Last Sunday, I conspire with the rest of my CG to do a surprise karaoke bdae celebration for Ms Rebecca at KBox Cineleisure. It was a pretty bad coordination because I went to the wrong floor... and that was when Ms Loh got to know about our plan for her. Well, we all love to sing and Ms Loh enjoys singing too. So the moment we reached there, we went into the room and started singing like nobody's business.
It was really a fun time though I was there for only an hour. Hope that the rest enjoyed themselves too. :p Pamela and myself were singing away all the FIR, SHE, Yanzi songs... haha... it was cool!
So, here's a message dedicated just for Rebecca:
"Dearest Rebecca,
It is a great privilege to have you with us in the Care Group. You have been a great example to many of us in giving, in learning and in obeying. I really see your heart of wanting to be of light to others. No matter how difficult it may be, you always choose to love people and love God. This is something that really encourages me greatly.
May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly as you seek to honor Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. You are very precious to me and many others. We love you and we are looking forward to the many breakthroughs ahead!
Love and bless,
Tricia aka Yanz"
From the left: Rebecca (bdae gal), Lirong aka Jodell and Xueyun
Me and moi mochi... hee...
My gals... sweet aren't they?? :p
My CG - NG7D2!! Love you guys to the max!!
Me and bdae gal.. the picture was blurred for a reason.. hahaha...
Labels: b.d.a.e., care group
Last night's CG was different because we did it so differently. Against the norm. Against the flow. Against the usual. I am glad that we are all learning to do things differently so that we will not be slaves to 'form'.
The theme for the CG was Holy Discontentment. I shared with all my heart about how we should be Christian that should be contented with the things and giftings that God has given to us, and at the same time, discontented with our spiritual status in the Lord. Holy discontentment is not oxymoron. It is a statement that brings out the beautiful truth of our need to know the magnificent, powerful, awesome, mighty God in our lives.
We can never know God enough. Never.
We need to seek to find Him more and more in our lives.
In fact, Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:4-14:
4though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
How true it is! As much Paul wants to know God more, we should also be seeking the Lord in our lives. How can we missed out seeking the God that loved us so much, even till the point of suffering for our sins? Knowing God should not and should never be just about saying the sinners prayer, repenting our sins and asking for forgiveness. It definitely encompass much more than these.
Let us learn, know and appreciate the beautiful reason of drawing near to God simply because He is God.
Article:
The Discontented Christian Labels: care group, Word of God
Posting some really old pics that I've kept for years... haha... some are really antique and I don't really remember how i had these pics... i think most likely these were from Adrian and Steven P.. cos during those days, only they have digital cameras.. =p
This CG is the first CG that I had in Adults group. I think it was really a good one cos I didn't know that God prepared such a good one for me... and Josh of cos! The CG had majority brothers and they were taking very good care of us... (Maybe because we were the only sisters in the CG? hahaha...)
I remember the CG to was very loving and we loved to spend time playing pool (my first time playing pool was when I came to Adults CG...), having dinners, having fun together and serving God together. The first time when we went to choir for duty, the CLs in the unit actually bought 2 roses, one for me and one for Josh. It was very kind of them to do that to encourage us.
My first church camp in the adult group.. at Orchard Hotel... 2003
CG brothers, Adrian and Bryan...
My CL - Alex Tan ( we used to call him Boss...:p)
Retreat as an unit at Genting... they celebrated my bdae there... this was 2003 too... But was a pretty tough year for me... work and family... :p Thank God that I survived!
Seriously speaking, now as I looked back, I really know and understand how it is like to serve God as a leader. I appreciate my leader more than before. And this CG will always live in my heart. :)
Labels: care group, friendships
Yeap this is my new CG, after restructuring - NG7C3.
I can't help but to thank God for these sheep that He has placed in my sheep-pen. Sometimes, I really think that it is God's grace that allow me to be a shepherd over the flock. I don't deserve to be a leader but God used me. I don't deserve to be a shepherd but He trusted me to be one. I am simply grateful. :)
Looking forward to do great and mighty things with all of you and I shall call our CG the Gideonites. :)
Labels: care group
Last evening, I had my first CG with my new group - NG7C3. I was really excited and geared up to meet God together with them. It was an amazing time of fellowship, Praise and Worship and also learning God's truth together. It was fabulously good!
During the teaching or discussion time, I taught about this lesson entitled "Your True Identity". It was all about recapping our identity in Christ by understanding that decisions that we make in life everyday will lead on to the fulfillment of our identity and calling in Jesus. For us to be continuously renewed everyday requires Christ-centred decision-making everyday. Yes, it is everyday. There are so many examples in the Bible that spoke about how people whom have first been called by the Lord, has not fulfilled that destiny in their lives. However, there were also many that lived their lives to the fullest and fulfilled that identity that God has called them to be.
Personally, I really like Apostle Paul whom really finished the race for the Lord in a glorious way. Not self-glorification. It is Christ-glorification. He said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8,
"
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
Amazing statement made by Paul isn't it?
I hope to be like him. Finish the race, complete the task and keep the faith!
Labels: b.i.b.l.e., care group
Kudos to our ushering team... who served without any complaints throughout the church camp... They are indeed the friendly and approachable ushers!
Here's a pic of me and XinYing, taken with her Canon camera (if i'm not wrong..).. very nice pic taken indeed... cos I feel so much like 10 years younger!! hahaha.. love this pic... :)
This was taken from my room's view. Cool isn't it? The architecture of the building is magnificent. But the every morning prayer at 5.30am is not that cool la... like an alarm lor.. haha... but still, cool view!
My UL and my member, Thomas. Know this man, Thomas has the gift of admin and he is very faithful in this area too! May the Lord add on to him more gifts :) and he is getting married in July and I am going to be his Emcee. woah... haha...
My CG, doing the form at the end of the camp. :p
Pastor Jeff and me. He saw how I grow up from a 15-year old silly girl to a 27 year old to be silly girl? haha... He is like a spiritual daddy to me and he is always so concern about the lives of the people in church. Really love his pastoral heart! Pastor Jeff, jiayou! By God's grace, I will continue to move on in this journey of loving and serving the Lord together with you!
Oh, this is Pamela and her sister... they looked so photogenic. And once again, haha, I am proud to say that my photog skill is really not bad de wor! kekeke...
Jieyi and Thomas.. poor Jieyi, fell sick and had high fever for the entire night. She was really weak when I took this pic of her. But thank God that her fever was gone by the time we were taking the coach back to S'pore. :)
Ok.. this is the pic of the flowers that my CG gave to me. Too bad, the flowers can't survive for too long. Btw, many were asking me which guy gave me these... haha.. I was like.. I also wish.. but dun have leh... hahaha... :p
Anyway throughout this church camp, I've shed many tears.. cos I just know that God has given me a pastoral heart for people. Missions will definitely be somewhere that I want to move towards. And people is God's heartbeat and I will follow that in a stable manner. Trust that God will be moulding me more this year. More sacrifices to be made but I am seriously willing!
Labels: care group, church camp, missions
Day 3 was pretty cool. We started the day with our QT and worship in my room. The QT message was about "Learning to Forgive".
In the passage, there was the example of how the master erased the servant's hefty debts.
Matthew 18:21-35, The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f]
23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay
back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
I presented the song that I wrote few years back about forgiveness and the lyrics goes like this:
D
Is there someone who ever did you wrong
D A
Is there someone who ever let you down
F#m Bm
Pain as it is, hurt it may be
G A D
We shall never ever let it hold us down
D
Is there someone who ever let you down
D A
Is there someone who makes you sad
F#m Bm
Pain as it is, hurt it may be
G A D
We shall never ever let it hold us down
Chorus:
G A D
Learn to forgive one another
G A D
Let us learn to love each other
G A D Bm
Love the Lord as He has loved you so
G A D
Forgive others as God has loved us all
Anyway, that QT was a very touching one. Thank God for moving in our hearts once again.
Below are some pics of that day...
Josherine and Mikka
Jieyi and Thomas... Jieyi was down with cough and sore throat.
Weird thing is Jieyi looked so sad n Thomas looked so happy...
So Thomas repented after he smiled so happily.. haha..
This was done by my team during the workshop.. :)
This is Jennifer from NG5C1
This is me and Angie... haven't talk to her for a long long time.
kinda miss the fun we have at Choir... finally managed to catch her for a short while in camp..
ok.. this is Ms EeLee Tan. wow.. though she claims that she put on weight but I think I put on more weight than her leh.. haha...
This is Pamela and Junming.. my fellow CL and core in the unit.
a good team of leader and armor bearer...
my UL and my sheep.. dun need me to intro le ba...
This was during our night time affirmation for the leaders.. a lot of surprises and fun for the CLs and the UL. Felt so loved and blessed by my CG pple. They even composed a song for me.. Btw, the picture above is Pamela... nice right? I take one wor...
And the Mr Funnybone.. Junming. Thank God for this fellow CL.. I really think that he really loves his CG a lot. Got a lot to learn from him.
End of Church Camp Day 3.
Labels: care group, church camp
Day 2 of camp was very interesting because everyone in the camp was looking forward to the afternoon's programme.. ACTSperience KL. All the shopping, fun and photo-taking left everyone excited and geared up! It was pretty cool to have the entire Times Square flooded with Hope pple.. haha.. in fact, everywhere u go or see, you will bump into Hope CGs.
but guess what? the part that intesrest me is when I managed to take a photo of Ian (ah long's younger son) sitting on his shoulders pulling ah long's ears to gain gravity stability!! So far, I have not managed to carry Ian. Haha... I think I need to work harder to allow him to realise moi existence. haha... anyway I printed this out for Ah Long and wished him Happy Father's Day!! cool right??
This is Xueyun... we used to be in the same group under Nicole. We pioneered Chinese High and Nanyang Girls together. And today, we are in the same CG again. Xueyun, it is good to see you around after so many years. Really look forward to serve God together with you. :)
Here is my unit. NG7D. Don't know what to say.. our unit is kinda low profile and I think it is good to feature the gals in the unit.. cos majority of them are still single except for 2 who are already attached. Hope bros, what are you waiting for? The gals are good catch!! :)
Anyway, after our afternoon teaching, we proceeded to KL and managed to reach there at about 5.30pm. Despite the jam and after-work hours, we have a tour guide that brought us around KL with ease and he is none other than Junming, my fellow CL in the unit!! Bravo, Junming!! Thanks for bringing us around the town. :p
Btw, I quite like this picture! Well-taken isn't it? I quite like my photography skill... :p
(from left: Gloria, Mikka, Lirong, Me, Thomas and Jieyi)
This is my CG, NG7D2. Powerful man and women of God... I am glad to lead these sheep because they are ever so ready to receive God's word, and wanting to love God more. I am privileged to be their CL.
2 more entries to go.. I will try to complete them soon =)
Labels: care group, church camp
From the left: Rebecca (bdae gal), Lirong aka Jodell and Xueyun
Me and moi mochi... hee...
My gals... sweet aren't they?? :p
My CG - NG7D2!! Love you guys to the max!!
Me and bdae gal.. the picture was blurred for a reason.. hahaha...
