Lam's Creation Reloaded

The one about personality conflicts ...

2011-10-07T13:11:00.002+08:00

One of the important lessons I learnt about leadership this period is about understanding personality ~ the different types, the inclinations, the dynamics. Expectations arising from difference in personality can jotter the Likert Scale from one end to another just simply due to the mismatch of personality types, and thus style of communication, and thus expectations.

A lesson better learnt now than never !

Students facing too much pressure (an extract of Natalie Wang article, ST, 16/7, pD10)

2011-07-18T14:52:00.004+08:00

An interesting read of the following article which evokes much thoughts about modern day education here in Singapore. For our reflection.

Commentary by Wang, a second-year student at ACJC, on the reports of three incidents of student suicides opined that their performances in school, which sometimes defined a student’s self-worth, could be the cause of their suicides.

She felt that in addition to scoring well, students had to be leaders, excel in their co-curricular activities and still be pro-active and help the community. Parents that conditioned their children from a young age to think that getting good grades was the most important thing in the world also caused them to feel angry or depressed when they did not do well.

Wang also noted that although many teachers had said that the foremost job of a student was to study, she felt that being human beings should come first as students could not stop the desire to socialise and have fun. Wang concluded that society needed to be more empathetic and not quickly dismiss teens showing symptoms of depression as ‘emotional’ and write them off as a joke.

While I'm here, let's have a random rambling before the year passes ...

2010-11-23T15:24:00.001+08:00

I have gotten myself COMPLETELY crazy about cycling nowadays ... bye bye photography, bye bye Masters, bye bye career, here's just me and my BROMPTON bike !!

Starting Life with the big Four ...

2009-10-28T15:14:00.002+08:00

"So, Mr Lam's Creation, tell us how life have changed since you joint the BIG FOUR ?"

"Well, umm, not that much really ..."

"Umm, You mean there's no difference at all ?" *strong tone of disbelief*

"OK there are some plus points and some not so plus points ..."
"You can now afford to scold people and people don't hate you ..."
"You get rounder in the middle regions and that is acceptable ..."
"You get promoted because you're more senior and know how to get around problems ..."
"The whiteness in the hair turns some ladies on ... well, mine does lah ... I mean my wife !!"
"And when you try to be funny and wave and smile at pretty girls, they actually wave and smile back to an Uncle ..." *Bleah*

"... and what are some of the not-so-plus points ?"

"I'm out of the genre called young adults *sob* ..."
"Children and some young adults starts calling me 'Uncle' ..."
"My childishness becomes unacceptable ..."
"Irresponsible behavour now becomes childishness ..." *Bleah*

"This interview is getting boring, sorry, but you've really wasted my time ..."

"I told you already and you din believe me !! ..."

A sane life ...

2009-05-26T12:39:00.002+08:00

Life as it is ...

... the hope for economic recovery after America's earth shaking Sub-Prime Crisis
... the awareness of gay activities in mainstream Singapore through the AWARE saga
... Wong can sing again because of the recapture of Mas Selamat
... the imminent worldwide pandemia looming over the H1N1 "Swine" Flu

What perilous times we're living in, what gloom awaits the future ...
Amidst this hopelessness, the issue at hand ...

... living a sane life ...

More pix ...

2007-07-13T02:10:00.001+08:00

Skit for Can Do

2007-07-12T21:09:00.001+08:00

Was involved in the skit together with this bunch of NP students ...

Gathering @ My Place ...

2007-04-30T14:59:00.000+08:00

It was a wonderful Friday having all my loved ones from ACTS and Shalom popping over at my place. However, the one important question lingers ... so what's next ? Staying put with WAC or back to home turf at ACTS ?

The question is obvious if answered from a perspective of a man, of course the new "fresh" fellowship at WAC is so much more inviting and attractive. Yet am I in a sufficient Spiritual state to be able to hear God's divine call ? Have I jumped the gun and moved where God did not call ? Is this considered a step of faith towards Spiritual revival ? What are my motives/reasons for wanting to leave my home base ? Where is God specifically leading me to ... and why ?

At this point, these are but intellectual discourses which I can only engage cognitively. Until these questions go beyond the head and towards the heart where true discernment may reveal truth, hopefully God's truth, can I then convincing come to a Godly decision.

In the meantime, may God have mercy on me ...

New Life Service

2007-04-20T17:14:00.001+08:00

Worship:

Come On and Celebrate (G)

As We Gather (D)
The Steadfast Love of The Lord(D-E)
Your Steadfast Love (F)
Amazing Love (?)

We Are Here To Praise You (D)
As the Deer (D)
When I Look Into Your Holiness (D)
[Standby: I Worship You Almighty God (F)]

Life in Westside Anglican Church ...

2007-03-13T16:57:00.000+08:00

The Pastor is cute ...
The wife even cuter ...
The people are friendly ...
The atmosphere is exciting ...
The teaching is solid ...
The food is good ... well, most of the time ...
Most important of all ...

The fellowship is sweet ... *Thank You Lord*

A touching posting ...

2007-02-09T10:11:00.000+08:00

whitefeather has left a new comment on your post "Time is flying by ...":

hey, some thoughts are made silently,althought it might not reach you, but its definitely sincere and real.hm.. geez.. i'm leaving a note here, cos i miss ya*!!

*Do note: the above statement is not a puff. some days in life are tough, but hey, we are so much TOUGHER! lets all work hard together, ya? you're right, time flew so so so fast. so much changes in our lives. and you know what? SIR MAX, you are actually part of the most memorable phase in my life. gosh. thanks. i dont know how to make this "thanks" a very fanciful one, but i reali would like to thank you for the every little thing that you have done for me and my gang. i know they feel the same way too.yea. thank you for all that you have sacrificed for us. and oh!GONG XI FA CAI! hee.. u should know what follows next.. HONG BAO!!!!!!
2:11 AM

Just got this fresh in my inbox ... what a pleasant way to start the day with. Nearly cause a tear to well in my eyes when I reached that part of her well wishes. I have believed that my sole purpose of existence is to touch lives. I really needed affirmations like these to keep my passion up and continue to press on ...

Thanks whitefeather ...

Worship at SAC for 11 Feb 2007

2007-02-07T18:16:00.000+08:00

Thank God for Kevin who came up with this list of songs which he'll be leading ...

1. LET THE FLAME BURN BRIGHTER
We'll walk the land, with hearts on fire
And every step, will be a prayer
Hope is rising, new day dawning
Sound of singing, fills the air

Two thousand years, and still the flame
Is burning bright, across the land
Hearts are waiting, longing aching
For awakening once again

Chorus:
Let the flame burn brighter
In the hearts of the darkness
Turning night to glorious day
Let the song grow louder
As our love grows stronger
Let it shine, let it shine

We'll walk for truth, speak out for love
In Jesus name, We shall be strong
To lift the fallen, to save the children
To fill the nation with Your song

Two thousand years, and still the flame
Is burning bright, across the land
Hearts are waiting, longing aching
For awakening once again…..chorus

2. AWESOME IN THIS PLACE
Here in this house of the Great King
We’ve come together now to worship Him
This house is built on Christ our Rock
Cannot be shaken, cannot be shaken

Chorus :
God is awesome in this place
We sense His presence
As we sing His praise

***There is power here for miracles
To set the captives free
And make the broken whole
God is awesome, He’s so awesome
God is awesome in this place.

Bridge :
I’ve found where I belong
I’m a living stone
In this house I will grow
( repeat 4 times …. then to ***)

3. COME, NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP
Come, now is the time to worship
Come, now is the time to give your heart
Come, just as you are to worship
Come, just as you are before your God
Come

One day every tongue will confess You are God
One day every knee will bow
Still the greatest treasure remain for those
Who gladly choose You now

4. LET US EXALT HIS NAME
At all times I will bless Him
His praise will be in my mouth
My soul makes its boast in the Lord
The humble man will hear of Him
The afflicted will be glad
And join with me to magnify the Lord

Chorus :
Let us exalt His name, together, forever
I sought the Lord and He heard me
And He delivered me from my fear
Let us exalt His name, together, forever
O sing His praise, magnify the Lord

The angel of the Lord encamps
Around those who fear His name
To save them and deliver them from harm
Though lion roar with hunger
We lack no good thing
No wonder then we praise Him with our song……chorus

Come children now and hear me
If you would see life long
Just keep your lip from wickedness and lies
Do good and turn from evil
Seek peace instead of strife
Love righteousness and God will hear your cry…….chorus

5. MY SAVIOUR’S LOVE
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner condemned, unclean

Chorus :
How marvellous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be
How marvellous! How wonderful!
Is my Saviour’s love for me

He took my sins and my sorrows
He made them His very own
He bore the burden of Calvary
And suffered and died alone….chorus

6. YOUR STEADFAST LOVE
Your steadfast love, extends to the heavens
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds
Your righteousness is like majestic mountains
And Your wisdom like the depths of the sea
And You come to me

Filling my heart, is Your loving kindness
I find my peace in the shadow of Your wings
I eat my fill from abundance in Your household
And I drink from the stream of rejoicing
You are my King

Bridge :
You are my King, Jesus……..
( repeat … many times )
Chorus :
Amazing love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love, I know its true
It’s my joy to honour You
In all I do, I honour You

Offertory :

7. FATHER IN HEAVEN HOW WE LOVE YOU
Father in heaven, how we love You
We lift Your name in all the earth
May your Kingdom
Be established in our praises
As your people declare Your mighty works

Chorus :
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is and is to come
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
Who reigns forever more

Time is flying by ...

2007-01-29T09:35:00.000+08:00

Oh gosh ! Did Jan 2007 just go past me like that ?
It's Feb already ?
Life is tough working and studying ... thank God for weekends !
Thank You Lord for giving me sanity in the warmth of Your embrace each Sunday as we gather to worship in Your church.

Worship @ Cathedral 14 Jan 2007 7:00pm

2007-01-14T15:01:00.000+08:00

Thank God for the medley series on keeping an appropriate focus upon the cross. The congregation was able to be drawn into a time of praise and worship which I believed sincerely reached God at His throne.

May the Lord also bless the time of praise and worship at Cathedral as we reuse some of the following songs.

1. BE THOU MY VISION

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought
By day or by night
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

2. FILL MY EYES

Fill my eyes, O my God
With a vision of the cross
Fill my heart with love for Jesus the Nazarene
Fill my mouth with Thy praise
Let me sing through endless days
Take my will let my life be wholly Thine

3. TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Give your heart unto Jesus
And worship His glorious name
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

4. IN CHRIST ALONE

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me

My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

Holy Communion:

5. IT'S YOUR BLOOD

It's Your blood that cleanses me
It's Your blood that gives me life
It's Your blood that took my place
In redeeming sacrifice
Washes me whiter than the snow, than the snow
My Jesus God's precious sacrifice

6. WITHIN THE VEIL

Within the veil
I now would come
Into Thy holy place
To look upon Thy face
I see such beauty there
None other can compare
I worship Thee my Lord
Within the veil

A Place To "Chooree" Some Sermons

2006-12-21T13:39:00.000+08:00

Message outlines @
http://www.apcwo.org/OnlineResources/FGP_Pdf.htm

A Recent Encounter

2006-11-28T10:35:00.000+08:00

A recent conversation ...

Me: "Hi ~"

Ex-Student: "Hiya ~ why you call me for ..."

Me: *roll-eyes* {thinking in my heart: call must have reasons one meh ?}

Ex-Student: "Quick ! Tell me why you call me ..."

And our conversation was being disrupted by another incoming call ...

Must we *always* have a motive for doing things ? Can I not as a parent miss my children and call to find out how they're doing ? Can I not treat my students as though their my own children and miss them too ? *sigh*

Anyway, it seems to me like I'm the few left that is still made of flesh and bones and still have capacity for feelings ... people around me seems to be made of steel ...

Lord, may you reinstall back the original operating system into the hearts of your creation, do not allow the adwares and memory resident programmes to choke up the lives of people. Lord may phileo be that bond of love found in friendships. Amen.

Worship @ Cathedral Aftermath

2006-11-26T23:23:00.000+08:00

Praise be to God.

The service turn out to be pretty OK though I did have my fair share of fumbles ... but I think no one noiced ... *bite lips*

Anyway, it's about a focus upon God Almighty, and in my case, a focus upon our Awesome God.

Pastor Tim delivered a very powerful sermon, but the harvest is few ... if only there were more unsaved who had the opportunity to hear God's anointed words through Pastor Tim ...

Lord, may You be the one that cause the increase. Bring in the lost and hurting and may they have a first encounter with You through Your Blessed Word. Amen.

The Old Testament

2006-11-24T12:02:00.000+08:00

The Old Testament is God's earlier covenant with men, an account of His dealings with men from Creation until about 400 years before Christ.

Romans 15:4 (NIV) "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

The first 5 books olf the Old Testament were written by Moses. These are called the 5 Books of Moses or the Pentateuch ("5 writings"):
Genesis - The book of beginnings (creation, man, sin, redemption, God's nation)
Exodus - God delivers His people from Egypt and gives them the Law
Leviticus - Priestly laws on holiness and worship - through sacrifice and purification
Numbers - God's people continually disobey and wander in the wilderness for 40 years
Deuteronomy - Moses' great discourses to prepare the people to enter the Promised Land

The next 12 books in the Old Testament are historical. They were written about 100 - 600 BC and described God's dealings with His chosen people Israel, the Hebrew nation.
Joshua, Judges, Ruth
1 Samuel, 2 Samuel
1 Kings, 2 Kings
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

The following 5 books are poetical, describing in poetry and song God's greatness and His dealings with men.
Job - The suffering and loyal trust of a man who loved God
Psalms - Songs of praise and instruction
Proverbs - God's practical wisdom for successful living
Ecclesiastes - The emptiness of earthly life without God
Song of Solomon - A portrait of God's love for His people

The 5 books of major prophets follow. A prophet is one who is commissioned by God to deliver His message to men. These books are called "major prophets" because they are generally longer than the writings of the "minor prophets". These 5 books were written from 750 - 550 BC
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel

The last 12 books of the Old Testament are called minor prophets. These books were written from about 800 - 400 BC
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

There are in total 39 books in the Old Testament. These with the 27 in the New Testament makes a total of 66 books in our Christian Bible.

~ extracted from What is the Bible

Worship @ Cathedral

2006-11-20T17:27:00.000+08:00

I don't know how I should rightly respond, except with great feelings of esteemed favour and privilege to be able to serve God through the church in such a capacity. As the Lord will call me, I pray for nothing short of His guidance in the preparation of the worship.

The theme that I feel an impression laid in my heart is: Awesome God

And these are the songs I will be choosing, may God continue to give me affirmation:

1. Our God Is An Awesome God (Em)
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, pow'r and might
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God

2. You Are Awesome In This Place (D/E)
Chorus
You are awesome in this place, Mighty God
You are awesome in this place, Abba Father
You are worthy of all praise
To You our lives we raise
You are awesome in this place, Mighty God

3. I Sing Praises To Your Name (F/G)
I sing praises to Your name O Lord
Praises to Your name O Lord
For Your name is great
And greatly to be praised (2x)

I give glory to Your name O Lord
Glory to Your name O Lord
For Your name is great
And greatly to be praised (2x)

4. Be It Unto Me(F)
Be it unto me, according to Your Word
According to Your promises
I can stand secure
Carve upon my heart
The truth that sets me free
According to Your Word O Lord
Be it unto me

You promised Your Blood will deliver
Lord we believe its true
You promised us joy like a river
Lord we receive it from You
These things You have spoken
And You’re bringing to pass
This world’s disappearing
But Your Word will last

You promised to carry our sorrows
Lord we believe its true
You promised unending tomorrows
Lord we receive them from You
You’ll be our Provider
In Your Word its revealed
And by the stripes that You bore
Lord, we have been healed

About the 7% ...

2006-11-15T09:59:00.000+08:00

My first reactions upon hearing it on the news was of course one of umbrage and indignation. Upon further learning that the claim of this increase was to help those in the lower income group which I borderly belong to, my eyes rolled in utter bewilderment. How can introducing inflation ever be for the interest of helping the poor ? Talk about lame excuses, this TOPS the list.

I laid my anger and dispair aside and turned to God.

I prayed nothing short of God's complete wrath and judgement upon the ones responsible for such policies.

Anyway, Noah, Abraham, and Jonah grew up as God's righteous agent amongst an equally oppressive, depraved and sick generation. I too pray for nothing short of God's providence and sustenance in this increasingly difficult period.

May God have mercy on us all.

The one about "Intimacy" ...

2006-11-08T16:34:00.000+08:00

We are called to walk in intimacy with God, the more we draw nigh to Him, He draws nigh to us.

Similarly there are instances of intimacy between husband and wife. In the context of intimacy, should our intimacy be an outward spectacle or should it be a private, personal engagement ? On this note then can we draw similitude about our intimacy with God ?

Should worship be an outward expression of our deep love for God, or should worship be a private, intimate encounter with God ? And should we thus engage in public worship the same manner we do privately ?

Conversely, if we do not have an intimate personal worship of Christ, is there any value engage in a dramatised outward worship expression ?

5 Steps to Genuine Prayer

2006-11-07T14:01:00.000+08:00

1. Feel God's presence. You are talking to a loving, all-powerful Being who wants to give you everything that's good. All over the world God is answering prayers because He loves His children.
2. Expect results. God has a track record. If you don't really believe God can and will help you, you're not really praying.
3. Pay attention to what God is teaching you. Everything that happens is for your good. If you are in need, realize God is teaching you something. If you trust Him, you will hear what He is telling you.
4. Get in touch with what you're really after. Know your bottom line. You're talking to the awesome Creator, so don't ask for nonsense. He wants you to grow up.
5. Being serious about what you're praying for means that you're doing everything you can to make it happen. God will lend a hand only when you put in the effort. He'll never take away your independence because that's his ultimate gift to you.

Journey to the West ...

2006-11-07T00:38:00.000+08:00

Just emailed to Pastor Shoo today to tell him how much I missed him, and of course my beloved ACTS family too.

I am beginning to wrestle less within my heart as I sort of have a inkling of where I will eventually be by this December; that which I set out for my family to make an eventual decision of where we will be worshipping.

God is good and His mercy is everlasting. I testify to His goodness for lifting me from the miry clay and setting my feet upon the Rock. He indeed is the Lover of my soul and I really wish I'd never let Him go ...

However, there are still many issues in my life which I need to slowly deal with and present before God so that I can be and become that channel of blessing which I know I'm fashioned to be.

Many times we watch on TV how award winners always give tribute to individuals who have been vital to their winning the award. They claim to "dedicate" the award to so and so ... well, I'm dedicating my life to Christ ... my success, my victories, my sorrows, my pain, my anger, my sins, ... I'm dedicating them all to Him.

With that, I have come to terms and become at peace with myself. I think I no longer need to "live up" to it, just living in Jesus is all I need.

Hmm, I just spotted a little boy peeping ... signing off ...

Small small world ...

2006-11-01T03:25:00.000+08:00

Just found Joo Khim in the blogsphere @ http://clappingtrees.com/ ... and she'd completed the course which I am taking ?!!

A New Chapter ...

2006-11-01T03:02:00.000+08:00

Praises to God ... I'm in !

NTU here I come !! No, no, not what you think ... I mean, to NTU as a student again *hiaks* such a ticklish feeling to think that I'll be a student again ...

Here's the Online Registration List for Jan 2007 Semester:

Online registration (http://nieportal.nie.edu.sg/main.htm) started on 23 Oct 2006 and will end on 13 Nov 2006.

MID809: Designing, Conducting & Reporting Investigations
Dr Ashley Tan (email: ashley.tan@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3265)
Every Mon. Start date: 8 Jan

MID839: Designing School Learning Environments
Dr Quek Choon Lang (email: choonlang.quek@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3270)
Every Tues. Start date: 9 Jan

MID822: e-Learning Tools for Training
Dr Michael J Jacobson (email: michael.jacobson@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3275)
Every Wed. Start date: 10 Jan

MID834: Technologies as Cognitive Tools
Dr Victor Chen (email: victor.chen@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3280)
Every Thurs. Start date: 11 Jan

MID841: Evaluation Models and Methods
Dr Teo Kheng Guan Timothy (email: timothy.teo@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3238)
Every Thurs. Start date: 11 Jan

MID801: Instructional Design Models & Practices
Dr Michael Williams (email: michael.williams@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3276)
Every Fri. Start date: 12 Jan

MMM800: Critical Inquiry
Dr Cheung Wing Sum (email: wingsum.cheung@nie.edu.sg; 6790-3266)
Every Fri. Start date: 12 Jan

If time permits, must also do some reading on the following:

1. Evaluation Methods & Action Research
2. Designing, Conducting & Researching Investigations
3. Implications of Social Psychological Theories & Research for Educators
4. Instructional Design Models & Practices
5. Multimedia Development
6. Technologies as Cognitive Tools
7. Training Strategies & Methods

Are you saved ?

2006-10-10T11:34:00.000+08:00

Have been going through Pastor Benny Ho's message on Romans and these are the two key message which managed to linger longest in my head ...

Are you saved ? Yes, I am saved in the spirit, the moment I repented of my sins and accepted Jesus into my heart. I am being saved in the soul as I struggle with sin and the lust of the flesh, to die to myself daily and overcome my struggles so that I can be eventually pure as He is. I will be saved in the body when Jesus comes again in glory to redeem me as part of His Church, as the bride.

That which counts. The principles of the Bible remain only as principles until we practise it in our lifes. This then becomes truth, principles in practice. Over time, the constant adherence in Bible based truth becomes conviction. And it is Conviction which moulds a person's character. Our character seals our destiny.

Exodus

2006-08-16T14:11:00.000+08:00

Not the book of Exodus, but mine, as I venture to another church having stayed in my present church since baptism for the last 17 years.

I step not exactly into unknown territory as I've got involved with some of the members of this church before, moreover, two of the lay leaders are actually my neighbours.

Such mixed feelings that I am having simply because I have not come to terms on why I am leaving my church.

I love my Pastor, I love the divine unction my Pastor is being blessed with, I love my church members having grown up/old with most of them, I have a close clique which I may call my own ...

"Feed my lambs"

2006-07-17T13:49:00.000+08:00

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
NKJV John 21:15-19

Through pastor's Sunday message, I had a little take away ... pastor mentioned in his last point about how we ought to ensure that our own soul is being well fed (in terms of Spiritual feeding), then the passage from John 21:15 sprung into my heart.

Gave me a new insight to Jesus' admonition to Peter about feeding His lambs ... though we may not have lambs or sheep under our care, being His lamb, we have a duty to keep our souls well fed with the Word of God ...

Come let's support the Global Day of Prayer

2006-06-02T13:35:00.000+08:00

If you are available this Sunday, come support ...

Mission Trip Day 2: First Visit To Peniel Bible College

2006-05-04T20:33:00.000+08:00

The day started early. I was supposed to wake up at 5:45 to prepare devotion for sharing with the seminary students. However, when I finally awoke, it was already 6:15 much to Pastor's astonishment, which I clearly detected through his follow up call. Up I got and caught myself a hot shower to wash away the sleepiness. Before I could get started with the text fom Mark 4:35-6:6, it was already time for breakfast.

Breakfast was a generous spread with Western, Japanese, local (Burmese), Chinese and Indian choices. As usual, I had my cereal with milk, toast and omelette. Nature's call beckoned me back to my hotel room before I could binge more on the rich breakfast spread.

I barely had the chance to read through my devotion material when I was informed of Pastor Abraham's arrival to fetch us all to the seminary where the session was meant to be held. Along the way, we detoured off to Pastor Abraham's residence to pick his daughter, Lydia up. Lydia worked in the hotel industry in the Finance department and was very supportive of Pastor Abraham's ministry financially.

Amidst the hums and bumps of the van-liked taxi, I thanked God that I finally managed to finish reading the materials I intended to share. The rest of the journey to the seminary was pretty interesting as I shared Pastor Benny Ho's messages with Pastor Abraham through my cheapo 128MB MP3 player with one earphone in his ear and the other in mine.

The seminary was a little more than an attap hut packed side-by-side with seminary student young and old. Immediately after their lively praise and worship, I was ushered up to the rostum to do the sharing. To my horror the interpreter himself had problems understanding me ?! Anyway, I did not do the "paired-share" technique which I originally intended because of the language and interpretation challenge, but instead, gave them the series of questions drawn from Intervarsity Press.

Pastor's series of springboards also did not arrive at the intended impact that it was being meant, my suspicion of the interpreter's accuracy nudged in, but since God was in control, my prayer then was for the participants to be completely blessed anyway.

The day went by painfully slow with various moments that I was on the verge of dosing off, but God sustained me (*Thank You, Lord*).

After the long day, we headed back to pastor Abraham's abode where I downloaded all the series of Pastor Benny Ho's MP3 sermons into his computer.

While chit-chatting with U Maung Maung Oo and his filial son Chor Min Thu, I managed to learn yet some more Burmese langugage

"Per Lao Leh ?" [How much is this ?]
"Szay Jeeh They !" [That's too expensive !]
"Mui You Voo !!" [I don't want it anymore !!]

It was either my poor pronounciation or my comic manner of enacting the language through a dramatised imaginary scenario, but it sure brought them into bouts of loud laughter.

After yet another sumptuous dinner, we headed back to the hotel where we took turns to have our hot shower (having shared my room with Hong Jing). Pastor gave a brief debriefing session and we turned in early in preparation to shift out of this nice hotel, and also to face another long day.

Happy Birthday Julie ...

2006-04-05T02:17:00.000+08:00

TO MY DEAREST MEI MEI ...
Blessed Birthday greetings and wishes ...

Just as you are, you've touched our lives deeply with your love
U are special because you're fearfully and wonderfully made
Loving you did not come naturally, but over time, you've made it worthwhile
I cannot over elaborate how precious you are to all of us
Eat your heart out, knowing that your greatest craze is till food

FROM YOUR LOVING DA GEH AND THE ENTIRE FAMILY

Mission Trip Day 1: Mengalaba Myanmar

2006-03-31T22:46:00.000+08:00

The faithful day came where I was brewing mixed feelings of anticipation and apprehension. It was like one of those war movies, where the hero struggled greater to overcome the difficulty of saying "goodbye" to loved ones more than the fear of imminent death at war ... such was the anguish which I wrestled with within my heart.

At the airport, I kissed my loved ones liked it would be my last before entering the embarkation gates. With the rush of a last call, we hurried through the checks and quickly boarded the plane.

Seriously, I thought that the budget flight experience was altogether quite pleasant with the drinks, meals, newspaper and all ... I enjoyed the 3.5 hours journey with the occasional chat with pastor sitting next to me.

I brought along my cheapo 128MB MP3 player filled to the brim with Pastor Benny Ho's messages, which served to be highly theraputic and was an excellent relaxant as I caught some forty winks with his message on Romans 1 to 8.

Myanmar was 1.5 hours behind Singapore's time zone, and I arrived at about 4:00pm at Yangon (5:30pm Singapore time). There was a little hiccup at the customs first with pastor's video cam and next my bag load of new sunglasses. Praise and glory to God, I was let off with a stern warning while pastor was retained for further questioning for almost an hour while we all waited (I was praying hard in my heart). Thank God, we eventualy left the airport at about 6:00pm and was pleasantly ushered to a nice and posh hotel, the Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel.

Having prayed with Hong Jin to cleanse the room, I too had some physical cleansing with a good hot shower.

Reeling in freshness from the hot shower, I spent the rest of the early evening penning down the day's actions and my thoughts. I was also struggling to tackle the day's devotion, in preparation of sharing my devotion.

I actually wanted to learn about the Myanmar language very badly, and God was most gracious, having arranged me to sit beside the brother who drove us around. U Maung Maung Oo gave me the necessary basics of the language through the rest of dinner.

Dinner was pretty good but I wasn't paying as much attention to the food as I was to the new found joy and fascination of a language discovery. The Burmese language rocks big time man !!!

Back in the hotel, pastor gave a debrief and lead us in a short devotion in the night, which gave me encouragement to handle the next day's devotion sharing. Prior to the trip, I didn't know that I was to share before a group of 120 seminary students ??? *Gulp* After fnding out, boy was I completely perturbed, not kids we're talking here but 120 seminary students we're talking about ... and not IT but about God's Words ... mind blowing by my usual standards ... May God have mercy on me ...

But I was going to sleep and let God handle the next day, I have had an eventful day and was deeply thankful already. I could only say, mission trip ROCKS !!!

My Mission Trip to Myanmar

2006-03-28T00:58:00.000+08:00

When pastor first gave the invitation for a mission trip yo Myanmar, the Spirit within me gave a leap. I started toying with the idea of going for the trip without really thinking much about it.

During one of the young adult sessions, I shared about this "absurb" idea of me going on the mission trip expecting sneers and sniggers, but instead, Joshua encouraged me and told me his plans to also go for the trip.

However, right smack in Feburary was a bad period because of our newly adjusted academic calender. I told pastor nohting short of a mircale would be needed in order for me to actualise this trip ... and the mircale happened ?!!

My boss actually released me but unfortunately the trip was being postponed till 13th Mar. I asked for a second miracle to be released for this new period and God was at work to again grant me the necessary release. With that, I became pretty assured that God had something intended for me. I obeyed.

The preparation for the trip was not good, as I explained to some of my cell members, "it's like getting a fatso to run a marathan without training". Even days before the trip, I couldn't get my act together to read His Word and pray daily.

But God is good, my extended family from Catherine's side gave me a mini pre-mission trip service complete with worship, exhortation and prayer, while my own siblings laid hands on me and commissioned me.

Sunday's message from Gen 12:2-3 once again reminded me of my calling to ACTS and served as an excellent encouragement for me in preparation for the trip. Up to this point, I hadn't the faintest idea what I would be doing on this trip, but I told myself that if God wanted me there, I would be certain that He had a reason, a good and perfect one if I may say ...

My virgin trip into Missions ...

2006-02-21T17:53:00.000+08:00

Not really sure what to expect ... cannot even claim to be ready ... but I am convinced that the Lord has plans for me to go on this trip. In faith, I have indicated to Pastor that I will be going ... Lord have mercy on me ...

Involving Jesus Today

2006-02-01T21:20:00.000+08:00

The Lord did not ask me to fulfil my life's mission. He merely ask me to involve Him and follow Him daily.

The other blog deterent

2005-11-23T18:30:00.000+08:00

Meet the other culprit that severely hampers my enthusiasm in a intellectually reflective spiritual discourse ...

... the "tough guy"

... the attention robber ....

... but again sometimes he's not so tough

Natural Blog Deterents ... Children, Especially Those Self Produced Ones ...

2005-10-24T15:00:00.000+08:00

One of the reasons why I cannot continue regular blogging ...

Between him and blogging ?

I choose catching some sleep wherever possible.

Children are still God's special blessing to parents, ... no matter how destructive they are to your sleep ...

Knowing God's Redemptive Will For Us

2005-06-29T03:00:00.000+08:00

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth -- in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."
NKJV Ephesians 1:3-14

"We have a love-hate relationship with God's will. We dearly want to discover it and obey it, to be secure in knowing we are following the path HE desires. On the other hand, we definitely don't want to find out what HE wants, because deep down we suspect it may not be to our liking."
InterVarsity Press, Quiet Time Bible Study

God's Strength

2005-06-28T03:00:00.000+08:00

"In a chapter entitled "The False Hope of Modern Christianity," Larry Crabb writes, "Modern Christianity, in dramatic reversal of its biblical form, promises to relieve the pain of living in a fallen world. The message, whether it's from fundamentalists requiring us to live by a favored set of rules or from charismatics urging a deeper surrender of the Spirit's power, is too often the same: The promise of bliss is for NOW! Complete satisfaction can be ours this side of Heaven" (Inside Out [Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1988], p. 15). The life of David exposes the inadequacy of that view. In this chapter David and his men experience a devastating crisis. Yet in the midst of the crisis, they also find strength and help in the Lord."
InterVarsity Press, Quiet Time Bible Study

Searching ...

2005-06-10T03:00:00.000+08:00

"Search the scriptures;"
KJV John 5:39

"The Greek word here rendered search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in earnest after game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching—much of it can only be learned by careful study ... No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur—who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them ... Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendour of revelation ... Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: "They are they which testify of Me." No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour."
C. H. Spurgeon

Jephthah's Story

2005-06-08T03:00:00.000+08:00

"If our families were perfect, none of us would ever feel worthless or unloved, our relationships with each other would bring joy and satisfaction, and we would experience intimacy with God. Unfortunately, we are all products of a fallen world. Pains from our past continue to bring a destructive element into our present relationships. The intimacy and acceptance we crave slip away from us. Does God love us even when our own dysfunctions cause us to run from him? In the story of Jephthah, God uses this man with a broken and hurting past to illustrate what he will do to heal a broken, pain-driven world."
InterVarsity Press, Quiet Time Bible Study

Let's prepare our hearts for God's healing through the reading of

Judges 11:1 - 12:7

Being Vile

2005-06-07T03:00:00.000+08:00

"Behold, I am vile;"
KJV Job 40:4

"One cheering word, poor lost sinner, for thee! You think you must not come to God because YOU are vile. Now, there is not a saint living on earth but has been made to feel that he is vile. If Job, and Isaiah, and Paul were all obliged to say "I am vile," oh, poor sinner, wilt thou be ashamed to join in the same confession? If divine grace does not eradicate all sin from the believer, how dost thou hope to do it thyself? and if God loves His people while they are yet vile, dost thou think thy vileness will prevent His loving thee? Believe on Jesus, thou outcast of the world's society! Jesus calls thee, and such as thou art."
C. H. Spurgeon

I have had the privilege of being taught about two disciple's response to betraying Christ. While Judas felt the full impact of betraying Jesus, and seeing the vileness of his sin, committed suicide. Peter, who was no less sinful in his belligerently denial of being a disciple, wept bitterly knowing that his vileness can only be forgiven by Christ. Eventually, he became the rock by which Christ built the early church upon.

What then should our response be in relation with the vile sin that we constantly wrestle with ? Can murder, adultery, fornication or pornography negate the complete redemptive work of Christ ?

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."
NIV Romans 8:1-4

Distinctly Different

2005-06-06T03:00:00.000+08:00

"O my God, and let me see Thy hand so distinctly in it that I may most clearly perceive the difference which Thy grace has made between me and the ungodly!"
C. H. Spurgeon

To see God's hand distinctly in our lives, thoughts, speech, motives, etc so that it can become obvious that there are differences between the "saved by Grace" and the unsaved.

How have my life, thoughts, speech, motives, etc been different from those of the carnal man ? Juxtaposing intentionally, does a difference lie therein ?

Where can the difference be seen, noticed or felt ?

What else must I do in order to let God's hand be distinctly seen in me ?

Thinking and Being

2005-06-02T03:00:00.000+08:00

"I think, therefore I am" (Latin: "cogito ergo sum") (French: "je pense, donc je suis")
René Descartes

Conversely,

"I don't think therefore, I am not"

Have we attuned ourselves to being too much of a sensate through over-emphasis in kinesthetics and in visuals that we have forgotten to use our mental faculties for cognitive engagement ?

Why have we become so adversed to thinking ?

An interesting proposition of such a phenomenon by Senior Pastor Covenant EFC,

"... as such. postmodernism is a sad commentary of man's desperate search for meaning; a vain championing of an ideological abstraction which promotes an ideological arbitrariness - a reasoning without reason in the face of human arrogance and absurdity, which ultimately ushers one towards fideism at best and nihilism at worst."

Wherein my take is that the search for meaning has been overtaken by the complacency of nihilism, and for the diminishing breed of enthuse like me, fall flat into fideism, not having the benefits of rigourous cognition to be able to marry reason with faith.

Anonymity

2005-05-31T03:00:00.000+08:00

I am not really an anonymous entity but for the sake of safe guarding my organisation, and just in case I do blog something frivolously, I do not wish to implicate my organisation. I herewith lay claim that whatever I do write are my own opinions and should not be subjected to too much in-depth interpretation, more importantly, I do not represent my organisation in any way in the things I say.

Afterall, a blog is about one's reflection on life's issues isn't it ?

I was previously blogging as a more truthful form of myself and that seems to have adverse implications. Now that I have intentionally shrouded myself in a greater cloud of anonymity, I guess I can be more ~~irresponsible~~ truthful in what I really wish to say ...

Anyway, this is the new me, the old has gone, the new has come ...

This blog is dedicated to those with ideologies of diverse kinds; there is simply too much atrophy in the area of reflective and critical thinking nowadays. With my proactive advocation, I hope to reverse that, albeit in my own humble and maybe, even feeble way.

I do not deny my faith and shall not apologise for insisting in providing a Christian tinge in my perspective of things.

I may not be able to change the world today, but I believe if I can stand the test of time to influence sufficient quantities of young groups of enthusiasts, I will eventually be able to nurture change agents that can turn this world right-side up again.