Cluster Activity Sharing

This time "I'm writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts." from Hebrews 10 of the Message Bible.

This is Daddy God saying that He has a plan for everyone and He will place a vision of that plan in our hearts. It is not something written in paper or stone but it is something very personal. He carves it right into our very being.

I like the word, "carve". It is much more stronger than just writing or printing. Even if Daddy were just to write out His plans it will still not change but He carves it into the lining of our hearts. Carving means shaping. Not only will He give us the vision of His plan for us, He will be the one to shape it; He is the one who will make the vision come to pass. We do not have to worry about our lack of ability or inadequacy because even with all that He still chose to write the vision into us. He will supply the ability and He will pave the way for that plan to come to pass.

For the Year 1s, start having a vision of the results that you will have for your A's. What results do you see on the inside? The results may not be as fantastic as all As but do not feel down or condemned. He has already been to your future and He knows the course that you will take and He will pave that way for you. Now having that vision of the result start birthing a plan. Those results will not come over-night. As you continue to pray to Daddy about it, plan together with Him. Set a vision for the next relevant exam. Let us say for common test you see a result which is better than your previous exams or tests but it is a step towards that vision of your A-Level Results, run with that vision. Start with having "small" faith goals. As you continue to see Jesus' finished work on the cross which has purchased your good results you will begin to see a change in your results as you progress towards the A's.

For the Year 2s, have that vision of your A's as well but start daring to see beyond that; what career do you see yourself having after A's. Draw or write down that vision and see it everyday. Envision it, imagine it.

This applies to everyone even to the graduates and NS men as well; have that lifestyle of prayer. Talk to God. If Jesus who was without imperfection such an advocate of prayer how much more us who need prayer? Jesus did not need to pray about anything for himself. He did not have to come to God and pray for his pimples to be healed. Yet Jesus still prayed.

In John 5:19 it says, Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner."

Jesus prayed because as fully-God as he is even being fully-man he humbled himself to be subject to prayer. He relied on Daddy and not on himself. Everything he could do was because of Daddy God.

And so even for us, Children of the Most High, as we abide in Jesus, everything is through him. As he is so are we in this world. What we are now is because of him and what we will be will also be because of him. Daddy gives us the vision, He will complete it through us.

As we trust God for the manifestation of our vision continue to abide with Jesus. Pray. Prayer is simply talking to Daddy. Be vulnerable to Him. Talk to Him as if He was right there because HE IS!

hello people! (:

-ahems- since both charles and jo shared their favorite song (or sort of), i..being me..heh would like to share with you all one of my favorite songs too! btw, i think that both songs which charles and jo posted up were great! haha hokay hokay..so let me introduce ya all to one of my favorite songs of ALL times! -drums roll......- its EVERYTHING by LIFEHOUSE!! haha okay whateverzzz. yeah lifehouse is really an awesome awesome band and i really really like them! but this song touched me the MOST. ha ha. if you guys want the song, you can ask me and ill send it to you! i LOVEEEEE this song. ignore the talking at the first part though..i think this is one of the best songs that expresses how i feel towards abba(:



Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

i love every word of the lyrics. haha okay hope you guys like it! have a blessed week ahead! (:

The BELOVED'S THEME SONG

Hey beloveds,

after Charles posted up his all time favourite song, i felt REALLY EXCITED to share with you guys too!! (Charles, thanks for the video of that song i REALLY REALLY LOVE IT!!=D).

Here's my ALL TIME FAVOURITE from my ALL TIME FAVOURITE CHRISTIAN BAND-Big Daddy Weave!! I call it the BELOVED's THEME SONG. it is not very hillsong or planetshakers or newcreation-like. But DO pay close attention to the lyrics (i've posted them below), because personally i think that a song that truely worships The Lord is not the chords, the tune the dynamics or the melodies. It is the LYRICS that speaks of God's love for you!!=] And the lyrics of this song TRUELY defines the kind of life i want to live IN Him and For Him after knowing His great love for me. yups so enjoy listening cuz there's nothing on the video actually!!=]



I am sure all of heaven's heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I'm finding everything I need
And everything that You are
To me

Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That's less than all I have to give

But by Your grace
I want to love You not with what I say
But everyday
In a way that my life is lived

Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I'm finding
I am free

You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

blogupdates

Heyall. Hope you gained much from the weekend at fort canning and at church!
im looking forward to arrow in the weekend alr!
heres some blog housekeeping.

Its nearing the end of April, our "why i go to church month"!
thanks to JG, clarice, sheryl& jo for sharing!
Incase u have not heard, in April, the topic that you can post about is to just tell us all why you go to church! Not only will all of us know you better, it could also inspire those who dont see the point of attending service, joining cgs, etc.
hurry, u have 3 more days to post it! then.. WE'RE GONNA START A NEW TOPIC! (nope, i know what ur thinking, dont wait till nxt month!!)

How to post:
first u have to give me ur email add u use for blogger, if not, just gimme any one. its fine!
then, i'll send u the invite, you accept.
log onto blogger then post! get it?? call me for blogging tuition if u have no idea. haha

thanks to all who have contributed so far, it has been deelightful to read/hear all thats been posted!

Other things u might like to know:
- Jo is designing out CG shirts so if u have any ideas/want to volunteer to help, let her know ok!
- The next own-initiated board games day is in the pipeline! yes, a day of playing. (risk risk! haha) so, do look out for it. anyone owns the game called cranium?? and, im kinda out of touch with the sch hols/exams. let me know if any is coming up so i can plan it better.

Have a blessed week beloveds!!!!

Everlasting God

God is always for us. He never gets tired of listening to us. Without God, there is no purpose in life. Enjoy the video Beloveds! It's a song that I really like :) :)

Hanging Out (Part 2)

19th April 2008 IN THE ZONE SERVICE

Hey beloved peepos!! hmmm i would love to share some of my thoughts with you guys. It's kind of personal so i'm not sure if you gets can relate to it but i'm gonna share it anyways. My heart was jumping out with JOY as i was blogging this post.=] This post is actually written for my IdeaMakers(IM) deco team because after every service we have to share our reflections about serving in Arrow ministry. So here is a glimpse of my after thoughts about SERVING IN THE HOUSE OF GOD. Hope it does inspire those who actually have this desire brewing in their hearts right now. Bear with me for the long post!!=D

This service is the BEST to me out of all that i've served!! It wasnt just the sermon or the worship that spoke to me but it's the ENTIRE SERVICE (worship plus sermon plus the deco plus the fun we had plus my cluster dinner plus plus pls!!)!!

From the start of the preparation to the end of it and even the THEME-IN THE ZONE with the whole idea of the silhouettes DANCING and SINGING and WORSHIPPING GOD. It's AWESOME mans!!

And as i was reading one of the server's post, i cant help but to totally agree that THIS is the kind of house my Abba lives in- the house FULL of His beloveds DANCING and SINGING!!=]=]=] And this is the EXACT kind of worship i've always pictured in my Father's house with each and everyone of us being TOTALLY FREE in the presence of Our King. And i guess that was the message that we wanna bring across to the youths? totally AWESOME!!=]

The silhouettes were LOVELY. Even though they were blocked by the people,i'm sure those who came early were really impacted as they were brought into THE ZONE mood=] i mean just looking at them made me feel like dancing and jumping already ( and that's why we actually DID hahaha=] ), how can the people not be impacted right? =D

The lightings were AWESOME too!! They really brought out the ZONE in a PARTY FEEL!! it's like a glimpse of us dancing in heaven with the rainbow as our party lights!! haha=] and I'm really really happy that i finally get a chance to CLIMB UP THE LADDER( cuz normally the guys do it so i didnt get a chance to haha) !! The feeling is COOL mans, it's like SOARING above the high mountains. teehee=D

But somehow, i STILL prefer arrow service with pre-service!!=] i always remember what ex-leader shared with us about the importance of preservice (even the hosting and the game part). i used to think it was redundant until he said that the whole idea of pre-service games is actually to bring the joy into people's hearts and bring down the tense emotions when they first step in for the service. This is especially true for newcomers and new believers because if we can create an environment whereby they can feel at ease, relaxed (as though they are at home), OR they can laugh out loud, we have actually opened their hearts to receive the worship and the Word from GOd already!

And this is so powerful to me!! because a simple game session can actually do such wonders and make a difference in their lives. It's worth continuing!!=] and of course, i love preservice because i love seeing the laughters the smiles and the joy on people's faces. It's FUN!!=]

and NOW for the BEST PART of serving the 19th April service. Well, it's actually THE PEOPLE!! I'm REALLY REALLY so blessed to be able to serve in such an awesome team that has an awesome purpose, with an AWESOME BUNCH OF PEOPLE!. They are PASSIONATE, DYNAMIC, EFFICIENT, CREATIVE, DEDICATED, FOCUSED and most importantly, i see a tremendous HUNGER TO GLORIFY GOD in every little thing we do!!. The servers have the attitude of "because i'm serving for Jesus i wanna give my best and i want EVERY detail to be perfectly done". Now that's what i call the SPIRIT of EXCELLENCE!!.=]

This is simply why i ENJOY myself so much when i am out there serving because the people really make me feel like giving ALL that i have, giving my best(even though it's not at all best) to Jesus. They are like the manifestation of the GOODNES of GOD around me!=]

And to see how the deco we created could transform an ordinary auditorium into the house of God FULL of life, it is ONLY by the GRACE OF GOD that we are able to do so. =]

It doesnt matter if you're serving as a cg befriender, cg worship leader or musician, or even in JC cluster or other ministries. Every little thing you do, Your Abba remembers EVERY bit of it!! Serving is only about two things.
1)ENJOYING what you're doing cuz that REALLY PUTS A GREAT BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE.
2)AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE PEOPLE'S LIVES.=]=]=]

Cluster Activity

Heyz, Beloved Southies

below are the details for the upcoming cluster event this Saturday (26th April 2008)

Meeting Time and Place: 3.30pm at Cityhall MRT.

Destination: SMU Business Block

For those who are coming late...
Directions: Business Blocks (located nearest to Raffles City)
- From CityHall MRT, come up the escalator, turn left and walk down straight all the way until you see the SMU Business Block
- Look for the "Concourse exit" at the Li Ka Shing Library. Go to B1 where there is a waterfall. Enter the glass doors where it is air-conditioned (there is OCBC bank inside).

It's not a sports event so dress casually. =D I won't give details on what we'll be doing but expect to be blessed.

Please revert your attendance either through this blog, through email or through sms. Prompt response is greatly appreciated.

Have a consciousness of God's love and favour throughout the rest of the week!

In reply to questions posed by Yan's friend (that we are 'gods')

Hey Yang Yan :)

I read your post abt the kind of difficult questions that friends will ask us. i understand what its like cos i also have a friend who doesnt believe in God. He like to ask me difficult qns on the way home from camp for fun and to entertain himself... haha... not that i mind lah. :)

But actually it is a good channel for me to share about Jesus with him... sometimes he asks a qn that i cant give a satisfactory ans to him... Because he doesnt understand Faith.

Yan, i actually thought your friend's reasoning that we can be 'gods' may be partly true! There is this site that can ans this qn posed by your friend. :) the following post is taken from this website http://sg.geocities.com/saltandlight5/index.html.

You are gods!

One may agree that God wants man to have dominion and authority over the earth. But does that mean that we can go so far as to call ourselves "gods"?

Believe it or not, the Bible does call us gods!

Psalms 82:6
6 "I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.'

The Hebrew word here for "gods" is "elohiym", and it is translated "gods" both here and in the New Testament (John 10:34).

Are Christians "sons of the Most High" or children of God? Yes!

John 1:12
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

So, it follows that we are "gods" according to Psalms 82:6 and John 1:12.

In the New Testament, Jesus himself quoted this verse when the Jews wanted to stone Him for claiming to be God.

John 10:34-36
34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'?
35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken--
36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?

Christians are now under a superior New Covenant (Romans 5:15-19). This means that Christians have it better than Adam, that is, they are in a better position today than Adam.

How so? Adam was not seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, but Christians are!


Ephesians 1:20
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 2:6
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

So, if Christians today are in a better position than Adam (before he fell), doesn’t that make them gods even more?

Think about it: Jesus is "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion", and we are seated with Him! We are in Him! That makes us gods!

Walk worthy of your high calling!

Will believing that you are a god under the lordship of the Most High make you want to exalt yourself above God? I doubt it. The same wisdom in Paul's response to the question, "Should we sin that grace may abound?", will be applied here if you understand God's grace (see Safety net of God's grace).

On the contrary, I believe that it will make you more appreciative of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, which has brought you to such a blessed position.

Also, this new revelation of your position and authority in Christ will make you want to go out and destroy the works of the devil, or run into hell with a watergun!

UPDATES!

1. haapppee belated bday Denise! [ her bday was on miracle sunday]
2. welcome new authors!!! u can start posting =D
3. do go back to old posts and read some new comments. i recommend the one on the american idol video. Dave wrote the longest most chim-est comments there. hahaha

OKAY> i need to say something. I miss board games day!! im suffering from Risk withdrawal symptomsss..

also, Whos going for the camp??

If you're bored right, do post something. maybe the gist of arrow service? or, sunday service?

p.s. kailin! do take a pic of pastor prince on tv in the US. i wanna seee. ;)

I donch kneow hmph

Have you ever encounted very irritating (to me) questions that was-believers have??

[was-believers: people who were in christanity, knows versus! but just, the skewed way. now doesnt believe at all OR, knew god someway but now not]

Everytime you try to tell them how awesome our God is and they have many many other things to say to prove to you that "god doesnt exist!!",or just have so many things to contradict what you say.

My problem is... sometimes i also cannot answer! and its very unsettling.

e.g. " God is made up by people." i mean, the bible Is written by people rite?.
or, somethig like.. god is the holy spirit, and since the holy spirit lives in us, god lives in us- we are god. :O soomething like that. or, "i do something bad and the bible says im forgiven, but thats the thing.. i dont want to be forgiven! i dont want to feel like im making use of God." *strangles speaker* i can dig my brain for more if u want. haha.

it seems like everyone i know at some time or another has got to know God, but has many questions abt it (which i think is perfectly normal) but then is overwhelmed by doubt and thus concludes that.. God doesnt exist.

i dunno, i think we need bible study, u know. a place to trash out all these BS and learn properly. or is it just me? like, u must be thinking now.. " cant believe u dont know!" haha.

someone pls enlighten me.

altho, i do agree as Jo reminded me " dont nd to throw pearls to the swines". we shouldnt concentrate on these ( OF COS) but its just weird that im kinda clueless.

do gimme ur 22cents worth!

Changed from the Inside Out

Changed from the Inside Out
by Max Lucado

When you believe in Christ, Christ works a miracle in you. You are permanently purified and empowered by God himself. The message of Jesus to the religious person is simple: It's not what you do. It's what I do. I have moved in. And in time you can say with Paul, "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).

If I'm born again, why do I fall so often?

Why did you fall so often after your first birth? Did you exit the womb wearing cross-trainers? Did you do the two-step on the day of your delivery? Of course not. And when you started to walk, you fell more than you stood. Should we expect anything different from our spiritual walk?

But I fall so often, I question my salvation. Again, we return to your first birth. Didn't you stumble as you were learning to walk? And when you stumbled, did you question the validity of your physical birth? Did you, as a one-year-old fresh flopped on the floor, shake your head and think, I have fallen again. I must not be human?

Of course not. The stumbles of a toddler do not invalidate the act of birth. And the stumbles of a Christian do not annul his spiritual birth.

Do you understand what God has done? He has deposited a Christ seed in you. As it grows, you will change. It's not that sin has no more presence in your life, but rather that sin has no more power over your life. Temptation will pester you, but temptation will not master you. What hope this brings!

Hear this. It's not up to you! Within you abides a budding power. Trust him!

Think of it this way. Suppose you, for most of your life, have had a heart condition. Your frail pumper restricts your activities. Each morning at work when the healthy employees take the stairs, you wait for the elevator.

But then comes the transplant. A healthy heart is placed within you. After recovery, you return to work and encounter the flight of stairs--the same flight of stairs you earlier avoided. By habit, you start for the elevator. But then you remember. You aren't the same person. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power.

Do you live like the old person or the new? Do you count yourself as having a new heart or old? You have a choice to make.

You might say, "I can't climb stairs; I'm too weak." Does your choice negate the presence of a new heart? Dismiss the work of the surgeon? No. Choosing the elevator would suggest only one fact--you haven't learned to trust your new power.

It takes time. But at some point you've got to try those stairs. You've got to test the new ticker. You've got to experiment with the new you. For if you don't, you will run out of steam.

Religious rule keeping can sap your strength. It's endless. There is always another class to attend, Sabbath to obey, Ramadan to observe. No prison is as endless as the prison of perfection. Her inmates find work but never find peace. How could they? They never know when they are finished.

Christ, however, gifts you with a finished work. He fulfilled the law for you. Bid farewell to the burden of religion. Gone is the fear that having done everything, you might not have done enough. You climb the stairs, not by your strength, but his. God pledges to help those who stop trying to help themselves.

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6.) God will change you from the inside out.

~>Taken from Coach Gary
~>Facebook group: New Creation Church's Arrow Ministry - The JC Cluster
~>Discussion board topics: Exaltation, Encouragement and Edification

Go check out all the other articles there! They will bless you richly! =)

Arrow Service

Hello. well turns out there is some sort of a theme for saturday.

News has come in that the 'colour code' is.. *drumroll* Pink & Black! no prizes for guessing what colour the guys will be in. haha.
k, JO said it. i just relay the msg.

was wondering.. colour code means what? dress code? or the deco all pink & black? i dun want to turn up being able to camouflage in the room leh.

anyways, I WANT TO READ POSTS OTHER THAN MY OWN!! so pleaaaase dearest cg, type something. add something!! its " why i go to church" month on this southies blog so, do start writing if you have not. SHARE PEOPLE SHARE!!!

=D

Arrow Service (updated)

Hi Peepos! (haha borrowed the word from jo's vocabulary...)
Theres Arrow Service this SATURDAY!!! yay
theres actually NO Theme! im excited. are you excited???
Yups.. So, just remember to wake up by 3pm this saturday the 19th of April.
Then travel to Suntec Lvl 3, Rock Auditorium by 4.30pm.
SEEYALL =D

[ updated part]
okay, actually they are launching The Zone this saturday, thats why.
check out http://www.thezone.org.sg/ to find out more. actually dont need right? im going.. so thats good enough reason to just buy the tix. heehee. oh.. n hillsong will be there too.
Tickets can be bought this saturday, so get your money, friends and kiasu-ism ready to buy the tix!
one last thing: reminder for all whos suppose to remind some other people about this saturday.(u know who u are) remember to do so!!

Why do i go to Church?=]

hello peepos! haha it's my turn now.=]

As most of you know, i am not a born-Christian. But somehow, my journey with God began ever since young. Even though my parents are "freethinkers" so when i was a child, they brought me to the temple ocassionally. And before entering the temple, my mom and dad would always tell me not to point at the statues or say anything offensive to the "gods" lest they punish me for my disrepect.

Even though i was really young and was really afraid then, i kind of questioned the existence of God because of whatever i have heard. In my heart i was thinking to my self "well, since they are gods, besides being all powerful they should be ALL-LOVING as well, isnt it? because even my mom and dad who are humans can forgive me even when i've done wrong. Why cant the gods be as big-hearted as they are? this doesnt make sense at all!" So i did not believe in the existence of God or gods from then on.

But Daddy God was still really really gracious to me. For some reason when i enter primary school, i was surrounded by many Christian friends. And they would they me about sunday schools, and their church friends yada yada. Jesus was not mentioned at all, but that alone interested me. It sounded really fun to me.

However, i still wasnt quite sure if Christianity was the right "religion" because all religion sounds the same to me! they're all holy moly and they bind us to their set of beliefs, which is what i hate.It was until i met charlene and many other christian friends from my secondary school. On 6th of june 2004, my friends and i decided to go for Festival of Praise. guess who was performing? HILLSONG!!! AND guess who was preaching on the pulpit? PASTOR JOSEPH PRINCE!! haha well that was when i received Christ and the rest is HISTORY!! hahaha=]

OK BACK ON TRACK. THE REASONS I GO TO CHURCH.
i used to go to church for the purpose of socialising.not for friends, but socialising, get what i mean? but as i attended more and more services, Daddy God somehow just took over my heart. and the reasons i go to church now change too!!

SO NOW I GO TO CHURCH BECAUSE :

- i really really wanna know more about Jesus and His heart for me. He's like a drug can!?( in a good way haha) Once you get hooked onto Him, you cant help wanting more and more of Him=] And it just take ONE touch,ONE, for you to get hooked on FOREVER=]=]=] so ya. I guess deep in every believer's heart, whether they know it or not, they really wanna know more about Jesus. so going to church is the BEST way cuz you dont have to interpret the bible yourself!!! =]

-And not to forget, my LOVELY JC SOUTH AND BELOVED JC CLUSTER AND MY IM TEAM!!! It's the people that makes going to church and attending services an enjoyment. even though i may not know everyone in the cg or the cluster and for some of you i hardly ever talk to or share my heart out with, or some i find it so hard to clique with, THERE IS STILL THIS REALLY SPECIAL BOND BETWEEN ALL OF US. it's unexplainable. i can only say Jesus is the One holding us together!! you guys may not be my best friends or my closest friends or my good friends BUT you are DEFINITELY my KINGDOM FRIENDS. And kingdom friends are the most special out of all because i know you guys are the one who will stand by me, pray in faith with me in times of trials, love me as who i am even though i'm like "so jo". i know deep in my heart you southies are the people i can really count on, not just as a whole, not just the cg leader, but EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.=] It simply thrills me to get to know each one of you more-who you truely are, your likes and dislikes, your desire and your walk with jesus yadayada, as the journey goes on!!=]

And for this reason alone, YOU PEEPOS ROCKS!!!=D=D=DLOVES

Hanging Out (Part 1)