聘请青年传道之计划书 Employment of a Pastor/Pastoral Worker for Holy Grace Presbyterian Church Chinese Christian Youth Ministry

We are looking for a full-time pastor or pastoral worker who has the vision to serve the Lord in the Youth Ministry. The applicant should be degree qualified in Theology or equivalent, recognized by the Presbytery and Synod. He/she should be fluent in speaking and writing Chinese and English. The successful applicant's main duties are to preach the Gospel and to exercise pastoral care to the youth of the Youth Christian Fellowship.

1. Job Specification
- Provide counselling & follow up for youth, parents & teachers, and make necessary referral when needed.

- Network and establish rapport with parents to encourage strong parental support and involvement in the emotional and spiritual care of the youth.

- Work closely with the Church Reverend, Pastors, Elders Deacons Court, church co-workers.

- Work under the supervision & direction of the Reverend and report to the Reverend.


2． 工作要求：(Job Requirements)

I. 学历：至少拥有长老宗受承认之神学院毕业证书
Qualification: Should be degree qualified in Theology or equivalent, recognized by the Presbytery and Synod.

II. 年龄：介于21岁至35岁之间
Age: Between 21 to 35 years old.

III. 具备基本的电脑知识，通晓中英文（口头与书写）；对青少年事工具有强烈的委身与热忱更佳。 Possess Computer Skills in MS, bilingual (written and spoken). We require someone who has the calling and passion for youth's work.


3． 薪金与福利：(Salary and Benefits)

I． 依据长老大会2006年议会所修正的教牧薪酬标准（参阅附件）。
Salary and Benefits is based on the Presbytery and Synod Revised Salary Scales and Benefits for Pastoral Staff 2006.


If you are interested, please apply with resume to:
Holy Grace Presbyterian Church
408B Upper East Coast Road
Singapore 466484
Tel: 6241-1154, Fax: 6443-0102
Email: hgpcs@singnet.com.sg

第二届大会青年领袖营 - 2nd Synod Youth Ministry Leadership Camp 2007

Registration Form can be downloaded from the sidebar at the right ===>

joke...

A certain someone goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards.

She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps?"

The clerk says, "What denomination?"

She says, "God help us, Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists."

The Problem of Evil

Premise 1: If God exist, then he would eradicate evil.
Premise 2: Homework is evil.
Premise 3: I have to do homework, hence evil exist.
Conclusion: God does not exist.

If you are a reader of this blog, please send in at least 1 comment on the above argument. We look forward to an interesting discussion.

Awesome

Some things can make me cry. Some things as simple as the imagery of 4 candles. How about you?
Try out by viewing this flash animation:
4Candles

CWM News: My career - a lesson in God's care (Eld Richard Chong)

CWM deputy moderator and administrative secretary for the Presbyterian Church in Singapore Richard Chong looks back on a career in which God's grace has always been a step ahead.

While in the Singaporean army on national service, I joined an Institute of Biblical Study course conducted by the Campus Crusade for Christ. Confronted with my helplessness, my depravity and the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ, I needed no further prompting to bend my knees to ask him come into my life.

I found inexpressible joy in reaching out to the recruits at evangelistic meetings and learning from the witness of my Bible study group on weekends.

When I left the army, God used me to set up bible study groups in and outside my workplaces. I decided that there could be nothing more fulfilling in life than to serve God in the ministry of evangelising, training, and equipping people to spread the gospel. God had other plans!

I slowly learned there is a difference between being driven and being called

For 11 years, I worked in the printing industry, working hard to bring up a young family, and manage priorities at workplaces and in church. My work involved reviving a loss-making company of 50 staff and building it up to an international and profitable corporation of 300 employees.

Pride
I began to believe that there was nothing I could not achieve with commitment. I left the company to partner with a friend in a completely new business. But we soon faced setbacks after my friend had to pull a big part of his capital from the business.

So I started again with a completely new business. Again lack of capital was a constraint.

With depleted savings I went back to the printing firm I had left feeling beaten and discouraged. God revealed to me how dependant I am and how fragile and transient these businesses are!

It was also during this time that I took up eldership in the church with the view to help the church serve effectively. I was humbled at the attempt. I slowly learned there is a difference between being driven and being called; that people are more important and enduring than structures and methods.

Knowing that I needed to reflect and live my life meaningfully, I sought God for relief. I took the step of faith to invest my time in the church's service as administrative secretary for the Presbyterian Church in Singapore.

I have never been happier in my work and walk with God. He provided me the opportunity to put my administrative gifting to work with our church leaders; expanded my worldview through engagement with world mission bodies and missionaries; challenged me to take bold steps into new missions and entrepreneurial initiatives through prayer and faith.

Free visualisers!!!

Dear Pastors/Church Managers/Admin Support

A Home for the Aged in East Coast has 7 visualisers (used) to give away. Anyone interested please contact Br Ricky Seah at HP no: 97439717.

CWM News: Good shepherds to Zambian youth

Delinquency and poverty are major issues for Zambian youth found returning missionary Rev Fereti Tutuila. The church can provide direction and care for them.

Flowers laid on gravestones don't last long in Lusaka. Children scour cemeteries for flowers hoping to resell them. Others roam around looking for a chance to steal.

Day by day children are on the streets begging. They accompany blind people asking for help, getting their meals from trash bins, sleeping by the roadside with plastic bags tied round them for warmth.

Young people are in a critical state in terms of moral values. Debate is raging as to why this is so and who is responsible.

Church youth are addressing the problems their generation faces

The youth are also crying out for the kind of equality where anyone's problem is everyone's problem and where nobody is marginalised.

As CWM missionary Rev Fereti Tutuila ministered at St Andrew's Church in Lusaka he noted that elders and clergy are only minimally involved with the youth. "With our 100 per cent involvement we will know them and they will follow our direction because they recognise our voice," he says.

St Andrew's Church youth department comprises of Sunday school, youth fellowship and a Boys' Brigade and Girls' Brigade. Church youth are addressing the problems their generation faces by getting involved in a wide range of church activities such as small projects, fundraising, visitations and counselling.

Tutuila says: "Although HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and high poverty levels are hitting them, their faith is firmly anchored onto the Lord, leading to growing in mission."

Tutuila helped respond to youth problems by putting in place a social welfare committee to give whatever the church could manage to homeless children, and creating youth projects, such as a brick-making scheme.

He tried to be with families grieving over sick children, and constituted an HIV/AIDS committee to work with the church marriage guidance committee.

"I still have a passion to go back to the ministry in Africa," he says.

Rev Fereti and Sosefina Tutuila from the Congregational Christian Church in Samoa served the United Church of Zambia at St Andrew's Church in Lusaka for five years.

The Inklings' Cafe: Worship Symposium 2006 (3 - 5 Sep) - Graham Kendrick and team

The Inklings' Cafe: Worship Symposium 2006 (3 - 5 Sep) - Graham Kendrick and team

Worship Symposium 2006

Friends, not sure how manyof you have already signed up for this, but for those who hasn't, I would really encourage any worship leaders and musicians to attend this Worship Symposium. Many youth ministries struggle with balancing between using hymns and contemporary music in our worship. Struggle no more, as Graham Kendrick and his worship team will be sharing with us what blended worship is all about, and leading the various musical clinics and the worship concerts in the evening. For those who does not know who he is, you can find out more about him and his music here.

Graham Kendrick, the son of a Baptist pastor, was born in Northamptonshire in 1950. He trained as a teacher but launched out as a singer/songwriter in 1972. His songs and hymns are sung by millions of people in numerous languages around the world.

The song Shine Jesus Shine has been the UK's most popular contemporary worship song and is frequently featured in the BBC's Songs of Praise programme. He is married with four daughters and lives in South London. Graham received a Dove Award in 1995 for his international work and is listed in Who's Who. In 2000 he received an honorary doctorate in divinity from Brunel University in recognition of his contribution to the worship life of the church.

Graham is a co-founder of March for Jesus. This prayer, praise and proclamation event became global on June 25th 1994, with over 12 million people from 177 nations taking to the streets to proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. His recent album What Grace
was the UK's number 1 best selling praise and worship album of 2001.

Simply put, he is a very well-known contemporary Christian music and song composer and worship leader. For those who cannot come for the entire symposium, i strongly encourage you to at least come for the night worship concert, which is free for all. (Sunday: 5:30-7:30pm, Monday and Tuesday: 7:30-9:30pm) Graham Kendrick will be incorporating the elements of blended worship during his Monday night worship; while on Tuesday, he will be speaking on the Prophetic aspect of worship.

Date: 3-5 September 2006 (Registration on 3 Sep, Sunday, at 1-2pm)

Main Venue: Church of the Resurrection, St. Andrew's Village, Pontong Pasir

Worship Undivided --- that is the theme of a specially organised worship symposium. The symposium hopes to bring worship teams from various churches to together to have a shared and deeper understanding of worship.

Who should attend:
Experienced and budding worship leaders, musicians, vocalists and support teams

For more information about the symposium, please visit Worship Undivided or call Priscilla on Tel: 6337 3222 ext 26 or email: bem@bible.org.sg

Testimony

A university undergraduate in Swansea, Wales, who fought with a sense of being unwanted came to faith in July, rejoices CWM missionary Molly Chua.

Undergraduate Cathleen Zhang is the only child of a well-to-do family, but she grew up feeling very rejected and unloved by her paternal grandmother especially, who was hoping for a grandson to carry on the family line.

Her grandma even suggested having someone else care for her in the countryside, thus not recognising her existence, so that her parents could try again to have a baby boy.
As I was praying I felt the pain and anguish in her heart

When she came to Swansea she came to know my husband Charles and I as a Christian family and later the Welsh church family. She felt very loved and that people do sincerely care for her. She talked to her mum about us and the happenings in Swansea almost every day. Even her non-Christian mother asked her: "When are you going to become a Christian?"

She faithfully went to church, the English corner language lessons and weekly Bible study. But all that time I sensed there was a mental block.

We continued to reach out to her with God's love and help her when she faced difficulties.

Invitation
One Sunday in July as usual she came over to my house for lunch after church. Later she asked to talk to me in private and unveiled her story.

She had come to me that Sunday because she could not carry the burdens of her heart any longer and was looking for help. She knew the Bible teachings were good for her, but felt helpless because she was not able to follow them.

We prayed together and as I was praying I felt the pain and anguish in her heart and we both wept. It was through the release of the pain in her heart that the Lord brought about healing, peace and rest. She left my house a very happy and peaceful person.

Rev Charles and Molly Chua from the Presbyterian Church in Singapore are mission enablers to the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Among their activities are Bible studies for people who are interested in Christianity, many of them students from China.

Adventure Race - 19 Aug 2006

Adventure Race - 19 Aug 2006
Originally uploaded by silverthorn11.

Praise God for another wonderful Presbyterian Youth event! From this race, we managed to raise $14,000.00 for PCS. Everyone who participated really enjoyed themselves.There was much interaction among the 11 churches who came. Thank you to all who helped raised the funds, and also for the organising comm.. and pastoral advisors. You know who you are.

To see the rest of the photos, click here. You may need a yahoo account to sign in.

You can download the photos individually, but if you want to download the entire set of photos from flickr.com, you would need to download and install FlickrDown 2.30 from here. It's fantastic!

You would need Microsoft .NET 2.0, which you can download here.

The Earliest Church in Singapore

For an amazing article on the history of early Singapore chuches, please visit verbum dei. It is still work in progress, but the section on the Presbyterian Church in Singapore is well-worthed reading as it is.

Part 2 to the "Simple Story"

Anyway, the moral of the story about the boy and girl being separated at the cinema is this: Are you living your life having 2nd-hand relationship with God?
I mean if we just listen to people teach us about God (sermons / B.S. / etc.) on Sunday, it is like having relationship with God with someone in between...
Why not build up the habit of having Quiet Time daily? You'll find yourself very intimate with God... Ha ha, that simple. All the best.

AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION - ABOUT GOD

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class
on the problem science has with God, The Almighty. He
asks one of his new students to stand and.....

Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed
to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help
others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God
good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again,
young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From... God...
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this
world?
Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make
everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?
Student does not answer.

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the world, don't
they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them?
Student has no answer.

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Tell me,
son... Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God,
smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory
perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable
protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do
you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn
of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more
heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat
or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We
can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but
we can't go any further after that. There is no such
thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe
the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is
energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just
the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such
a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the
absence of something. You can have low light, normal
light, bright light, flashing light.... But if you have
no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called
darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it
were you would be able to make darkness darker,
wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise
is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of
duality. You argue there is life and then there is
death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the
concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It
uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen,
much less fully understood either one. To view death
as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact
that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death
is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students
that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary
process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your
own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a
smile, beginning to realize where the argument is
going.)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of
evolution at work and cannot even prove that this
process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching
your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a
preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever
seen the Professor's brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the
Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No
one appears to have done so. So, according to the
established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable
protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your
lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the
student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir... The link between man & God
is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving &
alive.

A simple story

There was once a boy who secretly admired a girl. After many months, he finally plucked up the courage to invite the girl to the movies. Guess what? She consented! They decided on the show, the cinema and the time. Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the love-struck boy. But bad-fortune finally struck! The boy realized he could not get adjoining seats to the show they planned to watch! Not wanting to give up the precious chance to meet the girl, he bought 2 seats on the same row, separated by 5 seats in between. So you could imagine how they interacted during the show. When they wanted to tell each other something, they have to pass the message through the 5 people in between. And when they wanted to share kachang puteh (Indian roasted peanuts), they too have to pass the cone through 5 people - by which time, those 5 people have also eaten their fill of the peanuts…
Want to know the moral of this story? Stay tuned...

Breaking Through the 200 Barrier (courtesy of Rev. Peter Poon)

Breaking Through the 200 Barrier
by Dan Reiland
The Pastor's Coach

It's been a long time since I've seen a "run" of conferences based on this topic. It got me thinking, is this just an old and tired idea which has long since been replaced by "emergent" language and related issues, or is there still a reality to this idea of breaking through 200 in worship attendance?

It didn't take much digging to learn that this "breakthrough" point is still alive and well. The intriguing thing is that there is no supportive research on a literal or physical barrier. This barrier is more psychological and socio-emotional. There is a sort of relational gravitational force that pulls churches trying to get through that 200 mark back under that line. This is not an imaginary force. It's real and it is strong. It need not, however, be seen as a actual barrier, meaning one that cannot be broken. It is human nature to keep things within our control. When a church is moving close to 200 it is no longer easily able to be "controlled" by one person or a small group of people.

Many years ago I served for a brief time before seminary at a church in this attendance bracket. The church averaged about 150 people give or take. The church was located in Lakeside, California and I still have fond memories of my part-time youth / associate, wet behind the ears, teeth-cutting experience. I delivered my first sermon there at Lakeside Wesleyan and I have considered going back to stand in that pulpit and say "I'm sorry, please forgive me for anything I may have said or done!" They were gracious to give me my first opportunity, and since I did use scripture, it couldn't have been all bad!

The following thoughts are not comprehensive in nature, nor are they "how to" steps and programs. They are guiding principles that if followed, over the long-haul, I'm convinced your church will make progress.

• Place vision over needs.

  If you are a seasoned pastor of a church under 200 you may have flinched as you read this first guiding principle. You, like most of us, are likely a people person and a shepherd at heart. The idea of not responding to people's needs is just wrong to you. I am with you. We are all here for people. But this is an issue of stewardship. If God would allow you to reach and meet the (spiritual) needs of 300 people instead of 150, wouldn't you want to do that? Part of the way to get there is to place the vision for people over the needs of people. Double talk? No. Keep reading.

  The difference is who is driving the agenda. If you are a needs first leader, the people are driving the agenda. If you are a vision first leader, you are driving the agenda. Actually, I wish it was that simple, but it's not. Ultimately the people drive the agenda because we serve for their good, but that is not the same as the entire congregation setting the direction, agenda and making key decisions. Serving for the people's good often means saying no to their immediate wants; for example, of a new program, staff member or a certain sermon series. Those kinds of things are the responsibility of the key leaders. If the key leaders do a good job with that, you will reach more people and ultimately meet more of people's needs. So, bottom line, invest your energy in initiating and implementing vision!

• Focus on changed lives more than attendance goals.

  We all love to see the charts show Kingdom success, but there are some things more important than numbers - for example, serving your community. And what you focus on is what you are most likely to achieve.

  In my consulting with a number of churches it is quick and easy to see which ones "go for numbers." Their approach is very different than those who are going after changed lives. From printed goals, to strategy, to how you reward people, it is all very revealing as to what you are going after.

  We all know this is not a mutually exclusive idea. No church worth its salt ignores numbers. I love talking with staff members who don't want to "mess with numbers" because "you can't box the Holy Spirit in a natural container". I say to them: "OK, tell you what, you don't have to mess with numbers and I don't either. So, when it comes to your paycheck, I'll just `go with how the Spirit leads' each week." Yea, I know, that never goes over very well, but sometimes I just can't help myself.

  So which is it, numbers or not? Yes. It's an issue of focus. If you truly focus on changed lives, the numbers nearly always take care of themselves. If you focus on numbers, you will likely sacrifice realizing changed-lives.

  In the nearly five years I have been at Crossroads we have never set an attendance goal. But we look at attendance all the time. We focus on baptisms (conversions), people serving and joining a small group. We focus on compassion, serving the community and engaging the culture. We believe that if lives are genuinely touched with the transforming power of Jesus Christ - people come back for more!

• Make your best possible choice for your first staff hire.

  We could spend hours here, in fact I have done just that in past conference environments, but I'll spare you from that in this article! Let's keep it brief for now. Staffing is mostly art, at least 51%. The art portion of staffing is comprised largely of experience, intuition, common sense, hard work, a little luck and a lot of prayer. Candidly it is more like 80% art. The remaining 20% deals with Human Resource laws and regulations, legal issues, finance and policy. I say this because if you want a cook-book formula for staffing you won't find one. Helpful "how-to's" and guiding principles are good, but they are for your guidance only, they are not law. So now that I've over set this up . . . let me share a couple thoughts with you.

  First, always go for the best person you can hire, even over the position you want to fill. For example, there are a number of good choices for your first hire; such as an administrative assistant, a children's leader, an associate pastor, a worship leader etc. Remember it's an art not a science. I would reduce the list to the top three needs and then pray for God best and highest talented person to come on your radar. Begin to put out feelers and get the word out informally. It a "God talent" doesn't surface, then choose the one position you want to go after and focus on it formally. Even then the principle stands. Hire the best candidate possible. Pay as much as you can. Staff is not the place to cut corners.

  Second, go for the greatest need of the church's ministry. (In this case you have your first staff member, but they leave.) For example, let's say you have a youth pastor, but he or she decides to move on to another church. Your immediate response is likely to hire another youth pastor. That may well be the right answer, but take enough time to make sure. Perhaps there is a lay leader who could take over and give excellent leadership to your student ministry which would free up monies to hire a much needed children's leader.

• Do not add programs, increase evangelism and compassionate outreach.

  You will be under great temptation and pressure to add more programs as your church gets larger. Don't cave in. I'm serious. Don't do it. Unless the Holy Spirit lights a bush on fire and tells you to start another program, stay lean and invest your "extra" energy in to reaching people who are not pursuing God or part of a local church.

• Invest in leadership.

  Everything rises and falls on leadership." (Maxwell) I know many Godly leaders who pray much (as we all need to) who serve in small churches that do not grow. There are many mature believers who focus on depth of discipleship which is also important, but their churches aren't growing. There are churches with long and sincere worship, but they don't grow. We need prayer, depth and worship, but without leadership (connected with the power of God's Spirit) let's be honest, the local church doesn't move forward. Again, this is not about a static size, it's about impact in your community and subsequent growth.

  Get around leaders of larger churches. Take them to lunch and ask well thought-out and written questions. Read great leadership books. Attend leadership conferences. Read the Pastor's Coach. Ask God to increase the size and scope of leadership within you. In other words, work at becoming a better leader in the same way you work at writing and delivering better sermons. But don't stop there! Take all the good leadership "stuff" you are learning and teach it to "apprentice" leaders in your church. Pass it on and teach them to pass it on to others as well!

Practice these ideas or guiding principles and, they will help you break-through 200 in attendance.

Recommended Reading: (2006 Leadership Network Publications)

The Missional Leader - Equipping Your Church to Reach A Changing World, Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk; Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint

Practicing Greatness - 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders, Reggie McNeal; Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint

Update on our beloved Boon Young

I just met him for lunch and it looks like things are progressing quite smoothly. Please continue to pray for his recovery, comfort and support. He is speaking a lot more spontaneously, and his thoughts is pretty clear. His walking is quite steady and his hand movement is continuing to improve. He can pick up a 10 cent coin, use a chopstick and do a minor tug-of-war with a piece of paper. In terms of physiotherapy, his improvements is nothing short of miraculous, though it will still take a while for full recovery.

Dear AMKPC and Covenant PC...

please remember to bring back the trophies next year! You only get to keep it if you win the same trophy three years in a row! hee! hee! i am serious. 

Carol and Joyce from Bethel PC

 

Thanks brother Desmond...

for helping with coordination of the games! 

a jump, a catch, and a turn - all in one smooth motion...

no wonder they are the well-deserved champ! There was no need for even a Capt's Ball final - first and second prize went to Covenant PC.

the best cheer-leading team goes to...

Jubilee Church!!! 

beautiful...

 

i like this shot quite abit!

it captures the fast action movement between players, and makes it artistic! oh well, maybe it's just me! 

great team spirit and sportsmanship from all teams!

Prinsep Street PC (red) and Katong PC (mix colours)!

"Get ready to get trashed!"

good save!

I couldn't believe that we even had a penalty shoot-out in one of our semi-finals!

Prinsep Street PC won Katong PC by just one narrow penalty goal!

some supporters from Katong PC

KPC's soccer boys did pretty well to enter into the Semi-finals, but was knocked out eventually by Prinsep Street PC - of all things, via sudden-death penalty kicks! 

the most supporters award goes to...

Glory PC in all glorious blue!

Ming Jun...

this boy has got potential! 

the bravest goal-keeper goes to...

the boy in blue from Providence PC!

a final show-down between...

Ang Mo Kio PC (blue) and Prinsep Street PC (red)! 

Is she laughing at her own team-mate?

evil...pure evil... 

images from the past?

Prinsep Street PC...the oldest Presbyterian church in Singapore! 

Jesus Feeds Thousands

Took a few days leave for a rest. Then end up making myself busy painting the above cartoon on my house wall! (Thanks for the help that comes from my sis-in-law, Daryl and Evan). Staring at it just give you inspiration man!

Updates on Rev. Dr. Lim Boon Young's stroke condition...

13 Jun 2006 Updates (from Wee Bin):

more - he cycled on a stationary bike yesterday for about 7-8 km - and at about 22 km/h!!! By himself, non-motorised!

he continued to walk more steadily with the walking stick.

he has started to be able to wriggle his fingers and lift up his arm and leg about 30-40 degrees.

he said a full sentence by himself without any prompting in response to the therapist.

12 Jun 2006 Updates (from Wee Bin):

just to let you know he's continued to make progress - he can say:

"It takes such a lot of effort..."

"Terrible!"

"Bye"

"Hi"

"May Yin"

"Urine"

He can walk with a walking stick and support - he's walked up and down at least 5 times.

He can understand much better and respond appropriately.

He can move his arm and leg on his own a few inches.

Praise the Lord!

6 Jun 2006:
Praise God! Rev. Dr. Lim Boon Young's condition has stablised - with a constant blood flow and an acceptable blood pressure to his brain. The doctors have declined to perform a stent surgery as the length of damage on his artery is longer than the stent tube.

He is currently on anticoagulant medication (aspirin-like) to thin his blood so as to prevent further clots and to improve blood flow. He begins rehabilitation today starting with speech therapy in the morning and physio-therapy in the afternoon. Rehabiliation would usually take 3-4 weeks, during which, in this period of time, the therapists would determine accurately the extent of damage from the stroke.

He is already looking much, much better. He is able to eat soft-solid food on his own. Currently, he is responding well (by means of nodding and smiling) to questions and conversations although he is unable to speak coherently. In the last 1.5 weeks, he has shown great improvement in his recovery process.

May Yin (his wife) said that when the stroke first hit, everyone was praying that God will preserve his life. And, He did. Then, we prayed that his condition will stablised. And, indeed, he did. Now as we continue to pray for his recovery, we really want to pray that the extent of damage will be kept to a minimal. In the course of rehabiliation, we ask for a faith that will move mountains and pray that he will be fully recovered from the stroke as soon as possible.

Amen.

P.S.: For now, his condition is stable enough for him to receive visitors but please keep your visits short as he can be very tired from them. Continue to pray for his recovery.

---
2 Jun 2006 Updates:
Rev. Lim has now been transfered to a private room, Ward 74, Room 3. His condition has improved slightly and he can move his right arm and legs if he focus all his energy on it. There is great hope on his recovery process. The main thing now is for him to regain back his comprehension abilities as it is his left brain which is affected by the stroke. Physical mobility would take some time but because he is young, his chances of full recovery are high.

Please continue to pray for him.
---

Rev. Boon Young is suffering from a form of stroke, known as Carotid Dissection. Basically, the walls of his main artery on the left side of his neck (the main source of blood-line) is torn or broken down, resulting in less blood flow to his brain which led to the stroke.

Currently, his condition is quite stable, meaning the doctors were able to thin his blood such that a steady flow of blood is able to reach his brain, although the blood pressure is not as desirable. From the MRI scan, it shows about 1/5 of his left brain is affected by this complication. Some of the brain cell from the further parts of his brain may have been slightly damaged, but the extent of the damage is inconclusive, as they are not able to analyse his physical mobility at this moment.

The doctors are currently discussing whether it's advisable to replace the damaged artery with a stent (to bypass the damaged blood-line), but because the affected area is located at a very sensitive part of his body (the neck), the stent surgery may lead to some undesirable complications.

So, for now, they are still monitoring the situation and providing aspirin to continue thinning the blood for it to flow smoothly, and also to prevent clots. Apparently, everyone of us has blood clots in our system, but because in a normal body, the constant blood flow is able to expel the clots very quickly. But in Rev. Boon Young's case, the constricted blood-flow resulted in a sudden stroke.

Currently, he has much difficulty moving the right side of his body (hands and legs, mouth and even hearing). He could smile and respond to some simple things we say, but not sure if he can totally comprehend our words at times.

It is not advisable to visit him in his ward (as it would really tire him out seeing his vistors), but feel free to visit his family and friends who are outside at the lobby most of the day. He is resting in the immediate care unit at Singapore General Hospital, Ward 74, Room 3.

Prayers:
Please pray for added strength and will-power for him to overcome the physical contraints of his condition. He must try to work his muscles on his right so that the tissues will not waste away.

Pray that his condition will improve in the next few days so that the extent of the damage could be reduced. It is now quite stable, but must be careful no other clots appear in other places to complicate matters.

Pray for peace of mind for his wife (May Yun), his daughter (Si En), his son (Zhang Xin), and also for his parents and Boon Young's external family and friends.

Pray for speedy recovery, and extra-ordinary faith in the healing powers of our Great Lord Almighty!

PS: Last night, I actually dreamt that he recovered fully from the stroke with some mild hip movement difficulty. I hope this dream becomes a reality soon.

More information about his condition from the internet...
A stroke is the death of brain tissue that occurs when the brain does not get enough blood and oxygen. A stroke from carotid dissection occurs when one of the carotid arteries in the neck is torn, or dissected.
What is going on in the body?

A carotid dissection occurs when the layers of the wall of the carotid artery break down. Carotid dissection is sometimes caused by an injury to the head or neck.

The carotid dissection causes a blockage of the artery and impairs blood flow to the brain. The brain cells then die from lack of oxygen. In turn, the blood also damages the brain cells. The products released when cells die cause swelling in the brain. Since the skull doesn't allow much room for expansion, this swelling can damage the brain tissue even further.

Soccer Champion of 2006

IMG_7027
Originally uploaded by silverthorn11.

Ang Mo Kio PC, narrowing beating Prinsep Street PC by 3 goals to nil.

Capt's Ball Champion of 2006

IMG_7029
Originally uploaded by silverthorn11.

Covenant PC

In the "blink" of an eye...

IMG_20060603_0306, originally uploaded by silverthorn11.

Shaun (in white) clamly snatched the third prize spot from Ruby after conceding badly in the trial round. It leaves us all wondering if his initial loss to her was just a "plot" to throw his opponent in over-confidence. Whatever the case, it works! Shaun took "Werewolves" as his prize for the third spot.

Top honour goes to Joshua Lim of Covenant PC who walks away with his choice prize "Jungle Speed". While Ryan, Shaun's brother, took the second spot with "No Merci".

Congrats to all winners and to all who joined us at ORPC for boardgames. Thanks goes to all the helpers and "game teachers" of various churches, especially ORPC. We could not have done it without your help. We had close to 60 youths from about 6-7 churches gathered last Sat, 3 Jun 2006. I am sure i was not the only one who had great fun! Praise God for a wonderful afternoon of fun and fellowship.

To see all the photos from that day, please go to flickr.com, thank you.

Soccer and Captain's Ball

 

Boardgames Day - Join us!!!

 

The three essential qualities of a pastor

Being a pastor is sometimes like a man by the roadside with a warning sign. God gave us a job to guide people in their life journey with the words from Him. The Parable of the Sandwich Sign by Max Lucado is a simple one but with a very good reminder. There are 3 essential qualities that we must always bear in mind. Firstly, it is perseverance. There are times when we feel tired and dejected. But we must already hold on and continue. Secondly, it is humility. We must remember that the focus must lie in the message and not in the messenger. Lastly, it is conviction. We must defend the true orthodox message at all times. May the Lord bless the work of his servants.

Rev. Wong Siow Hwee

Way to go, Dae Jang Geum

Mention "Dae Jang Geum" anywhere in Singapore (and Korea) and you'll strike a chord with almost anyone.

The serial is dunno how many weeks in the run and the following has not seen any decrease. A personal confession - I'm a "Dae Jang Geum" fan!

Not only does "Dae Jang Geum" give its viewers a detailed lesson in culinary skills and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), it is also a must watch for those who wants to excel in "office politics" (In "Jang Geum" case, "palace politics"). And to top it all, the script writer made sure there is emotional buildup and release in every single episode!

As a Christian, I find much encourgaement from the story too when I see how the main actress endured hardship and persisted in what is right. This is the ingredient for success in life. You and I may have great gifts and talents that come from the Lord. But it is the persistance to do good in the grinding of everyday life that polishes us and makes us shine for Jesus. Otherwise, we'll just be an unimpressive dull gem.

Synod MissionDialogue - 24 Apr 2006

SynodMissionDialogue_24Apr2006 044
Originally uploaded by synodym132.

Some photos from the events on that day. You would need a yahoo account to view photos from flickr. If you do not have i advised you to set one up for free. It's easy as 1,2,3!

Reboot your computer daily

I was reminded of the importance of having a personal silent time with the Lord daily when I looked at my computer today.

It's common knowledge that when a computer runs continuously for a long time without shutting down, it risks slowing down and even hanging on the user! So it is a good practice to shut down and restart your computer regularly.

I see my quiet time with the Lord as a spiritual reset button. During my quiet time, I like to read a few chapters of scripture, read a devotional material (e.g. Daily Bread), reflect on what I've read and on the things that have gone by and is to come, write a simple thought in my journal, and end with prayer. When I open my eyes at the end of my prayer, I felt like I've been renewed for the new day! All my "old anxieties" have been downloaded and packed away!

I wish for you a great daily time with our Lord too.

Youth Mentors' Get Together - 19 May 2006

collage
Originally uploaded by synodym132.

Quite a good turn-out...close to 40 youth leaders / mentors from about 14 chuches came to the Synod for an evening of sharing, prayer, worship and a talk on "A pastoral response to Da Vinci Code" (by Rev. May Tan). I felt very much edified by her insightful thoughts on this hot-topic and somehow it is different from other talks or articles on Da Vinci Code. Listening to a church historian, we were treated to an in-depth understanding of historical groups like Priory of Sion, and Opus Dei and also the actual meaning of the Holy Grail. I would also like to thank Ps Chong Yew and his team of musicians (Feri and Stanley) who led us in a wonderful time of worship. Thanks guys!

PS: the cute baby - "future" mentor - in the pic is Karyn, love-child of Ps Jasmine and Boon Lee of Bethel PC. adborable huh?

Youth Mentors' Get Together

Reminder for all youth mentors who are coming for this meet-up:

Date: 19 May 2006, Fri

Time: 7-9pm (Dinner provided)

Venue: The Synod
132 Sophia Road, S(228186)

Program:
7pm Dinner
7:30pm Welcome Address by Rev. Dr. Boon Young
7:45pm Worship and Prayer (Pr. Chan Chong Yew)
8:15pm Pastoral Aspects on Da Vinci Code (Rev. May Tan)
9:00pm End.

Also check out the updated Contact List and the newly added Synod Youth Ministry Overview 2006 (on the right)!

Responding to the "Da Vinci Code"

You are invited to hear Dr Ben Witherington III address the controversies raised by the novel and movie “Da Vinci Code.”

The schedule of the talks is as follows:

Public Talk 1
Date: Thursday 1 June 2006
Time: 7.45 pm-10 pm
Subject: “The Da Vinci Code---Historical Fiction or Hysterical Fiction?”

Public Talk 2
Date: Friday 2 June 2006
Time: 7.45 pm-10 pm
Subject: (1) “What were Jesus and Mary Magdalene really like?”
(2) “The Reliability of the Canonical Gospels”

Venue: Both talks are at St Andrew's Cathedral's New Sanctuary

Each session will include a question-and-answer time. Admission to the talks is free. Seats are limited; do come early.

About the Speaker
Bible scholar Ben Witherington III is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His recent book The Gospel Code has been described as “a much-need antidote to the history-twisting misinformation” that one finds in our culture and particularly in The Da Vinci Code.

20 Big Lies in the Da Vinci Code

By James A. Beverley


Source: http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=12860


Don't be fooled. Here are just a few ways Dan Brown's best-selling book twists and distorts the truth of the gospel.


In a little more than three years The Da Vinci Code has become the best-selling adult novel of all time. It has also become the subject of intense debate among Christians because of its radical claims that undermine basic Christianity.


Why all the fuss over a work of fiction? The answer lies on Page 1, where author Dan Brown asserts that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate."


In reality, the novel is a model of inaccuracy in almost every subject it addresses. Critics have noted its mistakes in mathematics, French geography and even the layout of the Louvre. More important, Brown's jarring claims about Jesus, the Bible, secret societies and ritual sex are based on shallow research, sloppy investigation and careless thought. However, given the novel's popularity and the staggering bravado in its tone, it is necessary for Christians to provide a critique of its central blunders.


Here are 20 of them.


1.The Bible was invented by Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.

The Da Vinci Code reports that "Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible," one that left out the Gnostic texts and included the four traditional Gospels. In fact, Constantine had nothing to do with the making of the Christian canon. He is not even mentioned in the standard Cambridge History of the Bible. The traditional Gospels were recognized by virtually all Christians 150 years before Constantine.


2. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic Gospels are the "earliest Christian records."

Not so. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 and date from 250 B.C. to A.D. 100. However, these documents have virtually nothing to do with Christianity but with various Jewish groups, rituals and ideas before and during the time of Christ.


The Gnostic Gospels offer a twisted and heretical version of the Christian faith, but they didn't come into existence until about a century or more after the death of Christ.


The earliest Christian records are the writings of the New Testament.


3. The Gnostic Gospels present a positive view of the feminine.

The Gnostic texts are said to picture a human, sexualized Jesus who embraced the sacred feminine. Actually, the Jesus presented in the Gnostic material is often simply weird, and the underlying ideology tends to be radically anti-feminine. Consider this bizarre passage from the Gospel of Thomas: "Simon Peter said to them, 'Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life.' Jesus said, 'Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven.'"


4. Early Christians did not believe Jesus was God's Son.

This is a bizarre claim, rooted in either willful ignorance or blindness to the obvious. After 2,000 years, people continue to debate whether Jesus is the Son of God. But what has never been subject to doubt is that early Christians confessed that Jesus is God's Son, as the following Scriptures indicate: "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'" (Matt. 16:16); "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son" (Gal. 4:4).


5. The Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) invented the divinity of Jesus.

Contrary to Brown's claim, the famous church council met to clarify the divinity of Jesus, not create it. There are thousands of references to the divinity of Jesus in Christian literature and archaeology before the Council at Nicea. This includes the hundreds of claims in the New Testament and the witness of early church leaders through the second and third centuries.


6. Jesus was really a pagan or a witch.

No standard reference works on witchcraft ever include Jesus as a witch or pagan. The novel attempts to argue that Jesus was a copycat figure of ancient pagan deities. This view depends on totally ignoring the Jewish context of the life and teaching of Jesus. If Jesus had been a pagan or a witch, this would have been noticed by the Jewish leaders who opposed Him.


7. Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

The novel claims that there are "countless references" to their union in ancient history and that the topic "has been explored ad nauseam by modern historians." First, there is nothing in the New Testament or other first century material about such a marriage. Second, there is no explicit mention of the alleged marriage in the Gnostic material of the second and third centuries. All we have in the Gnostic material is one reference to Mary as the "companion" of Jesus. That word, however, does not usually mean "spouse" or "wife."


8. Jesus and Mary had a child named Sarah.

The novel claims Mary was pregnant at the time of the death of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea, her uncle, helped her move to France. There she gave birth to a girl she named Sarah. Mary and Sarah found refuge in the Jewish community in France. We are told that "countless scholars of that era chronicled Mary Magdalene's days in France." This is nothing but historical junk first made popular by the 1982 potboiler Holy Blood, Holy Grail. There are no ancient documents supporting any of these claims, and no scholars of that era chronicled these alleged events.


9. There was a smear campaign against Mary Magdalene in Catholic tradition.

To the contrary, Mary Magdalene receives positive attention in the Bible and in Catholic tradition. In fact, she is regarded as a saint, and her Feast Day is July 22. As a close disciple of Jesus, she was one of the first witnesses of His resurrection. The mistaken view that she was a prostitute did not arise until A.D. 591 when Pope Gregory I confused her with a prostitute mentioned in Luke 7:36-50.


10. A secret society named the Priory of Sion started in 1099 and has protected the bones of Mary Magdalene and documents about the bloodline of Jesus Christ.

This is one of the most significant blunders of The Da Vinci Code. The Priory of Sion was actually started in France on May 7, 1956, by a con artist named Pierre Plantard (1920-2000). The Priory was first a civic organization. In the 1960s Plantard created the mythology of a secret society led by figures such as Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci.


11. Ancient documents about the Priory were discovered in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris in 1975.

The Da Vinci Code refers to these alleged parchments as Les Dossiers Secrets. These documents are not ancient but are actually forgeries done by Philippe de Chrisey (1925-1985), a co-conspirator with Plantard. They were not discovered by the French library in 1975 but were placed there by Plantard in 1967.


Both de Chrisey and Plantard admitted the hoax before their deaths. In fact, Plantard was forced to admit his fraud before Judge Thierry Jean-Pierre in a French court case in September 1993.


12. There are historical lists of the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion.

Actually, when Plantard invented the Priory of Sion he copied most of his list of Grand Masters from lists of alleged leaders of other groups, such as the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, a secret society founded in America in 1915. Plantard also changed his list of Grand Masters as he adopted different conspiracy theories about his Priory of Sion.


13. The Holy Grail is not the cup used at the Last Supper but the bones of Mary Magdalene.

The novel states that "the quest for the Holy Grail is literally the quest to kneel before the bones of Mary Magdalene. A journey to pray at the feet of the outcast one, the lost sacred feminine."


The Holy Grail legends started about A.D. 1180 and continued through the 19th century. They never involved claims about the bones of Mary Magdalene. Isn't it amazing that no Priory of Sion member has ever given in to the temptation to reveal the location of the bones of Mary Magdalene?


14. The Knights Templar guarded the bones of Mary Magdalene and four huge chests of ancient documents about the bloodline of Jesus Christ and the French kings who descended from Him.

The Knights Templar is a religious military order founded in the early 12th century. Hugues de Payens, a French Knight, led eight comrades in the campaign to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land.


It has never been argued in the historical material about the Templars that they protected either Mary Magdalene or documents about French kings. These claims are the inventions of Pierre Plantard, who declared at one point that he was the descendant of Jesus and the proper heir to the French throne.


15. Leonardo da Vinci was once the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion.

The Priory started 437 years after the death of the great artist. Not one Leonardo da Vinci specialist in the entire world has supported the view that he once headed a pagan sex cult. James Beck of Columbia University calls this "total nonsense." Leonard da Vinci scholars have convened special conferences in order to debunk the novel's false claims about the famous artist.


16. Leonardo da Vinci placed Mary Magdalene next to Jesus in his famous painting The Last Supper.

In da Vinci's time everyone believed that this person was John, the beloved disciple. Renaissance art specialists have always noted that John was painted in a rather effeminate manner. The painting was not meant to reveal the identity of a woman but the tension created among the apostles after Jesus says to them, "'One of you will betray Me'" (Matt. 26:21). Of course, even if da Vinci put a woman next to Jesus in his painting, this would not tell us anything about the real Last Supper more than 14 centuries earlier.


17. The Catholic Church killed 5 million women during the Witchcraft Inquisition.

The women targeted as witches were freethinkers, scholars, priestesses, gypsies, nature lovers, mystics and midwives.


The novel radically misinterprets the nature and scope of the Inquisition. First, both men and women were targeted as witches. Second, the female victims were generally older and were not from any specific class or profession. Third, the deaths totaled no more than 100,000, counting both males and females. Most important, the Inquisition was rooted in the real belief that certain men and women actually worshiped Satan and performed diabolical acts of evil.


18. French President

Francois Mitterand ordered 666 panes of glass in the pyramid at the front entrance to the Louvre.


The novel adopts a false rumor that circulated in French society two decades ago. Mitterand did not order 666 panes of glass to be in the pyramid. In fact, the public relations office at the Louvre informed me that the pyramid actually has 673 panes of glass.


19. Early Jewish as well as Christian tradition involved sex ritualism in worship.

There is not a single hint in the entire Old Testament or in Jewish history that sex rites were part of temple worship. Jewish males did not engage in sex with priestesses in the temple. The word "priestess" is not even used in the Old Testament.


In the novel Jesus and Mary Magdalene are pictured as the ideal participants in an early Christian sex ritual. This wild claim has no basis in history, either in terms of early Christian tradition or even in reference to Gnostic documents.


20 True worship involves sex ritualism.

The Da Vinci Code states that "historically, intercourse was the act through which male and female experienced God" and that "by communing with woman … man could achieve a climactic instant when his mind went totally blank and he could see God."


The Da Vinci Code will bring great harm to every innocent religious seeker who follows its endorsement of sex ritual as the path to God. Brown is surely bluffing in his rhetoric about sex in worship. It is impossible to imagine that he really believes his own novel's ideology.


Would he be willing to participate in the ancient ritual that The Da Vinci Code defends? Would he really recommend this ancient ritual to his wife, family and friends?


In both book and movie form The Da Vinci Code represents a threat as well as an opportunity for Christians. Its danger lies in its strident assertions of falsehoods that undermine basic teachings of the gospel.


Uninformed readers and moviegoers must be made aware of the historical blunders in Dan Brown's claims. At the same time, the novel and movie create an unprecedented opportunity for believers to witness about the reliability of the Bible and its central redemptive message—that the Son of God became flesh, died on the cross and rose again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James A. Beverley is associate director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara and professor of Christian Thought and Ethics at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. He is also the author of 10 books, including Counterfeit Code and Religions A to Z. For information on his writings, visit www.jamesbeverley.com.

Pastor Kien Seng speaking on the Da Vinci Code...

TrueWayPC_7May2006 044, originally uploaded by synodym132.

to his youths at True Way PC on 7 May 2006! I was visiting his church today with Rev. Timothy See (our new Executive Secretary of the English Presbytery). After attending the morning 8:30am service and hearing Rev. Tim See's great sermon about not yoking with unbelievers (2Cor 6:14-7:4), Shih-Huei and I went for a quick breakfast at the coffee-shop just opposite TWPC. We had the most wonderful Char Siew noodles and quickly rushed back to the church to attend the youth fellowship group. After a short time of worship and a very fun "guessing" game, Pastor Kien Seng came on to deliver a wonerful and very intersting teaching/sermon on the Da Vinci Code. If your church is thinking about finding a suitable person to speak on the hot topic, may i strongly suggest asking Pastor Kien Seng, who in my humble opinion, did a marvelous job in straightening things out for us. Keep up the good work guys!

What is there to argue about?

verbum Dei

I have been reading this blog for awhile (not that long lah) and had found it to be exceptionally interesting and "reformed"! hee! hee! I have invited him to contribute to the Synod Youth Ministry whenever he can. I believe he worships at ARPC and definitely an avivd reader in theological and biblical works past and present. Do check his blog out whenever you can. Not to mention his extensive list of other recommended great blogs on his blog too!

Too Comfortable In Our Bondage

The toughest thing you will face when mentoring / discipling another person is that the person you try to help refuses vehemently to change - to change for the better. When you start to represent God's voice in his life, he will start to avoid you, resist you, and sometimes even attack you. All these he will do, unknowingly. This will cause you great heartache.

But take heart that the Bible has already given us such examples:

After the Isrealites slaved for Egypt for 400 years, Moses spoke up to the Pharaoh to request their freedom. As a result, Pharaoh treated the Isrealites in a harsher manner. Instead of looking forward to freedom, they turned around to accuse Moses for being a trouble making.

They said to him, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

The Isrealites were angry with Moses for disrupting their life of slavery!

Ask yourself these questions: Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage? Do you fear change more than you fear God? Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you? Will you cooperate with your mentor to bring about a better you ?

NT Wright: Decoding The Da Vinci Code

A very good response to the Da Vinci Code from Bishop NT Wright who is a renowned and well-respected New Testament scholar of today, taken from his website Response. He urges Christians and non-Christians alike to differentiate facts from fiction and exposes the myths in the best-seller and as a result, he provides a very well-thought and thorough response to the phenomenonal success arsing from the book.

Lift your eyes...

a heart warming revival story of a small church in South Wales. I got it from the CWM e-newsletter. There is hope for the world, including UK and Europe because we have a God who gives us this hope! Praise God!