Thursday, June 29, 2006  12:11 AM
The Royal M.A.S.H.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" - 1 Peter 2:9
The Royal M.A.S.H it was christened, I still have no idea what the M.A.S.H stands for. But it proved to be one of the best four days of my life this year, despite the fact that I was running on empty on the last day with hardly any sleep. Being so close to God during the worship sessions every morning and night, shrieking and whacking people during the games, trying hard to be focused on the excellent sharings and messages instead of Ivan's red, green and blue potato chips and humbling myself before God with a quiet heart during the prayer walk. And of course being stuck with a bunch of boys that play one of the stupidest games ever, the "Aah" game at 2am in the morning in a room that is going to perpetually smell like dirty socks and sweat from now on, and girls who lock themselves up in the room sharing (not gossipping okay) their juicy little secrets, with periodic checks at the corridor - what should I expect?
Six teams - King David, King Josiah, King Hezekiah, King Jehoshaphat, King Jehoiada and Queen Esther.
Blow Wind Blow, the craziest version of Wacko I've ever seen with age, surname, name all in one that slowly turned into a Wacko-version of Blow Wind Blow, Two truths and One lie where you learn the funniest things about people and the one game that doesn't make much sense - Tarzan & Jane.
Mind-boggling but very inspirational messages from Alistair.
Sharings by Eddie, who's this Malay Christian, as well as Aaron, and a little gathering in Dorm 4 where Sam shared with random injections of Hokkien. I will always remember encouragement and prayer.
The best worship sessions ever, every single one never failed to touch me and fill me with the Holy Spirit and I thought the worship team did an excellent job. I do think now that the words of "Majesty" will forever be on the edge of everyone's tongue. And be the bane of every single member in the worship team.
A memorable prayer walk - where we prayed for the likes of the government (ahem Vivian Balakrishnan), the integrated casino, anorexia, material wealth, premarital sex and violence.
Peeled bananas, a bar of soap, milo + ketchup + kaya + coffee powder + water smeared all over your backs (thanks to me!) and a thousand water bombs sailing through the air. Ivan rubbing that disgusting concoction on me and getting slimed with water bombs cos everyone wanted revenge. Flour-filled faces and hands, a dosage of plum juice mixed with apple and grape juice which pretty much smelled like crap, human pyramids, dressing up as warriors and most importantly, smiling faces.
A lovely Purple Sage dinner catered by Vincent and Hui Kheng, and a surprise birthday cake after. Appreciations, photoframes, edifying words and incessant laughter.
The "Aaaaah" game. Imagine five boys screaming aahhh in the wee hours of the morning.
The murderer game at 3am in the morning where everyone just wanted to be killed off so they could go to sleep.
Paul and Daryl giving up and falling into each other's arms on the same bed.
Being wrapped in many 'stolen' SIA blankets because it was just so cold and because the blankets were too short no matter which way they were arranged, and as a result I got confused which was the length and which was the width. Although, according to my beloved cousin, the aircon made it one of the best camps ever.
Hours and hours and hours of soul-baring, random rankings and teasings that put us into a lovely slumber until someone's bulldozer-like snores woke everyone up again.
Here I am, humbled by Your Majesty
Covered by your grace so free
Here I am, knowing I'm a sinful man
Covered by the blood of the Lamb
Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine
Since you laid down your life
The greatest sacrifice
Majesty, Majesty
Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed but alive in your hands
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by your love
In the presence of your Majesty
Here I am, humbled by the love that you give
Forgiven so that I can forgive
Here I stand, knowing that I'm your desire
Sanctified by glory and fire
Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine
Since you laid down your life
The greatest sacrifice
Majesty, Majesty
Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed but alive in your hands
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by your love
In the presence of your Majesty
6 comment(s). Your thoughts?
Friday, June 23, 2006 5:03 AM
Kaka & Ronaldo
Brazil versus Japan
4 - 1
The one on the left is the only one I'll stay up to 5am for.
The one on the right was the man of the match with two goals.
It was a brilliant match, really.
Now, off to bed.
2 comment(s). Your thoughts?
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 3:24 AM
World Cup fever
I love talking about football with my girls. Because when we talk football, we really go into critical analysis with squeals and big grins. It'll probably be twenty seconds about the game: Brazil vs Australia, and then it'd be the next hour about how hot/cute/gorgeous/hunky the players are.
So this World Cup, while other people are talking about the anticipated final and who will make it, or the tactics the players are using, forget it. I know nothing about tactics or even what an offside really is. Instead, all I know is -
(i) My condo has turned into some kind of clandestine World Cup club. They got a plasma (a plasma!) television in the function room just for the World Cup, when they already had a good medium-sized flat screen. I agree that it helps me eye the hotties better, but still the money could be used otherwise. Like building a spa or something. I think it's amusing how the schedule of the matches get pasted up promptly every morning without fail at the lobby of my block, and when a bunch of men start gathering around that sacred piece of paper right after.
(ii) Kaka is MINE. Even though he's married. He's undoubtedly the hottest and cutest football player this season (move over, Beckham). He is CUTECUTECUTE! And when he runs, PHWOAR. All hell just breaks loose. And so for now, I'm Brazil's biggest fan! :) Until someone cuter comes along from another team, but that seems unlikely just yet.
(iii) Iker Casillas is STILL my favourite goalkeeper. Since the last World Cup, he's still Spain's number 1 goalie and also my number 1 goalie. I remember those saves he did when they went into Spain and Korea went into a draw four years back and they had to kick the five balls in (whatever that's called, some shoot-out) Riiiighht on.
(iv) My dad pretends to be some enthusiastic football fan even though he falls asleep within the first ten minutes of every game. My uncle is even funnier. He falls asleep but when there's a goal and everyone cheers, he mumbles and pretends that he's cheering as well so that people will think that he's still awake.
(v) Roberto Carlo's calves are unusually huge, and Steven Gerrard's cute, in an alien sort of way. Ronaldo is also overweight, although adorably so, and I love how the commentators tease him about his weight and his immobility. And, Miroslav Klose continues to look like a less cute Juan Carlos Ferrero.
(vi) I still continue buying all that England merchandise even though I don't expect them to win. All I know is, their merchandise comes in nice colours, and 'footy' ultimately sounds cuter than 'fubBall' or whatever.
I only love football every four years when the World Cup season starts. At other times, they're just twenty men running after a ball.
7 comment(s). Your thoughts?
Sunday, June 11, 2006 1:41 AM
My date with God
So tomorrow I head off to church camp, and then to KL with my family once the camp is done. Mixed feelings I guess - excited and looking forward to spending the next week with God and family, yet knowing that the holiday is simply trudging over to our friendly next door neighbour does not totally make up for the loss of good television, missing some people, the little corner of my bed and home-cooked food.
Something really miraculous happened this week. I felt God speaking and ministering through me and it was only after the event that the message totally sunk in. James, Xinyi and I were at Geylang eating tau huay after the Go Fest Asia conference when James saw this frail old lady from afar begging for money at every single table. Looking pensively back at us, he mused, "God is love, and we should show her our love as well." We invited her to sit with us, and asked her what she would like to eat, assuring her that her meal was paid for. Her face lit up like a child on Christmas morning, and she quickly ordered a bowl of soya bean and you tiao. We tried communicating to her in Mandarin, but quickly realised that the only language she spoke was Cantonese. Unknowingly, her words fell rather easily on my ears (when she spoke loudly enough) and I could make out the things she was saying. Over the last two years, my understanding of the dialect has improved leaps and bounds through much money invested in the HK drama serial education although I never dared speak much. What I didn't realise was that I soon started communicating with her in Cantonese as well. Despite the lousy Cantonese that I was spouting, she seemed to understand what I saying. We decided to ask her whether she knew God, and I started telling her about God's love and grace in Cantonese. James was speaking to her a little in whatever Cantonese he could muster as well, and Xinyi was praying for us in English.
I only realised after that God was speaking through me and using me to tell this old lady about Him, because I have never spoken so much Cantonese in my entire life, and I was stringing sentences together in a dialect that I only learnt through the television, with an ability I never knew I possessed. I would never have been able to do it without the sudden strength that God placed upon me - and I realised just how mighty He can be. He chose three non-Cantonese speakers to minister to this Cantonese speaking old lady, and although the old lady who frequently goes to the temple to pray was rather adamant against praying to God because it was "ka nan" (difficult) and there would be conflict praying to both God and her own god, I think (and hope) that we sowed a seed in terms of knowing about God in her life. Later when we were praying and reflecting upon the night's events, it dawned on me that although she refused to believe in God, she knew the power of God's love and the firm fact that when one chooses Christianity, they should have no other idols. And that she even knew this shows God's might and how great He really is. :) We prayed for her that although our encounter with her might not have changed her mindset, it would perhaps lead her to think about God. We also prayed that God would bring more Cantonese Christians into her midst who would be able to continue showing her God's love.
I just found the whole episode such an encouragement to my Christian faith, that really, God is using me in more ways than I would ever know and through Him, I can do anything.
It's not been the best of times - my dad has been sick, and I feel that some of my friendships are totally eluding me because I feel shut out of it and I don't know what to do about it - but my walk with God has never been stronger. And I really want to depend on Him and present all my burdens to Him, at the same time obeying Him because that's the only way to glorify Him.
Church camp is going to be my date with God. :)
5 comment(s). Your thoughts?
Monday, June 05, 2006 2:27 AM
Global Day of Prayer
 The National Stadium
 Me, Janis and Julienne
 My favourite personal hairstylistThe Global Day of Prayer was certainly a life-changing experience and an event that truly, I felt, changed me. Amidst the purple helium balloons drifting into the air and discussions about being fined for 'littering' the air with balloons, despite the lingering heat because yours truly decided to wear a long-sleeved shirt with another layer inside when the weather was about 30 degrees (I thought it was going to be held at the Indoor Stadium with aircon), beyond the giggles and mock reluctance to take photos yet again, with Jules fixing my hair up with mere black pins like a couple of teenage schoolgirls would in school because I was so hot, I felt God's presence so strongly tonight just touching me and filling me and leaving me absolutely vulnerable to the point that I humbly came before Him and cried. It was just so amazing to see more than 24,000 people coming together in one place to worship and to pray for the nation, for the world, for the youths and for the leaders. The colourful array of flags, the sight of hands raised up in praise, the lovely chorus of voices in song and the humbling display of confessions - I took in all of that and more. When Janis, Jules and I prayed in our small group, I was totally shaken to the core and with tears streaming down my cheeks, I knew God was speaking to me as I confessed everything that I had indulged in as part of my everyday life. Not putting Him first, being double-minded, every sin that I commit every single day yet he forgives again and again and again. And after that, I felt as though I had really presented to God all the burdens I had within me and a calm tranquility set in. Janis spoke to me today and she said that I've changed. That I've become stronger in my Christian faith and I desire to seek God more. Her words of encouragement and affirmation will stay with me for a long time and be an asset in my walk with God because I do see Janis as an inspiration in church. I really want to put God first in my life, and to lead a life that would be pleasing to Him because I will never be able to get through the stress of school, strained friendships and all the other ungodly desires of the world without His strength. So as the strains of 'Be Thou My Vision' played melodiously in the background as we streamed out of the National Stadium, I felt that my walk with God had just been taken to another level and that is all that I want to matter in my life right now. Thou and Thou only, First in my heart, High King of heaven, My treasure Thou art.
0 comment(s). Your thoughts?
|
|
