Encounter 09

Epic BBQ Party at Punggol Park

2011-01-12T04:24:00.000-08:00

Hey youths!!

We will be having an EPIC BBQ Party at Punggol Park this Saturday. Please do come for great food (Master Griller: Hern Shung, Master Eater: Timothy) and great games. Yes, we have some exciting fun games for all of us.

The main purpose of this BBQ is to welcome all who are new to YM this year and to let them know that we are FAMILY!

Here are the details of the party

Time: 5-8pm

Place: Punggol Park (BBQ pits 4-6)

We encourage all of you to go with your groups.

Directions to Punggol Park

Take buses: 74, 112, 113 from Hougang Bus Interchange

Drop of at the 3rd bus stop from the bus interchange. You should see the park on the opposite side of the road. Please refer to the map attached above to see the bus stop you should drop off at.

See all of you on Saturday then for an EPIC time!

God Bless:)

Day 15 The Y Gen

2009-07-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Deepest apologies for the missing blog post yesterday. As you can probably imagine, alot of us have fallen ill to a virus that has been passed around and have been stuck in bed sleeping it off.

Anyway, we're at our final post of the devotion! And with this you have completed 31 days of devotion! Or a WHOLE MONTH of Devotion with us! WOOHOO!!!

Today's devotion is about what we are going to do with our lives from now on. Throughout these 31 days, we learn about who we are in Christ, about who God is, and how we need to be Christlike. Now that we have learnt more about all that, we need to move on and start questioning how we as Christians need to take a step further, and live a life as radical christians.

We need to stop looking inward at ourselves, but rather, its time to start looking outwards and see how we can be the difference to the world around us. Yes, sometimes, I feel so small and insignificant in this world. Sometimes I wonder whether I am even making any difference at all in this world. Then I realise that we may only be a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be one drop less without us!

We read in todays devotion that we are the ones that make history. This is so true. We read of men like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela. These guys single handedly caused a revolution and are remembered for shaping the world to how it is today. It only takes 1 person to do this... But imagine what we as a YM, or even as a generation at large, could achieve if we came together to do something great FOR GOD?!

There are so many various problems in the world today. We have a generation that is crying out "where is the Love?" and our response will need to walk, breathe and talk like love to everyone around us. Because thats the greatest commandments, Love God, and Love others.

One of my mottos in life is to Love God, Love People and Love Life. Thats it. And how I choose to live my life is by this motto. What about you? How will you choose to live your life today?

As we finish this devotion, read on to the next page in the booklet. There are a couple of challenges for you to take on. This should not mark the end of your quiet time, but rather it should just be a start to kickstart the spiritual habit of doing devotion and spending time with God every night. And I hope you do carry it on! There are more details on the last page of the devotion booklet for you to check out.

Also, we have a few small groups starting up soon, so let us know if you are interested in joining one! Let your YMM know if you are!

Anyway, thats it for me! See you!

Day 13- 3 months to live

2009-07-19T03:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all peeps ,
Todays devotion is talking about what you would you do if you have 3 months to live and know when you are going to die ( duh) =)

So recently, i watched a movie called " PUSH " and it is about this kid who can push people . ok joke aside, he has super power to push things and control them without touching them . And in the show there is another super power called the "Watcher" . this watcher can predict the future if things and decisions are made as planned . And when you can predict the future, you get scared because you dont want to see yourself die in whatever way and you would change your life according to it . And the only way to change the future is , do things that are decisions made on the spot ( ITS JUST A MOVIE GUYS , JUST USING A PARALLEL EXAMPLE )

So its pretty much similar in todays devotion . What if you are a watcher, and you know what will happen next in every situation. Will you change or avoid the situation if you dont want it to happen? First things first, God holds our future, he is the only one in the whole universe/earth/planet/sky/everything who can travel in time so you dont need to worry because , in Jeremiah 29:11 it says : For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So now you know your future is settled , How would you live your life next? Are you going to change how you live your life to more christ like or are you still going to be the same.

For me , this sentence : live as though Christ died yesterday , rose from the grave today , and is coming back tomorrow.
has struck me. We all should live such that since we dont know when we will die , Why not make full use of your time and live a godly life and Be God's Instrument in reaching out to others through SERVICE! What if Jesus comes back tomorrow , are you ready? Are you ready to face him and say that Hi jesus, i tried my very best. And when you reach heaven , jesus lets you look at your past. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE? Do you want to see yourself doing good deeds and living a Christain Life or do you want to see yourself, wasting it your life away.

Think about it , and start doing it

In God's love.
Jared (P.S : I AM SICK , PLEASE PRAY FOR ME =( i got a competition coming up ! )

Day 12-Being Salty and Bright

2009-07-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

I'll hopefully be seeing all of you in 9 hours! Woohoo!

Anyway, toda'ys devotion is what it means to be the salt and light of the world.
It's a verse we often read of, and a phrase that we often hear. For us to go out and become the salt of the earth and light of the world.

I remember I heard this sermon from Rick Warren who preached about being salty and bright. In a world that seems to be so clouded and so bent out of shape, with people striving for success rather than a Godly life, we need to remember why we are placed on earth for. We need to remember the 2 greatest commandments in the bible to Love God, and Love others. By being salty and bright, we obey these commandments, because we choose to love others. We choose to spice up the world we live in with God's word, we choose to stop the moral decay of society. And we choose to SHINE for God where ever we are and in whatever we do.

There are many ways for us to be salty and bright. As a start, for those of us who own blogs or who uses msn, we need to reflect on what we write on our blogs or on our PMs. Because people know that you are a christian, and if you swear or curse or write bad stuff on the blogs or PM, others around you will be thinking "How can a christian do that?". As a start, the next time you post an angry blogpost about something or someone, think again, if Jesus reads this, what would He think?

Another way to be salty and bright is to just be nice to everyone around you. Live a Godly live and be Christ like. And you will shine. Share your love and God's love with the people around you, so that they may see your good deeds and praise God in heaven.

More ways include being involved in ministry in church, sharing Christ with your friends, or just volunteering to help serve in whatever way you can.

So remember to be salty and bright whereever you go!!

xoxo,
Hernshung

P.s I remember I was given a packet of salt to remember this sermon by. Would have loved to have done the same for you guys, but im not that rich! Anyway, the salt was in my wallet for quite a while, until I used it on my fries one day cos i couldnt find any salt. =)

Day 11: Like Jesus

2009-07-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

To be like Jesus / To be like Jesus / All I ask / Is to be like Him

All through life's journey / from earth to Glory / All I ask / Is to be like Him

Hi everybody!

Sorry this is one day early...I will be leaving home tmr at an unearthly hour and will not be able to post anything :( Please only read this at 0001 on 17th July 2009 :)

Today’s (ok, tomorrow's) verse is one of those verses I tend to take for granted in the Bible, thinking I know what it means when I actually don’t.

Romans 8:28-29

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Perhaps it might help to look at a paraphrase of the verse by Eugene Peterson.

“…That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored.”

(I underlined the stuff I found interesting)

That’s pretty great, isn’t it? God deciding from the very beginning that He was going to shape our lives to become like that of Jesus. So ALL of us who love him, ALL of us whom God recognised from the very start, will be made like Jesus. It’s not a choice or a privilege for only the very “holy Christians”. If we are children of God who have the Holy Spirit working in us, we will become “Like Jesus”.

Yes, it is important to be Christ-like so that our friends will be drawn to Christ. It is also helpful to know that we can become more and more like Jesus through:

-Reading and Applying the Bible in our lives,

-Having the fruit of the Spirit developed in us,

-Loving one another, and

-Serving God and others.

Yet, I think it is even more reassuring that becoming Christ-like isn’t something we can strive (in our own strength) towards suddenly becoming. I often get frustrated with myself when I feel I am not yet “good enough” or up to standard (not loving enough, not having enough patience, etc etc) But this verse shows that I don’t have to strive!

The logic is this:

1) God WANTS us to be Christ-like, and he says he has decided that we will be.

2) So if we ask God to make us like Jesus, will he do it? Yes. Why? Because we are asking for something in his will.

4) But he will do it in his time and in his best way.

What we need to do, then, is to (1) ask him and (2) be submitted to the Spirit’s direction of our lives. Christ-likeness will then be formed in us, slowly but surely.

Blessings,

Cheryl

[BTW! For a period of time I kept wondering whether I had the Holy Spirit since I never ‘felt’ the Holy Spirit in a super clear way. 1 Corinthians 12:3 encouraged me greatly –

Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

If we can confess with our lips and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, we have the Spirit in us – so let’s submit to His gentle prompting todayJ]

Day 10- Dear God, I have a problem... It's me

2009-07-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all ! (: It's thursday already! The weekends are approaching, so press on (:

When I read today's devotion about computers and softwares-- I was like " oh noooo" because this week I had to submit a radio assignment and had problems working the software properly( it kept quitting on its own! : / ) and saving my work. So glad its over for now-drove me nuts!

However, today's devotion is not about the software in us, but the "viruses" that corrupt our lives. If we didn't have Jesus in our lives, we would be overrun by all these "viruses" and with all that, do you think you can function properly? You would certainly crash. Computers crashing ( thats you! and also real computers) is just bad bad bad.

Whatever "virus" (sin) is weighing you down now, confess it to God and know that He will forgive you. We are not perfect and therefore we sin, even if you don't tell anyone, God still knows. No matter how small/ big a sin you think it is --they are all still sins and you just confess it all to God and he will take it all away (: Always ask God to give you the strength to resist the sin we face in our everyday lives because without Him we are always vulnerable.

Have a good day and rest of the week ahead : D
Olivia

DAY 9: The Theme Song of Your Life

2009-07-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Guys, its mid week!!! it's downhill from here, thurs, fri....WEEKENDS! :) My favourite two days of the week.

Hebrews 2:18

“Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted

Well, this week's been a very rough week for me to be honest, been getting back all my results and I have been failing atrociously. And today's QT really touched my heart. I have been feeling so small, short-changed and inadequate the past few days. It's like, you mug so hard yet people who say "Oh i never study whole day play play play" and people who smoke/waffle their way through the test papers, or so they say, get a higher grade than me. Truth be told, the whole week I was angry, disappointed, hurt and very upset. Poopified, for a lack of a better word. I felt that no one understood me, I didn't dare to tell my mom at first, and when people say "I understand" do they really know how I feel? Everyone tells me JC life is LIKE THAT. (Colin-so you still wanna go JC? ;) )

But today's QT allowed me to understand that God is in this with me and why am I studying and doing all sorts of things with my own strength and not relying on Him? Many times we struggle so hard to stay afloat. Struggle, because we don't do it with God. Its very comforting to know that God is with me and without Him I/We are nothing.

And this song came to my mind just a couple of minutes ago :)

Enjoy!

Day 8 - Giving back to Gee Oh Dee.

2009-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Sup sup 7-up!

how's everyone doing?! It's half price tuesday at Gelare today, and I can't find any gelare's to go to eat my waffles. =(. But its ok. The Lord gives us half price tuesdays, he too can take it away. KIDDING!

Anyway, today's devotion is about what we can give back to God. It's something we don't really think about much as we carry on with everyday life. Because so often we are caught up with our daily lives and being happy, that we forget who provides us with all these happiness! We live in a rat race of a society, where everything is about me Me ME!!! But so often we are so caught up in this rat race where we want to get something out of everything, but we also give nothing to God!

The story about my sister was something that came to me as I recalled those incidents with her. By the way, she shares her food with me now....She even offered me a chicken McNugget the other day! WOOHOO! Anyway, its pretty much like our relationship with God. He is our Jehovah Jireh and provides us with everything in our life. Yet when it comes to giving back to God, we are so hesitant to give Him anything.

And we're not even talking about money here, though how many of us tithe back to God part of our allowance/pay? This even refers to our time and effort. God gives us all the time in the world and listens to our prayer, but how willing are we to even give God 20 mins a night to talk to Him? (Good that you now have given Him 10 mins to do this devotion!)

Or to take it even further, we need to remember that He has called us to be His disciples, so as His disciples, we need to serve Him in ministry and in whatever way we can. I'm very sure He has placed great gifts in all of us, every single one of us have a gift, but how can we use it to pay God back for it?

Thats a question i'd like to challenge you to think back upon tonight. How can you serve God in the YM or in the church?

There are many various ministries in our YM and church to serve in! Next time we hold an activity, see how you can help or even just turn up for it with some friends! Cos giving back to God also means bringing more people to Christ! For those who can sing or play a musical instrument, join the worship team! For those who are good with computers, the 11.15 service needs some display/powerpoint coordinators! For those who are creative, we need youths to help paint banners and design things in time to come! We're always putting a shout out for help in certain areas. Next time we do, I'd like to challenge you to participate and join it and give back to God for the blessings He has poured out on you!

xoxo
Hernshung

P.S I came across this verse thanks to Bono. Watched a clip of his performance and he read this verse in one of his concerts to like 80,000 people in a huge stadium. And I was like 0.0! He didn't just do that!!!!

Day 7: Blessed Be Your name

2009-07-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hey people! yeah i know it's a monday and you're probably missing the weekends
as much as i do. It's gonna be a rather rough week ahead for me, buisness stats exam and formal presentations coming up.. all this suits and ties.. BUT amidst all the stress, today's passage binds in perfectly.

Today's passage would be about praising the lord, no matter what may come our way, as everything comes from Him. We can see from the passage, Job at one moment had 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7000 sheeps, 3000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys and a large number of servants. If you can't picture it, all those things that job owned in today's context would roughly equate to a couple of lambos, and a heap of gibson flying V's. However in the space of a couple of minutes, job lost everything he had.

What would you do if you were in job's shoes? losing that much wealth or material possessions would drive any human being mad, would you curse god or question him 'WHY ME!?' I admit if i were to lose everything that i have, i would question god and ask him why has it have to be me. But, we need to learn from Job, although he lost everything he still said 'Naked came i out of my mother's womb and naked shall i return. The lord gave, and the lord has taken away; blessed is the name of the lord". No matter what happens to us, the lord has given and He also can take them away, He will not allow something that we cannot bear. I know it's gonna be hard, but we have to fall on our knees and rejoice him no matter what the outcome.

Like the morning, when you guys were suppose to experience the sunrise. Even though i wasn't there, i can picture the lightning flashes linking the horizon and the heavens. You guys probably didn't manage to catch the sunrise, i believe God was working and was trying to show you guys something, how often do you get to see lightning and thunder in the morning by the beach? No matter how cloudly or stormy things may get, we know that the lord, like the sun is always there, shining.

It is really comforting to know that God will always be there for you no matter the situation, it's like the story hern shung shared last sunday, when it looks like there is only 1 footprint in the sand during troubled times, remember that we're not walking alone, but it's God who is carrying us. I pray that we all will grow to be like Job, and praise the lord no matter how grey things may get. Blessed be his name.

Cheers,
Bryan

Anti-Stress Medcine (Day 6)

2009-07-12T03:41:00.001-07:00

Friends, Romans, Youths, lend me your ears!

Hi everyone, today's devotional topic is do not be anxious. Coincidently the author of today's devotion is me so I guess I have a lots to share.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6

Philippians 4:6 is a verse close to my heart and God has used it to speak to me a number of times. Hopefully you will find it speaks to you when you are anxious or troubled as well.

Back in feb 2007 I was in Cambodia for a mission trip with TRACkers and the "O" level results were being released on the 2nd last day of the mission trip. I remember I was busy pacing up and down the room where the rest of the mission team was working on and English language curriculum for the Cambodian kids. My team leader was getting irritated at my uncharacteristic lack of calm. (many people tell me that I'm very calm and coolheaded) She sent me off to the bunk with my bible to pray and commit the results to God. So I went of to the room and started pacing there. As I sat in the room and opened my bible to Philippians, I had in mind to read Philippians 4:13 which was like the theme verse for the Cambodian mission team. But as I flipped to the page, instead of reading 4:13, my eyes happened to wander to 4:6. I was shocked. It seemed to me that the verse had been intended to me at that moment. Well, reading the verse didn't really help but doing what it said did. The instant I said amen my heart was settled, my anxiety left me and peace filled my heart. (when i got the results by phone i learnt that i out did my wildest expectations. just goes to prove that if you honour God, God will honour you) Could I rationalise it? Of course not. It was a peace that transcends all understanding just as promised.

The other time God used the verse to calm my heart was at the youth camp that same year. Although I still had poly classes on the 1st 2 days of camp I decided not to attend them as I was one of the commandants that year. On the afternoon of the 1st day camp, I got a message from my classmate saying that to pass a certain subject I had to get 80% on the final exam. It was like a 100kilo weight had been dropped on my shoulders. (later i found out he was lying and i only needed 70% to pass) I tried to shove it to the deepest darkest corner of my mind and concentrate on doing my job as camp commandant but the weight was still there and anxiety was still bugging me in my quiet moments. On the last night of camp I couldn't take it anymore and shared this burden with my camp devotion group. They prayed for me and encouraged me and I felt a bit better. It helped that the burden was now shared but it was still there and it continued to bug me through out that night. In the morning I received a encouragement card from a sister in Christ. In it she shared the verse Philippians 4:6. I was reminder of how I had presented my worries and anxiety to God and was filled with peace. It was like God was saying, "Why worry? I'm in charge of everything. Did you forget of how I carried you through earlier this year?" Again my heart was at rest when I was reminded that I know the one who holds tomorrow. (i didn't pass the subject in the end but at least i was peaceful failing it. don't be like me=)

To end off I will leave you with a saying I saw on TV mobile on thursday on the way home from poly: "I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow"(this also brings to mind the hymn "My God Is Real" but i can't seem to find a youtube video)

Stay cool
In His love and mine

Daniel

P.S. the video was cute

Day 6 - B4 Devotion

2009-07-12T01:38:00.000-07:00

Check this out before you do tonight's devotion!
A pretty cool video about the verse of the day's devotion!

Have a great week everyone!

xoxo
hernshung

Day 5 - Forgiveness

2009-07-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

SUPSUPSUP.

ok. it's 6.45 am on a sunday morning and I'm getting ready to go to church soon. But noticed no reflection done, so thought I'll drop a quick one in.

See, Mahatma Gandhi is someone I respect a lot. Love that guy. I mean, who doesn't?! Everywhere he goes, he teaches about peace. But then, not only does he talk the walk, he walks the talk!

One of the hardest thing to do in life is to forgive. Sometimes it's just so hard to forgive when someone has crossed your path and hurt you badly. It's like you just can't bear to love that person anymore. But one thing i realised over the years is that in the end, you are the one who might be suffering more if you don't forgive. Sometimes you hold it in for so long that it just makes you more and more irritable, while the other person unknowingly carries on with life as if he did nothing. But the bible says not to let the sun go down while we are still angry. In other words, we need to forgive at the end of each day. As the sun sets, so too must our anger and bitterness. And as the sun rises each morning, we need to rise with clear hearts and minds.

Like its said in the devotion, bitterness and anger are like trash in your mind. The longer and the more you store it up, the smellier its going to get. And its going to start clouding your mind. So much so that praying and seeking the Lord is going to be THAT much harder.

In the end, when we ask ourselves why should we forgive that other person, we need to realise that its because God forgave us of our sins, thats why we need to forgive others.

I remember reading stories from a book called "Jesus Freak" by DC Talk about how this person got imprisoned for many years and tortured for no reason in Nazi camps. She got beaten up and watch as their loved ones get beaten up and killed. One day years after world war two was over, she was called into a hospital by a doctor to visit a stranger. as she walked into the room, she saw a person whom looked frail and weak and on the brink of death. But as she stared closer, she realised he looked so familiar. Then it hit her. He was one of the nazi officers who had beaten her up as well as beaten her loved ones up. She immediately felt angry and wanted to storm out the door. But before she could, the nazi officer slowly spoke in halting words, saying he was sorry for what he has done. He has found Christ and before he died, he wanted to seek forgiveness from her. She stood there for minutes, not knowing what to do. Imagine how hard it would have been for her right there and then to forgive that person. Every bone in her body would be screaming at her not to because it just didn't seem right. You know what she did? She forgave. Because thats what God had taught her to do. She knew she didn't have the strength herself to forgive that person, but by the grace of God, the Lord had provided her the strength to say those 3 words, "I forgive you."

Right now, just imagine that someone you loved so dearly was killed by a drunk driver. What would you do? To be honest, when i thought about that myself, i think i'd struggle very hard to forgive. It may take some time, but I hope that I can find the strength to do so.

So to close, remember that each new day brings a new choice, to be Bitter or Better. Forgiveness not only helps the other person, but it will help you tremendously as well.

Peace!

Hernshung

Day 4: Loving my Enemy

2009-07-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

GREETINGZ FOXYMAMAZ AND SEXYPAPAZ!
I AM SO GLAD THAT THE WEEKENDS ARE HERE AND WE CAN FINALLY PARTAYEEEEE!!! wahhh i tell you, when my A'lvls are over arh, i am totally gonna go crazy and paint the whole town red, toiletpaper all your houses, burn all your potted plants, dance hoedown throwdown for you and force you to clap whether you like it or not, etc etc I CANNOT WAIT :D:D:D

okok anyway, that is not the point for tonight. TONIGHT, I AM GONNA SHARE MY FEELINGS ON "LOVING MY ENEMY". wah just typing the title makes me agitated already!!!! hahaha, okay cmon everyone let's face it, we all totally struggle with this right, i mean we all are human and we're not perfect.

Seriously, forgiveness is a very difficult decision to make and action to carry out because it requires a lot of effort trying to let go of the hurt that others have inflicted upon us and also because our human spirits always seek some form of revenge or appeasement when others hurt us. I can remember many instances when forgiveness has been very painful and difficult for me. Once instance was during my sec3 period when i started to drift apart from a grp of friends due to some circumstances and also cos puberty was totally messing with all of us and we were all going through periods of change. Honestly, I felt v hurt and angry that they treated me as like second/third/fourth/whatever fiddle just cos they met new friends. SUPER ANNOYING OKAY. but i really thank God that He kept speaking to me during that period and sent Eugenia and Dionne to journey with me through that difficult patch. I knew that while it was hard to forgive to love them again, God was also telling me that I shd be mature and not completely ruin the friendship. Plus I wasnt perfect too so I didnt have all the right to point my finger at them. Eventually, God healed the friendship, but while we may not be as close anymore, the friendship has definitely taken on a more mature nature.

So you see friends, when God says to forgive, He doesnt do it to make things worse for us. While it may be hard initially, trust God that ultimately, He will make smth good come out of it. And besides, without showing forgiveness we can never fully express love. And if God can love such imperfect beings as us, then who are we to say that someone else doesnt deserve to be loved. Afterall, genuine love is the most attractive feature in this world because such love weathers the test of trials and time and everyone yearns for such acceptance. Forgiveness and love is a decision we make everyday, it is not something we merely feel. We can all choose to love despite the difficult circumstances, just as Jesus chose to love us despite our shortcomings and the countless times we have upsetted Him.

Everyday i meet someone whom I find hard to interact with and it is a daily struggle to accept and love such people, but i really pray that God will give me and give us all the strength to accept and treat such peopl with love and care because they too are God's precious creations. Besides, we're not perfect either, and if we want to be loved despite our flaws then we too should love others despite theirs.

So make it a conscious and deliberate choice to forgive and love everyone everyday as God has loved you! And if you struggle, FRET NOT. God is always only a prayer away and you have your fellow siblings-in-Christ who are trodding this tedious journey too. Get someone to pray with or for you and be an encouragement to others too so that we can all help each other in this journey of loving the world!!! I cannot tell you how much strength and encouragement God has given me through awesome friends like Dionne, Jillian and Eugenia :D

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." -1 Peter 4:8

Boom boom clap boom de clap de clap!

V V PEACE OUT Y'ALL!

Christabellybutton

DAY THREE DEVOTION:PRIORITY ONE

2009-07-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

HOLA FRIENDOLAS!!!hahaha sorry for the very late post...i am rushing my assignments while wrestling a flu bug....all these all these...tomorrow is friday! yay which means more rest! my bed misses me you know...ok lets not get out of point...

well today's devotion is entitled Priority #1..and it speaks about a girl who earns to see her boyfriend a lot(like seriously why so emotional)...and she misses her boyfriend so much to the extent that she even goes to church just to see him..so instead of worshipping God..she silently worships her boyfriend..haha okok not directly worshipping him but since her boyfriend is her first priority and she puts him before God, my interpretation is kinda correct!no?

WAH i tell you i got stunned when i did todays devotion..seriously i should just switch days and not do devotions on the day i am assigned to..hahah..KIDDING HERN TONG DONT KILL ME...I felt as though i was the girl Stacie in the passage...just that i am not so boyfriend engrossed...well, my school work is like my boyfriend..its like overwhelming and i cant seem to finish them...and honestly i was kinda procrastinating to do todays devotion because i have to finish two assignments by 9am later...and i am kinda having a minor panic attack...but GOD REALLY SPOKE TO ME through this passage..i really cant emphasize enough on this point...and i am reminded by how i should put God first instead of my work..

This sentence jumped up at me:Don’t try to fit Jesus into Your life; Rather fit your life around Jesus. Because You will never come second if you put God first in your life! I think its really true...Honestly, i am struggling with my assignments and i feel that its not up to standard but now that i had time to just sit down and think through why...i guess its because i havent been putting God first before everything..i am just too caught up with everything that needs my attention..So heres a lesson little youthfies and older youthfies,Honour God and he will honour you..dont be like me...hhaa i feel refreshed now knowing that God will empower me as i complete my assignments later...THE POWER IS IN MY HANDS...

MRS OPTIMUS PRIME ROLLING OUT!(i am dionne la!hahah)

p.s the post is in red n blue because mr optimus prime aka my husband has these colours on his body..

Day 2: Wasting Time with God

2009-07-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

Hey hey hey, it's a brand new day and the birds are chirpin'!

Okay, so I am taking over Dionne Hoe Down throwdown because she doesn't want to make you guys wait...*awwwwwwwwwww* such a sweet numshkin!

Okay, so today's passage actually conincides perfectly with the theme of our youth retreat, Encounter and I believe it will always serve as a reminder to everyone that spending time with God is necessarry.

I was at Bishan library early in the morning at 10 am because I am free like that, ok no la, because i was bored rather. And at that unearthly ( I can't say ungodly cos it's not like it was a bad thing to go to the library or something) hour, the library gets really quiet.

So i basically spent 2 hours there by myself reading tons of books that were not very educational (oh wellers) but it was time well spent. First, I got to spend time alone with myself. Honestly, you are never alone, only with company of different nature. Dionne and Christabel would fall into the normal human flesh and bones kind while the one I spent time with today was of a divine, omnipresent, spritual kind.

It was refreshing to sit in the quiet and just let God speak to you, albeit not hearing his loud thunderous voice booming through the shelves, I did feel God giving me rest. Like relaxation and peace kinda thingummy. It's tough to put a word to it but I definitely felt refreshed and it was awesome just being alone, listening out for Him. I realise that it doesn't have to be intentional in the way where you go into a really tensed mode and try really hard to hear for a still small voice,

rather, taking time to find a quiet hideout in the library, without the earphones embedded in your ear canal can also be a conducive place for celestial chit-chat (just trying to be all lit-ty here)!

What I felt God was telling me was how girnomous this world is and that it is not confined to my imagination or what i've seen. I have been worrying a little about my future, in terms of short term ones like annoying A levels and frustrating further education but somehow in the library today, admidst the heaps of travel guides and cultural books, I've come to see that God's plans for you is similarly not restricted by our own understanding/expectations!

Sorry, if this sounds too personal but I really feel that no matter where/under what circumstances, God can still speak to you, we just have to make an effort to hear:)

You know He STILL loves you
(although you totally stole the cookie from the cookie pot)

xoxo,
Jillian

Day 1-Undignified

2009-07-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hey guys , ever did something embarassing or something that you feel like doing in the public ? even though its random , eg. suddenly in orchard road , you shout I LOVE YOU JESUS ! ever done it before? Well if you want to do it , come find me i will do it with you!

For me personally , i dont care what the world thinks of me . seriously. Whats the point of caring what others say when you know that what God says is the most important. In the End , God has the final say to everything. We often care about our image in school and church.

If you are my age now , you will be often probe to consume alcohol or smoke by your friends. They ask me EVERYDAY and everything i would say no thank you. So everytime they would say " not fun one sia you " but they respected me ,just that they keep calling me names like Father in school. (so its like Father Jared which is quite annoying sometimes )

But for me , i would like to live my life for God , and if you are God would you want to see your son/daughter drinking and smoking? NO of course. Just like what the bible Said Romans12:2 DO NOT CONFORM TO THE PATTERNS OF THIS WORLD!

Recently , i went to join an event called Hair for hope . so i had my hair shaved off for the Cancer patients whom go through kemo and is balding. Thus i had my hair shaved off to show that i am in support of them. People may laugh at me being bald and all but i dont care because i am helping the needy and thats what God wants us to do , help the needy and poor it was instructed by him.

i think the devotion hit it spot on , when we feel awkward when people all around us raises their hands to worship , and you just raise too to join in the crowd.

What i can say is that LET THE SPIRIT GUIDE US ! what to you is an act of surrendering .
then just do it! every worship we should be praising thanking and surrendering to god and not looking around to see what others are doing =)
FOCUS ON GOD

loves,
Jared ( REMEMBER DO THINGS FOR GOD AND NOT FOR MAN winks* )

AMAZING x10000

2009-07-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Today it dawned upon me that I am sitting for my Chinese A-Level Oral tomorrow. Hurray?

And I was stuck in the back of my head for the whole day even when I was out with friend. I was like, "oh my goodness!!!!! i'm so gonna die. this is it jill, you deserved it because you forgot." (and this was at the underpass at Shaw. No notes=jill is deadgal92)

Then when we walked from Shaw to Wistma, we came across two buskers. The first one was playing, What A Friend We Have in Jesus. And I was pretty amazed, I mean, christian hymn mind you playing along orchard road. So it went like this,

"What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear,

What a privilege to carry,

everything to God in prayer.

O what peace we often forfeit,..."

then we couldn't hear her anymore. So we carried on walking to Wistma and when the next busker came long..

"O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry,

Everything to God in prayer."

He. continued. the. song.

RIGHT SMACK IN MY FACE MAN. I CAN IMAGINE GOD UP THERE, IN YOUR FACE JILLY IN YOUR FACE. It was a needless worry and God spoke there and then through the buskers!!!!

I asked my friend if it was a sign.

A DEFINITE YES.

And we walked off with a smile on our faces.

Love,

A shocked Jill.

Listen!

2009-07-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
Apologies! Just finalising two more days of the devotion before it's up! IT WILL DEFINITELY BE UP TOMORROW!

But in the meantime, Here is today's devotion! Please do it and come back again tomorrow to download the Devotion Booklet Part 2!

Peace!!!
xoxo,
hernshung

Scripture Passage:
James 1:1-11, 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Our heavenly Father has given us the Holy Spirit to be our Counsellor, yet, many of us put our faith in human counsellors rather than in the divine Counsellor.

I remember a time in the Church when counselling was regarded by many as an unnecessary ministry. If you have a problem, it was said at that time, never look to others for help; instead, get down on your knees and talk to God about it – the Holy Spirit will show you what to do. That, of course, was an extreme position. Very often, it does help to talk through the problem with a Christian counsellor. However, the Church today seems to be going in the opposite extreme by suggesting that when anyone has a problem the first thing they should do is to discuss it with a Christian counsellor.

No, the first thing we should do whenever we have a problem that cannot be solved using our own resources is to turn to the divine Counsellor and invite Him to help us. If light does not come, then seek the help of a wise and godly friend. But seeking help from others should not be our first recourse. That kind of counselling might be needed less if we depended on the Holy Spirit more.

If our divine Counsellor is ready and willing to guide us, how do we recognise His voice when He speaks to us? That is the issue with which we must come to grips today.

‘My sheep know My voice’, Jesus told His disciples (John 10:3-5). When I go to the telephone and hear my mother’s voice, I know immediately who is speaking. I know it is not my sister or my secretary, for I have heard that voice thousands of times over the course of my life. ‘Ah’, you say, ‘but a voice in your ear is a lot easier to discern than a voice in your soul.’ Granted, but there is a way to tune in to the voice of the Spirit and learn to hear His accent in your soul.

Here’s how it is done.

Train your spiritual ear to listen. When the king complained to Joan of Arc that he never heard the voice of God, she replied, ‘You must listen, then you will hear.’ There are two main reasons why people fail to hear the Spirit’s voice: their Spiritual ears are untrained or they are unwilling. Many of us don’t want to listen to the voice of God because we are afraid that if God reveals His will to us, it will be disagreeable. ‘Your will be done’ becomes ‘Your will be borne’.

When you communicate with God, give as much time to listening as you do to talking. At first you will not be able to distinguish the voice of the subconscious from the voice of the Spirit, but in time the differentiation will be possible. Sometimes, of course, the Spirit booms so loudly in the soul that His voice is unmistakable. But that is more the exception than the rule. Usually He speaks quietly, and to a soul that sits quietly before Him.

Today's Prayer
O God, forgive me when my first thought when I am in need of help is not of You. If I have dropped out of the habit of opening my heart to You before I open it to anyone else, help me recover that habit. Teach me to be more God-dependent and less self-reliant. Teach me to train my spiritual ear to listen, and to talk less and listen more to You. Amen.

Devotion Day 15- YOOOF!!!

2009-07-05T03:37:00.000-07:00

Hey All!!

What a great Youth Sunday it has been!

Because we have been sooooo busy with it, we were not able to complete and print out Devotion Booklet Part 2 today! The booklet is the next part of the devotion we have been doing together and will last for the next 14 days!

We are in the midst of finalising it soon, And it should be up by tonight/tomorrow morning!
Everyone will be able to come here to get a soft copy of it, or msn me and I'll send one over to you via msn or email!

In any case, here is a devotion to do TONIGHT while we wait!

YOOOOFFF!

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
-1 Timothy 4:12

I think most of us here who read this are probably still studying. So if you are still studying that makes you a YOUTH! In fact, the official age of being a youth is below 35! Can you believe that!

Often, the world sees us as youth as people who are dumb or lack the experience in life. We often find ourselves being 'neglected' by the world and our opinions not mattering. But the bible tells us other wise!

It encourages us to not let anyone look down on us because of our age. Our age must not be used as an excuse for anyone to tell us that we don't matter, or more importantly, our age must not be used by us as an excuse not to be responsible as a Christian or living a Christ-Like life!

Instead, we need to be examples for the believers in what we say, how we live, how we love, how we believe in God etc. We need to show the church and the world that we too are ambassadors of Christ. it's like what we learnt in the previous devotion about being in the spotlight! Well, now your life is being put in the spotlight and you need to set an example to everyone around you on how to live a God loving life.

Today, YOUTH SUNDAY, was a day that we showed the church that the youths do exist in the church and that we too can contribute to the church in our own youthful way and with our youthful exuberance and enthusiasm! We were all put into the spotlight today as youths, and we were to set examples in how we served God, how we lived and what we did.

And to be honest, I felt proud to be a youth today (or at least a semi-youth now). Because I saw the ushers and I saw a group of youths who did a fantastic job welcoming fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ to the Lord's home with a joyful smile and also with God's love! I saw the worship team and I saw a group of youths up there serving God with their God-given skills and talents and leading the congregation to a fantastic time of worship. I saw the skit folks & scripture readers and I saw youths who were spreading God's message to the congregation in our own special way. I saw the bookmarks and the youth booklet and I saw the hard work and huge effort by our youths to bless the church with their creativity! You get the point....

Today, we as youths were put into the spotlight and we shone like the bride! May we continue to set an example to the church every Sunday on living a Godly life! May we help the rest of the church encounter God in their lives, because we have already encountered Him in our lives!

To close, I remember the bridge of the song "Came To My Rescue" by Hillsong. It goes:

In our Life, Be lifted high.
In our Love, Be lifted high
In our World, Be lifted high.

Let this be the prayer of our hearts each day! That He be lifted high in what we do!

1. Take some time to think how we can continue to bless the church as youths. Be it in fund raising, or others. Email it in or write it down on the tagboard!

2.Take some time to also think how we can continue to bless our friends around us. That His name will be lifted high in what we do!

Today's Prayer:
Lord, Thank you for my youthfulness. Thank you for the blessings you have poured out on me. I pray that you will help me continue to use my youthful exuberance and enthusiasm for Your purpose. That I will continue to be a blessing to the church and our world. May You continue to teach me to be an example of a Child of God, living a life that is pleasing to You. Amen

Day 14: In God's Spotlight

2009-07-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

The passage is as clear as it gets. God expects us to follow a certain standard in the way we carry ourselves, through our speech, our actions, our choices, our daily interactions with others, etc. As christians, we have to walk the talk otherwise we will not be reflecting Christ-likeness.

A few ways that we can be different:
1) We don't have to join in the gossips of others, in fact, we should ask our friends to stop when they start gossiping. (we dont have to bible-bash them though, find a tactful way to do it :D)

2) The words we say are, more often than not, very accurate reflectors of our inner-self. So be careful not to swear, use unedifying language, etc.

3) When our friends are freaking out over exams just before the paper, keep calm and tell yourself, there is no point in worrying and just lift a prayer to the Lord. Trust me, it will amaze them to see how calm you are, you might even get the opportunity to pray for them. :D

During my secondary school competitions, a few of us in the team, being christians, chose to gather in a small circle to pray before the games started. Initially, it was kinda uncomfortable, like even our own non-christian and some christian teammates thought we were weird. The other school people kinda looked at us weirdly too. But gradually, the Spirit of God worked mightily among us and through us and more and more of our teammates, both christians and non-christians alike asked if they cld join in our prayer and believe it or not, before the end of the competition period, our WHOLE team was praying together, including the teachers. It was amazing especially since we weren't a methodist or catholic school. (I was from Cedar btw. CEDAR FTW! :D) I truly felt God's presence all around us.

So my dear pumpkins in Christ, dont worry how the world looks at you because if you are being stared at for being a shining example for Christ, then you are being stared at for a perfectly good reason and God will be proud of you! It is easier said than done, but with God, all things are possible! :D Find yourselves good christian friends in your schools and help each other in this difficult journey! Press on dearies!

-Christabellybuttonmushroomsoup :D
aka 7/11

Life is a gift

2009-07-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

yo yo yoghurt!

I love yoghurt for breakfast.

ANYWAY, sorry for the randomness, I am super tired after spending the past 2 days at a conference. Saw that no one did last night's devotion, so I thought Id post a quick reflection before doing tonight's one.

The story in today's devotion was actually a true story. It was one that touched me quite deeply, because it showed how much God can transform lives! Prayer can move mountains, believe it! It made me reflect on how much of a gift life is. The fact that we are alive each new day to see the sun rise, to see the birds come out, and to just experience the fresh morning breeze in your face; There is no greater feeling!

I've shared a near death experience I had before in a car accident. But let me share another near death experience I've had. Some of you who knew me from last year will probably know I was in a place that almost crashed and had to make an emergency landing. I was on a plane from Singapore heading back to perth for my studies last October, when the plane suddenly and without any warning took a nosedive. We went into 'freefall' twice for like 10 seconds and i saw people flying into the air and stuck to ceilings and come down injured. When it happened, I thought I was dead. I thought this was it, I was never going to see my family or friends again. I was waiting for the impact when the plane finally recovered and had to make a quick emergency landing. I have to admit I've never been happier to have my feet planted on solid ground and i was close to kissing the ground as i got off the plane.

As I woke up the next morning, I went for a walk and took this time to do some reflection on what just happened. Having the morning breeze against my face in the morning and just walking by the River in Perth, I started to see life in a different way. It made me reflect what have I been doing with my life.

Was I living a life that was pleasing to God? What would God say if I went to heaven then? Would He be glad with the way I have been living my life?

I realisedI needed to change my lifestyle. Just being lukewarm for God wasn't good enough, I needed to be on fire for God and live a life that is pleasing to Him.
It's been a challenge to me ever since, and its been my life aim now to do as much as I can to serve the Lord. Maybe I am not called into full time ministry now, but as long as I live, I want to live this life that He has gifted me to the fullest by serving Him with my whole heart!

So my challenge to you is to reflect on your life. Are you living a life pleasing to God?
If not, are you willing to change?

xoxo,
hernshung

Stop Worrying! (Day 12)

2009-07-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been worrying alot about my future. At this point in my life when I am in uni, I start thinking about what I should major in, what type of job should I get, what I should do with my life. Many times, I find myself coming full circle. I find that I am unable to come to a decision if I did not seek God in my life.

Looking back now, I think about the many times when I have worried about my grades, about school, about how things will turn out in general. In retrospect, I have seen that God has always been there to pull me through, to help me out. He has always shown me the greater plan that He has for me, be it during O levels or A levels, or even now in uni.

I know that many times, it is difficult not to worry about what will happen the next day or next week or next month or even next year. What I have learned over the past few years is that worrying gets us nowhere. On top of that, worrying pulls us further away from God. The time that we spent worrying about our life, our future, could have been spent praising God and thanking God for all the little things that He has done in our lives! Worrying distracts us from the wonderful things (though it may be small) that God has done for us, or has provided us with.

I pray especially now, brothers and sisters, that school has started and the stress is starting to take it's toll on you, that you will give your worries up to the Lord. Let Him take control of your life and know that regardless what your situation may be now, know that God is in control and that you can trust Him. Just like Sunday's devotion, let JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL of our lives!

Agape,
Xiaorong

Me? A Reflector? ( Day 11)

2009-07-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! (:
Hope school's been okay, it's just the first week but persevere! : D

Today's verse come from Matthew 5: 13-16.

When I opened up my bible to that verse, I smiled. That's because my small group uses this verse! haha That's why we named our small group Salty Club.

I feel being "reflectors" of Jesus isn't easy. But that being said, we shouldn't just sit back and say "oh since it's impossible, I shouldn't bother trying". Instead, we should continually strive to show the love of God to other people as we have experienced this love ourselves. Something so good should be shared, don't you think so?(:

Remember the activity called Encounter Outside that we did at camp?
It's the one where we did random acts of kindness for people! You should continue to do so wherever you go. Be it helping an old lady cross the road ( i know this is SUCH a cliche example) or offering to help someone who is having difficulty carrying things.

Being a " reflector" also means not conforming to the ways of the world, such as not swearing even when your other friends swear (like free) or gossiping about others behind their backs.

By showing love and doing acts of kindness to others and also by resisting the ways of the world will you then be one that reflects Jesus.

It may be difficult to be different( because humans are so inclined to be like everyone else in order to be accepted) from the way the world wants you to be, but that should not stop you from trying to do so.

That is why we need to support each other in being reflectors of Christ.
Let us not just be "sunday christians" but we should reflect Him wherever we may be, all the time.

Have a good week ahead!
Youth sunday is near(: YAY haha

Olivia

Audience of One (Day 10)

2009-06-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

I once had a teacher who once said that any religion that taught people to do good was a good religion. if u think about it deeper, what is the real difference between Christians and other religions? i know Christianity is a relationship but looking beyond that, which religion does not teach people not to do good? the bible has a good answer to this in 1 Samuel 16:7

"But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance of his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.""

Wow is that scary or what? But this also means that our motive for doing good must be different from others as our God is also different. Besides, we don’t want our precious heavenly treasure to disappear just because we waved the $5 note in the air before putting it into the offering bag. Jesus said in Matthew 6:16, those who flaunt their acts of worship before men have received their reward in full.

When we pray, fast or give, always ask ourselves, to whom and for whom am I praying/fasting/giving? Is it for myself to quiet my conscience? Is it for others to see and think highly of me? It’s not easy and everyone who does it knows it but it is important to keep our hearts right with God. Another verse that reinforces this is Luke 16:15,

"He said to them, “You are the one who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God know your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.""

When i asked the God to show me an area of my life that boast about, the word came to me as eloquence. Ok, I am no Shakespeare but I’m not slow of speech and tongue either. i felt God say to me, use you eloquence to declare my wonders. So don't let the audience of our praise and worship be anyone other then the King of kings, the LORD Almighty. Be like Daniel (not this one) and shut the door and pray in secret.

In His Love and mine

Daniel

The Test Of Love (Day 9)

2009-06-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hey YM! Guess you guys might be feeling a little drained and jaded from school, since today is the first day....But anyway! let's not forget to spend a little time with our Father who is watching us with His loving eyes :)

Today's passage is

Luke 10:27

He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself."

John 14:21

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

Wow, pretty power-packed verses over there huh, and what immediately struck me after typing out John 14:21 was, hey! We all do love God wholeheartedly and God did reveal Himself to all of us on Sunday morning, 14 june, 2009, 10am :) how awesome!

Anyway, the story of the china farmer guy is cool man, and it really inspired me to be aware of my actions and that if I was a child of God, God would empower me to go the extra mile, you believe? And why hold the lift for one person (aka yourself) when you can let others go out first then you, last. It's little actions like that that shows God in you and i'm sure you've experienced God through Encounter Outside.

Let us always remember that nothing is impossible without God and sometimes we struggle so hard to love the unloved, remember that you aren't alone. Your brothers and sisters-in Christ are in this pilgrim's journey together.

Shalom!

Jill

Jesus Take The Wheel

2009-06-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

I love Danny. Woohoo! GO GOKEY!
Seriously, this year American idol rocks! 2 Worship Leaders within the top 3 finalists, shows how awesome Christ is in our lives! haha.

Anyway, today is about the song "Jesus Take The Wheel"
If you haven't heard it before, check it out!

Wow. What a song isn't it!
First time I heard it, it really did touch me. Thought it really meant something special.

You know, I was involved in a car accident 2 years ago, that thankfully wasn't too serious (as in I wasn't injured.) BUT I'M STILL A VERY SAFE DRIVER HOR!!! EVERYONE WOULD VOUCH FOR THAT!
Anyway, to share my experience of being in an accident, it's like everything was going in slow motion. As I realised that this car was about to hit into my side door, I just didn't know what to do. It was like at that moment, I realised there was really nothing I could do to avoid it. It was going to happen. It may seem like a cliche, but I really did see my life flash before my eyes. Everything went into slow motion as I watched as the car came closer and closer, and all I could do was brace myself for impact. I think i remembered saying "Lord If its your will, please let me live." Thankfully, the car swerved a little and avoided hitting my door, ratehr just hitting my front area.

As I reflect on this song, I realised it was literally how I felt when the accident happened. It encapsulated everything I wanted to say to the Lord. Jesus, take the wheel. Take it from my hands. I can't do this on my own, I'm letting everything go to You. Lord, give me one more chance, save me from this road I'm on, Jesus take the wheel.

This song also represents our lives. Like I mentioned in the devotion, our walks are very much like a car ride. The beginning of the ride is our journey in life and the destination is our 'death'.
So right now, who is God in your life?

I used to have Him as my spare wheel when I was younger. I thought I didn't need Him in my life. Everything was going well and good. And it seemed like I was invincible. But I still called myself a Christian. Cos I wanted Him to be my spare tyre in life. Should anything have happened, He became someone I turned to for help in the worst case, or someone to blame for the things that have happened. But I realised that that's not the way it works.

We sometimes leave God out of the decisions we make, and really out of our daily live. But we are so quick to pull Him out when exams come, or when something bad happens.

But Its time we use Him as a steering wheel in our lives. He should be the one who steers our every decision to the direction He has for us. Whatever it is, no matter how small it is, or even how big it is, it should be committed up to God.

And how do we do that? Through prayer and devotions.
Commit it to the Lord and seek His will in your lives. There's a famous phrase that goes WWJD-What Would Jesus Do? I kinda like it cos whenever i want to say something or do something bad, I think what would Jesus do? Would He have done it if He were me?
It sometimes saves me from saying something stupid or bad that would either hurt me or hurt others.
Another advice is to just seek Him everyday and encounter Him everyday. We all know after Encounter that He is real in our lives. So seek what He wants in your lives and where He is steering You to go today!

God Loves, and so do I.
xoxo
Hernshung

God Loves Helicopters too.

2009-06-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

There was once a Helicopter named Hernshung the Helicopter. He was amazingly handsome and hot.
And the Helicopter knew God loved Him.
So He was happy.
The End.
Lol.

ok. Just to do this cos I saw none of the leaders wrote anything for Day 7.
This modern day 'parable' reminds me of the parable of the lost sheep.
And it reminds me how no matter how we have strayed away from God, He is not willing to call us back in, but is trying His best to bring us back to Him.

It's quite coincidental (maybe not), cos I've just came back from the skit practise which is quite similar to this story.
So many times, we stray away from God and stray away from Him, and He is always trying to hard to pull us back to Him.
But sometimes, our willpower is way too weak and the temptation of sin is way too strong.
So we start to fall away from Him.

But He will try even harder to pull us back and bring us closer to Him. And no matter how far we stray away or how much we ignore Him, He will never cease to love us.

I remember a quote from a speaker I heard a couple of years back which kinda rocked my world.
He said, "God Loves You, no matter whether you like it or not." Period.
He loves YOU, whether you want Him to or not.
And no matter how broken you are, no matter how torn apart you are, no matter how badly you have sinned, He is always willing to pull you back to Him.

But as I sit here and ponder on Andy's challenge to us at the end, I can immediately think of some friends who I need to pray for. Maybe its not about evangelising back to them, but the first step we can all take is to pray for them. And then slowly plant the seed in them, for God to nurture and grow them.

Cos in the end, He created us all, and He bought us all from sin with His death.
So He definitely wants us back to Him.

xoxo
Hernshung

P.S the Day 8 one will be up soon, after my dinner!

Day 6: How Will They Know?

2009-06-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

Dear all!

Hope you have been doing your devotions consistently! We’re nearly halfway through the first 14 days!

Today’s devotional passage might look familiar to those of you who went for Encounter, but this is such an important lesson that we need to look at it twice :)

I think most of us are convinced that God wants us to share the Good News with our friends and family who do not yet know God. However, obeying God in this area is very challenging – we are (at least, I am!) afraid of how people will respond, etc.

Today’s devotion shows us several ways we can be involved in helping others know about God:

1) "Who will pray for them if you fail to intercede?": Sometimes the best way to bring people to God is not to just go rushing out to shove the Gospel up the noses of anyone and everyone you meet, but to pray first and ask God to show you when and to whom to speak.

We can faithfully pray for God to soften the hearts of our family and friends. Surely He cares more about them than we care about them, and He will show us when to share the Gospel with them!

2) "Not only must you tell others of what Jesus did for them on the cross, but you must also be an example of Jesus in your actions.": Sharing the Gospel is more than talking to people. The Bible says that we can share the gospel with others without even saying a word!!!

1 Peter 3:1 "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives."

We are a Letter of Christ ("You yourselves are our letter...known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ..." - 2 Corinthians 3:2) through our actions. So we can share the gospel without being eloquent speakers :)

3) I read this verse the other day, and it showed me that I must be prepared to share my faith if people ask me about it -

1 Peter 3:15-16 "...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

4) Lastly, if you are afraid that you may suffer for obeying God's command to share the Gospel, remember this:

1 Peter 3:14 and 17 "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

Galatians 1: 10 "...If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

-------

There will be times when we do not “feel an urgency to share the true gospel”, as today’s passage states. It is during these times that we must pray for God to

“Break my heart for what breaks Yours/Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause”

and He will give us Love for the lost.

------

Challenge for the day!

1) Write up a list of people whom you want to see come to know God. It may be a long list! Then go down the list (over the next few days) and pray for these people. Pray: if God wants you to be the one to share with them, that He will give you the opportunity!

2) Let's also examine ourselves in how we can be a good testimony for God. If there are any areas where we aren't a gd testimony (e.g. anger, pride, lying, swearing, sexual immorality etc etc - I know there's a verse for this but I can't find it at the moment!), let's repent and ask God to help us change.

3) Think about what your answer will be to people who ask you why you are a Christian. Sincerely reflect on this so that you will always be prepared if there are golden opportunities to share!

Whew that was long D:

I end off with the lyrics of the bridge to Hosanna - listen to it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7SMUf6QcyQ

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your Kingdom's cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

Let's be the generation that rises up to take our place with selfless faith :)

Okie dokes TGIF :) Have a blessed weekend! See you all on Sunday!

cheryl

ZERO to HERO

2009-06-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ah ah siol!!! (quoted from wayne.)

wassssuppp! For all you school kids out there, schools about to start, so start being smart!
Kk. Enough lameness.

For the deovtion today (Day 5), the first thing I've realised was the scripture passage looked very familiar! Then I realised, we've been doing the same scripture passage the past 2 days as well! And guess what! We're also doing the same passage today and ALSO on Youth Sunday! It's our scripture passage for youth sunday. So cool right! You all better be able to read out the passage on Sunday without looking at the bible. I'm going to test you. if you don't know, means you haven't been doing devotions. Orh hor!

Anyway, I think the other leaders have shared their bit and we now should know that God loves us, because He created us. And He created us in His image and He was willing to send His son to come and die for us. Period. No argument there.

You know, growing up as the middle child in the family, we are often regarded as the most unloved of kids in the family. Cos the oldest is always doted on, while everyone always loved the youngest. (All those middle kids would be nodding their head in agreement now..)

When I was young growing up, I wasn't the best sportsman or the best student. In fact, my brother was better at most sports than me and also getting good grades than me. And when my sister started schooling, she also became a good student, but at least I'm still a better sportsperson than her. So I sometimes got my mum or dad trying to compare me with them, which many of you who have siblings will know how annoying it is.
And on top of that, somehow, by some great coincidence, it seems like all of my dad's friends had smart kids or at least boasted that they had smart kids.

But after a while, I realised that we all had our special gifts. Mine definitely was not in studying. But I realised one thing, my identity is found in Christ. I was a christian, a child of God, and a special kid made by God for a reason.

God didn't have time to create a nobody. He only had time to create a somebody. And we are all somebody's in this world.

I loved how Reinhard Bonnke gives the analogy of how we are all zeroes. but with THE ONE, we all become value added and can make an impact around the world! Just look at Mr Bonnke, making an impact to millions. (Some of us had the opportunity to listen to him live earlier this year and he was a great speaker.)

I think being a teenager (not anymore for me) we all face alot of criticism and also face harsh words from either friends or our parents or siblings, where we get told we are losers, zeroes, idiots, good for nothings.....

But we need to keep in mind we are all good for somethings, thats the way He created us. We each have a purpose in our lives that He has put in our hearts and we each have special gifts to fulfill it. (So if you don't know what your spiritual gift is, come and look for me and I'll help you take a test!) And may our lives be our message to the world! That with Christ in me, with Christ for me and with Christ with me, I am a somebody in this world, and the world can never take that away!

So go out and be a somebody in this world, in your backyard!
You are no longer a ZERO!
You are now a HERO!

-Your friendly neighbourhood hero,
Spider-Shung

DAY 4: WAIT TILL YOU SEE ME WHEN I'M DONE!

2009-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hellooooooooo NEW YORK CITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

Okay sorry for that random outburst but alot of perfomers say that and it suddenly came to mind:)

Spare my short post cos my head really hurts from studying history so here goes:)

Basically say 4 is an extension of day 3 where it talks about how each and everyone of us is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's eyes and therefore our value/ personal identity does not lie in our friends' comments on our dressing or our parents' satisfaction with the grades we get.

Instead, the devotional material today reiterates the fact that God had created us with a divine purpose and we are "sent" to fulfill his will on Earth. Believe it or not, God already has your life story written out for you and you are defintely not an accident!

Self-identity can get really really complex as we get older; am I a broody emo punk or potential presidential candidate material? and with all the hormones raging sometimes things get outta hand...both emotionally and the pimple outbreaks!

But, it is important for Christians to realise that our entire being is created by God, belongs to God and therefore valued by God. Hence, by right, we should only care about what He says about us. Remember, no one has the power to judge you except for God.

Characteristics that you possess are God-given and even though they might not be perfect or Miss/Mr Universe worthy, God's work in your life will show through the changes and improvements in your flaws and weaknesses. For when you are weak, He is strong. Also, God finds strength in the weakest places! Don't ever think that just because you cannot do 10 pull ups you cannot be a soldier of God!:)

Reflection Qns:

1)I think i am too impatient, intolerant and critical amongst my many other flaws. Oh ya and the noisy part as well. But but I think I am slowly getting better at improving my temper.. God always seems to put even more difficult/annoying/frustrating situations and people in my life the more I pray for patience and tolerance. Sometimes it gets really annoying but it's quite funny if you think about it in a sadistic way!lol but it's good to learn through practice!

2)I talk alot and am very noisy so i guess i contribute to discussions, whether or not my input is called for or necessary lol. Also, my critical, intolerant and impatient nature sometimes work for the good when I need to get school projects done really quickly/when group mates aren't helping etc.

Okay!Off to hit my head on some pillows!

Keep the groovin' in your movin'!

You know He loves you,
XOXO

DAY 3 DEVOTION REFLECTIONS

2009-06-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

hello! wello! cello! bello! jello! HAHAHHA..greetings everyone!!!!so how was your day today?i watched hannah montannah! it wasnt that good but the songs were nice and i so wanna learn the hoedown throwdown song!!!!

hahahah....so anyways i hoped you have done the devotion for the day. If you have done so, you will know that its entitled "created in his image".well actually i was suppose to do yesterday's devotion but because of some reasons, i exchanged with christabel and took over today's reflection. Personally, i feel that God was actually trying to talk to me through this passage. Honestly, to share with all of you, i am actually in the midst of searching for who i really am. haha dont fear i am not suffering from identity crisis.But sometimes, i do get affected by how people judge me in terms of personality and looks. I mean i think most of you will understand where i am coming from. We all live in a world where people are superficial, everyone places so much emphasis on outer appearance. Like people will rate each other, some will probably go up and talk to others because they look better. Of course, as we all know beauty is skin deep but in this harsh world we are living in, people tend not to concentrate so much on one's personality.

The passage impacted me and actually comforted me. If i think about it, i actually have a lot to thank God for. My friends who i can count on, my family who loves me unconditionally, school i can attend etc. Compared to many children in this world, i think i seriously am very very fortunate. At least i can walk safely on the grass and not worry whether i am going to lose my leg. But sadly most of the time, we prefer to compare ourselves to those we are wealthier and better looking. One thing that my mum always thought me and will be etched in my mind is that in everything i do and have, give thanks. Last time, my mum used to pray with me and despite my really sucky grades, my mum still thank God and said that i still have many opportunities in life and as long as i am living, chances are aplenty.(ya my mum is quite cool as me..ahaha joking). With this is mind, i am actually quite ashamed of myself and my low self esteem.

I guess from today onwards i must bear this in mind that i should not brood over the things i dont have, but thank God for what i have. What i have taken back from this passage is that we should all thank God for giving us the opportunity to live on this world. With life, we are able to experience emotions, we are able to love and care for others and we are able to make decisions and choices. That is also what it means to be created in his image. Because God is love and that is what he wants us to do. If you ask me, what do i think is the most important thing is life, my reply will be love. Some people may not feel the same way but say that money is the most important thing is life because money can destroy or build a person up. Of course we are all familiar with the saying" money is the root of evil". But think again, is money the root of all evil or rather the LOVE for money that is the root of evil. This may seem out of point but with this i would like to direct you to the point and emphasize how Love changes everything. So the main point that i hope you will all take from this passage is that, to be created in God's image means that we should actually live like how God does which means loving each other and when we are able to do so, we will be able to have a closer relationship with God:)

The bible verse for today which is psalm 139:13-14 states " For you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made." So at times when you are feeling down and unhappy with yourself, remember this verse and draw strength from it. Our bodies on earth are actually temporal. Its actually an empty shell, its what that goes inside it that is most important and it is shown through our actions and words. I would like to close with this personal motto which i think is very refreshing and i hope it encourages you. " Do not let the world change you, you change the world". I know its not as easy as it seems because talk is cheap. Therefore it is my prayer that all of you will encourage and edge each other on when you are feeling down or disappointed with yourself. I would like to end with the verse from John 15;16 its says " I am chosen and appointed by christ to bear his fruit". Remember how God made us and live up to what he wants us to be which is to serve him and love others!!!!

hehe sorry that this was posted kinda late. Poly killed my brain cells and i had difficulties putting my thoughts into words..hehhehe..Take care you all! LOVE LOADS!

By Dionne Hoe-down Throwdown

Day 2 Devotion: Jehovah Jireh

2009-06-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Helloaaa beautiful and handsome children of God! Here're my thoughts on today's devotion material.

Firstly, what really struck me was the origins of the name "Jehovah Jireh" and especially of the "provision". Okay so we all know that God can provide for our needs but how much do we really trust that He will? It is interesting to note that God does not JUST provide for us (as we like to carelessly say)but that He provides PERFECTLY because He knows before us and before time EXACTLY what we need and has promised to provide for our needs.

Can we trust God to keep His promises of provision? Well, I think the bible has many mind-blowing examples of God's faithfulness to His people. Take today's bible reading for example. We know that Isaac was a treasured child of Abraham, but why exactly? If you read the chapters before chapter 22 and follow the story of Abraham, you will realise that Isaac was such a precious son to Abraham because he had to wait 25 long years for Isaac to be born. Yes, 25 years! That is a very long time of waiting. But yet, God was faithful in keeping His promise of PROVIDING Abraham and Sarah with a son.

There are many other examples of God fulfilling His promises throughout the bible, such as the story of Moses in the book of Exodus, etc. And of course the greatest promise fulfilled, was God providing Jesus to die for us which He promised in Genesis. That means that God saw our need for salvation way beforehand and made a promise to send Jesus (you can read this in the books of Genesis, Isaiah, Micah, Matthew, Luke) down approximately 400 years before He fulfilled it. 400 years! WOW. So don't lose faith yeah! If God has promised you something and you have been waiting ages for it to come true, then keep waiting! Because we know that God provides in His time, no matter how long He takes. (dont worry im sure it wont take 400 years!)

So now that we know God knows our needs better than we ourselves do and will provide for us, shouldn't we have faith like Abraham and believe that God will always keep His promises of provision? The Lord loves us so unfathomably and He will always want the best for us. (If He didn't, He wouldn't even have bothered sending Jesus to die for us while we were YET sinners.) So let's make it our prayer today to have absolute faith in our Lord and His ability to provide for us!

After all, "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" (Luke 12:27-29, NIV)

Besides praying for faith, let us also learn to provide for the needs of others just as the Lord has provided and will continue providing for us. We are all blessed to be a blessing, so let's start acting out our faith today! :D

Have a great week ahead everyone!!!

By 7-Eleven/ Christabel

Day 1 Devotions.

2009-06-21T08:22:00.001-07:00

hey all ,

i am going to talking about the Day One devotion k . so please feel free to tell us how you guys feel as well.

Firstly, Obviously the main theme of the passage is scarifice! but what about it. To me . lets look at break it down ( dont start breakdancing) into different verses of the passage given to us . Verse 3 to 5 spoke to me while i was reading it. It is " Not only so , but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance : perserverance, character: and character ,hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit ,whom he has given us. Whoa never expected it yea?

When problems step into your life, we often ask God , GOD IF YOU ARE SO GREAT AND MERCIFUL! WHY DO YOU LET PEOPLE SUFFER! there you go. Thats your answer. He wants us to build character , perserverance then hope. This Hope that we have doesnt disappoint us! cause God gave us this wonderful present which is the Holy Spirit. And taking from the show fighting spiders " Hope keeps the spirit alive" . How true is that? the Hope that we are currently having now actually keeps our fire burning for God. So we should keep Hoping! DONT EVER lose hope in God =)

Verse 6 to 8 talks about how loving our father is and HOW DEEP IS OUR FATHER'S LOVE for us . Imagine you are the most evil child on earth( i said imagine) , always thinking of evil plans to trick your dad or play a prank at him . When he scolds you , you rebel. When he seeks you. You play hide and seek with him. When he wants hold your hand and guide you. You listen to your friends instead. Familar? now read it again as a parallel to our own life. what would be the rating now 1-10 how evil are you. Now feeling sad already? BUT YOU KNOW WHAT. GOD OUR FATHER! DIED FOR US EVEN THOUGH WE ARE STILL SINNERS! What a AWESOME GOD is He! we were disobedient, and we have not done His will , YET He still loves us for who we are. So who are we to complain about suffering when Jesus died on the cross for us. He was the one that suffered for us. we will never be able to imagine how much pain he went through . (passion of christ is just a movie, i bet in real life it is X9999999999999 WORST! )

From the material: A verse that came to my mind was john chapter 3 verse 16. A verse that is common to us , but yet lies a deep meaning in it. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God actually loves us so much that he sent his ONLY SON to die for us . That is what we should know about sacrificial love. And in this era, what we could do is to GIVE UP SOMETHING THAT YOU VALUE MOST for God. We must also learn to sacrifice the treasures that we have just like God who sacrifice his Son. the line that spoke to me was "It may be more helpful to think of sacrificial love as a willingness to live for other people by serving them.It's the kind of love that joyfully gives up something of value – like time or money or even physical energy and labour – for the greater purpose of showing the depth of God's love."

Challenge : TO SACRIFICE SOMETHING THAT YOU VALUE TO GOD. EG: IF I PLAY COMPUTER ALOT. so i will GIVE UP the time spent with my computer and instead spend the time with God. Think about what you want to sacrifice. And start doing it today!

By The Hot & Sexy Jared Kohhhh....

Day 1's Devotion- How deep the Father's Love for us

2009-06-21T08:18:00.001-07:00

post camp.

2009-06-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Firstly, can i just say how glad I am that all of you went for the youth retreat.
I hope you encountered God in some way or another, because I know that I did, especially this morning.

What a great 3 days it has been and I hope everyone learned something about God, about themselves and about their friends.

The only word i can use to describe these 3 days is amazing.
From the speaker sessions and night service on day 1, to the sunrise and lightning encounter on day 2, to encountering God outside on day 2, to the testimony sharing and just the time spent with God on day 3.
There are seriously no words to describe how amazing it has been. And all praise and glory to God.

I can safely admit that of my 10 years in the YM and going for countless camps in TMC and other churches, this has been one of the best i've been to. And I'm glad you were all there to be on this journey with me.

I know we've done alot of writing this week, but i believe one of the best things to do is always write down your reflections and thoughts down. I do it myself whenever i can.

I'd really love to hear any testimonials or sharing of what you have felt during this camp.
Be it on day 1, 2 or 3, i would love to know what you experience or what you felt God was speaking to you about.
Especially after this morning's encounter, im very sure most of you encountered God.
And if you re-dedicated your life to God this morning, let us know. If you accepted Him for the first time in your life, let us know. If you felt God speaking to you, share with us. If you felt God prompting you to do something, share it with us. If you need prayer requests, share it with us.
This would be a great encouragement to myself and the leaders, and also a way for us to keep praying for you and to follow up with you if you would like us to.

So do please drop me an email with your testimony/sharing as soon as possible, while it is still fresh in your head.
my email is imatv@hotmail.com or tmcyouthmin@gmail.com take your pick.

One last thing before I go, we will be embarking on 30 days of devotion, starting this Sunday.
We will be going on a journey together as a community of campers, doing 10 mins of devotion each night.
We've learnt that we just need to be silent before the Lord everyday and bask in His presence.
So this will help you get kickstarted and do devotion nightly.
So do please come down this Sunday and we will hand out the booklets.

I look forward to reading your testimonies and sharings, and also look forward to seeing all of you this sunday at YM!
9am at the upper room!

In His Love,
Hernshung

"For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light."
-Ephesians 5:8

2009-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick update!

This is important!

Please bring along 3 sets of towels!
1 will be used for your normal showering,
1 will be used for the dirty games
and the last one is a request by Pastor Bernard (please make sure it is simple and plain, not colourful or decorative.)

Thanks!

Only 2 more days left!

Remember Registration on Friday morning is 8am sharp!
Don't be late!!!

PACKING LIST!!!!

2009-06-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Here is the packing list for Encounter!

1. 3 items of clothing, including socks & undergarments! (apart from the one already on your back when you arrive!) We will be getting a little sweaty and dirty on one of the days, so make sure its older clothes which are fine to do so in!

2. Toiletries (i.e towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, face wash etc) for the sake of others!!!

3. Sanitary items (for the ladies)

4. Slippers (Comfy to wear while at TMC!) or crocs count too.... if u're cool like me. =)

5. Shoes (Unless you want to run around with slippers.........trust me. just bring shoes!)

6. Water Bottle (To fill up and drink during the day!)

7. Own Utensils (we will not be getting utensils from the caterers, so please bring ur own! Fork, Knife, spoon and a cup! or chopsticks if u want to be cheena.....)

8. Sleeping Bag* (there are no beds in TMC. Only the floor! So make sure you bring sleeping bags! Please dont bring a mattress like Eugene did a few years back...)

9. Plastic Bags for your dirty clothes!

10. Jacket (esp if you end up sitting beside me..... cos im cool. Get it?! or just in case Tim starts telling jokes....cos its cold. Get it?!)

11. Bible * (MUST!MUST!MUST!)

12.Writing Materials* i.e pens, paper,notebook etc (ANOTHER MUST!) highly advised to bring different coloured pens, so u can decorate ur encouragement cards!

13. Encounragement Cards* (Its time to go to that free ZO Card stand, be a kiasu singaporean and grab as many encouragement cards as you can! Cos you will be flooding each other with cards THROUGHOUT the camp!!!!! Expect you to write 10 a day! )

14. Money* i.e Around $10-$15 should be fine. We will be going out of camp so please bring some money just in case! PLUS, bring coins if you want to get drinks from the vending machine!)

15. 1 set of sleeping attire* (yes, you should bring pyjamas. The more embarrassing, the better it will be!!!!!)

16. Personal Medication* (A MUST MUST AGAIN! I'm not looking forward to giving anyone CPR..... unless you are emma watson. KIDDING!)

17. Most importantly, a heart ready to ENCOUNTER GOD!!!!

SEE YOU ON FRIDAY MORNING AT 8am!!!!!
DON'T BE LATE!!!!!!

2009-05-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

2 More Weeks and Encounter begins!

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP?!

AND

ARE YOU READY!!!!

2009-05-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Just a sneak peek into what to expect in Encounter!

1. Dynamic, inspirational and interesting speaker sessions by our own Pastor Bernard.

2. Deeper worship with God.

3. Moments of silence to hear His voice

4. A very beautiful morning watching the sun rise.

5. Funtastic games

6. A very cool t-shirt

And many more to come!

So make sure you sign up for it asap!
Get a registration form from hernshung or your YM leaders if you need any!

See you there!

2009-05-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys and Gals,

We are accepting Registration Forms for Encounter 09 NOW!

Please get it filled out and signed by your parents and hand it in to your youth leaders on Sunday!
Also, I know there is no area for your parents to sign, but please get them to sign somewhere in the box next to their particulars.

And LASTLY, next to the box of your particulars, please specify what shirt size you wear, so we know what to provide!

See ya at Encounter!

hernshung

Encounter 09

2009-04-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

ENCOUNTER 09

A youth retreat for youths by youths.
A retreat that will be held every 2 years, it aims to help you grow into a deeper relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We will embark on a journey of learning to listen to Him, learning to pray to Him and learning to follow Him.

Our theme verse for this retreat is Luke 9:23, where we will learn to deny ourselves and follow Him!
With this retreat, we hope that this retreat will refresh your spirit, renew your faith and reignite your passion to serve Him!

Date: 12th June - 14th June
Time: 9am Registration 12th June; 1.30pm Break Camp 14th June
Venue: Trinity Methodist Church
Price: $20

Registration has opened!
Please approach your YMM for a registration form on Sunday!

For more enquiries, email us at tmcyouthmin@gmail.com or contact hernshung at 91547223.

We hope to see you there!

2009-04-20T07:32:00.001-07:00

Encounter 09!

Denying Yourself and Picking Up The Cross

Luke 9:23

"Then he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"

12th - 14th June '09

@TMC