One Year Of Blogging!

Time flies! I had been blogging for one year already.

I can still vividly recall my first entry. I drafted it out to some of my friends and got them to review it first. I was trying so hard to be pre-believer friendly that it came out so very strange. Even if I can still find that draft copy, I dare not even post it! It is just too embarrassing.

I remembered setting very clear objectives for my blog. I had wanted to use it to influence others towards God. I hope that through blogging my everyday life, I am able to inspire and encourage more to move towards and closer to Jesus and His church.

Instead of trying to think too hard on what I should blog, I reckoned that it should flow out of my everyday living. It should be as authentic and non-pretentious as possible.

Now 12 months later, I hope that this blog has achieved what it had set out to do.

One of the highest highs was when a pre-believer wrote to me and asked me to share with him about Jesus after he chanced upon this blog. One of the lowest lows was when someone posted a vulgar comment that I had to remove.

Looking back, I want to really thank many of you who had taken the time to post a comment, ask a question, give a feedback or affirm a truth. I treasure every one of your input. It means a lot to me.

At this point, I would also like you to suggest and give me any feedback that would make this blog more attractive and useful. I will do my best to improve whatever that I can.

Mucho Gracias!

Photos From Filipino Anniversary

10 Years Of Life Transformation

Last Sunday was a very special day for our Filipino Congregation. We celebrated 10 years of God's faithfulness and life transformation. It has been 10 good years since our Filipino care group started.

The celebration was held in the Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre. It was a huge place with an auditorium that has a seating capacity of 1200 people. There was also a large foyer for all the different games and carnival events for the kids. It was a special event for many of us!

As per usual, our Filipinos used their singing, dancing, acting and props making talents and gifts to put up a musical of The Prodigal Son. It was to further bring out the theme of “Our Home, Our Family”.

The group has undertaken an intense time of fasting and praying for many people to cross the line of faith during the event. As I had been told, some of them even flew their relatives and friends in from The Philippines just for the event. And God was faithful: according to my estimate, there might be close to 100 people saying yes to Jesus.

Indeed, more and more people are finding their home with God and making their spiritual home with Hope Singapore. We are having Filipinos of all life stations and from all walks of life. In fact, there are more and more non-Filipinos in the group as well. We are so thankful to God for all the life transforming stories that are being shared and re-shared all over our church.

A very special thanks to Pastor Christie and her leadership team for a tremendous job in the Kingdom.

More good years!

It’s Sickening To Be Sick

I used to take pride that I rarely fall sick. In fact, I only fall sick once every 3-4 years. But just this month, I had been sick twice :(

Because of the various camps and some housing work, it has been a while since I last went for a run or any form of reasonable exercise. It is no wonder why I fall sick on Wednesday. I woke up on Wednesday morning having a really bad sore throat and slight headache. I manage to drag myself to work but my soul and spirit were still left at home.

Wan Leng then told me that he was also sick last week and there had been a flu epidemic going around. Pastor Marcus Rose, from Hope Berlin, who was here in Singapore for training for also down with a fever. James was also down with fever. Seemed like everyone was falling like flies.

I went to the Lee Clinic for a check up. The doc told me that I had not seen him for almost 3 years already. The doc checked if I had contracted dengue. Thank God that it was negative. I had caught the flu bug instead.

After a few camps, some preaching and housing work, my body just could not take it. Anyway, as I am penning this now, I can feel myself getting better. Though I am far from being 110%, I am on the way up the scale.

It really convicts me of the importance of exercising and taking care of my body if I were to do greater things for God in my life. The bigger the vision, the healthier I need to be.

Blessed are the energetic for they shall inherit the earth!

Some Photos From The Adults Camp 2007

Here are some random photos for your viewing. It will be made available to all within the next 2 weeks. It was a great time that many of us had!

11 Sessions Over 8 Days

Since last Saturday, life had really been rather intense for me. After preaching for 6 services over last weekend, I taught at the Youth Camp on Tuesday. That was followed by 4 more sessions in our Adults Camp.

But let me say this… it had been a most fantastic and empowering time for me.

The youth camp was held in the Singapore Sports School. Around 550 people were at the camp. Youth leaders from Hope Kuala Lumpur, Hope Manila and Hope Hong Kong were also at the camp. It was a very high-energy camp. Shirley was envisioning the youth to complete the goal of planting at least a care group in every one of the 160 secondary schools and 19 Junior Colleges before the end of 2008. This is a vision that grabbed many of us by our throat! We are all charged up to give our all for this cause.

We also prayed together for this vision to come to pass. May God’s youth be spread all across our island state and all over the globe as well.

Do send me some cool pics of the youth camp if you have them.

Then on Wednesday, a few of us drove in a convoy as we made our way to Malacca for our Adults Camp. The theme was “Building A Prevailing Generation”.

The camp was really fun and refreshing. I acted as Cinderella. The Mafia beat the School-Uniformed Kids and the Pirates! Shrek and The Incredibles were at the camp too...

We also got to hear teaching from the Word of God from Pastor Simon Eng (one of our International Elders), Pastor LO and yours truly.

There was truly a great balance of fun, laughter, spiritual refreshment and biblical impartation.

I will show you pics from the Malacca camp once I get them!

I am tired on the outside but completely filled on the inside. This is just great! Yea God and Yea People!

Dying To Self

For the past few days, the whole idea of dying to oneself in order to produce more for God has been ringing loudly in my heart.

Jesus talked about himself in John’s gospel. He was talking about his death and how it would bring blessing and salvation to the entire human kind.

John 12:24
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Just last Sunday, a couple who serves as small group leaders brought their brother and sister-in-law to the front of the auditorium after the service. The lady introduced me to her brother and sister-in-law and told me that they had wanted to receive Jesus into their lives. She told me that it was her dad’s decision to know Jesus personally at his death bed that had moved their hearts deeply to do likewise.

I can imagine this couple (the brother and sister-in-law) having a front seat demonstration of the good news of Jesus coming alive through the genuine love and desire to share Jesus’ salvation at the death bed of their father. This is not only the verbal sharing of the good news but good news in 3-D presentation!

Indeed, the father is like the kernel of wheat that passed on that brings about salvation to another two members in his family.

The seed has a layer of husk that seeks to protect itself. However, unless the husk is broken, it cannot produce many more seeds.

The husk can be liken to our own rights, our own desires and our own preferences. These are not necessarily bad things. In fact, they can be very good things. Like the husk to the seed, these can be things that seek to safe guard our own interest and well being.

But often times, we need to learn to surrender our rights, preferences and desires before God in order to do more for God. The root issue is trust. Do we really trust that God can and will take better care of us than we are able to do so for ourselves? Can we really entrust our all to God? Is he really completely faithful and trustworthy? Can I really take His words as it is?

These are some soul searching questions that you and I need to have answers for ourselves. May we all become better imitators of the one whose name we bear!

Help!

As I survey through my journal over all these years, the most repeated statement in it is “Help Me Lord! Help Me! Help Me!”

I cannot even being to recall the number of times when I simply cry out to God for help. I just do not know how else to pray anymore.

By the way, this is anything but original. Many men and women had cried out to God using this same prayer in different situations at different junctures in history.

Exodus 2:23
During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

2 Chronicles 14:11
Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."

Psalm 5:2
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

Matthew 15:25
The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

Mark 9:24
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

The fact that we need help is no big surprise at all. The fact that God actually listens to our cry is really amazing. The fact that God not only listens to our cry but actually acts upon our request is completely mind-blowing!

Below is one Beatles' song that I like very much for many years already. Come to think of it, this could be very well be used for Praise & Worship in the church if it is sung unto Jesus!

If you know the tune, sing along to Jesus... I am sure you will enjoy it...

Help! (Lennon/McCartney)

Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these daya are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me, help me, help me, oh.

On Becoming An Overcomer…

Below is a story that I had heard many years ago but I came across it again recently…

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest along with Tibetan Tenzing Norgay. Prior to his success on Everest, Hillary had been part of another expedition, in which the team not only had failed to reach the summit but also had lost one of its members.

At a reception for the expedition members in London, Hillary stood to address the audience. Behind the platform as a huge photograph of Everest. Hillary turned to face the image of the mountain and exclaimed, “Mount Everest, you have defeated us. But I will return. And I will defeat you. Because you cannot get any bigger, and I can!”






Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay








This is so true. Often time, there are challenges in our lives that will or cannot be removed. We may have fasted and prayed. We may have sought after solutions and done all that we could. But theses issues remain.

God may not remove these challenges but God wants us to grow and be an overcomer. Though these issues may still persist, we are able to deal with them. They no longer have any more negative effects in our lives.

Let's all grow to becoming overcomers!