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BPGC-Ehpesians Birthdates! QiQi - March 17th Sherwin - June 8th ShaoNing - July 18th WeiSong - August 2nd Huey - August 27th LiuYi - August 28th Xueyun - September 7th BoHan - September 18th WeiXin - October 14th ZiXin - October 30th Christopher - November 28th JiBing - December 21st previous posts What's more important to you? The Gifts? or the Gi... Rethinking Spiritual Growth Behind the Scenes Automatic ‘A’ from God True & Better Another Day Without the Return of the King Glorifying God in All You Do Do what your hearts says? Nice wallpapers the past July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 July 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 September 2011 People We (should) Know! :x Daune DeZhang Edna Eunice GeokLan HueyFen JieLing Johnson LiangFa Pengs ShaoNing SuLing Group blogs!
We talk... Our Updates & Thanksgivings! HueyFen - ShaoNing -TG:rain stopped aft for so long!! :) -TG:had time to catch up with secsch/jc friend (will share with the girls next time! -PR:final year project! able to ovecome laziness and procrastination, and rly work hard for the project. part 1 due in 2 weeks time and its graded 25%! Chris - Pengs -PR:Good health throughout CNY!! JiBing - WeiSong - Sherwin - LiuYi -PR:Study for God and let Him lead thru this year. YanYi - XueYun -TG:Thank God for new year. -PR:Everyone to have enough rest. QiQi - WeiXin - ZiXin -
Our Prayers requests JiaYan -Know what to do in future. -Work hard in bible study. -Faithful to work in church. Chris -Will meditate on God's Word daily. -Start to memorise verses. Pengs -Time management, as having holidays now. -Continue to stay close to God. JiBing -Able to know whats God's plan in life. WeiSong - Sherwin - BoHan - LiuYi -Art mock exam coming thurs -Wisdom in coping with all the subject -Take good care of own body XueYun - QiQi -Willingness to step out of comfort zone and get to know abt more ppl. WeiXin -Able to serve God with a willing heart. ZiXin -Discipline in not procrastinating. -Wisdom and strength from God for daily stuffs.
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Sunday, July 27, 2008 ( Listen...He is Speaking -- LaTan Roland Murphy @ 11:59 PM ) Job 16:20 "My Intercessor is my friend." Romans 8:26 "... but the spirit himself intercedes for us." The Story Perhaps you have never had the blessing of a spouse or earthly father praying on your behalf. Perhaps no words of love ever flowed from the lips of those you needed most. Well, my dear friend, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whispers your name daily to God the Father. His words are edifying, gentle and full of love. He notices the special things you do and say to encourage another's heart. He praises God for your life, for in you, He is being revealed to others. If you are very quiet and still, you just might hear Him speak something new about you. For when the Father speaks, you can rest assured that His words are true. Don't move a muscle, be very still. The Father has something to say to you. My Prayer Dear Father, I thank You for you gentle love and care. Amidst times of hurt and pain, I can hear You comfort me. I now know that You look at the good in me and intercede for me, though so undeserving we are. I pray that I would cling on to every word of Yours, and listen patiently to You. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen 0 comments Friday, July 25, 2008 ( Responding To Criticism @ 10:23 PM ) read: 1 peter 2:4-12 From the verses: -As christians, we are like living stones and chosen people by God. -For this reason, we may declare the praises of God who called us out of darkness and into his wonderful light. -We should abstain from any sinful desires. -Live good lives among people, so that though they may acuse you of wrong doings, they will see your good deeds on the day when God visits us. Story: Abraham Lincoln knew what it meant to face criticism. He is quoted as saying, "If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attackes made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any business. I do the very best i know how-the very best I can; and i mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Lincoln, against huge opposition, went on to reunite the fractured United States, win the civil war, and abolish slavery in the US. Had he allowed his critics to defeat him, Lincoln would not have accomplished what he did. The apostle Peter understood the dangers of unfounded criticism. He wrote, " Having your conduct honourable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God" (1 peter 2:12) Main point: Criticism can consume our lives to the point of emotional paralysis, or we can set our hearts to serve God faithfully undeterred by that criticism and put our God on display. When we do that, we won't need to answer our critics with words-our lives will say all that is needed.--Bill Crowder Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you for giving us energy everyday. I pray that you will help us to learn how to cope with criticism by others, and also to lead a powerful testimony so that through our good deeds, we may glorify you. I pray that you can help us to stay focus on your word, that everything we do we would pray and ask you. Thank God for everything. In jesus name, amen. 0 comments Friday, July 18, 2008 ( Called @ 11:07 PM ) read: romans 12:3 -8 From the verses: -we ought not to think highly of ourselves according to man's judgement. -our gifts and talents come from God so let us use them to serve Him and one another. Story: In september 2001, Lisa Jefferson had an unexpected opportunity to be used by God. Her well known 15 min conversation with a passenger on United Flight 93 forever changed the direction of her life. In a book Called, she emphasizes that her listening skills and her ability to take charge and stay calm in a crisis were used to encourage fellow believer Todd Beamer in the last moments of his life. She didn't ask to be used that way. But God saw a woman who was available and matched her with someone who was in need. Lisa now shares her story with whomever she can to encourage believers to always be ready to serve. what i learnt: God has given us natural abilities and equipped every believer with spiritual gifts for the purpose of ministry. God doesn't use the unwilling- he won't force us to serve Him. His part is to equip (Eph 4:11-13) and empower and prepare us for service. Our part is to be faithful and available and aware of opportunities to use our gifts (Rom 12:6).God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary work. Prayer: Thank God for life and for our talents and abilities that you have given us. i pray that you would help us to serve you better and with a joyful heart. I pray that we will have opportunities to use the abilities you gave us to do work for you. I also ask for forgiveness as many times, we disobey you and do whatever we want. I pray that you would clense our hearts so we may be willing to seek and follow you. In jesus name, Amen. 0 comments ( Trust @ 11:02 PM ) Proverbs 3: 5-6.Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Trust in our loved ones make us vulnerable, we reveal our truest self to them and love them back. We forget one thing, that is humans are flawed. We get hurt in trusting them. That's when truth turns into lies. Revealing turns into confusion. Unconditional love turns into nit-picking. Our security is ripped apart and our vulnerable and true self is buried once again in the self-protective shell of our broken heart. Remember, only God is the person we have to account to. His love is enough, trust in Him and place him as the top priority in life because He first loved us. He will heal our hurt and pain, giving us rest in His arms and rebuke us when we do wrong. My Prayer Father, I pray that I will always be refreshed by Your blessings. The love You give is unconditional, thus I pray You would teach me to place you as the top in my life. You are the only Person I have to account to. Teach and guide me with Your words that I may also learn to love others as myself. Thank you Lord for every blessing in my life. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen 0 comments Monday, July 14, 2008 ( Since the past till now @ 10:00 PM ) When Stephen was asked to state his innocence before the people, he went thru a whole chunk of Israel's history before he explain that these ppl had been resisting the Holy Spirit. As i was reading the text, i can't help but wonder why he had to mention all these history until when he finally rebuke the ppl for resisting the Holy Spirit!! It then struck me that many times when i found myself doubting God or not want to depend on God is just like these ppl who resisted the Holy Spirit. Haven't history told me enough about how GReat and Powerful my God is? Haven't all that change of life shows the amazing love of God? Haven't my past few years of learning to depend on God taught me how Real He is?? And yet, why do i still want to doubt, why do i still have to response in unbelief many times? OH Lord, pls forgive me and give me the faith to trust and the strenght to persever on in you. 0 comments Friday, July 11, 2008 ( The dangers of success @ 11:07 PM ) The dangers of Success read: Deuteronomy 8:6-18 Content sins to avoid: -Letting your heart to be proud -Forgetting the Lord after achieving success commands to obey: -Observe the commands and laws of God, walking in his ways and revering him. Story (daily bread) Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said that he learned to pray in a Siberian concentration camp because he had no other hope. Before his arrest, when things were going well, he seldom gave God a thought. Similarly, the Israelites learned the habit of depending on God in the Sinai wilderness where they had no choice; they needed His daily intervention just to eat and drink. But when they finally stood on the banks of the Jordan River, they awaited a more difficult test of faith. After they entered the land of plenty, would they soon forget God? The Israelites knew little about the seductions of other cultures, having spent their lives in the desert. Moses was more afraid of the coming prosperity than the rigors of the desert- the alluring sensuality, the exotic religions, the glittering wealth. The Israelites might put God behind them and credit themselves for their success (Deut.8:11,17). Ironically, success makes it harder to depend on the Lord. The Israelites did prove less faithful after they moved into the promised land. Again and again they turned their hearts to other Gods. Beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger in getting what we want. what i learnt: The dangers of success is that our hearts might become proud and success makes it harder to depend on God. Alot of times when we achieve success, the first thing in our minds is not to thank God but instead thinking highly of ourselves. We must always remember not to forget God as he is the one who gave us the ability to do things and succeed. There is no failure more disastrous than the success that leaves God out. Prayer: Thank God for giving us talents and strenghts to be able to do things and succeed. i pray that we would be cautious to not allow ourselves fall into the dangers of success- hearts becoming proud and forgetting you.I pray that we would learn how to be thankful to you in every situation and also to be dependent to you. Forgive us for the times we think highly of ourselves when we succeed in something. Thank God for keeping us in good health and for everything you have given us. Amen. 0 comments Tuesday, July 8, 2008 ( growing towards a holy church as one @ 9:12 PM ) Today's QT of mine Acts 5:1-16 Things learnt: First of all, i have understood the background of the believers then sharing their possesions. during the first century church, the believers actually did not matter whether did they own a large amount of possesions or not, rather, they would share not only their possesions but also their love and testimony and also pray together with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Now a man named Ananias andhis wife Sapphira, sold a pice of land and got some money but later on, Ananias gave only a portion of the amount of money he had earned to Peter for sharing among others in Christ. however, he lied to God that he had given the full sum of money earned in order to earn the praise and worldly fame from others! thus, both of them committed the sin of cheating and died right after lying. i have learnt that neither others' praises nor words of admiration is important in my daily life. i should instead learn how to share my possesions with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with an honest and genuine heart of love and compassion. another point to note is that we should constantly check ourselves before the Lord in whatever we do and also ensure that we should never allow others or even ourselves to be using our outward appearances or actions to decieve God or to cover our guilt especially in church! My prayer: Dear Lord, please teach me to have a true heart that is always ready to serve you and help others. At the same time, please let me have a wisdom to examine if our church contains acts like what Ananias and Sapphira had done. I am sorry for all of my sins and beg of your forgiveness and guidance. I also pray that our church can be united as one and always glorifying your utmost Highest Name. Only in Jesus Christ's Name, i pray, Amen. 0 comments Monday, July 7, 2008 ( The Key to Freedom--Sharon Jaynes @ 9:49 PM ) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 The Story North Carolina has birthed some very influential men and women. Perhaps one of our favorites is Andy Griffith of the Andy Griffith Show. In Andy's fictional town of Mayberry lived a town drunk named Otis. When Otis was arrested for public drunkenness, Andy put him a jail cell until he sobered up. After a good night's sleep, Otis would simply stick his hand through the bars of the jail cell door, take the key from a nail hanging on the wall, and let himself out. It was just that simple. On a few occasions, Otis stumbled into the court house, locked himself in the cell, and placed the key back on the nail on the wall. This was always a comical scene, but it reminds me of the jail we lock ourselves in when we remain a prisoner to our past. God has set us free, but sometimes we lock ourselves up in the prison of shame and guilt. Our key to freedom isn't hanging from a nail on a jailhouse wall, but hung by nails on a rugged cross. His name is Jesus. He came to set the prisoner free...for good. The key is always in reach and we never have to be locked up in the prison of shame and guilt again. What I learnt: Let us not be trapped in the past of guilt and shame but look forward to Christ, for He saved us to free us so pray and ask for strength, so we may stand firm in the truth and not be shaken by our sinful nature. Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for setting me free! Please forgive me when I slink back into the jail cell of shame and guilt. I know that You paid an incredible price for my freedom and it dishonors You when I do not walk in that freedom. Give me strength that I may honour You in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen 0 comments ( Not to us, but to your name @ 12:08 AM ) Psalm 115 This is a psalms that is used in public worship
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
How much we know about who God is, can be clearly seen in our lives, in the way we act, think and make decisions. As Christians who are called to give all glory to God, this becomes a overwhelming task for all of us especially in this generation where 'self' is most important. Our thoughts, thinking, decision making and action are mostly self-movtivated for self-gained or self-interest.
Unless we continue to grow in the knowledge of who God is, (all-powerful, all-knowing, holy, faithful, ...) and who as sinners we really are, (limited, foolish, sinful, faithless, ...) we will never be able to humble ourselves before God.
My prayer is that as we grow older and older, we may continue to grow in the knowledge of God and response to Him in fear and reverence and in the knowledge of our own sinfulness, coming to Him in repentance and humbly. Then, will we learn to say the above verse with our whole heart. 0 comments Friday, July 4, 2008 ( What about our church?? @ 10:41 PM ) verse 42: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayer. My thoughts from the verses: As I serve in church and learn to mentor youth, sometimes i find myself not satisfied with the growth of the youth and myself in our life and relationship with God. Going back to the first church in history they 1. devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching >>> sometimes i find myself not even capturing what the sermon is teaching, complaining over the not so engaging content 2. Devote themselves to fellowship >>> The coming together with christian nowadays comprises more of jokes then prayers. More of fun then and with support and getting to know each other's life. How are we working harder to encourage each other in our walk as christian - having quality fellowship?? 3. devoted themselves to breaking of bread and prayer. >>> the breaking of bread from what i know is communion where people come in remembrance of Christ and what He had done for us. How many of us even mention Jesus as we converse with each other? not to say think of Him.. urgh.. that's rare.. Prayer?? I find it amazing always that as christians we often find it easy to talk and hard to pray together.. I'm still learning and hoping to pray more with people. As i struggle with these, i wonder if most of our church is like that. I think it really seems like this in the youth ministry in church.. =( If my observations are right, then it definitely is time for us all to "wake up" and start thinking of how to find ourselves devoting to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayer . Oh God have mercy on us. 0 comments ( @ 5:15 PM ) Do your best and leave the rest. read: 1 thess. 5:14-24 Story: Have you at some time found yourself under extreme pressure? Have there been episodes in your life that you were so burdened by tasks and responsibilties that there was simply space to prepare your service for God? That was the experience of a pastor by the name of A.J. Gossip. During one hectic week, he didn't have his customary time to prepare his sermon.As he walked to his pulpit that sunday morning, he felt guilty about the scanty notes in his hand. It seemed that the Lord was asking him, "is this the best you could do for Me this week?" And Gossip honestly replied, "yes, Lord, it is my best." He told a friend later that Jesus took the ill-prepared piece of work and in His hands "it became a trumpet" to his congregation. The apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to give their all for God (1 thess. 5:14-22). They were to exhort, warn, comfort, rejoice, pray, and express their gratitude to God-among other things. Moral: we too should always do our best in our christian life and service. But when pressure periods come and we just don't have the time we feel that we need, we should always do the best we can and then prayerfully trust God's faithfulness. He will be there for us, and provide us with what we need. Prayer: Thank God for what you gave us, be it in any circumstances, let us rejoice and praise you. i pray that we can give our best to you each and everyday, not just during quiet time or church service, but in everything that we do, we will glorify your name. Thank God also for constently providing us and knowing our needs. i pray that we will trust your faithfulness and be dependent on you as we know that we shouldn't be dependent on our own. i pray that you would forgive us whenever we disobey you. Amen. 0 comments Wednesday, July 2, 2008 ( No escape .. @ 10:35 PM ) Ecclesiastes 9:10-12 Highlight : Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave , where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. (v.10) summary of the passage ive read: -Harry houdini's had cheated death for years. e.g. he managed to escape after being buried under 6feet of dirt. escaped from a straitjacket while hanging from a sky scraper.. etc.. -he seemed invincible to his audiences/people he told. -one day he was talking to a grp of students after a lecture in Montreal (that his stomach muscles were so strong that it can withstand any blow) -out of the blue, one student fired off 2punches to his abdomen. -16days later , he died. of ruptured appendix.. -king solomon seemed invincible too. (wisest and wealthiest man around) -but both king solomon and Harry could not escape from the fact of life : DEATH none of us can escape death (unless Jesus returns in our lifetime) .. .... .. so..whatever you do .. do well. which means .. Whatever you believe Jesus wants you to do today-do it ! dont wait for the "perfect" time, dont procrastinate. and do it whole heartedly. give it your all . always try your hardest. some people know the end is near, from disease or old age. for other, they never see it coming. no matter how or when death comes, what will matter most is the choices we made when given the chance. -tracy carbaugh. prayer: tomorrow is not a promise , but a chace. Father, we thank you for the chances that you had given to us so far. it is by grace that we received them .. Lord, we pray that we will seize every opportunity that is given to us. we know that sometimes we may fumble over things that we're unwilling to do, We pray that you'll guide us as we're in the midst of our decision . thank you for everything .. .. .. .. .. ... ... .. . Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing, Thank you God for everything. AMEN ! ~nat Labels: hakunamatata 0 comments Tuesday, July 1, 2008 ( Romans 15: 1-7 @ 11:06 PM ) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. What I learnt: We should learn to trust and help one another so as to be spiritually unified in Christ. By doing so, we would not drift away from God easily. --Wei Xin 0 comments ( Bible Conference @ 9:59 PM ) I think it will be good for us to be exposed to conferences like these. Pls do ask your parents if you can go for it. Leave a note under "comment" if you can go =) Thanks. St Andrew Cathedral - New Sanctuary   10 - 11 July 2008 (Thu & Fri) 7.30pm to 10pm Night 1 Philippians >> Jesus and your expectations Phillippians >> Jesus and your attitudes Night 2 Philippians >> Jesus and your Passion for life Phillippians >> Jesus and your Possessions 0 comments |
