TGIF for me started on Thursday so its TGIT for me… On Thursday night, we went over to Ps Eve’s place with all our ingredients for food and stationery for gifts/name tags making. It was pretty effective for us. Paulina came out with the icebreaker games while Juliana wrote out her 1-min testimony. I did up the name tags and liked the effect. Pastors came back and led us into a time of praying for the various TGIF events that the tribe was having.
Although we were still preparing, the 1hr that we stopped what we are doing and turned our attention on God, was the most memorable part in the preparation. At 1am, we could feel the presence of God lingering in the hall, where we would be having our harvest event.
We woke up and continue our preparation, frying the foods and buying last minute items. We even had time to bring Ignez out for breakfast and morning exercise! It was simply delighting to see the whole cell come together, be it to prepare for food or taking care of Ignez. That definitely trained us in hospitality, i.e. taking care of the guests!
Guests started appearing at 2pm. As they entered the ‘Supreme Court’, they were given a name tag and welcome drink. We lingered for a while until the last of our guests reached and started with the icebreakers. We played the simple H2O game, where a pair of participants (Hydrogen x 2) has to find another person to make up the Oxygen. The first pair that was forfeited was Luther (my pupil) and Terry. The forfeit was to finish the whole packet of Twisties in one mouth!
After 2 games, we entered into a time of worship that was led by our (new) resident guitarist, Jocelyn. Although we had pre-believers among us, we were not inhibited. Praise and appreciation flowed out of our hearts towards our Saviour and Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus. After worship, one of the visitors Weekwang shared that he teared during worship. Thank God for His presence and for ministering to us.
Ps Eve challenged us to prepare our altar call script and rehearse it. This way, we would not be nervous and leave out important points or be fumbled. As we moved into the video, I was rehearsing the altar call lines in my heart. This round, I wrote out my script and just followed it. I felt calmer than during MyHope event. As our theme was Courtroom, we have 2 ‘witnesses’ to testify that Jesus is real and alive! Thanks to Juliana and Krystle who shared their 1-min testimony vulnerably.
In our lives, we will one day have to face the Judge and the consequences of our decisions and deeds. Who you choose as your Lawyer? If Jesus represents us in the Courtroom of Life, no charges can stand against us, because these charges are now on Him. The invitation was open for the visitors to choose the Best Lawyer for their lives now. By God’s grace, we have 2 salvations and 1 who rededicated their lives to Jesus.
I must say, planning for TGIF and opening the invitation for altar call was a big step of Faith for me. Through this event, I was reminded of how seeds were sowed in my life since Sec 1, until I finally came to know Him in sec 4. I pray for the seeds that we had sown on 10 April that one day these seeds will become strong trees of Faith! Start small, and be faithful!
Holy Spirit visits TGIF event in Eastern part of Singapore
The Holy Spirit has reportedly visited one of the Thank God It's Friday (TGIF) events held in Singapore over the weekend of 10-12 April 2009.
Speaking to the media shortly after the event, Kevin Ng, a 16 year old participant shared that he could sense the presense of the Holy Spirit throughout the event. He said, "I could sense the presence of the Holy spirit throughout the event, especially during the worship session as well as while watching the video".
More than 20 participants gathered at an undisclosed location in the eastern part of Singapore on Friday, 10 April 2009. The event started with games that involved throwing marshmellows into the air and catching them with mouths. The participants were also made to act as boats and lighthouses. The games ended with Nutella all over the faces of popular hosts Steven and Derrick. A time of praise and worship to the Lord was followed by a screening of "The Crossing" video before the participants broke up into their groups.
One of the event organisers, Mr Lionel Chan commented that the event was meant to be a simple and meaningful affair allowing participants to have a good and fun family time. A good and fun family time it was indeed. 25 year old university student Benjamin Lee said, "It was a great and fun time for bonding among the guys in DE Tribe". He added, "We should have it more often since we don't always get a chance to interact with guys from other cells". Responding to this positive feedback, organisers have announced that plans are underway to organise an "All Guys" outing. In a telephone interview, Mr Terry Lim, spokesperson for the organisers said, "I think so.....yes.....it (an "All Guys" outing) definitely is in the pipeline. We should have a clearer picture in the next couple of weeks."
The public is advised to wait for further instructions on the "All Guys" outing or alternatively, they can enquire with their cell leaders.
"The reason we fear to step out is because we know that it might not go well. We have a history of wounds screaming at us to play it safe. We feel so deeply that if it doesn't go well, if we are not received well, their reaction becomes the verdict on our lives, on our very beings, on our heart."
Doesn't that sounds familiar? That it always happen to us? But this is what follows after... "That is why we can only risk stepping out when we are resting in the love of God. When we have received his verdict on our lives-that we are chosen and dearly loved. That he finds us captivating. Then we are free to offer. "
Entering the time into the 100k campaign, some of us the NDP, examinations or even into a new phrase of life, we need to deeply root ourselves in the love of God. Knowing that He's all that matters. To return back to that love which brought us thus far. Be bless, Chuan Lian LM's Cell Ps, Quoted Parts from the book, Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge
It had been some time since I wrote a devotion post. Many things happened and life went on piling up with experiences upon experiences. I came to a major crossroad of my life just about 3 months back. That was the end of my 3 years of poly life. I need to chose between working or continue studying on. Honestly speaking, I did not have the financial ability to continue in pursuing my degree. I would either need to get a bank loan or to work and earn school fees.
In one of the service, Pastor preached about crossroads. I asked the Lord. What do you want me to do? Which step is the best for me? If I go out and work now, am I ready? I was filled with uncertainty about how I am going to handle the new life that is approaching me. I was sitting on the fence and couldn’t decide what to do next. The Lord spoke. Everyone have their own life to live and I have my own. What may seem best for someone else may not be the same for my case. Each person is carefully and wonderfully made by the Lord with a different purpose of life in them.
God opened a door for me in this midst after speaking that I should work for the money then continue to study. I was initially interested in events management/ coordinator and office job. But there is no such combination from what I have seen so far. You either be in the events industry where work time is not defined and all around the clock or it would be a pure 9-5 job where I would be desk bounded. However, we have a creative God who plans things in a unique way. He led my current manager to share with me about the position of central support officer in church. Then I realise that such position does exist. Although that meant that I would need to sacrifice things that I quite treasured like the time I sit together with the tribe and have a mini gathering cum briefing with the tribe every Sunday, it is a place where I knew that my spiritual life would not be depleted by the job but rather grow in my walk with the Lord.
I went for the interview and after a few days of anticipation day and night, I was accepted. About 2 weeks later, I went for Service learning facilitation course. One of the facilitation illustrations was asking the participants to walk in circles along and within the track. Those who cannot keep up with the speed of the others will be called an outcast and brought to another room which is dark and there we are all isolated somewhere in the corner of the room and isolated from the others. That game was called “Pace of life”. The Lord made me understand that I do not need to follow people’s pace all the time. I can be the pace setter or chose to be the outcast. There are two kinds of outcast - One that chose to be an outcast or one who is labelled as outcast when you cannot keep up with the pace of the society.
In this part of my life, I chose to be that outcast. To believe that I am different and there is no need to follow everyone else in the same pace knowing that it may not be suitable for me. The facilitator of the program sat us down and asked us how we felt being an outcast and those who are left on the track. There are many answers but with a little of feeling of being left out and felt uneasy, I still said “Who cares?” That was truly how I felt when I chose to work full time and committing myself to the Lord. It is not an easy journey with many family objections and discouragements added with many questions darted at me. Many could not understand and agree with what I was doing. But the Lord reminded me that I am his special one and he plans the best route for me in my life. As long as I trust in him, he will bring me through and gain victorious battles.
At the end of the day, it is your choice. To choose to be an outcast or to chase after the pace of the pace setters in your life and be labelled as outcast when you cannot follow up with their footsteps. I pray that you would be able to say, “Outcast? Who cares?” when people name you that. May God reveal his plans to you.
Good Friday party at Liang Ming’s house was a blast! With all the yummylicious food, drinks and fun people we have invited, it is no wonder Vanilla, the cutest dog in the world, was so hyperactive that day.
We started at around 2pm after all the guest arrived and had ice-breakers led by Kwai Hoong and Audrey which got all of us laughing hard with the first game called ‘Tick-tock’.
After that, it was charade that got us all pulling our hair and putting on question-marks above our heads. The response from the guest was most heart-warming as they volunteered to be the ones to acting out the clues. One of the many that got us so hyped would be Soy-joy (The recent advertisement of a woman sitting on an invisible chair.) and ‘Fire in the hole’.
We then had a short time of worship with Ming Chin leading us into the presence of God before we watched The Crossing.
We spend 20 minutes or so with the guests one to one to share our own testimonies and the John 3:16 diagram. After that, we had food, which includes fruit salad (It looks tasty right!!), curry chicken, chawamushi and many more. We were super duper bloated by the end of the day.
And here’s a short video showing the game master teaching us the game, Tick-tock! Enjoy.
Below are some learning points that i've consolidated from the cell group... hope it encourages! :)
"one take away from me yesterday would be i can influencing someone's action unknowningly and i fell that i should be more mindful and positive in what i do and say. Not only to the next generation but also, to my spiritual family, family and friends... " -kwai hoong
"the love of the Lord to us. and we have to use back the same love that He loves us to lvoe the next generation. something that i really took back home is the love that i have for the Lord and His people..." -jialing
"i caught the glimpse of the next generation when i saw jialing's cousins, one p4 and another p5. I sense the Lord preparing my heart that i must go beyond myself to play with them and go crazy. they are really hyperactive, but they are certainly wanted into the kingdom of God.." -liangming
The word which i believe God is speaking to us this season is to live a life of true faith. True faith is to rely on God and leave no man-made back up plans. As Senior Pastor relaunched the church into believing God for the multitudes, this same word has to be embraced at every level in the church.
For my Good Friday event, i combined with 2 other cells from Ps Timothy's side. The collaboration was a strategic one to reach out to the schools in the north (esp Canberra, where my BB work is based) For 2 months we gathered boys from the BB company and our cells for rock climbing and abseiling at Yishun Safra on Tuesdays. This Good Friday event was a finale for this 2-month fellowshipping. We did a canopy challenge walk (high ropes course) at Yishun Safra in the morning and ended the session with a testimony sharing by David Lim, a former member of a 4-men Antartica Expedition team.
Many thankgivings to share.
1. That week itself had many wet days including Good Friday itself when it was pouring heavily in the north at dawn (i was awakened by the rain). Thankfully, God heard my simple prayer and the weather was perfect when i walked to Safra later the morning.
2. We booked a room for our games and testimony presentation. When i reached, i realized it was used by another group and apparently the staff made a mistake. The mistake was good for us as they gave us a much better conference room. Bigger space, better set up, colder air con and nice carpeted floor.
3. After some warm up games, we headed for the adventure. The experience was not conducted by me but i thank God that it did bring many of our boys to a point of recognizing their fears and their limits. Even those who thought they are brave enough felt it was challenging. This was what i wanted to link to the main message of our Good Friday event.
4. I met up with David. We have no prior discussion on his sharing but when he ran through with me his testimony and slides. It fitted with my message perfectly. He is a friend introduced by Kenneth Tan and is in our FCBC Men's Network. His testimony about his journey with God was amazing and in many of the boys' feedback, that was the highlight of the day. The trip to South Pole (Antartica) is known to be the toughest journey on earth. His sharing basically tells us that when all things fail, we only can rely on God. We all need God in our lives.
5. I transited into a message for the boys to know what Good Friday was about and what God did for us. My message was intentionally given for both believers and prebelievers about believing in a God who offers a life beyond human limits and understanding. Upon collecting the response card, we had 2 salvations, 1 rededication and 1 other cell member who raised his hand to re commit to a life to believing God again. I believe the heavens rejoiced.
6. Personally, i thank God as i saw my own guys rallied together in supporting the event in logistics and refreshment. This is the first time i saw them together serving with me in the north.
7. Finally, when i worked out my accounts for the event, every dollar and cent i got (tribe fund or collection) covered perfectly for all expenses. God is good!
We have a God who answers the cries of our hearts. We have a God who offers an adventure beyond the limits and understanding of Man. Are you willing to walk this journey with Him? Decide today and live it out.
I had a concert in march and it turned out well, so I thank God for sustaining me throughout the whole concert preparation. Its not my personal performance, the concert has many performers.
For this concert I had to do a lot of technical and production planning and coaching conducting, but it was quite alright cos God provided me with some really nice friends in the club to help me.
The tough part of this thing- the concert preparation- is that there were a lot of dissatisfaction and cynical remarks from the members. And many people thought we were sleeping on our job so I was secretly angry at them. But I thank God for helping me cope with grace and forgiveness. Though on the surface I was scoffing at the asininity of all the gossip and behavior and nonchalant at the same time, I was really quite affected. we had AJC as our guest performers a few weeks before the concert when we had already long finished planning so a lot of the documents had to be amended, which we managed to, so thank God.
then one week before the concert, the director of the management came and spoke to the members and said some hurting words- according to them- cos i was at the g12. reason was because out of 343 tickets, only 26 were sold so he said that if ticket sales do not reach 80% in 3 days, the concert will be off and of course this is bad news to especially those who almost died preparing for this concert, but the concert turned out to be a full house, so thank God. though i personally only sold 9, God really works in ways we cannot see.
And I was returning home late 4 days a week just for guitar, so my parents were not happy but they were surprisingly accommodating
the concert- playing sound lighting entrance exit logistics- went on smoothly. I pleaded alot, if you knew how much. Many people thought it was impossible, and that’s why I know it is not by our might, but God’s.
I am very glad it is over because it was draining most of me. I hope the concerts will look good on my resume in the future.
Welcome to the DE Tribe Blog. We hope it finds you well. With this new layout, we are also introducing new content to enrich your blogging experience. As with tradition, we will continue to have our usual devotion/thanksgiving column. The email address to send your devotion/thanksgiving to is detribe@yahoo.com.sg. Moreover, we are introducing 2 new segments. They are the Pastors’ Column, where Ps Danny and Evelyn will pen their thoughts and also the DE24 Column, where our resident writers will discuss topics that will spur our growth.
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