Wednesday, May 24, 2006
volene vim vivuan ... o my valiant violinist!
remember your promise to play at my wedding and funeral.. same song also can :) save you from extra time to practice
for church retreat this year, i've been tasked to put together the praise teams and also select a theme song :)
church retreat theme 2006 - Branded4Christ!
theme verse: Galatians 6:17
"From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus." NASB
song selected for the church camp.. ... *drums roll*
From The Inside Out by Hillsong United - album: United We Stand (2006)
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
ooooooooooooo
{1:25 PM}
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
it's 2:20am and raining heavily. wat a perfect weather to slp..and i'm here taking a break from my church history research paper, 3500 words should be manageable.. with GOD's grace and help!
will blog more abt what happened last fri during chapel! woah! GOD was and is and will be at work!
gloria: thanks for all the help given the past few weeks, your commitment speaks alot about yr sense of responsibility. MP for chuppa chups? maybe i'll vote for you
I say YOU are GOD, YOU are MY GOD! shout Your fame ...
{2:23 AM}
Friday, May 19, 2006
it's been ages since i last posted.
things have been great. recovered from a bout of bad gastrics (which escalated whenever i need to do follow-up.. hmm). God is really awesome. had quite a few people who really upheld me in prayer.
such a blessing to know that I have such caring family members and friends around me.
a friend in TTC even emailed me to ask me what medication i was on so that he could advise me accordingly.
feel so blessed!
of course, my loving mother who nursed me back to health. she made me drink like at least 2 cups of milo when i couldn't stomach any food due to the pain.
morning devotion - to be shared later :)
Good morning!
Have you ever eaten marshmallows? I know some of us here love to eat it during barbecue, to just put it over the fire and you'll get a nice marshmallow that is crispy on the outside but soft & melted on the inside.
I'm going to talk to you about an experiment done by Stamford that has got to do with marshmallows. It is called the marshmallow experiment.
The experiment started in the 60's. They took a bunch of preschool kids and handed each one a marshmallow.
The adult then said that he had needed to go away for 20 minutes and that the kids could eat the marshmallow any time but if they were to wait for him to return after the 20 minutes, the kid will be given another marshmallow. So right now, it's 1 marshmallow to be eaten immediately or wait for some time, and you'll get 2 marshmallows. About 2/3 of the children chose to wait and so got 2 marshmallows.
The interesting thing is that they followed up on these kids 14 years later and found out that the ones who waited turned out to be more successful because they were able to delay their wants or desires so that they can get a better reward. These people were able to achieve their goals as teenagers and young adults. They exhibited good habits such as confidence and persistence. They thought through issues carefully before acting.
On the other hand, the one-third who had ate the marshmallow, had a different overall profile. They had trouble controlling immediate desires to achieve long-range goals. For e.g., when it was time to study for the big test, they tended to get distracted into watching a favourite TV program.
Imagine if you're one of the kids in this experiment. Would you be a 1 marshmallow or 2 marshmallow kid? What are some of the marshmallows in our lives? Watching Narouto, playing maple story, dota and some even Neo-pets? Going on msn even while doing homework? I'm not saying that they're not good, it's just we must know how to control. Are we able to delay our wants or desires so that we can get a better reward?
I know that exams are over right now, and that as you take back your papers, for those who did well, I'm truly happy for you, for those whom you know you have done your best, I want to say Well done and keep on at it. For those who didn't get what they had expected, don't give up. Decide if you'll want to be a 1 marshmallow or 2 marshmallow kid? It's never too late to start :)
Right now, I'm going to invite Pascale to share with us what happened during her “O” levels last year. She just graduated from St. Margaret's last year.
Pascale:
Hi!
Today I would like to share about God’s unfailing faithfulness amidst one of the most trying times of my life.
During all my years in SMSS, I never took my studies seriously and always thought myself to be someone smart enough to be able to attain good grades despite not studying. I was able to achieve average results but only for the 1st 4 years of my education. During my 5th year, which was also my 'O' level year, I tried to use the same mentality. For my prelims that year, I scored a shocking result of 42 points for my L1R5. I was devastated as that was only 3 weeks away for the actual 'o' level examinations. However, God was always the hope when I felt that everything was going wrong.
During that 3 weeks, i felt a new sense of motivation to really do my best for God in my studies, to really in the effort. I even found myself being able to study till very late at night. Something which i've never done before.
I tried to accomplish as much topics as I could to prepare me for the 'o' levels.
God constantly sent people to help and encourage me in my studies. Because of Him, I had the confidence that I could do a lot better for my 'O's than I had done for my prelims.
True enough, when I received my results in February, I was relieved. I scored 23 points for my L1R5. what was more praiseworthy was the significant jump in my individual grades. For my mathematics, I jumped from an F9 for my prelims to a B3 for my 'o' levels. For my combined science, I scored an A2 compared to the D7 for my prelims. For my English, I achieved a B3 for my O levels instead of an E8 and I jumped from a C6 to a B3 for my combined humanities.
God is indeed a miracle-working God who recognizes the hard work of his delights in the prosperity of His servants. Many of you here may have gotten back results that did not meet your expectations. Learn to trust God in trying times and believe that He is a God so big that He can't possibly fail you if you believe and work hard toward your desire. What may your desires be today? To score straight ‘A’s? Or maybe to attain just one ‘A’? whatever desire it may be, place it into the Master’s hands and believe for the things that may seem impossible for you because My God never fails when we put our trust in Him. I am not saying that it is going to be an easy path but rather that you have Father God who is on your side helping you to achieve your fullest potential yet!
Thank you Pascale. Pascale didn't really do well for her prelims but she decided to depend on God and study hard. She also set in her mind to rely fully on God and be a 2 marshmallow kid. I hope her sharing has encouraged some of you here.
Proverbs 16:3 tells us to "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." and Paul tells us to press on and run the race and to run in such a way as to get the prize.
I hope the next time you see a marshmallow, you'll remember the experiment and ask yourself if you're a 1 marshmallow or 2 marshmallow kid?
Let's pray.
brenda: really glad to see you at CF today. thanks for saying grace for us so that we could attack the food at the farewell party.
cheryl liew: you did a great job today! thank you for organising with the rest to do the party. love ya!
aud: hello!!! *sorry so slow ar the response*
rung: aiyo, see you almost everything.. just can't get enough of you! yay!
aimin: i miss you all.. the retreat was really great. got to know other pple from other churches. muacks!
sus: yes mdm, your wish is my command
jk: yup.. will do
joey - jewel in the palace: hey hey! will definitely link you soon :) wah! u know korean ar.. oooo
jacinth: the soccer mania is HERE!!!!!
jolene: really glad to see you at the party today. thanks for helping me with the trash. appreciate it.
2 marshamallows!
{2:58 AM}