Livingstones Journal

Greetings from Sri Lanka

2007-10-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hey... living stone family...... lots of love from Sri Lanka.... Miss you all... Hope you all like my new hair cut =) .... I'm with pastor now..... we had fun shopping for James's cricket jersey..... take care and God Bless you.. lots of Love...

Arun

A Step Towards A Modern Levite

2007-09-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday till Saturday night was a great boost for me! FCBC had her first Modern Levites Conference. I really enjoyed myself! Shall highlight some experience of the conference.

Opening Message by Ps Melvyn Mak
What is true worship? In John 4:21-24, we know that worship is not location-specific.

God seeks true worshippers! So worship God in Spirit and Truth, first by discovering who God is - a compassionate friend; then by doing what God wants - a consuming fire.

The heart of worship can be seen in Moses' desire for God's presence over the promiseland. God is a One who blesses, sometimes these blessings become too attractive and we focus on it instead of God. We should always on our guard, and be like Moses!

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8

Worship = Obedience
We learn more about the nature of God only through experiential obedience.
We all know (head-knowledge) some of the different names of God (e.g. Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Emmanuel and etc...) , but nothing beats knowing each name by experiencing it.

Plenary Session 1 & 5 by Vivien Hibbert
On a side note, I really enjoyed her sessions, not becoz i have the same first name as her =P haha... But she really stretched my horizon of the understanding of music worship.

"You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come." Ps 102:13

She went thru the 7 characters in the Bible who had the favour of God.
The point that she kept emphasizing was what the Fear of the Lord is:
1) to KNOW Him 2) to WORSHIP Him 3) to OBEY Him

Thru Noah, we receive favour of God to activate and release prophectic dreams, visions and plans. We should always work on a plan bigger than ourselves. In Isaiah 32:8, "But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands." And we will see salvation in our family members.

Thru Joseph, we've learnt that being a Modern Levite, we need to be DREAMERS! And like Joseph, whereever he was in good and bad times, God's favour was with him! This is will activate and release success, prosperity, wisdom and knowledge and authority.

Thru Job and David, we've learnt that we can receive favour from God that will preserve our spirit during times of suffering! And also to always praise Him

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" Job 1:21b

Thru David, we've learnt that God sings! So we can sing prophetic songs over people, issues of our lives! Take His songs and put it in your heart.

Plenary Session 3 by Vivien Hibbert
This is the most awesome session that inspired me and got me excited about the band!
The first question to answer is What should a Modern Levite do?
1) Carry the Ark of Covenant (Presence of God)
2) Stand before the Lord and minister to Him
3) Go out and bless in His Name

She demonstrated, with the Paradise Band, to us how music instruments can sing and minister to people, even without lyrics. The foundation verse for that demonstration was Isaiah 6:1 - 8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

The supposedly demonstration was for real actually! Vivien started telling us the "behind-the-scene" coordination of the music. For example, for v1, the opening music is without rhythm to make pple see. Also to bring in the feeling of the Fear of the Lord. Then in v3 the various guitars were playing, as if angels were calling to another "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;the whole earth is full of his glory."

Then slowly she brought in the rhythm to lighten the music to bring out the feeling of being loved by God. [I didn't know instruments can sing by playing the melody!]
In v8 when God spoke of His commission, the drums came in strong bringing the feeling of preparing for war.
Thru'out the whole experience i was looking at what was happening on stage. But I still was moved! Tears were just flowing! I could feel the part where Isaiah saw the glory of God and woe to himself. That is really a higher level of worship!

Quotes from Viven:
"It is impossible to stay the same when you encounter God."
"In every worship, there should be a change in the people, if not they are just merely singing songs."

Some new names that I've found it cool, sounded like angels' names to me, with a serious responsibility haha...
Those playing instruments on stage shouldn't just be called Musicians, they are "Keepers of the SOUND of God"
Those singing on stage shouldn't just be called Singers/Vocalists, they are "Keepers of the WORDS of God"
Those dancing on stage shouldn't just be called Dancers, they are "Keepers of the SIGHT of God"
Their roles are to TEACH THE CONGREGATION how to worship God!

I'm also very impressed with the 默契 that Paradise Band has! How long will we take to reach their standard? haha... As amatuers, we need to be humble, but at the same time have the childlike faith to believe that we can do it! Like what Pastor Matt shared When we take a step of faith, battles keep coming. But there is great power in going thru battles! And studies have shown that practice and training is correlated to success! So it is POSSIBLE!

Another thing that I've experienced is to worship God with more freedom! As I observed the Paradise Band led worship, they just got that freedom to worship, not that I didn't have, but it was just different. More freedom.

My overall rating for the Modern Levite Conference is AWESOME! Looking forward to the next one!

Vivien Po,

Ps Fei Fei's 12

TCS Take the City Walk: Child-likeness featuring Keith =)

2007-08-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Had a walkathon this morning. God blessed us with good weather, it wasn't too hot nor raining. The ground was muddy in Padang though, and Keith and Darren (the twins in Tampines Club) were making a fussy over it..haha... I was holding on to Keith as we were making our way to sector B. Then when it was time to set out, i was carrying him over the mud. Then becoz his sandals was dirtied with mud, he was so unwilling to walk. Then he was walking on his heels.. hehe... Soon after i was accompanying him and encouraging him to just walk on.

Just as we reached esplanade, his young and curious mind starting to question. Why are there so many triangles in esplanade? How to build it? Why are there no squares? haha... so i started to explore with him the answers to his questions. And suddenly he popped a question: Is there God? That was the most interesting question that he has asked. From then on, he was asking me many many questions (i guess more than 50 questions haha..) about God, his creations, Jesus, Heaven and Hell... Every question I answered, it expanded his mind to question more! He is amazing! It is amazing that i was able to answer every of his question, of coz I told him "I dunno" for questions that i got no idea. His child-likeness really warms my heart. Although he has many questions, but when he heard the answers, he will accept it and take it as a new lesson that he has learnt! Many times we have become too smart for our own good... I really pray for such childlike faith!

Keith is one of the naughtier boy in club. He usually doesn't respond to me. Whenever I caught him doing something wrong, he will also struggle and try to avoid me. But today, he was sticking to me the entire outing and always having a question to ask me. Then when i need to attend to somebody, he actually asked another volunteer, who overheard our conversation and joined in, "How come Vivien jie-jie know so much things?" Hahaha... I asked him if he wanted to know Jesus, he shrugged his shoulder. Then I asked him if he wants to go heaven, he said yes! He was aware how to get the passport to heaven after the discussion. Suddenly, I see him as a little angel; I really have the compassion for him. I really pray and hope that Keith will be transformed, and his parents can see the change in him! He now is aware that whenever he does bad things, Satan will be happy and whenever he does good things, God is happy. And immediately he was more aware of his behaviour and he tried to "resist" the devil. He was more well-behaved.

When we finally finished the walk, we went back to the bus immediately as we were late. Then I included him into the 100k blessings together with his other twin. And he was happy and seem to understand the options. I asked if he wants to talk to God. He said yes! =D

After we arrived at the club, we waited for the rain to lighten. And when it was time for the boys and his mum to go home, I said goodbye to them and see them next week. Then Keith actually turned back to me and said, "See you tmr! Just kidding! hehe... See u next week!" Can't take it man! So cute lah! Hopefully when i see him next week he will continue to rmb our discussion and not be tempted by the evil ones to be naughty. Really don't know how long will he rmb... But shall continue to pray!

Thank you LORD for using me as an instrument to teach Keith and other kids. Protect them and watch over them. May their childlike faith lead them to your miracles!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen!

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity" 1 Tim 4:12

Vivien Po,
Ps Fei Fei's 12

Camp Gilgal 2007!!!

2007-04-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon

2007-03-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Praise and Thanksgiving

2007-03-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, time really flies. I was preparing to fly to Perth like 8 months ago and now I’m preparing to fly back again after spending about 3 months plus back in Singapore.

Times in Singapore for the past 3 months plus was really great. I spent wonderful times with my cell, my family and my Livingstones family. Guess I really miss them a lot when I was in Perth for 6 months plus. They never really changed much except for Pam’s hair hahaha and as before, they still like to crap a lot and lame a lot though they can still walk. =P

Well, I must admit my time in Perth wasn’t that great. Guess I’m someone who needs more time to get use to the environment over there. And then when I came back to Singapore, it was like charging myself up, preparing myself once more before going back to Perth.

Just before Christmas last year, we were in Muar with Ps Lawrence and Ps Fei Fei and some of the Livingstones mates for a retreat. And God’s presence was strong. The most impactful moment when I was spending my time in Muar with God was when God spoke to me through the story of Jesus asking Peter 3 times whether he loves Him or not? And then God showed me that if I love Jesus, I would be taking care of His sheep – I would be reaching out to His lost sheep (my friends). And yes it indeeds coincide with the book Alvin bought for my cell. It’s called “Out of the saltshaker” – an evangelism book. And this is a year of victory and a victory to win our friends to Christ. Well, I strongly believe that this year, many of our friends will come to know the Lord. Amen!

And there was another session with Pastors in Muar. God was showing me…if I’m a person who likes challenges (which I do), why am I not conquering the greatest challenge that I have? And the greatest challenge is living a Christian life. Well, I guess everyone agree that living a Christian life is tough eh. It’s a challenge. Yup, so I shall strive my best to conquer this big challenge.

And now it’s a time of thanksgiving.

Firstly, just wanna thank God for Pastor Lawrence to came up with the daily devotion (or bible study) thingy which kind of discipline myself to follow what verse to read on a daily basis as it prepared myself spiritually before flying back to Perth. This is a year of victory and like what my spiritual dad said, “This is a year of victory, which means we are expecting battles ahead in the year.” It’s true. Victory comes with battles. Yes. Spiritual battles. And I guess when I go back to Perth, when my friends asked me about Christianity or confronting Christianity, I will be well prepared to defend my relationship with Him.

And then I wanna thank God for Junming who is teaching me music theory. Well guess God is preparing me to serve in Pastor Benny Ho’s church worship band with the two assurances from God through Junming and Boonbing. And I will remember the Kairos timing – God’s timing. I will not miss it. =p

Amen that God brings victory in this year as I can see my cell group growing with a new member by the name of Justyn. *Clap clap clap =) And I believe that God will continue to bless this “lame and yet can walk cell” led by Alvin, with more members.

Lastly, wanna leave with you all this verse:
“Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed. Be on guard! Turn from evil, for it was to prevent you from getting into a life of evil that God sent this suffering.”
- Job 36:20-21 (NLT)

Yes. “Be on guard!” A year of victory is also a year of battles. Victory comes with battles. Spiritual battles. But by the end of this year, we will win the battles because God is our strength. Amen!

Andrew
Alvin's 12

Friendship Day Special - 10th Feb 2007

2007-02-28T22:32:00.000-08:00

10 Feb 2007 – a memorable day for me. =)

As Valentine’s Day is around the corner. We, Livingstones family organised an out reach event – Friendship Day Special!

As I stepped into magicbox, everyone was busy preparing for the event. Vocalists beautifully dressed, live band jamming resoundingly, setting up decorations, preparing goodies etc. I believe God is smiling away in Heaven.

I remember a week ago, the vocalists were having spiritual attacks, sore throat, sickness and discouragements. On behalf of them, I would like to thank you for all who prayed earnestly. Praise God! On the day itself, everyone felt better and ready to sing for God!

There was this girl, Hui Min standing at the door. A girl from Tanjong Katong Secondary (mine too) was alone. I approached her with my best smile (coz if I don’t smile I look very fierce) inviting her to join me. As we were from the same secondary school, there were common topics but most importantly she is open to share with me! Praise God!

We had ice breaker games led by Sky and Li Juan. It was very entertaining! Look at Justyn and Pauleon with their Miss Singapore Pose and the Powerpuff girls!

After the ice breaker games, it was followed by the performance by Benjamin, Jennifer, Yingchao and the live band (Junming, Eileen, Daniel, Andrew and Justyn). They sang so beautifully, maybe comparable to the angels! There were even dance steps involved. I am sure they have put in a lot of effort!

The next team of performance was by Li Juan, Sylvia, Zheng Rong and Boon Bing. They did a great job! I love the part where we have to pass the flame to one another. It was a meaningful gesture of spreading love. Although there were hiccups during the performances, God made everything fall in place.

Psalm 98:4-6
4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

The gang of three beside Hui Min and I were having great fun. If not for the live band, their laughters would have filled the whole magicbox!

Ahem, once again, it’s time for pastor to be on stage. Zi tan zi chang. It was so mesmerizing that I began to sing along, aloud.

We were asked to open the ‘Do not open until instructions are given” envelope. It was not the first time opening it with a pre-believer. But this time round it was different. =)

As Hui Min filled in the blanks, she pondered at the sentence.
“I have received Christ into my life ---- Yes/ No”
I asked her whether she received Christ before. She shook her head. From there I began to probe more on what she thinks of Christianity. This is where John 3:16 presentation comes in. I began to draw and explain to her about God, man, sin, death and heaven. As I was sharing, my heart began to beat faster & faster. I took a deep deep breathe and uttered a prayer, “Dear God, let the Holy Spirit guide my every word. Let her heart be open to you. Amen”

Finally, I ended with the golden question. And Praise God!!! She is willing to take the step of faith to accept Christ! Apparently, I am super excited and nervous, so I approached Meijin for support. Thank God, for this special gift.

She is the first person that accepted Christ after I shared since I re-dedicated my life a year ago. I teared quietly within. My God is faithful, my God is great. Indeed He is the author of salvation and He is mighty to save. Despite my inability, my flaws, my fears, God chose to use me as a vessel to share his love even I am struggling with many things in life. It was like an injection of encouragement for me! God has His perfect timing in everything. Just be still and trust Him. May all praises be to our almighty God!

Give me a passion for souls, dear Lord,
A passion to save the lost;
O that Thy love were by all adored
And welcomed at any cost. —Tovey

2 Timothy 2:13
"if we are faithless, he will remain faithful"

Dear friends, hang on and you will witness God’s miraculous breakthrough for you! For this is the year of VICTORY!

“Thank you Father for the lives that have been touched in one way or another. Thank you for giving us a chance to serve you and to spread your love. For you alone are worthy, you alone are wonderful. Amen!”

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”- 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Go on and spread the Father’s love this season.

Crystal Yong
Meijin’s 12

My Testimonial

2007-02-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

I came to know the Lord only when I was in secondary 1 although I had been exposed to Christianity since young as I followed my cousins to Sunday school. I went with my mother to the Chinese service on September 2003 and when pastor asked the congregation to follow in saying the sinner’s prayer I just followed my mother and to the Chinese service, I simply followed yet not taking my decision seriously. I was baptised a week after accepting Christ together with mum after encounter weekend. After my schoolmates know that I was a Christian some began to avoid me and to gain acceptance among them, I joined in their activities.

This got me into trouble with the law in January 2004 when I was in Secondary 2. God showed His mercy and I didn’t have to go to court and was allowed release after a warning, but I didn’t learn my lesson and got into trouble in September, but again because of His mercy, the police wasn’t involved. My life was already in a chaotic state then. But I did not take God as my first priority even though I know He will never let me go. I became even more rebellious in school and met some new friends in Secondary 3. We hanged out often and even skipped school together. I learnt that it is important to choose wisely the friends and company I spend time with because you will become more like those you spend more time with and joined in those activities under their influence. Then I got myself in trouble with the law again. This time there was no more escape. I knew that God wanted me to learn my lesson. In April 2005, I was called to the Juvenile Court. My mother was the only one beside all the time. She prayed to God for mercy on my sentence. Even though I was at court, I still did not learn my lesson and defended my friend, thinking of being loyal. Till later did I realise that my friend has already told the truth to the authorities although he told me never to do so. This was another offence for hiding the facts from the authorities. By then, I had a total of 3 cases and could have been sent to a girls’ home. My mum cried day and night praying to God and he heard her prayers!

During the trials I was never handcuffed nor did I had to stay in the lock up cell. On 3 May 2005, I was sentenced to 15 months probation. This was very short, considering that I had a record of 3 cases.

During my probation, I was transferred to TOUCH Youth Learning Centre (TYLC). God made a change in me ever since I was transferred there. I used to dislike participating in school activities and was rude to teachers, thinking that being expelled from school was the best way to avoid getting into trouble. I was very quick-tempered and very often, got myself into arguments with teachers and principals. At TYLC, I learned to control my temper and not being rude to teachers in class and to take my education more seriously.

I thank God that He sent Weiling, my cell leader, to affirm and remind me that God is always there for me. She tolerated my mood swings and hot temperedness and even wrote letters to my probation officers just so that I would be allowed to go for camps and church events. As a requirement of the probation sentence, I had to serve community service. Pastor Fei Fei even took the trouble to let me help out in TOUCH Young Arrows children’s club. Also, during church events and outings, my fellow church friends often encouraged that my probation was ending soon so that I would not get myself into trouble again. God also allowed me to serve in the video technician ministry which allowed me to use the video camera which was one of my interest.

By November 2006, my probation had ended and I managed to complete my N levels and by God’s grace I managed to pass. It was better than I had expected compared to my results in the past. Unfortunately, I got into trouble again. This time, it was when I was in close contact with two ex-schoolmates. On the 24th December 2006, instead of attending church service, I went out with them and we stole from a departmental store, in the name of having thrilling fun. Needless to say, we got caught. However, I refused to admit it and became defensive. As we were brought back to the police headquarters, we were handcuffed and locked up time and time again. That experience was one of my worst nightmares. We could not get away with the offence as easily as before. If it were not for the Holy Spirit’s comforting presence with me, I would have gone crazy - I managed to sleep throughout the time in the lock up instead.

A month later, we were charged in court under Section 380 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 read with Section 34 of the same act. If it were not for the support for my parents, church friends, pastors and cell leader who have been covering me with their fervent prayers and encouragements, I might not have been to pull through. Though the outcome of my case has yet to be finalised, I trust that God knows what’s best for me, as stated in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” and Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Thank God for providing a lawyer whom I am able to feel at ease with as he fits the requirements which I had in mind.

The reason I am sharing this testimony is because I made a promise to God to do so. I hope through this sharing, many would come to know that our God is an awesome God and works miraculously. Above all, He’s our comforter and friend!

Vashon
(Weiling's 12)

TYA Christmas Party

2006-12-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

It is Christmas again! With most of the regular helpers for Young Arrows in Muar, I was given the responsibility to be in charge of the Christmas Party for Young Arrows this year. At first, we were still thinking of a simple event since we were really shorthanded and there were usually only about 10 to 15 children during the holidays.
However, 4 days before the party, we were told that the Bendemeer Club children would be joining us for the party too, meaning there was going to be 20 more children, and only one more helper, Gladys, from the Bendemeer side. It was more than what we could cope with. Thankfully, we managed to get 4 girls from Pastor Yo’s tribe to help us for the day!
“For myself, it was a very fulfilling time seeing the kids laughing and having fun from such simple joys. I can see that much effort from everyone had been invested into the planning and preparation. Though the kids may not recognise it, the fact that they enjoyed it and were so enthusiastic is already a reward by itself (:

Initially, Reina and I were rather worried that there wouldn't be enough food, given that we were going to exceed the budget and there wasn't much time to prepare so much food, but thank God, He multiplied the food so that it was just sufficient for the children, with a little extras left :D

One thing I've learnt from this experience is the importance of serving out of love and not merely out of duty. Honestly, it was quite tough dealing with kids that behaved differently from what i had expected, and in some instances i was rather uncomfortable, not knowing how to respond.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) " 4 Love is patient, love is kind... 5 it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs..." As i reflected on this passage, I realised that one cannot truly serve without love. It is part and parcel of the long learning process of servanthood, and something that God needs to cultivate more in me.”
-Joanna Kong, Pastor Yo’s tribe
Initially, we only had games, carols and refreshments in our programme. The only way the kids could know the true meaning of Christmas was through the carols and this little note given to them in their goodie bags:
Why do we see Candy Canes at Christmas?
It is said that candy canes were first made to remind Christians of Jesus.
The shape of the cane – the shepherd’s crook reminds them that He is the Good Shepherd.
The colour white reminds them that He is pure and sinless. The stripes remind them of the punishement Jesus suffered and the colour red the blood that He shed to save them from their sins.
So now when we see a candy cane at Christmas – we know that there is a meaning to it!
Gladys suggested adding a skit in the programme, but due to the limited numbers of helpers we had, we could not come up with a storyline in time. Thankfully, Gladys managed to get the storyline from another club’s event and we had the carols incorporated into the puppet show in the end! Therefore, the kids were able to understand the true meaning of Christmas better! Christmas is neither about shopping, food nor presents, Christmas is about Christ! =)
There were 18 kids from Mountbatten (many more than usual!) and 20 from Bendemeer who was at the party, and we ran out of goodie bags because we didn’t expect such an overwhelming response! It was good to see the smiles on their faces and how they had enjoyed themselves! Thank God for the day! Thank God for the good weather! Though this is the rainy season, the weather was good for the day! Thank God for the gifts from Fraser, and Crystal who helped to gather all the gifts from there! Thank God for the helpers who were present, Ruth, Zheng Rong, Zhenchang, Kenny, Hubert, Flavian, Sky, Xiuting, Joanna, Reina, Jiahui, Gladys! Thank God for the kids! Thank God, simply because He is our God! =)
-Li Juan, Pastor Fei Fei’s 12

My Testimony

2006-12-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

Before I trusted Christ, my life was empty and it was just like living for the sake of living- without knowing God.

I came to know God when my aunt, who is in Malaysia, was converted to a Christian. So whenever I went back to visit my relatives, I would usually stay at my aunt’s house. After she had become a Christian, she started telling me Bible stories and gospels. Soon, I got curious and would ask questions about it. Even when I returned to Singapore, I would still think and ask myself “Why is it like that?” and I really wanted to know the answers.

During Chinese New Year, we returned to Malaysia. My aunt invited my family to her church and that was the first time I went to a church. On the way there, I was feeling nervous, I also told God that I wanted to have a sign from Him to show that I am chosen to be His daughter. During the worship, I found myself crying and crying and that was the sign God had given me. So we accepted Christ on that night.

After I trusted Christ, I felt that I know more about good and evil. I also made myself stop saying vulgarities and it worked! I feel happy to know who is the true God and am glad that He is my God. I found that I could talk to people more openly. Before I knew Jesus, I was very quiet and always had nothing to say especially at my aunt’s house. After I trusted Him, my relationship with my sister and aunt has improved a lot.

Praise the Lord! =)

Jas Loo Yean Ling
(Vivien's 12)

Young Preachers Contest

2006-11-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here are segments of Alvin's winning 10-minute sermon at the finals of the Young Preachers Contest held at Expo Hall 9 on the 5th of November. Congratulations to Alvin for winning the contest!

My trip to Japan

2006-10-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

It started from an announcement in the weekly bulletin; followed by the presentation by the youth team from Tokyo during the GCYC.

The decision of going to serve in Tokyo was met with several obstacles along the way. Initially I was not comfortable going for the trip with no one that I know in the team but I felt a strong calling, so I took the step of faith and went for the trip.

The team was made up of 9 members, 8 of which are from the adult network. I didn’t feel too good about it at the start as I was worried that I could not mix well with the team. We only had the chance to meet up once before the trip and it was a mere 15 minutes briefing that the pastor-in-charge (Pastor James) gave to inform us about the basic information of the trip. Even then, not all the members from the team were present at the briefing.

A week before the trip, the travel agency made a mistake with our air tickets and I nearly could not go for the trip. But I prayed and ask God, what is it that He wants me to learn from this incident. The reply I got was from James 1:2-8, to take joy in whatever that happens and learn a lesson from it. In this lesson, I learnt to trust that if God wants to send you forth for a mission, things will just fall in place and let the Great Engineer do the work. Just believe!

On the first day, there were only 5 members since the rest will only be coming at the end of the day. We did prayer walk around the streets of Tokyo, noticing the teens loitering around in their uniforms. One of my team members explained to me that the teens will just stay out till late at night before they go home since they have nothing to do at home. Some of you might think that they are leading an aimless life, which I agree. As we did our prayer walk, we prayed for the salvation of the teens, for them to know the Lord, to find their purpose in life, instead of wasting their youth away on the streets.

On the second day when the full team was together, we went to the Yasukuni Shrine (the famous shrine where the formal Japan Prime Minister will visit yearly to pay respects to the dead from World War II and China will object violently to it) to do our prayer walk.

It was definitely a magnificent artifact. When I was there, I noticed something very interesting. One of the young priests, probably 18 years old, was heading from the right end of the shrine to the left, however when he walked past the altar, he stopped and bowed to the altar before moving on. I was quite surprised at his effort. Later I was told that the Japanese are perfectionist and very faithful people. They worship their god with such great respect. How many of us will walk past the altar in church and stop to speak a prayer? Deep in my heart I was praying that our Lord will shake the grounds of Japan and turn the faithful people of Japan to Him. Apart from this, a few of us had spiritual attacks while we were praying near the altar. One of the members experienced a choking feeling, another felt very cold while I felt dizzy. But we persisted with our prayers that the Japanese will recognize the true God and the land used to build the shrines will be converted into land for churches instead.

We even got a chance to visit one of the churches in Tokyo on Sunday. It was a very small and traditional church, with a membership of slightly less than 200 members. I was simply impressed by the standard of the choir, the flawless coordination and pitching of the choir, which once again demonstrated the perfectionist attitude of the Japanese.

We were treated to lunch and after lunch we even performed some magic tricks to entertain the crowd. From what we understand, this church has helped to sell 40 MOL tickets to their members. Praise the Lord!!

Apart from prayer walks and attending church service, we went round various locations of Tokyo to promote MOL. A couple of the team members were able to converse in Japanese so they were helping to relate to the people we approach. Some of us did simple magic tricks to entice the people, to get them interested in MOL and we blessed them with tickets to the performance. A lot of times, we were rejected by the people we approached but I did not lose heart. The more rejections I faced, the more positive I was, going round with a stronger will to invite the Japanese to the show. However, the Japanese were very truthful people. If they were not interested in the performance or they were not free to attend the performance, they rejected our tickets even when it was free. Thus, we believed strongly that those who took the tickets from us will definitely attend the performance.

May the Lord deposit a small faith in them during the performance. According to the team that was present during the period that MOL was held, there was only one evangelistic performance but with this single event, there was 149 salvations! Isn’t this impressive? Praise God.

On the whole, the trip was a great learning experience for me. It thought me not to lose heart and trust God to pave the road ahead. Also, I truly enjoyed the company of all my team members. We were even contacting each other after we returned to Singapore, telling how much we missed each other. We even suggested going to Tokyo to serve again for MOL 2007! Now some of us are even taking Japanese language classes organized by the Japanese Ministry so that we will be better equipped for the trip next year. Thank God for the wonderful team that He blessed me with. I learnt loads from them. I will definitely encourage all my brothers and sisters reading this entry to pray for a country that the Lord wants you to go and serve and take the step of faith to go and serve. It will definitely benefit you as much as it did for me. Praise God.

Benjamin
(Isaiah's 12)

Looking back at the Young Arrows Children's Day Celebrations

2006-10-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Praise be to God! He was there throughout the Young Arrows Children’s Day celebration we had on the 30th of September. Before and throughout the event, He was there as usual with His watchful eyes and His bountiful blessings to ensure the success of the celebrations.

Before it started, we gathered at Sylvia’s house at staggered timings to prepare food and rehearse a skit we had prepared for the kids.

When it was time to go to Mountbatten CC, it started to drizzle before it subsequently developed into a downpour! We also waited for a taxi but as the minutes ticked by and none came, we had a feeling of déjà vu since normally at that time and location, many taxis would be available.

When we finally got to the CC and prepared for the event, the downpour showed no sign of subsiding. Some of us began to doubt the number of children that will turn up.

But lo and behold! When it was quarter past two, parents and guardians with their kids in tow began to stream in. It soon progressed into a flood until we had over 50 kids in the homecraft room with newcomers comprising of three-quarters of the numbers. Soon, our supply of door gifts quickly diminished.

The miracles didn’t stop there. As young volunteers, we were all faced with the challenge of entertaining and getting the attention of kids intent on running around amidst the babbling and screaming of overly-excited kids adjusting to a strange new environment.

The situation remained under control as the ice-breakers was followed by the allocation of the kids into their respective groups for the games session. Divided into an assortment of game stations such as hop-skotch bunny, marbles and web soccer, the kids were visibly entertained as they were also encouraged to work as a team and be mindful of their own teammates.

Once the games ended, the children and their minders were treated to a feast with the likes of beehoon, sandwiches, nuggets and soft drinks.

The celebrations ended on a humourous note when several of the Young Arrows helpers performed the skit in which the kids were taught the importance of good manners in their speech when caught in sticky scenarios. For that short period of 15 minutes, these helpers became kids again as the children watched and laughed at the absurdity of their actions.

Eventually, the children left with their parents after our warm invitation to them to return on the following weekends with promises to spice up even more their Saturday afternoons.

Looking back at the event, no matter how much effort we put in against the resistance of the evil one, we would have come up short without the promises of God. But one thing is clear that we learnt from the celebrations: God loves children and He certainly loves people who have the heart for these children.

As such, we will keep praying for Young Arrows to expand and for more young volunteers to take up the ante of assisting with Young Arrows.

Written by:
Kenny Tan
(Josh’s 12)

My Testimony

2006-09-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

My name is Ashleigh. Being born in a Christian home, I’ve grown up not being a stranger to church. I’ve attended Sunday School, learning lessons from the Bible and being taught to pray. But this did not mean that I knew who God was, or that God knew me other than someone who read His word and learnt what was deemed ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. In fact, I never really knew what Christianity was about, having been so numbed to its influence. Just as many Singaporean children would relate Buddism to the Chinese, Islam to the Malays, or Hinduism to the Indians, for the longest time, I had thought that Christianity was a Western religion. And because of that mindset, I felt that it was just a religion that merely taught people how to lead better lives. It was less real to me than say, stories I’ve heard and believed about bomohs, witchdoctors or voodoo. I always wondered whether if a priest were to come to religious blows with such a practitioner of these arts – who would win?

I said the Sinner’s Prayer when I was twelve or thirteen. At that time, I was genuinely so touched to the point that I believed strongly in the love of Jesus. I continued to go to church, but I never took the step to draw closer to God, or experience Him deeper in my life. Many times, I would see others in the Youth Service go to the front to praise God with so much joy, but adolescent awkwardness held me back. Slowly, I found myself never experiencing life with God leading me through. As my circle of friends in church slowly dwindled because I saw them only once a week, and as I never thought to draw closer to them except during those few hours, I found myself losing interest in coming to service altogether. Sometimes I would still try to go to church, standing alone in the congregation, listening to the pastor’s message, but steadily, I lost heart.

Being deeply rooted in Christ, my mother would never allow me not to come to church. While I tried hard to create excuses not to go every week, she would never accept them readily, always admonishing me that my reasons were still feeble. If I insisted on not going, she would stop trying to persuade me eventually, knowing that my reluctant submission means I would only go to church in body, but not in mind or spirit. And yet the issue would not rest easily, and it would later provoke conflict between us. She would express her concern for me, and I would tell her that I simply did not want to go to church. I dreaded such incidences because I knew that my mother would worry for me, but at the same time, I simply did not wish to go. I dreaded going to church because I would be alone in service, and I was not the type of person to take the first step to make friends.

So, I began to cheat my way out of my dilemma. Under the guise of going to church, I would instead spend a few hours, every Sunday, whiling away my time at various places like Borders, the nearby park, or even taking a bus from terminal to terminal just to let the time pass. Deep down, I would always feel a sense of disappointment in myself, because even as I chose not to go to church, it was not because I really didn’t want to. I wished strongly to draw close to God, but I could not bear to go to church feeling that sense of loneliness and awkwardness. Sometimes, I would feel so bad that I would ask God to bring me back to church. I really wanted to return to God, but I simply didn’t have the desire to go to church.

The answer to my prayer came early in the year, when a classmate of mine invited me to Faith Community Baptist Church. I was so excited, because finally I could go to church without feeling the isolation I experienced before. With people I already knew coming to church with me, I quickly drank in the spirit of God. In a sense, I believe that those years of spiritual drought that God had put me through had the purpose of giving me a thirst so great - that I would return readily to church when the opportunity arose. It was a thirst that I would not have had if I had not left church in the first place. It was a thirst that saved me from being a shallow Sunday Christian who did not really believe in the might of the living God. I saw clearly that it was all in God’s plan for me. After all, you’ll never know what you’ve got until it is gone.

Through another classmate, I joined a cell, and gained a solid support of peers who became the safety net for me not to feel isolated in church. Instead, I had a cell group of people whom I could have fellowship with. This spiritual support helped me through my growth as a Christian, and through my times of discouragement.

I believe that I was never truly saved until God put me through that period of emptiness, so that I might return to Him filled with enthusiasm and a strong desire to grow in Him. That is what I am most thankful for in my walk thus far.

Ashleigh Low
(Isaiah's 12)

A Renewed Spirit

2006-09-14T01:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was our network meeting and i stepped in, feeling a bit lost. The past week of holidays was not as enjoyable as i expected it to be, with work starting. In fact, i felt far from God and very burdened by things happening around me.

Every night for the past week, i asked God, "God, are You there? are You sure You are in control?" because subconciously, i knew i was trying to be the one in control of all the situations and wanted everything to go my way. i was tired and burdened.. i was walking with the wrong strength.

I was looking forward to friday because i long for the Holy Spirit to fall afresh on me, and assure me of the Lord's presence in my life.

Longest Leg hair ice breaker game.................

As praise and worship started, i knew that in midst all the singing and dancing, i had to be still and tell God that i was wrong, that i was not to be the one taking charge. and i prayed that He will free me of any negative thoughts and that He will restore the joy and peace that i had in my heart. and i could sense the Holy Spirit reminding me that He is in control, that God wants me to walk with His strength, with a joyful spirit, without burdens and with no worries of what is going to happen in the future, because we all know that He will give us the best...

Halfway through the worship, Karen went up to share a word that God has put in her heart and she said that God wants us to stop running in our own ways, that we should start running in His strength. God wants us to know that He will walk us through the valley of darkness, that He is with us no matter where, when, what.

I felt the word was for me, though i wasnt sure, but it felt so relevant to what i was going through and as though it was a personal message from God. the little doubt of my heart vanished, when Karen came to pray for me. she knew nothing about what was happening in my life, but however, she said that she sense the word is for me and i knew it was a prompting from God..

Indeed, God wanted to assure me that the message was really from Him to me, that He wants that joyful spirit to be in me again, a spirit i once had. and He wants to remind me that He is there, doing something, though i might not see it now.. that we should all be patient and wait for His plans to be revealed.

I walked in lost, i walked out renewed and all thanks be to God.

There are times when we feel lost, feel that we are burdened, remember that God will lead us to green pastures, that He will not leave us in misery. He wants us to be happy. Let the verses Pastor Feifei shared from Psalm 23 encourage us each and every day:

" 1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Jocelyn Tay
(Meijin's 12)

We are proud of you

2006-09-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

Check this out:-
http://jsp.triathlonsingapore.org/news_events/events_results/aqua/Sprint_IndividualsSWO.htm

Samantha Koh, we are proud of you.

This is her testimony.

The Lord never fails

On Saturday, 2nd September, I went for my first actual aquathlon at East Coast Park. Before that, I had only swum in the sea once, and completed a so-called aquathlon at a pool with no proper transition and everything.

As such, I was just going for this race for fun, just for the experience. I did not have much expectations because, it was my first time and I did not know who was competing in the race, and well, I was afraid to fail.

Spot the cross! ;)

So anyway, I just went there with a light heart and prayed that God will help me do my best. Surprisingly, I was in the top few positions after the swim. I wasn’t that far off from the top two swimmers, which I thought I would be since I knew their standard from other swimming meets.

During the run, I was constantly communicating with the Lord, and he was ‘running’ with me throughout the race. The weather wasn’t fantastic and I didn’t know how far the rest were behind me, but the Lord motivated me to keep on running. It was by his grace that I was able to come in first, and bring glory to his name. :D

I thank the Lord for giving me this talent, and being with me all this while! May the Lord be with all of us as we participate in more of these sports activities. All the best! (:
Samantha Koh
(Pamelia's 12)

Staying together, moving ahead

2006-08-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Livingstones was at the New Balance Real Run on Sunday, the 20th of August. The race comprised of 6km on track, 1.6km on sand and the last 2.4km on trail.

The weather was hot, the terrain treacherous, but that didn't deter us from conquering the race together.

The theme of this race was "FINISH TOGETHER". We gathered and ran together with our friends. Many have never attempted a 10km cross-terrain run, some even no more than 5km. No matter the distance, this was a faith challenge that we all overcame and finished together.

And the non-believing friends that we brought that morning sure enjoyed themselves. In fact, we might even see them again in future races.

"This is my first 10km run and I will love to do more together", said Junny, Jedrick's friend from NUS.

Till then Livingstones, see you at the next run.

Written by:
Josh Kwah
Ps Lawrence’s 12

Racing beyond boundaries in His name

2006-08-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

The month of August is packed with races! It was filled with physical challenges, boundaries to overcome and intense preparations to ready me for pain and fatigue.

I started off my first week with a Ngee Ann Polytechnic running event which saw representatives of the numerous CCA groups competing against one another. The snag about this race was that I was only told only a day before by the President of the triathlon school team (TriElites) that I was competing, thus having only a day to adapt and get myself prepared. With God’s grace and strength, my team finished second in the race. This must be a miracle because this is the first race we have ever competed in and we were the underdogs since the TriElites was officially recognised by the school only recently and our fellow competitors were faster and bigger than us. This reminded me of how David fought the Goliath!

In the second week of August, the NUS Triathlon saw many people from our network participating, many of them being first-timers. It was very motivating to see them getting ready and training hard for it. What further encouraged me was that there was a non-believer cycling among us. His name is Lance. My team which was aptly named “Pain 4 Christ”, came in 5th overall while my run time was the second fastest among the runners from the other teams.

The third week saw us competing in the New Balance Real Run. This is by far the most difficult race I have ever participated in because I have never been exposed to running on a sandy terrain before and I had to go against seasoned runners from the Singapore Sports School and other cross country teams. I did my best for my race although I could not bring back anything to Him but I know that He certainly sees in me my raging desire to glorify him. But what was great on that day was not just the race and the participation of several Livingstones brothers and sisters but also the presence of our non-believing friends. For this race alone, we reached out to about 20 non-believers, of which some turned up for the race.

Through the continuous receiving of blessings of strength, we are able to glorify Him greatly as one family but what was even better was that we are able to use such activities to relate to the non-believers whom we plan to invite to church. I pray for their Salvation!

On behalf of all of the participants for these races, I thank everyone who has been supporting and praying for us.

Written by:
Sky Kwah Wenyao
Josh’s 12

My journey to baptism

2006-08-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

I was born in Malaysia and grew up in my babysitter’s family. Under the influence of my babysitter and my mum, I became a pious Buddhist and grew up to be very superstitious. When I came to Singapore, I would contact my babysitter before any major examinations to obtain amulets for me from the temple to burn and drink.

I was a very bitter child when I first came to Singapore. My relationship with my mum was distant and sour. There wasn’t any mother-daughter connection between us as we had not been staying together for the past nine years. I felt life was unfair and would usually blame the circumstances that I was placed in. Why did I have to come to Singapore and suffer? Why did I always get blamed for what my younger siblings did? Unhappiness swirled within me. I was not able to experience what a happy family would. Feeling neglected and unloved, life to me was such a chore, with nothing to look forward to except heaps of sufferings.

I came to know more about God in secondary 3 through Pastor Lawrence Tan at TKSS. At that time, I refused to acknowledge Christ because of the fear of parental objections. Furthermore, I was deluded and I clung on tightly to my Buddhist belief. However, I did not realize that all this while, the Lord has actually been working in my life. I always requested for Pastor Lawrence and my close girlfriend, Felicia, to pray for me on many occasions. Out of the many prayer requests, the Lord answered one of my very significant prayer requests – On the day I sat for my basic theory test, I fell very sick and Felicia prayed for me before I left my house. Amazingly, I felt well enough to do the test without any discomfort.

In 2004, I broke up with my former boyfriend. The break-up affected me adversely and it was only then did I realise I had no God to turn to, no God to seek solace with. I began to see that there is no help from my so-called god regarding matters of the heart. I met up with Pastor Lawrence and he encouraged me to trust God. He convinced me that there are no strings attached in believing in Jesus and that if I am unable to find peace in Him, I can give up. On 5th June 2004, I surrendered my life to Jesus and since then, I have never regretted making this wonderful decision.

Although things did not change positively immediately after I accepted Christ, my life definitely improved by leaps and bounds as I grew closer to God. At home, my relationship with my family has improved tremendously and I know that there is love in the family although it was expressed differently. Personally, I know that I have changed for the better. Negative thoughts no longer plagued me and I am less self-centered.

After my conversion to Christianity, I started to join a cell group. At first, I could not understand why I was placed in a cell group where the girls are at least three years younger than me. Although most of them were from my secondary school, I felt out of place because of the age gap. Through my walk with God, I gradually learnt that every single detail in my life has been cleverly crafted by God. Thus, I prayed fervently and asked God to reveal His special plan for me in this cell group. I told God that I wanted to get to know each of the cell sisters better. God is faithful! He always creates opportunities for me to grow closer to each sister. I am very thankful for Meijin and the girls in the cell for encouraging me in my walk with God. Praise God!

Two months ago, I decided to surrender myself fully to God, letting Him be in control in all aspects of my life. Since then, I have this supernatural peace and joy in my heart. I know that wherever I am and whatever I do, God is with me and His plans for me will always be the best.

Written by:
Goh WanSze Jennifer
Meijin’s 12

How Great is Thy Love!

2006-07-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

I was in the midst of my 18-days Youth Expedition Project in a hill-tribe village known as San Jaroen village in Northern Thailand. It was free time as I wandered along the edges of the village alone.

Guilt-ridden, I desperately needed to spend time with Daddy. Though I was miles away from my spiritual family at that point in time, I was reminded of what Meijin once brought up - nature would help us get closer to Him. Should I try?

I trudged to the peak of the hill, the highest point in the vicinity. Maybe, just maybe, I will be closer to the Heavens and Daddy will be able to hear me better. Karen urged me to pray for the Lord to open my eyes during the trip. What was my purpose? Why was I led here? Lord, please open my eyes. Please! And I prayed.

Has an hour or two passed by while I was basking in the sweet presence of the Lord? With the breeze gently stroking my cheeks and the ravishing view laid out right before my eyes, I was reluctant to return. The foot-long grass danced and swayed to the rhythm of the wind. Balls of fluffy clouds were strewn artistically across the bright blue sky. Beams of sunrays streamed down across the Earth to gently kiss the flowers. The Lord is indeed a great architect and I was mesmerized endlessly by His works. But I had to leave.

I got up, dusted my pants and ambled back to the village. I udutamade-ed to an elderly grandmother I met near the entrance. She returned the wai and rattled off in ‘Akha’, but I did not understand. From the earnest expression painted across her face, she was desperate to convey her message. She held my hand and led me to her house. That was when I met her.

Pontip. Her name is Pontip. Pontip laid sprawled on the dusty, cracked soil outside her dilapidated bamboo house. She could not neither walk, nor talk. Does she feel disadvantaged because of her cerebral palsy?

For the past 10 years, she has been spending all her days in the village, in her house. Deprived of a chance to attend school and without Thai citizenship (which is a MAJOR problem in most hill-tribe villages), school fees and healthcare are much more expensive for her. She has no money, no rights and no transport. There was no way Pontip could ever attend school or even basic intervention programs.

I had to do something. I ran hard and I ran fast. I ran till my slippers nearly broke and I almost fell because the mud was so sticky. I narrated my story to my teammates in the church and pleaded them to spare me a toy for Pontip. Sadly, my teammates displayed reluctance to follow me.

It was a challenge to communicate with Pontip. I could speak neither ‘Akha’ nor Thai, yet I yearned to enter her world. Was she feeling like she was at the top of the world? Was she in pain? (Oscar said that people with cerebral palsy are in constant spasms. Boo.) Day after day, I continued to visit and play with her. I even managed to get some of my teammates over. Pontip was always laughing and smiling, though she never did respond to me. Were you happy to see me, Pontip? I knew I was. She delighted me with her presence and the carefree smiles she generously gave away.

I bought milk tablets with the hope of strengthening her bones and decaying teeth. One day, she just might be able to stand. It was a futile attempt thought as she drooled out ¾ of the tablet.

A few days before my departure, she finally wai-ed to me. I was jubilant! She finally acknowledged my presence! It was a wai seemingly crooked yet sincere and perfect in my eyes. It was a wai that inspired me to chase my dreams and ignited my flame of passion to serve people with special needs. Though I never heard Pontip utter a word, through the wai, she communicated her feelings and thoughts with me.

As she peeked at me shyly from her doorway on the day we left the village, her twinkling eyes met mine. I wept silently. I wept because life was so unfair. God has been so good to me! I am so blessed not to be disadvantaged physically or mentally; so blessed that my life is so sheltered; so blessed to be a Singaporean. I wept because there are so many people who are suffering yet there was so little I can do. I wept because I could no longer play and talk to her, nor hold her on my lap and sing into her ears.

Pontip, wait for me. One day, I will be back!

Ten months later, after praying and praying, the Lord revealed to me why He led me to that expedition. Pontip had such a great impact on me because Daddy chose her to be an important motivating factor (of course, Daddy is the most important!) behind my burning desire to take up Speech Pathology.

The Lord reassured me that this is His chosen path for me and He was keen that I embark on this journey. I realized that when I asked Daddy to open my eyes during the trip, there was a reason why I met Pontip the moment I returned to the village. It was not a case of pure coincidence. Thank you, Father. How amazing are your works!

I never dared to ask Daddy for the many things I secretly desired. I felt that the selfish desires of Man should not be showcased and brought to the foot of the cross. I felt that Daddy had millions of people to listen to and He had issues more important to deal with.

My life was smooth-sailing and I was not bereft of my basic necessities. Outside my sheltered homeland, there are so many people who are deprived of food, clothes and shelter, which is immensely urgent compared to my heart’s desires. Why should I ask for more?

However, the Lord wanted me to ask Him. The Lord is omnipotent and omnipresent! I do not have to book an appointment to seek Daddy or be placed on a waiting list just because my wants are deemed less important. He can see to the needs and wants of each and every one of His children! He told me He will give me whatever I sought. "For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds." (Matthew 7:8) And so, I began to ask.

Shortly after encounter weekend, the Lord entered my dreams. The Lord saturated me with questions on whether I wanted blessings. The Lord asked and asked and asked and asked until I finally said yes, I want. Yes, I want! To further assure me of His presence and His blessings, He woke me up to do something for Him. The very next day, I was accepted into University College London (University of London) which only accepts up to five foreign students for that particular course per year. Praise the Lord! He has blessed me!

Due to financial limitations, I would be unable to pursue this course unless I get a scholarship. I wondered how I was to execute the plans Daddy entrusted me with. I committed everything into the Lord’s hands and believed that the Lord will provide. He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider! Subsequently, Daddy promised me the scholarship. He assured me that He will give it to me but I have to work hard for it.

The night before the interview, I went to sleep filled with uncertainty and worries. Daddy, are you sure this is the path you want me to take? Daddy, what if I fail to impress? Daddy, what if I can’t answer their questions? The Lord entered my dreams that night again. He gave me a prelude to the future and He said that He will bless me. With a fresh streak of confidence, I strode into the interview room.

I was subsequently awarded the Ministry of Health - Health Science Scholarship! Praise the Lord!

As I reflect and look back, I realized that every single detail has been intricately planned for by our Daddy. "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

It has been a tough fight chasing my dreams and the Lord helped me through it all. I missed the UK university applications but God was gracious enough to miraculously extend the deadline for me. My entire university education will be provided for without me having to fork out a single cent. The objections I faced from my parents previously have been lifted.

Each step was filled with a message that Daddy wanted me to receive and learn. Each step was filled with God’s overwhelming glory and sovereignty! Daddy taught me to rely and depend on Him. Daddy wanted me to trust Him totally and to be patient. He did not want me to worry and He wanted me to pray fervently for anything and everything. The steadfast love of our Lord never ceases! God fulfills His promises and He never forgets! The Lord has given me the best of everything and I will do my very best for Him! He loves me so dearly!

That was the end of my expedition but the beginning of my mission for God. Amen!

Written by:
Teo Yafen
Meijin's 12

July 1st Network Prayer Meeting

2006-07-20T01:51:00.000-07:00

After seven hours at work, I was drained, both physically and mentally. I had not recovered from my cough since a week ago and my project research was due the next day. Still, I desired so much of Him. I believed that I would be blessed at the network’s prayer meeting and as it turned out, I was right.

We started off with thanksgiving. I thanked God for knowing me so well inside out. Even without verbalizing my thoughts, He knew every whisper in my heart. I thanked God for the cell, for the spiritual family that supported me through my ups and downs, for the sisters that I shared my deepest thoughts with and for the leaders that God has blessed me with.

We carried on with a short worship. Although I was not familiar with the songs, I prayed as others sang. Karen led us into praying for something we desired. Desire? My immediate desire was to serve God. Use me, God! I knew that it was not just another prayer meeting. God wanted to teach me something…but what? I searched for the answer and I prayed for the presence of the Holy Spirit to fall upon all of us.

Breaking up into our cell groups, we prayed for the people we invited for the miracle catch which was the day after. At 7pm, only one of the people I had invited confirmed her attendance. However, she was deciding between the adult service and the youth service. If she chose to attend the 9am service, I would not be able to go for post encounter class. I uttered to God that if it was His will for me to skip post encounter, I would do it for Him.

My cell sisters seemed so excited and jubilant as they shared their testimonies.

“Crystal, are you excited for God?” I questioned myself.

Yes, I was but God did not think that it was enough. He wanted more!

As Pastor talked about the Jabez prayer, he shared about Hebrews 11. According to Hebrews 11:1, “now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” It was followed by a list of people being commended for their faith. Hebrews 11: 6 says that “and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” We moved on to Hebrews 12:1-2 which says, “therefore, we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endures the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We continued to pray for the people we invited, prayed for ourselves and the miracle catch. We repented and interceded with the Holy Spirit. My mind was flooded with names for the miracle catch. There were names of people who rejected me as well as those I lost the faith to invite again. Pastor Fei Fei then stepped out and prayed for us. She shared with us this verse from Matthew 21:“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done.”

“Faith? Is that what you are asking from me, God?” I prayed sincerely, asking God for names.

“Who do you want to me to bring? Him, her? Is this the best timing?”

Finally, God convicted me with two names. Immediately, I took faith and messaged them. I waited anxiously by the phone. My two friends expressed interest and requested for more details. Praise God! I was elated and exuberant! I urged my cell members to text their friends immediately. God works! They did not have any prior knowledge of FCBC yet they still agreed to come. God is great! Time after time, I faced rejection when I extended my invitation to others. I was discouraged, I was disappointed and I lost faith in evangelizing. However, my God is great for He knows my desire and He built my faith in such a special way that I will always remember it.

Whatever problems you are facing now, take a step of faith. We are weak but He is strong. He knows your heart and your desires. Take the bold step out of your comfort zone and be blessed!

P.S. I managed to attend post encounter class!

Written by
Crystal Yong
Meijin’s 12

My Camp Ohana Testimonial

2006-07-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord! Camp Ohana was truly an extraordinary camp set apart for Godly purposes.

Hi, I’m Boon Bing, the worship steward with Priscilla. I would like to share the goodness of God and how this camp had such an impact on me.

The world sees responsibility as an agenda and work of strategies only – Many a times I have been like this too. Yet as I was given this opportunity to lead worship, God spoke to me. I felt that this is more than an agenda and work of strategies. It is also about serving and expecting. As I continued to prepare myself, God dealt with me in becoming an empty vessel to be used by Him and prompted me to change doubt into expectancy (faith). I was brought to two verses, which I used to mediate upon and prepare myself. Meanwhile, God continued to prompt me to use these two verses as an effective prayer o just like the Jabez prayer.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” – 2 Timothy 1:7

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” – Galatians 5:18 (also read Galatians 5 to mediate)

Day 1 (Learn to Please God):
I was grouped under Quan Wei (Group 3) and I must really thank him for being so understanding and funny. Whenever I felt tired or stressed, I experienced such family-togetherness in my group, which gave me strength to carry-on. There was a guy who was introverted and quiet at times, yet Quan Wei’s unconditional and fatherly love shown to him motivated me to learn more about his motivation to love the way God called us to love.

At the night session, Pastor Lawrence preached about learning to please God with the PHD (Pacesetter, History-Maker, Disciple-maker) concept. God not only wants to hear our pleas but also our faith prayers and what we specifically want from Him. I asked God to lead me by the spirit and to be sensitive to Him. As Pastor advised us to review our goals and measure how far we are to success, I started to visualize Livingstones worshipping God as one family. And I told God that I am ready to be used to lead His people to worship Him.

Furthermore, Pastor spoke about reaching out to make disciplemakers. God showed me a vision of a person sitting on the sofa and watching news on TV. Soon, I realized that the person is in fact me. God showed me His compassion for the people around us, yet my fire for Him was not pushing me enough out of my comfort zone. Again, I was reminded that it is up to me to stand up and step out of this zone. As I shared this with Junming, Clarence and Andrew, they prayed for me and I felt a stirring inside me to press on.

The night worship at the beach was truly a miraculous worship. During the debriefing, Pastor told us the story of the miraculous voice of Jesus even as He called out to Simon Peter in deep water from the shore. Similarly, I felt that my voice was too soft. Yet he said that my voice was audible from the back even without shouting. I believe this is just one story of how God moved that night. For me, God emptied my heart that night and for the first time, my heart, mind and soul were totally empty as I worshipped Him. It was a break-through for me as I always had to force myself to clear my mind to worship Him. This time, it came naturally.

Day 2 (Love to Please God):
After jogging to the beach before sunrise, we had solitude and God showed me a vision after bringing me to re-mediate on Galatians 5. The vision was an open heaven with chariots of horsemen literally pouring down on us. I prayed for engagement with the Spirit.

The first all-male session was on knowing the difference between a ‘Godly’ man and a ‘Worldly’ man. Though us guys may know how to be Godly males, not all of us are working towards it. That is why we have to be accountable to our spiritual fathers to be mentored and watched over. As males, we have to live a life of manhood and service to the sisters.

During the evening worship, I was prompted to pray for some of the people present. One of them is someone with a pain in his/her bone at the lower body. And the other were people with financial problems, whom God wants to touch with His love. By faith, I asked these people to raise their hands and I prayed for them. I prayed for faith to arise in them to receive this love: love of healing and freedom from financial bondage. I spoke the renewal of the liberty we have in Christ as mentioned in Galatians 5:1. Indeed, I was affirmed when I saw people raise their hands in response although it was my first time doing something like this. (For those in this category, continue to pray in faith and review the miracles of God by testifying before your family)

In the afternoon, I had a great time of fellowship with my group through the games we played and the fun we had, especially throwing water-bombs at Pastor and Kelvin, our camp commandant.

The all-male session at night was the climax of day two where Alvin spoke on giving up all our sins, pleasures and desires to God. As guys, we may look strong on the outside, but buckle inside due to lustful desires. That is why we need God and His protection from the evil one. I decided to confess and give up my all to God to discourage any foothold of the evil one. In return, I felt His love pouring into me. After pastor prayed for me, I felt like crying and as soon as I realized, my eyes were flowing with tears. The words that Alvin released from the Bible came to me hard and strong.

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words” – Isaiah 58:13
“Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord, And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with heritage of Jacob your father” – Psalm 37:4

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart” – Isaiah 58:14

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” – James 4:10

Day 3 (Live to Please God):
Pastor released us two by two into the streets to evangelize. As according to Luke 10 principles, evangelizing begins with blessing, followed by fellowship, meeting felt needs and then sharing of the gospel and not the other way round.

My group went to the cable car and Carlsberg Tower. My partner was Sky. Though we met many ppl who didn’t wanted to talk to us, we still encountered a few people open to our sharing. I met a group of NUS engineering students consisting of a Christian, Muslim, Taoist, Buddhist and an atheist. We chatted about the stress and hectic lifestyles of youths today. Though time did not permit me to speak more to them, I was given the chance to pray for them and bless them with the cards. Through this, I realized that there are still many ppl around us who need God. Faith to believe and boldness in actions must be put into practice as we make reaching out to others a lifestyle.

Conclusion:
The camp for me was filled with spirit and vision just like the prophet Daniel in the Bible. As we ended the camp, I left in my heart to continuously learn, love and live to please God. I was reminded of the book ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ which mentioned that God created us to be a part of the family in order to worship and please Him. By doing so, we are no longer His servants but rather, His children who know the Father’s plans and will carry His burden to save the lost.

“Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Chris” – 1 Thessalonians 1:3

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty, only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” – Galatians 5:13

I hope that my testimony has encouraged you, the reader. Let us spur one another for God and to reach out. Thanks to the camp committee and all present at the camp for making this camp possible. And thank God for being present which really mattered the most.

“Lord I pray that Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend and know the love of Christ; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Written by:
Boon Bing, Dennis
(Alvin’s 12)

May 27th Network Prayer Meeting

2006-06-11T02:15:00.000-07:00

I entered the chapel on the night of the Livingstones Prayer Meeting with much excitement as I thought of the time I get to spend with my spiritual family. However, I did not have much expectations of what is going to happen spiritually.

We started off with worship as usual but it was an impromptu worship without the convenience of the lyrics being flashed on the screen. Some might feel insecure with the new situation and personally, I felt quite distracted too. I was not able to focus on God and to worship Him with my utmost attention. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to give me a new touch and to remove all distractions. Although I sensed the prompting to kneel before God, I hesitated because of my self-consciousness. I felt puzzled initially because I thought that I had overcome this issue of expressing myself freely before God some time ago. Later on, I realized that it was another barrier to stop me from focusing on God. When I finally took the courage to kneel before God, I just couldn't stop crying because the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong.

This meeting reminded me again that worship is not just about the lyrics and music but also about catching the Spirit. Simply put, like what Matt Redman wanted to emphasize when he wrote the song "Heart of Worship", the heart of worship is about Jesus, about our Father who loves us beyond measure and hence sacrificed His one and only son to die for us. When we are before our Father, we do not have to pretend to be someone we are not. We do not have to worry about what other people might think of us. We can be ourselves and we can be the true selves He created us to be: the true selves He loves.

And Psalm 42 was shared:
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night. While men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

This psalm came at the right time. I was tired mentally after battling with myself for so long. I couldn't rise up to my own expectations and couldn't find the joy I used to have anymore. I felt so helpless, rejected and hurt. The more I tried to handle things on my own, the more problems I encountered and I thought that I could bear it no longer. But God is good. The sharing of this psalm and the song "When God Ran " ministered to me so deeply.

*When God Ran*

Almighty God, the great I am
Immovable rock, omnipotent, powerful, awesome lord
Victorious warrior commanding kind of kings, mighty conqueror

And the only time, the only time I ever saw Him run
Is when He ran to me, took me in his arms
Held my head to his chest, said my son's come home again
Looked at my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in his voice he said son, do you know I still love you
It caught me by surprise, brought me to my knees
When God ran

The day I left home, I knew I had broken his heart
I wondered then if things could ever be the same
Then one night, I remembered his love for me
And down that dusty road ahead I could see

I saw Him run to me
It caught me by surprise
Brought me to my knees
When God ran

He removed my burdens. Issues which bothered me no longer mattered anymore. I'm learning to put my hope in God because He is the only one who can heal and provide wholly. It is only through constant dependency on God that can bring about real joy and remove all pain. Praise the Lord!

Written by:
Ng Lijuan
Meijin’s 12

8th -10th June Livingstones Camp

2006-06-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Learn to Please God! Love to Please God! Live to Please God!

Venue: Sentosa Scripture Union
Date: 8-10 June 2006
Meet at 12pm, Harbour Front MRT station (08/06/06)
Break camp: 5pm (10/06/06)

Camp fees:$35(not including Sentosa entrance fee)

Send queries to: livingstones@gmail.com

4th June Global Day of Prayer

2006-06-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge map for information on nearby bus-stops and carparks.

[Image incorporated from Narash from PS Seng Lee's and Ps Josephine's Tribe Blog]

Click to enlarge for information on seating arrangements. Please note that sectors 35A & 35B have been reserved for Livingstones.

Beyond Expectations

2006-05-31T04:19:00.000-07:00

My experience at the May Encounter Camp far exceeded my initial expectations. The truth is that I went to the Encounter with a heavy heart and many misgivings on whether I will encounter God. After all, I did encounter Him in the G12 Conference as I wept continuously and after that, doubted that experience will ever come again. I was so wrong

I went to the encounter with Christian, Zhen Rong and Ashlegh. Not surprisingly, we bonded easily with Alvin as our Guide. We did have our fair share of fun and laughter but we gathered there mainly for one sole purpose and that was to encounter God.

For me, I did not see many miracles materializing on the first day. However, the presence of the Holy Spirit was there touching our hearts but I only encountered God on the second day. From young, I have a low self-esteem and have been fighting a losing war with my inferiority complex. I was constantly compared to others in the past and words like how unworthy I am have been said to me. This continued for more than six years and this low sense of self-worth kept growing that I was so certain for a fact that I was inferior. Whenever someone praised me, I would think that he/she is lying. But it all changed at the Encounter. When Alvin prayed for me, he said something that really caught my heart: “You are worthy of His love”.

Jesus will not die for an unworthy person. Otherwise, His death will be in vain. That was the last thing I wanted in this world. I cried and asked for His forgiveness, realizing that every time I condemned myself, I am slapping Jesus in the face and telling Him that He died for the wrong person. I felt that I could not live my life like that anymore.

One the most memorable moments of the encounter was nailing our sins to the cross. Through the cross, we have already won the battle against Sin. A lot of demons were cast out during ministry. And the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong that many of us fell under the power of the Spirit. Ashlegh and I thought how fun it was and so we kept accepting its presence again and again. God definitely touched everyone’s lives that day.

Even though the Encounter exerted a heavy physical and mental toil on us, God gave us so much strength that Zhen Rong and I were energetic enough to run to Sentosa Bridge and back to Siloso beach. We were still able to stand and worship God throughout the Encounter sessions despite all that physical exertion.

Lord, I am grateful that all of us who were at the Encounter could commit three days for You without any distractions from work or studies. I am even more grateful that through this procedure, we grew spiritually and still there’s so much more for us to learn. Finally, thank you Father for clearing my sins through Jesus and banishing the inferiority complex within me.

You truly are a God of change and of miracles, capable of destroying the walls and moving the mountains in our lives.

Written by:

Sky Kwah

Josh's 12

April 29th Livingstones Network Meeting

2006-05-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

Every Livingstones network gathering is a time for bonding, having fun and getting a fresh touch from the Holy spirit!

"Forgetting what is behind and striving toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Phillipians 3:13

Worship started off with this verse being shared which reaffirmed what God spoke to me earlier this week. I used to strive really hard to achieve in secondary school and even one of my close friend called me an "over-achiever". When I came to JC, I guess it was probably due to the overwhelming number of activities I had which made me decide to take a break and not join so many activites. I thought that I could enjoy school just as much even when I am not as involved as in the past. However, things didn't go very well after I got "a break". I began to feel an emptiness within and sometimes, even inferiority.

I tried to ignore this feeling for a long time but it just got worse each time I thought about it. I did not share this with anyone because I did not see a need to and I thought that I could just ignore it. The burden got even heavier and finally, I decided to bring this issue to God. I didn't really know what to pray about but I knew that God knows how I felt. I was prompted to read Ecclesiastes and God told me to read the Chinese Bible study guide I found at home as well.

Here are some translations from the study guide: Although the book might seem pessimisstic and despairing at first, yet he (Soloman) did not end negatively. He stated clearly that whoever believes in God will have hope. The phrase "Everything is meaningless" is actually for those who do not know God. In chapter 12, Soloman calls out to us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth, because decisions made in those days will affect our future. "Remember our Creator" too is for men to know that we are not our own creator! Without God, everything is meaningless! There is practically nothing under the sun which can give us real happiness forever, not even achievements or wealth! Only a life which fears God can be filled with joy and God's plan is for all men who fear Him to be full of joy! (Ecc 2:24-26, 3:10-15, 5:18-20, 9:7-10)

Even though we often strive so hard just to store up our earthly treasures, achievements and wealth, yet ended up being so bitter and painful, what good does it bring? I thank God that I can have real joy because I have Him in my life. I promised God that I will continue to strive towards what is ahead, build His Kingdom and store up more heavenly treasures!

And even from pastor's teachings, I learnt so much about the interlinked relationship of faith, hope and love and that it is necessary for all three to come together. God responds to faith and not needs! Just like how Jesus constantly sees the faith of the people in the gospel. I thank God for His goodness and His reassurance. Finally, I thank God for this family and for who He is.

Written by:
Lijuan
Meijin's cell

Overcoming the Fears in My Life

2006-04-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all my spiritual brothers and sisters,

I would simply love to share about what God has been doing in my life recently. During my past studying years, I’ve always had high expectations in whatever I did, especially excelling in my exams and projects. Ever since I adopted such an ambitious nature, my whole life has been full of insecurities, stress and fearfulness. I’ve always wanted to outshine others in everything and I could not accept any form of failures. When I could not achieve what I expected, I would blame myself for being so dumb and useless. Sometimes it got so intense that I ended up in tears. When I started studying again for a part-time degree, I still could not overcome my fears and weariness until God led me to the right path.

It all started after the G12 conference. Despite having an exam on Monday, 20th March, I was encouraged to take a step of faith to attend the three-day Conference including Sunday service. Thus, I did not have enough time to focus on my revision at all. I was worried sick and started desperately praying to God for wisdom and confidence. After the paper, I was confident that I would pass and I thanked God for it.

On the week of Good Friday, the results were released and most of my classmates got either a grade D or C and so I also expected to pass too. When I logged in to check, the system actually stated an “F” grade for my results. I was pretty shocked at first and thought that it must either be a joke or a system error. Thus I tried to log in and out a few times again but it still reflected the same grade. This time, I was really at lost and devastated. Disappointed and depressed, I really felt like tearing myself apart. As anger crept into me, I felt cheated by God at that point of time. I asked God, “Why did you allow this to happen to me? What did I do to deserve such results? I struggled throughout between my thoughts and God for some period of time during the week. Ivy was quite worried about me when I did not reply to her messages despite her concern.

At the same time, I was also working on the Easter card designs for our Good Friday Harvest and I simply lost my mood to continue. Eventually, I still managed to finish the two card designs for Ivy but without the excitement for God. I kept trying to reject the negative thoughts and to focus on praying about it until God spoke to me in an email. This is the email, which God has spoken to me about:

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Does God Care When You Suffer? - The Problem of Suffering

On my shelf is a little book that asks a big question. It is titled: Does God Care When We Suffer? And it was written by Randy Becton who is a good friend and a cancer survivor who has spent much of his life ministering to people with terminal illnesses. Randy writes:

Of the hard "why" questions, "why is there suffering?" may be the hardest. This is probably because it not attacks us personally, but also because whenever the question is raised, the question of God's part in suffering follows close behind. We are desperate for the meaning behind all of this. We are always seeking someone to blame or deliver us, and that always leads to our view of God.

Does God care when we suffer? Of course he does.

Then why doesn't He do something about it? He did. Becton sums it up this way:

The answer is the cross of Jesus Christ. From now on, all human suffering must be understood in the light of His suffering; it is the source of meaning, hope, and new life for sufferers. When someone cries out, "He doesn't care. He's immune to pain," they are brought to the foot of the cross to see for themselves. The cross and resurrection hold the key to the mystery of suffering.

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While reading this email message, I felt the presence of God communicating with me. God spoke to me about His plans for me and He actually wanted me to conquer my fears. It was really a tough experience that I had managed to overcome but with God’s strength, it was made easier. Deep in my heart, I know that I’m still not completely healed and God wants me to purify myself completely. Never before had I felt so much peace, assurance and comfort. With God watching over me, I know that I'm never alone and with courage, I decided to retake my exam again. Thank God that at least I had the opportunity to retake the exam and not repeat the whole module again. Thank God for my spiritual mother, Ivy, who has always been there for me, providing me with so much love, care, motivation and encouragement. Praise be to God!

I would like to encourage everyone out there that don’t be afraid when you have failures. It is a learning process that makes us grow stronger as God has His ultimate plans for us. Remember that nothing is impossible with God for He loves all of us and will not forsake us in times of need. I believe that God is always constantly building us up to be great and mighty men and women of God in His Kingdom. Most importantly, always set our priorities right in whatever we do! With this, I would love to encourage you all with a Bible verse familiar to me:

“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.” - Romans 8:18

Written by: Sabrina Ang
Ivy’s 12

15th April Livingstones Good Friday Harvest Event

2006-04-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

One week ago on the 15th of April, Livingstones organized a Harvest event held at MagicBox as part of our Good Friday celebration. We were asked to invite and bring our non-believing friends to join in the celebration.

There was plenty of food catered that night. Amidst the mouth-watering food available, we could not get the food for ourselves but we had to serve others first, especially those who have not had their dinner yet. This small but significant gesture is one of the many ways we can show our love to our friends.

That night, MagicBox resembled a mini-funfair. It was decorated with an assortment of banners each carrying a specific message. Not to mention the game corners set up whereby participants got to try their hands on darts and play a peculiar game of blowing feathers over a certain distance with our breath. The purpose of the games was to educate us that just as it was difficult to score a bull’s eye on the dartboard and blow the feathers over the required line in order to get a prize, it is the same with God’s standard for all of us: no matter who we are, all of us still fall short of the glory of God.

Ezra and his well-tuned band led the worship session. Apart from a few familiar songs, the band even played Ezra’s self-penned title “Life to the Cross” whose tunes were melodious and energetic. All the while, the crowd danced and clapped through the session. After that, there was a movie shown on one young man’s journey to Christ through his encounter with his best friend who introduced him to a friend of his, who is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

While watching the show, I told Jesus,” Lord, thank you for Your sacrifice. How I wish that I could share the pain with You.” And He replied, “No son! It is too unbearable for you. Now that you have been cleansed, you have no more sins.” I was so touched by this.

Those who believe in Him will have eternal life. Until now, the movie’s message: “Don’t forget my friend’s love”, still resonates within me. After watching it, I know that all of us were guilty of sin in our lives but God will always give us a new beginning. He is a God of second chances.

“No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." - Jeremiah 31:34

As the bible clearly states, those who believe in Him will be saved. Indeed, God will be happy to give a new beginning to our non-believing friends and loved ones.

Written by:
Flavian Kow
Julian’s 12

Dare to Dream for Him, Dare to Dream for Our Community

2006-04-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Pastor Joe Keenan’s sermon on daring to dream for God made me reflect on my past attitude towards dreams. I used to be one of those realists who saw dreams as a cosmetic superficiality. Are dreams just a lofty pigment of our imagination? Are they just one of those passing faces in a crowd that we forget the moment we turn our heads back?

You see, dreams also do define us. The world we live in places an insatiable premium on materialism. We are scrutinized, assessed and judged by our appearance, intelligence, education level, bank accounts, occupation and so on in an endless list of man-defined indicators. Ambitions, like dreams, are a distant expression of what we wish to achieve in the measurable future but unlike ambitions, dreams have its roots in biblical foundation. God wants us to dream and dream big for Him. God appeared to Jacob (Genesis 28:12-15) and Joseph (Genesis 37: 5-7) through dreams where they received the revelation from Him. Unlike dreams, we can never be satisfied with our ambitions. The businessman who has ambitions of becoming the richest man on earth will never be satisfied with his wealth. With each passing day, his chase for the money trail will intensify and his ambitions will expand with his ego.

Ambitions will only encourage us to seek more and more for ourselves. We will be oppressed by our ever-lasting greed and desire to be better than before. Sometimes, we are stifled by it. Sometimes, we even dread it. Sadly, through the process of conforming to society’s pressure and demands, we have mistaken our ambitions for our dreams. Ambitions only fuel temporal materialism, which further inflames our ambitions in a downward spiral of a bottomless pit. According to Ecclesiastes 5:10, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.” Ambitions should not define us by dictating the way we choose to live.

Dreams however, will set us free. Through dreams, we build a greater tomorrow, as strong as we know how and we stand on the top of the mountain, free within ourselves. God truly calls his people to dream of the extraordinary and His dreams for us are ways above the comfortable limits of our imagination. The high-powered executive who quits his glamorous position and forgoes a cushy monthly pay to fulfill his dream of starting a school for the intellectually challenged. The Irish rock star who works feverishly to attract international support for the cause against poverty. The opposition leader who languishes in house arrest and displays admirable defiance towards the ruling junta in her country for the sake of her people’s fundamental rights. These are normal people with extraordinary dreams who chose to work for their dreams, responding to a greater calling in life and living a life worth living.

Fortunately, dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born. Dreams do define us in a way unimaginable by sheer logic. Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake, living our dreams.

Pastor Joe Keenan’s message on dreams rekindled my desire to become an economist to help the poor in impoverished nations. I have always dreamt since my days as a junior college student of formulating working policies to bring the benefits of modern life to the less privileged. After all, what’s the point of our education, skills and talents if we do not fully utilize them to benefit our society? It may seem an idealistic impossibility right now but I do believe that if God wants us to dream, he surely has His plans for us. Just one day after Pastor Joe’s sermon, I befriended someone who shared the same dream as me. With every person I get to befriend who shares the same goals as me, my dreams seem less remote and less impossible. Now, I know that I’m not alone in pulling down the walls and defeating the giants in my life.

And henceforth, my brothers and sisters, I pray that all of your dreams may come true. We may sometimes fail in the process of reaching for the unreachable but at least we know that if there is only one chance in this life that we may understand who we really are, we have taken it boldly and courageously with no regrets.

Let us now work towards fulfilling the destiny that God has given to each of us. If the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams, then the future is indeed ours to conquer.

Written by:
Kenny Tan
Joshua’s 12

Re-Dedicating My Life to God

2006-04-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Mere words cannot describe the relationship I have with God and his awesome love for us.

My siblings, two brothers and two sisters, are now children of God, Hallelujah! But we once faced persecution by our non-believing parents. My Mum is a strong Buddhist and she has forcibly disapproved of us becoming Christians. She would do things like telling us to get out of the house or take a chopper to scare us or not acknowledging us as her children. But Praise God for her heart to soften for she approved not just of our religion but our relationship with GOD. We were able to become better children for her and for the Lord.

But during a period of time, I was not truly devoted to God. I did not attend church services or read God’s Word. My Bible was left beside my bed for so long until a thick layer of dust covered it. I went astray, started mixing with the wrong company and my life degenerated into sinful ways. To make matters worse, I tried to replace Jesus with girls who I tend to “love”. I wasn’t close to my family due to the age gap between me and my siblings and that they are always absent from home due to their work commitments. There were also a lot of family problems, which further alienated me from them. I was like a lost sheep without God’s guidance, going astray even further, feeling empty inside and life too meaningless to live on. I have always believed that in this world, we must all be loved by someone, otherwise it will be like living alone in a cold, dark and empty room. Thus I always committed myself into meaningless boy-girl relationships but so did my pain and sin which worsened.

I remembered that one of the relationships brought me so much sorrow and trouble that there were times I would engage in self-mutilation. I felt that it was something that could help me overcome the loneliness, emptiness and pain in my heart but I was wrong. I got into more trouble. I had to go for counseling, my friends thought I was crazy and subsequently, the girl I liked left me. I felt all alone. I felt that I was unable to express feelings that I kept in my heart. But still I did not seek God. I remembered the times I will just cry asking him why my life is going on in this fashion. However, He did not answer me. At that point, I did not bother if I would go to heaven or to hell. Neither did I care for Jesus nor anything about my life. I reckoned that why should I when I feel that no one cared about me?

During my days as a secondary 2 student, I met a girl whom I fell in love with. She was a non-Christian who was pessimistic and always had “dark” thoughts. She thought of her life as full of sorrow, that she would rather hate than love and die rather than live. She brought a lot of pain to the people around her and unsurprisingly, she did not have a lot of friends. However, I was amongst her closest friends. But even with all those unattractive characteristics, my feelings for her grew for I wanted to be the one to make her smile and never to cry. I wanted to sacrifice my all for her. I was patient for around three years until I confessed my feelings for her and we became attached. At that point I should be thanking God but I didn’t. I thought that we could have a chance to be happy together without Jesus in our lives.

Sadly, I could not be more wrong. We had unresolved conflicts and she often went out with other guys. We often had this “cold war” between us. Once again, my heart felt devoid of love. I asked myself if I had sacrificed so much for nothing. Why do I want to be with her so much? Then, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, “Go to your brother.” I approached Josh and I started sharing with him my problems. He made me realise that the very reason I had sacrificed so much was not for her or to see her smile but because I feared losing her. I also realized that the reason why I wanted to be with her so much was because I wanted her to be my meaning in this world. After a while, our relationship ended as guilt flooded my life for I swore previously that I would not make her cry but still I did. I hated myself and I felt more lost than ever. I felt that I was reverting to my past nature.

I went back home and picked up my Bible when for the second time, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Jesus’ love for you is everlasting for his relationship with you will never end. He died for u because He loves you. Fill your heart with His love and your heart will never be void again.” I was stunned and ashamed and I started crying and weeping. How could I have forgotten how much He loves us? Why should I be living for others when I should have lived for someone who has already died for me? Jesus loves me so much that He sacrificed His life. On that day, I confessed my sins to him and begged for his forgiveness. I prayed to him, asking him to make me a warrior like David, worthy of His name whom He would proudly proclaim to, “Sky, My son whom I am so proud of”.

From that day onwards, I have never looked back since. With this in mind, I would like to encourage my fellow brothers and sisters with these two verses from the Bible.

John 3:16
“For GOD so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Hebrews 13:5-6
“Because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Written by:
Sky Kwah
Joshua’s 12

Hidden Treasure, Searching Moments

2006-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

This article should have been posted very much earlier. However I would still like to thank God and share my experience of doing this SOL 3 project. You may think: WHAT? There is a project for School of Leaders (SOL) 3? Bingo, you’ve guessed right the first time! However, I am not sure if this will continue for the subsequent cycles of SOL 3. It may seem intimidating which is exactly what I felt when I initially enrolled for it. However, I want to reassure you people out there that it can be very fun and challenging! I’ve really enjoyed myself.

Thank God I had Joy and Priscilla to accompany me to SOL3. However, we were too small a group to form a team but we had the privilege of having three more friends from Pastor Adrian’s and Pastor Lily’s tribe to join us. It was an amazing experience for me to be able to work with people from other tribes as I must admit that my social circle in church has always been confined to Livingstones. This actually helped me to feel that Youthnet is indeed a family. The whole experience was tiring and stressful at times but enriching and enjoyable. I shall spare you all the details of preparation for the event but here are some things that I’ve learnt from my experience:

1) Pray More, Plan Less (quite a similar experience with the FIG Camp) – sometimes we get too engrossed with the details that we forget to pray. Ultimately, the focus of the event is God. We actually decided to cut down on the planning and spend more time praying together - -and it helps!

2) Ask And It Shall Be Given – For our event, we managed to get free Newater (it is free by the way, just give a call). One of our members has past experiences in organising events such as this, therefore we tapped into our resources and found a sponsor willing to print the certificates of participation, even with good quality paper. Finally, there was a company which sponsored the chocolate rolls (which alas, came after the event).

3) God’s Plans Deserve Our Utmost Amazement – We planned for 120 participants and with such numbers, we initially wanted to book a place in the community centre. To our disappointment, the response was worse than expected. There were only 2 teams of visitors. So in total we were able to create 6 teams in all with the help of some of the game masters who became participants. Thus, we decided to settle in a pavilion among the HDB blocks. To our surprise, this drastic change led to salvation for two kids from the neighbourhood! It was really unexpected! So be prepared for the unexpected, for if we did not grab hold of that opportunity to share Christ with the two kids, they might never have heard the Gospel. God works wonders regardless of our circumstances!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Quan Wei, Jun Ming, Kenneth Tan, Jonathan Pang and not forgetting Christine Song for helping us as game masters (although some ultimately became participants).

Subsequently, special thanks to Pamelia, Li Juan, Samantha, Amanda and Zhenchang for participating and also for their patience despite the reshuffling that took place. Also, thanks to Jas (my new kid) who formed a team with her school friends. Your presence really made a difference!

I have found love in this family, thanks to my spiritual mum and dad and finally, a big thank you to all my G12 sisters and brothers for your prayers!

I just want to end off by encouraging you to be excited with what God has in store for you even while going through the Ladder of Success. Hidden treasure, searching moments. Have you found it yet?

Written by:
Vivien Po
Pastor Fei Fei’s 12

April 1st Livingstones 288 Meeting

2006-04-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 13: 13 (New Living Translation)
“There are three things that will endure -- faith, hope and love -- and the greatest of these is love.”

Our network’s 288 meeting was held at the TOUCH Centre Chapel on 1st April. Besides being April Fools’ Day, it was a platform opportunity for the ladies in Livingstones to rise up! The band was an all-girls band, well, except for our drummer (“Miss” Arun?); and our speaker for the night was our very own Pastor Fei Fei who is also affectionately called our Livingstones’ spiritual “ma ma”.

That night, Pastor Fei Fei shared about love and unity; and her message was titled “Love: A Responsible Attitude”. We were taught that love is an attitude in which we will want what’s best for the person we are showing love to. In order to get this right attitude, we have to first understand how our Heavenly Father defines love.

Matthew 22:37-39
"Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself."

John 15:12-13
"I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it -- the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends."

Pastor Fei Fei brought up the term ‘agape love', something that I’ve heard several times since the days of Sunday school and continuously learning to put it into practice. To me, it means that we have to do something for someone and even if I don’t like this person I will still do it willingly. Please do not forget God’s commandments for us, especially the one which tells us that if we love our Father, we will love His people.

When we’ve achieved the right knowledge which will lead to the right attitude being instilled in us, we will naturally be aware of the right actions that will lead us to do the best thing (that we know is good) for the people whom we love and even feeling uplifted about it!

To end off, I would like to give to each one of us a reminder from 1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.”

Will you do something for a friend today and show some love?

Written by:
Pamelia Soh
Pastor Fei Fei’s 12

Trusting The Lord In My Life

2006-04-08T10:41:00.001-07:00

I hope that anyone who reads this will not be discouraged by my circumstances but continue to trust in the Lord for I believe that many of us went through similar experiences. To begin with, my parents are devoted Buddhists and it took me several months before I finally decided to tell them the truth. It has been a long period of time but no matter what, God has been with me all this while. Let me begin my story.

As I said earlier, my parents are strict Buddhists and they even forbade me from going to church so I had to lie to them all this while. Until now, I do not even know whether they have finally accepted my faith.

A few months ago, I was invited by my spiritual sister, Genevie (a good sister who is dearest to me) to a New Year party. I could say that I was a skeptical Christian at that time and not a true believer. But after joining FCBC, I learnt a lot and I was drawn even closer to Him during the sanctification week. On my first day in FCBC, I realised how much He sacrificed for us. The pain was so unbearable that I even hoped to share the pain with Him.

But He told me," No, Son, I cannot let you share the pain with Me. You cannot take it. As long as you do fruitful deeds, I will be satisfied and happy.”

With this, I told him how hurt I was and so I prayed silently in my heart. I felt the presence of Him and it was indeed powerful. After that day, I became a true believer. But this peace did not last long. Soon, Satan started tempting me and told me to bring away my light from Jesus. I told him that I will always serve Jesus Christ and will always be with Him.

However, my problems are not over yet. I still need to settle my family problems. I believe that this is a test that God has set for me. Since this is a difficult test, I was bewildered at first and began to wonder why God gave me this test. Why did He have to do this to me? I shared this with one of the leaders, Joshua and he even prayed for me. I was so touched by his concern that I told God that I would accept this test and prove Satan wrong.

After struggling for a while, I decided to serve at the Young Arrows Children’s Club. The kids there brought me great distress but I do know that I have several older sisters and brothers who are concerned for me. Through them, I gradually understood the meaning of love. Until today, they have never ceased to encourage me.

After a few weeks later, I told my sister, Isabel, that I still lacked the courage to tell my parents of my newfound Christian faith. She immediately rebuked me, "How could you say THAT? He is your MASTER and you are His MASTERPIECE!" These words shook some sense into me. And to think I even contemplated moving out of my home. I shared my thoughts with Josh and he told me that I was running away from the test and advised me to wake up. I sensed an uplifting in my spirit and I decided to face my parents with faith.

During service on one Sunday, Pastor Khong told us that, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) With this revelation, I know that as long as I have faith, God will always be on my side.

When I told my parents the truth a few days later, they became very angry. Despite their anger, I was glad that I told them the truth and nothing but the truth. For the first time in a long while, I was relieved of this guilt and felt liberated. On the night of the Livingstones 288 gathering, I was extremely touched by my brothers as they prayed for me while I cried and told God that I am so lucky to have them.

What is the moral of the story? Always have faith in God! Nothing can stand in His way! When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. In Isaiah 3:13, “The Lord takes His place in court; He rises to judge the people”. I am now serving with the Young Arrows Children’s Club and will soon be going for my first encounter camp. After that, who knows? I have plans to join TOUCHKidz and become one of the leaders there. All that I have today, I give thanks to God!

As you have read my story, let me say a little prayer for you:

“Father in Heaven, please bless these people who have read my story and wash away their sins. I believe that like the people who have spread Your name through many countries, I will also be used as a medium to spread Your name. In Jesus’s name, I pray that You will bless all of my brothers and sisters. They have given me lots of encouragement and love. Amen.”

Written by:
Flavian Kow
Julian’s 12

Letter to Daddy

2006-03-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Heavenly Daddy,

Halleluiah! How tender is Your everlasting love! I praise You for the magnificent experience at Encounter Weekend!

Daddy, do you remember on the first night, I traipsed into the Magic Box with a heavy heart. It had been a tremendously long and draining week. Were you disappointed with me, Father? I was burdened and my heart had closed its gates to You.

The crossing.
The sheet of sins was stained.
Where was the pure and white sheet?
Disappear, ugly sins!
But... what can I do?
Who can save me?

As I prepared to go to bed, flashes of a past dream came flooding back. It was a dream that I lacked the courage to mention to anyone until very recently. Lord, You said that I will not enter Heaven even though I was already saved. Was it You, Father? Was it? I dwelled on it. However, that night, I dreamt that I was running after You twice. What did it mean, Lord?

Father, forgive me for not being receptive towards You. Instead of encountering you, I spent most of the time fighting that evil voice in my head on Saturday. That voice told me that You will reject me. That voice told me that You have forgotten me. That voice told me to go home, that this was not the place I was meant to be in. Ridiculous! That voice kept intruding into my private, intimate time with You Father and I had difficulties concentrating. I was so desperate to draw near to You, Lord. I scribbled letters after letters furiously in my prayer journal, hoping that You would hear me. I earnestly prayed that You would make Your appearance. Everyone was crying because of the Holy Spirit; I was crying because I could not encounter you. I wanted to slap myself for being so cowardly, for being so faithless. I wanted to throw my rock-hard heart out of the window so desperately that I kept thinking of a marshmallow in an attempt to soften my heart. Why was there a barrier between You and me?

I want you, Lord, I want you!!

I started to doubt. I doubted Your sovereignty and I questioned Your existence. Forgive me for my ignorance and my lack of faith! At the Ministry of the cross, I prayed hard that I will conquer anything that will come my way. I sang louder and louder, albeit off key, hoping that my voice would be able to muffle any negative thoughts racing wildly through my head. As we viewed the Passion of the Christ video clip, You spoke to me and the revelation of the cross came crashing down.

It was then that I realised that I believe. Yet, it was not enough for You, Lord. You wanted me to believe even more sincerely. That was what You wanted me to learn. Father, You wanted to enlarge my faith! You wanted me to let go, to trust you and to lean on You completely. I thought that I was guarded only towards the people around me but I ended up hiding from You. I must have hurt You deeply! I’m so sorry… Forgive me, Father! Lord, I finally understood the dream. You wanted me to run after you forever. With your power and blessings, no one can obstruct our relationship. You desired my trust and my faith. I will give it to You! Gone were those thoughts I was struggling with the whole day. Adieu Satan.

I was there at the crucifixion.
There, I saw, the sheets of sins.
Smeared with angry, black streaks.
Pinned tightly to the cross.

Daddy, You were gracious enough to enter my dreams again that night. I was echoing something that You told me to tell my people (which I cannot recall what it was). I obediently obeyed till I whispered something to You and You replied, “Yes, my child”.

Silence.

“What do you mean, Father? Are You listening to me? Will You listen to me?”

“Yes, my child, of course I will listen to you.”

Astonished. I did not expect my Heavenly Daddy to listen to me. I have long forgotten the real meaning of prayer. Perhaps, it was because of the distractions that plagued my recent prayers. Perhaps, prayer was yet another daily chore to me. Perhaps, my prayer was a hollow vase without a drop of passion. I had forgotten that I was talking to God. I was just chanting out my daily report to any spirits around me who would hear. Yes, Father, You reassured me that You will always be here and You will listen to me. Daddy, You encouraged me and gave me a new perspective and dimension of prayer.

You made sparks of joy explode within me. I woke up with a grin a mile long.

The blood of the Holy Lamb dripped,
Trickling down the sheet.
Forgiven, cleansed, transformed.
A clean and pure white paper shone from afar.

I was baptized and touched by the Holy Spirit. Initially, I resisted and I blanched with fear at the sight of people shaking, shrieking and writhing on the ground. The moment my guide, Samantha, started to pray for me, I switched from singing “Come Holy Spirit, fall on me now” to “Stop, stop, stop! Don’t come!” Doubting my ability to receive the gift of tongues, You proved me wrong when my lips trembled and came to life on their own. Yet, I bit my lips to deter the path of the Holy Spirit. Father, You were merciful and You comforted me. You assured me of your presence. You were there. I fell. Immersing in the sweet presence of you, Heavenly Daddy, I felt so small beside You. You reminded me of how almighty You are. You filled me with the zeal and hunger to yearn for you even more and more.

Colours of hope, joy, wisdom and peace
The Lord awaits to paint my life.
Oh, the mighty cross.

Subconsciously, I have laid down most of my burdens at the foot of the cross. Angels of joy fluttered around me as I pranced out of Sentosa, carefree and radiant! I was thirsting for more, More, MORE! Come on, Father! Tell the world to challenge me! I will show them what my Daddy is capable of! Heavenly Daddy, I love you sooo much! =) I pray that my flame of passion for You and You alone will NEVER extinguish! I will keep my eyes on You till the end of time and I will shine for you always! Thank you for rejuvenating me! Thank you for loving me! Thank you!!

Amen! Amen!!

Love,
your daughter,
Yafen
Meijin’s 12

What Would You Do?

2006-03-28T02:43:00.000-08:00

To know of the allure of the world is one thing. To truly experience the temptation at the tip of your fingers, just within your grasp such that you could just toe the line into an alternative life is another matter altogether. That brings you to an enlightenment of the world you live in. The fact that the temptation to let the world embrace you in its deceptively welcoming arms seems so inviting is a sign of how intoxicating the world can be, if only you let it seep into your veins, just enough, slowly, bit by bit everyday. So what keeps us at this end of the spectrum- where we do not become so proud as to say we are perfect but secretly celebrate at the fact that we are not simmering in a pot of pungent sin? Well, maybe we are. But even so, a choice still remains to persist or abandon that way of life.

What I’ve realized is this- we really have freedom of choice. There will always be that voice that shouts and screams at you to take the path you should because we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, thankfully. However, there will always also be the option to shut out that voice and let the other in. Afterall, the other voice is the one we enjoy and find comfort in at times. It finds a way to be gentle, subtle and yet employing the best moments to plant little seeds of thoughts. We let that voice laced with butter tell us that we are not wrong. We let it tell us that our choices are neither disastrous nor misguided but simply a matter of preference. We let that voice coax us into submission to see that what we want must be more important than what people tell us is right. Afterall, it is our lives and we only live once.

Choices, choices, choices. So when it comes to crunch time, what choices will you make? How do we make the difficult choices even when the right one stares at you with neon eyes? On one hand we have those who present you with pious notions of just “doing what you know is the right thing”- easier said than done. On the other hand, we have those whose opinions you don’t value because their beliefs are different- inconsequential advice. So now what? Any knowledge has to partner the willingness in the heart to make a final decision in order for you know where you really stand. So, neither the voices in your head or from people around you will help you make the decision at hand. It all really boils down to you. You might not be blessed with great spiderman-like abilities but you have free will. Freedom also comes with great responsibility.

While we whine when we don’t have the freedom, we find ourselves incapable of making wise decisions with freedom we possess. Alas, this free-will business is a tricky thing. I figured this out: God gave those who know Him the knowledge that we have free will. Therefore, it is only reasonable that as we first chose to follow Him, we must now learn to use free will wisely.

I find myself incapable of joining the bandwagon of the more pious by concluding understatedly that “we just need to do the right thing”, completely eliminating the emotions that come with the package of the world so I am going to pen just a few thoughts. These thoughts to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are: You know you have free will; you know that your decision ultimately is really yours. There is a sense of great power in that knowledge but it would be wise to remember that that power can build you up or tear you down.

In making the tough decisions, some may find solace in prayer and sharing, some may find clarity in self-meditation and reflection while others might find time alone reassuring. Whatever it is, remember the responsibility which you were given with free will. It is not just the non-Christians that have it in deciding their faith. Free will is ours as long as we walk this life’s journey. We need to be thankful for it, never renouncing our God through whatever fork roads we face. We need to ask our infinitely wiser God to accompany us through those times of tough choices. That, I believe, is neither a pious notion nor mere advice but a reminder that by our strength alone, we are incapable of finding the answers we so desire or discovering within ourselves true willingness partnered by faith to make the right choices.

Written by:
Jerrine Chia
Pastor Fei Fei’s 12

We Are The Gideons Of Today

2006-03-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

The G12 Conference was a wealth of revelations for all who attended. The degree of energy one felt at the Conference was breathlessly intoxicating. With the attendance numbering in the thousands, it was truly a day of worship, deliverance and anointing. Not only was the presence of God at the Max Pavilion electrifying, but also nothing truly prepared me for the tsunami of emotions I felt on the third and only day I attended the Conference.

The sermons delivered by the pastors on the third day indeed opened my eyes and ears to the biblical knowledge that God wants to impart to us. However, what struck me most on that day was Pastor Art’s reminder that we are the Gideons of today.

In Judges 6:1-10, we know that the Israelites worshipped false Gods and hence suffered at the hands of the Midianites when they lost God’s favour. When they cried out to the Lord for help, God sent a messenger to Gideon, a young and idealistic Israelite. “When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Beset by sin and moral indignity, we were rescued when Jesus redeemed us with His blood and made us into warriors of Christ. God has thus made us powerful to reach out to the powerless. However, He also reminded me of an incident that occurred to me early last year.

As a full-time national serviceman, I am a combat engineer by vocation. A few days after the Boxing Day Tsunami struck, I got a call from my sergeant asking for volunteers to go to Aceh. Fearing inconveniences and my parents’ objection to it, I refused the offer. However, the Lord never allowed me to forget the suffering of thousands in a faraway land while I lived in oblivion and luxury. Day after day, I saw the pictures and testimonials of that ghastly disaster in the papers and on one particular day, I was overwhelmed by it all and broke down in tears. The Lord said to me when I prayed that night, “Why are you still holding back? Go”.

Two weeks later, there was another call for volunteers to go with the third wave and I volunteered myself with little deliberation although I knew that there was no way I could withdraw my name. However, the third wave never materialized when the Indonesian government put a moratorium on SAF troop deployment in Aceh.

Although I didn’t go, I knew that the moment I volunteered, I was already justified in the eyes of the Lord. The burden and regret of not responding to the initial call had been removed like a heavy load off my chest but when I submitted my name, I had already made a promise to God that I will move out of my comfort zone and go into the nations to serve. This year, I will fulfill that promise by going on at least one mission trip overseas. To borrow a quote from Pastor Art, “It takes a dream to wake up your faith and takes faith to reach your dreams”.

Many times, we have forgotten the pain of the multitudes. There are people out there whose lives need God’s grace and miracles. God made us mighty in the valor so we may become Gideons to reach out to these people. He sees us as his champions. Each and every one of us has a calling and purpose in His Kingdom.

Love is the only thing that makes us want to move from where we are to where we need to go. At the G12 Conference, God pried away the scaffoldings of our lives to reveal our vulnerabilities beneath our daily comforts and told us to go all out to serve. If we truly love the people out there, we must be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. The question is: Are we willing to believe in the Lord who believes in us?

Written by:
Kenny Tan
Joshua’s 12

God's Purpose For Me

2006-03-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

The G12 Conference just ended last week yet whatever God spoke to me in the Conference remains deeply embedded in my mind. The words spoken to me were so strong that after the Conference, I am so determined to reach out to my friends.

As I was listening attentively to the pastors preaching during the Conference, God brought me to Psalm 139:15:

“My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.”

God knew my destiny even before I was born. From the very first moment I came into this earth until now, God has shown me clearly what His plan for me is and that is to reach out to people and save as many souls as possible. It is not an accident that God put me in an army camp to train me to be more sociable and open-minded and it is not an accident that I was not promoted during my national service days as God wanted me to learn about humility which is lacking in some of my friends who were promoted.

Certainly, it is no coincidence that I have to go to Australia to study, as God wants me to conquer Australia for Him. After so much that God has spoken to me, He brought me back to the basics and that is to have a compassionate heart for my friends and reach out to them. One of my brothers-in-Christ once told me that one reason why we are still living on this earth and not yet in Heaven with God is because He wants us to reach out to the lost souls out there.

Wouldn’t it be great to see our friends together with us in Heaven next time?

Written by:
Andrew Khong
Alvin Lim’s 12

Hear Me Roar!

2006-03-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Each year the G12 Conference brings something new: A new spirit, a new anointing and a new measure of faith. I remember the first conference I went to, I learnt to applaud FCBC’s spiritual father, Apostle Khong. From the foreign delegates, I saw what it meant to praise and worship God with your all, which includes your whole physical being; dancing and lifting up joyous cries before Him. Each of these outward expressions represented also a decision made; choosing to give thanks and affirm my leader, choosing to worship with my all. And in making the decision, we choose to be single-minded; turning away from doubts and unbelief. Therefore, each of the new actions I learn to do at each year’s G12 have also come to represent for me, a new blessing and anointing from the Lord.

This year, I learnt to cry out before the Lord, to let out a shout of victory and conquest. I never really felt comfortable shouting before the Lord before and I think I’m not the only one. Maybe it’s a Singaporean thing. I see that many of us in church would much rather give a sound of praise by clapping before the Lord. And perhaps for some of us ladies, it would seem most undignified to be letting out a whooping shout of war-cry. But in this conference, I just let myself go. And the experience was liberating! It was like, God, if crying out like this is a proclamation of Your victory and a declaration of war on all that oppresses and binds me, then boy, oh boy am I gonna roar! And as I lifted my voice, I had to choose to put aside my fear, my unbelief and all those negative thoughts just as by faith the shouts were dispelling the oppression. I had to say, Lord, I believe. I put my faith in You.

But before I could arise to conquer, God had to remove the sense of emptiness and deadness that was in my heart. Just as what Pastor Art had shared on that Sunday, before we can wake somebody up, we ourselves must first be awakened (Isaiah 52: 1-3). God knew the cry of my heart. I needed hope, I needed strength, I needed joy and I needed to fall in love with God again. There was a sense of deadness in my heart that I could not even long for God. I knew I could not go on without a fresh touch from Him. I responded to Pastor Khong’s ministry call after Pastor Art’s sermon and went forward. And as I knelt and just poured out what was within my heart to God, I began to long for God and desire His presence once again. The thought of not having His presence with me was unbearable. (Ps 28:1) God had revived my heart.

God revived my heart and renewed my mind in the conference. He also released a new level of faith in my spirit. We have a rich heritage of faith in Pastor Cesar and Pastor Claudia Castellanos. There was such power in their words that I sense a resonance in my spirit when they spoke. Pastor Claudia spoke of redeeming arenas outside the church for the purpose of making an impact and influencing the society. We need to fill that gap in areas such as the media, the arts, politics and etc. We have to move out of our comfort zone. The order for battle has been issued. If we do not move forth to conquer, the war will still come to us. She encouraged us to ask the Holy Spirit to ignite a new project in our life.

I have been asking God to give me a dream and to show me His direction in work. I don’t want to be mediocre. I don’t want to go through life lost and purposeless. Lord, what do you want me to do? I believe God has begun placing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle into my hands even during the G12 conference. Though I do not know yet the picture that will be formed when the puzzle is pieced together, there is enough light to see the next step He wants me to take to begin a journey of adventure with Him. I asked God how can I respond; what are the practical steps He wants me to do?

For starters, I am giving God 3 “yes”. The first challenge being that I want to win 12 in 3 months, which is no mean feat for me. The second being agreeing to give money to a Chinese national for dinner although I doubt the story she told me is true. But as my Daddy said, if they are desperate enough to ask a stranger, there must be a need. The third one is yet to be known. I also want to write more. This is really an exploration of feeling in my next step in the area of career. I do not know where it will lead to but I am seeking God and depending on Him to reveal more along the way. Already, my boss is asking me if I want to do research writing at work. I pray that God will continue to guide and speak to me.
It is an exhilarating ride ahead, which can be a pretty hair-raising experience for someone like me who is not inclined towards the thrills of rides such as that of a roller coaster. But I sayed yes to God who has called on us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1: 6) for He has not given us a spirit of timidity but a Spirit of son ship. And the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8: 15, 16). If my Father is going to be holding my hand throughout the ride, I think I will have no problems developing a healthy appetite for excitement.

Written by :
Amanda Quek Wei Ling
Pastor Fei Fei's 12

G12 Conference Day 1 - My Reflections

2006-03-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

While getting ready for the first day of the G12 Conference at EXPO, I recalled last year’s Conference where we dreamt a New Dream - a dream to serve the nations.

Looking back at 2005, we have seen harvests from the fields of the nations where many have served in, especially during the turbulent times in the aftermath of the Tsunami. Also, there are an ever-increasing number of lives that are being transformed through the G12 vision.

That is why we are ‘Celebrating the Nations’ this year because we want to rejoice in His glorious work throughout the world.

The 5th International G12 Conference 2006 was kicked off to an invigorating start with Pastor Lawrence Khong’s message on ‘Celebrating the Nations’. Listening to the familiar “3 Keys to Fruitfulness” (it was the same message delivered during service for the previous week) made me recall of something I had read somewhere. It says, “A Life without Love is a life without God, for God is Love!” I guess it pretty much applies to the other two keys, which are ‘faith’ and ‘love’.

Besides celebrating the nations, we also claim this year to be a year of great conquests as God’s people! I like to invoke this “victory” prayer every morning because it reminds me of the new covenant that we have with Jesus and it gives you that ‘whoosh!’ feeling - well it sure works for me, do give it a try!

John 1:7
“By the blood of Jesus, ALL of my sins have been forgiven! I have been redeemed and rescued from the power of the enemy. Satan, you have NO power in my life because I have been moved to the kingdom of God!”
…

2 Corinthians 5:21
“God sees me as I have never sinned because I’m justified by Jesus’ blood!”
…

Hebrews 12:24
“By the blood of Jesus, I’m sanctified and separated for God!”

“In Jesus name, Amen!”

Written by:

Pamelia Soh
Pastor Fei Fei’s 12

Prepare for Conquest

2006-03-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

The G12 Conference was a call to conquer. Today, God spoke to me in an article that reminded me that all of us need to PREPARE for conquest.

"..there are some people out here who are really great guys, great athletes but they are never able to win a race. You know I was afraid of being one of them - to always be strong, to always do good, but never win a race." - Faris Al Sultan, World Ironman* Champion 2005

As I sipped evening coffee and read the account, I was reminded of the verse in 1 Corinthian 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

Am I always being strong and good, but not finishing well?

I am not called to be a "show" of strength. I am called to win. Be it winning the battle against financial difficulties, against family issues, against spiritual strongholds or winning souls, I am called to win.

I love to race in triathlons, and I dream of finishing an Ironman triathlon before 30. In triathlon training, I push myself in speed work, varing the training tempo to strengthen my legs. I discipline my strides and paddling cycles to be more power efficient, training my body posture to be more aerodynamic as well as conditioning my lung capacity and rhythm to be in sync. Many a times, when I train, I go into what professional athletes call "the zone", meaning your body, mind and soul are focused to maintain a certain tempo and intensity till completion.

When it comes to conquering my arenas of life and winning souls, am I in "the zone"?

To win, start adopting a competitive posture, not a casual one.

*Ironman is the world's longest and most featured triathlon.

Written by:

Joshua Kwah
Ps Lawrence's 12

Mourning The Death Of A Son

2006-03-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

William Shakespeare once wrote “And, when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of Heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love with night, and pay no worship to the garish sun”.

What is death? Just a week ago, I was at Eugene’s father’s cremation. It was an emotional and somber morning and no words can simply express the grief experienced by Eugene and his mother. Having to tend to his father’s wake since last Friday was certainly a heart-wrenching roller-coaster period for Eugene and his loss is insurmountable. But Eugene isn’t alone in his grief because he has friends and family to support him and his friends from church who are always with him in spirit. It was a Christian wake befitting for Eugene’s father who accepted Christ and was baptized in his dying days. No doubt, we will depart this world one way or another but death gives us sleep, eternal youth, and immortality. I know for one that Eugene’s Dad is with the angels of heaven who rejoiced in the birth of a new son.

I could tell that despite his grief, Eugene was touched by the events of the past week. Although I only met Eugene for the first time at the wake, I wanted to tell him that the best we can remember of our departed loved ones is their love for us. In a world brazen with desires of the flesh and temporal materialism, love is a word we have often taken for granted. We have loved only with the words that come from our mouths but not with our hearts. Eugene’s father was a family man and his loved ones will remember him as a loving father and a doting husband. No one will remember him for his bank accounts nor his personal achievements.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we know that love is never self-seeking. It protects, trusts, hopes and always perseveres. Love is an enduring legacy that surpasses in magnitude all worldly legacies. How do we want to be remembered when we pass away?

Written by:
Kenny Tan
Joshua's 12

March Livingstones 288 Meeting

2006-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

It was on the night of the 25th of February. As the evening sky darkened and gave way to a silent darkness that assumed its nocturnal vigil, members of the Livingstones family converged at Magic Box at Touch Community Theatre. Most people would choose to spend the night by thronging the streets with their friends, watching movies or even partying. For Livingstones 288, we chose to celebrate as gratified servants of Christ. What better way to end the month than a network gathering? A celebration as a network, a tribe and a family.

The celebration began with a cordial session of ice-breaking. The games played were designed to encourage interaction between members of the different cell groups. With the boisterous Quanwei commanding the microphone as the emcee, the once-awkward atmosphere was given a much-needed injection of youth vibrancy and laughter. Boys and girls embraced this light-heartedness by soaking themselves in the lunacy of the games.

The ice-breaking session was followed by worship led by Ezra and his team of talented musicians – all fellow Livingstones members. As Jerrine and Josh took to the microphones and crooned familiar songs exulting The Lord, the band played with much zest and gusto. All the while, the crowd jumped to the beat of the drums, clapped their hands in unison and sang with one united voice. After all, God wants to see His people sing and dance for Him. With all of our enthusiasm and energy, Livingstones certainly did not disappoint that night.

With the music gradually reducing to a whisper, Pastor Lawrence Tan shared the Word with the family. One of the most important verses he shared that night was Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them”. We were reminded of the need to celebrate as a family because when we gather in numbers, there is power and strength to do God’s will. We were encouraged to “not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25) and to “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

Pastor went on to challenge members of Livingstones to be involved with the network ministry, whether it is serving with the Young Arrows, playing for the network soccer, basketball or netball leagues or volunteering with the band. The response to the challenge was overwhelming as many signed up with the respective activity groups.

The night slowed to a crawl as we rounded up the celebration by splitting into our own cell groups for prayer.

As we stepped out of Magic Box that night, exhausted but at the same time spiritually rejuvenated by the celebration, we could not help for wonder what the next Livingstones 288 gathering on the 1st of April will have in store for us.

Written by:
Kenny Tan
Joshua's 12

Jocelyn Tay's Baptism

2006-02-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

Hi, I’m Jocelyn, currently studying in Temasek Poly. I have been looking forward to my baptism today and may my simple sharing of God’s reality in my life encourage you.

When I was 13, I was just like any other secondary school student leading a superficial life. I got to know Pastor Lawrence, a counselor at my school and Karen when I hung around in the pastoral care room. I knew nothing about Christianity until Karen invited me to her church, where I got to meet Meijin (my existing cell group leader) and my cell members. Coming from a family of free-thinkers, I didn’t really believe in God, I believed only in myself. I felt obligated each time I went to church. Soon after, other commitments were piling up and I stopped going to church because it was not one of my priorities.

The following year, when I was in Secondary 2, Pastor Lawrence led me to accept Christ and I was so glad I did! However, the excitement of being a Christian did not last for long as for the next few years, I carried on with my “God-less” life which of course, was not smooth-sailing. When I met with a setback, I would indulge in self-pity or vent my anger on someone. There wasn’t anyone I could turn to, and sometimes I really felt that life was totally meaningless.

When I went to poly, I had classmates who were Christians and they often talked about church and the gospel, and somehow I just felt like going to church again, though I was worried if people would question my faith, and whether I was welcomed back again. But I guess God really makes everything beautiful in His time and He still welcomes me. Thank God.

Last year, around June or July, I rededicated my life to the Lord during one of the service at TCT. Praise God for that!I began to attend church every week, with faith and anticipation to listen to God’s word. I prayed every night and it was so miraculously that my prayers would always be answered. Not only that, God has given me a chance to bond with my cell members. I can get along well with everyone so quickly. I recognize that my cellgroup is a place I can grow, a place where I can be a blessing to the people around me.

Since then, God has made many wonderful changes in my life. My life was no longer empty, because His love for me has filled it. And He gave me wisdom in making decisions and He blessed every friendship I had. And most importantly, because of Him, my parents understand the need for me to go church and even gave me their blessings for my baptism! I thank God too that they are here to witness this significant moment in my life today.

After encounter camp, I was convicted to be baptized, as it is a commandment of God. However, I was bugged with the fear of my parents disagreeing. So with me being here today, it’s a testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness that He hears our prayers!

Everything in life has been just so wonderful with God that I will appreciate every day because it is a gift from God. I’m filled with so much faith and hope as I know the Lord is with me. He has taught me that though we live in this world, we should not be OF the world, and do things that do not glorify his Name.

As I get baptized today with my sins washed away, I thank God for all the wonderful things that have happened to me in such a short period of time. I must be truly blessed to be able to receive the many gifts of the Lord. I would like to thank my cell, Meijin, Karen, Pastor Lawrence and Pastor Fei Fei for supporting me through my spiritual walk with God and most importantly, I thank the awesome Lord who is with us.

Written by: Jocelyn Tay, Meijin's 12

My Tabernacle Encounter

2006-02-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

The Tabernacle is where God beckons us to draw near. Each individual’s encounter with God is a unique and intimate experience that demonstrates the love and all-encompassing compassion God has for each one of us. Allow me to share with you about a revelation I received as I knelt before the Golden Lampstand.

I was walking down a dark, deserted corridor with the shroud of a mist rendering my vision a perfect blur. The walls of the corridor were constructed with stones, like the innards of a castle, cold and clammy to the touch of my hand. I was carrying a smaller version of the Golden Lampstand, using the brilliant flames from the lighted candles mounted on its seven flat bowls to illuminate the path ahead.

I felt a slight breeze brush against my face. It soon culminated into a gale, which grew stronger by the minute. I took my steps hesitatingly, unsure of whether I should continue. The flames on the lampstand flickered and as the wind intensified, two of the candles were extinguished and it suddenly appeared darker around me. I became afraid as the darkness beckoned ahead.

At that moment, as I turned to look at the remaining candles on the lampstand, I noticed that they continued to be ablaze with the same scintillating brightness from the start. I had less light to guide me but it was sufficient for me to see my immediate surroundings. Braving the unrelenting wind and the menacing darkness, I continued my journey down the corridor, clutching tightly to the lampstand.

The corridor symbolizes the passage of our lives and the darkness and mist, the constant uncertainty that we have for the future. The stone walls portray the brazen and hardened nature of the real world which lack the warmth derived from God’s love. The lampstand with the burning candles signifies Jesus as the Light of the world. The wind is a reminder of the numerous difficulties and setbacks we encounter in our lives.

More often than not, life can be a cold and lonely journey and we always fear for our future. Sometimes, we experience turmoil in our lives and in the midst of our struggles, we may feel that God’s guiding light has diminished or is totally absent. We may succumb to fear, feel a sense of loss and even depression. However, God wants to tell us that no matter who we are and what we encounter in life, he will always be the light that shines with the same exuberance. He walks with us through the ups and downs in our lives. The God we pray to today will always be the same loving and compassionate God we honour tomorrow.

“He is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.” 2 Samuel 23:4

May He always be the Light of the world, our greatest source of strength and wisdom. Praise be to God!

Written by:
Kenny Tan
Joshua's 12

WOS Day 1: Gathering - The Bride of Christ

2006-02-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

The first of Youthnet’s four night gathering at the Touch chapel auditorium brought with it many of our youths, coming in anticipation of what God’s word will be for us at this year’s Sanctification week. Judging from the turnout, the commercial value of Valentine’s Day proved to be no competition to what was in store at the gathering. Worship allowed us our own Valentine’s Day expression of love to God. We were reminded that our expression of love to God in this manner of gathering was indeed pleasing in God’s eyes, like the bride of Christ.

Pastor Eugene then opened the session with a personal sharing of his anticipation for Sanctification week. He shared that part of this annual event is letting God deal with issues in the family. Therefore, he said that the week brought about “a sense of great expectation and yet a sense of fear”. In that same spirit of surrender and faith, we invited the Lord’s presence with the voices of his sons and daughters lifting up the song You are welcome.The message for the night on holiness was preached by Pastor Eugene. This fittingly tied in with Sunday’s sermon on corporate holiness and emphasized the weight of the word that God wanted us to receive.

We were reminded that our first instruction from God was to be holy as He said in Leviticus 19:2 “Be holy because I the Lord your God am holy”. Without the need for further inadequate definitions, God is therefore the definition of holiness.

In the message, personal and corporate holiness were reiterated. We were told to be mindful of our corporate attitude and culture in order to ensure alertness, readiness and watchfulness amongst us. Corporate worship and celebration was another aspect highlighted to ensure that our passion fires on, creating eagerness, excitement and a longing for God. Lastly, we were commanded to be submissive, willing and obedient in pleasing God through corporate mission and commission. The message was evidently one from God that meant to teach Youthnet about not just being a family, but one that would be strengthened in holiness.

Armed with the knowledge of holiness, it would still be unachievable by our own strength without the cover of the cross. Not wanting to merely receive the word intellectually, the family knelt together before the cross, seeking not for redemption that had already been given but for a revelation of the cross. We wanted to take home more than a message but a sense of the sacrifice that was made in return for our lives.

The air was thick with the presence of God as the Holy Spirit moved amongst us, touching each individual in a different manner. Some cried with repentance and gratefulness, some had a silent, private dialogue with God and others had a supernatural experience with God then and there. In various ways, many of us had a revelation of the cross at the Touch Chapel and began to understand what Pastor Eugene meant when he said that “We will not understand the immensity of grace until we understand the severity of sin in our lives.”

Through this experience, we were reminded “take up the cross daily” (Luke 9:23) because of the significance of the cross. Through the session, we were all thus made more aware of the condition of our own lives and that of the spiritual family so as to be prepared for the following nights’ sessions of training, sending and celebration.

Written by:
Jerrine Chia, Pastor FeiFei's 12

Livingstones 24 Reunion Dinner

2006-02-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

What happens when you put together a group of off-duty leaders from Livingstones? Well, you get a group of seemingly unruly, young adults with corny jokes and occasional outbursts of noises meant to pass off as laughter (with courtesy of Quanwei and Pauleon).

Since its Chinese New year, what better time than this to gorge ourselves and find a reason to gather together in this fashion once again.

This year's reunion dinner was held on the eighth day of the season so it was belated. However, it was not overlooked. Being the dedicated cell leaders that we are (this being said with a tinge of cheek albeit a little lack of modesty); our dinner could only officially begin when our cell groups ended to allow us to travel down from the east of the island to the west.

This is an opportune time for a short excerpt to advertise our humble reunion dinner locale at the coffeeshop across from Queenstown station. In addition, we have to appreciate the hospitality given by Lawrence, a fellow church member and host for the evening.

Getting back to the events of the night, upon arrival, while some started the evening by fighting to be on the table with less heavy-duty eaters, others had to sadly surrender to Pastor's agenda on seat allocation.

The reunion dinner thus began with the traditional lo hei. Everyone stuck their own chopsticks into the mix and packed around a table barely comfortable for ten. We all then tossed the Chinese salad vehemently shouting whatever blessings or gibberish that came to mind. This left more salad on the table than in our systems but nonetheless, we enjoyed the process. The dishes that followed came fast and closely behind one another, providing for a substantial meal and a good time of gathering together.

With all the food being eaten, conversations being shared and pictures being taken, our reunion dinner, like all things, had to end. However, this will not be our last supper as Livingstones' leaders and perhaps the next round, those who were unable to join us will be there to add to the joy of our gathering. Meanwhile, may the remaining days of the season bring a blessed Chinese new year.

Written by:
Jerrine Chia, Pastor FeiFei's 12

Purpose

2005-10-14T00:36:00.000-07:00

MUSIC as the MISSION

WORSHIP for the NATION