hi hi Everyone, this is currently my very 1st post. So I thought it would be good for me to use a nice cheery purple colour.. hehe and for me to update everyone on my past 2 weeks that I personally want to give thanks to God for...

I recently organized 2 events for NUS Science Faculty - a Pageant Preview and the official Pageant & Dinner 'n' Dance. It was a terribly busy and tiring period of time because school had started then, and there were so many things to do. 1stly, I had to make sure the Diva pageant contestants did their rehearsals and were cooperative. 2ndly, I was running a deficiet of 4000bucks. 3rdly, my commitee was less focused this time round, and they didnt help as much, until the last day. So, I was extremely burnt out and stressed. And at these times, all i could do was to constantly remind myself and pray that God was still with me and that He will guide my commitee and I through.

Besides that, during this period, He gave me a song's chorus that truly encouraged me...

As the oceans rise and thunder roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are King over the mountains
I will be still and know you are God

And God was indeed good. He carried my commitee and I through the entire period of preparation till the day of execution. He gave us good weather, everyone a good temper, support from everyone else, the smoothness of how the programs went. And there was really no way that I could survive this period without Him.

Therefore in all, Prayer does work. And God never fails. and He's always there even if everyone fails you.

Hope this little testimony encourages everyone who's having exams and fatigue from work etc.

Take care!

Hi guys,
some of you might have started your exams already (yes, the JC2s) and some of you have papers coming up real soon. Study hard and continue to keep your focus on God!

A Student's Prayer

Open my mind to your grace, O Lord, as I begin my study today.
You are the source of all wisdom and truth:
So guide me along the right path
That I may persevere in my studies and scholarship.
May I learn well what I need to know;
May I understand what I need to learn;
May I remember what I need to explain.
Give to my efforts the success you would have for them, O Lord,
So that I may use wisely the knowledge I acquire
And thus live contentedly in your love and the service of my neighbour;
And in due time, may I receive by your grace, the eternal reward you have prepared for me.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Testimony:

How I became a Christian:
I was approached in orchard road by a lady. She was doing street e. Then I said the sinners prayer with minimal knowledge of the meaning of being a Christian. After that incident, I took initiative to find out more about Christ. Kai Lun invited me to Youth Camp in 2001 and from there I grew closer to God. Eric Tan followed up with me after the camp and helped me into saying the Sinners Prayer the second time, but this time with more assurance and Faith. From then, I devoted my life to God

My life before conversion:
I came from a broken family. My parents are divorced when I was around primary one. I grew up staying at my granny’s house since primary 3 and I was then a quiet and obedient girl. I kept everything to myself and would cry at night when I thought about my life and my family. “Why can’t I be like the other kids, who grew up normally with a proper family?” I felt something lacking in my life. I was a sad girl though I know my family still loves me to some extent. I tried my best to please everyone, and soon realized that it’s impossible.

My life since I became a Christian:
I felt a lot more Love in my life and have learnt to be more open. I became a happier person. I know I have God to turn to and I am never alone. So I do not need to feel deprived anymore; Never felt that way ever since My life have become more fruitful and full of meaning. I think doing God’s work has made me a better friend and person. I care more for my friends now and would take initiative to catch up with them, and to see if they need help.
God has guided me in many ways too. When I was just converted, I moved out from my granny’s place to stay in choa chu kang with my stepmum. It was a tough phase of my life because I faced a lot of persecution from her. She is a nice person in some ways, but somehow she just can’t give me peace at home. God taught me to be slow to speak and to be slow to anger. That really helped me to avoid many conflicts and unrest at home.

=Joanie=

"Do I have to attend a local church to consider myself part of the body of Christ, or is it enough that I belong to the universal church simply because I am a Christian believer?"

Some people deny that the Scriptures make a distinction between the local, organized church and the universal, spiritual church, claiming that every time the church is mentioned in the New Testament the reference is to the local church. There are, however, practical,common-sense reasons to distinguish between them. In Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares ( Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 ), false Christians (the tares) are portrayed as hidden within the organized, visible church until the end of the age when Jesus and His angels will remove the tares from the wheat. In addition, when the apostles told new converts how they could be saved, they never made involvement with the church or membership in a church a condition ( Acts 3:12-26;16:30-31 ).

Since (1) some people within the local, visible church are not true believers and (2) some true believers may not yet be associated with a local church, it seems clear that it is possible for people to be part of the body of Christ (as believers in Christ) even if they are not part of the organized, earthly church. Likewise, it seems apparent that a person can be part of a local, organized church and still not be a part of Christ's true, universal church.

Some groups, such as the Quakers and the Plymouth Brethren, minimize the importance of membership in the institutional church by pointing to the corruption that has always existed within it. They stress the relationship of the believer to God through Christ and avoid the establishment of membership roles and formal patterns of leadership or organization.

Others, like the Roman Catholic Church, believe they can trace their beginning to the establishment of the church by Christ ( Matthew 16:18 ) and claim that they have inherited from the apostles the authority to forgive sins and convey the saving grace of Christ. They believe that the personal spiritual condition of the ministering authorities is irrelevant, as long as they are the duly appointed representatives of the institutional church.

Probably a middle position is best, recognizing that while the local church isn't necessary for salvation, it plays an essential role as a source of applied doctrinal teaching and fellowship, a place of service and prayer, and as an authority for discipline.

The fact that hypocrisy exists within the visible, institutional, local church doesn't justify a blanket condemnation of the church and its work. The earliest believers saw a need for united prayer, study, and fellowship ( Acts 2:41-47 ). The writer of Hebrews actually warned people not to forsake the assembling of themselves together ( Hebrews 10:25 ). The apostle Paul emphasized the interdependency of believers by describing how every believer is gifted spiritually in ways that build up other believers ( Romans 12:1-8 ; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ; Ephesians 4:11-16 ; 1 Peter 4:10-11 ).

People who willingly ignore or disregard church fellowship imply that they have no need of the spiritual gifts God has bestowed on others for the common good ( Romans 12:1-8 ; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 ). Just as we are born into a family for our care and nurture as infants, so believers are born into the family of God and need more mature Christians to nurture them in their years of immaturity ( 1 Corinthians 3:1-15 ).

Participation in a local church, with a realistic eye toward the shortcomings of all institutions and other believers, is the best way that we can grow spiritually and help build God's kingdom.

AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!
Did you get mad today? Was it the start of a bad day? How often one small incident can start a chain reaction. One incident can cause a spontaneous emotion, a natural response. The bigger problem begins when the emotion or response is nurtured by our mind dwelling on the incident. This one incident escalates and infects others through our words and actions. This is the trend that causes sin. I think Satan loves these times.

We are warned in Ephesians 4:26, 27 “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.”

And in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.”

However, as He always does, God supplies a way to defeat the attacks of the Devil. Paul says in Philippians 4:8 “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

This suggests that we can control what we think about. So, what are the things that are True, Honorable and Right, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Excellent, and Worthy of Praise?

True means genuine and real.
Honorable means noble and morally attractive.
Right means in accordance with what is good, proper or just.
Pure means untainted with evil or guilt.
Lovely means of a great moral or spiritual beauty.
Admirable means worthy of esteem or regard.
Excellent means possessing superior merit or remarkably good.
Worthy of Praise means deserving of admiration or approval.

These are the things of God. They are God's word and God's works and creation. To put this to use try this simple exercise. Begin each day by reading a Bible passage to remind yourself of the things of God. This can be as short as one passage. Then, end each day by asking yourself "What is the best thing that happened to me today?" Reflect on that thing, talk about it with your family, no matter how insignificant it may seem. This is God’s method of ‘attitude adjustment.’ Begin now, establishing the habit of thinking about what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise.

My life is like my email account@work... no matter how many waking hours i invest in clearing my emails, they just keep building up... as do the stuff in my life that consumes my time and energy...

At first it's just 20-30 MB, then 35... when it hit 37.5 MB, i would get this daily reminder to clear my mailbox - which is silly cos that email adds to my mailbox, on a daily basis! Duh!

Now, it's been 48MB for the past 1 year and i would clear just enough everyday to survive that day's mail, cos if i hit the 50MB limit, i would have to pay for the surcharge.

Life is about prioritising, so we start choosing what mails to read and what to delete without opening ;p The trick is to decide while we still have the choice. There would most certainly come a day when our 'email account' would be revoked; shut down, abruptly & permanently. Then we would called up to give an accounting of what we've done, what we've given our attention to... Many things are good; are the 'right things to do' but we cannot possibly do everything, it is not just about 'doing the right thing' but it should be about 'doing what God wants us to do' = obedience.

"Yes, I'm on my way! I'll be there soon! I'm bringing my payroll with me. I'll pay all people in full for their life's work." Rev 22:12 (The Message)

Choose that which is of eternal value!

BOTC

Basic officer training course
7 of us went for the botc, me, Candice, huiling, auntie janette, clara, Pamela and mae (south view pri gb teacher in charge)…

It was a very good experience for me through the 2 weekends…

We went through leadership foundations, mission and vision for GB, team building games, some admin stuff, drills… got to learn more of what GB really is and their mission and vision… the team building games which we played, T.E.A.M = Together Everyone Achieves More… it’s not by our own individual effort that we can do things but it’s actually through a team work…
Drills was ok… though I learned b4 in sec school but… it’s like I learned very basic one and theirs is like.. huh.. so many other different.. blur blur… but still can make it lah..

And during the course… we had fun too.. with auntie janette.. she’s always telling all those jokes which makes me laughing non-stop… hehe

AND…

What I was reminded during botc was this question.. “am I willing?”
Because before I went for botc, I was thinking.. hmmm.. can I really do it? can I really serve in this ministry? a part of me felt that I was inadequate to serve in this ministry…
But what God really spoke to me was, if I was willing to do it, I can do it in His strength. And this verse came to me (Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.)

Ok… tht’s all :)

Prayer Discovers God's Agenda

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

It was common knowledge among the disciples that they would find Jesus praying during the early morning hours. When they needed Him, they knew to go to the place of prayer. When Judas betrayed Jesus, he led his cohorts to Jesus' place of prayer.

Every time the Lord Jesus faced an important decision, He prayed. When was being tempted to do things by the world's methods instead of the Father's, He prayed (Matt 4). When it was time to choose His disciples, He prayed the entire night (Luke 6:12).

If the Son of God required a night of prayer in order to determine the Father's mind, how long might it take us in prayer to clearly determine our Father's will? Let's take time, in prayer with God to set the agenda of our lives.

Love Defined(by the Bible)

"Falling in Love" vs. True Love
The true meaning of love, as defined in the Bible, has been corrupted in the common usage of our English language and society. Most often, love is confused with infatuation - that elated, "high" feeling we get when we "fall in love." This kind of "love" is something that lasts typically less than a year, and unless replaced by true love, results in broken relationships.

Origin of Love
The Bible indicates that love is from God. In fact, the Bible says "God is love."1 Love is one of the primary characteristics of God. Likewise, God has endowed us with the capacity for love. This capacity for love is one of the ways in which we are "created in the image of God."2

Different Kinds of Love
The Greek language (the language of the New Testament) uses two different words to describe and define love. The most commonly used Greek word translated "love" in the New Testament is "agape." This love is represented by God's love for us. It is a non-partial, sacrificial love probably best exemplified by God's provision for our rebellion:

"For God so loved (agape) the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The gift3 of God's son as a provision for sin4 was given to all humans,5 regardless of who we are.6 God's love is unconditional.7

In contrast, our love is usually conditional and based upon how other people behave toward us. This kind of love is based upon familiarity and direct interaction. The Greek word "phileo" defines this kind of love, often translated "brotherly love." Phileo is a soulish (connected through our emotions) kind of love - something that can be experienced by both believers and non-believers. This is in contrast to agape, which is love extended through the spirit. Agape love requires a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, since the non-regenerated soul is u
nable to love unconditionally. Agape love gives and sacrifices expecting nothing back in return.8

Those who have studied the Bible and know about Peter's character know that Peter was ruled by his emotions and often responded to situations emotionally, rather than thinking before acting. Sometimes this kind of response lead to good things (e.g., Peter walking on the water to meet Jesus - Matthew 14:25-33), whereas at other times, Peter's response was inappropriate (He was interrupted by God while suggesting that he build three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration - Matthew 17:4). Peter was quite proficient at expressing phileo love, and was probably very popular because of his dynamic character. However, God wants us to express both phileo love and agape love. Peter expressed this idea in his first epistle:

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love [phileo] of the brethren, fervently love [agape] one another from the heart, (1
Peter 1:22)

Believers in the churches of Asia Minor had already expressed phileo love, but Peter was encouraging them to fervently express agape love as well. If you are a Christian, you are encouraged to express both soulish, familiar love and spirit-led unconditional love.

The most famous biblical chapter on love is from 1 Corinthians:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 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. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

This is a description of apage love. It is described as being patient, kind, truthful, unselfish, trusting, believing, hopeful, and enduring. It is not jealous, boastful, arrogant, rude, selfish, or angry. True love never fails. The description perfectly fits God's love toward us, and should be the way we love each other and God. However, I have never met any person who perfectly fulfills this biblical definition of love. The Bible says that this unconditional love is more important than everything else (a partial list includes oratory ability, prophecy, knowledge, faith, philanthropy and hope). All of these things, which are "good" things, will pass away. Only love is eternal, since love will be the basis of eternal life. In fact, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He said,"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND." (Matthew 22:37)9 He then added that the second most important law was "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Jesus said that the entire law was dependent upon these two commandments.9

If you are not a Christian, I hope you desire to express love as defined in the Bible. However, wanting to do so and attempting to do so in the power of your own will is guaranteed to fail. This kind of love is only possible through relying on the power of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. Even if you are a Christian, you will not succeed if you do not abide in Christ. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.10

Do You Know Who Jesus Is???
It is possible to know doctrine and still not know Jesus? It is possible to do ministry work, serve, attend Sunday service and youth meetings, stand on the stage leading worship with your voice and with your instrument and still not know Jesus?

A person becomes gravely in danger when his work or ministry, when his knowledge of the bible is more important than Jesus. This person avoids intimate touch with Him.

Doctrine meant no more than the grass under the feet of Mary, in fact any pharisee could have made a fool of Mary doctrinally and with their list of accolations in ministry. But one thing they could never ridicule was the fact that Jesus had cast 7 demons out of her (Lk 8:2); the fact that Jesus knew her by her name (Jn 20:14-16). Yet His blessings were nothing to her in comparison with knowing Jesus Himself.

Somtimes, I feel that it is always good for us to stock take our lives. Reflect on our walk with Christ. So often we get so caught up with serving that we forget WHO we serve. We know so much about doctrines and theology yet we know nothing about the person who is the central figure of our salvation. This is especially more for those who serve and lead in some way or another. Often times, I myself am guilty of serving the ministry instead of Jesus, of focusing on the people, on the expectations instead of Christ.

So, let us all be alert in our service unto Christ, always vigilant of God's presence in our lives, and to give gentle nudges in love once in a while to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ when they happen to lose focus. Let be accountable to each other and love one another as Jesus loved us. God bless!

(Adapted from My Utmost For His Highest, Edited by Me. =p)

"But Samuel replied, " Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." ---1 Samuel 15:22

King Saul had been instructed clearly to attack the Amalekites and to totally destroy everything that belonged to them (v3). Yet, when he went out in battle, he spared Agag, king of the Amalekites, along with the choicest sheep and cattle (v9). He had an excuse for doing so: that he had kept the best to sacrifice to the Lord at Gilgal (v21).

But yet, partial obedience on his part was really blatant disobedience. What the Lord demands from each of us is complete obedience to His Word and instruction. What matters most to Him is not just the outward action of material sacrifice, but that we have a heart that is completely surrendered to Him, and that we present ourselves daily, as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, as our spiritual act of worship (see Romans 12:1)

Focus

There are a thousand and one distractions in this world.

They come in all shapes and sizes.
Sometimes they state their intent and are honest in telling you they are a distraction.

Other times...they disguise as some kind of "need".

Whatever it is,
As long as it is something that brings you away from spending time with Your Lord,
Reading His Word and communing with Him in prayer...
In peace and simple joy,

It is a distraction.

It is one
No matter how it may seem not to be.

Christian books...Ministry...School Work...Relationships...Fatigue...
Let our eyes be open and seek only what's central in our life each day.

Let's focus.

Embracing the mess - 9th Aug 2005 (Os Hillman)

My wife and I run together through a new home subdivision. Often we see the street filled with red clay from the land as bulldozers clear it to lay a foundation. The job site is littered with lumber, all sorts of trash from workers, and is generally a mess. The house looks ugly; it has all its insides exposed as it is being pieced together, yet this process is necessary to get to the finished product. When completed, the home is beautiful. The landscaping looks like it came out of a home-design magazine. Everything is clean and perfect in order for the new homeowner to move in.

Our walk with God is much the same process. Often we must go through a messy period of our lives in which all aspects of it are in disarray. It is in these times that God builds a new structure. He might remove some structural timbers in our lives and replace them with new ones. He might even add on another room. And unless this process takes place, we will never see the end product. The goal is more Christlikeness. In order to achieve this in us, He requires a period of removing all that is not of Him. It can be a painful process.

It would be impossible to keep oxen in a barn without having to clean up the mess from time to time. It just comes with the territory, but the result of the oxen is an abundant harvest. God may be allowing a mess in order to ensure a fruitful harvest in your life. Learn from Him so that you might experience the fulfillment of His purposes for you in these times.

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE

1. How many books are in the Bible?
The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments.

2.How many books are in the Old Testament?
There are 39 books in the Old Testament.

3. How many books are in the New Testament?
There are 27 books in the New Testament.

4. What does "testament" mean?
Testament means "covenant" or "contract."

5. Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Despite these differences in occupation and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.

6. Which single author contributed the most books to the Old Testament?
Moses. He wrote the first five books of the Bible, referred to as the Pentateuch; the foundation of the Bible.

7. Which single author contributed the most books to the New Testament?
The Apostle Paul, who wrote 14 books (over half) of the New Testament.

8. When was the Bible written?
It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

9. What is the oldest book in the Old Testament?
Many scholars agree that Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written by an unknown Israelite about 1500 B.C. Others hold that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are the oldest books in the Bible, written between 1446 and 1406 B.C.

10. What is the youngest book in the Old Testament?
The book of Malachi, written about 400 B.C.

11. What is the oldest book of the New Testament?
Probably the book of James, written as early as A.D. 45.

12. What is the youngest book in the New Testament?
The Book of Revelation is the youngest book of the New Testament, written about 95 A.D.

13. What languages was the Bible written in?
The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.

14. When was the Bible canonized?
The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.

15. What does "canon" mean?
"Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. Thus, to have the Bible "canonized" meant that it had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which all Christians throughout the ages live and worship.

16. When was the first translation of the Bible made into English?
1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.

17. When was the Bible printed?
The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.

18. What is the oldest almost-complete manuscript of the Bible now in existence?
The Codex Vaticanus, which dates from the first half of the fourth Century. It is located in the library of the Vatican in Rome. There are older fragments of the Bible that are still preserved however-- the oldest being a tiny scrap of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt, dating back to the beginning of the second century. (It is currently in the Rayland's Library in Manchester, England).

19. What is the longest book in the Bible?
The book of Psalms.

20. What is the shortest book in the Bible?
2 John.

21. What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 119

22. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 117

23. What is the longest verse in the Bible?
Esther 8:9

24. What is the shortest verse in the Bible?
John 11:35

25. Which book in the Bible does not mention the word "God?"
The book of Esther.

26. Who was the oldest man that ever lived?
Methuselah who lived to be 969 years old (Genesis 5:27).

27. Who were the two men in the Bible who never died but were caught up to heaven?
Enoch, who walked with God and was no more (Genesis 5:22-24).
Elijah, who was caught up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11).

28. Who does the Bible say was the meekest man in the Bible (not including Jesus)?
Moses (Numbers 12:3).

29. How many languages has the Bible been translated into?
The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countless more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages). (This is an enormous amount of translations. In comparison, Shakespeare, considered by many to be the master writer of the English language, has only been translated into 50 languages.)

Eyes On You

"My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare..." Psalm 25:15

King David, the psalmist, certainly had his focus right as he wrote this psalm. He acknowledged the protection of the Lord over his life, and he placed his hope of deliverance into the mighty hand of our good and righteous God. He focussed, not on the problem, or on the possible solutions to rescue himself, but rather on the One who could rescue and deliver him.

Many a time, when trials and troubles come our way, our first response is usually to react to steer ourselves out and away from the problem, and as a result, the wounds we suffer become deeper, and the hurts more painful. Think of it as having your hands and feet bound together in sharp wire. The more you struggle to get free, the more cuts you get. In your own capability, there is nothing you can do to save yourself. What you need, is for someone to cut the wire to release you. On our own, we are unable to save ourselves from many things in life: the temptations of the world, persecution from those around us, heartbreaks and worries etc. but we can take courage because we have a Living God who is able to help us rise up and to be victorious in these situations.

What or who are you focussing on today? Are you depending on your capabilities to steer yourself out of a sticky situation and relying on your own wisdom to find a solution? Turn your eyes to the Lord your God and keep your focus there. He will show you the way, He will rescue you from harm, and He will be gracious to you as you put your hope in Him.

The Greatest Pain

In your opinion,
What is the greatest pain for a man?

Think.

Is it a knife slicing through the human body?
Is it the sense of loss of a romantic love?
Is it losing someone who is flesh and blood?

The greatest pain which tormented Jesus,

Was a momentary separation from God's love.


The Greatest Pain.

Is to be turned away by the Greatest Love.

BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE DA VINCI CODE?
By Mart De Haan

The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York Times Bestseller List since its release in April 2003. In less than 2 years it has become a bestseller in 150 countries and one of the most widely read books of our time.

Author Dan Brown has done what many authors only dream of doing. He has written a book "everyone" is talking about. All over the world people are discussing his upscale murder mystery that teases readers with provocative theories about history, religion, and the arts.

This novel, however, is more than a page-turning murder mystery. The Da Vinci Code is a conspiracy theory that leaves many readers wondering whether everything they have believed about Christ and the Bible is wrong.

A reviewer from Book Sense says, "This is one of those rare books that comes along and makes you question everything you thought you knew about religion, art, and what you were taught in school. It's fast-paced, enthralling, and simply impossible to put down."

The Da Vinci Code begins with a lengthy list of acknowledgments and then a "fact page" designed to leave the impression that the novel is based on careful research of little-known facts.

One of the book's main characters is Robert Langdon, a fictional Harvard professor of religious symbology. Claiming years of research, the professor maintains that for 1,700 years, the church has been covering up the real truth about Jesus. His views are later echoed by a fictional British royal historian referred to as Sir Leigh Teabing who says things like, "almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false" (The Da Vinci Code, p.235).

The title of the book comes from the claim that Leonardo Da Vinci—along with other notables like Sir Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo—was a member of a secret society entrusted with the truth about Jesus. The secret of this group (The Priory of Sion) is that Jesus had a daughter by Mary Magdalene. Mary, according to the Priory, was the true Holy Grail who bore the royal bloodline of Jesus on earth. This, according to the professor, is a fact the church will kill to suppress.

What many readers fail to keep in mind is that The Da Vinci Code is fiction. Worse yet, the story rests not on careful research, but on a documented fraud passed off as truth. The idea that Leonardo was a member of The Priory of Sion is based on a document proven by a French court of law to be a forgery and a hoax (The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code by Richard Abanes, Harvest House Publishers, pp.48-57).

The Da Vinci Code's "alternative view of history" also falsely states that Jesus was not regarded as a God until the fourth century when the Roman emperor Constantine decided it was in his own political interests to unite the empire by giving Jesus "an impenetrable cloak of divinity" (The Da Vinci Code, p.233).

To make the claim plausible, fictional historian Teabing says, "The most profound moment in Christian history" occurred when "Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ's human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned" (The Da Vinci Code, p.234).

The Da Vinci Code claims that some of the documents Constantine tried to destroy managed to survive in scrolls found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These scrolls allegedly "highlight glaring historical discrepancies and fabrications, clearly confirming that the modern Bible was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda—to promote the divinity of the man Jesus Christ and use His influence to solidify their own power base" (The Da Vinci Code, p.234).

The ancient texts found at Nag Hammadi, however, were not "lost books of the Bible," as Teabing claims. They were the writings of a mystery religion known as Gnosticism. Gnostics viewed spirit as good and matter as evil. They denied the physical body and crucifixion of Jesus and emphasized a secret knowledge received only by those initiated into the religion. The early church rejected their teachings long before Constantine.

But even if The Da Vinci Code doesn't stand up under scrutiny, is it possible that the Bible has been altered through thousands of years of countless copies and versions? This is the kind of question that is best answered by those who have applied the principles of science to manuscript evidence. Scholars spend lifetimes examining all available manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts. They note and map any variations of spelling or wording that show up in families of manuscripts that have been copied from a common source. In addition they analyze the writings of second- and third-century church fathers who left extensive quotes of the Scriptures they were reading and studying.

On the basis of such research, scholars assure us that our Bible is a highly reliable representation of the original manuscripts. In The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable, F. F. Bruce writes, "To sum up, we may quote the verdict of the late Sir Frederic Kenyon, a scholar whose authority to make pronouncements on ancient MSS was second to none: 'The interval then between the data of original composition and the earliest extant evidence become so small to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scripture have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established' " (http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ffbruce/ntdocrli/ntdocont.htm; The Bible and Archaeology, New York and London: Harper, 1940).

Backed by such evidence, the Bible also remains the all-time bestselling and most widely read book in the world. Challengers come and go. What remain are the words of those who were willing to die for their claim that they personally witnessed the miraculous life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God. One of those witnesses wrote, "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).

Beavers

(Castor Canadensis)
The Master Builders
i was flipping my remote earlier on to catch any interestg shows and i happened to watch a documentary on animal planet about beavers. i must say that im truly amazed by their great ability to alter their surrounding landscape to suit their own needs...=)

They can actually dam streams, and raise the water level to surround their lodge with a protective moat, and create the deep water needed for winter food storage in northern climes. While other wildlife endure wintertime cold and hunger, beavers stay warm in their lodges with an underwater food cache of branches nearby. The really amazing thing which i saw in the documentary is that they build their own "house" by using their super powderful teeth to knaw down trees! and from the log they collect the bite it into smaller sizes and bring it to the end of the stream to start building their homes! Its really quite fancinating.. how they work as a family.. and usually they work non-stop day and night to make sure that their home is ready b4 winter.. wow amazing.

i used to think that humans are one of God's most wonderful creation.. but i fail to realise that He's such a wonderful and loving God that He creates all sorts of animals including the master builder beaver! the most interesting thing is that the beavers regulate the temperature of their homes! when too many of them stay in the house, the temperature can get too stuffy for comfort though the outside may be freezing! so they actually create a vent to release warm air .. like a little chimney!

Im really so amazed by beavers, and many many other animals which God has created. He's a great, marvellous & creative God. =)

All praise and Glory to Him!

Source of hope

Lamentations 3:19-41
I was going through my quiet time and i came upon this passage that reminds us of God's grace and hope in Him. Sometimes when we go about in our lives we may feel overwhelmed by our work that we fail to see God's plan in our lives. As a result we may place our securities and hope onto people, things and even ourselves rather than God. Thus when these things fail us, we become dishearten and consumed by our failure. But the Lord reminds us that He is good to those whose hope is placed on Him and seeks Him at all times. So when you feel downcast the next time, take time to reflect upon God's love and grace for they are new every morning! Seek Him and He will give you the strength and hope to go through the tough times.

Feeling hopeless reminds us that we are helpless without God.


Taken from the daily bread reading for 30th July 05
http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-07-30-05.shtml

"You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming..." 2 Peter 3:11a-12b

The 2 words that made an impact on my heart when I read this verse a few weeks ago were the words "look forward". In some versions, it says to "wait eagerly" for the Day of the Lord to come.

I know what it is like to eagerly wait. And that is why I felt such a sense of excitement as I read the verse, and as I thought about what it meant, and what it was telling us to do.

When I was 7/8 years old, I used to have my cousins come over to my house every friday night to play with me, and although we did the same things week after week, we never got tired of it, and Friday night was what I looked forward to each week. Friday nights after dinner involved eagerly waiting for my 2 cousins to come, which included asking "why so long?" and "when will they come?" *whiny tone*, as well as looking out of the window from the 17th storey, down to the carpark to see if my uncle's car would come into the carpark. Eagerly waiting also meant making sure things in my room were in place and that the toys I had were where they were supposed to be--we couldn't waste precious time looking for things that we needed or wanted to play with. Eagerly waiting meant running to the door to open it the moment I saw the metallic gold car drive into the carpark and standing at the doorstep to welcome them in.

Those childhood memories allowed me to relive the feeling of "eagerness" and excitement that I had as a primary 2 girl, and they helped me to understand how God wants us, His children, to feel about His coming. If we were to 'eagerly wait', many things in our lives would change. Personally, I would seize every oppurtunity to testify about Jesus and what He has done on the cross for all mankind. I would want to be ready 24/7 to meet my Lord and Saviour on the day of His coming. And each day of my life would have to inevitably be filled with a sense of urgency, expectation and anticipation to live my life for God. I'm working on these things in my own walk today, as I depend on the Holy Spirit to guide me in living a life that is honourable, pleasing, and directed to glorifying and serving God.

How about you today? How would you live your life as you love the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Woohoo!!! We had our cell outing yesterday to Sentosa.. to watch sunset… and to have a time of picnic… yeah..!! I’m so glad that huimin decided to come with us… we met up at harbour front and we went to siloso beach to have our picnic!!!

The sun was about to set when we settled down… and we waited for celine’s arrival with her long awaited bee hoon… and.. yes.. we started eating after that.. we had lots and LOTS! of food… we had bee hoon, seaweed chicken, tuna bread, luncheon meat bread, potato salad, drinks, potato chips… it’s too much for the 8 of us and guess what? We left half tray of the bee hoon.. cannot finish..keke

After our delicious dinner (yum yum), some of us played Frisbee (mind you, it was about 8pm already)… and they were screaming so super loud especially CINDY!!! Haha.. :p and after playing and playing… we decided to pack up and leave.. and it was soooo dark!!! Cause there was no light there!!! except from a faraway light.. which was still not bright enough..

Next stop… we headed to catch the musical fountain!!! We managed to catch the last show… It’s sooooo SUPER NICE!!!! Hehe.. I love it!!! So cool.. :)

I guess all of us enjoyed ourselves very much!!! :) and also not forgetting to thank God for the good weather that he have provided because it rained while I was in school…All glory to Him!!


when we first reach there...


looking for the right spot...


the few of us..


beautiful sunset


the big tray of bee hoon


rhys and sabrina


all of us in the bus.. heading to the musical fountain


woohoo!!!


WOOHOO!!!!


after the show... ;)

Training Provided! (Gim Seng, Singapore)

Gim Seng is a young navy officer with the Navy of the Singapore Armed Forces. He recently received Christ after spending many years searching for the answers to life. Despite his self-confessed lack of faith, God answered his prayers when Gim Seng asked God for a favour with a simple prayer.

The Navy wanted Gim Seng to give a speech to an audience in a couple of months time, and being more of a thinker than a speaker, Gim Seng found that a tremendous challenge. He needed help and he needed it sooner than later.Gim Seng decided to pray and tell God about his problem. Surely God can do something about it, he thought.

One fine day, about a couple of weeks after his prayer, Gim Seng was given a ticket by a friend to attend a seminar which his friend could not make it for. At first, it appeared to be nothing more than an event which Gim Seng just chanced upon.

However, upon closer note, Gim Seng realised it was a divine intervention by God to answer his prayers! The seminar was a training session for equipping people to public speaking, and it could not have come more timely than now for Gim Seng.

God answers prayers and surely, He had just answered Gim Seng's prayer.

Check out www.peaceandlovecorporation.blogspot.com for more testimonies!