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God is.....

Compassionate
Persistent
A God Of Second Chance
A Miracle Performer
Commander
Powerful
Disciplinarian
Teacher
Healer
Environmentalist
Giver & Taker Of Life
Love

Source: Funny Pictures (2003)

Book of Jonah

(Permission of use obtained from author)

No time to read the book of Jonah?
Need some pictorial help in visualising the story of Jonah?
Click on the picture to read the Jonah comics!

The Steward Exercise

We have an ultra-interesting application this week, I want to invite all of you to join in! And in case those who were at processing thought I wasn't serious about it...well, this entry shows that I am, so, please do homework hor! Here goes...

Consciously note your week's expenditure for 8 Oct-13 Oct.

While doing this exercise, remember that we're assuming that this is a typical week. So don't try to deliberately curb your spending. If you are giving tithe this week, divide your tithe amount by 4 and add on to your week's total expenditure.

After you have done your recordings of expenditure at the end of Sat, observe from your spendings the following:
1. Are you content with what you have? (i.e. are you content with what you've spent on...or do you want more?)
2. Do you give to God first?
3. What are the things we spend on?
4. Do you give to the poor?

We are to be good stewards!

3-Step Bible Study Process

(Taken from "Living by the Book" by Howard G. Hendricks & William D. Hendricks)

(1) Observation: What do I see? (TSLA)
a. Terms: key words (e.g. "but")
b. Structure: grammatical (e.g. what is the Subject/Object), literary (e.g. cause &
effect, question & answer)
c. Literary form (e.g. poetry, epistle, narrative)
d. Atmosphere: setting, author’s feelings

(2) Interpretation: What does it mean?
a. Questions: keep asking
b. Answers: find answers from observation process
c. Integration: put answers together into a meaningful whole

(Tip: The longer time you spend on making observations, the shorter time you take to interpret the passage and the more accurate your interpretation.)

(3) Application: How does it work?
a. For me: personal application for credibility & authority before you teach the Word
b. For others: for effective ministry

:p

oops couldn't stop myself from adding the exclamation mark on the picture...

anyway i added ur family devotion schedule on the side...and it links to the post on the book.

Reflections on Daniel 6:10-23

Reflections on Daniel 6:10-23
How can we grow in doing what is right no matter what's the cost?
1. Foster a close relationship with God
2. Always Pray
3. Always be thankful
4. Always trust God
Daniel is one of my favourite character in the bible because like David, he has a very close walk with God and is called the highly esteemed by God.
In passage 6:10-23, we see Daniel's actions in work with his faith. Regardless of the harsh decree issued by the king, he fearlessly continue his daily routine, that is to pray 3 times a day. Obedience to God is better than sacrifice. And God honors him and save him from the seemingly hopeless situation of death.
For me, what I want to catch from Daniel is his admirable trust in God.
"And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." (Daniel 6:23)
Sometimes, we may be weighed down by many wordly worries in our lives but when we turned our eyes to God and trust Him to help us, it's then that we truly live out what we believe in - that Jesus Christ is Lord.
So just want to encourage all of you, no matter what circumstances we are in, let us always pray to God and trust in Him in everything.
Amen!

~ Posting on behalf of Huili

blog layout

hehe, i dunno what u all want leh :/

so i shall leave the blog like this first...

at least it looks more decent... o.O compared to the one where everything was squashed to one side...

Reflection on Nahum

Nahum

1) God is Awesome
2) Remember God is Awesome
3) Return to the Awesome God
4) Reveal/ Reflect/ Represent the Awesome God

In Nahum, God chose to afflict Israel no more. I was reminded of God's love. He chose me just as he chose Israel. I could have been destroyed just like Nineveh but God included me in His sovereign plan.

"The clouds are the dust of His feet" Nahum 1:3. God has been awesome to me and I want to be used by God to do awesome things. I want to hear Him, see Him, and know Him more intimately. I want people to know this awesome God such that their lives will be transformed in awesome ways.

I was reminded that God is not only a God of love, but also a God of power - power to save, vindicate, punish and destroy. Lets return to our Awesome God.

New Updates - Our Family Devotion Time Schedule

After discussion during last meeting, here's the new schedule....

20 Sep: Nahum (by Sharon)
27 Sep: Daniel (by Huili)
4 Oct: Jonah (by Grace)
11 Oct: Ecclesiates (by Jess)
18 Oct: Esther (by Choi)
25 Oct: ?
1 Nov: Malachi (by Joan)
8 Nov: Zechariah (by Yating)
15 Nov: Ruth (by Sharmaine)
22 Nov: Joel (by Eunice)
29 Nov: Isaiah (by Weiqing)
6 Dec: ?

Let's immerse ourselves in the Word of God, nourishing our souls.

reflection on Nahum

Hmmz... seems like no one else has blogged their reflection yet.... anyway, main take-away was to remember once again how Awesome God is... and as He reminded me of all the times He had seen me thru'...the joy and the pain.... once again i find myself speechless...and eternally grateful..

Memorise the 66 books!!!

Growing deep in the word of God

Dear all (esp those who were not at G12 meeting last thursday)

As discussed,

Each person will have to pick a book in the Old Testament to share. You do not have to share the whole book, it can be just a passage in the book.

To be presented during G12 meeting in any way you want it to be. (One person per G12 meeting). The sharing can be around 30 mins
- To share on one of your personal learning from the Book
- To share on one application that you can help the family to grow in.
(Someone pls correct me if i wrote wrongly)

Pls check with Fang Siang on the schedule and books that are still available.

Our Family Devotion Time

Okie, this may sound a lil abrupt cos there was supposed to be a preamble to this (Yating was supposed to blog about our last meeting, you see... Still waiting for you k? =P)

But, this is what we will be doing for the next few weeks...

20 Sep: Nahum (by Sharon)
27 Sep: Proverbs (by FS)
4 Oct: Jonah (by Grace)
11 Oct: Ecclesiates (by Jess)
18 Oct: 1 Samuel (by Huili)
25 Oct: ?
1 Nov: ?
8 Nov: ?
15 Nov: ?
22 Nov: ?
29 Nov: Joel (by Eunice)
6 Dec: Isaiah (by Weiqing)
13 Dec: Zechariah (by Yating)

Joan, Ady, Sharmaine & Choi may not know what's going on yet. You'll know when you join us for the next meeting.

I'm reading "Living by the Book" by Howard G. Hendricks & William D. Hendricks to equip myself for our devotion time. Tune in to our meetings for great treasures uncovered....

Testing

Hi

It's me learning how to post blog again :)

I'm now at Jeremiah & Titus for my devotion...at my office, we're doing Isaiah...

:) FOr He knoWs the plans for u! Plans to prosper & not to harm u. Plans to give U HoPe & a FuTure! May God bless U with this confidence in Him!

Thank God for seeing me thru everyday at work! Letting me have wonderful colleagues and workload. So blessed in these 2 years :) At work, we emphasize the being rather than the doing. Are we the Mary at Jesus's feet or the Martha jealous of Mary?

I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly his face.

I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once He'd answer my request,
And by His love's constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

"Lord, why is this?" I trembling cried,
"Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?"
"'Tis in this way," the Lord replied,
"I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may'st seek thy all in me."

John Newton.

Devotion by Ps Shufang

Love God with all your weakness
by Jon Walker

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ….'” (Luke 10:27 NIV)

No doubt it sounds strange, but in order to love God with all your strength, you have to admit that you are weak and that your strength is limited.

By doing this, you acknowledge God as the true source of your strength, and that in your weakness, he is strong. You become strong as you become totally dependent upon him, allowing his strength to work through you.

As you allow God to show his strength, you will find yourself doing things you never thought possible. God promises you can do all things through the Father as he gives you his strength (Phil. 4:13). You’ll take steps of faith you never thought possible, and you’ll love others in a way you never imagined as God supplies you with supernatural strength and energy.

God is strong and he wants you strong. He will change you in places where you cannot change yourself, and he will transform the broken places of your life in order to use them for his own glory.

God doesn’t ask you to take steps of faith alone; he is with you in every step, filling you with a grace-charged strength. God only asks you to take one step of faith at a time.

So what?
· Tell God you need his strength – and really mean it this time. Ha! When you try to love and serve others with just your own strength, you’ll inevitably fail. After all, there are a lot of frustrating, unlovable people out there. (Just ask some of my friends!) And that’s OK because God wants you to fail in your own strength so you’ll start to rely upon his strength.

· You can’t love God wholeheartedly – Jesus knows you won’t be able to love God with your whole heart until you become dependent upon his strength to do so. You simply can’t do it through your own energy or strength, but Jesus also knows you’ll come to realize this yourself the more you attempt to love God – and others – on your own. At that point, you’re faced with a very clear but difficult choice: Keep on keeping on in your own strength, wondering why this abundant life thing doesn’t work, or take the “Nestea plunge” into the deep end of dependence on God’s strength.

· One step of faith at a time – Relying on God’s strength doesn’t mean he will require you to take giant leaps of faith. He’s taking you on a lifelong journey, and my experience is that God only asks for one step at a time. The so-called “leaps of faith” you see some people take actually are the culmination of a lot of little steps of faith that you may not be aware of. The first step is to ask God to be your strength as you take your first steps of faith. Willingness to rely on him is a step of faith.

· Question for meditation: How dependent on God am I each day as I walk out my faith? Where am I moving independently of him?

I thought this is a very timely devotion for all of us as the 100k campaign is about a faith journey, depending on God's strength and His strength alone. May you grow in faith as a warrior of light!

Huili's proposal

Walking to the main area (sorry for the super blur picture)
The girls getting ready with the sparklers
The guys getting ready with the cards!

THE PROPOSAL
The super happy couple~
The couple with the super big balloon

The guys~
The cell girls + xide
All the girls

Dinner at FS and Seth's Place

We started off at 4.30 at Fs' house to begin the cooking! Fs wasn't really cooking but she was doing 'housework'. This is what it entails:

Folding plastic bags



5 mins later


And more:

FS said: "Make me look glam hor" (How glam can folding plastic bags be? So, did I succeed?)

After the tedious plastic bag folding, she got up to make us smoothies!

Here's what we had.


Coffee with Raspberry Ice-cream and Chocolate Bits... (Erm. haha. when we offered to Seth, he said, huh? later get stomachache)

So while FS was busy with the smoothie and plastic bag folding, here's what Elicia, Qing and I were up to!





Later on, the cook and photographer got tired, so no more photos. haha.

Global Day of Prayer, 27th May 7 pm at National Stadium

GDOP 2007

Pentecost Sunday. 27 May
7 pm. National Stadium

Hear this. A fitting word from Psalm 122 which Pastor Edmund Chan
of Covenant EFC brought at the Final GDOP Briefing on Saturday May 12:

The 12 tribes were distinct and different -
different tribal sizes
different tribal elders
different tribal leadership
different inheritances
different land allotments
different tribal identities
different tribal loyalties
yet they had ONE thing in common -
A common meeting place "where all the tribes go up"
to celebrate the enormous reality of the Living God in their midst
A God who tabernacled amongst them!

Picture this. There are over 500 congregations here in Singapore.
We all have our different histories, different styles, different sizes, different
church cultures, different languages, different socio-economic mix, different
structures, different philosophies of ministry, and so on. But once a year,
may we arise as ONE for the Global Day of Prayer, uniting with Christians
worldwide on Pentecost Sunday to exalt the Lord our God!

01. Let's gather at the National Stadium this May 27 to celebrate the presence of God in our midst!
02. Let the National Stadium resound with the praises and prayers of God's people in Singapore!
This Sunday and next will be the final two weekends to publicise and
mobilize for GDOP in our respective churches. Could you raise the trumpet
to summon your 'tribe'? Every church matters. Thanks.

Official Organizer: Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore
Official Website: http://www.prayforsingapore.org.sg
Phone: 6337-1977. Fax: 6-338-0983