Take All of Me

Willow Creek

2009-10-17T16:00:00.002+10:00

Our church is currently going through the 'Just Walk Across the Room' series by Bill Hybels. Let's adopt the mindset of Jesus... He's interested in people, Christians and non-Christians alike. Get ready to move my friends!

Some other interesting vids from Willow Creek Church

Greg Hawkins
http://revealnow.com/story.asp?storyid=48

Bill Hybels
http://revealnow.com/story.asp?storyid=80

Quit Trying to Please Everybody

2009-09-23T20:05:00.004+10:00

by Rick Warren
"It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you" (Proverbs 29:25 GN).

When we worry about what other people think, we let them control us. We waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure out what other people want us to be. Then, we waste a lot of time and energy trying to become like that rather than just being what God made us to be. You're manipulated and controlled by somebody else.

Worrying about what other people think is dangerous because we're more likely to cave in to criticism. It means we don't always do the right thing; instead, we do the thing that everybody wants us to do.

And we're in danger of missing God's best because we're so worried about what other people what us to do that we can't stop to think about what God wants us to do.

You cannot please everybody. Even God can't please everybody. One person prays for it to rain; another prays for it to be sunny. In the Super Bowl, both teams are praying that they will win. Who is God going to answer? God can't please everybody. Only a fool would try to do what even God can't do. You can't please everybody.

99 Balloons

2009-07-27T18:10:00.000+10:00

Prosper During Famine

2009-06-11T15:11:00.000+10:00

Prosper During Famine, Wayne Alcorn

Tell Him

2009-06-01T08:19:00.001+10:00

By Rick Warren
One way to worship God is to talk to Him.When you really love somebody you don't just want to spend time with that person, you want to talk with him or her, also. Think about two teenagers falling in love; they're on the phone all the time.

They talk and talk and talk. They're getting to know each other. That's how you get to know someone—through communication. If your spouse never, ever talks to you, you have every reason to start wondering, "Do they love me?"

And that's why we show God we love Him when we talk to Him. What do you talk to God about during this kind of worship? Anything that you'd talk to your best friend about: your hopes, your fears, your dreams, your anxieties, the things you're proud of, the things you're ashamed of, your goals, your ambitions, your hurts, your cares, every part of your life. You come to God and you talk to God about anything and everything.

The Bible says, "I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" (Psalm 116:1-2 NLT). If you don't feel close to God, there's a simple remedy for that: start talking to Him! He has invited you to talk with Him; He wants to talk with you. Prayer is not some duty that you have to do. It's a privilege that you get to do. You get to talk to the Creator of the universe.

You may be saying, "I'd like to have more prayer time with God. I'd like to talk to God. I just don't have the time." Then you're too busy. You'll never have the time; you must make the time to pray. If your Christian life has become routine, dull, and joyless, then take that to God and talk to Him.

The Art of Balance

2009-06-01T07:56:00.004+10:00

Good read... I share his views.

The Art of Balance

Just found out something today, but I wasn't surprised... I expect more of such cult-ish actions to continue.

I Believe

2009-06-01T01:29:00.003+10:00

I have been attending the youth serivce over the past three weeks. I really like their vibrant praise and worship, but I feel so old among so many young people. Rapture Ruckus (pretty similar to Pillar? Back in the days where Jeff raps lol!) came and performed at BCC today. Not a big fan of rap music, but hey, the lyrics these guys were rapping were really powerful and its the TRUTH. Took me awhile, but I soon started to appreciate what they were singing, ok rapping. Really like their new song, Hold On, one of their tame and slower songs. These guys have been touring Queensland for the past three weeks, reaching out to the youths through their music, and sharing with people their life experience and how God saved them. There was a short outreach sermon at the end and 10 people accepted Christ! Brilliant eh! :) Hold On, Press On everyone! Enjoy their song ... 'I Believe'!

Eph 1:7-8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

VINNIE COLAIUTA and TEDDY CAMPBELL TESTIMONY

2009-05-02T12:16:00.001+10:00

2 of the top drummers today.

Parachute Band

2009-04-27T03:26:00.005+10:00

Here are some songs that we've been singing in church. I was completely clueless about them when I first went to BCC, and it took some time to familiarise (kept looking at the lyrics)myself with these 'new' songs . After doing some research, I've found the songs on youtube! Good stuff. It seems like our worship pastor is one of the Parachute Band song writers!

Living Rain

Surrender All

Thine is the Kingdom

..... i've got a mid-sem paper tomorrow :( God HELP ME again! 2 more months before I grad! I can't wait!

:)

2009-04-27T00:07:00.004+10:00

Some people see a cup half empty
Some people see a cup half full
Christians see a cup with water and thank God for it!

Brilliant sermon today about living in the now. Check out the podcast on the BCC website when its out! www.brisbanecitychurch.com

Check this one out as well. The first sermon I heard in BCC. Event vs Process Driven Christians. Something for all of us to think about.

http://podcasts.citychurch.com.au/audio/Bayless%20Conley%20-%20Process%20V

Nearly... thank God!

2009-04-16T03:14:00.008+10:00

I can't stand horrible drivers! argh..

Went out to get some supper at Maccers just now. On the way back, I almost got T-boned (driver side) by an idiot cab driver who ran a red light at speed! I think he was trying to beat the amber light but he TOTALLY didn't stand a chance!

I had to turn right, out to the main road but the lights were red, so I slowed down, preparing to stop. The lights turned green (for me) about 5 meters before I reached the junction so I continued without coming to a complete stop. I was in 1st gear (thank God!). As I started my turn to the main road, I saw at the corner of my eye a cab coming at me at high speed! Why didn't he stop is beyond me. All other cars on the main road came to a stop already!

Thank God my car's full of torque at the low ends which means I can accelerate fast. Instinctively I floored the throttle and went straight instead of turning right, hoping he'll miss me. It missed me by INCHES! If my car was any longer........ I remember turning my head as I was trying to get away and seeing the cab just beside me. It was so unreal! Reminded me of my previous T-bone experience.

I was fuming! But anger soon turned to gratitude. I have more things to be thankful for than not. My drink was still intact :)

So yes, really want to thank God for His protection. I know he has a plan for me, a good one... I'm not done yet!

Principle vs Method

2009-03-22T23:17:00.002+10:00

Got this off another blog... Good read...

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When a revival happens, it is often started by one person who have received something from God. Be it Martin Luther or The Wesley brothers. Each is responsible to add back what was lost to bring the church back to where God will come eventually for His glorious church .

In my time as a christian, we have gone from Singing Hymns with Church organ to Praise and worship and a full band, from a non-tongue speaking person to one filled with the Holy spirit and moving in the gift of God. From a congregational church to a cell-church.

As we come closer to the end times, i see God adding more facets to the church and it is important that we must allow the Holy spirit to lead us in this new area of our church life. We are called a movement because it is always moving and changing.

But it is important to also always realise that we must not let methods become principle and principle become the law. If things doesn't work, we need to change, we need to learn also from other churches and see what God is doing around the world.

Many of my friends who have left the church, often have one common theme, we were always too close up and often we seldom or never invite other preachers. We often think we have the best method, best style and best structure. As the world and church movement change, where once we were at the forefront of church growth have not been lagged far behind, where church have discovered more arenas God wants to add back, we were still only talking about world mission.

In fact, when i first joined _____, it was a revolutionary thinking, Global church planting, but other churches have caught on Global missions, in fact many big churches are already doing just that, my friend's church where once was a local church have started to church plant as well. In the meantime, other churches have also added new areas into the Church. Churches have started writing songs, producing CDs, going on TV actively engaging the community through business and culture. God has always wanted us to be the head and not the tail. God wants us to claim back what belongs to God.

It would be good that we start to explore other area of God's gift- because of how we use to structure alot of our ministry. People whose gifts centres on teaching, missions and pastoral, often will prosper in the church, But not many on other areas like worship, prophetic and signs and wonders, etc.

Keep what works and throw our what doesn't, reduce turnover and build on momentum. Serving God is not only just doing church ministry work - we can all serve God in our family, career, our relationship and community work. Allow yourself to explore because in truth not everyone is called to become missionary or church pastor if so, who is going to be the businessman, who is going to be the musican and worship leader who is going to play supporter.

God has designed and created each and everyone different, take this time to discover your gift. Keep the principles as it is unchanging but methods will. Now what you might say is principle and method, For eg. God wants us to win the world - Matt 18 ( in the bible ). that is principle. Going to the streets to evangelise, become a missionary and go to another country. That is method, because it answers the How question. You can also win the world by starting a school and be a businessman and use the money you make to help the poor and share christ. You can produce an album and share your songs to the world. These are methods that can be used to help spread the word.

Because as we are all created with different gifts. if we only use one formula, then we will leave out those who are gifted in other areas. God wants us to build churches - yes but how we do it is method. You can send a team, you can help a struggling church, you can send a big team to one place, or send multiple teams its really up to you and these are methods. I really hope as we move on... we will transform ourselves and be a better church

Jesus Gave Honest Counsel

2009-03-13T22:10:00.000+10:00

by Rick Warren

"A friend means well even when he hurts you" (Proverbs 27:6 GN).

Jesus shows us that real friends care enough to confront. Even when it's painful, they'll tell you the truth (Proverbs 27:6 GN). They won't let you waste your life in silence.

I've found that correcting another is powerful—and it can be dangerous. Done the right way, it builds people up, but done the wrong way, it can scar a person for life.

The difference between the right and the wrong way to correct is your attitude. If all you're doing is pointing out faults, then stop. The purpose has to be to correct, not to condemn.

You need to ask, "What's my motive in this? Am I correcting him for my benefit or for his benefit?"

A lot of times we want to correct people just because they're being jerks and they're hassling us. We think, "If they would stop being such a jerk, my life would be easier."

That's the wrong motive.Instead, follow Ephesians 4:15, which says, "Speak the truth in love." Love means giving people what they need rather than what they deserve.

So this is the key to proper correction: Affirm the person; then correct the behavior.

Serving from the Heart

2009-03-06T20:06:00.002+10:00

by Rick Warren

From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he'll take charge of sending the rain at the right time .... Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (MSG)

*** *** *** ***
Repeatedly, the Bible says to "serve the Lord with all your heart." God wants you to serve him passionately, not dutifully. People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about. God wants you to use your natural interests to serve him and others.

How do you know when you're serving God from your heart?

The first telltale sign is enthusiasm. When you're doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you, or challenge you, or check up on you. You do it for the sheer enjoyment. You don't need rewards, or applause, or to be paid, because you love serving in this way.

The opposite is also true: When you don't have a heart for what you're doing, you're easily discouraged.

One characteristic of serving God from your heart is effectiveness: whenever you do what God wired you to love to do, you get good at it. Passion drives perfection. If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you'll excel at it.

On the other hand, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit.

We've all heard people say, "I took a job I hate in order to make a lot of money, so someday I can quit and do what I love to do." That's a big mistake. Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart.

Remember, the greatest things in life are not things. Meaning is far more important than money. The richest man in the world once said, "A simple life in the fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches" (Proverbs 15:16 MSG).

Don't settle for achieving "the good life," because the good life is not good enough. Ultimately, it doesn't satisfy. You can have a lot to live on, and still have nothing to live for. Aim instead for "the better life" - serving God in a way that expresses your heart.

Figure out what you love to do - that which God gave you a heart for - and then do it for his glory!

Fireproof

2009-03-06T03:17:00.003+10:00

Highly recommended Christian movie.

John Holt: Has she thanked you for anything you've done the last 20 days?

Caleb Holt: No! And you'd think after I washed the car, I've changed the oil, do the dishes, cleaned the house, that she would try to show me a little bit of gratitude. But she doesn't! In fact, when I come home, she makes me like I'm - like I'm an enemy! I'm not even welcome in my own home, Dad. That is what really ticks me off! Dad, for the last three weeks, I have bent over backwards for her. I have tried to demonstrate that I still care about this relationship. I bought her flowers, which she threw away. I have taken her insults and her sarcasm, but last night was it. I made dinner for her. I did everything I could to demonstrate that I care about her, to show value for her, and she spat in my face! She does not deserve this, Dad. I'm not doing it anymore! How am I supposed to show love to somebody over and over and over who constantly rejects me?

John Holt: [touches, then leans against Cross] That's a good question.

When Serving God, Listen to Your Heart

2009-03-05T21:24:00.000+10:00

by Rick Warren

A man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
The Bible uses the term "heart" to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections that you have. Your heart represents the source of all your motivations – what you love to do and what you care about most. Even today, we still use the word in this way when we say, "I love you with all my heart."

The Bible says what is in your heart is what you really are, not what others think you are, or what circumstances force you to be (Proverbs 27:19). Your heart is the real you. It determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the way you do, and why you act the way you do.

Physically, each of us has a unique heartbeat. Just as we each have unique thumbprints, eye prints, and voiceprints, our hearts beat in slightly different patterns. It's amazing that out of all the billions of people who've ever lived, no one has ever had a heartbeat exactly like yours.

In the same way, God has given each of us a unique emotional heartbeat that races when we think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things and not about others. These are clues to where you should be serving.

Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects that you feel deeply passionate about and others that you couldn't care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention, while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart; listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have.

When you were growing up you may have discovered that you were intensely interested in some subjects that no one else in your family cared about.

Where did those interests come from? They came from God!

God had a purpose in giving you these inborn interests. Your emotional heartbeat is a key to understanding your shape for service. Don't ignore your interests; consider how they might be used for God's glory. There is a reason that you love to do these things.

Listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have.

The Blessing of Surrender

2009-02-19T05:47:00.001+10:00

by Rick Warren

Quit quarreling with God! Agree with him and you will have peace at last! His favor will surround you if you will only admit that you were wrong. Job 22:21 (LB)

*** *** *** ***
The Bible is very clear about how we benefit when we worship God through surrender: “Agree with him and you will have peace at last! His favor will surround you if you will only admit that you were wrong” (Job 22:21 LB).

In surrender, you begin to really live the life God intended: “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 LB).

You are set free, liberated from self-preoccupation: “But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!” (Romans 6:16-18 MSG).

God is able to use you in great ways.

Why did God choose Mary, of all women, to be the mother of Jesus? It was because she was totally surrendered to God. When the angel explained God’s improbable plan, she humbly responded, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said” (Luke 1:38 CEV).

Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God.

Nice

2008-12-04T03:04:00.000+10:00

“But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT)

I'll be doing that tomorrow!

One more semester

2008-11-23T03:20:00.001+10:00

Another semester has gone by, and I’m going to Singapore for my summer internship! Time really flies. But it’s good; I like to age, as I always tell my friends. With age comes experiences, and with experiences come wisdom, and we are getting ever so close to meet God in heaven! So yes, I’m glad to be old-er! :D One more semester and I’ll be done with my Masters and studies (might do CFA sometime in the future though). There’s this burning anticipation in my heart to see what God has installed for me in the future. As of now, I will say I’m not sure what my plans are after I graduate. Still praying and seeking God about it. But I know His plans are good, and I’m gonna follow them to the very last detail :D

Time for some semester reflection :) Some things really stood out for me this semester.

Firstly, there were reminders, time and time and time again, of how good God is. It comes to the point of just “wow”! I think there were many times, I was ‘bailed out’ by God, for example, my studies. Yes, I think I did study hard this semester. I took awhile for me to get my engine started, jumping straight back to study from working in Singapore. It was hard to readjust but thank God for arranging this semester in a way that pushed me to start my engine early with assignments and tests early on. I totally don’t deserve the grades I got for the amount of work I put in, but by His grace and blessing, I got what I got (had a miracle paper). Even after so many wow moments (my entire life), I still found it hard to put my TOTAL trust in God. Still learning, still trying.

I have an ‘almost’ testimony. Why almost? I was studying for my hardest course in one of the classrooms on a Sunday night when the cleaning boss came and chased me out (it was really random for her to come to that building). This time was different, she was really nice, and said, “you should go home and get some rest for your paper tomorrow” I had a short 5min chat with her and then I left. It was 1am and I had a paper the next day at 1115am. When that happened, I felt really, ‘arghhh’. I haven’t really prepared for that paper and I planed to study overnight for it. I asked God, “God why must this happen? I can’t even study in peace”… but as I left the class I had the peace in my heart that God ‘sent’ the cleaner to chase me home for a reason. As I was walking back I felt God prompting me very clearly… “Lem, you’ve done enough… go home and have a good rest, so you’ll be refreshed for tomorrow’s paper”… (hmmm, second time “go home and rest”)

Basically by then, I had already gone through the past exam questions with Alvin and Johanan (2 finance gurus!). That’s about all I’ve done to prepare for the exam. So even though it was clearly God speaking and I had the peace, I thought to myself… “nah, this can’t be God, how can just doing the past year questions be enough?” I remembered the lecturer kept sending us emails to warn us that the paper is gonna be REALLY HARD and that we needed to study really hard to just score a pass! So I basically ignored that prompting from God and studied through the night. I went to school feeling really ‘heated’ (the feeling you get when you don’t sleep)… basically I don’t think I was in a condition to take the paper. I did anyway… and guess what?! About 80/100 marks worth of questions was from the past year papers!!!! I was stunned … “Wow”

I went back to repent after that for not trusting God enough. We always ask God to help us, and when He does so in extraordinary circumstances, we choose not to believe and ignore those promptings and leading. This incident reminded me of how God is so interested in us. He knows not only what we’re going through but what is to come, indeed the Alpha and Omega. All we have to do is just TRUST HIM and act upon that faith! Disclaimer: this incident only happened to one of my course lol! You will still have to study hard! Do you best and God will do the rest!

Second thing that stood out for me is this. People WILL come in and go out of your life. God will place people into your life for every season, you don’t have to force it. Over this semester, I’ve lost good friends and I’ve gained good friends. Being a very forward looking person, I don’t feel a sense of loss but rather a sense of a change and freshness… “the old has gone and the new has come” sort of a feeling. When a good friend of mine left Brissy for good, I thought to myself it will be hard to find good friends like him again, but God did provide. Not only did He provide enough, he provided me so many more people I can really share life with. Not acquaintances but friends whom I can be open and vulnerable to, friends that I can share a laugh or a tear with. Something that I wanted to grow in this semester is to share life with people, to spend time with people and to bring God into conversations. And wow, I see the effects of taking that effort. I myself got impacted positively through meeting people!

Again, this is something that excites me! It excited me because I want to find out what part I can play in peoples’ lives and what they can in mine, and together spurring each other on, to the purpose that God has called us to. I really want to thank those of you who have played a part in my life this semester. From the guys in JA, to the study/pkr/ice cream/get fat together/PTL/HLLJ/SHAKALABANDEH (man the list goes on and on and on) gang, to the afternoon service worship team, to the obligate (and all your nonsense that came along with you lol), and especially to GGG Viewty (and all other names that are associated with you ;P looking forward to the trip!) You guys/girls know who you are :) I’m truly blessed :)

The third thing that stood out to me is the ‘cry’ of people. I’m not talking about non-Christians, but Christians. I’ve been hearing a lot of things recently which are really disappointing to hear and it burdens my heart. Hmmm, not gonna say much… I just hope things will change soon :)

Lol, this post was meant for Thur… but somehow I slept without posting it!

Song of the moment - 30mins before exam!

2008-11-15T10:37:00.002+10:00

I WALK BY FAITH
I walk by faith
each step by faith
to live by faith
I put my trust in You!!!!

I walk by faith
each step by faith
to live by faith
I put my trust in You!!!!

Every step I take
is a step of faith
no weapon formed against me shall prosper!!
Every prayer I make
is a prayer of faith
and if my God is for me, then who can be against me?!

Somebody praise the Lord! :D

Yay! :D

2008-11-13T19:35:00.004+10:00

The company I was in agreed to take me back for the summer! :D Thanks Amalina!

I can stop looking for a job now and concentrate on studying... whew... praise God!

3 more days, 2 more paper, 1 more week...to SG!

Jesus loves you

2008-11-11T16:05:00.003+10:00

awww... still always gets to me... remember God's love for us :)

Want a lift?

2008-11-10T14:38:00.000+10:00

Something really interesting happened last night while we were walking home from uni after doing some late night studying. Two people actually stopped their cars and asked us if we needed a ride somewhere. The first was a complete stranger. The second was a friend. But wow! Random-ing…..

1 more week till exams are over :D 2 more papers to go!

Surviving Your Schedule

2008-11-01T02:12:00.003+10:00

by Rick Warren
An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions. Proverbs 17:24 (TEV)
*** *** *** ***
Do you ever get to the end of your day and think “Did I accomplish anything today?” Where does all the time go?

If you don’t master your schedule, it will master you. Here are three suggestions from the Bible for reducing the stress of your schedule:

Line up your priorities.
Obviously, you don’t have time to do everything. You must make choices. You must decide what’s really important and what isn’t. Take some time to consider the direction of your life.
· “It is stupid to waste time on useless projects” (Proverbs 12:11 TEV).
· “You may make your plans, but God directs your actions” (Proverbs 16:9 TEV).

Lighten up your attitude.
Do you really have to do everything on your to-do list? No one is holding a gun to your head. A lot of your stress is self-imposed. The Bible says that God gave us humor as a stress reliever.
“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up” (Proverbs 12:25 NLT).
“A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away” (Proverbs 14:30 NLT).
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT).

Look up to God.
Stress is always a warning light that you’ve taken your focus off God and are looking at your problems from your limited viewpoint. I believe the single greatest cause of stress is this: We take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough!

Need more time in your schedule?
“Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short” (Proverbs 10:27 NLT).
“Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children” (Proverbs 14:26 NLT).

Such a timely devotion and word! Praise God! Yesterday was a really bad day for me (easily ranked as one of worst this year), due to my ill discipline and fatigue (sleepless nights), which caused me to think negative stuff and worry. I felt like I was all over the place and everything was a mess! I kept asking myself yesterday... what have I accomplished in studying for my exam (sat's paper)... and because the answer was nothing, I became stressed and worried. This kept playing through my mind (thank God for worship prac though... being in His presence is perfect!) I'm usually not like that... maybe I've taken my eyes off whom I'm supposed to trust and rely on. Think it's been a while since I had this feeling, of hopelessness for an exam. But yea, I'm starting to feel better, after today's study session. I'm still far from where I need to be, but I'm not gonna get stressed or worried about it. I'm gonna set my eyes on you Lord and do my best! Decided to put worship back into my timetable. Been giving that a miss due to intensive studies. But hey, God's presence is the best place to be in after a long day of study! 20 more days to go before I return to Singapore and work!! Exciting!

This is the day that the Lord has made...

2008-10-22T19:32:00.001+10:00

...

Question is, will you rejoice and be glad in it? :D

PTL

Analytical Thinker

2008-10-19T22:22:00.002+10:00

Got this from my friend's blog... try it... Personality Test

I'm an Analytical Thinker.

This is what I got in FULL, though I disagree with some lol! Surely I will remember my wedding date.. among other things!! Am I like that? You guys decide :)

Analytical Thinkers are reserved, quiet persons. They like to get to the bottom of things - curiosity is one of their strongest motives. They want to know what holds the world together deep down inside. They do not really need much more to be happy because they are modest persons. Many mathematicians, philosophers and scientists belong to this type. Analytical Thinkers loathe contradictions and illogicalness; with their sharp intellect, they quickly and comprehensively grasp patterns, principles and structures. They are particularly interested in the fundamental nature of things and theoretical findings; for them, it is not necessarily a question of translating these into practical acts or in sharing their considerations with others. Analytical Thinkers like to work alone; their ability to concentrate is more marked than that of all other personality types. They are open for and interested in new information.

Analytical Thinkers have little interest in everyday concerns - they are always a little like an “absent-minded professor” whose home and workplace are chaotic and who only concerns himself with banalities such as bodily needs when it becomes absolutely unavoidable. The acknowledgement of their work by others does not play a great role for them; in general,they are quite independent of social relationships and very self-reliant. Analytical Thinkers therefore often give others the impression that they are arrogant or snobby - especially because they do not hesitate to speak their mind with their often harsh (even if justified) criticism and their imperturbable self-confidence. Incompetent contemporaries do not have it easy with them. But whoever succeeds in winning their respect and interest has a witty and very intelligent person to talk to. A partner who amazes one with his excellent powers of observation and his very dry humour.

It takes some time before Analytical Thinkers make friends, but then they are mostly friends for life. They only need very few people around them. Their most important ability is to be a match for them and thus give them inspiration. Constant social obligations quickly get on their nerves; they need a lot of time alone and often withdraw from others. Their partner must respect this and understand that this is not due to the lack of affection. Once they have decided in favour of a person, Analytical Thinkers are loyal and reliable partners. However, one cannot expect romance and effusive expressions of feelings from them and they will definitely forget their wedding anniversary. But they are always up to a night spent with stimulating discussions and a good glass of wine!

Adjectives which describe your type: introverted, theoretical, logical, spontaneous, rational, analytical, intellectual, sceptical, pensive, critical, quiet, precise, independent, creative, inventive, abstract, eccentric, curious, reserved, self-involved, imaginative, unsociable, determined, modest, careful, incommunicative, witty

These subjects could interest you: literature, science fiction, philosophy, psychology, mathematics, Internet, drawing/painting, astrology, spiritual things, meditation, music, writing, strategy games, politics

My ramblings

2008-10-10T01:39:00.001+10:00

It’s been awhile… but I’m still here lol :P

This is a shout out to Eunice! (you sparked off a long post from me) :P A silly mistake by her made my day :) It’s nice to receive a sms (though by mistake :P) from someone back home. She mistook me for another Lemuel… gosh… another Lemuel?! It’s ok… I have 3 L’s in my name :P… and I was sporting enough to give you a reply lol!! Out of the bustle of things happening, it’s was a welcome mistake… It was good entertainment and it gave me the chance to pay you out… ah sarcastic humour! Anyway, Eunice, time to save money!!! I’ll be back in about 35 days! Same thing this time ya ;) just over a longer period! Realised that uni starts on 2 March… woo that’s 3 ½ months of holidays/work! Hope you’re doing well in school… sounds like you’re studying :P

Firstly I want to thank God for exceptional mid sem results (by my standards)! There was one subject which I thought I would surely fail, because I almost guessed my way through half the paper. Just using my accumulated ‘experience’ of financial theory and calculation, I worked my way through the paper and committed it to God… All I asked for was to pass the paper. Result day came… I normally won’t let fear get to me, but this time… man, I was dreading to open the results page. But thank God I did! Not only did I pass, I did better than the average of the class!!! OMG OMG… I went berserk in my room (imagine me jumping and screaming)! I remember refreshing the page again to confirm it wasn’t a mistake! Guess what… IT WASN'T A MISTAKE! Do you know why it means? What it meant was that I got FULL marks for everything I attempted/guessed! Wow! That was my lowest mark for all the mid sem papers, but it was the one that gave me the most joy. I call it the miracle paper! God really did a miracle there. Praise God!

I had a lovely time during JG Advance 08. I had the privilege of being part of the organizing committee for this camp. In a way, that caused me to expect so much more than I normally would as a normal camp goer. I wanted God to move not only for myself but for every single person who was there. I expected life changing moments to happen right there up in the mountain. I didn’t go to the advance with a mindset of, “God please answer this, and please answer that” or “God show me what to do” etc… nothing wrong with those. But personally I didn’t want to limit what God could do or speak to me. We go into specifics everyday, and God can minister to a particular thing any day… we don’t need to limit God to some camp for Him to minister.

So every time I go for something special, I have just one request… “God… Shock me!” I want to bring expectation to a whole new level! In fact, every time, God WILL shock me with something. Sometimes it has to do with something close to my heart, sometimes it has to do with something I’m struggling with. But yea, His word will come strong, and obvious enough for me to know that He is speaking to me.

I classified my time up at Mt Tambourine as lovely, because the gentle and loving way God spoke was just lovely! Very ‘awww-ish’. He spoke to me through a wonderful humble brother whom I got to know better being in the same group with him. “God sees your heart”... I would be the first to admit that I’m different from many people… The way I see things, my thought process, etc… and I’m really so tired of trying to explain myself, my actions and thoughts to people, and God saw that. He reminded me again, that above all else, above what people think, He sees my heart. And with 2 words… “thank you”... awwwwwww…. *drip*

That was life changing there. I think many times I so want to succumb to normality and just be like everyone else. To think like how everyone thinks, to do what everyone does. So that I can ‘flow’. But I know God made me this way for a purpose… His purpose… I’m so not gonna give up on that purpose! To not settle, to find gaps, to find new avenues, to explore, to take risks, to venture, to pioneer. But above all else, my life’s sole purpose is to pursue God, to build that love relationship with Him, and to serve Him forever.

I was able to get to know more people over the camp, people whom I don’t normally have a chance to talk to or meet. Awesome! James led our team to victory in the team building games! I also had the privilege of working with different musicians from different groups. Man, you guys are just awesome! Seeing your hearts and passion to worship God is mind blowing! A special shout out to the team from our sub district! Bernard for leading the fast songs even though you preferred the slow ones, Mel for being the anointed worship leader you are, and Cait for taking the challenge of playing keys and adjusting to my mistakes. You guys rock! Continue to grow the gifts that God has given you!

The organizing committee was also awesome. Everyone did their part to ensure that the camp ran smoothly. Sorry guys for being slack sometimes :) Thank you for your grace! And most importantly, God did move in our midst everyday! This is one of the camps that I wished would have been longer! God, we want You SOOO MUCH MORE!! I think many would agree. On the physical side, I think we were glad that it ended because many of us were beat!

Ok, now’s the humbling part. Ouch. Church Anniversary was really awesome for me in terms of God speaking to me and growing my character. I came just wanting to sit back and enjoy the whole thing. But at the last minute, some of us were asked to be the stage crew to carry stuff. At first I was like, man, I don't wanna do anything, I just wanna sit back and enjoy... but I went anyway to the right side of the auditorium to carry stuff when needed. As I was sitting there (before everything began), God begin to speak to me, as I started to ponder. I was thinking to myself, 1 yr ago, I was up on stage playing drums, 1 yr down the road I’m carrying tables up and down the stage. I was telling God, wow, what a huge difference... I saw it as a 'fall from grace' sort of thing. But God, being super cool and loving, spoke to me about serving and humility. "Lem, Is it really different? Playing drums and carrying tables?" In just one sentence, I knew where God was trying to lead me. It was a really ‘aww’ moment that almost made me tear. It was as if something 'clicked' inside of me. I recognised I had pride, I recognised that my idea of serving was biased. I was serving God on my terms not His. It was such a humbling experience for God to speak so directly at the 'issue'! Man, I totally loved these kinds of experiences! Haha, call me weird… BUT I LOVE IT!

After repenting and letting God minister, I had this really unexplainable joy... seriously... I felt as if I was playing the guitar as I carried the table up and down. I had the feeling of "I WANT TO DO IT!" not like 1/2hr ago, "ah...man... ok (no choice)". I was like wow! That’s what serving You is all about. When all else is stripped away, all that is left is my heart wanting to serve you in any way possible. It may not be at the things I’m passionate about or even good at. It’s the heart of just 'wanting to'. After carrying the stuff I went to Sam (he was the one who got asked to ask us to be the stage crew) and said "Thank You Sam for asking me to carry stuff"... I never thought I would say that, and I think he thought I was being sarcastic. LOL, he said... "sorry I really have no choice but to ask you guys to help"... lol, and I said it again "no Sam I really mean it... thank you for giving me this chance to serve" BLISS =D

Now’s the crunch time. Exam proper starts on 1st Nov and ends on 15th Nov. Please pray for me, as I venture to get better marks this semester. I have this tendency to flop at finals after doing well for mid sems. But I’m praying that it won’t happen this time. But in any case, I’m leaving it to God! :) I’m just gonna study really hard and let Him do the rest!

It’s exciting times hey; in the finance world… look at all the things that are happening now… I’m so glad to be studying what I’m studying… it’s as if what I study is being shown to me practically in the real world! Why this, why that. Another thing I want to thank God for is that I found a new course that will be made available next semester. It’s called Trading Floor and Financial Economics! YES! You get to simulate live trading and learn different techniques and the economics behind price movements. I’m SOOO gonna love next semester! The timing is perfect! With one semester to go, I would need all the training and skills to equip myself to be a trader after I graduate! Today, for the first time in what… 5 years? The Singapore Dollar is worth more than the Aussie Dollar! I saw 1 SGD buys you 1.03 AUD!!! So fun!!

It might be awhile before I post again ;) Cheers.

Servants Serve with What They Have

2008-09-18T19:58:00.000+10:00

by Rick Warren

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)

*** *** *** ***
Real servants do their best with what they have. Servants don’t make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances. Servants never say, “One of these days” or “When the time is right.” They just do what needs to be done.

The Bible says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT).

God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are. Less-than-perfect service is always better than the best intention.

One reason many people never serve is that they fear they are not good enough to serve. They have believed the lie that serving God is only for superstars. Some churches have fostered this myth by making “excellence” an idol, which makes people of average talent hesitant to get involved.

You may have heard it said, “If it can’t be done with excellence, don’t do it.” Well, Jesus never said that! The truth is, almost everything we do is done poorly when we first start doing it — that’s how we learn.

Now

2008-09-18T16:22:00.000+10:00

“Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now” (Proverbs 3:28).

Yea

2008-09-13T22:18:00.002+10:00

"Deepest of heart = highest of praise"
- :D

God, let that be my heart, let that be my priase!

EXPECTATIONS (Part 2 of 2)

2008-09-01T19:37:00.001+10:00

By Ps Aaron Low

“According to your faith will it be done to you.”
Matt 9:29 (NIV)

The Christian journey is never a bed of roses. Jesus told us that in this world, we will have trouble but praise God, He as overcome the world (Jhn 16:33).

How can we continue to stay optimistic in this world we are living? Here are 5 keys to help you:

START EACH DAY WITH FAITH
Studies have shown that the first 10 mins of your day will determine your whole tone for the day. So, start your day by confessing the Word of God.

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
Ps 5:3 (NIV)

When you wake up tomorrow morning, start confessing the promises of God in your life!

LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE IN EVERY SITUATION
No matter what happen or circumstances you may be in, when we have faith, all bad things can become good things.

“And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Rom 8:28 (NIV)

Story of Thomas Edison (inventor of light bulb) - At the age of 67, a fire burnt down his laboratory. All the years of research, experiment, equipment and documentation were gone overnight. Thinking that Thomas will be upset, the reporter asked Thomas and this is what Thomas replied, “now I can start all overall again.”

When we look at the positive, God can do something with the positive. Faith pleases God!

GIVE YOUR WORRIES AND CONCERNS TO GOD
Many people never realised how much God loves them and wants to provide for them.

The Apostle Paul recognises the terrible state he was in. Yet Paul’s faith in God was not shaken. He learned to cast his care upon God (2 Cor 1:8-11)

SPEAK POSITIVELY
Study has shown that 70% of sickness starts in the mind. Your body will react to what you speak. Speak positively into your own life and your situation.

In the story of the 12 spies, the words spoken by both Caleb and Joshua carried them through the wilderness into the Promised Land (Num 13:30, 14:7, 8)

BELIEVE YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT DAY/WEEK

“According to your faith will it be done to you.”
Matt 9:29 (NIV)

Believe that you will have a great week. God has given you the Holy Spirit who will empower you to be effective in all you do and be.

Friends, it’s your call. You make the decision and the decision will make you.
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EXPECTATION (Part 1 of 2)

2008-08-28T01:59:00.004+10:00

Written by Ps Aaron Low

“According to your faith will it be done to you.”
Matt 9:29 (NIV)

This is a very common phrase that Jesus used in His earthly ministry. Faith is the very thing that unlocks the supernatural. Faith as defined is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Faith is expecting.

God wants us to have faith, to have expectation in life. A heart of expectation always makes a breeding ground for God to move. What you expect to see, you will get; what you expect to feel, you will get.

Have an expectation in life. Expect that God will touch you in every season of your life, and according to your faith will it be done. Expect God to speak to you, and according to your faith will it be done for you.

There are three reasons why we must have positive expectation in life.

1. HONORS GOD
Imagine my son come to me to ask for a toy car and his request is like this – old, one that was thrown away in the rubbish bin, dirty, smelly, and rusty. How would I have felt with such request? To me, I felt it was an insult. By making those requests, my son is not believing me that I will give him the best. By doing that, my son is not honouring me. As a dad, would I not give him a good new toy car for him to enjoy?

Many times as Christians, we dare not ask God for big things. We do not expect Him to be able to give them to us. So, our prayer is always to ask for small things and small breakthroughs. In doing so, we don’t honour God. But when we began to ask in faith, in positive expectation, knowing that God hears our prayer then these prayers are done in honouring God.

2. INCREASES OUR ABILITIES
Every athletic know that the crucial factor for winning is not about physical training and tuning, but having a great attitude, a positive one. That’s why they visit psychiatrist.

Mohd Ali was one of the greatest boxer ever lived. According to some reports, Mohd Ali only lost two matches in his lifetime. And these two losts have something in common. At those press conferences, Mohd Ali said, “I am not in good shape today, I think I am going to lose”
Having expectation will increase your abilities to function better in life. Remember: according to your (expectation) will it be done to you.

3. ENCOURAGES OTHERS
Men can live for months on encouragements. A fact is this: when you become a Christian, you MUST be a positive, full of faith person because Christianity is a religion of faith and positive expectations.

Your faith or positive expectation can lift up someone who is going through difficult situations and challenges in life!

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This is good hey! Haven't read weakly worship notes for awhile now, but this week's title caught my attention. Nice writting Aaron! Really like tha part where you talked about expectation honours God. You would know, you're a dad lol! It makes me want to expect more and beyond, fully confident about who my heavenly father is!! Looking forward for part 2! Cheers!

Played squash today with a friend... Woo! It was a great workout! Burning some fats here and there! I want to thank God for protecting my ankle this time! No pain, no sprains! Looks like taking a break from soccer does help :)

Thanks Henry!

2008-08-26T01:55:00.002+10:00

A big thanks to guitar shredder, ‘Boy’ imitator, good singer, Henry for taking time off to teach me how to string a guitar! Lol, it’s embarrassing, I only just learnt how to string a guitar after playing the instrument for more than half my life! Well, it’s never too late to learn. Broke my G-string (guitar string ;p) while playing for life group the other day. Normally, after breaking a string, I would send my guitar to a guitar repairer for re-stringing and set up which would set me back around $70-$80. Ouch! That happens like every 6 months. Well, this time I decided to save some money and do the re-stringing myself. I reckon the guitar only needs to be set up if it has been on a plane.

We made one mistake with the E string, but it’s alright. The guitar still rocks! After re-stringing the guitar, I suggested to Henry that we should jam for a while and worship God. He took his acoustic and I took mine, and we played ‘I Could Sing of Your Love Forever’. Man it was an awesome time of worship even though its just 10mins! Henry played really nice and creative rifts that made the song so beautiful. I sang with my sore throaty coughy coarse voice… but it turned out alright…it’s the heart! :) So yea, we sat there singing a love song to God :)

We should do this another time champ! Unplugged worship session! It’ll be awesome! :) Thank you so much again for your stringing and jazz lesson and your encouragement at the end (VERY VERY ENCOURAGED!!) :D

Ps Mal Fletcher

2008-08-24T23:44:00.000+10:00

Check it out :)

What if I stumble, what if I fall?

2008-08-22T03:23:00.008+10:00

*Every one seems to be having their say on this matter. I think many have also talked about lessons we can learnt form this. I’m writing here, so that we can be alert to what the devil is doing. The devil must be laughing his a** off now, but wait, our God is still God! He hasn’t failed! So how can we move on?

I guess most of you would have by now heard the news about Mike Guglielmucci (my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family) . It’s something that’s really close to my heart. Many many years ago before Planetshakers existed; the worship team from The Edge came to my church in Singapore and did an instrument and band workshop and a couple of praise and worship nights for us. It was a really awesome time and we even went out for satay at Lau Pa Sat after that. We also brought them to Sentosa for a day of R&R! I was a budding new drummer at that time and I had the chance to know them and learn from them. I would say they came at a time when I really needed inspiration to grow as a musician and a worshiper. The phrase “no friendship, no function” (one thing that I hold dearly as a worship musician) was also adopted from them. I really look up to all of them, so what happened to Mike really affected me.

I happened to chance upon the news when it broke just before I went to bed, and I didn’t know how to react. I was utterly shocked and disgusted with what I read. I felt betrayed and cheated. As I lay on my bed, thinking of the whole thing, immediately God began to speak to me, challenging my thoughts and reaction. God reminded me that only He is the one who judges, not us. What we are called to do is to show grace. And I started to repent before Him, and also reflected on myself and my weaknesses.

I think there are a few things that need sorting out before we can all move on.

1) What is our reaction when people fail?
I think the best thing to do is go back to the word of God and see what He says.

Gal 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

John 8:7 But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

We hate the sin, but we love the sinner. I had dinner with a few friends today, and we were discussing about the incident. There were many views shared. Someone mentioned that we all fail, just like Mike, but in a less public way. How true. Have you not told a lie? A lie is a lie, whether it is a big lie or not. We all have done it! So how can we judge him for doing what he did?

I was talking to another friend today as I wanted to know if there could be a psychological explanation to Mike’s actions. And yes, there are actually some psychological conditions that cause people to do what he did. Whether or not this is the reason I do not know. But is that really our business? So what if it is or not. We are in the business of loving people and showing grace!

I know it’s a normal human reaction to turn against someone when the person wrongs you or do something horrible (I did that when I first read the news – self righteous pride, sorry Lord). But is that grace? Is that the grace God first gave us when he sent Jesus to die on the cross for us sacrificially, even though we didn’t deserve it? Grace is favour underserved. Friends, this is an opportunity for the church to show what we’re for, GRACE!

Am I saying that he should not be faulted for what he has done? No! Absolutely not! He will in due time face the judgement of the law and judgement of God. Our God is JUST! But we are NOT in that position to do so. Leave the judging to who is called to judge, let us be the ones that show grace, acceptance, restoration, and love.

What is really sad is this, Christians adoring a person when he’s all good, but shun and reject him once the person stumbles. How fickle and surface people are. Is he still our brother in Christ? YES! Jesus came not to be with all the ‘GOOD’ people. He came to be with all the ‘sinners’, it was His favorite hang out spot! We were all inspired by Mike and his 'passion' for God through his 'sickness'. Let me challenge you on the flip side of it. We can all be inspired and challenged by his courage and humility to admit that he is wrong and that he needs help. He could have continued to live a lie. But he chose to repent. The important thing here is Repentance, turning away from wrong. That’s what God requires from us. To turn away from sin! How many of us can say honestly we have repented of all sins? It’s highly likely that all of us are still struggling in one way or another whether we admit it or not. How many of us would put our reputation on the line and tell others our struggles, sins, etc?

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

That’s exactly what he did.

I think at this point of time, it is good also for us to examine our lives. In relation to my previous post, maybe its time the church starts having authentic relationships with one another, open and vulnerable.

I guess to summarise this point… watch yourself! Watch your reaction. Watch your thoughts. Guard your mind! Do not let the devil sow lies into you because of this. Let Godliness flow out from you! :)

2) Remember who God is
At this point in time, it is easy for us to think that God has failed because one of the pastors failed. That is totally not true - Another lie of the devil! All of us, we are imperfect. No matter how hard we try, we are still sinners, we are still gonna stuff up even if we're living on the mountain by ourselves! Because that is the nature of man. But that is not the nature of God! Someone say Amen! Man will fail, but my God will NEVER fail! That is something I strongly believe in, and till this day, God hasn’t failed me!

Hebrews 13:5 I will never fail you. I will never forsake you

Honestly I know many believers will be shocked, sicken, disgusted, etc (I was myself). And I know many will be questioning God about this. People will be disappointed because someone they look up to has stumbled (that's the danger of adoring man more than God). Who can they turn to now? Well friends, turn to God. He will not stumble, He is faithful, He is infallible, He is perfect, He is trustworthy, He is our strength, He is our shelter, and He will not fail! (the list goes on!) He should be the One you’re looking up to PERIOD, not man. With man, you’ll only get disappointed again and again, because we are not perfect. I have failed my friends MANY times! “Even a pastor can stumble, surely I’m worse”. Friends, don’t let the devil sow lies into you life through this incident! It was Mike’s choice to lie. God didn’t force him to do what he did. It was his free will. You have a choice as well! You can choose to do the right thing.

3) Should we still sing songs written by Mike?
I don’t see why not! Look at David from the bible. He was a man after God’s heart, and he’s like the top worshipper I reckon! But he sinned just like all of us. He fell into adultery, committed murder and basically it went downhill from there. But look at all the beautiful songs he wrote in psalms! Are we not singing so many of them in this modern age? It also speaks volumes that the book of Psalms is included in the bible even though David committed really grave sins.

Firstly it shows that God forgives. But more importantly it shows that songs are just songs and not worship until the words are from our heart! We do not know the Mike's intention when he wrote the songs. But does it really matter? At the end of the day it is our heart’s response thru the song that really matters. What do I mean? I can sing, I worship you almighty God, there is none like you… and in my heart I question if God is really almighty. It doesn’t reconcile, word and heart. A song is just a script of words helping us to express ourselves. But God looks at the heart of the singer.

Torchie put it really nicely, so I’m gonna quote him.

“So as we sing a song to worship God, it is our HEART that He hears – more than the beautiful lyrics or the wonderful song composer’s skill.
So as for me,
I still believe that God is my Healer
I still believe that God is all I need
I still believe God is my Portion
I still believe God is more than enough for me
Jesus, He’s all I need!
To me, nothing has changed about these lyrics. They are still very true. Ultimately it is the heart that sings them, that owns them, that makes them real.”
**********************************************************************************
Friends, I hope you can see what the devil wants out of this. He wants to create division in the church. He wants unforgiveness to linger in the church. He wants non believers to harden their hearts. He wants to defame the name of our God. He wants most of all for people to get disappointed and hurt and leave God because of what happened. Are we gonna let this happen? It’s a choice now for you and I on how we are gonna move on from this. See what God wants out of this. Please I URGE you to see beyond what has happened and see deeper. Have a Godly response, do the Godly thing. This is more than just about one man stumbling.

Authentic Friendships

2008-08-18T18:55:00.001+10:00

Today's devotion
by Rick Warren

But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:7–8 (NCV)

*** *** *** ***

In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity.

Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation.

People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.

It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. . . . If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7–8 NCV).

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.

Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG).

Happy National Day!

2008-08-09T20:11:00.000+10:00

In the spirit of National Day, here are some videos of Singapore which I found really interesting. You got to be from SG to understand some of the stuff. *might have posted it before*

This one is really LOL!

Theme song for this year’s National Day (with some controversy)

Ouch

2008-08-09T19:53:00.000+10:00

Yes, my right foot does it again…injured big toe, and swollen ankle. Ouch… :(

Justice

2008-08-07T22:49:00.000+10:00

God is not a grabber . . .
. . . God is a GIVER

Claim it!

2008-08-06T02:30:00.000+10:00

I’m posting a few music videos of Israel Houghton and New Breed. I really like this worship team, not only because of their great and groovy music but also what they represent. I really love their songs because they’re all about declaring and claiming the promises God has given us through His word! This is a season for claiming them I reckon! Take hold friends, with faith and confidence, of what IS yours! Amen! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD!

Say So

Turn It Around

Up

2008-08-05T01:26:00.000+10:00

SORROW looks back, WORRY looks around, BUT, FAITH LOOKS UP

Impact

2008-08-04T22:55:00.002+10:00

I believe God defies logic...so when we try to use logic to define God, we often fall short.

God defied all logic when He spoke the world into motion.
God defied all logic when He sent Jesus to be among us
God defied all logic when Jesus healed the sick
God defied all logic when Jesus raised the dead
God defied all logic when Jesus gave Himself to the cross for every one of us
God defied all logic when Jesus rose from the dead after three days
God defied all logic when He love sinners like you and I.
God especially defied all logic when He said “for with God all things are possible!”

We are going to enter into a couple of impact Sundays starting this week. Friends, it’s time to stop questioning the how; it’s time to let God be God!

Korn ex-lead guitarist Brian Welch testimony

2008-08-02T01:18:00.002+10:00

Good stuff! He's now using the talents he has to serve God... music and lyrics! Won over!

Relationship between Worship, Evangelism and Justice

2008-08-01T00:34:00.000+10:00

A good friend blessed me today with a couple of sermons from the Hillsong Conference 08 :)! Been searching high and low for these but the only thing I could find were snippets of sermons on You Tube and they in itself were great! Imagine hearing the full sermon! So yea, I’m really glad to receive two complete sermons today! Praise God for hearing my prayer! :)

The first sermon was from one of the evening rallies by Mike Pilavachi titled ‘Worship, Evangelism, and Justice’ and I was blown away with what he preached! Listened to it three times just capture what he was trying to say. I really don’t know how to blog about it because there are just so many things that I could take out of it or rather many notable points. Essentially he put into words my heart’s cry! Amazing! Like what my friend said… this is our ‘Theme Sermon’ ;)!

Worship is the language of love. God desires our love, our expression of our affection. So our worship unto Him is an expression of a love relationship with Him! We tell Him how much we love Him, how much we adore Him, we sing songs that glorifies Him, etc. Just like how you will tell your partner how much you love him/her, what you like about him/her, you thank them for everything. It is something natural you do when you love someone… and you don’t stop! Amen!

Evangelism is an overflow of worship. When you love some one, you don’t just tell the person you love them. You tell everyone you love that person! Mike was paying out (It was SO FUNNY!) his friend Tim Hughes, writer of ‘Here I am to Worship’, on how their conversations always end up with Tim talking about his wife, Rachel. He even managed to link David Beckham to Rachel LOL, that was classic. It happened to the point where Mike wanted to ‘kill himself’ LOL.

That’s an overflow of a love relationship they have with each other hey. You can’t help but tell others about who you love, what is about the person you like, and all the ‘AWW’ moments. And that is so true. I know that when I love someone; I want to talk about that person all the time! No one have to tell me or force me to do it because it is an overflow of love. It is the same for evangelism… it is an overflow of worship, it comes together! We must go and tell!

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they started breaking out worshiping God in different tongues. Worship was their first response when God was revealed to them. The first thing we do when we meet God is worship. And that caused people to take notice. The passage goes on to say that people on hearing the different tongues were questioning what was happening. Peter then preached the first ever evangelistic sermon in the history of the church, to answer the questions raised by the worship of the church. And on that day 3000 were added to them! Hello…3000! Wow… worship and evangelism comes together!

John Wesley and about 60 others gathered together on New Years Eve seeking God, and they Holy Spirit came upon them just like the Pentecost. And their first response was to cry out in worship. What they did next was going out into all parts of Britain proclaiming God, and revival came. Worship and evangelism comes together!

Worship that does not lead out to evangelism ends up as just self indulgence. Evangelism that does not come out of worship is just legalism. THEY BELONG TOGETHER.

Many times we keep asking people to “reach out reach out”! I reckon we should start telling people to “Love God Love God” and from that out flowing of love, people will without coercion or urging reach out!

The last point was on Justice. Worship, Evangelism and Justice all comes together. Mike was saying how the teachings of justice (helping the poor and the broken) were mentioned so much more in the bible than heaven & hell, second coming or sexual immorality.

Amos 5: 21-24 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

What is God saying? You can do all the above things but if we neglect the poor and the broken, our offerings and songs become zilch. “The day we divorce this from the poor and the broken is the day we mess things up”.

Isa 58:5-7 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

True fasting goes beyond going without food. It is about giving our food to the hungry. Act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

Matt 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

WE DO IT FOR JESUS!

For the longest of time the church has been telling people what we’re against, it’s time they know what we’re for. God’s will is not for us to go out every once in awhile to outreach. He wants us to break down the walls of the church, to be one that is out there loving and caring. Let us be a church that does not speak good news but IS good news. God didn’t say from heaven “I love you”… He came HIMSELF to tell us He loves us!

“God is with the poor... and we are with God when we are with them” – Bono

Man, this is a really powerful message. That’s really my heart’s cry… bringing to people worship with good news and blessing the needy. Worship does not belong only inside the church, but to everyone else outside as well. Because when we worship, God IS there! We don’t even need to mention a single word; lives will be change through the power of the Holy Spirit because he convicts.

Just wanna end the post with this…

We can preach about Heaven or we can give them a glimpse of Heaven.

Laser Force

2008-07-26T17:45:00.004+10:00

Just got back from a CCM (?) event. Laser Force. Woo, I’ve done my work out for the week, two hours of moving around, carrying a slightly heavy detection suit with two layered tops, in constant battle with many of the ‘Counter Strike’ guys from J1 (This time no more camping and sniping hey :P). I was soaked with perspiration in winter! I got ganged up on heaps by people like Hak Wei, Ivan, Edward, Tommy, Sean, Patrick, etc. Come on guys, show some mercy lol! But yea, I didn’t either! There were many one on one face-off where we’ll keep shooting each other till one person decides to retreat. Plenty of hide and seek and playing bluff by infiltrating the enemy’s base without them knowing! I was on a one man killing machine Muahahahaha!! Down with the reds!! It was really fun hey even though it isn’t as realistic as the out door jungle one. You guys are a real fun bunch lol, maybe we should organise a more realistic one somewhere down the road ;) White Dove (Codename) was the top fragger… who is he? Yours truly killed the most ‘bad guys’ without angelic power lol ;)!

Thanks to Rachel and team for organizing this event! :D

Indescribable

2008-07-26T17:29:00.002+10:00

My body clock isn’t working right, probably due to my sleepless overnight flight. Still trying to sleep early and wake up early. I had a bad start to my semester :( Missed 2 lecturers because I couldn’t wake up. Sadness… oh well, catch up time! It’s not how we start but how we end that matters!!

It’s really nice just being back here and serving God again. I had service prac the night I touched down, and it was just awesome! At least for me, I had a new sense of expectation and excitement! Serving God will never be the same again! Had LG prac the following night, and it was great as well!

Friday’s LG was great! It was a special LG. We watched the DVD “Indescribable”! I’ve heard sermons like that before, but what wowed me was the last picture that Louie Giglio showed us. This is a picture of the Whirlpool Galaxy, which is 31 million light years away and is made up of 300 billion stars. Interpret it how you want :)

Psalm 8
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Indeed there is a God out there! And I'm blessed to be called His child!

But what really encouraged me yesterday was Cassey! She led the pre-LG prayer. And it was her first time! Firstly, I’m so encourage to see people rising up to take more responsibilities in God’s kingdom, secondly I was so stirred to see the passion in her and her cry (desire) to God, it’s just wow. Well done Cassey! Keep up the good work! I’m sure God will expand you to do even greater things for Him!

Indescribable - Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Rain down

2008-07-26T17:14:00.003+10:00

I’ve arrived safely in Brissy through ‘ice’ and ‘stones’. Well it was an adventure really. After saying good bye to my family and friends, I headed towards the direction I thought my gate was at. There are two numbers on a plane ticket. One is the seat number and the other is the departure gate number. Guess what? I mistook my seat number for the gate number!! And unfortunately, my seat number was 39, all the way to one end of the airport while my departure gate was 26, all the way to the other end. Cutting the long story short, I was the last one to board the plane lol! While walking to the departure gate, one of the attendants came up to me and ask if I’m Mr Lau. Felt really bad, but yea it was an honest mistake sorry :) I was like _ close to missing my flight.

I went to my seat (window seat – don’t like to be disturbed while flying) and there was a little boy sleeping on it. So I told the mom that this is my seat. She ‘tried’ to wake the boy up, and then asked if I could seat at the other seat, in between two people. Oh well, for the little boy’s sake, I did. Bad choice though, as her husband was huge! And he was snoring and moving about while sleeping! He was a vegetarian but he didn’t pre order vegetarian food. So I offered him my salads so he wouldn’t go hungry.

When the plane took off there was this sound, like rocks rolling on the fuselage of plane, if you can imagine it with me. And it was not just once! It’s quite a sick sound to here when you’re flying hey? Not only was there this sick sound, but the cabin rained! LOL, I’m not kidding! Those at the aisle got bulk of the ‘rain’! Some even used their pillow to block the water from dripping on them, while others just tried to manoeuvrer themselves away from the ‘rain’. Yup, not a good thing to see when you’re flying! I heard one of the stewards mentioning to one passenger that the water was ice!!! LOL, well done Mr Steward. Whatever good impression I had of Qantas is now gone. No more Qantas flights for me especially after reading the recent news! The plane I was in seriously felt as if it was going to fall apart, so thank God for keeping the plane in one piece!

The only ‘good’ thing about my flight back was the turbulence! Not those rocky kind, but those that makes your heart go Wooooooooooah when there is a sudden drop in altitude, very much like a roller coaster! Yea upon arrival the cold weather greeted me like a friend, just like the humid weather in Singapore. It hugged me and didn’t want to let go!

Here are some of my last few meals before I left SG.

This is not poo. It’s called Taiwan Noodles.

My favourite ‘you tiao’ but it came slightly cold. Not impressed.

Bedok 85 sting ray. One of the best sting rays in Singapore.

Hogs Breath’s prime steak. This is one of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten in my life hey. It just melts in your mouth. A huge thanks to Hadley for treating me this gorgeous meal. It is to cry for! 5/5!

My last meal was at Popeye’s. No pictures. Love the whipped potato and the chips!

Take it all

2008-07-21T02:24:00.000+10:00

This is so creative!

Overflow

2008-07-20T03:53:00.000+10:00

These few weekends have been real sleepy and slow; have been using it to catch up on my sleep. Don’t think I’ll get this kind of luxury when I’m back in Brissy.

So sad…I’ve ended my internship. Yes I’m gonna thank God again for it! This whole internship was EXACTLY what I wanted, and what I needed! Not only for adding weight to my resume but also to experience the life of a trader. I seriously don’t find it a chore at all. I reckon that’s the pinnacle feeling anyone can get while working because technically you don’t feel like its work when you enjoy what you’re doing! The company is five people strong now, with eleven more recruits coming in September. I really want to thank God because all five of them asked me to come back in January for another internship! Which will be even better as it will be more structured and established compared to now. They will even have a live simulator with live prices coming in next month! Awesome! Had a chance to chat with Director A’s elder brother who is also a trader as well and I think he’s part of the company. So I was asking questions regarding playing the simulator and how realistic it is compared to real life. He was even interested in checking out my performance on the sim, and my strategy. He invited me back as well! :)

Want to thank a couple of people. Zak, thanks for showing me so many things, and letting me watch you trade. Even though you’re new, you’ve showed so much passion and interest in what you’re doing by digging deeper in finding the underlying causes of price movements. Keep it up; I’m sure you’ll be like Paul and Barry in the future! Thanks for the encouragement you’ve given me through all the assignments. It’s really useful hey, as I’ve learnt so much about futures, Nikkei and Kospi. Hope we’ll be able to work together again in the future! Amalina, you’re tops man! You’re so hardworking and so talented! I’ve never seen someone taking 3 subjects and working full time! You will go far because you have the ability to. Study hard yea? This semester must get at least a distinction (Statistics)! Thank you so much for being such a good friend over the three weeks! You’ve encouraged me so much more than you know. I think it’s always good to have friends in the office where you can share life with. And aww, I will miss you too! Yea saying good bye is always hard. But I’m sure you’ll find new friends when the new recruits come in! And hey, I’ll most probably be back in Jan! :)

Besides sleeping, I took some time today to sit under the word of God and write songs. I also went on you tube to get snippets of the Hillsong Conference 08. I wish I could be there this year. I will most probably go next year as I would have graduated. That will be my way of pampering me! I came across a video from Hillsong featuring Mike Guglielmucci. He was sharing his story behind the song ‘Healer’. Seeing how he is and still having that passion and drive to serve God, to make an impact in the church, is just wow! He is able to do what he is doing right now because he places the right perspective to what is important. He is able to put God at the rightful place in his life, regardless of circumstances. And that in itself is his act of worship, and wow, look at the overflow of his worship! Just got to make you think what we can do to impact our generation with what we have. If we are able to live our lives as an act of worship, it will indeed have an overflowing effect to the people around you.

Like he said in the video, choose what we magnify. If we are able to magnify God as strong and almighty, which He is, we’ll begin to worship Him (it’s really an automatic response to who God is), you’ll be able to get through things. Lord it’s really Your grace that we can find strength in! Lord be glorified! Just watch this video, and get ministered.

Are you smarter than a fifth grader? ;)

2008-07-16T00:12:00.003+10:00

There is a bus with 7 girls.
Each girl has 7 bags.
In each bag, there are 7 big cats
Each big cat has 7 little cats.

How many legs are there on the bus?

Give it a try if you feel smart or have time on your hands. I managed to solve it in one try.

*there is an excel that's attached to it and the answer is the password to open it.

Take me

2008-07-15T23:03:00.002+10:00

Missed work today again because of my sprained ankle. I woke up and tried to walk, and it was pain. But thanks to Amalina, I was able to work from home. I wish for that flexibility next time when I start my career, to be able to work both at home and at the office. Amalina did me a favour by sending me the files I needed so I could work from home. THANK YOU! :) I’ll probably head back to the office tomorrow.

I went out with Aaron for dinner today at Sakae Sushi. We had ala cart NOT buffet lol. It was so much more enjoyable then eating yourself senseless in a buffet. I had a great time catching up with him and hearing his heart for the church and for the youth which really inspired me to expand myself more for the kingdom of God! He shared with me a condensed version of his ‘Worship You Alone’ sermon on John 12. Good stuff!

A dinner was held in Jesus’ honour. And there were four prominent characters there, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, Judas Iscariot, Martha and Mary. They represent the four different types of people who we will find in church. The first group of people are called ‘Lazarus’ people, just reclining, in a sense doing nothing. The second group of people are the ‘Martha’ people; you’re just keep serving and serving in church. The third group of people are the ‘Judas’ people; you are in church to find fault with people, judging people’s actions. And the last group of people are the ‘Mary’ people; you are here because you are focus on God. Which group of people do you belong to? I want to challenge all of us to be like Mary, who knew what was important. When God is here, nothing else matters.

I’m really glad that God is using you in such a huge way to steer the direction the church! Yea we spent time talking about CHANGE! We shared the visions that God has placed in our hearts, plans and stuff. Hey Aaron, I was really encouraged by your challenge to me in the area of worship team. Thank you for that affirmation! And thank you for treating me that wonderful meal! It was a really edifying dinner hey :D

I really want to thank God for his prompting today! Due to some technical mistake, I wasn’t able to add any course for semester 2. It was rectified today, so I was only able to add courses today. To my horror, the sign on for the tutorials had already started! Really bummed as I thought I wouldn’t be able to get the classes I wanted. And true enough, I couldn’t get the time slots I wanted for two courses. So I signed up for the next best one available. Later on during the day, the Holy Spirit prompted me to go check the availability of the class again, so I did. Guess what?! There was ONE space left in the class I wanted! Someone must have withdrawn from it! So praise God I’m now a happy camper in that slot! :) I took some time today to do some strategic planing for the semester ahead. I plotted out which the ‘hell’ weeks are and which the more relaxed ones are, where I’ve got time to do stuff. There’s one week which has a total of 102.5% at stake. The rest of the weeks are pretty ok, except for some 40%-50% ‘at stake’ weeks. I’ve had a visual understanding of what is expected of me this semester, now I’m left with executing the hard work. I’m definitely gonna study more this semester seeing how I almost flopped my previous one. The subjects are much harder this semester as they are mostly economics based. Prayerfully this semester will turn out to be a glorious one!

LT emailed me asking if I’m looking forward to come back to Brissy. Yea I’m actually really looking forward to this semester actually! I keep hearing good stuff happening back in Judah A that I can’t help but feel I’ve somehow missed out :P But I believe it’s God’s plan for me to be back in SG as I’ve also grown much back here, going back with a renewed strength and vision. I can’t wait to integrate myself with the new core team and the rest of the group to see where God is gonna bring us this semester. There are many things that I’m looking forward to actually this coming 6 months. Will share more along the way ;)

Take Me -Planetshakers
Hear you voice
A gentle wisper
Calls from deep whithin
On my knees my heart it crys out
I'm Longing to draw near

Hide me now under the shadow of Your wings
Lord into your presence I will run

Chorus:
Take me away with you
I wanna be close to you
Take me away into the secret place

Take me into your arms
Here in your presence I belong
Take me away into the secret place

Oooouch!

2008-07-15T03:10:00.002+10:00

I think I’m really injury prone especially when I play sports, and that really bugs me! Even my friends know how bad I am with injuries. Since army, I’ve been suffering all kinds of leg injuries when I do strenuous exercises. I believe it is due to my flat feet. I once went to see a medical officer after a 5km run during my army days, and he wanted to take me out of the officer course because he said my feet looks really deformed and wanted to prevent me from further injury. I was like “NO WAY you’re gonna do that!” I guess the most serious of them all is tendinitis (I think this is the term for inflamed knee tendons). I had to take pain killers for a week hey, and did almost nothing! So yea, I can’t stand or walk for long periods, as my ankles will start to hurt. That’s why I don’t shop continuously, but take breaks in between ;). By some out of this world reason, I managed to sprain my left big toe while walking on Thursday and I sprained my right big toe on Saturday during soccer. And I sprained my right ankle today just 10 mins into stroking in tennis. Lol, maybe I over estimated my ankle strength. I thought it was strong enough to take the full weight of my landing (I jumped to do a smash ;P and flopped it!). But NO, snap! I was down on the ground for five minutes squirming in pain! For a moment I thought I broke my ankle or something because it went numb for awhile. My brother was like “what?! So fast?!” LOL, classic! 10 mins cage soccer, 10 mins tennis… I’m Mr 10mins now :S Thank God it was just a sprain. So I tried to walk it of by playing 2 sets of tennis with my bro, He trashed me!! Too bad it doesn’t count as I had a sprained ankle hey :P!! All I can say is, oh well, its part and parcel of sports. I just pray that God will sustain my ankles and knees whenever I do sports.

The company is now left with two people. Amalina and me. Lol, the atmosphere has somewhat changed to a more relaxed one. Zak is on a 3 day break to accompany his GF who just arrived last week. So yea, now we rule! Heh. I’m still sticking to what I’m supposed to do. I received a new assignment today, to break down the Nikkei 225 Index and gather information of the top companies on that index. Managed to do about 15 of them (very little) today, but will try to do 30 tomorrow. Spent some time on the sim today and my earnings was a little over US$2millon! Wow! Praise God! But gosh, it’s starting to look like a joke hey? Is it possible for someone to earn that much in one trading session? I don’t know… maybe it’s because I upped my contracts per trade from 10 to 100 today and was just fooling around with the sim. Oh well, I think I’ll stop playing the sim and work on the knowledge gaining stuff like the assignment. Will teach Amalina how to use the system tomorrow and we’ll swap roles! LOL!

I'm starting to face setbacks in the trying to pursue God's vision. But I will press on with God's strength! Failure only brings you closer to success!

“Unique people are the ones that are often misunderstood.”

Don't be a fish

2008-07-14T04:32:00.002+10:00

I didn’t go to work on Friday because my head was killing me. I’ve recovered though with heaps of sleep. I’m like getting these bouts of headaches every once in a while, that kind that makes me totally weak and unable to do stuff. I wonder what’s wrong :s hopefully its nothing serious.

God really showed me a huge flaw I have in me over the weekend. Sigh, really sad and disappointed in myself. But I’m working towards improving and changing. I went for a late movie (Red Cliff-must watch) on Friday, and wanted to get some food for the show. So I went to the road side store to get a Ramly Burger. Basically the guy cooking looked really spaced, was taking his own sweet time, and trying to mass produce the burgers by taking more orders before cooking. So I stood there for 20 mins!! YES 20 MINS! Alright I thought to myself, I might as well wait since he’s almost done (I had half a mind to cancel my order as I was late for the show because of the wait!) By then, I was already boiling inside. Guess what; he gave the burger to someone else that came much later then me! I lost it! I gave him a piece of my mind, and I walked away. And God immediately convicted me! Argh. Impatience, anger, pride all came up. My rights were over stepped by someone else, but my reaction should have been better, one that is Godly, one that is of grace. Honestly at that point of time, I felt I was smarter, better and higher then he is and I should have been treated better by him. Yes, so much pride here. Yes Lem tsk tsk, how could you. God spoke to me that just because I am not cooking burgers doesn’t make me any better than he is. He put me in my place. He should be shown similar amount of respect and grace like how I would to a friend. After much thought I realised why that incident took place. I reckon God is trying to ground humility in me now before I start my career, so that in the future I wouldn’t be prideful of successes. And I know, there will be many more ‘tests’ to come. Oh I really wish I will pass everyone of them. If any of you feel that I’m showing pride, please do come and tell me. I’m open to it :)

I waited a total of 40mins for a cab today! But it was well worth the wait, cause service today was great! Ps Peter preached today. I typed the notes into my phone, but I didn’t save it :( sadness. I’ll try to type out what spoke to me. Basically he was challenging the youth to venture and expand. Nothing venture, nothing gained. He had some really good illustrations. He talked about how some people have trapped themselves with a pre conceive thinking of ‘cannot’ after a few setbacks. Like the gold fish being taught that it’ll never get the worms, even though the worms were right in front of it. An experiment was done where the fish tank was separated into two parts by a clear panel. Worms were put into one side of the tank while the fish was in the other. The fish would try to get the worms but the panel prevented it. This happened many times. When the panel was removed and the worms were poured into the tank, the fish did not react as it believed that the worms were unattainable. He challenged us to have a spirit of expectation. I think like what Aaron said; this message has been in line with the previous services, challenging the youth to really step out, committing to God to do what He has called us to do. That’s what the youth need I reckon. I mean, everyone needs this message at whatever age. Aaron had these questions to add in his weekly worship notes to the leaders.

1) Identify your strengths – what you are good at doing
2) Seek God for a vision, enlargement and empowerment to use what you have for His glory.

Wow! Attendance for Youth Alive today was 195!! Praise God! We’re gonna cross the 200 mark soon! Woo hoo! Echoing Aaron’s challenge… LETS BREAKTHROUGH THE 200 MARK! Let's start with our friends :)

Had a chance to test drive the Alfa Romeo GT today after service! Thanks Marc! This car is a real beauty and is one of the cars that I’ve always wanted to test drive or own. Interior and exterior are tops! A real Italian beauty. However I found the car to be underpowered even though I reckon it’s producing around 160bhp? Gear box and the drive were smooth, so extra marks for that.

I went to dinner with my buddies today and had a special guest, Winston! a really good buddy of mine. We used to jam together, serve together and go on mission trips together. It’s been awhile since I last caught up with him. But it was as if we’ve never been apart! LOL, we were chatting non stop! And yay! Praise God, I found another friend who shares the same interest as me. Finance! Lol, I’m surrounded by heaps of finance people. So yea, we spent HOURS just talking about finance stuff! Having educated conversations is something that I really enjoy and is satisfying. I felt I’ve become a better finance person through today’s conversation. I guess a lot of our conversations these days revolve around CHANGE, and career. Sharing what we want to do, interview experiences, work place happenings, etc. Mr Win, will meet you up for lunch this week!

It’s my last week in Singapore, so I’ll be meeting a lot of you guys up! Hope that you’ll be free when I call ;) Hmm, all my dinner slots have been taken up already. If any of you are interested I’m left a few lunch slots and plenty of supper slots.

It’s my last week of work. Please pray for me that I’ll be able to gain as much as possible over the next five days! Thanks.

Zzzz
Lem

Mini reflection with a headache

2008-07-10T23:12:00.000+10:00

Not feeling well today. I’m having a really bad headache, I guess from all the quick changing numbers and just by staring at the computer screen the whole day. I’m feeling nauseous as well because of the headache. Not good, not good. Feel like calling in sick tomorrow because I’m feeling so weak. Oh well, see how it goes tomorrow morning. God please give me strength. Spent the morning trading on the sim, and my earnings today was a little over US$33,000. Not too bad. I’m only gonna have six more days with the company (really sad to leave so quickly) :( if I don’t go in tomorrow, I’ll be left with five days. Please pray for me that I will recover so that I’ll be able to maximise my stay here. Probably will sleep early today.

Was just reflecting about how fast this month has past, and checking the list of things that I wanted to do. Have I accomplish what I’ve set out to do? Well, I would say most of it, but not to ‘completion’. Really want to cut down on my weight but, I’ve yet to go to the gym since the first time. BUT, lol, we will be playing soccer this Saturday if my toe heals in time. Now I can put what I’ve practiced in Aus (hmm nothing much really) to good use! I seriously hope I don’t fall out after 10 mins like the last time. I reckon it’s much harder to play in SG though, because of the weather. Drum lessons, well I had 1 and only 1. Decided to stop going for it, because after some thought, I reckon he isn’t a good teacher. And the things he thought me on the first lesson I guess could last me quite awhile. So yea, I guess I would count that as complete. Next on my list is meeting up with people. Yes, met many of you guys and still more to come. Well I’m meeting people not only because I miss them, but also I want to cultivate this habit of fellowship so that I can bring it back to Brissy and be an effective shepherd and friend. Complete! Eat all the lovely and gorgeous local food. Heh, definitely complete, and more to come! Growing in my walk with God… it’ll never be complete, but I’m seeing a huge progress. And I really want to thank the church here for in a sense spurring me on. Next, planning many admin stuff. Ideas, visions, dreams, plans that are gonna take fruit over the next semester are being mapped out. I believe in faith that many of them will come to past. The last thing is to think of a few improvement points that I want to see in myself. More of that another time.

Even better

2008-07-10T00:37:00.003+10:00

Thank God for another wonderful day in the office :D
I spent most of the day trying to finish up the assignment that was given to me, and it’s almost done now. Just a little more information and some conversion of time will do the trick. Yea basically I did that all the way till 4pm. Thought I’ll set aside a couple of hours to practice trading on the simulator before I leave work at 6. Zak kindly helped me set the system up again, and I began trading. Guess what I made today in 2 hours?

US$109,120! WOW! Seriously praise God! Zak asked me how many lots I was dealing with (I guess he expected 100s?), and I told him I was dealing with just 10 lots. Drinks on me mate… I WISH! LOL :D Yea anyway, oh well, I really wish I could trade live (even if it is just 1 lot) and see how it goes. But yea I hope this solidifies yesterday’s result. So yea, I want to thank God for giving me wisdom and a sharp eye at this! Yea actually after talking to my friends today about career and the future, I realised I’m very blessed to have an experience like this. Its so precious! Even though I’m not receiving any monetary allowance, I’m receiving something that’s worth so much more, knowledge and experience! So yea, just reflecting back, I really want to thank God for the interview, by just guiding me and steering the conversation in a way that got me here. Amalina you’re a champ k! You can and will get things done because you are so good at it! :) Thanks for the interesting chat today ;) 3 years hey?!

I went out with a group of my buddies (Lebbeus, Daniel, Cedric and Aaron) after work for dinner (chicken rice) and to just chill over beverages. Guess what we talked about? CHANGE! Lol, yea that’s all we talk about now seriously! There were some debates going on, some teasing, some reflection of the past and dreams for the future, etc. Seriously, the church should ask these guys to actively take part in the strategic meetings (hint hint ;P) becuase I believe that all of them have something to contribute to this new season. Had a great time mates!

Sorry hey, for all the pretty general posts (reminded by Elaine today). But yea, I guess giving God praise everyday is also good. At least that’s what I have time for now. Still trying to find some time to ‘preach’ (LOL) on being ‘harsh’ on one self. Yes Elaine, I’ll be there for the crab gathering! :)

Working with the Holy Spirit daily will cause a heighten sense of alertness within you to God’s heart for you and others.

Good start

2008-07-09T02:37:00.000+10:00

Thank God for another great day! :D

‘Work’ started as usual with me trying to complete the ‘assignment’ that was given to me last week, but things became more interesting after lunch as I started doing mock trading on the simulator! More of that later. I went to lunch with Zak today, and brought him to try our famous Aussie Boost Juice which he really liked! They have my favourite Green Tea Mango Mantra here in SG too! Lovely!

When I got into office today, the simulator was up and running. I had trouble installing it yesterday and had to leave while Zak stayed and helped me to debug the problem. And there it was, ready for me to use. Appreciate you mate! 8am – 2pm is Zak’s trading period so I didn’t want to bother him while he was trading. So I only got him to teach me how to use the system after lunch, after which I spent in total about 5 hours trading on the simulator! Man it was heaps of fun I tell you! I didn’t have the luxury of using tools like candle stick charts (very important in my opinion) and economic news (as the data was past data) so all I had to rely on was the movement of prices, the volume, and the ‘momentum’ of the trades that were made.

I did something which I didn’t do in the past which was applying discipline when I was trading, being able to accept losses as they come and not being too greedy and not take profits. That was something I learnt from Zak last week and I applied it today. And wow, it really allowed me to be so much more flexible with my trades as I wasn’t tied down. In five hours, I gained around 370+ ticks which equates to around US$ 3000++ !! Zac was there to do the calculation for me and he praised me for that haul. Hopefully this would leave a good impression. Praise God for this today! This doesn’t feel like a job at all! :D

Went to dinner with Eunice and Dan today. Dan wanted to eat Sakae Sushi buffet, so we followed…we wanted to go lau pa sat for some sambal sting rays, but all for love, Dan! I’m starting to dislike Sakae, because we always leave not feeling too good. Yes too full AGAIN. Oh well. Eunice: all the best in your new adventure yea! If you feel God is calling you that way, to fulfil a bigger purpose down the road, don’t let any one discourage you to do other wise. Pursue it with confidence! I’m sure God will honour that heart of yours as you take that step of faith! I’m committed to your success! Praying for you. Dan: Lol, go become a policeman and buy that flat mate ;p

Sleepy Monday

2008-07-08T00:14:00.001+10:00

I’m getting to really like where I’m working at hey, especially because of the friendships that I’ve formed over the past 1 week. And maybe because they treat me like a VIP guest, which means really nice! Because this is a new company, there are only 2 of us who are the non-traders. The traders are from London. So yea, both of us kinda really hit it off from the start. I’m getting to hear all the interesting stuff now from multitask lady lol. It’s like she’s giving me tips on how interviews are done, what they look out for etc. I was also able to advice her on stuff like studying in Aus, because that is what she’s looking forward to do next year. Today I had to say good bye to another director, Director A. He’s leaving for Dublin tomorrow morning. So yea, I thanked him for the opportunity to be here and wished him well. He was really nice and said he’ll probably see me in Jan or something and also offered to add me on Skype and chat with me there. Lol, but I don’t use Skype!! Oh well, guess I have to adapt as all 3 of them use Skype! Come on guys, MSN hey! I didn’t want to keep bothering Zac with mundane stuff so I asked if I could install the simulator onto the computer that I’m using so I won’t have to borrow his desk when I want to practice. He said sure and he helped me install and troubleshoot. You’re a champ Zac! Hopefully I can start using the simulator tomorrow! :D Explained the monkey story to multitask girl and also encouraged her to give trading a try since she is in the company already. So we’ll both be playing with the simulator this week. Thank God for another fine day at work! :D

I received a pleasant surprise just now. I received an email by JP Morgan, which I’m sure was also sent to Adam Lew (secret weapon, top trader). Maybe he got one coloured in GOLD LOL! Yea anyway, it was to recognise our participation in the game and achieving a top 5% ranking out of 9000 students. In the email was a certificate (nameless, how sincere :P) for us and also an invite to meet the JP Morgan representatives at the award presentation ceremony come August. But there are only 30 places available. What we need to do is to send in our resumes and they’ll select from there. YAY! Lol, I’m definitely gonna send my resume to give it a shot! Entrusting it to God, who knows what will happen? Adam wanna submit it as well? I’m sure they’ll invite you hey.

I’m gonna sleep early tonight. Slept only 4 hours yesterday because I stayed up to watch the Wimbledon Men’s Final and I didn’t even manage to watch it to the end. But nice one Nadal! Federer won too many times hey!

Feelings Are Fickle – Faith Is Forever

2008-07-08T00:12:00.002+10:00

By Rick Warren
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? James 2:15-16 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
Faith is more than something you just feel. Many people confuse emotions and feelings with faith. They come to church and they are moved emotionally, they’re inspired, and they’re stimulated. They get a quiver in their liver and say, “Oh, man! I’m moved!”

In the book of James, we get a brief glimpse at hollow sentimentality. James minces no words. He’s saying, “You go out on the street and you see some homeless person who’s destitute and simply say, “Cheer up,” or “Don’t worry, be happy!” “Feel good!” “Put on a happy face.” “Smile, smile, smile!” For God’s sake, do something!

Faith is practical. It gets involved in people’s hurts. And when you see a need, you do something about it. James says faith is something you do. You don’t just feel it. You have responsibilities.
One by one. Great opportunities to serve God seldom come, but small opportunities surround us daily. You need to look for those little opportunities because faith is not just something you say, and it’s not just something you feel.

The Next Step:
Give your faith feet. Many Christians practice faith within the confines of their climate controlled cathedrals. Find a way out! Serve your community outside the walls of the local church.

Discover the needs. Put your faith feelers out and find out where the need is greatest in your community; then begin to work on a way you can make a difference.

Go global. What could the church do to change conditions half a world away? Plenty! Find a way to join the move toward stopping extreme poverty and the hopelessness of starvation and disease.

Look! Look at your picture!

2008-07-07T01:27:00.004+10:00

When you take a Polaroid picture, the longer you look at it, the clearer it gets. The longer you look at the vision God has given you, the more defined it becomes. God's will might look fuzzy at first, but becomes clearer with time. - Kent Crockett

Envision, enlarge, empower

2008-07-06T23:23:00.001+10:00

I took a cab down to Sing Post today so I could meet up with Aretha and Evelyn. Played ‘matchmaker’ to both of them lol! Aretha’s leaving for Brissy tomorrow night so I thought it will be good idea to introduce her to one of my friend (Evelyn) who is doing the same course as her so she won’t feel alone when she starts school. Looks like you guys hit it off well, satisfied customers? :) Evelyn, thanks for coming all the way down to Paya Layber to meet her. Appreciate it! Yea, we chatted till we lost track of time and went to service a little late. Oops.

Youth service today was great! Ps Aaron shared a really good message to the youth! He shared about three things that he felt is from God to the youth. Envision, Enlarge, Empower. I thought it was a message that the youth really needed to hear and respond to. It is also something that I feel really deeply for as you can tell from my recent posts about vision and moving towards it.

(From memory) Something that Aaron said opened my mind on this subject. There are 3 people who will take notice when you set your heart to pursue the vision God has place on you. One is God who can’t wait to pour out His blessings onto you for taking on what He has given you. The other one is the devil. As you set your heart to pursue what God has placed in your heart, the devil will not be happy at all. He’ll try to throw you as many obstacles as possible to throw you off your groove. So true so true. Thus we have to be alert to this! Keep guard and recognise it when it comes!

And wow, the youth were really responsive to that challenge laid out by Ps Aaron! The alter call was filled with people wanting God to expand their vision, and get empowered to pursue it. Felt God speaking to me to give some words to certain individuals. So I asked Aaron if I could pray for them as well. It was a really awesome time in God presence. Too bad it was getting late.

Every time I breathe ~ Big Daddy Weave

2008-07-06T14:39:00.002+10:00

Big Daddy Weave - Everytime I Breathe

LL1 sent me this video like a year ago? Since about one month ago, I was trying to find this video again, but I can't remember what the lyrics were or the name of the band. However this morning, somehow, the 'inspiration' came! The lyrics came back, the tune came back, and with some help of Google, praise God, I found it!

I want to encourage all of you readers especially those who are going through tough periods, bare patches in where you are at now, with this song. I think it really summarises who God is to us and how He provides and is there in times of need. Now, how will we respond to that invitation to come to Him? After knowing who He is, experiencing his love, how possible is it for us to turn away or turn to any one else?

“Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave” – AMEN!

Every time I breathe ~ Big Daddy Weave

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

Chorus:
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

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

Nice Dinner

2008-07-05T23:36:00.003+10:00

Sorry for the bad pics. Couldn't wait to tuck in!

Went to dinner with my parents today. Pineapple Rice and Sambal Kang kong from Taste of Thailand. I know I keep mentioning best this best that...kinda lost its meaning hey? But really this is the BEST pineapple rice I've ever eaten! I bought another one for take away just because it is THAT NICE! This was one of the few things I remember eating when I was a really young boy. Probably 7 years old I reckon. And they're still gorgeous after all this time!

This is one of their signature dish. Some deep fried fish. Mix it with the sauce and you get a really tangy fusion of Chinese and Thai food. Gorgeous!

QUESTION: Is there this one particular dish or meal that always cause you heart burns? I've found mine. I mean I knew it all along but just wanted to know if it's only me.

ANSWER: Chicken Rice!

Lips of praise

2008-07-05T15:18:00.003+10:00

Yay! It’s the weekends!

I reckon on average, I slept for only 4-5 hours everyday for the past five days. So by the end of Friday, I was like this -_-, a zombie. I came home and immediately I was on my bed. I wanted to catch up on all the lost hours and sleep in today. I even skipped dinner (made me feel thinner when I woke up)! The next thing I knew was waking up at 8am this morning… so much for a sleep in. But I’m very satisfied as I clocked in 12 hours worth of sleep time :) That should bring the average up a little lol.

I had a really interesting day at work on Friday. It’s different from the first four days. Not work wise but more on my interactions with my colleagues. One weakness that I have is that I’m not much of a conversation starter. When opportunities arise for conversations, I’ll be waiting for someone to start it instead of starting one myself. This always happens with people whom I’m not really familiar with, for example my new colleagues. So I always tend to appear quiet and uninterested. Not good hey. Oh well, something I’ve always been trying to work on. But yea, decided to be pro active and try lol. I asked such a random question over breakfast. “What do you guys do over the weekends?”!! LOL, but yea Praise God it turned out to be a really funny conversation. :)

After breakfast, only the admin/HR/accountant/ETC girl was around. All the directors were out attending to some business. Yes, she’s really capable! She is in charge of EVERYTHING! If I own a business, I will hire her straight away. So we had a great time chatting about many things. She wanted to learn about how trading works as well, but wasn’t able to fully understand what was going on because the directors didn’t have time for her. So I explained to her how the system works, about how prices change, and how people buy and sell. And she was finally able grasp the whole concept! Felt a sense of achievement there :) We also talked about working in this company. She encouraged me to actually try to impress my ‘mentor’ because at the end of the day, it will be he who will decide if they want to take me in the future or not. But yea, I thought to myself, no, it is God who will ultimately open or close doors! I prefer working by doing my best, not wanting to impress, letting God do the rest (gosh it rhymes!). I’m trying to adopt this mentality now. I want to be real in a place where real is seen as weakness.

I find myself in an uncomfortable position many times where I have so many technical questions to ask but don’t know if it is appropriate to ask. Like when a trader is trading, I think it’s probably not the best time to ask anything. God please give me the wisdom to ask the right questions at the right time!

My mentor is kinda impressed with the work I’ve done so far as I’ve done most of the research needed which would have taken others one week! I’m still not done though. Over a conversation with him, I asked if I will get a chance to trade on a simulator. Guess what?! He immediately set it up for me to try! Basically the simulator system is exactly what the live trader will use in real time, just with previous data, thus I was able to familiarise myself with it! Awesome! My mentor was telling Director C how I’m enjoying myself on the simulator behaving like a kid playing with his new toy LOL! And he asked Director C if he wanted to try 2006 all over again. 2006 was the year that Director A and C became one of the top traders in London. Anyway, it was already after 6pm, so I decided to play with it more on Monday. I will probably set aside 3 hours to play with the simulator. Director C will be leaving for London today for a month, so yesterday was the last time I will see him. I wished him well and thanked him for the chance to be here to learn from all of them. Guess what?! He apologised to me because the stuff I’m doing now isn’t as interesting as it will be come next January. So he asked me to come back in January again for two months if I’m still interested. WOW! Praise God! Basically I’m already assured of an internship this summer! I ended my work week on a real high :D Thank God for opening doors. I will still try to apply for internships in Australia though.

One thing I really hope for in my life is that I will be able to thank God everyday for something whether it is big or small, whether the day has been good or bad. I believe God is real and He is with us EVERYDAY, EVERY HOUR, EVERY MINUTE, and EVERY SECOND. His praises shall always be on my lips! I think by adapting this attitude we will see things differently, the bigger picture, more than ourselves. Our perspective of things will change. We become more God focus as we are seeking God not only in our quiet time, but also in our daily routines. You begin to have a constant connection with the Holy Spirit in everything you do. Try it! :D

Zzz

2008-07-03T23:10:00.001+10:00

Thank God for another wonderful day! :)

Here’s another testimony! I emailed my lecturer last night to ask him what I scored for the exams just to see how far or near I was to the next grade, and I got the reply today. I calculated the results and guess what? I was a few marks shy of the grades I got for two subjects! But they gave me the grades anyway (moderation?)! I know my grades aren’t those that are like “wow you’re so smart”, but I still want to praise God for it. That truly is a miracle hey! My GPA would have looked really bad if I had gotten the lower grade. SO Thank God for that! :D

I met up with Aaron and Zoot for lunch and coffee today. Here’s what we had. Beef Kway Teow… really gorgeous and to cry for! Thick tasty gravy and tender beef. Wooo.. That’s what I call a killer combination! Also met up with Dan and my bro for a late movie. It will really interesting to see what we all are doing 5 years down the road hey. Will we still be meeting up and watching movies lol?

Short post today. I’m really tired and I need to sleep. Wanted to share something about being ‘harsh’ to one self. Oh well probably another day. zzzzzzz

Nice, just nice

2008-07-03T00:44:00.004+10:00

I better blog my recent updates before I end up having a backlog (hint hint) ;P!

Wanted to do some blogging last night but I was spent. I was on my bed almost immediately after I reached home. I didn’t bath or brush my teeth…ok yucks. I didn’t even feel like waking up to check my exam results because I was that tired. Of course I did in the end and I went straight back to sleep after that. I woke up today morning wondering if to myself if what I saw was real! LOL, so I went to check my results again to confirm. Praise God hey! Seriously thank God for His grace to grant me the results that I got. I thought it would be a lot worse. Happy happy morning!

Here are some pictures of my workplace. This is not my desk, its Director C’s, of which I’ve been using over the past 2 days as he wasn’t in. 10 screens in total, Very nice! Puts the Matrix to shame! I’m only using two of those screens to do research on the different futures that are available out there in the market. Man there are HEAPS! It’s a very tedious process but I’ve learnt a lot through this exercise. I’ll probably get it done on Friday. If you all are wondering, no I haven’t been trading, I’ve only watched them trade. Went for Jap lunch with some of them yesterday and it was a good time just mucking around. I did research the whole of today! A good 10 hours worth of searching for information! Zak gave me a preview of what’s next. I’m going to research on what are the underlying products on the futures and what affects the price of each of them. Now that’s valuable training! Looking forward to it! But I really don’t like doing research lol.

I’m on a meeting people spree now. Want to catch up with my buddies before I head back to Brissy.

I met up with Fung for dinner yesterday. I forgot to take the pics of the food. So I took it mostly at the end. It was a day of Jap food! Had a craving since lunch! We went to Kuishin-Bo!! I had a great time catching up with him as it’s been a while since we last met up. This is a pic of Fung’s last plate of food, a mountain of deserts! Gosh, he said he took a sample of every desert available! I had to take a photo of that! My desert was 1/3 his plate. There were some funny moments as well, like how a prawn flew out from his plate! Really want to thank him for giving me a treat! I was a pleasant surprise :) Thanks mate! Will bring you out for Korean BBQ when I’m back in Brissy. We went around to shop for a little after dinner. Coincidentally, Dan and Kailing were in Suntec as well, and they were planning to come to my house by taking a cab… heh, so I got a free ride but somewhat slow ride back home :)

Met up with Zoot Zoot for lunch today. I like to lunch with him because I think we are very like-minded in terms of career and interest. We talked a lot about bank stuff and the markets. Really enjoy such educated conversations! Ah I went to my favourite duck rice with him but I forgot to take the pics! Man I tell you, this is the BEST duck rice in Singapore. Trust me on that! Probably will visit the place again next week. Will be meeting up with him and Aaron for lunch tomorrow for Beef Noodles! Nice! :)

Had dinner with Hadley today as a her birthday treat. Went to this French place at Vivo. The food was not bad, but fails on the price. Check out the Eiffel Tower made out of choco powder!

Better go to bed now, if not I'll miss the bus again like today :s

Praise God for a wonderful two days!

Life of a trading apprentice

2008-07-01T01:19:00.003+10:00

Yea man! What an awesome day! Today was my first day at ‘work’ at this proprietary trading firm. Wanted to take some pictures of the trading desks some of which had up to eight computer screens, but my phone died on me!

From what I was told today, I would be the one testing out their training program. This is a new start up company which is currently recruiting new traders, and they will be going through a training program before they get to trade. Yea well, I will be their so called lab rat, but I’ll gain what they’re planning to teach their new recruits in Sep! Not bad hey?

It was really an eye opener to see how the traders work. I got to see first hand how they trade and their reaction to market movements. It’s kinda scary to see how some of them react when the market goes against them. Screaming “$%^&*” is an understatement. But wow, you can see their passion in it!

My day began at 12pm today. I’m like an apprentice to Zak (the really friendly guy). He is a fairly fresh trader as well, but has heaps of experience in the markets because of his analyst background. So in a way, he’s still trying to find his footing in the trading world. But he’s quite good I reckon, making a small profit today. I sat beside him for a couple of hours watching him trade KOPSI futures till the market closed. Due to lack of man power, he was also making calls to potential candidates and their ex-employers to verify references. At the same time he was ‘entertaining’ me by answering all my questions. I will only be given a desk on Wed so I will just be shadowing him this couple of days. After settling some admin stuff, I went to lunch with Zak, and it was a great time getting to know him, talking about our home countries and travels and he shared to me some valuable tips on trading (exactly what I wanted in this internship!). I also managed to throw in some God stuff into our conversation. After lunch, we talked about the market and different indexes and how trends work. Director A had to leave for a period of time, so I used his desk to get started on my training program. I need to find out everything about all the different Indexes futures and put compile them into an excel spreadsheet.

I was kinda discouraged today when I saw all the different resumes on Zak’s table. I had a chance to actually read through most of them, and man, their resumes are SO impressive with good qualifications and heaps of working experiences in trading. Not only that, there were three guys who came in for an interview today, and they’re SO knowledgeable in what’s going on in the markets. I felt quite lousy as I didn’t know what was going on. And I thought to myself, “I’m never gonna make it in the trading world” (lies from the devil). Those two guys really impressed the directors and they’ll probably get called back for the training program.

So yea, I knew God wouldn’t let me get away with this kind of thoughts, so as I was travelling back on the MRT, He ‘whacked’ me! He revealed to me that I have turned my focus away from trusting Him to trusting my own abilities. He also revealed the worldly competitiveness that I had. So I really had to repent there and then on the train! Now turning my focus back to trusting God, the discouragement has left, and I’m seeing things from a different perspective. I don’t need to compete, I just need to do my best, and I know God will do the rest! Like how he provided me with this internship!

It’s so easy to quickly forget about trusting God when things seem impossible. I have to constantly apply the word of God in my thoughts and actions! And I need to remember and constantly remind myself of what He’s done before in the past. I think God is really trying to ground me in this aspect now in terms of trusting Him and not competing like everyone else because we all know how the finance world is like; really competitive! To be the salt and light there, I got to be different! How? I reckon it is by doing our best and letting and let God run the show!

I better stop here and get some rest as my day starts at 8am! I don’t have to wear formal though :) That’s the good thing about being a trader! I’ll get some pictures later! I'm going to see a full trading day for the KOPSI futures later! 8am to 2pm! Pray that I'll be able to learn something new! Cheers!

Prayer Request

2008-06-30T07:33:00.002+10:00

I'm so excited. I'll be stepping onto the trading floor tomorrow! WOo Hoo! First time! I know I won't be doing any real life trading (yet), but I hope I do get to learn (the more advanced stuff) what they do. So please pray for me for favour and wisdom as I take the next 3 weeks to learn as much as possible! How cool, they asked me to go in at 12pm! That's why I could stay up to watch the EURO 08 Finals which SPAIN WON! WOOO HOO! Torres! Go go go goallllllllll! :D

Sunny Sunday

2008-06-30T01:45:00.004+10:00

Today's food pictures... :O

Home made ice lemon tea! Ahhh, this is the best thing to have on a hot and humid day... which means everyday here in Singapore!

Popiah (unfried spring rolls?) with chili. Just wanted to eat that for eating sake (had to wait 20mins for our claypot rice (below). But it turned out to be really nice!

Chicken Satay. Yes, one of my to eat dishes. It was really normal, but definitely better than those in Brissy. :)

Claypot Rice! Wow, this is really gorgeous man! I think there are only two places where I will go to eat claypot rice. One is at Sembawang shopping Ctr, which has been demolished and here in Geylang. Add the extra black sauce... thats where the magic happens! I don't like the egg yolk in it though. Tasted powdery.

The scooped out chicken of the claypot rice. This is to facilitate the stirring of the rice. I love the chicken here. But it would have been perfect if there was no bones.

Went to a board (bored...according to Aaron :P) game cafe with my buddies and it was a ball! We never fail to have a good laugh on this kind of outings! Well there were many ROFL moments which caused me to choke and get breathless! We ended up playing this negotiation game which brought out the ‘MARKET-ness’ in us. What do I mean by market? Well imagine going to a wet market and start bargaining the prices of vegetables and meats with the hawker! I think we were creating a scene every time a negotiation was taking place. Imagine a trading floor where the brokers keep waving and shouting! All of us were trying to out bid each other, with some using interpersonal relationships to get ahead (Cedric and Joyce) and I was the one that would go in and spoil the market by offering the lowest price! :P Well guys, my theory is, when you gain little by little, you’ll end up with a lot! We had a ‘lucky draw’ after we made payment, and Cedric won us a $10 discount (the best prize available) for our next visit, and we left. Suddenly this idea was thrown out by someone… Why don’t we sell the discount to some other customers who are there at a discounted price since we won’t be coming back here any time soon. Ah it’s time to put the negotiating skills that we just practiced to good use! I went to the table with the most people and tried to sell the discount to them for $6. Some of them wanted me to give it to them for free… sorry guys, we have to take a cab home :P… So yea, I ended up selling it for $5 which I thought was really good! They save $5, we save $5. But all of them were ‘aiya-ing’ at me when I came back with the $5! The funny thing was some of them actually went to see the negotiation and were laughing away, while I had to bear with the embarrassment of selling it! But yea, it was fun and we all had a good laugh! :D

Apparently my post on ‘Change’, was being read out by my Senior Pastor during today’s strategic meeting! WOW! In a way it's really encouraging to know that people are reading my posts and using it for Godly purposes whether it is to encourage or drive home a point! I really thank God for that because I really want to be part of this season of change, but am not able to. So I guess this is how I can play my part in the 'Change' ... through my postings! :D Praise God!

Went for Youth service today, and it was great! The worship team did a great job and Ps Aaron preached on working with the Holy Spirit. And I was wowed by the number of response to the alter call. But the best thing was, there were some who wanted to be baptized by the Holy Spirit and they were! Praise God! I really see the Youth progressing to new ground! Hey George, thank you for being so open to the whole zone with your struggles and wanting us to pray for you. Just want you to know that I will be praying for you. And yes, like you said, Thailand is indeed special in a sense for you and me. That was where I met you officially and that was the place where God turned my life around. I still remember what you said to me on one of the benches at Chulalongkorn University…”Man will fail you, but God will NEVER fail you”. There is so much significance in that place, and I believe that God will turn things around for you just because you desire it!

GO SPAIN!

WHITE WHITE WHITE

2008-06-29T07:10:00.001+10:00

Dear Readers,
I know it's hard to read with the black background. I'm trying to get someone to redo my blog design to a white background. It will definitely be more reader friendly if it gets changed. So please bear with it :) You all are champs!

Lem

Be a 'David'

2008-06-29T06:57:00.002+10:00

I watched Facing the Giants again today. I was so touched by the many messages of the show the first time I watched it. But today, in privacy, I allowed myself to drip a few tears as God reminded me of His faithfulness through it all. Yea I know it’s just a show, but hey, I think these are some Godly and biblical attitudes that we can all apply to our lives!

“If God doesn’t give us kids, will you still love Him?”
Rephrasing this question, if things are not going the way you planned, will you still love Him? It’s often easy to say we love Him when everything seems to be falling into place. We ask we receive. But what happens when God says wait or no? Will we still love Him? I imagine myself being in their shoes, and man, I think it's really tough. But knowing the faithfulness of God through an intimte relationship with Him would really make things a lot easier. The show ended beautifully, with God blessing the couple with two kids! They love God even though physically, they couldn’t have kids. And in the end God honoured their faithfulness!

“If we win we praise Him, if we lose we praise Him”
This is what I call an attitude of David. The praises of God shall always be on our lips! Psalm 34:1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. Will we praise him through it all, whatever the circumstance? For me I find it hard at times because it doesn’t make sense don’t you think? When things are going wrong, praise God? It really goes against logic. But hey I see this as an act of Faith! To praise Him even when we don’t feel like it is a declaration to say, “I TRUST MY GOD, and HE IS GOOD”!

“God given you the ability of leadership don’t waste it”
‘Leadership’ means anything you’re good at. They are the talents that God has placed in your life. Today, are you using it to the best of your abilities? Are you grooming your talents? DO NOT let anyone and especially yourself, belittle what God has placed in your life! When someone tells you you can’t, tell them that you have a God that makes all things possible! Take ownership of what you have, and do your best with it for the glory of God.

Hope you guys are having a fantastic God-filled conference back in Brissy! Do share what you've learnt! :)

Toilet..my home for the day

2008-06-28T06:18:00.004+10:00

I’m down with diarrhoea. Not a good thing :( I had to bear with the pain while I was travelling on the MRT and when driving back. No pit stops for me to go to the toilet. Even if I wanted to, the toilet was filthy! I was literally running to the toilet when I had the chance. The grand total of times I went to the toilet is 8!!! Ouch! I was so drained out by the forth time that I had to lie on my bed to rest. I narrowed the culprit down to the prata I had last night. Dan, tsk tsk … you and your nice prata! :P Read on Chris’ blog that he’s down with food poisoning as well. Hope you get well soon! Pray for us! The sacrifices we make for the gorgeous delicacies!

I found out today that I’m not allowed to take the honours course that I wanted next semester. I have to complete two semesters before I could take a honours course. I’m pretty bummed because my all time favourite lecturer is teaching this course and according to him, this course is essential if I want to go into investment banking. :( Oh well… I know God has a plan, and I’m still gonna trust Him! I believe He has something better waiting for me! Anyway, I had to choose another course for next semester. And because of that, I found out that the courses that I’m gonna take as electives are actually similar to the core courses of another Masters. Technically by the end of my Masters course, I would have completed the requirements for two different masters due to the exemptions I received. So I emailed the student advisor to check if I can graduate with a double Masters! It’ll be really awesome if I am able to do that hey? Masters of International Economics and Finance/Masters of Commerce (Applied Finance). Nice ring to it don’t you think? So yea, praying for the green light while waiting for his reply.

The tertiary zone had a workshop today on Financial Management given by George! Well done Mr Ong! Thought you did a great job simplifying all the technical stuff which I would have found hard to explain. I particularly like the illustration on options. You got the point across while paying Dan out. That’s lovely LOL! Dan, do you have an obligation to marry Kai Ling? Do you have the right to marry Kai Ling? Well, you get the right, if you buy a Call/Put Option. You have an obligation when you sell a Call/Put Option. Ah, all these talk about investment instruments just gets my heart pumping!

George also spent the bulk of the time talking about credit cards and the pitfalls of not being able to pay up in time. And wow, the penalties are HUGH! Think twice about using one if you don’t have the money to pay. George talked about tithing, something which I struggle to do as well. It must be a habit cultivated before we enter into the working world. Maybe we should go more in depth of how to use these investment instruments and the pros and cons of each. But overall, I think it’s a good workshop for young adults! Hope you guys learnt something valuable!

We went for supper and bowling after the workshop. Travelled quite a distance today due to us getting lost! LOL. Downtown East has a new setup with really cool lightings! But most of the shops were closed by the time we got there. So we headed down to Tampines Safra to bowl! Bowling is one of the sports that I really love to play especially with a few of my close buddies because they are all very competitive with all the taunting and sarcastic remarks (in a good sense). The beauty of it is we know how to hit each other’s nerves at the right time which made the whole experience really amusing and funny especially when you see the person fumbling and throwing the ball in the drain! :P We will usually agree on an incentive before we start to bowl. Like the biggest loser will do a dare at the end (Dan, don’t think we forgot about it! You still owe us a dare!). We went for supper part II after bowling.

What I conquered today at a hawker centre (FINALLY!!)… Dinner/Supper

Chicken Katsudon... Not bad, but the portion is really tiny.

Yong Tou Fu... with meat balls and fried wanton!

Wanton Noodles with heaps of sambal and green chili! Nice!

Minced Pork Noodles.

Not today... Country Mana's grilled chicken and ribs.

Happy Birthday Xide and Hadley!

Time for bed… ZZZ

Spain vs Russia

2008-06-27T12:20:00.001+10:00

LOL, it was live on the preview channel! Praise God!
Spain are through to the Finals against Germany!

Back to the future

2008-06-27T01:41:00.005+10:00

I always knew whatever our past is; it will always be a testimony of the future. It will be a testimony of growth, a testimony of change and a testimony of God’s faithfulness in our lives. I believe that God has His hand in every past, and that every past will one day be something that will be used by Him for a greater purpose. Of course we can’t see at the present time, we can’t see how our past can be used by God in the future, so that’s where faith comes in.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

That’s why I never believed in lingering in the past. I believe in progress and I believe in looking forward to find out what has the past have to do with the future. Basically to see how God uses our past for the future. Because of that, not only is the past easy to live with, it excites me and gives me great anticipation to see what’s coming. What’s important is that we grow and learn from our past and not forget it. If you’re living in regret and you’re finding it hard to move on from your past because you think that God doesn’t love you because of it, let me tell you straight up that that’s a lie of the Devil! God’s love is unconditional! Take hold of the truths and promises of God! Do not short change yourself from what God has purposed you for because of your past.

The beauty of it is (imagine with me) when we’re 70 years old, sitting by the beach watching the sun set and we start to reflect on our lives, with a slight chuckle and a smile we say “ah I know why” How beautiful it is to see the complete picture as we near the end of our lives. But hey, we don’t have to wait till then! Along the way there will be many “ah I know why” if we choose to see it! If we choose to recognise our past as the key to our future!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

For me, I’ve gone through quite a few “ah I know why” moments. Like when I went for a mission trip in Philippines, where my friend and I shared about our past, our struggles as guys and stuff. God used our experiences and our realness to break bondages! People start to realise that they’re not alone in their struggles and that there’s nothing to be ashamed about! And we were there just thanking God for our past!

Like today, I was sharing with my siblings and Dan on investing and the different financial instruments available for them depending on their risk appetite. Explaining the technicalities of different instruments and giving them advice and stuff (this semester’s courses really help! Lol!), and I told them about my mistakes as a retail investor which I made in the past. I almost squandered my entire life savings because of greed. So I shared with them how I made those mistakes and advised them not to take the same route. And I guess they learnt quite a lot through that conversation and I’m thankful to God that I’m able to go through all these mistakes so that I can share it with people to prevent them from doing the same thing. I believe in faith that those experiences will make me a better investment banker when I start my career! Down the road I’ll go “Ah I know why” again!

Last night I went alone to watch the show ‘21’. “Aww how lonely”… LOL, I love watching shows by myself actually. So there’s no need for pity dates! :P So yea, at the start of the show, the main character was going through an interview for some prestigious scholarship which if successful, will pay the $USD300k needed for his medical school fees. During the interview the dean asked about his life experiences. The dean was looking for someone who ‘jumped’ out from the resume. So the guy sat there, not knowing what to say. His whole life was about studying hard and getting good grades so as to qualify for med school. So I thought to myself what I will say if that question was posed to me. Why did is the dean so concerned about his experiences? Because it defines who he is! That’s how important our past is to us. The show ended with him sharing the whole card counting experience with the dean.

Whether our past is good or bad, it IS you. You OWN those experiences! I believe God let you go through your past for a purpose! Do not be ashamed of them even if they’re bad. Take hold of them and make them your experiences! It’s in the past anyway; no Godly person will judge you based on your past. If they do, just ignore them seriously, they don't know what they're getting themselves into. Some people see the past as things to run away from; I choose to see it as precious moments. When the time comes, you’ll know how to use the past for the glory of God! Amen?

Euro 08 Surprise!

2008-06-26T20:08:00.000+10:00

Its football fever now in Europe where EURO 08 is reaching its climatic end! Back in Australia, they would show the games sporadically, like one out of five matches probably. And it was on during the exam period… heh I did watch a few matches after coming home from studying ;)… must chill a little! But yea, they only showed one match where Spain played. I support Spain! I guess most Liverpool fans would support them as well :) Go Torres! I reckon Liverpool is gonna buy some Spanish players after Euro 08. David Villa and David Silva!

I thought I would get a chance to watch all the matches once I’m in Singapore. I’ve got cable in my house, so I expected it to be shown just like the previous world cups and euros. But sadly no :( The whole EURO 08 is pay per view, which means you got to pay extra on top of the normal channels! When there a match is on, I would always switch to channel 30 (the PPV channel) just hoping to catch a glimpse of the match. But a black screen would always appear with a sign that says I’ve got to subscribe to it. So yea, I wonder why I even bother to stay up to get disappointed! LOL! Doesn’t make any sense! But perseverance, in a weird sense, does pay off!!!

So yea the same thing happened last night. I stayed up till 0235, switched to channel 30 and guess what?! It was still that black screen (lol you guys thought there was a miracle coming didn’t you :P) … So yea, decided to just channel surf and maybe watch a movie or something, which I did. I left the controller on the couch where I was sitting and my bum accidentally pressed channel 1 (the preview channel to let non cable users see what’s on cable). I got a shock. GUESS WHAT?! They were showing Germany vs Turkey Live on the preview channel!! AHH!!! YAY! I only missed about the first 20mins of the match! Yea no one’s gonna get me off that channel now! I immediately picked up my phone and called for Maccers delivery :) How can you watch soccer without something to eat right? So yea, wanna thank God for providing me an opportunity to watch last night’s Euro 08 semi- finals! He knows our deepest desires! There was an electrical storm that hit Austria during the match so the telecast was a little choppy at the end (the best part of the match), but who cares! Will they show today’s semi-finals on the preview channel? God pleaseeeeee? :)

Go Spain!

A day of admin

2008-06-25T18:59:00.002+10:00

Some of you might know that a month back, some virus attacked my laptop and sent out spam emails using my Hotmail. Not only that, all my MSN contacts got deleted by it! Since then, I’ve managed to recover most of the contacts but it’s all over the place and under only one category.

So I spent a couple of hours today just reorganizing my MSN list, sorting people according to how I know them, and deleting all those that I’ve got no clue who they are just by looking at their email address. Don’t see a point of having people on it if I don’t know who they are. So now, I’ve got a really streamlined msn contact list of people I know. Also as I started to rearrange the contacts one by one, I spent some time checking out the chat history I had with different people. LOL, so many interesting stuff that I’ve forgotten. But yea, now it’s all good. Hopefully I won’t get hit by a virus again.

After sorting that out, I figured I should also organize my laptop by putting files in its proper place so that I will be able to find them when I need them. Lol, I realised that I’ve got so little photos of my time in Brissy! 2 yrs already! But yea, I’m not in a habit of taking photos. Also found heaps of junk! Some weird installers here and there which I gladly dump into the recycle bin!

Thank God for a fantastic result for my biggest assignment this semester, which means I’ve already passed one subject (the hardest one, the main character in Owned II!) LOL, yes yes I hate research, but ironically it got me the highest marks! My group mates were an awesome bunch of people. They’re really hard working and smart, and I’m really blessed to be grouped with them! You guys are champs!

Spent some time talking to some of my course mates to find out what courses they’re taking next semester. So I did some planning for next semester, by re checking the time tables and the courses. I also emailed the student advisor to apply for an honours course. Prayerfully, I’ll be able to get it because most investment banks look at students who took honours courses with a higher regard.

A song that I've been hearing the whole day. One of my all time favourites! Enjoy!
Chris Daughtry - Home

Wait

2008-06-25T04:04:00.002+10:00

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

So often it looks like God is delaying or denying us, but his timing is perfect. Next time you feel like you’re in God’s waiting room, trust that God is working in his own perfect time on his own perfect plan – which is so much better than anything we can plan or dream.

R&R with Dan and Jac

2008-06-25T03:01:00.003+10:00

Food Updates ...

Indonesian Grilled Chicken (Lucky Plaza). It was really nice hey with the blachan and dark sauce. Highly recommended! But the portion was a little too small for my liking. I didn’t order another one though. I figured if I ate in proportion, I would be able to eat other stuff later. So here are the other stuffs ;) lol!

Breakfast Set from Toast Box. This is one of my favourite kaya toasts. Thick and crispy with home made kaya. Again highly recommended!

Some sort of Japanese Sauce Noodles. Woo, I can eat a few boxes of these at one sitting, because its gorgeous! Had only 1 today though. It’s a really simple dish to whip up, so maybe I’ll try it when I get back to Aus!

Curry Beef Rice from Pepper Lunch. Heh, the word favourite seems to be over used here. Oh well, but it IS one of my favourite meals in SG! It’s really cheap, and really tasty! It was my mom who introduced me to this place.

still no hawker centre :(

I had a really nice day today with Dan and Jac, walking around Orchard Road, chilling over different meals and shopping! The Great Singapore Sale is happening now! I think it’s gonna end soon though. I love shopping with Jac because she acts as my sounding board and more importantly my clothes hanger! ;P LOL, thank you Jac, really appreciate you! Dan and I did most of the shopping today, going from shop to shop and trying stuff. I’m quite happy with my purchases (thought I should buy some stuff since I’m getting a little fatter… yes Marcus, no more Tarocash). Dan had a field day shopping man. He was on fire! Delayed your wedding by a couple of weeks hey ;) Saw Cotton On in Singapore, and it reminded me of Brissy, with all the bright coloured clothing. Yea, the best part of the day was to be able to share our lives with each other, sharing what we’re doing now, and our plans for the future, being involved in each other’s life!

While shopping, we saw this lady pushing her baby in a pram, and was telling her hubby that she wanted to go feed the baby. Her husband, who was looking at some clothes, turned and said, “why do you have to keep rushing me when I’m looking at things!” in a really impatient and angry tone. Ouch! The wife was so gentle yet sad in her response, “I just wanted to tell you that the baby needs feeding and that I’ll go and feed her” and she left. We heart went out to the poor mom. Yea everyone has flaws, but I really hope I won’t be like that in the future. Treasure what you have!

The interview

2008-06-24T03:12:00.005+10:00

I had sushi buffet for dinner with Dan. Here are some gorgeous sushis. Sadly I’ve not stepped into a hawker centre :( Come on guys, surely we can eat in hawker centres right?! Even the cab driver expected me to have gone on a rampage by now on the local delicacies!

Salmon Sushi

Eel Sushi

Fried Tofu

Fried Scallops

I went for the interview today. It was an amazing experience! But kinda have mixed feelings about it. I stepped into UOB Plaza for the first time in my life and it was magnificent! I had a chance to take a sneak peak at the trading floor! And wow! My heart skipped a beat! That’s what I want to do, where I want to be! Saw all the screens and all the traders doing their job. I had to wait for about ½ hr before one of the directors came and talk to me. The HR lady is really nice; she gave me London (I think) financial papers to read while I waited. We also talked about Australia and London (her home country).

So yea after waiting, Director A came and had a chat (interview) with me. Asking me stuff like why I want to do trading, and my experience in it. Fortunately I did some research before I went for the interview as he asked me a question about spread trading. Whew…I gave a very brief answer which he said was right. ;) He also asked me to give him an example of what I traded before. So I gave him my most profitable example and my position in the JP Morgan trading game LOL! He said I was qualified and all (thank God for the masters!), but yea, I could tell that he was kinda hesitant to take me because of the time frame (1 month). I kinda knew no company in their right mind will take someone for that short a time. So he said he’ll get Director B to come and talk (interview) to me.

Director B will be around over the next month while the other directors will be heading back to London. So it would really depend on him if he wants to take me. So I waited again. I overheard the conversation between the Director A and Director B. And I think it centred on my paper qualification. Thank God again! After 5mins, Director B came down to meet me with Director C! Director C is ranked as one of the top 30 traders in London! What a privilege to have him interviewing me! But yea, he was a really intimidating figure. Director B is the more smiley and friendly person. He was also very apologetic for making me wait! Director A and Director C are the big bosses of this company. So Director C was telling me about Director B on his experience as a system analyst and black box designing (wow!).

Thank God for the peace! I wasn’t nervous at all. I decided to just be myself, being as honest as possible and trying to make the atmosphere less tense by smiling and making funny comments. So yea, Director C sat there while Director B asked me questions. Again we talked about why I wanted to become a trader, what I intend to do after I graduate, what experience do I have, what I wanted from this internship etc. Director C came in and talked about passion and stuff that is needed for this job as a trader, and he told me how tough this kind of a job is. He said “you have to really want it and work for it”. And I kept saying “yea that’s right.”

I think they had an impression that I wanted a paid internship, so they were kinda, telling me how they can’t buy an asset and shortly after throw it away, as it doesn’t make money sense. So they said if I was still interested, they have admin stuff which I can do, probably won’t have a chance to learn much (turning me away tactic?) But I was very persistent! I kept asking questions, trying to find a way. Somehow the conversation led to me saying I wanted a payless internship. I read many testimonies on how people learn so much more on a payless internship compared to a paying one. And that’s the whole point of an internship, which is to learn something. Director C was on the phone when I mentioned that I wanted a payless internship. So Director B filled him in on what I said. From there, the atmosphere changed to a more positive one, and seemingly they were more willing to take me and groom me.

Director C started laughing. He said, “I think you’re crazy man”. I laughed with him and gave him a loud “WHY?!” followed by “THIS IS PASSION HEY!” (All with hand gestures) And he nodded, and said, “yea I would have done exactly this if I was in your position”. So they talked about how they will give me books and stuff to read, and will allow me to do ghost trading on their simulators and stuff, and I’m gonna get a desk just behind Director C! This means I have the chance to learn (watch) from one of the top traders in the world! Praise God! So yea, we concluded the interview and I was asked to come in next Monday (3 weeks of work). Director C stood up and said, “I’m really impressed by you, and it takes a hell lot to impress me”. We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries and left. Director B walked me to the lift and we exchanged pleasantries again said we’ll see each other next Monday (the dumb thing is that I forgot to ask what time!)

Well I have mixed feelings because I don’t know if they meant what they said. Because everything changed once they knew I wanted a payless internship. Well they can be really nice and groom me, or they can be really mean and exploit me. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. Also I don’t really know what exactly I’ll be doing, so as to be able to prepare for it. I’m gonna go in next Monday, knowing nothing! But hey, I’m gonna trust God in this. Always have, always will. Whatever happens over the next 3 weeks, I’m gonna thank God for it! So yea, I’m really excited!!! I’m gonna step onto the trading floor on Monday! Will take some pictures!

Lol, btw I think Director C thinks I’m an Aussie! He mentioned something like “I don’t expect you to be able to speak Chinese…” I was ‘HMmmmmmm-ing’ in my head because I CAN speak chinese! tsk tsk, all you doubters! LOL!

Seeing how things go, I might be able to get a summer internship with them as well.

But yea, really want to thank God that things have been smooth so far, and that I’ve already passed the first hurdle and have gotten a foot in the door (Psyc Technique) by getting them to take me in. I’m gonna push for live trading (both feet in) if possible after 2 weeks. Thank you for all your prayers! More needed! :) I want to glorify God with this and I hope this will evolve into a beautiful testimony of God’s provision and blessing at the end!

So for the next few days, R & R time!!

Had a go at the gym today and did ½ hr of work out till it closed. I worked mostly on upper body muscles, ran on the thread mill for 5 mins and did sit ups. Yes, this is one of my goals for the next month. To go to the gym regularly to work out and to run. Although I really hate swimming, I will still do some laps to improve my stamina. It is a really though thing to do, but I really want to get rid of my tummy LOL ;P

Change change change

2008-06-23T04:36:00.003+10:00

Food updates:

Fettuccine Cabonara from Pasta de Waraku
(I think mine's nicer ;P)

Without pics
-Chili Cheese Fries (Thanks Cedric for the heads up on this hidden secret!)
Seriously this is the winner for the day! He was raving at how good it was so I had to try it! Not only does it taste good, its easy on the wallet! Just $1.50 for a box! YUMMM!!! gonna eat more next Sunday!
-Mango Green Tea

I went for the youth service today and man it was awesome! I felt a big change since the time I left in February and now. I attended part of the prayer meeting and I felt such a different atmosphere in the church. Felt God’s presence just all over the place. This was the total opposite of what I felt in February! Praise God!! Here’s a picture during prayer meeting.

This is a season of change for my church here. Before I came to Singapore, Marcus and I were talking in the car on our way to dinner about how City Harvest changed from being a strict church to where it is now. It was through God convicting Rev Kong Hee about being legalistic. The story goes on about God challenging all the ‘rules’ and ‘regulations’ that were holding the church back. And since then, he revamped the whole church system causing the church to explode to what it is today. I believe church should be like that, not one that is legalistic as it was never set out to be like that.

Since I came back, people from my church have been telling me about how the church is changing, very similar story to the City Harvest story! I don’t believe in coincidences in the things of God. It was a really pleasant surprise! Because all these years in my home church, I thought it was stagnant. Numbers were falling, passion lacking, and disagreements all around. But now, WOW, I hear that people are actually working together to move this church to where it should go! There’s this new buzz that is going on in church! My senior pastor who was always in dress shirts and pants is now spotting a new look! He’s dressing like how I would dress on a Sunday service! TUCKED OUT dress shirt (with his sleeves folded up a little) and pants! LOL! But he looks really good like that! Felt an even greater connection with him! And because of that I felt that he was able to connect with the youth as well when he was preaching today. Worship team are now in shirt and jeans! Even better for the youth! T-shirt and jeans! That’s what contextualising is! Moving with times and relating to the specific generation. There is even a Change Committee that will drive the changes needed in our church! I don’t really know what the exact plans are, but I heard it’s gonna be a ‘Loud Change’! What I keep hearing is “new this new that”. Oooh how exciting!

I’m so excited that I don’t even know what to say hey! I can’t wait to see down the road, how this church is gonna explode into what God has intended her for! Because they are no longer bounded by traditions, rules, and regulations! A sense of freedom in the air! I so want to be a part of this change! :( too bad I won’t be around. But I will be praying for you guys! I believe many great things and blessings will come into the church because of that paradigm shift in mentality. As Ps Chia preached (one of the best i've heard from him), I was really challenged again in what God has placed in my heart. Again, I don’t believe in coincidence when it comes to the things of God. I know what God has put in me is unconventional, different, but I was really challenged to take hold of it with courage and pursue it! It’s only my 1st service since I came back, but I’ve already felt the change and have already been challenged powerfully. I really can’t wait to be back there again next Sunday being with the youth praising and worshiping God together! and my good buddy is gonna preach next week!

I had a great time today with my good buddies, just chilling, eating dinner, playing pool and watching movie (The Happening). Seriously, pls don’t watch that show. It’s a waste of your money! It’s just so nice catching up with them as most of them a quite free now compared to the December period. I can tell from their words and facial expressions that they are really excited as well to the direction the church is moving to. Big vision without people supporting will lead to nothing, and I'm glad they have all shown the interest in the vision that Ps Chia has set!

To a dear friend

2008-06-22T14:37:00.003+10:00

Hey champ, hope you had a ball at your farewell. Wish I could be there as well. Hopefully I'll get to see you in SG. And yes, tarocash cannot, there's always buying new stuff in this period of the Great Singapore Sale! LOL! Guess what I'll buy? Hint hint.

Just for you guys ;)

2008-06-22T04:07:00.003+10:00

What I've conquered today...

... From Soup _____ @ Suntec (can't remember the name)
But this beancurd is like seriously gorgeous! It was a really healthy lunch (Aunt's belated birthday), as most of the stuff were steamed. The chicken with ginger was also to cry for. Also had my share of sambal kangkong. Niceness!

And yes, how can I leave out the best fast food of all time... Long John Silver with my favourite Seasons ice lemon tea! They should import these to Australia so we don't have to keep going to Lipton or Poka!

My favourite waffles from Gelare! I reckon wild strawberry goes best with hot steamy freshly baked Belgian waffles! Guess what? We got these 2 for free through some connections! Feel so blessed! :)

Also made a trip to Mos Burger to get my favourite milk tea (Large)!

(Without pics)
-Pepper Lunch
-Country Mana

Amazingly, I’ve yet to step into a hawker centre. I’ve got a good feeling I’ll do that tomorrow after church. Probably will go crazy in there lol!
_____________________________________________________________

I feel like I’m on a mission, having to accomplish much in a short span of time. I want to make this trip a really fruitful one, so I’ve set out to do a few things. I’ve already caught up with half of my best buddies! Let’s go to 5-star k? Really craving for that! Another thing I want to do is improve my drumming so that I will be more effective in serving God. Realise I’ve been neglecting to train and improve for so many years thus getting a sense of stagnancy and complacency. Well NO MORE! I went for my first drum lesson in years today. I managed to find a teacher while I was still in Brissy. My teacher is the resident drummer in Crazy Elephant. And he met both George Bush and Lee Hsien Loong! So cool hey! So we got down to basics. Man all these years I’ve been playing and teaching the ‘wrong’ thing. Sorry guys… I really am…Will reteach you guys what I’ve learnt k? We got down to how to hold the sticks properly and did some stroking exercise which I hope will help improve my drumming. He said something that is really true for Singaporean drummers. They usually hold the sticks really loosely, while the American drummers tend to hold the sticks tightly and loosen when needed. Maybe that’s the reason why I’m not able to increase my speed and fluency as I have always been using my fingers instead of my wrist and arm. Well let’s hope that in one month I would have picked up sufficient stuff so that I can bring back to share with the drummers in Hope so that we can all improve together!

My internship interview is set for Monday 5pm. Please pray for me that they will ‘like me’ (that’s their ‘criteria’ stated in their email LOL!) so that I can get a job. Thanks!

ZZZ good night!

Updates

2008-06-20T01:08:00.003+10:00

Hey All
I’ve arrived safely in Singapore! Here's what happened so far...

... Nuff said.

*I'm willing to take any special request for food pictures. I'll eat them for you and take photos along the way ;)

Thankfully there isn’t ‘Owned III’. Today’s paper went well. Thank God! Was trying to finish it within 1 ½ hours so I can leave early to pack my bag. But it was an impossible task. Another interesting exam hall incident happened today. Some people just can’t keep quiet after the paper has ended. The chief invigilator gave them warning after warning, but yet, they kept on talking. So she just stood at the mic. I could tell that she was ready to dismiss us, but because some people just wouldn’t stop talking, she stood there waiting in silence. Needing to leave asap, as I had to pack all my stuff in an hour, I gave a LOUD SHHHHHHHH!!!! They went silent and all of them turned to look at me, and the chief invigilator upon hearing the silence said, ‘Thank you students’! UQ should just employ me to say ‘Shhhhh’ during exams! Said it 2 times in 4 papers! Thank you to Adam and Adam, for offering to send me back after the paper.

I was in school for the past 2 days, staying over night in our study room, so I didn’t have any time to pack my bags. But thankfully I was able to pack and bath all in about 1 hour. Whew… A big thanks to LT who sent me to the airport! Appreciate you! And yes, now I’m in Singapore, wondering what my next move will be. Hmm. There seems to be SO MANY things to do, and everything is in such a rush, but it’s kinda exciting at the same time. I love this pace of life. I have a few things lined up for tomorrow already! Cut my super long hair, meet Jac for lunch (hey can we not do Seoul Garden? I just had Korean bbq on wed!), go for an interview, meet Dan for supper, and a secret mission! Not bad hey, another company actually called me with regards to an internship for 1 month here. We’ll see how it goes.

I came back to a new home (nice smell, lol). My family just moved into a new house yesterday. It’s a really gorgeous house. Wished there was a lift though LOL! Here's a video of howmany steps there are from basement to rooftop. By the time I was ready to bath I felt like I had just finished playing soccer, as I was soaking wet with perspiration lol, but it’s ok, I’m not complaining. Just amusing how one day, I think Brisbane is too cold and the next I think Brisbane weather is heaven.

Hey study mates, all the ‘monkeys’ to be, all the best! Praying for you all! A few more days and it’s over! R & R!

Owned II

2008-06-18T10:22:00.001+10:00

A sequel to yesterday, same story, but a lot worse. I left the exam hall with 1 hour to go. Since yesterday, nothing was going in no matter how hard I tried. I don’t know what’s wrong with this subject or me. This subject has been a thorn in my flesh since the start as I’m not from an accounting background. Stayed up the whole night in uni for the first time, drinking coffee, coke and lemon tea just to keep myself awake to try to get everything in, but it wasn’t enough. Hopefully there won’t be a trilogy. Want it to stop at II!! God help me… :( think I’m going home to take a nap to recover, but I’ve got another paper at 8am tomorrow. Hmm another over night study I reckon :s

Owned...

2008-06-17T14:28:00.002+10:00

... by the paper

Next up...

... Financial Statement Analysis

I claim wisdom in Jesus name!!

3 Days Later

2008-06-16T19:06:00.002+10:00

3 days… 3 days is all that stands between me and a well deserved break! Gonna embark on a 3 day exam trail, I wonder what’s gonna be left at the end. Probably a zombied Lem. Pray for me!

To all of us...

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Same expectations

2008-06-12T04:26:00.009+10:00

*Warning, tough words ahead*

Over a conversation, I felt really burden to challenge all of us including myself in a certain area of what we teach and preach. I’m not targeting anybody but at the issue that I believe all of us can grow in.

A few hard questions I want to post to all of you (I’m more inclined to the prophet side then to the pastoral side, and therefore it might be a real turn off to read, but I make no apologies as I am speaking to myself as well) If you’re interested, do take some time to think about it, I believe it will challenge mindsets and you will grow heaps and if you do. :D

How much do you actually believe in what you preach and teach about the truths of God and the bible?

Are you teaching/preaching/quoting it just because it is the ‘right’ thing to do? Or like how some people always say, it’s the ‘biblical’ or politically correct or cliché answer/word/verse.

Is there a deep conviction and belief in what you say? Or is it something that just comes out from you because you think it is something that will suit the needs of people.

Do you believe what God and the bible says can actually be done?

Do you really want people to follow what the bible says?

I hear a resounding yes!!! Yes we believe God and the bible! And yes we believe in what we teach and preach from it. Yes, we don’t quote the bible just for quoting sake; we believe that it can impact lives! Amen, I totally agree! The word of God is indeed truly living! Even in this current age, this old book is still relevant as it is the living word of God!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Heb 4:12 nicely sums up what the word of God is and the impact it has on people. Therefore, I want it to be an active part of my life, I want whatever it’s written in it to be the things I live by (its really hard, and I’m still struggling, but I’ll continue to try)

So now, when we actually quote verses to encourage people, quote verses to minister to a certain need, do we actually believe in what we say?

CASE STUDY____________________________________________________
When something someone is going through a tough period in his/her life, we’ll quote verses like James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28, to encourage that person. Because we know that that’s how powerful God’s word is! It brings hope into people! David in the bible shows how much hope he has in God and His word through his songs of lament and praises. Good times and bad. Same thing in this time and age, we know the word of God can minister to different needs and people.

Now on the flip side, when someone is who is going through a tough time, but has put those verses into practice, and has learnt to FULLY trust God, not getting depressed or sad but is still joyful and happy, still full of drive and passion for the things of God, will we question them? “Are you sure?” “Are you putting on a mask?” Are we expecting any thing lesser then where they are at? Will we still stick by what we preach/teach/encourage when someone is actually LIVING IT OUT? The sad thing is maybe for many of us the answer is no.

We often place our own unbiblical worldly expectations onto others. The world tells us that when tough times come, we have to get depressed, we have to be sad, we have to blame God, we have to stop serving, we have to leave church. That’s what the world says! And sadly, these expectations has crept into many of us unknowingly. It’s normal to be sad/depress when things don’t go our way, and there’s nothing wrong in that. But hey, when people do learn how to apply the word of God into our lives, practically and actively, they can actually be more than conquerors and overcome those feelings; that’s the power of God and His word! When we teach people to trust God in times of trouble, will we doubt them when they actually ARE trusting God? Will we expect what the world expects them to be or will we expect them to have the word of God is upon their lives (like how we will encourage them)? This is a very crucial question here!

When something bad happens, when the person isn’t sad, are we gonna swap sides in what we teach and preach? Are we gonna speak words of negativity to them like “hey you suppose to be sad” or “hey you should be sad for awhile” or “you shouldn’t be happy so quickly” etc. (seriously seriously what nonsense!) or are we gonna thank God for the victory that the person has won through trusting God? Are we going to hold someone back from growing and moving on, because of our worldly unbiblical expectations?

Can a person trust God enough to be strong in the face of adversity? Yes I believe so!

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Well this is a really powerful verse! It brings you into perspective on who’s the boss! Not the world, not the situation, not the circumstances. It is God!

End of Case Study______________________________________________________
Friends, I hope you caught the point I’m trying to make. It’s not about whether we should be sad or not (that’s not the point at all!) but it’s about living out what we teach and preach ourselves and believing others are able to live it out as well. We cannot mix our worldly expectations with what the word of God says, because more often than not, they will be conflicting. My challenge to all of us, including myself is, be convicted in what you preach. Because convictions will not lead you to doubt, but convictions will allow you to realise and believe what you preach and teach from the word of God CAN actually be lived out as a norm.

Don't throw anything at me k? Smile :D

'Good Morninggggggggg'

2008-06-12T02:39:00.001+10:00

What’s up everyone! Hope all you readers are doing well and that you’ve been continually walking close to God. Exam period or not, do remember to spend time with Him daily yea?

Well today, just thought I’ll share something that my friend said to me that really woke me up and put things into perspective. This is regarding the semester that had just passed and what knowledge I’ve gain over the past 12 weeks. This has been my best semester in terms of time spent studying. I put a lot of hard work into my course, because I want to excel in it. However it’s still not enough. I’m still lagging behind in terms of knowledge gained over this semester. I realised how clueless I was while studying for one of my subjects today. This is really unbecoming of me.

I was talking to one of my study mates today during a mini break. Sharing with him how clueless I was in this subject, giving reasons, and stuff. And he said, “But you had 12 weeks to catch up on what was taught” Ouch! At that moment it hit me like a bat in my face. It got me into a ‘blanket mood’ and I started reflecting. What have I done over the past 12 weeks?! Gosh. It really put me back in to perspective of actually how much time I’ve wasted! 12 weeks is heaps of time man! There is no excuse whatsoever! Saturday mornings that I had spent sleeping in could have gone into my revision. I could have spent days with no classes, just catching up with what I do not understand. Hindsight is always wisdom.

It’s too late now to regret or change things. I’m going to take my exams praying for favour and wisdom. I just got to learn from my mistakes and make necessary changes, which I think will be many, next semester. I got to re-think my lifestyle and how I spend my time. I would say out of the 4 semesters here, this has got to be the poorest in terms of ministry. Just looking back, thinking of how many lives I’ve impacted this semester…not many, maybe none. God’s in the business of changing lives, and I want to be that vessel God uses to change lives. That will never happen if I don’t actively plan, position and move myself for it.

Well, I’m gonna head to Singapore for one month, prayerfully working, and revamping myself, from the inside out (become bulkier because of all the Singapore food lol! I promise I’ll take lots of photos!) There are a few things which I plan to ‘launch’ next semester. Some of which I believe God has rekindled in my heart, stirring it up again after a period of inactivity. It has been a year of talk, now it’s time to take action! I’ll be talking to some of you awesome people in the coming week!

Look forward to seeing the new Lem!!

Thanks for that wake up call mate!

*hmm… should be reflecting after the semester not during the semester lol.

Exam update

2008-06-11T02:50:00.001+10:00

Thank God for a manageable first paper today. It wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be. An appalling incident happened today during the exam. Two guys beside me were cheating. Yes, Cheating! Not quietly, but by talking, distracting the people around them, which included me. They blatantly disregarded the rules which were set in place! The girl in front of me, a China student, was struggling and fumbling with all her notes and textbook + a bilingual dictionary (it was an open book exam), trying her best, but was distracted by those two cheaters and I believe many others as well. Everyone is tyring hard, so how can they cheat to get a better grade?! And not only that, disturb others in the process of their deed! I gave them a warning by giving them a loud ‘Shhhhh’ with a disapproving shake of my head and a long stare. Guess what, they continued to cheat for at least 10 MCQ questions! Therefore I decided to report it to the invigilator who reported it to the chief invigilator. I wrote on a piece of paper detailing what happened and let the invigilator read it and I sent an email to my Lecturer. So much for the integrity of an exam…

Unit Snap Shot 08

2008-06-11T01:54:00.005+10:00

J2 + J3 = JA
(My head's filled with all sorts of financial formulas now)

Theme: Celebration! Woo hoo :D

Graduation!!! Happy Birthday to all the June babies! It's an awesome picture of joy and celebration don't you think? Just like graduation! I can imagine a scene like this when we reach heaven! like "YAY"!!! Let everyday be a day of celebration of our Lord Jesus, and for all the blessings that He has poured onto us!

Family of Judah A.

Exams!

2008-06-10T00:56:00.002+10:00

Hey all
These are my exam dates. Kindly pray for me. Really need wisdom. Thanks!

10/06/08 8am - Statistics for Business and Economics
17/06/08 11am- Portfolio Management
18/06/08 8am - Financial Statement Analysis
19/06/08 8am - Financial Risk Management

It's been a great swotvac (study week), studying with various ones, making new friends and getting to know them on a deeper level. Not only that, we start to see each other’s flaws; like me not being able to wake up early in the morning lol! I’m trying lads! We get to see each other’s strong points as well. Like Adam, who is our modern day alarm clock, waking us up and fetching us to school. I reckon you deserve more awards! And the finance guru, Alvin O. Ask him anything and he’ll put aside what he’s studying and answer you. Thank you so much! And all those of you who provide laughter and relaxation in this stressful period, thank you. I’m sure “our good friend” would be charmed over by you guys if you try ;)

But yea, similar to the Army, friendships that last the distance are those that have gone through tough battles. And I likened the exam period as a REALLY tough battle. Tomorrow, a few of us will go to battle, lol! We need you’re prayers!

Oh my, it’s 0115. I better head off to bed. Got to wake up at 6am to prepare for my paper! Woo hoo :D

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Resisting discouragement

2008-06-07T00:55:00.002+10:00

by Rick Warren

So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
*** *** *** ***
There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life-missions. Over the years, I’ve debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can’t get us to put off our life missions, then he’ll try to get us to quit altogether.

The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up …” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

Do you ever get tired of doing what’s right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.

When we’re discouraged, we become ineffective. When we’re discouraged, we work against our own faith.

When I’m discouraged, I’m saying, “It can’t be done.” That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know God can do it because he said ….”

Ask yourself these questions:
· How do I handle failure?
· When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy?
· When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated?
· When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining?
· Do I finish what I start?
· How would I rate on persistence?

If you’re discouraged, don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.

When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn’t hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.

And that’s true of life, too: Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God’s grace.

The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don’t know how to quit.

Testimony time

2008-06-06T00:10:00.003+10:00

So yes, it’s been a few days since my last post. Over the past three days, besides studying, I’ve been trying to secure a ticket to Singapore and back.

First obstacle: The time from now till the date I want to depart is 2 weeks. And the time I want to return is just 1 month + away.

Second obstacle: This is the peak period, where many students return home or go for holidays.

Third obstacle: I don’t want to spend too much on the ticket as it is not in my parent’s budget. Was hoping to pay about $1200.

Fourth obstacle: My favourite Singapore Airlines is out of seats! One major airline out.

But God is good! No obstacle is too big for Him! Amen?!

I choose to book my flight through Student Flight as to my knowledge; they’re the cheapest agents to go to. If anyone knows of somewhere cheaper, please tell me! :) I gave my flight dates to the agent through an email, and he was really quick to respond and kind enough to give me a few different options to choose from. Well, there’s Brunei Airlines, and Qantas. From what I’ve heard from my friends, I promised myself never to take Brunei Airlines… no offence, just my preference ;)

So there’s only Qantas left. But the Qantas flight will require me to transit in Sydney for a couple of hours. That IS A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME! So I prayed that God will provide me, in His own miraculous way a direct flight to Singapore. After 2 days of discussions on flight timings and prices, the agent and I narrowed it down to one flight. I still have to do a transit in Sydney, but it’s the cheapest one available ($1223) and it barely suits my time (2 ½ hrs after my last paper). I wasn’t satisfied, so I asked the agent one more time if I could get a direct flight back instead, and asked him how much it will cost me. He quoted me a price of $1376! I’m not gonna pay $150 more for that! I was like “God, help me please, I’m running out of time!”

A thought came to me… “Why not go check the Qantas website itself and see what’s available”. So I did. After searching I managed to find a direct flight on the day I want to depart! Praise God! Not only that, it’s about 4 hours after my final paper, giving me ample time to do some last minute packing. Praise God again! And guess what? The total cost for a return ticket is $1237, just $14 more than the other flight which needed me to transit and is earlier. Praise God again! Woo, God you’re on a roll hey. So I copied the invoice and emailed it to the agent, asking him to help me book it. Guess what, the agent agreed to beat the price quoted by $20! Wow, so the cost came to $1217! Praise God again!

So not only do I get a cheaper ticket compared to the last one, I’m getting a direct flight which saves me heaps of time, and I won’t have to rush off after my last paper. Wow, really, God is good. He is a prayer answering God!

That’s part one of the testimony. Now part two.

Because I wanted the cheapest option available, I will have to fly back to Brisbane on a Tuesday. But classes would have started by then. So I was praying “God please don’t let any of my classes start before I return, as I really don’t want to miss any class.” Then I realised that next semester’s timetable is actually out. So I went to plot my classes out on excel. Guess what?! For the first week, I only have classes on Wednesday and Thursday! Won’t be missing any classes! Praise God again!

All I can say is wow as I can really see God’s hand over this from the start.

And hey Di (special mention), you’re right hey! Prophetic words from you? Lol. Definitely more hallelujahs and Amens to be anticipated!

Psalms 139:1-6
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

Pursuing God's Call

2008-06-03T01:48:00.007+10:00

(Probably a real life example of what it means to pursue your vision – yesterday’s post)

Wow, one day after my post on vision, about positioning yourself, and pursuing it with confidence and courage, I received a reply from one financial firm, interested to take me for one month as an intern!

About a week back, I spent one afternoon sending out at least 50 applications to investment banks, financial institutions and asset management companies across Australia, hoping to get a one month internship so as to gain experience (positioning yourself). I think experience is the key to getting the job you want in the future that’s why I’m very driven to get one. Sadly ALL the Aussie firms rejected me :( but I really appreciate them for taking the time to reply me, even though it’s not positive. I was quite discouraged actually, but I know that God will open a door for me if it is His will. So discouragement turned to hope. I pushed on, and I continued to pray in faith that God will make a way again.

I actually sent a few applications to some Singapore firms, but none replied till today! I opened my Gmail and saw another reply about my internship application, and I thought, oh well, another rejection email. Gmail gives you a one line preview of the contents of your emails, and this one, just like the others, begin with something like, “Dear Lemuel, Thank you for sending your application to us. We greatly appreciate. . .” As you all know, most rejection letters start like that. Me of little faith, I wasn’t hopeful, but I opened it anyway to read what they had to say. Guess what?! They were actually impressed with my CV and want to take me as an intern for one month! Praise GOD! I jumped and ran around like a mad man! LOL!

You know the amazing thing is not that God opened a door for me to a company that I applied to, but more importantly, he opened a door for me to a company that has a core business that revolves around what I’m interested in doing in the future as a career! Most of the companies I applied to do not offer exactly what I want, but I was willing to settle for something less, but hey, our God doesn’t want us to settle for something less, he wants to give us the best! He wants to bless us more than we can ever ask or imagine! Can I hear an Amen?! I really see myself learning a lot, if I do get this internship.

Coming back to reality, I still have to go through an interview before the acceptance becomes official. But yes, I’m gonna book my flight back in faith that I’ll get the job (pursue with courage and confidence). His will be done, if I don’t get it, I’ll still praise God! I can go back and help my family move house lol! So yes, family and friends, I’m coming to Singapore for one month! Time for fellowship and catch up! Miss you guys so much! Please pray for me that I will successfully get this internship.

On a related note, the trading game I was playing has ended. I finished a dismal 376th out of 5000+. I can only say oh well, it’s a tough world. But congrats to my buddy Adam Lew, he finished 28th!!!!!!! Not 280th but TWENTY EIGHT! Adam you’re a genius man, are you sure you’re studying civil engineering and not financial engineering?! Well done mate! You’ve got so much talent!

I’ve officially started my exam revision today, and it was a slow slow start, as I only completed a couple of short chapters. Well, need to wake up early tomorrow and dig in to my books! Please pray for my exams too thanks! Cheers :D

Real men . . . not really

2008-05-31T22:00:00.002+10:00

Last night was our annual ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘Simply Women’ event. The afternoon service was split according to their gender, with Ps Wen An speaking to the ladies and Lillian speaking to the guys. I had the privilege of playing guitar in the worship team (YAY! Lol, finally doors are opening for me to move into that area. I just want to be faithful in practicing so that the day I’m being called upon, I’ll be ready to step up.)

Well done worship team, even though it’s a first for many of you, I thank God for your heart in stepping forward and leading His people! Looking forward to serving with you guys even more. I’m truly blessed to be able to spend that night with some of you guys at Maccers hearing your heart and where God is leading you all. It stirred in me to want to pursue God’s call upon my life even harder. One life to live, I want to live it in God’s light, and in accordance to His purpose and calling. So yea, I want to speak a word of encouragement into your lives, that no one can alter God’s call upon your life expect yourself. If you know God has called you to something, be faithful at it, even though it seems like nothing is happening. It’s just a moulding period where the clay after being moulded is left to dry and harden, getting ready to be used as a beautiful vase. So press on, don’t give up! People can come along the way to discourage you (knowingly or unknowingly), always remember who has called you… It is God not man.

The session started off with this question. Real men . . .
1) treasure friendship (the Great Adam)
2) won’t scream in pain
3) don’t wax their legs (Gin … lol, you do right? ;p)
4) many many more, can’t remember.

Basically what I took out of last night’s session were a couple of questions…What is my vision? And am I pursuing it? We were all given a piece of paper to DRAW out our vision. Its one thing to write it out, but it’s another to visualise it. I mean, you need to visualise your vision, for it to be a vision. You got to see yourself doing it. If not it’s just a ‘wordsion’. So I started to draw out mine. I drew 6 screens, seeing myself as a successful banker, and I drew $ $ $ flowing into the church. And I’m really comforted by Lillian’s challenge, “pursue God’s vision”.

I for one faced a lot of discouragements about my vision I feel God has placed in me. People saying really hurtful things that made me question is this really what God has called me to do? Some even tried to make me change my intentions. But through last night, I got that sense of renewed courage to pursue what God has called me to do.

I believe that God has called all of us to do different things in the church, as stated in the bible, and that some of us might share the same vision, while others don’t. My challenge to all of us is, respect what God has called others to do. Don’t let your vision, over power someone else’s vision. Do not let the drive for the success of your vision cause you to stop someone else from fulfilling theirs.

I think we often fall into the trap of wanting people to do the same things as you, to be as passionate about the same things as you. For example, I’m really passionate about playing music for God, while some others might be less passionate about it. Seeing someone who practices less might cause me to react negatively, by pushing them harder. But hey, they might actually be spending that time doing something else that positions them to fulfil God’s call upon their lives. Serving by playing music for God might be secondary to them. They’re serving just trying to meet a need. I agree there’s always room for growth and we should try to grow in different areas. But we need to see beyond our own vision, and allow other people’s visions join in with us, to make that full body of Christ work. I don't want to be responsible of causing someone to miss out on his/her call in God. Sorry it’s just a vomit of words, hope it made sense. :)

So yes, guys and girls, I want to encourage all of you, pursue what God has called you to with confidence and courage. It is your choice! Cheers.

Cinderella

2008-05-24T20:05:00.002+10:00

This post is a post of condolence to the Chapman family in their time of grief. They just lost their youngest daughter a couple of days ago to a car accident. He’s one of the Christian artists that really inspire me. Every time he sings and plays, and His genuine love for God and his people. Steve loves his kids SOOO MUCH! I remember the last time I saw him live, he was on stage performing with his two sons, and you could tell from his facial expression and words how proud he is as a dad to see his kids loving God and serving with him. He also strongly campaigns adoption, bringing kids without parents into their family, again, such sacrificial love. This song is written by him for his daughters.

May God comfort you in this time of grief.

5 Loaves and 2 Fishes

2008-05-22T23:44:00.001+10:00

One of my all time favourite singers. Enjoy!

M.A.S.K

2008-05-19T23:41:00.001+10:00

LOL, totally random... found this classic cartoon video, and just watching the opening song gave me Goosebumps! Well you’ll understand if you’re old enough to have watched it. Don’t need to explain much :) Enjoy!

Whew...

2008-05-19T14:28:00.002+10:00

Wanna thank God for His divine intervention with regards to my assignment. I'm quite careful with my dates as I’ve got all the due dates and important dates saved in my excel file which I check back often. However this particular assignment had an extension of deadline, because the lecturer fell ill and couldn’t mark our previous assignment in time. The previous assignment was due on the lecture day (Wed) so I assumed the new extension date will be on the lecture day as well. BUZZ… wrong!

Was pretty tired yesterday after coming back from church, and I am like semi down with a flu. It’s still fighting, wonder which side will win. It’s getting really cold hey? Any one realized it? Sneeze…. I was SOOO tempted to take THE yellow tablet, go to sleep and wake up today to continue my assignment. But somehow I had this tugging in my heart to complete the assignment before I went to sleep. So I had to dig deep with every ounce of discipline I have left to sit there and type out my assignment. With a few breaks in between, I managed to finish my assignment at around 3am! So for some last round checks, I went to blackboard (where the lecturer post announcements) to read the comments the lecturer had on the previous assignment so I won’t commit the same mistakes again in assignment 2. GUESS WHAT?! The deadline was there, smacked in BOLD and HUGE FONT, “The submission deadline for Project 2 is now 12 noon Monday 19 May.”

If I had gone to sleep, I would have missed the submission deadline and still think the assignment is due on Wednesday. That would be like 2 precious marks gone! Really thank God for that prompting to complete my assignment. Now, the assignment is tuck snugly with all the other students’ assignment in the submission box. Just want to encourage all of you that God is VERY interested in EVERY part of your life, even assignments! Take a step of faith when you feel God’s prompting you to do something, you’ll know it will always turn out good.

Praise the Lord
Lem

Sweet presence

2008-05-15T22:59:00.002+10:00

Wow, really enjoyed tonight's P&W practice hey.
Sweet presence of God just filled the church office. Really wanted to continue to be in His presence, but we got to pack up. Good time of ministering, renewing, and worshiping.
Thank you worship team for accepting me and for coming together with one heart and one voice, surely we can expect better things to come! Looking forward to serving with you all on Sunday! :)

Psalms 103:1, Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

lol, I didn't get the dress code...someone pls update me.

Quote of the day

2008-05-10T19:16:00.001+10:00

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
--Dolly Parton