soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long didn't post something up here le... hehe... this morning i woke up i juz dunno y but anyway when i juz listen 2 e radio fm i juz sing along e song but nv tot tat i would sing till singing 2 worship songs n till den i close my eyes enjoying singing e songs when i slowly slipped into my QT... while i was singing, i felt tears rolling down can't control there i started praying in tongues strongly which it naturally came out of my mouth... had a small vision that i was kneeling in front of Him worshiping Him, i knew tat i came into His presence coz i had e same warmth feeling whenever i'm with Him... i oso saw sunshine going through clouds giving a warmth feeling which i can feel. den He spoke 2 mi tat He knew tat i was worried abt the coming attachment (prcp), He told mi tat dun worry abt it, as He will lead mi through. =D itz a wonderful feeling juz worshipping Him, dun u guyz agree? =D by e time i finished, time juz passed sooo fast, tat i realised tat i've been with Him for almost for half an hr! it feel sooo wonderful 2 be with Him, i nv wan 2 leave e kind of warmth feeling tat He gave mi... i will always treasure it... =)
There's a door in a typical Japanese house like this one down here Has a room that has a narrow door. The reason for the door was taken from 2 verses in the bible(book of Matthew).
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Japanese took this adaption when roman catholic ame to japan in very old times... So there is some christian indluence in japan after all haha...
For where your treasure is,there your heart will be also. matthew 6:21 let me summarise a story from the book chicken soup for the christian teenage soul. A cross in the sand. Iwas a unhappy kid,it could't be blamed on my parents.I just wasn't a happy kid.My family did not attend church and i never set foot in one before.We weren't rich but we had enough to go to florida every christmas. One morning,i decided to go to the beach to play with my new shiny shovel and pail,but my parents weren't going to the beach so i settled for digging in the motel courtyard.I looked at the courtyard and pick the best place where i could start to creat my masterpiece.I chose a place way out in the middle and started to dig. After about digging for 4 inches,my shovel clinged on to something,and was always dreaming of discovering lost prirate teasure or a geniue lamp.But however when i dug up the something,the treasure was of a much diffierent sort.It was a small sliver cross.i gently turned it over wipping away the sand along with it and saw the words on the back 'Jesus Christ is the lord' and i just wasn't sure what it meant.I never showed anyone the cross and hid as one of my prize possessions and only taking it out when no one was around.But to me,it wasn't just a cross;it was a sign. During high school,i was a typical teenage.Often having fun by creating trouble but rarely got caught for it.I thought my life was perfectly under control expect for the emptiness i feel deep down on the inside.And during my complicated high school life,i decide to know about God.Most of the church services i attended with my friends were good,but one that was life-changing.as the music beagn to play,i felt his presence.The one whom i have been calling for me.The pastor called out for those whom did't know Jesus christ.He prayed and i prayed and my life was never the same again.I went home and wept with joy,a seeming life-long void has finally filled.im quite sure my search began the every day i found the little sliver cross that said 'Jesus Christ is the lord' .Now i no longer need to dig to find my treasures.All the treasures i ever need is just a prayer away.
Hey friends,this book is really awesome.try getting it and read it.i own it so maybe once i finish you want to read it you could borrow ir from me (: anyway, Happy Birthday kelly (: loves, ;HUIQI(:
It was the crash heard ‘round the Christian world. Bill Hybels took a fall. It was more than a fall…it was an emotional, physical and spiritual meltdown. He was honest enough to write and speak about it. It would be understandable and tolerable if it were an isolated and unusual circumstance; but, unfortunately, it was/is not. The number of pastors and Christian workers who are in poor physical and emotional health are legion.
In this article I will focus on the physical health which, of course, impacts everything else. I heard the pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the country share that recently he attended a meeting with pastors of mega-churches and was the only one there who had not been hospitalized in recent months.
The simple fact of the matter is that as leaders many, if not most, of us don’t take very good care of ourselves. The needs always exceed the resources. If I’m not careful, I can be one of those resources that gets stretched beyond what is reasonable or healthy and then down I go. Doctor and author Richard Swenson tells us that there are 22 separate organizations in the U.S. that exist for the sole purpose of dealing with pre/post pastoral burnout. “Houston, we have a problem!”
Personally, I had my encounter of the dangerous kind when I was in my late 20’s. I thought I was a Christian Superman and had limitless capacity. I was wrong, though, fortunately, not “dead wrong”…but definitely heading down a road of self-destruction. I was burning the candle at both ends and praying desperately for more wax. I set up an appointment with a doctor because I was experiencing intestinal problems that wouldn’t go away. I returned to his office to receive what I was sure would be bad news such as bleeding ulcers or stomach cancer. Instead what I heard was some good news and a stern warning.
“There’s nothing physically wrong with you; it’s all stress related.” That was the good news, which I welcomed with a huge sigh. Then came the warning. I would have to learn how to “slow down,” or else. I wasn’t sure what the “or else” might be, but decided then and there that I didn’t want to find out. I also decided one more thing--I was going to study the whole subject of stress, burnout, pacing and physical health and apply what I learned. I have been a student and practitioner ever since.
In my book, “Leaders Who Last” I devote an entire chapter to the subject of “Pacing.”
Okay, here are a few things I have been learning about being a healthy leader who will last and not disintegrate physically due to my own stupidity and poor choices.
I tend to go too fast and try to do too much. I need to daily think through and create a realistic day that won’t bring me to the point of collapse. I am not the fourth person of the Trinity nor the Savior of the world so I should stop living and acting as if I were.
I need to say yes to less and buy time to think and pray before agreeing to take on something of a major proportion.
I need to stick with the “My few themes” that CS Lewis speaks of when he says, “Everybody is composed of a few themes.”
I need to practice sabbath every day--not just one day a week. I need to go at a sane speed each and every day rather than living fast forward like an idiot six days a week, which turns my mind and body to mush. When I reach that point, I am usually too tired to really do anything of value.
Doctor Swenson, whom I mentioned above, has written two excellent books on this subject. “Margin”and “Overload Syndrome.” They have both been a rich source of instruction, warning and wisdom.
Here are my six favorite gems from “Overload Syndrome”:
Driven people feel that if they are not busy, they are not of value...the tighter the schedule, the better they feel about themselves and their achievement
The only trouble with success is that the formula for achieving it is the same as the formula for a nervous breakdown-Charles Swindoll
Is there a speed limit to life? When we exceed it, does God give us a ticket? I have come to believe that speed is as much responsible for the problem of personal and societal dysfunction as any other single factor
If we will not recover the discipline of waiting, God is under no moral obligation to speed up His timetable to accommodate our urgency
It is solitude and solitude alone that opens the possibility of a radical relationship with God that can withstand all external events up to and beyond death...I don’t know of any answer to busyness other than solitude -Dallas Willard
We sit at the beginning of a universal “connectivity” unprecedented in human history...the absence of hiding places Do you create, or allow to be created, a sane or insane schedule, week, day?
What will you do to:
Slow down
Smell the roses
Simplify
Say no to lots of things so you can say yes to a few things
All work and no play can make Jack not only a dull boy, but perhaps a very sick or very DEAD boy!
Dedicated to the leaders :) Take care of your health!! copied by: Lucinda copied from: http://www.navigators.org/
Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
One night, at11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car hadbroken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance, and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..
It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
quite a time i've post something here... hehe... these r e stories tat my fren sent 2 mi n i find it very meaningful... hope u guys will like them as i slowly post them up...
First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Jesus was born into a culture that believed they could merit eternal life via keeping God's law. So, He increased the law to unreachable standards in order to defeat their false, legalistic plan. He used the "ministry of death and condemnation" (II Corinthians 3:7,9) to lead people to put their faith in God's Messiah-Savior instead of by their own effort. Realizing the need to be changed always precedes the desire to be changed. Why should anyone want to fix something he believes "ain't broke?"
Consider Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18ff). The man asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus laid five of God's laws on him, to which he replied, "I aced those." But, He realized the man was uncertain about whether he was "doing enough" to merit eternal life and knew the man's second question would be, "What else must I do?" Jesus, you see, was skillfully "setting him up" to realize he needed a Savior. So when the rich man asked, "What else?" Jesus said, "Oh, just one more thing: Give away all your money and follow Me." Look at that! He told the guy to "birdie every hole in the Jerusalem Open!" The rich man now had a problem he couldn't solve. When he first approached Jesus, he believed his performance was far above average, yet he wondered if it was good enough. When he walked away, he knew he was a doomed, helpless sinner who needed a Savior who would do it all for him. Jesus had accomplished His agape goal, but the New Covenant was yet to be enacted; Jesus had yet to be crucified, raised and ascended. That all came online at Pentecost (Acts 2).
Skeptical? If you were witnessing to a wealthy person, would you tell him that his first step toward obtaining eternal life must be to give away all his money? No? Jesus did, so why wouldn't you follow His example? It's because you know that you live under grace by faith in Jesus. Through revelation alone you realize that giving money has nothing whatever to do with obtaining eternal life. Something priceless cannot be for sale. Jesus, however, did not minister to those under grace, but to those still under the Law (Galatians 4:4). What He told the rich man motivated him to realize his need for a Savior.
First the Bible says, "Sin, taking opportunity through [Law], deceived me, and through [Law] killed me" (Romans 7:11). It later explains, "The Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Jesus combined these two truths to convince the ruler that he needed a Savior, that God was radically changing things. Jesus knew the ruler thought he was doing well—performing his way to heaven. So, first the man needed Law's "death sentence" to lead him to believe his self-trusting method for obtaining eternal life was hopeless. Enhancing the law by telling him to give away all of his wealth "killed him"—annihilated his faith in self. This was the "tutor to lead [him] to Christ" (salvation by grace, via faith in Christ [Greek for: "Messiah"]). Afterward, God says, "But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (v. 25). When we first measured ourselves against God's law, we were convicted of our own sinful unworthiness and motivated toward faith in Christ. Law served its purpose for us, so we're no longer "under law" (Romans 6:14). We no longer need a "tutor to lead us to salvation" by faith. Been there; done that.
Although I once believed the rich ruler went to hell because he loved money more than Jesus, understanding law's purpose (for the lost) led me to a new opinion. I hope to meet that rich man in heaven one day. It wouldn't surprise me to hear him testify that he eagerly believed in Jesus (when the Holy Spirit opened his eyes at Pentecost) upon realizing that God didn't want money; God wanted him—wanted a warm, intimate, family relationship with him. I believe heaven will reveal that the rich man's hopeless failure to keep the law was God's "tutor that led him to Christ." This certainly does not mean that we are given a license to sin. It's far better than that! God planted the desire within us to obey Him. Space does not permit an explanation of this. I believe you'll find my book What God Wishes Christians Knew About Christianity exciting as you see how this works to our great benefit.
Is hell real? Studies show that over 90% of people in the world believe in a "heaven" while less than 50% believe in an eternal hell. According to the Bible, hell is most definitely real! The punishment of the wicked in hell is as never-ending as the bliss of the righteous in Heaven. The punishment of the wicked dead in hell is described throughout Scripture as "everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41), "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12), "shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2), a place where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44-49), a place of "torments" and "flame" (Luke 16:23,24), "everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place of torment with "fire and brimstone" where "the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever" (Revelation 14:10,11), and a "lake of fire and brimstone" where the wicked are "tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). Jesus Himself indicates that the punishment in hell itself is everlasting - not merely the smoke and flames (Matthew 25:46).
The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God in hell. They consciously suffer shame and contempt and the assaults of an accusing conscience -- along with the fiery wrath of an offended deity -- for all of eternity. Even those in hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalms 76:10). Those who are in the very real hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5). Yes, hell is real. Yes, hell is a place of torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end! Praise God that through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate (John 3:16,18,36).
Now, here's something exciting for everyone. Everyone can add into this post their suggestions for the different events which we can hold in the near future that our new friends would be interested in... let's say LOLLIPOP weekend etc.
God made us creative people so LET'S BE CREATIVEE!!!!!! START NOW! =)
from: Jeremy Chan
==========Events we can have ===========
1) Chocolate Weekend 2) Cookie Weekend!! With lots and lots of chocolate chip cookies!! -*~Lulu 3) let's eat mooncakes!!! yum yum~~~ hehe... =P ~~*jiexin*~~
since young, i'm always quiet gal, coz of insecurity n very inferior in my heart. so i never tried 2 make frenz, i'm alwayz in scared mode, getting defensive whenever ppl stepped on my 'tail'. becoz of my insecurity n alwayz keeping 2 myself, i won't tell anybody esp my family anything: being bullied in school, no frenz at all in last 2 yrs of pri school, etc, etc... i tried 2 open up 2 my closest frenz but even though saying i totally opening up 2 them, i will juz say they r more closer to than e rest of my frenz thatz all... even since then, i've become very indepandent. thatz quite bad for me actually... even though i hav frenz to share my happiness, i won't hav a shoulder to cry on, a comforting arm around me when i need it... coz i wun never wan 2 let them noe i'm having problems... so usually i would cry in my pillow or when i'm taking bath when e water running above coz u wun noe which is ur tears... my family doesn't allow crying... coz whenever crying take place, u would either getting beating or getting scolding... (which now mi & my family had a very thick ice wall which very hard 2 break through...) i has a bad habit since young... n still going on even rite now... although i noe itz really bad, i juz couldn't stop it... since young, whenever i'm upset/having arguement wif parents/really sad/really angry, i would juz swollow without chewing... tatz quite dangerous when e food didn't goes down n choked u.. but i wun care much less... coz everytime i do tat, at that moment i've wished i could juz choked 2 death n really die frm it n break myself frm real life... it juz goes on... i didn't realised it until it had become a habit 4 mi... but, even since i joined u guys, i've found myslf lighter n found myself smiling (which i find it hard 2), i hav tot i've kicked out of e habit... coz i've found my new strenght of living again... itz in God, in our pastors, our leaders n of coz u guyz... but den, whenever i've been really like can't take it anymore, i juz went back 2 it... itz like a cycle... it juz keep coming back... i've tried not 2 but sometimes i failed.... u noe wad really bothers? itz not e tot of death, itz fine when once in awhile when u thinking of death... but, wadz more deadly is e desire to die... coz once u had tat desire, u will keep on thinking how 2 kill urself and of coz doing it... i had those moments which mostly scared me e most... coz u never noe it until u feel e pain... for a few a times, when i found tat i was holding my dad's shaving knife awaiting in my hand... tat time onli my skin broke... but i didn't think of it if e knife went deeper...
YO Friends! This weekend's gonna be great because it's LOLLIPOP WEEKEND!!! So be sure to come on down this weekend to get your supply of lollis!!! Also be sure to put this on your MSN as well..
Tomorrow is SOMEBODY's birthday... and he'll be thus crowned KING OF THE DAY!!! So be sure flood his handphone and email inbox and and everyother form of communication that SOMEBODY has with all your wishes!!!!
i much have to agree with jiexin.Or more or less everything!Some of you guys must be thinking im so privillaged to be in Zone F and be the new generation,indeed i do too!But theres always the bad part.You guys have always been the ones teaching me to be so enthusiestic about even just a normal service!Pastor How and Pastor Lia also has been teaching me during normal service just how to make atmosphere better and also,they must have been so tired preparing and preeching.Somehow you guys too!I really noticed how good you guys are looking at someones ok anot.you guys are awesome!And jeremy sent me a message that very thursday i went to church.It spoke more then it really showed.He knew i had troubles and sms'ed me not to worry but to trust it on the Lord.Though i have't seen jeremy really serious speaking these words of wisdom but still i knoe deep inside hes a good guy.You guys are too.I know theres nothing in world that can say this special thankyou but i know theres something i can do.And thats not to backslide.
hehe... time really flies... bu zhi zu jue zhong... i'm in church 4 a yr le... and tatz a record 4 mi... haha... =P tis past yr, there were ups n of coz there were downs... ppl come n ppl go.... suddenly, my life comes into full of colours... all thankz 2 our Pastors, Garrett, Jackson, Yvonne, Winnie, Gina, Eunice, Li Xing, Fx, Jeremy, Karen, Ivan, etc, etc... really... without u guyz, i might still be wondering around wad is my next step, where shall i go... i might still be walking around aimlessly... for e past 1 yr, i dun say tat i dun hav tots of getting backslided n being disconneted wif God or with u guyz... but, den it is u guyz tat been pulling mi along in this race; encourages mi, being there for mi when i need u...it is u guyz tat keeps mi coming back 2 church n of coz my relationshp with God keeps mi going back to church every wk... although i would feel tired sometimes n even so i will drag myself 2 church, but each time i go back 2 chruch, i'm very qing xing n not regreting tat i dragged myself 2 church... coz Pastors' sermons will always renewing my mind n my heart... n i'm glad i've builded a relationship with u guys although it might not be strong... but i'm still trying 2 build strnger with u all.. =D i'm looking forward 2 new happenings, new relationships buliding with u guys... =)
i've finally can upload e videos up here le... phew~~ haha... anyway~~~ do enjoy them n give mi ur commentz, kk? ;) n those who wanz e full version, pls tell mi oh... i will try 2 burn out 4 u... haha... juz kidding... tell mi ur 'orders' once i've brought e empty vcds/dvds... =D
haha... i juz dunno y i juz wan 2 post tis up... =P anyway, like tat time pastor say abt being guilty abt not praying enough, not reading bible enough n tat we will condemned ourselves abt it... hehe... mi 2 had tis feeling b4... coz 4 mi, i'm being lazy 2 do tat... i admit it... n i juz can't bring myself not 2 be lazy... now, i'm still straggling wif my laziness but i tried 2 go everynite praying, doing my QTs, n reading my bible... =)
i've once heard frm my lecturer tat there's 1 part of e prison tat they let condemned prisonners stayed there. they were so condemned tat e judges not even bothered 2 let them being caned. they were sentenced 2 tat part of prison until they were released frm it...
jiexin
======================================================== Relax Jiexin. There will be days where all of us are lazy to do read bible, pray or even do QT.no need feel guilty. What is most important is that we move on from there... we keep trying, keep going.. keep trying to be disciplined. keep on and very soon you'll realise that you are already there.
Today's sermon was an awakening!!! The point that impacted me the most was the 4th, "When you get to the next level, become a right relationship to others".
I realised that I have not been a right relationship to others. After I became a Christian, I'm still saying hurtful words to others, not bringing them to the next level, being a limitation myself. I'm being limited by my own financial difficulties, not being able to contribute to any kind of fund.
I really want to apologies to all my friends! I'm so sorry for all those hurtful words I said. I'm so sorry for being so dependent on you guys.
Thank you guys, for being such a great friend to me!!! :P ~ Shurn
Ever since i came to church i knew i made a good decision dispite having being dragged by Shurn to come serveral times a week after the school's 3 day orientation camp. All of you were so good to me that it made me feel that you guys are not going to be like the friends that i have in the years of my purpoesless life.
Let me tell you a little about myself in the years of my purposeless life. I had friends that treated me like a casual friend. Talking to me only when they needed help from me and not want to get to know me more. It was as if i had offended them in some way and because of it they stay away from me and did not like the way i do things and give ideas. I was so desperate to get myself in to a group that i struggle to get along with all my friends. Some were abusive while others just did not want to get along with me. I would always gladly do things for them despite that sometimes i did not know that i was being used. And when i rebel against their actions they would black mail or threaten me. I would always feel that being alone was the best idea that can ever happen. In secondary 5, i started to have pockets of friends around me and we did things that were fun like going for a movie and shopping. We did not really share a real realtionship. After O levels, when we have parted to our separate ways, we had forgotten each other and i'm back to square 1 again, alone is best. that was until i have found you guys.
All of you treated me as if i was a long lost friend that has gone for a long time and didn't come back until now. You guys treated me as if i was a sister to all. This gave me a sense that these group of friends was going to be different from all the other groups of friends that i had before. On that very sunday which was easter sunday, i gave my life to Jesus. Not only was it because i have felt Him beckoning me to join Him, I know that God has given friends that really cared about me.
Despite who i am and that i'm broke constantly every month, you guys try to help me. I thank you all for that. This week Pastor How talked about having right relationships and i do mean RIGHT. So whati really want to say is that i pray that you all are the RIGHT group of friends that God has given me and that you guys won't fade away like all the past group of friends that i had.. i really want my relationship with all of you to be like a legacy and not a distant memory..
may you all be enlightened by this about me, God bless all, ~lulu
Hey Guys, I have created a site called MemoraMail. This site contains only a few articles at the moment since it's just launched. The site is fully functional already.
You can use this site as an evangelistic tool since there's quite a few awesome biblical messages that you can send. For those who are not Christians yet, you can send them "The Good News!".
Go ahead and try out the site. It's still under Beta Testing so a lot of features are missing. But I'll be working on it to improve.
If you guys have some great messages that you think I should include, just drop me an email at ProFire88@hotmail.com or just post the message on this blog. I read every posting.
This weekend is BANDANA WEEKEND! Yes, it means that you'll have to put on a BANDANA on a part of your body like your wrists, neck, head when you come for services.
It's gonna be fun! You can purchase bandanas at any 77th Street Outlet. We'll meet early before service to get ours!
Remember to LINK THIS UP and visit it from time to time for the most exciting UPDATES!
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