Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Wishing One and all a Blessed Christmas and a fruitful year ahead!

Highlands Holiday!!

Last month, i finally did something that i have been wanting to do for a very long time; going with my parents for an overseas vacation.
We chose Genting Highlands for a 3D2N holidays as that is a place which none of us has ever been to.
The nice cooling weather there is something which i enjoyed although overall there isn't much to do except for eating and walking around. The food there is also rather costly. All in all, it was a rather good family time spent together.

Thermometer vs Thermostat

Many times, we live our life as a thermometer. We know how to feel, assess and critique a situation or an environment. We think in our hearts and say things like "The group is too boring, We need to be more pro active... the people are very cliquish etc..." without doing anything to help or improve the situation. Many times this will feed and lead to a cycle of negativity which does not value add anything.

Either this, or we can choose to be a thermostat. By definition, A thermostat is the component of a control system which regulates the temperature of a system so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint temperature.

In other words, a thermostat will take action. When the thermostat feels that the group is too cold, it will help to increase the warmth. When the thermostat feels that people around is feeling discouraged, he will try to lift up the spirits of all around. When the thermostat feels that there lack of support, he will increase the level of support.

A thermostat is invaluable.

So, would you rather be a thermometer or do you want to be a thermostat to make a difference...?

Be a thermostat!

Cockroach!!

There are somethings in life which we will never have an answer to. For example why did God create cockroaches.

Last night, another one of the creepy crawler entered our house again ( the second time in like 3 days )
It caused so much fear as wifey and myself tried to kill it. Never an easy thing to do as they have the ability to move so stealthily and sneakily. After like half an hour hunting high and low for it, wifey, with her super observant eyes saw it hiding behind our bottle of mouthwash.
I moved nearer and sprayed the insecticide right at the brownie and after awhile it turned turtle ( the best position to see a brownie in ). After making sure that the brownie has no more life left to spring a counter attack, i used some toilet paper to crush it and flushed it down the toilet. Phew...
After the whole episode, wifey began to clear up the clutter that has accumulated in the masterbedroom toilet while i clear up the area near the kitchen sink. Actually, a brownie attack almost always made us want to clear up clutter that we sometimes conveniently disregard. A kick up the backside for me to pack the house and clear up any mess. Perhaps thats what cockroaches are useful for. A reminder to stay clean and neat. No ?

Hero Zeng

This is Mr Zeng, he is from China and he is also THE MAN i call upon whenever things in my house needs a fixin.
Lighting, plumbing, painting, renovating etc... he can fix them all.
I can see that he is intelligent from the way he solve problems, always seeking ways for us to minimise our spending by his innovation and creative. Other than that, what impresses me most is his work ethos.. always serious, hardworking and a perfectionist.
Thank you Mr. Zeng!

Glenda and Gianna

Recently, we celebrated my nieces' Glenda and Gigi's Birthday at Swensens (Holland Village). G&G are very adorable but they are very different in terms of characters and temperament.
Glenda always thought herself as a princess while Gianna is a rugged gal who is deceptively tough beneath her tiny frame.
We love both to bits and just pray that God will continue to watch over them and that they grow up to be powerful powerful woman for Jesus.

I like caricature

I love drawing, especially caricature... During my trip to Taiwan last year i regretted not having a piece done for wifey and myself (blame it on my own indecisiveness)
Anyway, many many years ago, i did some amateur caricatures drawing myself. They are some of my platoon mates...never got to complete it though...

platoon mates

Saturday Delight

Last Saturday, wifey and I went to ICA to collect her I.C.
After that we went to McDonalds at Bugis Junction for breakfast.
It has been quite a while since we had that. I enjoyed the meal as their new set now comes with hotcakes and bacon…. No more dilemma whether to eat hotcakes or big breakfast when I can have BOTH!!! Yeah!
After that we went to shop around inside the mall and also played some childish arcade games like shooting basketball, throwing balls at the screen, shooting spiders and water targets… haha. Simple pleasures … really…. But it was a good time of fun with wifey.

Wifey with her breakfast

wifey shooting some hoops

wifey shooting tarantulas ;o)

YWMJ - Part 2

Firstly, need to apologize for being late in posting this.

Love…
As mentioned in my earlier submission, the 2nd part of this book talks about the “endangered” character of love that we ought to display as Christ followers.
There is tender love, tough love, sacrificial love and radical love.

Tender and Tough
I remembered that Pastor Jeff preached about what makes a real man on 22 August 2010. It stayed with me because it taught me that a real man must display tender love and tough love at the appropriate time, just as Jesus did in his ministry. I liked that sermon so much that I blogged it so that I can be reminded about it constantly. (http://the-first-garden.blogspot.com/2010/08/lion-and-lamb.html)

In this book, Hybels wrote about the same thing. That it is important, as Christ followers, to display tender love so that we can have compassion and feel for a person/situation. And also to display tough love so that we can be firm and do what is best for a person even though it meant there may be some immediate or short term pain for both parties.

Being someone who is non confrontational, and generally peace loving. I found myself having difficulties all the time in practicing “tough love”, I never really grasp the concept and its importance before. For me, if there is a situation that calls for correction I will avoid it and run away from it. To others, I may seem like a pastoral person because my approach tends to be softer but in actual fact, many times I am just choosing the easy way out to avoid a difficult task.

Sometimes I will ask myself “who am I to correct?”, “am I doing this out of self righteousness?” “by doing this, will I bring further hurt to the person?” after asking myself so many questions I will end up doubting my motives and avoiding to take any actions.

A Truth
During a mentoring session many years ago before I entered into marriage, my then CL spoke into my life. About being a leader in my relationship. In marriage, it is very important that a husband knows how to display both tender and tough love. If not, marriage will suffer.

It makes me understood that in deciding what to do, the key question I need to ask myself is “do I care enough to speak truth into the person’s life, even at the expense of incurring his/her anger?” If I am doing it out of love, God will give me the confidence; the other party will some day realize that I meant no harm and come to appreciate what I did.

Truth telling, is, very often tough love.

An interview with Michael

Yesterday was our 1st session of YWMJ meeting and we have a special guest Michael. Michael is someone I respected a lot simply because he loves God and walk closely with God and because of that he is a very wise and anointed leader.
Before he started his teaching, he attempted to answer some questions that were directed to him from us. Below are some excerpts (I try my best to be as accurate as possible):

Q: How do you deal with discouragement?
M: Choose to forgive quickly. Make a conscious decision to say these 3 things when I am hurt. 1) I choose to forgive insert person’s name 2) Lord take away the hurt in my heart 3) Lord fill my heart with love.

Secondly do not neglect to refill my tank. My annual retreat with my wife Lean Choo helps to refill my tank

Thirdly Keep Pressing on … But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty… Haggai 2:1-9
The Lord commanded us to be strong… and Work. Even when things are not going too well, we are to keep pressing on and work. Many times by not doing work completely just because we are discourage, we end up worse off.
Ultimately, God knows how to encourage his people.


Q: What is God’s plan for you in 3-5 years down the road? How do you balance your personal dreams with God’s vision for you?
M: If we want to know what is God wants to do with your life, look at your SHAPE.
Whenever God designs something He has a purpose. Sometimes we only focus on the H. Look at SHAPE++ as a whole and merge it such that God’s dream for us is also our personal dream.

Q: What are the challenges working at the church office (e.g. Time, financial etc?)
M: Working in church office, multi tasking is something I need to be good at. Sometimes time is really very stretched. However, what I learnt is that you must still love peole sincerely and genuinely even when things gets busy. If there are really things that are beyond me, I have to acknowledge it. No point taking up everything but ended up with poor quality work. In terms of finance, God is faithful in his provision and Lean Choo is very careful with money, which helps a lot.

Q: What is something God spoke to you during the conference?
M: Go deeper, walk/minister in the spirit.

Journal – Your Word My Joy – Part 1

Who You Are When No One’s Looking (WYAWNOL)

For YWMJ, I picked another Bill Hybels book. This is a relatively short book which makes for easy reading.

WYAWNOL started off by focusing on some Characters which have became “Endangered Qualities” meaning we are finding it less and less evident in the lives of the people. Namely, Courage, Discipline, Vision and Endurance. According to Hybels, in order to really love, it is paramount that I possess the necessary 4 characters mentioned.


Quitting Point
Naturally, I have a lot to work on in all the characters mentioned but personally, what was being written on the character of Endurance resonated most with me.

To endure means to push past the “quitting point”

Quitting always seems to be the easier way out and in today’s values system; it seems that quitting is perfectly fine. So, couples quit on their marriage when their relations hit the rocks, workers quit their job as and when they feel like it, ministry leaders gave up when they feel unappreciated and misunderstood and the list goes on.

Personally, I have experienced a lot of quitting points in my life as well. As a LGL, there are times where I think it’s about time to step down or aside (usually during disappointments, sometimes during tiredness and many times during frustrations)
In times of conflicts, there are times I wish to quit being calm or reasonable and just trash things out. However, deep inside I know that God does not want me to quit. He wants me to push through the quitting point and stand for what is right in His eyes. For every problem, there is bound to have a solution God endorses. Rather than quit at convenience, we should find that solution and do what God wants us to do.

Something I came across long time ago…
You Must Not Quit

When things go wrong; as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow,

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem the worst that you must not quit.

In essence, this seems to be what it is about, isn’t it?

The next half of the book will focus on the different forms of Love and how I can practice it in my life in a sustainable way.

(* sidetrack - I find many examples mentioned here very familiar and I am sure it appeared in “Honest to God/Courageous Leadership” as well.)

A Vacation at Tioman Island - Paya Beach Resort

What: Wifey and my birthday celebration
Where: Tioman Island, Paya Beach Resort
When: 21st - 23rd June 2011
What we did:Snorkelling, chit chat, rest & relax, play pool, ate cheap seafood (3 crabs cooked in different style), and lots of Sprite with lime ... Nice all very nice !!!!

June/November is always special for Theresa and myself as we celebrate our birthdays/anniversary, and this year's trip to Tioman Island remind ourselves of how blessed it is to be married to each other and celebrate our birthdays with “the one”!!! How wonderful to reminisce through 3+ years of marriage and to look forward with anticipation to the many more years ahead.

IPPT 2011

Last Saturday, i went for my IPPT test. Thank God i managed to clear it. Not only that, it was an improvement from the previous few years performance where i can only get $100. This time i got $200 which is rather unexpected and very satisfying. After the test , i met up with Alex to have dinner at Clementi Hawker Centre.

wifey prayed for me before the test ;o)

An Officer and a Gentleman

Finally, the dust of GE 2011 has settled (somewhat) … it’s indeed been a watershed election of many talking points and a couple of politicians coming under the intense spotlight.
I would not be writing much on any issues here.
However, the gentlemanly and gracious manner by which our outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo conducted himself throughout the campaign and especially in defeat has left a deep impression on me.
Vanquished but much respected.. God Bless you … Sir!

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."

The attitude of Generosity -Giving to people
1. Remember that God wants us to be generous towards people.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbour,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— Proverbs 3:27-28
Self check 1: Am I a generous person? On a scale of 1-10 how do I rate my generosity?
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2. Know that other than in monetary aspect, we can be generous in many other areas.

Regardless of your financial situation, God wants you to look for ways to bless others. Let the following examples from the Bible encourage you to use your resources—your money and your home—to further the Kingdom of God.

Mary Magdalene and other women helped support Jesus and the apostles (Luke 8:1-3).

Joseph, a wealthy man, provided his own tomb for Jesus (Matthew 27:57-60). Nicodemus supplied expensive spices for the burial (John 19:39).

Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to their home to tell him about Jesus (Acts 18:26).

The Corinthians gave money to help impoverished Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 and 9).

Philemon opened his home for church meetings (Philemon 2).

Self Check 2: What do you think is one area which you can practice generosity in your current environment?
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3. Understand that there are some attitude to giving that does not please God.

Giving grudgingly…so give cheerfully:
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Leftover giving… so give sacrificially:



Giving with the expectation of receiving… so give unconditionally
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35
Giving to be seen… so be discreet in giving… unless…
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4
Self Check 3: Is there any attitude to your giving which you think might not be pleasing to God?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some resources on Giving
http://library.generousgiving.org/page.asp?sec=43&page=412

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-to-please-god-with-your-giving-gregory-griffin-sermon-on-giving-general-47208.asp?Page=1

We create an atmosphere of generous giving in the group, towards God and towards people


"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."

A Weekend @ Singapore Food Trail & Flea Market

Last Friday, there was no LG so we had dinner at home. Wanted to go for a late night movie but was feeling too tired and lazy so ended up staying at home through the night.
Felt a bit peckish so I prepared some ham and cheese for supper.

Saturday, woke up early and went Ghim Moh for breakfast with folks. Had my usual fare, folks too and wifey tried prawn noodles. Can feel the weather beginning to turn hot recently, so we decided to go for a swim at Queenstown swimming pool after breakfast.
We swam for about an hour and as the sun was beginning to scorch our skin, we decided to come up before we get sun burnt.

Went back and shared a packet of nasi lemak (bought earlier in Ghim Moh) for lunch. It was nice! food usually tastes exceptionally delicious after a swim. After lunch we watched Rumpunzel cartoon on the DVD. Both wifey and myself enjoyed the show as the songs and storyline of the cartoon were captivating.

For dinner, we decided to try the Singapore Food Trail @ the Singapore Flyer. I was excited and I think folks were very interested too. As there is an early BPL match between Man Utd and West Ham at 7:45pm, we left home earlier (about 5pm) to the flyer. I expected a large crowd but because we were early (thankfully!) the crowd hasn’t formed yet. We chose our seats at the open area and went to buy our food. Singapore Food trail is a 60’s themed food court with a wide selection of “retro” famous stalls.

Mom ate Tai Hwa Bak chor mee, wifey ate Bak Kut Teh, Dad bought Rojak, ice kacheng and cheng tng to share and I bought orh luak (fried oyster) and satay bee hoon to share. Its been quite some time since the whole family tried a new dinner place so the dinner was particularly enjoyable for me.
Deb and Family joined us a little later and they too ordered a wide variety of food to enjoy. As the crowd was beginning to swell near 6plus we decided to avail our tables and walk around near the flyer. The surrounding is beautiful and quite windy. Very relaxing to just walk along the track and take some photos along the way.

us with folks

dad enjoying the breeze

grandma with matty
We left the place about 720pm and headed home. Parking charges was rather costly at about $6+ for 2+ hours ( $1.20per half hour charges). Reached home just in time for the game. West Ham stormed to a 2-0 half time lead before Rooney led Man Utd to a 4-2 comeback victory. Dad was pleased as a punch of the final result. ;o)
On Sunday after service, wifey and myself joined Abel and Eugene for the first time to the flea market at China Square. It was very interesting there, with lots and lots of toys on sale. We spent about 2-3 hours there just looking at mostly toys. Wifey bought 2 cute cartoon T-shirts there for $12. I did not buy anything but I hope to go back again next time.

Jellies & Ice Cream

On Saturday, wifey tried her hand in making jelly for the first time. I was taking a cool noon nap when she did her preparation. I could hear her fiddling with the utensils in the kitchen but was too lazy to wake up to check. In the end the jellies she made was delicious, with lychee inside. yummy.

cute jellies of different shapes.
On Sunday, Titans was suppose to have a game with Stalwarts FC. However because of water logged pitch caused by the earlier rain, the game was called off. Instead, wifey and me went over to Cold Stone opposite church to have ice cream. I have always wanted to try it since it first opened a couple of weeks ago but did not have a chance to do so. The staffs at the ice cream parlour seems to be enjoying their work as they scoop, tossed, chopped and beat the ice cream . When a queue starts to form, they even sang in unison...very interesting indeed. The boy who served us was rather unfortunate as the ice cream fell to the floor as he tried to tossed it but failed to catch it. He has to make a new cup for us.

the unfortunate guy who dropped our ice cream ;oP

wifey queueing for our ice cream

Founder's Favorite: Pecans,Brownie,Fudge & Caramel

Wifey and myself shared a large size Founder's Favorite, it was quite nice but we both found it a bit too sweet towards the end!