This is probably my last post THIS year... was just reflecting what a FAST year it has been! IGNYTE launch, Kim drops her first teeth, Ken celebrates his first birthday, SYF, Mulplication, Emerge and everything else in between - whoa! Like what P. Jeff preached this morn - I can say it is only by His GRACE, GOODNESS and GUIDANCE! I want to specially thank my wife for holding the fort at home - and allowing me to be released into the ministry! Love you dear! ;-) And thanks to all the friends in ministry - for your prayers, support - yes there will be more storms ahead - but with all of you around- I'm looking forward to them - let's CROSS over!
Wow... it's a sudden sigh of relief with our office net going up again this morn! Anybody missed the internet these pass few days as much as I did!?!?!??
Haha... I ever prayed this prayer - "Lord, send me... but... PLEASE could you make sure there is net access there?"
I guess it's around us, it has shaped us - the way we communicate, the way we shop, the way we think... suddenly it hit me - would we miss the Holy Spirit as much?! Is He influencing our lives equally- if not more? *pause*
Anyways - to answer Por's question below - sorry... T.O.P = Temporary Occupancy Permit. Means construction work will still be carried out... for your own safety guys - hang in there ok?I like the ownership - but hold steady!
In fact - for the month of Jan - Every week - Mon to Thur the place will be handed to the Construction company - they will hand over to TCC on Fri... which will have some implications on our rehearsals and cells - your SLs will inform you...
Do keep the ministry in prayer - thanks Kaf, Yvette and Cherie for joining me at Powerbase just now- it was hardwork... but much needed.
I thinking of continuing in the New Year - the prayer and fast - maybe first Friday of every month - anyone wants to join me? :-)
Dear Pastor Darick, if we have obtained T.O.P., does it mean we can enter PL and explore and get familiar with the huge place??? from an eager leader. :)
Sigh... looks like my body's shutting down.... woke up with FLU... I can't afford to be sick now! :-( Popped a few Lemsip (MAX) tablets... brought my family out for Charlotte's Web - what a TREAT!
Technology has finally caught up to do justice for the story - you really can't tell when they are using real animals or animation - it's too photo realistic! After a while - I gave up trying - and just ENJOYED the movie- which should be the way....
Fave line from the movie: "Two ordinary things, when put together, sometimes make one less-ordinary thing."
Well... if you want to catch just one movie this season - I think this should be worth it. :-) (Actually, I wouldn't know about the rest.. cause this IS the ONLY movie I caught this season...hee...oh well....gotta crash....ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz)
Thanks all for praying! Was so glad when I finally finished the 2nd Christmas morn service... felt a whole LOAD lighter when I was on my way to Hillcrest... All I can say is - God is good! :-)
So what has the 3-unwise-men-with-5-gold-rings-on-a-sexy-pose gotta do with Christmas? 'Tis a season to be funny!.... Hahaha... thanks guys: Andre, ZC, Kev - you guys were hilarious...
But found an interesting site that talks about the interpretation of that song - you might like it: Click here
As usual - with everything else on the net - read with a pinch of salt... ;-) (So glad to be part of the ladies milking and dancing...)
Love you all! Thanks for the cards (read EVERY one of them slowly)...gifts... many many thanks!
It's gonna be a PURPOSEFUL year ahead - can't wait!!!!
Confession! This is my first time visiting our Blog! Have been busy over the past few weeks, but its been really fruitful indeed. Camp... Celebrate.. Meetings... planning... Ahhhh, sometimes my holiday swings just seep in and I don’t feel like working at all.... But, thinking about PL,I cant help but feel excited that I’m part of this sowing force, sowing into a legacy marked by God's Destiny!
Anyways, I returned to work on Tuesday (after a not-enough 1 week break!) and a couple of my colleagues came up to me and shared how grand and nice TCC@PL is!!!! They passed by the place and I guess the building just speaks for itself (in the center of all the mundane looking factories?!). Haha, for a moment i felt a little embarrassed cos have not got the chance to see it for myself. But when they shared that with me, I felt really proud of what our church is doing! Deep inside, i know its more than the good looks but the purpose behind it.... I cant wait to step my foot into TCC@PL... even if its still all dusty and gets my skin all itchy and rashy!!
Wells, my colleagues’ comments started a mini talking session about it... cool huh??? Quote my boss, she feels that TCC is like a 'power' church... sounds familiar?? =) Haha, not say i want to say... but am really proud to be a Trinitarian... hehe...
My prayer for Ignyte will be likewise - A sense of purpose and destiny, - A strong sense and identity as a child of God, an army for the Lord - A strong ownership for the ministry
"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because youmust, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."
As i was writing my expectation in the new year for buzz group, my SPs and myself for my section. I felt that in the coming year we as leaders we need to lead by example. I totally agreed with what Michelle Lee wrote. We must be willing and eager to serve (vs 3) . To see the youth to take ownership of the ministry, we the leaders of PL must be willing and to serve God with all that we are. In our actions and speech, we are to lead them by examples.
I believed God has placed the leaders and the youth in PL for a great purpose! We need to move into the promise Land and to see beyond the giants (the uncertainty, the resources that we have) and take the milk and honey. God see what is in the heart more than what we can do.
Ooh have been so busy with Celebrate! and stuff that I haven't really had the time to post here. I think this blog's a great idea and I've been so encouraged by what has been shared, especially by Haggai 2:1-9. Keep the posts coming in! As the youngest member of the IGNYTE@PL team, I must first say to everyone: qing duo duo zhi jiao. (:
Was just spending some time with God today and He guided me to this passage:
1 Chronicles 29:1-9 Gifts for Building the Temple
"1 Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD ?"
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly."
Above the resources David dedicated to building God's house, he gave of his personaltreasures- gold and silver (v3). That's different from resources. (v2)Though we may not be building God's house physically, but we are building His house in the spiritual sense. We may not have gold or silver to offer, but what we have are talents and giftings He has blessed us with, in addition to our time and energy.
In this season, God has been challenging me to give MORE to the building of His house, "over and above" what I have been giving, especially as we move into PL. Honestly, I'm a person who's quite stingy with my time and am quite commitment-phobic, because I don't want to pile too many things on my plate and not be able to manage. Sometimes I do feel reluctant to take on new responsibilities in school and even in ministry. But God reminded me of Luke 12:48-
"... From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
And yet, to give more of ourselves, we need to give "freely and wholeheartedly" (v9). The people's sincere devotion to God and the building His house is evidently palpable in this passage. Note that what David and his people gave to the Lord were called gifts- gifts for building the temple.A gift is given out of love, out of a personal desire to please. God didn't demand them to give- there was no obligation to. Yet, they gave because they believed in a vision, a vision of seeing God's temple built and His Presence inhabit that place. It was a project that involved the entire nation (v6-9) and this is something I'd like to see in IGNYTE- that all of us would want to give the gift of our time, energy and talents to the building of God's house.
We build more than just a building or a youth ministry. We build His kingdom. And if we as leaders want to see our youths follow in our footsteps, we need to set the example, just as what David and his leaders did (v9).
What are some of our "personal treasures" today that God may be prompting us to give? Let them be unconditional gifts of love to the Lord, as we sow wholeheartedly into the exciting vision for IGNYTE@PL that God has placed in our hearts.
Exciting stuff ahead! Let's keep running on for Him!
in His love, mich lee
(haha now there's michelle leong too so must add surname. And I get the record for the longest post so far! Geez I know I'm verbose. *sheepish grin* Record-breaking attempts anyone? :))
Just came back from another round of recee from PL - wow - progress is fast! But still quite a bit to go....for WATCHNIGHT! So do keep the building project in prayer yar!?? Thank God this time some parts of the rooms are fully air-conditioned - the last round I was dripping wet after the whole recee! They've carpetted the LTs - looks REALLY cosy... hope the youths won't fall asleep when I preach! Haha...Well... it looks...NICE - some more work to do... but check it out:
Oh btw - this is LT2 - there's a high chance we will use LT1 instead- as LT2 may be more convenient for the old folks in Chinese min - I told P.Sunny "No prob! That's the least this generation can do to show honour the elderly..." :-) LT1 is the exact mirror image of LT2. Carpet's gonna be darker colour too...cool. so it's gonna be:
Hey leaders! It's been a really busy season since EMERGE camp and Celebrate and all... but it's been a meaningful time as well huh? I really think yesterday's Celebrate was really awesome, so sweet, so family. It'll be fond memories. (and 3 cheers for the committee for their hard work and good work!!! )
so yes, i've been so busy that i haven't come online since before camp... so what i'm about to share was actually something God led me to 4 days ago, on the friday that we were praying and fasting for ignyte@PL ... it's a powerful word and i hope you'll be encouraged by it, just as i was!
Haggai 2 The Promised Glory of the New House
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty. 5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
This word really encouraged me... I think God really showed me that He knows how we feel and He knows what some of us may have thought - that by splitting, it's "like nothing" (v3), our resources are lesser, our manpower lesser... it seems like everything's scarce now.
But He assures us that He is with us, and that we gotta be strong... LEADERS at PL, BE STRONG ... ... and WORK. I think it's so interesting that God reminds us... that we gotta WORK too. haha. Yup, He is with us, but we gotta do the work. (v4)
and His promise is that He will fill our house, our ministry with His glory and it will be greater than that of yesterday! and people will come, resources will come in (v7). GOd will provide. i believe that we will indeed break barriers as God moves in ignyte@PL . amen?
are you excited?? i'm really so excited and yes, though next year and even now, it'll be a lot of hard work and perhaps even painful to let go (friends, buddies, comfort zones etc) , i'm sure that down the road, when we look back, we'll know that it was all worth it. so let's press on and see His purpose come to pass!
It was pouring outside... but deep in the hearts of everyone in Hilltop Restaurant last night was anything but cold!
Haha.. it was much fun... food...fellowship... thank God for His leading... changed my sermon around as I sensed the atmosphere.... I knew I had to shift the emphasis to Barrier Breaking... someone in that room last night.....well.. we can only tell many years from now... :-)
My wife 'betrayed' me!!! :-\ Sigh... that pose.... *cringe*.... may it remind you guys- don't make any silly poses for photos- your past will catch up with you! phwa.... mei lian qian ren le....
As I was praying & seeking God last Fri lunch, I felt God speaking thru this verse: "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3:5. This was where the Lord had led Israel across the Jordan river and I sense tht as we are moving forth into new territory, we need to move forth with pure hearts, consecrated hearts! And even as we're warring in this season to inherit the land God's given us i believe He wld remind us that "He will never leave us or forsake us Josh 1:5" U shld read the 1st few chapters for yourselves its quite encouraging! God Bless!
i'm quite comfy with writing/ranting/blogging on my own blog, but now, i just don't know what i should blog about! >.<
(can i not bother abt good english, consistency in language and caps since it's a blog?)
anyways, adhering to the title of my entry, i'm literally and officially KNOCKED OUT from EMERGE! wait, before you think the negative way, i jus wanna explain that i'm just physically tired, having slept through an average 3-4 hours a day throughout the camp.
went to work yesterday despite being so bummed, and since it was my last day at work before I move to another arena of the marketplace, i had nothing to do. so i just slept at my desk from 9.30am to 2pm!! hehe!! yar, i'm a piggie, so. sue. me. hahahahahaa!!
had nothing to do today, so after meeting my future employer to sign the letter of appointment, i headed home and slept from 2pm to 6pm! yeah! i need rest! loads of it! *^^*
quite excited for my new job at warner music! but yup, as usual, in His own perfect timing, the LORD spoke to me during camp about the impending road that may be rocky and fraught with traps, and reminded me of times when i shall be moulded and make discerned choices. but of course, He also assured me that He will be there to guide me, so i'll hold on to that promise!
everything's a blur to me still, cos i do not know what to expect too, but i trust that the LORD would not put me beyond what i can bear. moreover, the LORD did put me through lots of similar tests, so i trust that the LORD will guide me through this period as well.
one thing that hit me during EMERGE was the illustration drawn from the ending of 'Cars'. indeed, i thank God for that revelation that says that 'winning' doesn't really matter. what matters most is that thru the whole course of the race, you learnt something along the way, and helped others along the way.
perhaps due to the course of study during my poly days, which wasn't as pleasant as one would expect, it was impt to be sure of what you are doing, and when in doubt, never ask others, as other ppl in the cohort mite luff at you and think of you as an incompetent loser. that didn't go well with me, who's quite a warped perfectionist (i hope u understand what i mean) to begin with. so i prided my own work a lot and neglected others along the way. but God spoke to me that if i keep wanting to win, then i would've missed the whole point of running this race that the LORD has set for me. His race is different from the the world's race. His race is a race of compassion and a race for excellence in the kingdom, and not a race to "win it all". i have yet to experience the full magnitude of what this word for this season encompasses, but i kinda woke up thru that revelation. God may not speak thru every service during the camp for me, but when He does, i'm glad and thankful for that word, which came thru like a gentle whisper in the ear. =)
Hello! It's time to reflect about the year! This didn't come about because I was sitting down and thinking, oh. What shall 2007 be about, and all that. Rather, I was just thinking a lot about Ignyte and ministry, and this all came to me. So, here's sharing a bit with you all.
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It's been a good year, I'd say. And now, wow, more responsibility. "With great power comes great reponsibility." said Spiderman's uncle. And well, power comes in the form of knowledge as well.
For me, 2006's theme was to arise. And well, arise in some areas, I did. I believe 2007's theme is...to set an example.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers, in speech, in life, in love and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)
You know, I used to think a new year, resolutions etc weren't necessary. After all, they're just measurements of time, aren't they? But well, I dunno. After 2006 sort of having a theme to it, and God showing me something for 2007, I guess each new year has more significance to me now. It's God's another opportunity sort of thing to use me in another way, to do a new work in me I guess. "As for me, I am in Your hands; do with me whatever You think is good and right." (Jeremiah 26:14)
I pray you let Him use you too.
Life isn't the easiest journey (don't we all know). Like I may not have the best of a family. Though well, I have to say that I have a lot of things good– great friends that make a gd family yada yada. Still, there's more to life than just that :) And like we always say, being a Christian aint easy and church is hard, sometimes. Still, God is good. And while thinking and near being overwhelmed, I was reminded of this–
"Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)
And you know, when things get complicated and funny and blah blah, and sometimes when I get confused by the so many voices around (No, I'm not crazy and hearing random voices. I mean the voice of people. And well, the voice of God as well), I must remember to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
You too :)
"... live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." – Ephesians 4:1-6
I'll upload some pics too! I have 1118 pics on my side :) these r some of my favourites
I took this while hiding from the youths. its from the cafe-looking place behind the curtains of the ballroom :)
PPG1 - they had to smile into the black cloth. Trina took this of yinting!
End of PPG2! I like this pic a lot. But I dont think their ambush worked though
But this ambush worked!
This too! Aaron was holding Kah Fei, but Aaron was wet too
Our dear pastor had his eyes tightly shut. I think he was crying. I think it was also because the olive oil was streaming down his face
Trina and Grace were spraying each other with air freshener. For that matter, Trina sprayed everyone's butts with air freshener.... me included -_-"
And the taupok of raine. I think they were trying to spray Raine too. I think Bren's in the pic
Alright, that's about all bloggers allowing me to upload. 5bx brought about guys hugging each other and a lot of hairy legs. Wait for it in the webbie!
It has been an exciting time in camp, seeing the youths being touch by God. This is my first year serving as a adult leader in camp and the experience is really awesome!
The camp comm really did a good job! well done bros and sistas!!
I am really glad to be part of Eliam with Aloy.. The youths that are with us really cool people. I miss them now... having meals and laugh about cartoons that we watched.. haha.. that was one of the topics my group laugh about. I am looking forward for more than God will be doing in ignyte @ PL.
Emerged into a new generation and be the king and queen for God!! Jane
WWWOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOOOO!!!! - That is if I can sum up the camp in one word. If two words: God moved. I am spent.... But just seeing the lives touched by God at the altars - priceless! I enjoyed the games.... felt they were really well thought out and objective-driven.... the water bomb finale was a KILLER! Haha... got really wet after that.... (Picture: that's me... attempting a war cry... and oh - my fierce camo on face became a gothic look after the war...haha...) Nursing an injured knee now...ouch!... :'( ironically it wasn't the games but while taking photos on the last morning service! Bent down to get a low-angle shot of worship leader Raine... and whacked my knee on the edge of a flower pot...aiyo... was really weeping there at the altar... here's the shot... painfully...Getting down to work now... gotta BIRTH the sermon for this weekend... yeah... looking at Jericho probably.... *yawn*... maybe I'll get some sleepz first..... 8|
Day before camp... still busy preparing my sermons for the camp... finally decided on the two sermon titles: "Emerging from Egypt" and "A New Generation from Gilgal".... a lot more work and research... :-Filled with thoughts during service... sigh... such an unrest in my spirit! Will try to catch some sleep.. driving up tmr... 3 hours.. then start preaching the minute I touch down - God I need you!!
Was looking through the photos of the recee again... it was fun... especially this one! LoL! Yup.. was reminded... HUNGER for the right things... No nonsense... and yeah - PANELized... reminds me of crucifying ourselves with Christ... yeah - PL - I can't wait! :-) PDa
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