Following up from "FRASTRATING STRUGGLES"...

B. Perspective 12:6-8

1. Now the author adds, "Remember Him before the silver cord is severed."
a. When death starts to close in, the most vivid memories that we keep are those of our youth!
b. The last things to leave us are our oldest memories, this demonstrates why it is therefore important to remember God while young; this will be some of the longest memories for us to hang on to!
c. While the elderly may sometimes forget the things of the recent past, they retain vivid memories of the distant past.

2. This provides then a shelter for older age, when death is not far away!
a. These memories of serving God in youth will bring a sense of joy and satisfaction even at a time when the physical decline would bring discourage­ment!
b. The ability to look back and feel good about your life is established by the patterns of our youth!

3. There will be nothing more satisfying in old age than to be able to look back and see the hand of God from your youth to your death!
a. This will help us put our life in perspective.
b. It will give great meaning and wealth to our life if we have walked with God through it all!
c. The lifetime of walking with God will enable us to be masters of our fate!

ILLUS: A WOMAN HAPPENED TO RUN INTO THE FAMOUS PAINTER PICASSO AT A RESTAURANT, AND SO BOLDLY SHE APPROACHED THE MASTER AND ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD PLEASE JUST SCRIBBLE SOMETHING ON HER NAPKIN, SAYING SHE WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY HIM WHATEVER HE FELT THE QUICK DRAWING WOULD BE WORTH. PICASSO TOOK HER NAPKIN AND DREW SOMETHING AND HANDED IT TO HER ADDING, “THAT MY FINE LADY WILL BE $10,000 DOLLARS!” THE STUNNED WOMAN THEN SAID, “BUT YOU DID THAT DRAWING IN BARELY 30 SECONDS!” PICASSO ANSWERED, “NO, IT HAS TAKEN ME 4O YEARS TO DO THAT!” – SOURCE UNKNOWN

4. The seeming "easy" faith of those who are older did not come so easy, it was the life­time discipline of serving God from their youth onward, their faith may appear to come easy only because it has been practiced so long. The foundation of youth was established on God!

a. Those who grow up without God get more and more despondent as they age, for all they know is loss and the soon approaching death, life loses mean­ing for them as they age, they dread time as it marches on!

b. But for believers, we know that death is not the end, thus for those who have lived for God, they find meaning in old age, satisfaction that reward awaits them, they can look back satisfied, and not fear the future!

c. This is the perspective of those who remember God in their youth, and carry their faith throughout their life!

Youth Fusion's Surprise Weekend photos!

Presenting the groups..

Secondary School Girls!

Secondary School Boys!

Matchstix!


Remembering the burying of Gladys in sand on her 21st birthday!

Captain's ball games

And of course, being Gladys' 21st, a special birthday surprise for her!

Thank God for the weather, protection and a fun time together!
and also, Edward's cell for organising it!

Keep tuning in for more wonderful weekends coming up!

The Greatest Man in History

In Chemistry, He turned water into wine.

In Biology, He was born without the normal conception.

In Physics, He disapproved the law of grativity when He ascended into Heaven.

In Economics, He disapproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 men with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread.

In Medicine, He cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs.

In History, He is the Beginning and the End.

In Government, He said that He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace.

In Religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through Him.

So, who exactly is He??

*drum roll*

He is none other than Jesus!

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today!

It is such a great honour to be able to serve such a Leader who loves us! Amen? :)

SURPRISE WEEKEND THIS SATURDAY

a time together with games, food and fun!!

where are we going? SENTOSA!!!
what time? 2pm!

gather together at the beach with your cell latest by 2pm. the competition starts exactly at 2pm!! latecomers would have lesser time to build their creative fortress! :D

here are some things to note:
1. bring at least $3 for the entrance fee and transport into sentosa
2. bring extra clothings for change
3. provide your own refreshments and entertainment (if any)

TIME OUT WEEK END

On the 14th April, my cell went to Steven's house for a good TIME OUT:) We had a great time fellowshipping, worshipping, eating, and just hanging out together. Here are some snapshots of what exactly went on that day...






WeeJin was dancing with joy after he managed to psycho Steven for a cup of apple juice.













There was something strange going on...


A Series of HORROR EVENTS (R21)

Monsters in the room...

Afraid? Scared? FEAR Not as God is in our midst!



We had a superb time of worship and prayer.




Worshipper of God....God's instrument of worship



God is good all the time! Those that seek Him shall find rest. Shhhhh...Do Not Disturb....

II. FRUSTRATING STRUGGLES Ecclesiastes 12:2-8

A. Physical 12:2-5

1. The author now launches into a vivid picture of diminishing capacities as we age!

a. Poor eyesight

b. Weakness

c. Hearing problems

d. Sleep problems

e. Graying hair and decreasing muscle tone

f. Endurance decreasing

g. Greater effort at doing little things

2. This is the one positive thing about aging and spiritual life, while our physical capacities decrease with age our spiritual capacities can actually increase!

3. What we lose physically, we can gain spiritually!

4. This picture is not intended to discourage but to simply call attention to the importance of not neglecting God while young, when it is much easier to set a foundation of spiritual dynamics in our life.

a. As we age more of our attention gets diverted to burdens and needs, this is where that foundation really pays off, we have the strength to deal with them then!

b. Those who keep God in their youth never lose the inner strength, even when the outer strength is gone!

ILLUS: IN JUNE OF 1955 WINSTON CHURCHILL WAS NEARING HIS DEATH. HE WAS ASKED IF HE COULD GIVE ONE MORE PUBLIC SPEECH TO A BRITISH UNIVERSITY. HE AGREED EVEN THOUGH HE WAS TERRIBLY ILL. HE HAD TO BE HELPED TO THE PODIUM AND WHEN HE GOT THERE FOR SOME TIME HE JUST STOOD HANGING ON THE SIDES TO KEEP HIM­SELF UP, HIS HEAD BOWED DOWN FOR SOME TIME BEFORE HE RAISED IT TO SPEAK ... AS IT WAS, FOR THE LAST TIME IN PUBLIC. AFTER MUCH SILENCE HE FINALLY RAISED HIS HEAD AND UTTERED THESE WORDS, “NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE UP!” AND THEN HE RETURNED TO HIS SEAT. THE AUDIENCE SAT SILENT FOR SOME TIME, AND THEN TOGETHER THEY SUDDENLY EXPLODED WITH APPLAUSE! THE FIGHTING PATTERN OF HIS SOUL HAD LONG BEEN ESTABLISHED IN HIS HEART FROM YOUTH AND EVEN THOUGH HIS BODY WAS WASTED HIS SPIRIT CONQUERED! – SOURCE UNKNOWN

5. You will need something to carry you through the years of decline, which will be the patterns you established in youth ... “remember your creator in the days of your youth!”

Honor God and He’ll Honor you

By Eric

Last semester was extremely trying. Having just received Christ, I was making adjustments to my lifestyle to incorporate things such as daily quiet time and church on Saturdays and Sundays. Moreover, quite a few things happened in the family - passing away of my grandparents, the implications in the extended family after that – hence, I never really got into stride in my studies.

There was this particular module that I was not confident in from start to end – forensic psychology. That module was full of abstract concepts due the nature of the field. It did average for the mid-term test and other assignments, thus, I was depending on my final exam to pull the grade up. However, I was so badly behind time, no thanks to some degree of procrastination, I only managed to revise about 65% of what was required for the finals.

Exam day. 8 questions answer 4. I could only manage 3. We were given 10 mins of perusal time, so I used some time to pray. I asked Him to give me peace and calmness to face this little challenge; it was just but an exam. I also asked Him to reward me accordingly to my efforts – if it’s a Pass, so be it. God answers prayers, in ways you don’t expect. Instead of 3, I could answer only 2 questions; I’ve misread the last one. Nonetheless, I completed the exam.

This Wednesday, I received an e-mail from Dr. Stephen Motson, the subject co-ordination in forensic psychology in Australia. Initially, I thought I failed the exam. After reading through the e-mail, I was in total shock and awe. Dr. Motson had written to me personally to congratulate on the excellent performance in the exam. According to him, I did extremely well for all four essays and he actually gave me the highest scores he has ever given to anyone in this module.

I am very certain it was God. As I reflected upon this incident, it occurred to me that God did answer my prayer. He rewarded me accordingly to my efforts - it was not how much I studied but my devotion to Him during the exam break. I made a commitment to do daily QT during that week even though I was behind time. In fact, I think God made it such. Whenever it reaches about 8pm, if I do not start my QT, I would feel a little uncomfortable, hence, unable to concentrate. But after QT, He gave me peace and tranquility that allowed me to concentrate fully.

Even as most of us approach the hectic exams period, remember, do not rely on your own strength to work. I would like to encourage everyone to continue to be devoted to God. If your daily QT is 30mins, continue to do 30mins, if you do QT twice daily, continue to do so and do it with faithfulness. Because you know, He will give you the peace of mind even though it seems like you’ll never finish what needs to be done. Above all, He will not discount you for what you’ve done for Him. He may not reward you like He did for me, but surely, He’ll record down your devotion and you never know when He’ll return you manifolds of it.

Last week, we talked about building our strong foundation in Christ Jesus. This week, we shall focus on buiding our innerman to withstand trails ahead.

B. Pressures! 12:lb

1. The author now explains the meaning of his command to remember God in youth, because tougher days will come that will be hard to deal with and only a frame of eternity can help us through those temporal sufferings!

a. Inevitably our frailties will show, not so much in youth, but later in life.

b. These "breakdowns" will make it difficult to appreciate life unless we have a larger frame of reference in which to place suffering, hence the importance of remembering the good days of youth and our Creator.

2. It is important for those coping mechanisms to be already in place before the tough times come, this is the author's point.

a. The course of growing older includes greater pressures and less physical strength; therefore we need something in our inner man to carry us through.

b. Forewarning here is the point; take the time to be prepared spiritually when young!

ILLUS: Like the mighty Niagara river which plummets some 180 feet at the falls. Before the falls however there are mighty violent rapids, and further upstream it is quite peaceful, here boats are allowed on the river. As a boat glides down the river however, they will arrive at a point where they will read this sign:"Do you have an anchor?"Followed by this " Do you know how to use it?" The only save way to be on the river at this point is to have prepared in advance before traveling down it this far...The very point the writer in Ecclesiastes 12:1 is trying to make! -Source unknown

3. We have only one chance to be young, how critical for youth to recognize the importance of knowing God at this stage of their life, they will later look back and thank God for the knowledge of the Lord when young!
a. Remembering God while young will also help you fight against the temptations of youth and thus avoid consequences that can last a lifetime.
b. Many young people ruin their lives or complicate them later by ignoring God's laws when young!

DIRECTIONS TO NUS UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE (UCC)

Overview

Red line - 96 from clementi interchange.
Blue line - 151 coming down from clementi road

Up close

96 (loop trip)- from clementi interchange; enters NUS from school of design and environment; drop at bus stop C (after Yusof Ishak House bus stop)

151 - coming down from clementi road; enters NUS from University Cultural Centre; drop at bus stop A

33,183,188 - drop at bus stop B

Evidence Of God

There are many people today who remain just outside the gate of eternal life. They have heard the gospel message but are still not convinced of its absolute truth. They may concede that religion is a "good thing" but they need more proof before actually committing their life. Going to church on Sunday is one thing, but walking with Jesus every single day?

How many of us are like those standing outside the gate, refusing to commit? We tell ourselves that if God would give us signs like He gave Abraham and Moses, then all doubt would be removed and we would follow in true obedience. But we wouldn't. Jesus said we must first follow before we will truly know; "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own" (John 7:17). God has revealed Himself. He has called us to follow - to step out in faith - and receive a wonderful confirmation of His truth.

My own life is my greatest "sign" pointing to God. I've never seen the Red Sea part nor audibly heard God's voice in a burning bush - I've never seen water changed to wine, a blind man made able to see or a lame man made able to walk - but when I look back at the "mud and mire" (Psalm 40:2) from which I've been saved, I see an absolutely clear miracle. And as I walk with Jesus day in and day out... I KNOW!

In addition, Paul reminds us that all the wonders of creation are a sign of God's Hand.
Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

There are signs of God all around. Yet sadly, our senses are too often closed. We cry out for evidence, yet we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste evidence every day - He is here with us in infinite detail.

It's not surprising that the world fails to recognize the evidence; "the sinful mind is hostile to God" (Romans 8:7). The world lives in darkness and is blind to Heavenly wonders, but we no longer belong to the world; "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness" (Colossians 1:13). We now must walk in the Light and "see" according to what the Light reveals.

God is calling us into a life of continual and passionate devotion. Let's begin to worship Him every moment of every day as we see His glory in the flowers, trees, and stars; as we hear His beauty in the songs of a bird and the cry of a baby. We're surrounded by an abundance of Spiritual signs - confirming signs that He is real! Let's step through the gate with full commitment and continue our walk in humble submission. Let's live to glorify His name and open our senses to the true evidence of God.

Hello, I'm back with the continuation of my previous post,

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth"...

Our topic today is...

FOUNDATION SET! 12:1

A. Patterns 12:la
1. The author (probably Solomon) recognized how important it was to know the Lord as a young person, he is writing here at the end of his life.

a. The significance of this principle is born out by modern studies which show that with increasing age there is even less of a chance of someone coming to Christ.

b. The percentages for a born again experience decrease with age.

2. The reason for this is obvious; we establish "patterns" in our youth that carry through the rest of our lives, patterns change later with great difficulty.

a. This is why it is so critical that we teach our youth about the Lord, both by word and by example.

b. We are helping to set the foundation for their lives; it is a big head start for them when they have been raised to know the Lord.

3. This is precisely the meaning of one of Solomon's other statements: "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Prov. 22:6

a. Establishing in them a pattern of righteousness will help them return even if they go through a rebellious stage.

b. It is hard to escape those patterns of youth, good or bad ones!

c. The rewards of walking with God from youth not only come to those who walked with God, but even to those who follow in their family!

ILLUS:

Bill Gaither tell the story of how he and his wife Gloria were able to purchase a piece of land they desired in Indiana shortly afetr they were married.

They were teaching school in his homw town of Alexandria, Indiana and they wanted a land to build a house on. They noticed a parcel of land south of town where cattle grazed, and he learned it belonged to a 92 year retired banker named Mr. Yule. He owned a lot of land in the area and the word was out that he would sell none of it to anyone. The 92 year old banker always gave the same answer to anyone who asked about buying the land, " I promised to let farmers use it for their cattle, can't sell it".

Gloria and he went to the bank where he still went in a few hours a day to work and requested him to consider selling some land to them. The old man looked over his bifocals at Bill Gaither and said strightforwardly, " Ain't selling!" Bill Gaither responded," I know, but we teach school here and thought maybe you'd be interested in selling to someone planning to settle in the area." The old man curiously asked,"What did u say your name was young man?" Bill replied, " Gaither Bill Gaither Sir". The man said, "Hmmm, any relation to Grover Gaither?", "Yes Sir" said Bill, "That was my grandfather"Mr.

Yule then put down his paper and removed his glasses and said, "That's interesting, Grover Gaither was the best worker I ever had on my farm, full day's work for a day's pay, and so honest. What'd you say you wanted yound man?" Bill Gaither again asked about the land and the old man said for him to come back a couple days later, he would think about it. A week later, he went back and the old man said ok--and only $3,800 For 15 Acres! It was worth more than 3 times that. The good name of his granddad had won him that land! A wonderful pattern had been set in his family by an early relative that paid dividents generations later!- Source

4. Establishing these patterns before the demands of adulthood come helps to frame the way we will respond the rest of our life.

a. It is important to give attention to those spiritual dynamics early in life.

b. This builds the frame of reference that we will respond from.

Andy would like to share....

Greetings to my dearest brothers and sisters, I’d like to share the lyrics of my newly-written song with all of you. God bless!

In You I Rest My Faith
Andy Philip

Verse 1:
In You I rest my faith
For You are the way
Humbly You came, endured the pain
On the cross, You bore all my shame

Verse 2:
In You I rest my faith
For all of my days
With Your grace, I will embrace
A life that glorifies Your name

Chorus:
Lord as I run this race
Fix my eyes on Your face
Your love remains the same
Nothing can replace

Lord as I run this race
Fix my eyes on Your face
Never will I be afraid
In You I rest my faith

Ending:
For all of my days

Music is the heart of my voice.
Worship is the voice of my heart.

THE IMPORTANT THINGS: A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES

By Jasmine Pang

Hello people! The Easter play is in six days and I hope all of you are excited about coming down to watch it! Yup we’ve all been working really hard but anyway I just wanted to share with you some stuff I’ve learned throughout all this.

As we count down the days to the 7th of April, I really hope all of you will keep this event in prayer. Doing a play for church is quite different from doing a play outside. In acting, we’re taught to act with emotional truth – to relate what the character goes through to our own experiences. The more important thing that we have to achieve in this Easter play, however, is spiritual truth – the actors need to be convicted by the Spirit as they perform in order to touch the audiences. The latter is something that definitely isn’t within my power as a director– the most I can do is to pray for the actors. What this play really depends on, therefore, is not my direction, but on God’s direction! Only He can bring a normal stage production to that spiritual level, in order for the message of His love to be brought across.

That’s something I struggled with for a while, actually, because I’m a perfectionist, and I don’t like knowing that certain things can’t be under my control. Along the way, however, I’ve learned to give things up to God, and to trust that He’ll take care of everything. There was a period of time where I had sleepless nights, and kept on staying up to rewrite the script again and again, to think of how to direct scenes and design the set. But one day, as I was in the middle of one of those things, Eric messaged me Psalm 23:1-2. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.”

That made me stop in my tracks and think – that pushing myself to the limit wouldn’t be the answer to anything, and that I had to depend on God instead. Not saying that wanting everything to be good and up to standard is a bad thing – it’s only right that we do things to the best of our ability in service to God. But that’s only half that story, because we can only accomplish so much in our own strength!

If I were to judge the play right now by professional standards, I would say we aren’t ready to go on stage in UCC, in front of the public. But I believe that on Saturday, we will be amazed, because what will shine through is the glory of God. Ultimately, what counts will not be the play itself, but his presence in UCC. He’s the one who will be in control! Be there to experience it!