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Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.

--Philippians 4:8
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Our actions follow our thoughts like a heat-seeking missile follows the exhaust of a jet fighter's engine. So in a day when so much around us trains us to find the negative in life, we must aggressively think and pursue the character, the qualities, and the things of God's goodness.

MY PRAYER...
Holy and Magnificent God, thank you for being better than anything my world can offer me. Thank you for calling me to a higher standard than the world accepts. Thank you for giving me the promise of a better future than any human can imagine. Thank you for giving me a high calling. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

MY PRAYER...

Abba Father, even your name is precious to me. I gasp at how much it cost you to let me call you Abba. I don't understand such extravagant love, but I thank you for it. I know I don't deserve to call you Abba, but it sounds so right. Something inside resonates at the sound of Abba -- Holy, Righteous, Almighty, Abba! While I know that I will never be a perfect child, I rest today in the confidence that I am your child and that you claim me. Thank you in Jesus. Amen.

MY PRAYER...

You, O Lord, are marvelous. You are God Almighty, the holy and majestic Creator. Yet you became the least so I can share in your glory. Please help me, O God, never to look down on someone else because they look like the least. I know, Father, that as I serve and love them, I'm serving and loving you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.


MY PRAYER...

Holy and Almighty Lord who refuses to be detached and far away: I thank you for coming to live among us in Jesus. I thank you and praise you for your sacrifice and pain. I know this sign cost you greatly so please let my praise in prayer, song, thought and life reflect my thanks to you in Jesus. Amen.

MY PRAYER...

Holy and Almighty Father, I thank you for all the ways Jesus is described and all the names he is given. They help me see the breadth of his nature and the depth of his character. Please bless me so I may always find a dimension of Jesus' ministry or a name or description of Jesus to help sustain me, when I walk through the shadows of doubt caused by the evil one. Help me, O Father, to see Jesus and not my preoccupations and biases so that when he comes again, I will know him, and he me. Through the glorious name of the Savior I pray. Amen.

You are greater than I can imagine and your glory is without comparison, yet you have stooped so low as to reach me and then raised me back up with you by your grace. I can never fully thank you, for you are more wonderful to me than my words can declare or a thousand years of life could repay.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose," were words written by Jim Elliot (Ecuador Martyr - South America) that became the hallmark of his life.

The season when God is calling us to fulfill the Great Commission by either GOING or SENDING is here once again brothers and sisters. The Gen 12ii Wave 1 trippers will be GOING in a matter of weeks and if i'm not going, what are some biblical motivations that would spur me on to SEND them by giving wholeheartedly?
That was a question i asked myself not too long ago.

And for such a time like this which truly comes only once in a year, i decided to read the book entitled "The Treasure Principle" by Randy Alcorn (which Pris Seah gave to me on my 20th B'day) with the faith & expectation that if the Lord wanted me to give, he would surely give me every joyous reason to do so, which he did of course :)

As a servant of the Lord entrusted with the trust of stewarding the finances of the ministry, the spirit of the Lord led me to see that our ministry wasn't & still isn't meant to be solely a ministry of evangelism, discipleship, prayer & fellowship alone, but a ministry of GIVING - where SPCCC believers are actively engaged in the act of giving in time of need; especially when it comes to God's kingdom cause.

Let me share with you some precious insights gained from the book which i hope you will find worth reading & be enriched by because they have personally encouraged me. :)

* Giving to the Lord may cost me everything i own, but it will gain me everything that truly matters. For as long as my eyes are fixed on heavenly treasures - the treasures that truly matter, i make short-term sacrifices with joy.
* Present joy comes from anticipating future joy; and Jesus Christ himself takes that profound truth of" You can't take your earthly treasures with you but you can send them on ahead" to demonstrate what a wise investment of finances that truly is.

Realizing God's Ownership
(Of us & of our material possessions)

It is my prayer that we may understand that we are giving not ours but God's money to do God's work & in understanding that, discover a peace & joy we never had back when we thought it was our money.

Kay Berryman has this to say, " My joy in giving comes from serving God in a way that i know he's called me to & realizing that what i give is impacting people for Christ."
"It's exciting to know that we're part of evangelizing, discipling, helping, and feeding the needy. It just feels wonderful and fulfilling."

The more we give, the more we delight in our giving and the more God delights in us. Indeed, our giving pleases God :)

The Macedonian Christians understood the joy of giving," but of the most severe trial,their overflowing joy & their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”
Giving isn’t a luxury of the rich. It’s a privilege of the poor.
Christ’s grace defines, motivates and puts in perspective our giving. The demonstration of God’s grace to the Macedonian churches was evident by their act of giving to the needy Christians.Indeed, our giving is a reflexive response to the grace of God poured in our lives. True giving follows when God’s grace has touched us at any point in time.

Giving jumpstarts our relationship with God. It opens our fists so we can receive what God has for us. When we see what it does for others & for us, we open our fists sooner & wider when the next chance comes.
Proverbs 21:13 says, “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the needy, he too will cry out & not be answered.” God says that his willingness to answer our prayer is directly affected by whether we are caring for the hungry, needy & oppressed. Want to empower your prayer life? Give.

The money we give to help others on earth will open doors of fellowship with them in heaven. Won’t it be amazing to hear stories by our fellow bros and sis in Christ of how our giving has impacted their lives for eternity in one way or another?
He’s looking for disciples so immersed in the causes they give to; so filled with a vision for eternity that they wouldn’t dream of not investing their money, time & prayer where they will matter the most.

1 Tim 6:18-19
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life,” as opposed to the second class, so-called ‘life’ of materialism.
~Giving is the only antidote to materialism~

Every time I feel tempted to withhold money because of one reason or another; seemingly justified as they may be, God shows me an even better reason why I shouldn’t.
1) I worked hard/my parents worked hard for this money – God says,“U don’t work for money, u work for me & my glory.”
2) I need money for rainy days – God says, “ The Macedonian churches gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” It means giving even when the bottom line says we can’t give anymore.
3) I have debts to repay – God says, “If you pay me first, you will incur my blessing to help you pay your debts to men.” We rob God to pay men when we rob ourselves of God’s blessings.

God’s money definitely has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving as I how i have discovered it to be is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. Giving affirms Christ’s lordship in my life as it dethrones me & my wants and exalts him. It breaks the mammon of materialism that enslaves many in the world today.
It is my prayer that God will supply all of us with the capacity of faith to take him at his word every time a giving opportunity arises, so that we can afford to give confidently, generously & with the hope & expectation that as we give, more will be given to us because God is the greatest giver in the universe & he won’t let us outgive him.
Malachi 3:10, “Test me in this says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
BUT Abundance isn’t God’s provision of raising my standard of living. It’s his provision for me to help others live by raising my standard of giving.

For such a time as this, we have the far more strategic opportunity to change our legacy in the world to come. Will you join me as i prepare my heart to give freely & wholeheartedly to every single crusader who has approached me (via email/in person) as an act of giving to the Lord so the nations can be reached for Christ?

It’s no accident that we live in this time of the 21st century & in Singapore where God has richly blessed us with more than we need. Let’s be encouraged to give until our hearts are more in touch with God’s kingdom work than with our wants which can never be fully satisfied.

Your Possible Giving Covenant may look something like this:
1)I affirm God’s full ownership of me & everything entrusted to me.
2)I will ask him to show me how I can be sharing with my potential financial supporters (for those going on mission trips) the treasure principle so they would discover a deeper & renewed purpose of giving.
3)I will ask him to lead me to crusaders whom I can be supporting financially as I make the choice to give sacrificially unto him for his greater purposes during this Gen 12ii season. (For those not going on mission trips)

Changing our legacy in the world to come,
sis evangeline

After the session led by Rev Choi, I found that my perspective of why God calls us to do missions being renewed. Although most of what he shared was something I had already grasp over the course of these two years, I did not realize the essence of what pre-destination really meant. I learnt from him through Romans 8:29 that foreknowledge had to take place first before God could pre-destine those who were going to accept or reject him. It saddens me to know that not everyone would be given a place and an inheritance in heaven because of their hearts made callous to the light of the gospel.

Rev Choi also brought in the example and life of Jesus as an example of the way God carries out his mission and his will. I soon realized that Jesus ministry on earth is the prime example we should be looking at if we want to be successfully used by God to reach the world for him. In John 17:18 Jesus prays for the believers whom he knew were going to carry on the task of ministering, healing, exhorting, teaching, etc;
“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

God’s mission to send Jesus to the world was not just for the sole purpose of reconciling man back to him and redeeming him to be his own (that was of course the main purpose), but it was to also set an example for believers to pattern their life and ministry after as well  Jesus often withdrew himself away from the crowds so that he could spend time in deep intercession and prayer. He prayed for the will of the father to be done in spite of the pain it was going to cause him (this was done 3 times – a reflection that we should be desperate in our prayers for God’s will to be done as we are sent out as his missionaries).

It also showed me that even though evangelism is the core reason why we are being sent out by God to do his mission around the world and even locally, there are many aspects to what missions really is and what it truly meant. For some, it could be the ministry of intercession (for God’s protection, favor, intervention, etc), the ministry of healing in his name, the ministry of preaching the word of God to new disciples in the faith, the ministry of using our hands to rebuild and restore homes; to work in the fields and even to prepare meals in his name, etc. All of these are interwoven to form the backdrop of why God uses his people to do mission. He needs human vessels to extend his unchanging and everlasting love. He needs hearts who are willing and availed to be used mightily for the cause of his glory.

As we find ourselves led by God to meet needs in various ministries, I also learnt that our version of success in missions is not necessarily defined by the way we, or man may see it. Effectiveness is not measured by the number of converts we bring to the lord, but rather, the process of finding ourselves being yielded more and more to God’s spirit and his plan for our ministry and finding our progress charted according to his good, pleasing and perfect timing and will.

Central Theme: Life Is Worth The Living Because Christ Lives In Me!

How could a nine year old girl find any purpose for living when sorrow and dread filled her heart every morning when she awoke? Fear seemed to have consumed every part of her being; driving her to tears especially at night when she knew that her life wasn’t over yet and that tomorrow presented yet another day of living, whether she liked it or not. That girl was me ten years ago.

Even though i was in the best class at that time, I felt like an academic failure whenever it was time for the results to be released; knowing that I would never fail to be at the bottom of my class AGAIN. Yes, I found myself continuously struggling to try and keep up with my peers academically; asking myself many times over why I found it so difficult to answer questions that seemed so simple to them. I also found myself struggling socially as I sought to make friends in class. Given my plain, shy and quiet appearance as contrasted to many of my classmates who were popular, smart, rich and outgoing, I found it hard to fit in. I didn’t have close friends whom I could turn to for support and as a result, loneliness and self pity started to set in.

Moreover, I had many fears. I feared people. I also feared the water, which made it not only difficult for me to jump naturally into the swimming pool, but also, to learn how to swim. I feared not being able to measure up in music class and I feared not being able to adapt to changes going on around me. The world just seemed scary and unfamiliar to a young girl like me. I didn’t see myself as accepted, secured and significant. My apparent emotional and spiritual needs of value and worth had not yet been met.

Even though I was raised in a Christian home and was brought to church ever since I was a child, I failed to see how victorious living was made possible by the reality of Jesus Christ. I was taught many wonderful stories from the bible (God’s word) and knew that this God whom many spoke about in church had the power to do great and mighty things. He created the earth and everything in it. He could part oceans. He sent his one and only son Jesus Christ to die for the whole world so that we could live forever with him. He could multiply five loaves and two fishes to feed five thousand people. He could even cause the dead to rise again!

But being so vulnerable at such a young age, I was easily distracted and choked by the cares of this world. My life was driven and characterized by worry and fear; thus it was no wonder that Jesus Christ’s presence and power had no room to be displayed in my life. And even though I knew Jesus loved the little children (including me), all that I had learnt just became head knowledge for me. It hadn’t yet reached to the core of my heart and my very being to change the way I thought, felt and acted. Hence, going to church did not bring much consolation or joy as one might have hoped it would. To me, it was just another sunday routine.

But as the years passed, I began to see how faithful God was to me even though I wasn’t faithful to him. He did not abandon nor forsake me; neither did he give up on me even though I seemed to have given up all hope on myself. He revealed himself to me as a loving father who not only understood my fears, but also as one who had the power to deliver me from every single one of them. His perfect love, I soon realized, was the only key that could cast out all fear. But that’s not all. God wasn’t content with just delivering me from my fears. He who set me apart from birth and called me by name wanted me to establish a personal relationship with him. He wanted me to experience the joy of knowing him and his power especially in moments of heartache, weakness and struggle. He wanted me to see that his plan and purpose for man is to give life in all its fullness (an abundant, fulfilling and purposeful life); one that goes beyond just merely existing, to living. :) All I had to do was to once again open up my heart and receive him as saviour and Lord of my life. This offer stands for everyone, not just for me.

The years that followed were years when God brought friends, fellow sisters and brothers in Christ, mentors and teachers who came alongside me to encourage me. They brought out the best in me when they chose to believe in me and in what I was capable of achieving. They were God’s chosen instruments in helping me live out my God given potential and purpose at that particular point in time. By nominating me for leadership positions, this gave me ample opportunities to grow as a leader; and I soon found myself becoming more confident and sure of myself as I addressed students and adults alike. God soon gave me the heart and the gift in helping and encouraging others whenever I saw a need that needed to be met. It was so evident that God has begun a deeper work in my life; turning what others knew to be my weakness (someone who used to need a lot of encouragement) into one of my core strengths (someone who is now able to encourage and be brave in front of people). God also provided platforms for me to serve him in ministry. (Bring in YM) In so doing, I began to see myself grow spiritually. My faith in him was strengthened and renewed as he became more real in my life. His truths were no longer just head knowledge, but they became my heart’s joy and delight. It was through the living out of his truths that God birthed strong convictions in me.

But I soon found that I had much to learn. Even though God was slowly restoring and piecing together my fragmented life, my life was still not fully surrendered to him. I still found myself searching for love, acceptance and worth in all the wrong places when I felt emotionally unsecured. I was self seeking in the way I sought after people’s approval and attention. I let pride get the better of me and cherished disobedience in my heart. I was still, in certain ways, living for myself and for my own self centered desires. It was then that God showed me that I had not learnt to find my identity solely in him and him alone. I had also not learnt what it meant to live fully for him and his will for my life. I couldn’t possibly cherish disobedience in my heart and claim that I love God. True love for God demands my wholehearted giving and loving.

Since then, God has taken me on this amazing journey of discovering for myself that there can be no higher calling, no greater pursuit in life than to live for his glory and for his cause. With that I want to testify that life is worth the living because Christ lives in me. He has given me much courage, confidence and hope through the promises of his word (the bible) to face tomorrow and everyday of my life.

As I end my sharing, I would like to close with a verse taken from the bible in 2 Corinthians 5: 15, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Who or What are you living for today?

Dearest Aunty Lin,

The word of the LORD says in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our LORD Jesus Christ.” :)

It is my prayer that this verse would bring about the timely encouragement your heart needs; and the quiet but strong assurance that the LORD would continue to strengthen you in every good deed and word as you continue to look to him for your every need.
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
– Your strength being equal to your days-

As he continues to assign to you and me our cup and portion daily, may we find our lot being made secured by him as we seek to be refreshed and renewed by his living water that is not only fresh, clean and pure; but which in itself is life giving!

This email is intended to be a way of expressing my thanks and appreciation to you aunty lin, for being such a blessing in my life. Because of your Godly influence and your passion in training and equipping people, I know my life is just one of the ransom of many who have been touched by you in the field of education and beyond.
You have always been esteeming others (including me) better than yourself; and it brings me great joy to do the same for you at such a time like this. :)

Thank you for playing a huge part in helping me discover God’s intended will for my life upon graduation. Since then, I have discovered for myself the tremendous reward and fulfillment one gets when he/she chooses to invest time, energy and resources in developing what God has gifted him/her to do. Through the past months, God has been showing me that teaching was what he wanted me to do all along. He showed me what I was gifted at. He showed me what I was passionate about. He showed me where my heart was and where it would continue to be :). What it meant to impart more than just knowledge (that anyone can after years of experience or reading), but wisdom, principles and personal convictions which can only be found and birthed in the fear of the one and true living God! As I chose to pour my life as an offering unto the LORD and for his people, he did not withhold what I needed (his everlasting love, his grace, his all-encompassing strength, his wisdom, his guidance and his faithfulness in the mist of it all).

It is indeed a stunning revelation to know that what he intended to give me was not only meant for the sole purpose of sharpening my gift in teaching and affirming me (though I still feel very undeserving); but MORE so that he may once again glorify and exalt himself!

But perhaps what brings me the greatest satisfaction is knowing that I am and will be in the centre of God’s good, pleasing and perfect will for my life. Words can’t express how excited I feel; or how joyful I am at the prospect of entering NIE. The anticipation of studying and being given the privilege of serving God once again in a different capacity (through NIE CF and as a GB Officer) brings a surge of gladness and thanksgiving in my heart to God. The feeling is wonderful as the days and months draw nearer. I know with all my heart that he WILL bring me there as how he brought me to ACTC this year (through you again!) to be blessed and ministered in a wonderful way.

Thank you for introducing me to this year’s ACTC and for sponsoring the conference fee for me. I pray that the amount of time, resources and energy you poured in for the LORD and for his teachers would be channeled back to you a thousand fold! Yes and Amen to that! As you chose to give without holding back, may the LORD bless you with the fruits of your labour through changed lives, changed perspectives and changed initiatives! To God be the glory!

Even though I could only come for two days, the conference gave me a platform and an opportunity to gain new and very precious insights from the LORD through his ordained speakers and through the reflection articles; to receive encouragement even through the fellowship and interaction I had with his teachers from Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines (all I believe are his divine appointments!) One of whom happened to be Ms Sng Bee Bee who gave me her name card so I could contact her to find out more about NIECF. : )

Some key insights/reflections:

1)God’s perfect love being the only key that could cast out and deliver every one of my fears stood out till today.

2)The need to be still (in the mist of busyness) and know that he is God (I felt that this was the primary message he had for me - the need to be constantly reminded time and over again; especially when I am hard pressed on every side.)

3)A special encounter I had with the Lord during worship – a time of being renewed and refreshed spiritually as I drew close to him.

4)The need to reflect and ask myself if I am breathing judgment or life in the lives of whom I am investing and teaching.
Are my efforts aligned and matched with my true intentions?

5)The task is too overwhelming and the impact too significant that I cannot help but cling onto the promises of God.

6)My influence which ripples out from those I shape to the multiplied number of those people they relate to. (This echoes the prayer of my heart and is something I desire to see in the lives I influence)

As I end this rather long email, I thank you for your patience and heart in reading to the end. I guess there’s just so much upon my heart that I long to share with you and with the ones who, together with me, embrace this God-given calling for my life until he calls me to serve him full time as a missionary.

Something i received in an email forwarded by Sunny FMC which i thought would be worth reading :) May the lord reveal to u interesting new insights and revelations even through seasoned verses/passages.

This one is definitely between you and God.Read to the end

GOD: Angels, do you know what I was just thinking about?

ANGELS: What were you thinking about?

GOD: Christians seem to have forgotten what kind of power they have
available and the devil keeps on deceiving them!

ANGELS: God, exactly what are you driving at?

GOD: I have made my children in such a way that when the people of
the world are sitting, they would be standing, when the world is
standing, they will stand out, when the world stands out, my
children must be outstanding and when the devil dares the world to
be outstanding, my people will be the standards to be used!

JESUS CHRIST: They (Christians) are also forgetting the words in Ephesians 1:3.

GOD: Please read it out!

ANGEL: PRAISE BE TO THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ,
WHO HAS BLESSED US IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL
BLESSING IN CHRIST .

ANGEL: So what do we do now since the end is almost near?

HOLY SPIRIT: My Presence is still among men and I will teach and remind the Christians of all that we have discussed. I will also make sure that they pass this message on!

JESUS CHRIST: I will also keep on interceding for them & stand in for them even in their weaknesses.

GOD: I will also make sure that I give to all those who ask of me, seek me and try to find me The blessings I have promised them through My Son, Jesus Christ will be delivered to all those who discover that I, Jehovah, am ready to bless them! Not because of any special things that they have done, but just because I LOVE THEM !

JESUS CHRIST: I will also give all My followers who are willing to pass this conversation on, enough strength to carry on!

ANGELS: We are all backing THE TRINITY and even the devil cannot stop us! How funny! Christians are finally taking over and ......

DEVIL (eavesdropping behind the gates): I hope you all heard! I will deploy more troops (demons) and make sure the Christians pray less, read their Bibles less, preach less and make sure this mail does not move anywhere! Also.....

YOU SURE HEARD THAT! THE DEVIL WILL MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT PASS THIS
ON BUT PROVE HIM WRONG AND SHOW HIM THE POWER YOU HAVE IN CHRIST
JESUS AS A CHRISTIAN. PRAY MORE, STUDY THE WORD MORE AND PREACH THE
WORD! DO NOT DISAPPOINT GOD ! PASS IT ON!



Like the bright and glorious sight of daffodils, we Christians were created and made to STAND OUT wherever we are :)

No words can truly express how truly thankful and grateful i am to God for my results this semester. I remember vividly penning down the performance goals i desired to see this Semester for every module i took. God also led me to pen down certain key verses he wanted me to embrace, claim and cling onto for this Semester. Just reading them again brought much encouragement to my heart.

The Semester was a long and ardous one. It was the longest Semester in my student life in SP. But by God's grace which time and again,proved to be more than sufficient for me, i pulled through. I pulled through week after week having to manage to complete 5 tutorials per week on top of ministry, readings, revision and projects(from time to time) . I thank God for teaching me the stewardship of time and prioritizing. I thank God for giving me the enabling strength to do everything that was within the realm of his will. I thank God for opening my eyes to see studying as ministry. Something i could offer unto him as a fragrant offering. Something i could give him glory and honour. I thank God for displaying traces of his faithfulness once more. The list goes on.

As we contemplate on all that the lord has done for us, we are reminded that God does indeed not withhold his blessings even though we might feel the least deserving. That was how i used to and sometimes feel. On days when i felt so unworthy and filthy on the inside because of sins i committed against God. I could feel God's heart wrenching grief inside of me. Claiming 1John 1:9 and the assurance that i could come to the throne of grace boldly and confidently because of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross convicted me of the need not to put out the spirit's fire. Every time i sin against God, i hamper the work of the spirit in my life. I hamper his enabling empowerment. I hamper what he can do in and through me.

But God's unfailing love, mercy and grace knows no end. It was and is there to greet me and you at every facet of our lives. Especially so when u find yourself broken of all the things that God's heart breaks about. It is never limited by time. Never limited by boundaries we sometimes set for ourselves when we fail to fully understand God's capacity for forgiveness. Indeed, God's bank of Grace (through a msg forwarded by angela CCC)never runs dry. That is something i can always find in my heart to give thanks for :)Praise God! He gave and extended to me so much. What then is my heart's natural response? It should be patterned after Paul's exhortation in Romans 6:15-18 ," What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't u know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey....you have been set free from sin and have therefore become SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS."

This Semester was also a period when God showed me that his blessings came in both tangible and intangible forms. We need to see that God not only chooses to bless us in ways that are visible to man, but he also does so in ways that are sometimes only known to him and his children whom he extends such blessings. Such can come in the form of spiritual gifts. Renewed joy and strength. Newfound courage and boldness like never before. Transformation and growth in one's life.

As the day of the release of the Semester results drew nearer and nearer, i really didnt know what to expect and i didn't know how to react. Honestly. haha. There was this feeling of uncertainty because there were mistakes i regretted making in several papers. But as i prayed on the morning of 7th march (the day of the results), i felt a wave of peace flooding over me and i found myself being able to concentrate on my work that day with hardly any thoughts drifting to the outcome of my results. Thank God for that. Thank God for fellowship with Sing Yi over dinner.Thank God for her timely encouragement. Thank God for her praying for me before going home to check my results that night.

I was praying over and over in my heart for my results to bring satisfaction to my parents. In as much as i wanted to see God glorified, i just couldn't bring myself to face the prospect of seeing my parents disappointed again. I couldn't and didn't want to see a repeat of what happened last Sem when i cried myself to sleep over my results and the counsequences i had to bear at home.

But as i finally hit the Results (Semester) button on the SAS page, i found myself staring at..
1) Auditing 1: A
2) Fundamentals Of Finance : DIST
3) Mobile Internet : DIST
4) Information Systems: B (unexpected cos i was prepared for a C)
5) Cost Accounting II: B (I jumped two grades from last Sem!:)unexpected too cos i thought i would also get a C+)
6) Financial Accounting II : B+
7) Taxation: B+

GPA: 3.519 (Just as i prayed and asked God for! Truly amazing. One of the desires i penned down on my birthday! :) )

Ephesians 3:20 " Now unto him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond all we could ever ask for or imagine according to his power that is at work within us! "


The future looks bright as the promises of God.
May your glory continue to be demonstrated now and always in our lives father!

Hi all :) just wanted to share something which a friend introduced me to through email. The email contained a hyperlink with the following address: www.birthverse.com
Apparently, all of us have a specially selected verse from the bible on our birthdays :) haha. Do check it out when u have the time. it brought encouragement to my heart and i'm sure it will for u too.

BIRTHVERSE consists of 366 verses chosen from the 66 books of the Bible. Each verse correlates the chapter and verse with its month and day. Your birth was appointed by God and has been recorded as your birthday. BIRTHVERSE team spent countless hours searching the Bible for the perfect verse for each day of the year. Claim your verse, study it, memorize it and share it with others. But most of all, allow God to reveal Himself to you through your BIRTHVERSE.

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

My birthverse (15th January) is below:

Galatians 1:15 NIV
...God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased

I am a child of God, His treasured possession. He created me in His own image. He chose the day for me to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for my life.
Help me to cherish the birthverse u have given to me with all of my heart father.
I pray that i would claim it, study it, memorize it and even share it as i testify for u. Help me to see how wonderful the truths in your word really are.

Help me to grasp the full extent of your grace more and more each day. To know that my life has already been set apart from the time i was born. Help me to feel more and more of your pleasure as i seek to do your will lord. I know its not going to be easy father. But no matter how ardous the journey may be, help me to hold on lord. To your love that never ends. To your love that restores me time and over again.

In your strength will i breakfree and breakthrough.
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me.
I know your love dispels all my fears.
Through the storms in life i will hold on lord.
And by faith, i will hold on lord.
Then i'll see beyond my calvary one day and i know i will be complete in you :)

Thank u for showing me that the strongest convictions are always born in the throes of doubt. I pray that the convictions which are formed by u and u alone would withstand the winds of adversity and confusion. Come what may. I pray that my faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may prove to be genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Its been quite some time since i last updated and posted entries here but even despite how busy i am, i'm gonna share with you my 19th birthday reflections. Yes, evan turned nineteen years old yesterday :)it feels wierd because i don't feel the least bit older. Oh wells. i guess the effects of growth will be gradual and not immediate:) no worries, i'll wait heavenly father.

Just a few months back as i gazed at myself in the mirror, i actually saw a woman staring back at me; haha. the sudden realization that evan is no longer a little girl anymore, but that she's maturing physically hit me and began to sink in as the days and the months flew by. The feelings are mixed. In a way, its good that as i get older, i get more matured. But at the same time, people look at you differently when u get older. haha, take yesterday morning for example. I was lying on my bed and kicking my legs in the air like how i used to do when i was younger. Fooling around as usual when i feel bored. My younger sis, Rachel, came up and said, "Jie, you're 19 years old already. Start acting your age!" haha. In some other ways, i still am innocent and naive as well. But i believe that the lord will guide me into knowing what it means to be as shrewd as a snake and as innocent as a dove this year and in the years to come!

Thank you papa for answering my prayer; simple as it may be, not to let it rain yesterday morning. I woke up feeling fresh and renewed before heading down to school for morning prayer at 8a.m. After much days of rain, u eagerly welcome the sounds of birds chirping and the warm sun :) Thank you for the well wishes of friends and family who remembered my birthday through SMS, Friendster and verbal. Ranked not in order of merit:
1)Hui Jun FMC (For the organizer,birthday lunch, SMS and card)
2)Wan Xian FMSS (SMS)
3)Cornelyus CCC (SMS)
4)Ian CCC (SMS)
5)Sunny FMC (For the gift, SMS,testimonial and card)
6)Family (For the bag)
7)Glorijoy FMC (SMS)
8)Angela CCC (SMS)
9)Jessica FMSS (gifts last year)
10)Eunice FMSS (SMS)
11)SPCCC family (Birthday prayer and wishes)
12)Gerine GB + Ms Pang GB, Ms Chew GB and Angeline GB who wished me on Saturday
13)Beloved DG mates (Aunty!,Fiona, Phebe and Tina)-
For the celebration,the lovely cake surprise, the birthday prayer and the candle and lollipops with cards
14)Yong Jie CCC (SMS)
15)Jia Yi SP (SMS)
16)Choo Wei GB (SMS)
17)Classmates of DAC 2B06 (Geok Hong, Winnie, Mely, Yufeng, Mabel, Yufeng, Shi Jie, Edmond and Ching Hui)
For the lovely card and the pair of earrings. *i will get my ears pierced soon!
18)Yurong FMSS (testimonial)
19)Tiff Goh FMSS (Message)
20)Lorraine FMSS (Testimonial)
21)Louis CCC (testimonial)
22)Hui Xing FMSS (testimonial)
23)Beng Foong CCC (SMS)
24)Elin FMSS (for arranging our lunch meeting this friday!)and for SMS
25)Desmond FMC (SMS)
26)Wan Teng and Rachel (RPCCC and NUSCCC)For surprising me by coming all the way down to SP yesterday to celebrate! Thank you also for the book "Drawing Near" :)It made me realize how loved i am by the both of you!
27)Zhen Yang CCC (For calling)
28)Lay Siang FMC (SMS)
29)Iris Godmother (SMS, card and bookmark)
30)Shireen FMSS (gifts last year)and for calling
31)Sinyi CCC (SMS)
32)FMC family (birthday song and cake on 14/1/07)
33)Uncle Yean Kee (card,2 books and the pearl)
34)Joy CCC (SMS)

I AM INDEED TRULY BLESSED. Thank you one and all for making my birthday such a meaningful and heartfelt one. Thank you lord for pouring out your blessings of love and warmth on that special day. Thank you for your promise in your word that when we call, you shall surely answer :) Father, grant me faith to believe that the desires of my heart that i penned down yesterday reflect the desires of your heart too. As i eagerly await the fulfillment of each one, i pray that you will continue to show yourself strong this year and in the years to come. Thank you for writing your love story for me. For showing me pages of it yesterday as i commemorate 19 years of your faithfulness and love :)

From this point forward, may i truly soak in the presence of your anointing and with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving, give you the glory and praise you truly deserve!
Let this 19th year be a year when evan will truly demonstrate with God's sustaining grace..
1)Greatest Joy
2)Selfless Love
3)A Humbled Spirit
4)Renewed faith that with you, all things are made possible!
5)A brand new spiritual awakening of what it truly means to lose what i cannot keep and to gain what i cannot lose.
6)Reaching and laying hold of the love that enables
7)Straining forward to what lies ahead; pressing onwards to lay hold and win the prize to which Christ Jesus has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
8) To meet God and the strength of his love at every turn and at every moment of my life.

CHEERS!=)


Sis Rachel carrying my new bag =)

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children,the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe,that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even
though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for
the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay run home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!


Its so encouraging whenever i receive messages like these in my email. Living in a fallen world corrupted with sin, deceit, lies, manipulation, selfishness and cruelty, i really treasure the times and moments when i can witness, see and hear for myself acts of kindness, unconditional love and acceptance taking place.

Such traits are exhibited as a by product of the fruits of the spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23 : "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law." When i hear of such acts of kindness and all the more so if this happen to be non christian people who display and exhibit them, my heart longs to tell them that its not their true human nature being displayed. We are sinful men and women who have fallen short of the glory of the lord. Fallen short of God's glorious perfect standard. It is God who works in us and through our hearts to make the world a better place. When conflicts arises. When misunderstandings occur. When we are at the crossroads of making decisions that might tarnish the repuatation of people or reputable instituitions. Or like in the above story; to discriminate or accept.

It is not our human nature that compels us to do otherwise. For Christians, it is the holy spirit who works in our hearts to live by the truth and to abide in God's commandments. For the non Christians, Lijuan told me that they just happen to be controlled by circumstances which compels them to display such acts. Its great that they care for their fellow human beings. Extending care and concern when the need arises and choosing to put others ahead of themselves. But the question is: Who commanded us to care for our fellow human beings; or for that matter, why should we? (An excellent spiritual conversation link to the gospel)It all goes back to God; the world he fashioned and designed; the people whom he created for his pleasure.

If only people could grasp the true meaning behind the story. Or for that matter, why morals exist in society. Its not subjective as most controversial beings might think it is. Morals are objective because of a loving God. We were meant to live and abide in love. In 1 John 3:18, it talks about not loving just with words or tongue; but in ACTIONS AND TRUTH! Love originates from an all perfect God. A loving God. A God whose order and purpose in this world can never ever be wrong. God created people like Shay not by accident. God created people like him to give us a chance and an opportunity to accept someone different from an average layman person you meet everyday. He wants to give us a chance to display his love in a fresh new way. All so that we can be a blessing to others. :)

Indeed, the choices we make today have a profound impact on eternity. What would Jesus Do?

Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game.
The Lord's team was playing Satan's team.

The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero,
and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs.
They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named 'Love.'
Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because "Love never fails."

The next batter was named Faith,
who also got a single because Faith works with Love.
The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom.
Satan wound up and threw the first pitch.
Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one.
Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan throws.

The bases were now loaded.
The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His starplayer.
Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, "He sure doesn't look like much!"
Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won
the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch......... To the
shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever
seen! But Satan was not worried; his
center fielder let very few get by.

He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove,
hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; the roaring
crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence . . for a home run!
The Lord's team won!

The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game. Freddy answered that he didn't know why.

The Lord explained, "If your love, faith and wisdom had won the
game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith
and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you Home:
For by Grace are you saved, it is a gift of God; not of works, lest
any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9


Psalm 84:11,
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the
Lord will give grace and glory; no good things will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

Psalms 34:9-10 "Fear the lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the lord will lack no good thing."

2 Chronicles 31:21
"In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered."

I thank God for the above verses which spoke so strongly to me. Its amazing because the second verse was highlighted to me 3 times.
1)Preparation For Prayer and Praise in Church
2) Morning Prayer
3) Quiet Time

Sometimes in the mist of business, i wonder whether its still possible for God to speak to me and to show me revelations. Well, the confirmatory verses above speak for themselves. Through God himself, through emails, through people like Pastor Paul(Grace's Dad) and even through God-given experiences.

Just last week, i personally witnessed a breakthrough on Campus. In the Biz/It school actually. Its amazing how God answered my cry even through my most recent blog entry about my eager anticipation of him fulfilling his promises at the appointed time. Shall post my testimony in my next entry. :) Stay tuned if you want to find out what God is doing!

Like the above story says, it takes love, faith and Godly wisdom to get onto the base but it is GRACE that ultimately triumphs in the end. Liken it to witnessing and evangelism; it takes love, faith and Godly wisdom to set the stage for a person to be won over to christ, but ultimately the gift of God's grace is the message of truth that will convict the hearts of men :)

Thanks to Pastor Paul who sent me two messages over SMS last mon morning:

Truth...
Its better to be divided by truth, than united in error
to speak the truth that hurts and then heals
than to speak a lie that will comfort and then kill;
to be hated for telling the truth (persecuted for righteousness sake)
than to be loved for telling lies;
to stand alone with the truth than to be wrong with a multitude;
to DIE ultimately with the truth, than to live with a lie!
Beware of half-truths...
u may have got hold of the wrong half!



Dream makers succeed by using their backbone and starting on.
Day dreamers fail by just using their wish bone and stopping there.

Let's Be that someone,
Be that history maker
and to make every moment count for JESUS! :)

The Rain-Thomas Kinkaid
Stop at the picture for a second, and watch the Rain... Then read on...



One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets
Of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the
Roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen,
Spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm
Thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some
Fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all
That her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The rain!" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield
Wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond.
"That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take
This revelation? So I asked... "Do you notice how the rain
Keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"

Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer:
"We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."

I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.




In order to see the Rainbow, you must first endure some Rain.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God.

Difficult moments, seek God.

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.



The rainbow(s) are beautiful aren't they? Its not everyday that you get to witness such a wonderful and breathtaking sight:) Two rainbows! I couldn't resist not taking a photo of them on that cloudy evening. Can't rem the exact date though:(

To me, the rainbows symbolise and represent the faithful and unchanging promises of God. Plus, seeing two rainbows together makes it all the more meaningful and reassuring :) you feel all the more convicted that God is there; especially on days when you don't feel especially close to him or if you don't sense his powerful and loving presence by your side.

Just a few days ago, my quiet time passage came from Hebrews 10:35-36
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Help me to stand firm upon your promises father. Your promises stand the test of time and continue from generation to generation.

I am reminded of the convenant you made with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, " I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that i have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever."

Lord, you fulfilled your promise to Abraham, Isaac and Israel and we are now waiting for you to fulfill your promises in our lives and in Singapore Poly. Let it be fulfilled without delay. At the appointed time.
So that we can witness YOUR glory fall upon our lives, in our friends lives, in our families, in our churches, in our SP campus and in Singapore! Open the floodgates of heaven and rain down salvation and revival father!

Let us claim the victory that is in store for the upright
Be strong and take heart, all ye who wait upon the lord :)
The time is coming..

I want to dedicate this blog entry to my disciple Grace Ng Wei Ling who has been so teachable, encouraging, and cheerful. As her DGL, i have much to thank God for when he placed her in my life and in my discipleship group. She has been one of God's spiritual blessings on campus. Her life story and her family testifies and attests to the power and miracles of God. When i look at the Ng family, I see love in action. I see faith. I see God's mighty hand and outstretched arms embracing them and leading them. I believe that this family is destined by God to carry out his wonderful plans and purposes in this generation.

Let me share with you all Grace's testimony that was published in their church 5th anniversary newsletter edition yesterday. (p.s I got her permission to do so :) Let us all be encouraged because our God is a God who heals! :))

Graced For Life, Favoured For Living

Firstly, I want to say that if you believe no one cares about your existence, that's a huge lie. If you think that no one loves you, that's also a lie. Every individual was made special and unique. I believe and know beyond a shadow of doubt that God has a tremendously great and wonderful plan for every one of us.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
You formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking!
Body and Soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration - what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
You know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how i was made, bit by bit,
how i was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you.
The days of my life all prepared
before i'd even lived one day.
~Psalms 139:13-16 (The message)

Christianity came into my parents' lives with a price; the premature death of my second brother, Joshua. Before i was conceived, my mother had another child that had yet to be born. When it was revealed that he had died, my parents were extremely devastated. Yet this seemingly unfortunate incident brought Jesus into their lives.

A few months later, when my mother was pregnant with me, the gynecologist told her that i was not gaining any weight and i had slowing of the fetal heartbeat. It was only after my birth when they found out the reason why. Throughout the pregnancy, the doctor only gave negative reports about the fetus. He even suspected that i had Down's Syndrome. However, my parents remained firm and prayed for strength to overcome the trial. Not once did they give up on God.

On the 8th of November, at around 3 p.m., my mother realized that i had ceased my kicking and there was only slight movement. It was the exact things that had happened previously before they found out that Joshua was dead. Although my mother felt that history would not repeat itself, there was an uneasy feeling within her, as though the holy spirit was urging her to go to the hospital. She obeyed.

After consulting the doctor, it was decided to have an emergency on that same day. It was only after the operation when my mother found out that if she had come a minute later, I would have died. Personally, i thank God that my mother had obeyed the Holy Spirit to go to the hospital.

The doctor also told my mother that he had found half the placenta infected or dead. The placenta is where all the oxygen and food supply pass through to the fetus. That was the reason why i did not gain any weight and had a slowing heartbeat. Yet, even though i was premature by one month and was less than 5 pounds, u was perfectly healthy and normal. I did not even need to be put in the incubator or be warded in the intensive care unit! It was truly by God's grace that i survived.

However, the troubles did not stop there. At the age of two, i was diagnosed with Ray Syndrome, a liver problem. Thank the lord that it was found early, as i would have slipped into a coma in the later stage of the illness. It is a miracle that i can now stand before you completely healed.

My sister had a hole in her heart that could have led to her death. Similarly, my brother also suffered from fits and asthma. I too had asthma. Now, we are all TOTALLY HEALED. Therefore, i can say to you that God's grace is abundant.

It would be an impossible task if you were to ask me to write down all the things God has done for me. He has really blessed me in so many incredible ways; including scoring in my O levels and getting the poly course that i want. I assure you, when you trust in God, he will never fail you.

I have experienced the favor of God in my life and i can never thank him enough. My desire is to love him with an undivided heart and to live this life as an offering unto him.
"...Take your everyday, ordinary life
your sleeping, eating, going to work,
and walking around life - and place it before God as an offering. "
Romans 12:1 ( The message )
______________________________________________________________________________

Grace story is indeed amazing isn't it? Miracle after miracle taking place. First her sister, her brother and then her. Seeing God at work in her life and in her family's lives encourages and brings much warmth to my heart. Her life is indeed so precious. All our lives are in fact. They matter so much to God. How can we not offer up ourselves, our entire beings in complete submission to God after all he has done? No sacrifice can ever be too great compared to his death on the cross.

I attended Grace's Church 5th anniversay dinner last night. I was so glad that i came down. To fellowship and get to know some of the youths of Church of Christ the Rock. To eat a ten course dinner (now how often do you get to feast on ten course dinners except at weddings). To see Grace in action for the very first time on the drumset. She played with such confidence and coolness. It was so amazing to watch the gentle girl i know turn into this hip and cool drummer:) haha. The worship was loud. haha. I Finally got a real taste of how charasmatic churches worship. :) There was a time of celebration, thanksgiving and testimonies. It was so refreshing and inspiring to see and hear of God's faithfulness and power in this small but united church :) I also got to see my disciple dance, also for the very first time. Yes, events like these always bring about many pleasant surprises.:) as i took photos of her, i had the sentiments of a mother. I felt so proud of my ah girl:)God's heart must also be bursting of pride and joy. She has come a long way i believe and i pray that she would constantly remember to offer her life as a fragrant and pleasing offering and sacrifice unto him.



The picture above personifies the relationship that Grace and I have. I hope it will continue to blossom and grow. To be built upon the truths of God's word and his unchanging love for us as we seek to run on this discipleship journey together. Let our hearts be fixed on taking up our crosses daily, denying ourselves and following you wholeheartedly father. Let us walk in obedience to your will, for there is no place we would rather be than to be in the centre of your good, pleasing and perfect will for us. :) TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

"Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel" Deuteronomy 33:1

The man of God or should i say, a woman of God in my case. How much does this name means? What does it take to become a true woman of God?

1) She is a woman who comes from God, chosen and sent by him.
2) She walks with God, lives in his fellowship, and carries the mark of his presence.
3) She is a woman who lives for God and his will. Her whole being is ruled by the glory of God.
4)She involuntarily and unceasingly causes men/Women to think of God.
5)In her heart the life of God has taken its rightful place as the all in all.
6)Her one desire is that God should have that place of prominence in Men and Women's hearts throughout the world.

Such Men and women of God are what the world needs today. Nothing has changed since the time of Moses. God seeks these men and women that he may fill them with himself and send them into the world to help others to know him. Moses was such a man of God that men naturally spoke of him this way - Moses, the Man and Servant of God. He gave himself to delivering the Israelites out of the land of Egypt; but more than that, he laid down his cause, his weaknesses and fears and surrendered them to God, so that his cause could ultimately be found in God himself.

I learnt something new during bible study today. Lijuan quoted, " When you experience God, you experience power with people! " Itsn't that true? It is in the power of Jesus Name and the abundant life he gives and the spirit's power that we can accomplish great things for the needs of a perishing world who are in need of God's grace and mercy. Open my eyes father. Captivate me once again of your love for me and for the lost sheep out there.

Grow my heart to feel the way you feel. To love the way you love. To accept the way you accepted me for who i am. Please help me not to expect too much from people and too much from friendships because true friendship comes with no strings attached and more importantly, it builds on love, acceptance and truth; not on how much a friend can offer just as i offered. Not on how much a friend can love, just like i love. Not on the kind of attention he/she might devote to me, just like how i devoted time for him/her.

In order for friendships to grow and strengthen, it has to be tested; like faith. Only friendship that has withstood the scorching heat of both ups and downs can then prove to be worth of Gold.

Bring me through this father and produce in my heart a forgiving and gracious spirit; a spirit that loves unconditionally.

Lead me to a greater understanding and awareness of how i can become a true woman of God for you one day. A woman who is found to be pure and blameless in your sight. A woman whose chief aim in life is to please you and to glorify you. A woman who boasts not in herself but in who you are, what you did, what you are doing and what you are going to do in her life in the years to come!




I'm pressing on to the upward goal, new heights i'm gaining everyday :)

I'm sure all of us are familiar with the famous and catchy phase, " A picture's worth a thousand words. " I couldn't agree more. The picture you see above is none other than Chia Hui Jun and myself :)haha. Truth is, not only is the picture worth a thousand words, but it also encapsulates the precious friendship and sisterhood we share in Christ:)The smiles. The hugs. The laughter. Precious Moments. Prayers. Sharings. And not forgetting, the FOOD :)Even though she's skinny (pardon me Jun, but u really are:P), she can eat as much as me. Or perhaps even more. If she's real hungry that is. Oh dear. I seem to be talking about her rather than about us. Ok, enough said before she publicizes about me on her blog too. teeheez:)

Although Hui Jun and I knew each other sometime since June last year, it wasn't until she came to my church that we got so much closer. Praise the Lord! Again, i am reminded how God uses his house as a channel to bring his people together. More than together. To bond sisters in christ like us closer in union with him and with each other. To share burdens and struggles. To share one another's joy and sorrows. I always look forward to seeing her week after week in church and she has been such a tremendous blessing and encouragement to me. Her bright and cheerful smile always reminds me of the sun. It shines. It radiates and it brings forth the inner beauty and her heart that is made of gold :)

She brings out the best in me and i always feel so comfortable with her. I thank God for her prayers ( sometimes on days when i really need his extra portion of grace and strength ). I thank God for her emotional and spiritual support in school and church. I thank God for her blog entries which are filled with love for the people she cares about and which also speaks of God's love for her and for his people :)let our common love for each other bind us together in perfect unity; all for the glory of God.

I believe that this friendship that God has blessed me and Hui Jun with will continue to flourish and continue to grow as the weeks and months fly by. Thanks for being there when i needed someone talk to sis. Thanks for being God's tool in helping me realize that God desires to show me much more things apart from his word in quiet time. Thanks for being YOU! The lovely, sweet, warm, teachable, prayerful, encouraging and wonderful friend and sister that you are. You hold and always will hold a special place in my heart :) Cheers to our friendship and sisterhood in Christ :)So glad that we finally got our photo taken! heez.
*Oh btw, it was taken at Little India MRT station after lunch with the FMC youths :)

Its the second day of the new semester and i'm starting to get into the whim of things once again. Hustle And Bustle of getting to classes. Smelling the familiar smell of foodcourt 6. Familiar voices of classmates and schoolmates echoing in my ear. Going in and out of lecture halls and tutorial rooms. Reading and surfing the web in the library.

Sometimes its good to be back after a month's break from studying. To enjoy the experience of student life; to be around classmates and share in their laughter and jokes. Hmm. But more than that, i think a brand new term or a brand new semester marks a whole new beginning for me. I was combing through the pile of lecture notes and tutorials i received yesterday and boy, the stack was pretty high. I think it was good that the lecturers also woke us up to the harsh reality that if we didn't put in enough consistent work and revision during the semester, last minute work would really set off a chain of undesirable events. I thank God for once again reminding me to stay focus and to be serious about my work this Sem. I think i need alot of reminders now and then, especially when it comes to getting things done; not procrastinating responsibilities and perhaps getting my priorities realigned.

I thank God that i was able to commit the new Sem into his hands. Knowing that each Sem presents its own set of challenges, its struggles,its difficulties and yet, its fair share of joys and breakthroughs. The 1 month break proved to be refreshing and i feel recharged and excited. Partly because i know that God is going show me things and because i know i am going to experience his strength, his grace, his power, his joy, his peace and reassurance even in the mist of uncertainy and unrelenting pressures.

I want to be personally convicted of his promises and the verses i claimed for this Semester. Lord, please enable me to experience joy when i study. Grow my heart to excel academically for you. Grow my heart to love learning as much as serving you in ministry. Grow my heart to establish good relationships with my classmates this Sem so that once again, the bridge to link the gospel would be so much easier and natural :) Grant me courage and boldness to see 5-3-1 take place in my life. As i pray and fast for 5 classmates; to share christ with 3 i haven shared with before and to trust you for 1 to receive Christ. I pray that your light will pierce the darkness of sin, impurity, worldly desires and pleasures. Please use me father for your kingdom. The classroom is my mission field. Help me to own it before i own my campus.

On top of that, i thank God for mum and Aunty for painting the room i share with my sister light purple. The change is refreshing after seeing the same old walls year after year. On top of that, it also forced me to clear out my entire table (which took me almost one day to reorgranize by the way) and to throw out old stuff i was still keeping and of course, to reminiscence old times back in Pri and Sec school as i looked through old photos. Those were the days. Its amazing how time flies. And how much i've changed over the years. Not only physically, but in so many areas as well.The timing to reorganize my table couldn't have come at a proper time. What better way to kick off the new Sem with an organized table; Organized files and a lovely room?

Yes, besides getting a comfortable working environment, i decided to set Performance goals for this Sem as well. What i hope to achieve in terms of my academic grades. The experience and enjoyment of learning new concepts and being able to apply them. Praise God, the excitement and joy is growing already (in leaps and bounds in fact). Gonna get textbooks tml with Dad. Have faith that its only gonna get better as the weeks go by! YES!:). haha. Had a good and refreshing time as i chatted with my aunt over dinner at her house today. Personal time with her is greaat cos u get all the attention:P. She again reinforced certain things about ministry and studies which again convicted me. About being a good testimony by glorifying God through my grades. Just doing my best and being faithful in fulfilling my responsibility and trusting that God will do his share. After all, to quote her: " God would not send you into Singapore Poly and into the accountancy course if he wasn't going to equip you for the challenges ahead. " Her encouragement on top of others made me realize how blessed i truly am. People who care. People who make time. People who desire to see that i live out the best God has intended for me:)

Alright. Shall end here. Cheers to a wonderful Semester! :) My room pics below.

Although most of the time we don't know what the pattern of our lives is, God does. By Lori Erickson A friend recently told me about a popular pastime among some of the young women who attend her daughter’s college. Experienced knitters, they will go to a thrift store and look for a sweater that is past its prime and unravel the yarn to make something new. The practice is known as “frogging,” from the words “rip it, rip it.” In the process, something old and shopworn sees new life in unexpected forms. I thought of frogging when I recently reread Psalm 139, that beautiful paean to the intricate ways in which God has fashioned the human form. The Psalm contains one of my favorite Bible verses: “For you yourself created my inmost parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” It’s always nice to find a proof-text that nicely fits your life, and so I enjoy the fact that here, beyond any doubt, we have conclusive proof that God is a knitter. Now there’s a verse that makes knitters like me happy. We can surmise quite a bit about the workings of God from these simple lines. Metaphors like this help us glimpse the mysterious workings of the sacred—and while God is beyond gender, surely a knitting God is best expressed in feminine terms. God clearly has great patience, for knitting is a slow process. We know that God loves beauty and color and texture, and that she is a creator able to weave something lovely out of even the most ordinary of materials. We know that God lavishes time and care on making things for those she loves. We know that God can tenderly and gently repair the unraveled pieces of her creation, ever so carefully picking up dropped stitches to repair the damaged parts. And most important of all, we can deduce that a God Who Knits is a God who loves order and pattern. Knitters know that one of the pleasures of figuring out a complicated knitting pattern is the discovery of order in what looks like chaos. You pick up the instructions and at first they look incomprehensible. The symbols are complicated, and even after you begin knitting the pattern is often elusive. It can take many rows and many hours of work before you can finally see the beauty begin to emerge. Ah, that’s how it’s supposed to look, you think, and even then you must wait much longer for the full beauty of the pattern to appear. Contrast this to real life. Most of the time we don’t know what the pattern of our lives is. We muddle along from day to day, bouncing from one event to the next, our lives shaped by a seemingly random set of circumstances. You happen to meet a young man at a party in college, and he ends up becoming your husband. You make a wrong turn onto a street and end up with injuries that make you lose your job. At conception your child has a single chromosome go awry, and the rest of her life is changed. Much of the time, our lives seem like an endless series of random events. The God Who Knits has a different perspective. After all, she has been knitting people together for countless generations, and she knows that it takes time for the pattern to emerge. She knows, for example, that we are linked to all those we encounter each day, from the maintenance worker who picks up our garbage to the person who makes our espresso at the local coffee house. The God Who Knits knows that we are tied to those we love and to those who feel alienated from us, whether by our own actions or their misunderstanding of us. She knows that we are linked to those in local homeless shelters and to those who are spending their last days in hospice care. She knows the patterns that connect us and she sees the beauty that emerges only with time. And I suspect that she knows that sometimes frogging is the best way to fix a mistake. I think I’ve been frogged a time or two, times when it felt like my life was being pulled apart. Looking back, I can almost hear the chorus of “Rip it! Rip it!” Painful as that process is, sometimes I get glimpses of the new pattern that can appear. One came a few months ago when I read a Newsweek article about the work being done by the Rev. Patricia Bulkley and her psychologist son Kevin Bulkley. The two have spent years studying the extraordinary dreams often experienced by people who are close to death. As people come to the end of their lives, often peace and comfort come in profound and surprising ways in their dreams. In the article, the story was told of a man who was struggling mightily to find meaning at the end of his life. Shortly before he died, he had a simple dream that changed his entire perspective on his life. In the dream he found himself watching a room full of dancers moving to music. And as he watched, the people in the dance began to leave behind them strands of light, light that formed ribbons that wove a beautiful pattern as they moved about the floor. Later he told the dream to Rev. Bulkley, ending with these words: "There really is a plan after all, isn't there?” he asked. "Somehow we all belong to one another." I try to remember that image on the days when it seems like random chaos rules my life. We belong to one another, and we belong as well to the one who has knit us together in our mother’s wombs, the one who has the patience to see the pattern of our lives gradually emerge, the one who isn’t afraid to frog the yarn.

Give Us, O Lord, a Steadfast Heart


Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.


- Thomas Aquinas

Only One Thing Is needed. And that is to sit and wait at your feet. Change my heart father that i may change the ways in which you carry out your sovereign will.