Meeting with Yu Rong on 21/3

Just now I had dinner with Yu Rong at Zion Road Hawker Center. The dinner was normal but Yu Rong satisfied with the food. I also take this opportunity to invite him to our Easter service on 8th Apr. He said he will consider. I pray that he will be to come on that day.

As Yu Rong's brother has been joining a buddhist organization for quite some time and he has been studying buddhist scriptures as well. I asked him whether his brother's character got some change or not. He answered me that his brother is more willingly to serve the community now. He himself also admit that he got influenced a bit by his brother.

After that I asked him what is his belief in this world. He said that all the religion is good. For himself he also believe that the good person will have their rewards but the bad people will have the retribution. He also believe in reincarnation.

I invited him go to my house and I introduce Long Yau and Kelvin to him. We had a good time of sharing. Thank God that He brought Long Yau and Kelvin home so that I can let Yu Rong know my brothers in the house.

I pray that my friendship with Yu Rong will continue to grow and he will know his identity from God soon.

Two good news to announce

Hey all, I got two good news to announce:

1) Terence is joining us for dragon boat this coming Saturday:)

2) I will have dinner with Yu Rong this coming Thursday. The time is around 8pm at Zion Road hawker centre. Whoever free after work can join us. I will meet him at 730pm at Orchard Road MRT Station.

Another announcement: This coming Friday I will be playing basketball with Shenteng at his house. The time is around 8pm. Whoever wants to relax themselves and strengthen God's temple can come to join us.

Shenteng - Are you ok with the timing?

God's passion for oneness

Do you know why you want to worship God? Do you know why you obey God's command? Read the article below. It may help you to find the answer.

God's passion for oneness
by Jon Walker

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 HCSB)

Worship — When Jesus speaks of love, he allows no room for sentimental fantasy or momentary emotion. He sees love through the eyes of the Father, and from this point of view, he deeply understands that true, eternal, godly love is bold and strong, but also painful, messy and sacrificial.

A love of this strength and magnitude can only take root in the soil of abandonment. We abandon our rights, our thoughts, and our schemes. It was this total and uncompromising abandonment to God that led Jesus to say and do only what the Father told him to do (John 14:10). And it was this uncompromising abandonment that led him to the Cross.

If we are to become just like Christ, then we too must be abandoned to the Father. We must line up with the thoughts and plans of God so closely that we appear to be 'at one' with him, just as a married couple, deeply abandoned to each other, appear to live as one. Through abandonment, we walk so closely with God that, when people see us, they see the Father at work.

It's this abandonment that Jesus is teaching when he says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments." In other words, He's not demanding that you be obedient; rather, he's telling you that love for him should compel you to embrace his purposes.

The Jesus way is that you obey God's commands because you love God, not because you must obey God. By actively pursuing the purposes of God, you worship your Creator.

This also gives you a Christ-like perspective on the daily details of your life, turning every decision into a moment of adoration for God. When you let someone else take the parking space, when you stand behind a promise that proves more costly than you imagined, when you extend hospitality to the cranky neighbor next door, these are moments of worship to God because you are choosing to be obedient to his purposes, rather than doing things your own way. Even choosing not to sin becomes an act of worship as it brings you into closer alignment with God's commands.

As you face decisions today, ask God to show you which path will be an act of worship to him. Then, and I know this is easier said than done, move where he tells you to move.

As you take this step, keep your eyes sensitive to God’s Grace and presence in the moment. Do this throughout the day, keeping a log so you can track your movement toward oneness with God and his purposes.

Dinner with Chuan Biao on 13/3

Last night I had dinner with Chuan Biao. We met at Yoshinoya at Takashimaya. During the dinner time, we shared about our lives in the past few months. I also asked him something about scuba diving. He remommend one of the place to learn scuba diving in Bugis area. I also asked him about the budget to learn scuba diving. He said it is about $500 to $600. I think some of us who are interested in learning scuba diving needs to start saving money.

When Chuan Biao shared about his journey of learning scuba diving, he did mention that learning scuba diving was not his passion in his life. He just learn because one of his friend drag him along to learn. Then I took that opportunity to ask him whether he got any long term plan in his life or not. He answered me he does not have any. Then I asked him whether he has the desire to have one in his life, he said no as well. However, he did share with me that when he finish his Japanese Language Proficiency Test, he thought that he had achieved something.

I started to share with him that my goal this year is to love the people around me. He teased me that is that mean next year onwards I will not love people anymore? I explained to him that I wanted to do this because I want to make this part of my life. At that time I thought it was quite awkward to share this to him, maybe he cannot understand.

Finally, I take up courages ( I know that the chance of succeed will near to 0%) to invite him to our Easter Service on 8th of April. Within my expectation, he rejected my offer. I found that the facial expression he shown to me was a little bit sour. So I asked him whether he feel resistance to go to church. He tried to say no but he refused to say why. I know him since I was in secondary school. I know that his aunt is a christian. CB did share with me that he went to church during his childhood time. After he has grown up, he found that going to church is a waste of time, so he stop going (He go to the church for the sake of his aunt).

He also mentioned that he does not need Jesus now. He said even if there is a God in the world, he just take it as it is. He said that some of the christians are very irritating, whatever they said is about God, heaven, hell, etc.....Thank God that he does not think this way in me.

We parted at orchard mrt station. Along the way, I started to pray for this friend,"God, only you can open his heart, draw him near to You, I know that You are eager to draw near to him as well. I pray that when You sent Jesus come back again, I will be rejoicing with this brother-to-be in welcoming You.".

Dinner with Terence on 12/3

In the past two days I had dinner with Terence. It was short but wonderful. I also take some courages to askhim some "spiritual" questions.

For Terence, I asked him who is Jesus for him. He said that Jesus was a great man to change the history. He also mentioned to me that from Islam point of view, Jesus is son of God, but only a prophet. He also told me some Islam stories like prophet Mohammed was illiterate but he was inspired by Allah to write the Quran. From the whole conversation, I thought he prefer Islam more than Christianity. I told him what I thought but he denied. He explained that what he told me is what he heard from his Muslim friend. At that time he was also misunderstood by his Muslim friend that he sided to Christianity. I also tried my best to explain to him that why Jesus is Son of God.

After the dinner, Terence needed to go back to his office and I want to go to watch "Pursue of Happyness" in Great World City. So we parted at the Zion Road food centre. Throughout the conversation, I found that Terence is quite knowledgeable but (this is my personal point of view), he just take whatever he heard as truth but not carefully check whether they are truth or not. Moreover, at this time of moment Terence thought he does not need Jesus at all. Pray that God will help him to know the real truth in the world.

Goood News...

hello peeps, eaten ur lunch ored? I'm eating my mee hoon now.. walked all the way from my house to the coffeeshop behind the interchange to da bao for my colleagues and myself.. haha..
i'm now at Jurong Port Road.. a new client.. hehe.. quite good cos near my house.. oh actually my purpose for this blog is that i have a good news to tell your... this sat 2 of my colleagues will be joining us for badminton! Yea! :)

Meeting with Yu Rong

Hi all,

This Wednesday (13/3) I will be meeting with Yu Rong for dinner at Hong Kong Restaurant, which located next to Boon Tong Kee near my house. The time is around 7pm to 730pm. Join us if you are free:)

Better than who?

I just read one of the daily devotion from purpose driven life ministry. It really speaks to me! I think I am the Christian described in the article. This article awaken me! I would like to take this time to share with you all:)

March 9, 2007

Better than who?
by John Fischer

One of the more damaging fallacies Christians can fall into is the thought that because they are a Christian, they are better than most people out there who are not. For example, they are a better mom, a better husband, a better child, a better teacher, a better coach, or they have a better marriage, a better family, etc. Though it may appear prideful or self-righteous, that may not necessarily be the case. This kind of thinking can spring from a genuine, though incorrect, assumption that Christianity, in order to be true, must produce better all-around people. In other words, we take on the responsibility to defend the truth through the “better” lives we display.

Now granted, we are all growing in Christ with the ultimate goal of becoming like him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are “better” than other people. It means we are in the process of becoming more loving, more truthful, more peaceful, more patient, and more kind. “Better” is often defined in terms that have little to do with becoming like Christ. The religious leaders of his day would never have described Jesus as being better than anybody. In fact, they thought Jesus was a scoundrel – they called him a drunkard and a glutton (Matthew 11:18,19). So “better” is a relative term.

What’s true is that we should be getting better, but “better” compared to what? Compared to ourselves – what we used to be – which may still be a long way from someone else out there who is perhaps a more healthy person overall. Bottom line: It’s not good to compare yourself with others, whether they are Christians or not. “Better” means better than I was yesterday, not better than you.

Admitting that an atheist has a better marriage, a Mormon has better kids, a Muslim family is more loving, or a Buddhist is healthier need not be a threat to one’s Christianity. The point is, as Christians, we are saved and that’s the most important thing. We are all sinners saved by grace, and rather than making ourselves out to be different from everybody else, we should be focusing more on our similarities. If we need Jesus, so does everybody else, which makes us basically the same as the rest of humanity.

I might think of myself as a good father but you know there are lots of good fathers out there, and when it comes to fathering, I have much to learn. So someone might teach me about fathering, and I might, in turn, be able to share Christ with that person because he may be experiencing a lot of guilt inside, or he may be carrying around a sense of failure, or he may feel alone and distant from God and wondering what his life is all about.

So you see, being a Christian has nothing to do with being better than anybody; it has everything to do with getting better, which is something we could all stand.

Testing 123

Just testing:)

CG this week

Hi all!

This Friday is Church prayer meet! Exciting.. yet another time for long corporate prayer. Keep praying and have a worshipful spirit at work as well, get ourselves spiritually ready to join in the corporate prayer!
We can meet 7pm at City Hall and take 16 down to Touch Centre, Marine Parade together. Do let each other know if we'll be late or we can't meet at that time.

On Saturday, we'll play badminton at Sports School @ 5.30pm onwards. Do invite your friends! Easter is coming soon.. let's be the workers God sends out to the harvest field :) PNTL. Keep also our own hearts in prayer that we do not lose the fire of evangelising and sharing God's love, ya?

Praying that we grow in compassion each day,
pR

moving back to own blog

i think more appropriate to move back to my own blog... wll not jam up the space here... so if interested in knowing what happening in my life (and if i blog it), read up on my blog :)

fear & greed -> rat race

been reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad... interesting book... new perspectives (to me)

why are we in the society working so hard? why alot of us drag our feet to work? why alot of us work OT? why alot of us chase after certs?

its the fear of no income to clear bills, to fill stomach, and the greed that grows with a growing income... we WANT more and more as we have more spending power... MORE, MORE, MORE... greed...

if we want more, we need more money... if we need more money... we cannot lose our jobs - we must work hard, we must drag ourselves out of bed to go work, we must work OT to show boss we r working, we must chase after papers for the next promotion... a little rat in the massive mindless chase dedicated by the greed of the desires

this rat race is mindless & its an emotionally, physically, mentally and spritually draining process that sucks life out of the rats, leaving them disllusioned & unsatisfied... the more reflective ones will be asking is life that's all abt? the more reactive ones will just complain and complain with mouth and in heart... govt no good, life too tough, money not enough, life not fair, this is just how life is etc...

in our life station, there r lots of rats around us... perhaps even including ourselves? how does Jesus come into the picture? how to relate God to rats in a way that they will see, understand and CHOOSE to accept Him into their rat lives so that they can be transformed into beings who will start to enjoy life?

self blog in grp blog... any objections?

thks liyi for allowing us to post... haha... now can start practising writing out thoughts in coherent order liao... :)

well... since i dun have much time to write blog... perhaps i will use this as a platform to jot down some thoughts that come to me along the way... a self blog in a grp blog.... any violent objections? i dun any... haha... so here it goes... look out for next post...

oh ya... of coz... i found that blog r suppose to be short entries... not long essays... will try to improve in that area too... dun become "old man who nag and nag non stop"

firSt poSt at c-12

Yoohoo!

I'm the second one to post! Yeah! cool..

Anyway.. i've kind of accidentally set up my own blog.. hahahahaha....
http://nottistar.blogspot.com/

I'm a newbie.. u guys gotta guide and teach me! Also hope i'm consistent in blogging :p

Anyway, suggestion for the naming of column for the links to other blogs:
1) Good Reads. click below.
2) Friends of c-12
3) The Favored Ones

Ok, getting back to work. :)