachings, praise and worship, Word, fellowship with fellow believers, nature, and that still small voice within.

Let's all keep the fire burning, before, during and after the camp. Not just the short term too, but all the days of our lives. Are you ready for camp?!?!

2007-06-04T15:51:00.000+08:00

INTER-CHURCH SPORTS CARNIVAL, 26th MAY 2007

girls + robert looking bright and cheery despite the overcast skies

boys relay #1

1oom sprint

boys relay #2

gmcyf youth competitors and supporters

i've got more photos, so if you've been snapped and you want a photo of your beautiful face, ask me to send some over ;p if you received a prize, then i've got the glamourous shot of you so come and collect it ;p

all in all, it was a great day of fun and screaming and though there were a number of injuries, we truly thank God for this time where we could come together with IMC and KMC to share in a time of fellowship. congrats goes out to all competitors who did a brilliant job and did GMC proud! and also to supporters whose cheers have spurred the runners on.

great job for coming in 2nd! next year we'll try harder and cheer harder ;p

to God be the glory!

The Gospel According to Rome

2007-06-02T18:10:00.000+08:00

Heres an interesting article which i came across during study. Its an excerpt from a book called The Gospel According to Rome. I find that alot of people ask what the difference between Christianity and Catholic is and alot of the times, we dont know -.- so hope this helps, it is quite long but if your interested, just have a read:

This final chapter brings us to the fundamental reason for why Roman Catholicism is what it is, and why it differs so significantly from Christianity based solely upon scripture. To understand the importance of our topic, imagine for a moment a person in some remote corner of the earth. He has no knowledge of Christ, Christian history, or Roman Catholicism Yet, stirred by the Holy Spirit, he longs for a knowlege of God. If such a person were given a Bible, and sincerely began to search for God in its pages, what would he uncover?

In the four gospels, our imaginary seeker would find a record of "the exact truth" (Luke 1:4) about Christ's life and teaching. As he continued to study the Book of Acts and epistles, he would discover a record of the preaching of the apostles. In a short time, he would have obtained "... the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 3:15)

Assume now that our solitary seeker, having found Christ and salvation by faith in Him, continued his study of Scripture. His goal now was to discover all that he could about how to serve and worship God and how to order his life. What would he learn?

In the book of Acts, he would read and ispired history of the first 30 years of the church. In the letters of Peter, Paul, John, James and Jude, he would encounter more fully the doctrines of the Christian faith. He would learn how to conduct himself (1 Tim3:15), how to minister to others (1 Cor 12-14), how the early Christians had worshipped (1 Cor 11:17-34), and how local churches were to be goverened (Titus 1:5-9). In short, he would find everything that he needed to know in order to live the Christian life. This, writes Paul, is the intended purpose of the bible.

Now suppose this new believer, having learned the basics of the Christ faith, set out in search of finding other Christians. After many days' travel, he enters a city early one Sunday morning and finds at its center a large Roman Catholic church,
He find an empty pew where he remains for many hours watching priests celebrate the Mass, hear confessions, and lea in the praying of the Rosary before a statue of Mary. Then having learned all that he could through observation, he asks a priest to explain to him the basic doctrines of Roman Catholism, What would our new believer conclude?

Certainly our imaginary seeker would find Roman Catholicism very strange. From his study of Scripture, he would have learned absolutely nothing about baptismal regeneration and justification, year long programs in preparation for justification, seven sacraments, sanctifying grace, transubstantiation, a continuing sacrifice, confession to a priest, temporal punishment, indulgences, purgatory, merited eternal reward, priestly ordination, the papacy, ruling bishops, the Magisterium, or Mary's Immaculate Conception, Assumption into heaven, co-redemptive work, and mediation of all grace. Realizing that these beliefs were not only not taught in Scripture but actually contracdicted God's Word, our seeker would certainly conclude that whatever he had found, it was not what he was looking for, and move on..

From the Roman Catholic Church's perspective, the judgement of such a person is meaningless. The man's catechesis, his instruction in the Catholic faith, is terribly lacking. "No one can believe alone" says the Church, "just as no one can live alone". Regardless of how well he thinks he knows the Scriptures, the man had heard only part of the story. Specifically, he has no knowledge of divine revelation passed on as Tradition. He lacks insight and information necessary to understand Scripture. Consequently, is unable to appreciate Roman Catholic beliefs and practices not plainly found in the Bible. He is also completely ignorant of the authentic interpretation of revelation assigned to it by God's Magisterium. The man has neither knowlegdge or authority to judge the church.

This story presents before us two opposing views as to how the faith received from Christ is to be understood and practiced. Roman Catholicism teachs that the Catholic faith is contained in Scripture and Tradition. Together, as interpreted by the pope and bishops, they are the supreme rule of the church. Biblical Christianity holds that the plain teaching of Scripture, as illuminated by the Holy Spirit, contains all doctrine essential for salvation and Christian living. It recognizes Scripture alone as supreme rule of faith. Though it values the information , the study of biblical languages, archaeology, history, and early Christian writers can bring to the study of scripture, biblical Crhsitianity rejects placing Tradition alongside Scripture as a rule of faith. The reason for this rejection is that Scripture is the inspired Word of God; Tradition is the fallible words of men.

2007-05-30T20:16:00.000+08:00

Who is Jesus?

In chemistry, He turned water to wine.

In biology, He was born without the normal conception;

In physics, He disapproved the law of gravity when He
ascended into heaven;

In economics, He disapproved the law of diminishing
return by feeding 5000 men with two fishes & 5 loaves
of bread;

In medicine, He cured the sick and the blind without
administering a single dose of drugs,

In history, He is the beginning and the end;

In government, He said that he shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, Prince of Peace;

In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except
through him;

So... Who is He? He is Jesus!

Join me and let's celebrate him; He is worthy.

The eyes beholding this message shall not behold evil, the
hand that will send this message to everybody shall not
labor in vain, and the mouth saying amen to this prayer
shall smile forever. Remain in God and seek
his face always. Amen!

In God I've found everything!

The Greatest Man in History

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!

If you believe in God and in Jesus Christ His Son...
Kindly pass this to all your buddy list.

"If you deny me before man, I will deny
you before my Father in Heaven.

God bless who believes in Him!

^_^

2007-05-28T07:59:00.000+08:00

This week's promise: God protects his people

The land of Israel

O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:12 NLT

Birth of a Nation

In 63 B.C. the Roman armies invaded the land of Israel and made it part of the Roman Empire. Then Jesus came, and in response to the Jews' rejection of him as their Messiah, he predicted that the Jewish temple would be completely destroyed (Luke 21:6), a prediction fulfilled in A.D. 70. After a second revolt in A.D. 135, no Jews lived in Jerusalem, and they became scattered through the world.

Then in the late 1800s, in response to anti-Semitism, particularly in eastern Europe, a Jewish movement called Zionism arose. In 1917 in an attempt to win Jewish support for World War I, England issued the Balfour Declaration, supporting the creation "in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."

Following War World II, Britain turned the matter of a Jewish state to the newly created U.N., which voted on November 29, 1947 to endorse a plan to create separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as an international zone.

The British Mandate was scheduled to end on May 15, 1948, at which time their troops would begin leaving. The day before, a historic meeting was held in Tel Aviv. At exactly 4:00 p.m. the meeting was called to order by David Ben-Gurion. The audience rose and sang "Hatikvah," the Jewish national anthem. Then Ben-Gurion read in Hebrew Israel's Declaration of Independence. Everyone in the audience stood to their feet and applauded, many with tears streaming down their faces. For the first time in two thousand years there was an independent Jewish state of Israel.

The very existence of present-day Israel is a reminder to us of God's faithfulness in keeping his promises. (Ezekiel 37:1-13)

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for May 15.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

Noah's Ark

2007-05-27T16:01:00.000+08:00

For all of you who missed today's sermon...
this is part of it :)

A lesson of success from Noah's ark, taken from Genesis 6:8-21 (and bits before and after)
...it's one of my all-time-favourite bible stories!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark.

One: Don't miss the boat.

Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

Six: Build your future on high ground.

Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Footnotes...

The question should be: do you wana be successful in GOD's point of view?

Lesson #3: the key to successful planning - God told Noah His plan, and Noah listened (not the other way round). and that's why we need to do quiet time - to hear God's plan for us for the day...

Lesson #5: forget the critics, have FAITH! see Heb11:7.

Lesson #9: floating = renewing your relationship with God. Be silent, be still, let God love you :)

Lesson #10: GOD will tell you exactly what to do, how to do it, and He will provide:
- skills - Noah was SO not a boat-maker...
- strength - the guy was 600yrs old! and he could build a massive ark...
- ...make the animals "COME to you"(verse20) - don't even need to go looking for them! how convenient!

Lesson #11: singin' all Your promises won't let go of me...aLL YouR pRoMiSeS wOn'T LeT gO oF mE!!! :D

in summary,
be God-focussed. be a godly person. accomplish GOD's plan for you!

Ashira!

2007-05-25T18:03:00.000+08:00

(extracted from an email sent by Emily to the choir members; with permission to reproduce)

__________________________________________

Hey Girls(guys can read if you like, may not be worth it though).. sorry for the bombardment of emails. I just wanted to share something with you precious people. On the day we sung "There can be miracles," i went home and had a thought about the song. I mean, long before we performed it, it had been sinking deeper and deeper into my heart. Anyways, that night i was thinking, all those years ago Moses did lead those people across the red sea. I imagined this lady picking up her tambourine and started singing to our good God and what a joy that must have been.

I asked Tak a question the other day while we were driving home from work. I asked him, if you could go back in time into the O.T days, at which moment would you go? He replied and then he asked me, and i couldn't think of a better moment to be in, than the glorious moment of when God made it possible for Moses to part the red sea. Like as if that was wonderful enough, but to walk across it amongst family and friends and have that one girl suddenly start singing A SHIRA La DO NAI... A SHIRA A SHIRA A SHIRA with her tamborine, and have all the other women join in. Singing with all their heart declaring it to our GOD with walls of water besides them. What a beautiful moment.

While i was lost in thought, i imagined Grace Methodist walking across the red sea and none other than PASTOR KWANG hehee parting the seas and sweet sarah picking up her tambourine and we the choir all start giving our praises to God..

It's such a blessing to be able to be in this choir. Choir is more than a group of people trying to perfect their voices in singing to the congregation. It's also a time to find God and experience his love through the songs and praises. To lead the spirit into higher worship that is of course above performing.

Anyways, just a little thought.. which turned out to be a long via email.

God bless ya all!!!

LOVE yas Emily

________________________________________

just thought this was a lovely email to share around with all of you. one full of encouragement (:

go the choir!! let's lift up our voices and proclaim His goodness for all the world to hear, in different languages and sing boldly for His Name's sake. keep up the awesome work and let God use us as instruments for His work! To God be the glory forever and ever!

p.s. if you've got a monday night to spare, how bout joining us for choir practise! it's on every monday at 7pm, followed by bible study thereafter. we've just finished Romans and are gonna start (i think?) on the book of Revelations! so come on and join us for a weekly night of singing and growing in the knowledge of God and fellowship with God's people! SEE YOU THERE! (:

What Happens to believers when we die?

2007-05-17T21:59:00.000+08:00

My fwen happens to come upon this question during one of our bible studies. here's what it says about believers when we die.

Here's an article about it (taken from www.desiringgod.org ):

The Bible does not give a large number of details concerning what happens right after we die. It is certainly safe to say that we will enter a reality that is far beyond anything we could imagine. There are also at least five concrete things the Bible does say about what we should expect at the moment of death and beyond.

First, believers will be taken into the presence of Christ in heaven. Christ is in heaven now (Acts 1:2; 3:21; 1 Thes 1:10; 4:16; 2 Thes 1:7), and believers will go to be with Him. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). And on two different occasions Paul spoke of death as ushering us into the presence of Christ:
But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. (Philippians 1:23-24)

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:6-9)
Second, heaven is a place of resplendent glory, and being with Christ in the glory of heaven will be far superior to our present earthly lives. Notice that in the passages just listed, Paul says that departing this life to be with Christ "is very much better" (Philippians 1:23) and that he would "prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). Notice also that being in heaven with the Lord is referred to as being "at home." One of the things that will make heaven so great is that we will finally feel that we are in our true home.

Third, when in heaven we will be continue looking forward (as we should be already in this life) to the resurrection of our bodies from the dead. Disembodied existence is not God's ultimate and final and greatest purpose for us. As great as it will be to be in heaven after we die, God has something greater in store: being resurrected from the dead so that we will live soul and body forever in the new heavens and new earth. While still alive, Paul stated that he was waiting eagerly for the redemption of his body (Romans 8:23). This eager anticipation for our resurrection stops not when we die, but when we finally receive the fulfillment of our anticipation in the resurrection of our bodies. Understanding this should greatly increase our desire for the full coming of God's kingdom.

Piper notes:
It seems to me that the hope of resurrection does not have the same place of power and centrality for us today that it had for the early Christians. And I think one of the reasons for that is that we have a wrong view of the age to come. When we talk about the future and the eternal state we tend to talk about heaven, and heaven tends to imply a place far away characterized by non-material, ethereal, disembodied spirits.

In other words, we tend to assume that the condition that the departed saints are in now without their bodies is the way it will always be. And we have encouraged ourselves so much with how good it is for them now, we tend to forget that it is an imperfect state and not the way it will be, nor the way Paul wanted it to be for himself. Yes to die is gain, and yes, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord, but no this is not our ultimate hope. This is not the final state of our joy. This is not our final or main comfort when we have lost loved ones who believe. (Piper, "What Happens When You Die? The Dead Will be Raised Imperishable ")
Fourth, at the moment of death believers will be made perfect and cleansed from all sin. This follows from the above point that believers are taken to heaven immediately at death. Heaven is fully pure and free from all tarnish and sin, and therefore when God takes us to heaven He makes us fit for the experience of it by making our hearts perfect in holiness. This accords with His purpose to make us completely like Christ (Romans 8:29) and, at the return of Christ, to present us to Himself without spot or wrinkle or sin (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:27).
Fifth, those who did not trust Christ in this life will be separated from God and enter a reality completely devoid of His common grace and blessing. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus speaks of Lazarus as being taken to heaven when he dies but the rich man, because he did not heed the Scriptures, immediately entering into great torment and being excluded from the blessing of heaven (Luke 16:22-26). Scripture speaks often of the painful reality that awaits those who do not place their faith in Christ to be rescued from sin (Matthew 13:30; 25:41; Luke 12:5; John 3:36; Romans 2:8-9; Hebrews 10:29).

Finally, we see from all these things that death is not the end of our existence. We have bodies and souls. Death is the separation of body and soul, not the end of our personhood. When we die our bodies become lifeless and are no longer the place where we "reside," but we continue to exist as souls, either with Christ in glory or separated from Christ in shame.
Knowing that death ushers us directly into the realities of either heaven or hell should make us look up to Christ as our refuge and salvation and should make us strive, as Paul, to "have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). Even for believers, the prospect of death is sometimes a fearful thing because death is enshrouded in great mystery as the realm to which we have never gone. But we may take courage and lay aside our fears in the confidence that we have a God who time after time says to his people, "Do not be afraid" (Joshua 11:6; Isaiah 44:8; Matthew 14:27; 17:7; 28:10; Revelation 1:17). God wants His people to be comforted in the face of death: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you" (Isaiah 43:1-2).

2007-05-15T12:25:00.000+08:00

PRAYER ITEMS 16/5/07

1) This week question and answer session. I'm sure all of you may have questions on top of your head to ask whether it is based on christianity or just general, then now is the time. If you haven't already given a question to emily, then please send her your question to her email before this sat. lil_emi@hotmail.com Let's not make this nigt boring, try to come up with some challenging questions ^^. Having said that, lets pray that God will show us the answer to these questions, may or may not be directly but that we will understand and be applied to our lives. Also pray for ps. kwang, emily and ken who is organising or leading this session that it will be a powerful and fruitful session that we can take back to our homes etc..
2)Singspiration leaders Jon and Carrie. Pray for a powerful worship session and that God's annointing will fall upon them as they lead us all. Let us be reminded that its not about the music, or tunes but its about God and God only. Let us truly worship HIm in spirit and in truth because God is spirit and expect Him that night. come with hearts prepared to serve him, let us not be dry but be ready to worship him that night!
3) Uncle Richard, his dad and family. COntinue to pray and uphold them in your prayers that God mighty healing hand will be upon his dad in this time. Pray that every single abnormal cells be healed by Jesus blood because Jesus is able to heal, he is able to do all things,only if we truly put our faith and trust in Him. Let us be encouraged no matter what happens because there is a reasn behind everything we do.
4)General health of Ps. Kwang and Sis Rebecca that God will give them strength to go forth and also be healed.
5)Camp committee and all those involved in organising the camp/ singspiration leaders that God will speak to them and that they will be able
to organise efficiently and plan well accordingly.
6)Church camp 07 just around the corner (even though still seems quite far) but lets all start preparing ourselves, be excited to see something that is going to change, something that is going to impact each one of us, and we will come out changed and renewed and gain something out of it. This only happens once a year so lets make this a history we will never forget ^^
7)MYF sports carnival next saturday!!! =) Pray that non-believers will see us having fun in God's way and will place something in their hearts (love esp). Let us show them something, put our faith into action!

All glory and honour and power be to God. Amen!

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
-Psalm 97:1-

Extra: I came upon this side notes while reading my bible. It says " crucifixion was bad enough. But Jesus also went through public humiliation, beating,nakedness and being spit on and laughed at - for you. Are you ashamed to openlyadmit that you know him?
I thought this is a good reflection for many of us and if putting in practical terms, when someone ask you that question whether in school, uni,work etc.. will you stand up for Christ or will you disown Him in front of your friends.

2007-05-13T14:42:00.000+08:00

The Great Name of God
In the youth biblestudy (9:15 am, the one during Chinese service and before English service), we had a little discussion about God. What is his real name? A list of the different names given to Him:

God: probably the most common in everyday language, could explain His divinity (his state of being a god)
the Father (Almighty): could explain his relationship between Himself and mankind; Jesus refers to Him as 'the Father', and people in general also call him 'the (or 'our') Father' (he did breathe life into man). 'Our Father in heaven' in the Lord's Prayer is probably used in the same way. The 'Almighty' suffix also adds some power into it.
Lord: could explain his authority. Jesus is often referred to as Lord.
Creator: could explain the fact that He created everything, as Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
King: same as Lord, explains authority.
Merciful: not used as a name as such, but in various places He has been noted to be merciful.
Everlasting: again, not so much an actual name, but stating the fact that He is eternal.
Wonderful Counselor: One of the names stated in Isaiah 9:6, suggests his wisdom.
Prince of Peace: Another one of the names in Isaiah 9:6, explains the peace that He gives (more details about that peace in Romans)
The mysterious I AM WHO I AM, abbreviated in Hebrew to English as YHWH, JHWH or YHVH. This is where the words 'Yahweh' and 'Jehovah' come from. This is sometimes called the Tetragrammaton (yes, I know, big word there, it basically means 'word with four letters' in Greek.)

There's probably other names that I haven't mentioned here. So what's the point of stating all these names?
As you may notice, they are all attributes of God, part of what he is. Things that you can name these days, such as 'cat', 'dog' etc. give a way to express that thing in human language, whether it be English, Russian or whatever. But God just happens to be different: he has a good lot of names (as you can see above). Most things in the world have one name, or two at the most (not including the first name, middle name, surname of humans, which you could probably roll under one name). But God has many. I guess that's saying that God is too big to fit into a name, or many names even. So you could say, God doesn't really have a 'name', there's no universal thing you can call him. In the case of I AM WHO I AM, even then it doesn't give God an actual 'name', but at least something to call him by (that is, I AM).
In all that, God's name is just one of those things that you can't possibly express fully; for God, solely because He is too big for that. We can only possibly express the part of Him we see.

Team Building Activitty two

2007-05-03T20:58:00.000+08:00

EDIT: Remember team activity one, with the newpaper acts? The last team act of Daneil and the lions den is finially up if you're wondering where it went. see it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9oDBiXH7L8

Ooh yay. I'm going to try fill up this blog. It needs writing in becuase there's been no entries for a while (not counting our mathmatic equation entry). Since I can't think of other things to write about eg. anything in spiritual depth, like 'God is with us all the time and we shall not fear bible quote bible quote etc' I'll write about Team builiding activities eg "what I did last week at youth :D" which is second best.

Just to let you know our last team building activity was about a team building game.
Obviously, if there's a game it has to be about teams becuase it's a team building activity and teams are to do with friendship and spririt. Remember...a team is group of people working towards the same goal. Good, i'll shall stop blabbing now and get to the main event.

What game are we talking about? Well, it's called 'Crossfire', and it gets rather complicated. It's like 'Dodgeball'. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about (actually I haven't. But I don't mean the dodgeball in primary school where you all line up in a square and start throwing balls at people. I meant the one where you have pink soft balls which you line up in the centre of the court and you have two teams standing against the wall on opposite sides, and when the whistle blows you pick up the balls and start throwing it at people and if you get hit you're out and if you catch the ball the other person who threw it is out and so on.)

Bascially, the main rules of Crossfire I just outlined in brackets thanks to my constant blabbing on, except for the fact that if you catch it, the other person doesn't get out but you stil don't get out. And you don't have balls, you have rolled up socks which you don't put in the center, you keep them as your ammunition. Lovely eh?

Well, other than your standard dodgeball rules you have a flag in the middle. As a team, you have to get one of your team members to get the flag and touch the 'base' or whatever you like to call it, which is normally your side that you start on. It's like capturing a castle...only not quite...And why is this a team building activity...is because if you don't work as a team, your team will get swamped by the other team. Because if Person A from team A decides to go solo Team B will go hey, and aim for that person and Person A gets out.

There's some movie on how to play crossfire there at the end. Hopefully i'll get them to work.=_='
whispers* Sarah...where's your photos...

2007-04-25T16:31:00.000+08:00

I decided to add up the letters of other things (you may be thinking "This guy's a math-a-holic"). Here's what I got:

Adding up all of the fruits of the Spirit (I'll list them here):

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control (more or less in order stated by the Bible)=799 (almost exactly 800 by one number)

Jesus Loves You (the message we should be spreading)=208

Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Holy Trinity)=276

This is basically pretty much random, but the fruits of the Spirit one is somewhat good (one off from 800)

An Amazing Equation :) -esp for the math-a-holics

2007-04-23T20:28:00.000+08:00

An Amazing Equation :) -esp for the math-a-holics

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

AND, look how far the love of God will take you

L - O- V- E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

...how many of you told someone he/she was a "good man/person" or "today's a good day" or "jesus loves you"? ;)
today, i told someone "jesus loves you"...the person was like "are you trying to convert me?" ><>

2007-03-20T17:25:00.000+09:00

INTERVIEW WITH RICK WARREN =D

This is an absolutely incredible interview
with Rick Warren ,"Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of
Saddleback Church in California. His wife now has cancer, and he
now has "wealth" from the book sales.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren,
Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose
of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We
were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--
but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions
of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't
going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just
coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than
your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is
in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but
that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in
Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest,
with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark
time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe
that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that
it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have
something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things
are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked
on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something
good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you
focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which
is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to
get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands
of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has
been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character,
given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn
her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For
instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million
copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety
that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money
or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began
to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence.
He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II
Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle
one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from
the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan
to plant churches, equip leaders,assist the poor, care for the sick, and
educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since
I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to
be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism?
Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God,
if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love
You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.
He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why
we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

=D =D =D

Team Building Night Photos and movies

2007-03-19T23:42:00.000+09:00

For David And Goliath:
http://www.youtube.com/v/Ao_tj8zgvM0

For Samson:
http://www.youtube.com/v/6U2TZ7NDp0g

2007-03-19T20:46:00.000+09:00

Although this is a slightly scientific post (by justin), I have tried to make it as simple as possible. Almost no big things to grasp here. Anyway...
Hopefully everyone knows what DNA is. The weird curly thing that's supposed to have a say about what you look like, what you can do, stuff like that. The stuff that codes human beings (and other animals). Technology now gives us a chance to change it. But should we really be messing around with one of God's mechanisms? Technology lets us mess around with DNA. God, in fact has decided what a person will look like and what they would do before they are conceived. What we can do now is alter that. If someone was going to be born blind, they could abort and leave the child to die, or fix his/her genes that he/she would not be born blind. It's like saying,
"God now has no purpose in deciding what we will do for Him. Instead, we will decide what we will do for ourselves."

Should we have this attitude? Or should we leave to God what He has said would be His to decide, and His only?

-justin

Untitled

2007-03-19T01:46:00.000+09:00

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

"We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image..." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person's life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord's own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it - something good, but not what is best.
The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our live completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obsure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the hristian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord..."
My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers

As i did my devotion through this passage last night it really struck me. And i thought to myself "how many people do i know really mirror the characteristic of God?, issit really possible to be so Christ like in today's sin stained society?" Some of us struggle with sin everyday and think to ourselves "am i really worthy to be forgiven? can i really be saved?" sometimes you try so hard not to sin but at the end of the day, it all goes to waste. Some of us have a stronghold that satan has built up within us through the many years of the repeated or 'addicted' sin that we just can't seem to break. And maybe there are times when you think you're the only one going through it and strugglying so much but as a matter of fact, you are most definitely not. The fact that im making this post right now is because I myself too suffer from this. It sucks i know but i also know that there is hope. Hope that is found in our one and only Saviour Jesus Christ. God sent his only son Jesus Christ for the redemption of man kind. For those who are a bit familiar with the bible, Israel's deliverance from Egypt is the great illustration of Redemption. God promised "I will free you from being slaves... I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment" (Ex 6:6). After the nine plagues, God instituted the Passover where the blood of the sacrificed lamb was to cover the doorframes of the houses of the Israelites to be a protection from the death that would "pass over them" (Ex 12:21-23). Jesus was to become the sacrificial Lamb and His blood was to be the protection over all those who would enter God's provision. "We have redemption through His blood" (Eph 1:7) Instead of being in slavery to sin and to the evil one, we have been bought and set free at a most expensive price. Therefore brothers and sisters, keep in mind, you are worthy in His eyes, worthy of His Love and His Grace, even though there are times when that is difficult to believe, it's true. So keep close to God and he will surely bring you out of your bondage and free you from the burden of sin.

Oh and lets stop with the science business... know one can understand what you'll talking about. Think about the young ones.. and the more simple minded people. How un-user friendly xDD for them.

2007-03-18T16:41:00.000+09:00

Just thought this is interesing..

Make the most of each day
A bank credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over
no balance to tomorrow. Every evening you lose the balance you failed to use during the day.
> >>> > What would you do?
Draw out every cent, of course!!!!
Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off what you have failed to invest.
If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back.
Invest it so as to improve get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!
The clock is running. Make the most of life today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
Treasure every moment ! Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!

Rei~

2007-03-18T16:30:00.000+09:00

The A-Z bible quotes =D

"To the world you might be one person,
But to one person you just might be the world"
Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.
*A*lthough things are not perfect
*B*ecause of trial or pain
*C*ontinue in thanksgiving
*D*o not begin to blame
*E*ven when the times are hard
*F*ierce winds are bound to blow
*G*od is forever able
*H*old on to what you know
*I*magine life without His love
*J* *oy would cease to be
*K*eep thanking Him for all the things
*L*ove imparts to thee
*M*ove out of "Camp Complaining"
*N*o weapon that is known
*O*n earth can yield the power
*P*raise can do alone
*Q*uit looking at the future
*R*edeem the time at hand
*S*tart every day with worship
*T*o "thank" is a command
*U*ntil we see Him coming
*V*ictorious in the sky
*W*e'll run the race with gratitude
*X* alting God most high
*Y* es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
*Z* ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

Have a good weekend guys! Cya all next sat =)
Rei~

2007-03-16T12:20:00.000+09:00

ANCIENT CHILD

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=254390

Researchers have found a 160 000 year jaw bone of a child. They discovered that humans back then also matured much like us today... have an adoslescence period of up to 20 years. A primate like a chimpanzee or a gorilla, has only a few years of adoslescence period. And according to evolutionists, our "predecessors" also age that way, with only a few years of childhood.

So, they have admitted it themselves, that there is still a large gap between primitive human-ape hybrids and modern man today. What they fail to realise is that, maybe their presumptions were wrong in the first place. Maybe humans never evolved from apes.

So what's the point? What am I yabbering about?

THE HUMAN BIOLOGY LIE!

If you look at a typical human biology textbook (yes, even university standard ones), you will see drawings of the supposedly evolution of man from apes. What they DON'T tell you is that most fossils they found are just small bone fragments. And because most people are not scientifically inclined, they can just present "an artist's impression" of what these semi-humans looked like based just on those small fragments!

They found this, and calls it "neanderthal man" - somewhat incomplete human still similar to apes. Yeah, I can take a piece of KFC chicken bone and say, this is "cuyken", the next step of evolution in chickens... its bones are 0.01% larger than normal... (get it?)

(look at those bones and they're no different to yours)

Look at the skulls. They are ape skulls, yet these "great minded men" CLAIMS they are pre-humans, somewhere between apes and humans. Yeah, I can grab a spoon and say, this is a pre-fork...it will eventually shape itself into a fork over time. (get it?)

Most scientists have been brainwashed by the high school textbooks into believing this nonsense. They have been blinded from the truth, and would go all out, even using a mere drawing, to bridge the gap between apes and humans. This is NOT scientific at all! How can you just make up something without hard evidence?

A fossil is a fossil, end of story. It cannot be proven that bone sample B bridges the evolution from A to C. That has to be made up.

The bottom line is... the human biology books shout out clearly:

"There is no God. We came from apes."
"There isn't enough evidence to prove the point above, so imaginary drawings would do."

PREMORDIAL SOUP

The evolutionists want you to believe that you came from a rock. Yes, a rock.

"Rain battered on the lifeless surface of the earth, leeching minerals from the rocks. These raw materials then join up together, sparked by lightning strikes, and form amino acids... the basic building blocks of living organisms. And these amino acids came together to form the first cell. These cells then eventually evolved into higher beings."

"A lab experiment has shown that amino acids can be made by combining raw materials (NH3, CH4 and H2O) by sparking it with electricity."

That is believable to a layman, but it is actually UNscientific. That experiment was under a controlled and idealised environment. And only a very small fraction of amino acids were made, and even these needs to be separated from the "soup" before it decomposes. Also, oxygen must not be present or it would not work.

Note the paradox; Oxygen must not be present in forming amino acids, but oxygen itself is needed for life to be sustained.

Also, it is much easier for a tornado to pass through a junk yard and build a Boeing 747 jumbo jet on its own, than for individual molecules to come together to form the super complex living cell.

Please don't buy into these evolution mumbo jumbo...

Micro Evolution vs Marco Evolution

Micro evolution is possible of course. That's how we got so many different types of dogs! Bulldog, chihuahua, great dane, etc... But they are all just... dogs. They are the same kind, and the slight differences came from breeding and natural selection. Everyone knows and understands that.

What these evolutionists have outrageously done, is to say that macro evolution is possible simply because micro evolution is observed. That is like saying that a dog will eventually turn into a cat if left long enough... What absolute bullcrap.

What can be done?

Biology, astronomy and geology are the 3 main fields which has been contaminated by evolutionary thinking (anti-god). I'm not saying that you should not do these courses. I'm saying, please be diligent and uphold your belief. Stand for God and be the light that shines amidst the darkness of the great lie of evolution.

So there are the missing photos of the others...

2007-03-14T16:06:00.000+09:00

Hello to all who have their first year at uni (daunting), the year 11s (a sudden rush of homework and study after kick-back-and-relax year 10) and the year 12s (TEE goodness!), the peoples starting high school (which is a few) and of course those in between (in TAFE and work, we can't forget you :P). I know this might be a pointless blog entry but I guess it's for the guys that wondered "are the photos going to be put on the blog so we can see?" at the end of the event. Hopefully, you'll see them right now, and be embassassed, smile at the long lost memories or weep at your computer screen (because the photos are awful looking. Actually, no, they're not that much awful looking.) Put them as your wallpaper, decrorate your photoframes with them...yeah do whatever you want with them.

Look! It's Young Adult Bible Study in the morning!

People love icecream...

*no comment*

I wonder what's on the other side?

Mmm, Church camp...

Leon and his electric guitar.

Forgive me for the next two pictures...they look very grainy (that's because there wasn't enough exposure on the oringals and it looked picth black. But you don't need to know that do you?).

Guess the girls love to sing.

All the boys love singing too!

OMG. (i think maybe Crosby had put up that one long ago, then again maybe not...)

Maybe Crosby put that up long ago too...

Gees, all the youth love group photos. What's gone on about them? Oh no...there's another one...

You should be thankful that is the last group one. Remember? Always together in Christ! (w00t)

Hi Jenny. Hi Sharon.

Yeah, that's it for photos (you guys probably got a lift in your fame starring in the youth blog jajaja). Thank God this blog's almost put a end to our "scientific discovery" blog post onslaught of Justin and Crosby our fellow friends who are going to get a Bachlour of Science(i can't spell) in the near future or something of that sort (yes, i'm trying my hardest to avoid making fun of you). But keep those posts running guys, because there are very hard people around like athiest-scientists and my fellow friends who don't believe in anything unless there's a scientific hypothesis proving it. (reinforcing the point-don't put too much of those posts. You've read the noticeboard recently haven't you...:P)

But you're probably going to get tired of photo posts too (since there's another one coming from Jon very soon.) You can't get enough of God's love but you can get fed up of a blog turned photo album.

And remember-the world needs no M16. It needs John 3:16!

Signing off...

2007-03-12T00:08:00.000+09:00

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

(taken from vinsant - http://www.xanga.com/vinsanity_jazzin)

Why is the bible so thick and hard to understand?
I'm not entirely sure how to answer that - the bible is what it is because God intended it. As for the hard to understand bit - I'm sure that that's not entirely true. There are parts of the bible that are plain as day for you to read (some of the letters, bible stories), although studying it in depth can become daunting because it's not from our time, but is meant to translate in some way to point us back to God, or a message God wants us to hear

What is the purpose of studying about the bible?
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2nd Timothy 3:16
You also learn more about our God and the way he wants us to live through studying the bible - as well as get inspiration in the oddest of places.

Why do we have to learn more about Jesus? (Since we know everything already?)
You WISH you knew everything. I've found the more I study with a group the more I realize there are more opinions than what I give, and some that sound alot more feasible and right. Paul in the letter to the Colossians even says the bible is a treasure trove of wisdom - something pretty inexhaustible.

What’s the fun about learning God’s Word?
Depends on what you make of it. Different people find pleasure in different things. There are some interesting things you can do when you learn more about God's word (like joke about it over the dinner table , and many far more edifying things). You also grow the relationship with God which is a relationship that lasts for eternity.

Why should I study hard and praise God?
We study hard and do our best to do well so that we may point our glory back to God who gave it to us. We also do it to honour our parents who God provided through.
We praise God because there's few other responses to what God has done that is appropriate.

What do we exist for?
For the sole purpose of living our lives as a living sacrifice for God - and to build our relationship with He who gave it all to reconcile us.

Why do we work so hard to learn when we are going to lose it all when we die?
You may not lose it, but alot of it might become redundant. We work hard to learn here to provide for the life we have here. Like it or not we have a duty to live our lives as God intended, and that means using what God has provided (an oppurtunity to learn and work).

What is (y) our duty in life?
Read the last chapter of Matthew called the Great Commision. Reaching to the ends of the earth to every tribe and tongue, making disciples of all men.

Why are you a Christian?
How couldn't I? A wondrous creationist God decided to send His one and only beloved son to die a most horrible death by painful suffocation and rather unnecessary bloodloss so that a wretch like me could be reconciled to a relationship with God.
Jesus Christ defeated death and rose from the dead to boot!

What are you?
I suppose if you're asking 'What' I am, all I can say is 'Saved, undeservedly so'.

Why does God come in the 3 forms?
(God the father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy spirit)
In short - because God knows best. In the bible God appears in the three forms in three kinds of situations (generally)

God the father is the great voice from heaven, or seen 'conversing' with various prophets, bestowing knowledge of fore-knowledge of events (prophecy).

God in Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God in a man so we can understand (to an extent) God's purpose for us on our level, and show a standard to emulate - even though we know Jesus was God, and we will always fall short of his standards, we know what he wants (to be like Jesus), and that even though we fail, God loves us anyway.

God in the spirit is when God acts physically against someone - The impregnation of Mary for instance, the downfall of Saul for another

Particles that are also energy...

2007-03-07T20:49:00.000+09:00

Everyone should know what energy and matter is. They are both separate, and can't co-exist as the same. You can't have something that is both energy and particle. Light, though, is rather different. It is both energy and particle. Which means that God must have made it personally, because there is no other place where you find energy and matter both combined as one. As it just happens, when God made the heavens and the Earth:
Genesis 1:3 - And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Which means that light is one of God's personal touches - matter and energy combined. Which is rather remarkable, because even in a nuclear bomb matter turns into energy, the two don't combine. The energy comes out mainly as particles and gamma rays, a higher powered cousin of light, which is some of the left over energy.

P.S. Apart from light (and gamma), there are also UV rays, infrared, radio waves etc., but they're in the same boat, being higher- or lower-powered than visible light (I added that in, in case Crosby comments about the above not being given special mention).
-justin

2007-03-07T17:44:00.000+09:00

LUNAR ECLIPSE
- Our God is an Awesome God!

Just a few days ago, the people of Africa and Europe experienced a rare lunar eclipse.

Some of you might be wondering what a lunar eclipse is and why the moon is red. Note that this is not the monthly event where the moon is completely dark. The lunar eclipse is when the moon moved directly behind the earth, and the earth casts its shadow onto the moon. The reason why the moon is not completely dark but red, is that sunlight still gets refracted through the earth's atmosphere and onto the moon. Red light is refracted the least, and so can pass through (the same reason why the sky is red during the evening).

Lunar and solar eclipses are rare events because the moon's orbit is not on the same plane as the earth's orbit. The moon's orbit is slightly slanted relative to the earth.

The solar eclipse is where the opposite occurs; the moon is between the sun and the earth, and the moon casts a shadow onto the earth's surface. This is actually an incredible event, perfect in geometry in every sense.

Moon - Earth distance = 1/400 Sun - Earth distance
Sun size = 400 Moon size

These perfect geometry means that the sun and moon appears to be the same size from earth! This also means that the moon can block out the sun's rays EXACTLY. The white fringes you see around the moon is the outer atmosphere of the sun, called the corona, which is usually not visible to the naked eye because the sun itself is far brighter. If the moon were any smaller or further away from the earth by the tiniest amount, it won't be able to block out the rays completely. How awesome is our God! Total perfection.

By the way, have you ever noticed why the same side of the moon always faces the earth? That's because the moon rotates on its axis at the same rate as it's orbit around the earth. If it's off by just a little, it would be out of sync, and you can see the moon rotating. How awesome is our God! Total perfection.

I cannot understand how astronomers and cosmologists can look up into space and say there is no God. The next time when you're down, look up into the beautiful day and night sky that He has painted for you to enjoy. Life's problems fade away when you compare it to the immense expanse of the universe and the beauty of it all.

More Revelation...

As I pondered upon these wonders, I was reminded of a few verses from the Bible where it mentioned about the "darkened sun" and the "blood red moon". I now understand that the authors were talking about the solar and lunar eclipse.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
(Revelations 6: 12 - 17)

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
(Acts 2: 20)

These verses talk about the Second Return of Christ. Many solar and lunar eclipses have happened throughout human history, but NEVER at the SAME TIME. The solar and lunar eclipse BOTH happen SIMULTANEOUSLY is therefore a sign of Jesus returning in glory. The moon cannot be at two places at once, so this must be a supernatural occurence, because it is physically impossible.

Acts chapter two continues...

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
(Acts 2: 21)

Are you living your life day by day for Him? If Jesus comes back today, would He catch you off guard? Or will He find you faithful? Even nature gives way to the supernatural in light of Him. Are you ready to let go of the natural and let God change you day by day supernaturally?

The Eve/Adam Hypothesis

2007-03-05T11:20:00.000+09:00

I was reading a science book (as i usually do) and i came upon this interesting thing called Eve Hypothesis. This was hypothesis was done in 1987 (quite recent) in the USA at Berkeley Uni. What they did is that they traced the DNA of cell mitochondria (the part of a cell that supplies energy), which is called mtDNA, from 147 people around our area, Australia, Indonesia, PNG and Asia, as well as Africa and Europe. This mtDNA is passed on from generation to generation, through the egg cells o the mother. What was found was that everyone has a common root of descent - Eve, as it states in the Bible. Maybe this proves it? Apparently other scientists managed to trace the DNA in males all the way back and also found a common dad: Adam. Both of their Adam and Eve lived about the same time as well, a few (two hundred) thousand years ago. They also gussed that they lived around the Mid East/Africa area.
-justin

2007-03-03T15:26:00.000+09:00

LEGENDS MAY NOT BE SO MYTHICAL AFTER ALL

Over this year's Chinese New Year, I learnt a lot of historical and legendary background about the origins of Chinese New Year and practises associated with it. Anyway... I realised how there are so much similarities between the Chinese legends and the Bible!

Origin of Chinese New Year

There was this beast called Nien (year) terrorising China long ago. No one could stop it and one day, a boy discovered that this monster was afraid of loud noises and the colour red. So everyone started making lots of noise by clanging their pots and pans and painting their door posts red to scare the creature away. Hence, that was how Nien was driven out of China. Until today, the Chinese have been playing fireworks (noise) and using the colour red in this annual festive season marking Spring. Also, parents used to put red packets filled with money next to their children while they are sleeping, to bribe the monster into taking the money instead of their children.

Parallels with the 10 Plagues of Egypt in the Bible

The Destroyer angel was about to slay every first born child in Egypt. Moses told the Israelites to smear lamb blood on their door posts to prevent the Destroyer angel from affecting them. This became the annual Jewish festival of "Passover"... signifying the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and how the Destroyer "passed over" them.

Origin of the Chinese People

There are legends of how the world was flooded and covered with water with no land. When the water subsided and land appeared, the original descendant of the Chinese stepped out of a great boat (can't remember his name). So all the Chinese people descended from him. In fact, the chinese character for "flood" looks like an ark on top of flood waters!

Parallels with Noah's Flood from the Bible

Noah had 3 sons (with their wives), and each went their own way after coming out of the ark.

Shem - ancestor of people from Asia, Australia, North America and South America
Japheth - ancestor of people from Middle East and Europe
Ham - ancestor of people from Africa

Origin of the Two Guardian Gods of the Great Peach Tree

Legend has it that there was a great peach tree high up in the mountains. Two powerful gods guarded the way to this tree and no one can get through. Today, there are two chinese characters to symbolise these two gods and are usually displayed in front of homes to ward off evil spirits.

Parallels with the Garden of Eden from the Bible

Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge and was casted out of the garden as a result. God then placed mighty cherubim (angel) to guard the tree of life. Genesis 3: 24 also states that the angels were placed at the east side of the garden.

(and China is located to the east of the middle east - coincidence?)

Aboriginal Version of the Forbidden Fruit

There was this special fruit tree (can't remember the name) guarded by this powerful and terrifying monster (can't remember the name - some Aboriginal name) set in place by a powerful god. Missionaries heard these stories and found how amazingly similar they are to the original Biblical description. The missionaries then told them the full story of that legend from the Bible. Many Aboriginals had shed tears when they finally hear about the Gospel and how it all relates to their age old story of the fall of man.

In fact, many cultures have some sort of origin related to a great flood and some sort of forbidden tree and fruit. Many missionaries use their folk tale and relate them to the actual accounts of the Bible.

Dragons?

There are tales of dragons everywhere in the world. In Europe, in China and in South America. If it truly is a mytical creature, why then is the tale so wide spread in cultures which developed separately? I believe that these "dragons" the ancient people call it are actually what we today call "dinosaurs".

Wait a minute... that means humans and dinosaurs co-existed! That's against Darwinism, which states that humans come after dinosaurs became extinct. Ahah! You have been brain-washed by the text books! Even scientists themselves disagree with themselves over the time when the dinosaurs became extinct and when humans came.

So what happened to them? Here's my theory...

The Bible even has a description of a dinosaur in it! Read Job 40. Does that sound like a dinosaur to you? I think most of the dinosaurs were destroyed by Noah's flood along with other creatures. Noah of course had brought baby dinosaurs on board too (along with other animals). So after the flood, they were released back into the wild again. But there is a problem... After the flood, God put amnesty between humans and animals.

So now, animals are hostile towards humans. Let's face it... if dinosaurs and humans co-existed then, carnivorous dinosaurs would eat humans! Hence, they need to be eliminated from the face of the earth for human survival. They were simply hunted down to extinction by early humans.

Conclusion

There's so much similarities, it chills my nerves! I think it's not merely coincidental that there are so much similarities between these separate cultures. Of course, as stories pass on orally from generation to generation, the original story had been twisted, but still recognisable.

One can debate whether the Garden of Eden literally existed or whether it was figurative. But from these folk tales, I think it is literal, but irrelevant. Why is it irrelevant? Because Noah's flood destroyed the Garden of Eden (along with everything else), so that is why there is no evidence of it today. But the folk stories continue on and is recorded in the Bible.

All these show that every single person on this planet all descent from the first man and woman. And because of their disobedience, sin came into the whole human race. That is why God had to come in the form of a man, as Jesus, to take away the sins of all of us. May this post strengthen and encourage your faith.

2007-02-28T23:48:00.000+09:00

PLEASE BOYCOTT THIS FILM IF IT IS RELEASED

"The Lost Tomb Of Jesus"

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070226-jesus-tomb.html

The filmmakers claim that they found the tomb of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their child in suburban Jerusalem. There's even archaelogical and forensic so-called "evidences". As if "Da Vinci Code" wasn't enough, these people seem to enjoy poking fun at Jesus and the Christian faith.

God forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing...

Anyway, these people claim to have "scientific" evidence to support their claims. Oh, there's nothing more satisfying for me than to hack down these scoffer's unscientific claims!

THE SCIENTIFIC CASE AGAINST THIS BLASPHEMY

1. Tombs

Finding some 2000 year old tombs and coffins do not prove anything else besides that they are 2000 years old!

2. Remains

Okay, let's say that you found 2000 year old skeletons in your backyard as you were digging up your garden. One was a male, another was a female, and the third was a child's. DNA tests can prove that the 3 are related to each other. That's about it! There's no way you can know their identities.

3. DNA

The way DNA testing is done in forensic labs is by comparing the sample with that of a reference DNA, usually that of someone closely related. A DNA sample BY ITSELF DOESN'T PROVE ANYTHING, except that it's a human DNA.

4. Mystery Identity

Therefore, a direct descendant or ancestor is required for DNA sample comparison. This means that it is impossible to positively identify some one who's been dead for a long time using the DNA base pair comparison method.

THE TRUTH

1. Jesus never married and never had children
2. Jesus died and was buried alone
3. Jesus rose from the dead
4. Jesus ascended into heaven

The very core of our belief is that Jesus is the Son of God, came to earth, died for our sins, and rose again. Why? To redeem us so that we can be made right with God when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour.

There are many apologetic books out there building a case FOR Christ, so I won't flood this post with the evidences. Personal experience is the greatest conviction of all. I'm sure that most of you guys have experienced it within you at some point or another and hopefully continuously, that Jesus is who He is in the Bible, and that He lives in you.

If this film comes out, please boycott it. Let us send a message to Hollywood that we will NEVER support any of their Jesus-scoffing movies.

Upcoming events board!!

2007-02-26T21:22:00.000+09:00

Hey guysss,

i've just posted an upcoming events post, which is and will be the top post no matter how many posts are posted (did that make sense? XD).

Basically the purpose of this post is to update you on future events regarding youth, timetables of the events and and news of change. It's of UTMOST importance that you keep referring to this notice post because we will be posting important information on it from time to time. Thanks so much for your co-operation!!! =)

Take care all! =D

2007-02-25T00:56:00.001+09:00

Ever feel that passion for God burning deep inside you? Ever feel like you’re ready to give everything you’ve got for Him? Ever feel like you just want to serve Him and do what’s pleasing and right in His eyes? And then the next day, or next week you find that you’ve fallen again, for that same old thing that always seems to catch you. Whether it’s a short fuse and getting angry too easily for nothing at your sibling, or failing to stand up for Jesus and speak up about Him to your friends, or trying but failing to get the guts up to just say a simple prayer out loud in church.

Whatever it is, we’ve all felt it before. When you really want to serve him and to really REALLY know Him, but you just can’t seem to. Sometimes, we just feel so inadequate, useless and ask ourselves...how can we ever serve God? We doubt the talents that he has given us, or we don’t even recognise them in the first place.

I once read: “Everyone who truly believes that he will one day be like Christ…surely purifies himself and relentlessly pursues godliness as a number one priority. This is the mark of the true child of God. We are to feast our eyes upon Christ, upon as much of Christ as we can find in the sacred Scriptures. We are to do everything we can…whatever the cost- knowing that every sin that is overcome, every temptation that is resisted, every virtue that is gained is another step, another step, another step, another step toward that moment when we shall be like Him.”

Serving God as a true Christian and living your life for him is not a one-step process. For EVERYONE, from new Christians to even pastors, we are constantly fighting against the world and sin and trying to become more Christ-like. It’s a life-long process, one that we can only take, one step at a time. Even Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, who spent day in, day out with the Son of God Himself and witnessed the many miracles that Jesus preformed, denied Him three times under the pressure of the world. Yet, Jesus would come back from the dead, to forgive him and ask him “do you truly love me?” three times. Each time Peter answered yes and Jesus told him to go, “take care of my sheep” and serve Him. It’s just like the story of the prodigal son. The son rejects the father and takes his share of the profits to spend carelessly on the sinful things of the world and after he is left with nothing and in a true state of need, he comes back to the father, the only one he has left that truly cares for him. The father, despite being rejected, welcomes the son with open arms and rejoices in love for the son that was lost but now is found.

God, even in his perfect holiness and righteousness, forgives us and welcomes us with open arms, no matter what we’ve done and how many times we’ve done it. Time after time, he will always be waiting for us with new mercies. In His eyes, we are all equally valuable, and each of us has different talents that we can offer Him. If you don’t think you have anything that you can offer Him-you do. Your life.

So take the first step. Or if you already have, we have to keep going, doing “everything we can…whatever the cost” to take another step, another step closer to Him. All we need to do, is truly “Ask…seek…and knock” and truly believe that our awesome God answers prayers. Seek God daily in your prayers and ask Him to give you the strength and His spirit’s presence to help you live the life that you want to live for Him. Don’t wait if He’s calling you now; you don’t know when He’ll come. Stay focussed and be serious about living for Him and remember his mercy and unfailing love every time you fall, and with boldness, take another step, another step, another step, closer to Him.

2007-02-22T11:21:00.000+09:00

HELL

Christianity is not all "good and nice"... The following post is about Hell, and serves as a reminder to be thankful for our salvation and also get our walk right with God if we've strayed away. The author quoted that "if love does not compel us to repent, fear would".

2007-02-16T22:49:00.000+09:00

TECHNICAL STUFF

Blogspot has been bought over by Google and has been upgraded from it's previous beta version. Contributors will now have to sign in with a Google account instead of the old Blogger account.

REVELATION

Went to Koorong today and read some of their subscribed Christian newsletters. Two ministries stood out from the pages as I skimmed through.

Operation Exodus

There's an international Christian organisation called "Operation Exodus" with the sole vision and goal to reach out to Jewish people outside Israel, encourage them to return to their homeland and act as a middleman agency to bring them to Israel. Despite the unstable situation in Israel, these Christians are dedicated to fulfilling God's specific calling to them; to bring God's chosen people back to their home land. In addition to providing practical aid to this "exodus", they also present the Gospel of Jesus to them along the way.

These people believe in Biblical prophesy that the return of the Jews back to their homeland would usher in the Second Coming of the Messiah (Jesus). However, so far, only 1/3 of the total Jewish population in the world is living in Israel. The rest still reside mainly in Eastern Europe and USA.

STRIPPER PREACHER!

There was this woman who used to be a stripper and dancer at a brothel in USA. Her life changed when her friend brought her to church and she became a Christian after that. Now, she commit her life to reach out to the other lost stripper girls out there. This woman would walk boldly into such parlors with a Bible in hand, and "buy" one of the girls. Then, in the private room where the girl is supposed to dance/strip, she presented her testimony and tell her about the Gospel. Many have been saved by her genuine love to reach out to these usually despised people in society. Now, she has an organisation in USA that does these sort of work.

Usually we hear of missionaries going into unreached tribes in some remote place. However, from the work of these two ministries, we can see that mission work is not limited to the "normal" missions. Operation Exodus started because a group of Christians had genuine love towards the Jewish people and saw themselves as being part of the fulfilment of prophesy. The ex-stripper woman went back to her past life and reached out to her fellow girls.

What would you invest into the Kingdom of God today and the future? Riches, possessions and fame are short-lived and cannot be taken into eternity. What counts is the impact we've had on the people around us. Find your place in God's Kingdom and work faithfully for Him. Be it stacking chairs, preparing food, singing, playing music, teaching, encouraging, administration, hospitality... (many more)... all are equally important in His eyes.

The Book of Acts is the only unfinished book in the Bible. That's because it's still being written in the lives of believers! May your acts be found worthy to be included in the millionths chapter.

SOME FUN STUFF

Okay, I hope you guys had some insight from the post above. Now, for some humour...

1. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
Samson, he brought the house down...

2. Was there any money on Noah's ark?
Yes, the duck had a bill and the frog had a green back...

3. How do we know Abraham was almost as wise as Solomon?
Because he knew a Lot...

4. Why didn't Noah go fishing on the ark?
Because he has only got two worms...

5. Who was the greatest sinner in the Bible?
Moses! He broke all the Ten Commandments at once...

6. Methuselah was the oldest man in the Bible (969 years). How then did he died before his father?
His father Enoch never died. He was taken up into heaven...

7. Why didn't Moses take the howler monkey onto the ark?
Moses didn't go on the ark...

(BaSS_LeViTE now looks out for lightning...)

2007-02-14T12:56:00.000+09:00

THE GREAT SOUTH LAND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

WHY AUSTRALIA IS CALLED THE SOUTH LAND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The idea of a great southern continent was originated by the ancient Greeks, who believed there must be a great land mass on the other side of the world to balance the earth. Early navigators and explorers searched for "terra australis incognito" (the unknown south land), believing untold riches awaited the man who would be first to discover and claim this mysterious continent.

In 1606 the explorer Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, sailing under the Spanish flag, mistook one of the islands of the Pacific nation now known as Vanuatu (New Hebrides) for the Great South Land. Believing he had discovered the long searched-for southern continent, he held a mass and set off fireworks to commemorate his discovery. As far as we know he was the first to use the name "Terra Australis del Espiritu Santu" - the "Great South Land of the Holy Spirit" - for what we now know as the nation of Australia.

Did de Quiros pen this name for the great southern continent prophetically? Along with many other Australian Christians, we believe so. Australia is a comparatively young nation, not much more than 200 years old. Its history is one of a tough people in a tough environment. Beneath the breathtaking natural beauty of the land, lies a hard unyielding heart. The early settlers battled the elements to survive in extreme temperatures, loneliness and isolation.

Established as a British penal colony, Australia's cultural roots lie in rejection. Many were transported to what then amounted to the "ends of the earth" for petty crimes such as stealing food. The early convicts, both men and women, were treated harshly and often unjustly. To this day Australians are known for their independent and often "rebellious" nature.

The indigenous Australians also suffered greatly at the hands of many of the European settlers. So much so that the injustice and cruelty dealt out to them is only now beginning to be seriously addressed by Australian society.

Yet throughout its history God has had His hand on this nation. We believe His purpose and plan for the people of Australia has always been one of REDEMPTION and BLESSING. In these last days we will see His Spirit poured out on Australia to a degree never known. We shall see our hurting nation healed, restored and revived as she turns her eyes and her heart to the desire of ALL nations, Jesus Christ.

(article above was taken from http://www.greatsouthland.org/greatsouthland.html)

Just look around you and open your spiritual eyes. There's no other nation that compares with Australia. There's peace, natural beauty, paradise-like weather, abundance in natural resources. This sun-baked land is also the Son-baked land. There are mega churches and christian artists producing great praise and worship albums, sold world-wide. Australia also lies at the middle of an ancient stable plate, and therefore spared from earthquakes and volcanic activity.

We are also one of the few countries in the world that have surplus earnings in the economy (USA makes more debts than earnings in economy). We produce so much wool, wine, wheat, iron ore, gas and uranium, that we consume less than 10 % of them and export the rest! Education wise, it's affordable. There's freedom of speech, human rights and high standards of living too.

It is also not coincidental that our Australian flag has the Southern Cross constellation on it. If you look carefully at each star on the constellation, you will notice that each star is positioned at each wound that Jesus bore.

Head - crown of thorns
Left and right hands - nails
Foot - nails
Side - spear

In addition to all these, our part of the world here at Perth, has the exact same climate as the Promised Land of Israel (Mediterranean). It is no coincidence that you're here, whether you're born here or migrated here. God has a special purpose for you here in this Great Southland of the Holy Spirit. Isn't it amazing to be part of His-story itself? Let us continue to be the salt and light of the earth. Let us continue to uphold the name of Jesus and shine His light on this land where He has put us.

2007-02-10T00:40:00.000+09:00

HOME

While listening to worshipful songs and reflecting about God's goodness, revelation came to me, which I feel obliged to share with you all!

There's the age old question of what heaven is like. There's the (wrong) stereotypical view that heaven is where there are clouds floating around and angels flying around playing harps. As the Spirit reveals more and more to me and reminds me of Bible verses, I begin to understand.

Heaven is not that abstract and unfathomable after all (well, it still is indescribable but there are parallel examples). Imagine driving an old jalopy car that is falling apart now. Then someone offers you a brand new car and gave you the documents for the car, but have not yet delivered the car to you. The document is proof and promise that you will eventually get the car, though you might have to wait. Similarly, our salvation in Jesus here on earth is a promise that one day we will finally go Home (with a capital H).

Just as the new car is superior to the old car in every way, so will our new lives in the future be far better than the current one. It will be so great that you will not even think of the past life you had. If you are now driving a luxirious car like a Ferrari for example, you wouldn't even think about the old rusty childhood bicycle in the garage. Even if you wanted to ride the bike again, you can't because you have grown up! So it is with the span between life in heaven and earth.

The Bible verse that was reveal was...

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
(1 Corinthian 13: 12a)

We've only been given small glimpses of what heaven is like, which is analogous to looking at your reflection in a dusty old mirror.

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
(John 14: 2)

When this verse came into my mind, it reminded me of camp. How awesome it is to live together with your spiritual brothers and sisters! Imagine this on a grander scale... with every believer that has ever existed together! And we'll be living and caring for one another and worshipping God face to face for eternity!

I began to think how limited we are in this physical world. The author of the series of the bestseller book "Left Behind" painted this picture of what heaven could be like.

We humans and the physical world we live in currently are so limited. For example, our ears can only pick up a certain range of sound frequencies. Our eyes too can only pick up a tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum (visible light). We only use less than 10% of our brain. And of course, our body is subject to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which is basically the law of death and decay. We are also still subject to temptations and sin. We are fragile, fallible flesh and blood beings at present.

Human eye's sight range ~ 400 - 700 nm (violet - red)
Human ear's hearing range ~ 10 Hz - 20 kHz
Average human life expectancy ~ 70 years
2nd Law of Thermodynamics ~ Entropy of a system would tend to increase over time (simplified version)

The 2nd Law is the reason why iron rusts, why old people become frail, why things fall apart over time, why roads develop potholes, and ultimately why things decay and rot.

Now imagine inheriting a body like Jesus's which is flesh and bone. Imagine a body that is immortal. Imagine being able to use 100% of your brain! Imagine being able to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum and hear all frequencies! Imagine that you can actually "see" sound and "hear" colours. Imagine that sin no longer has a hold on you.

BUT above all else, the most important thing of all is that we finally meet God face to face! Would you be running to Him with arms wide open when that day arrives, because you have been faithful and eagerly awaiting Him? Or would you be shying away and looking downcast, because you have not lived your life to the potential that He wanted you to?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
(Revelation 21: 1 - 4)

So while we are here on earth, it's like a "worship practise" to prepare ourselves for the main event when we get there. So keep "practising" guys and keep on running this race that God has set for us with perseverance, keeping your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith.

The New Jerusalem and the New Earth
(green because forests would have been restored and there won't be any more seas and oceans)

The final chapters of Revelation give us a glimpse into the future.

Can you find your house? =P

2007-02-07T00:46:00.000+09:00

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN DEATH

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."

I also found this photo... the shape of the cloud gap looks like an angel!

just a thought or two

2007-02-03T23:45:00.000+09:00

Hey guys!

For most, the most dreaded thing has finally arrived…school! Hehe for those uni-ians lucky enough to have an extra month of holidays…enjoy them while they last!!...before you all join us in the mugging-fest! hehe but I guess we should all just keep in mind that “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of Christ Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him”. He’ll get us through it!:D

Well, I was doing my quiet time the other day, and I stumbled across Deuteronomy 6:10-12. It reads:

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land he promised… a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

It struck me then, just how much these few verses are actually saying. Sure, God brought the people out of Egypt and into the promised land, but what has that got to do with us?? After all, it wasn’t US that He brought out of Egypt.

But it occurred to me then, God HAS given us houses filled with all kinds of goods that we ourselves did not provide, and wells that we did not dig. He has blessed our lives so abundantly that sometimes, even most of the time, we forget and take it for granted.

I’m pretty sure if everyone that reads this, just takes a few minutes to think of all the “houses, wells and vineyards” in our lives that we did not provide, no one can say that they’re short of blessings and don’t have much. Even when physically and materialistically we have little, we have this HUGE God who loves us, listens to our prayers, and despite us turning our backs on Him time after time, He calls us back and welcomes us with open arms.

In times of trouble, He’s there. When no one else will give us a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, He’s there. When your world seems to crumble and fall, He’s there. That in itself is a blessing isn’t it? Just knowing our awesome God is in itself a blessing because it means that God has CHOSEN to have compassion and mercy on you. You’re not at youth every Saturday because you were brought up in a Christian family or because your friend goes there, but it’s because He CHOSE you. He has chosen you to represent him on earth; chosen to give you life; chosen to call on you to serve Him. Considering all his glory, righteousness and holiness, it’s quite an honour and definitely a blessing to know such an amazing God.

Now that God has led us to the promised land, to his cross, to know Him and all his blessings, the bible warns us “be careful that you do not forget the Lord”. When everything is going right, and life seems pretty good, surrounded by friends and success, we have a tendency to think all these things come from ourselves and forget the Lord. Some of us may not entirely forget the Lord, but we forget how much he’s done for us and just how much the things that happen in our lives is because of Him.

We become lukewarm like the Laodicean church, neither hot nor cold. We come to church and youth, enjoy the fellowship but then go back into the world, unchanged and indifferent.

In 2007, let’s make GMCYF different. Let’s remember all the blessings He has given us and be appreciative. Let’s not forget our awesome God and be lukewarm no longer! It’s time to pick up our own cross and come out of our churches into the world, remembering all that Jesus has done for us, and be willing to bear the temporary pains and rejections, and make a difference! Let’s not forget Jesus this year, but come into youth EXPECTING to meet him there. Get excited again not about meeting your friends there, but Jesus himself! And finally, keep praying guys! Keep thanking him in every circumstance, thank him that when we are in our valleys, He’s there and when we’re on top of a mountain, it’s because of Him! Thank him for all the “houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant”.