updates!

been quite sometime since i last updated! i've been busy busy and busy=P

firstly, we've officially moved to Singapore Expo!! we've been there for 3 weeks already and we're starting to fill up the entire place!! praise the Lord! recently during the Christmas celebrations, we had 4 services and when the altar call was given, the amount of people that responded was innumerable!

even the taiwan ambassdor responded!! i had to open up a way for him as he proceeded down to respond. praise God!! he was very appreciative of my efforts as i followed him throughout, opening ways for him to walk through.

i feel that serving in expo is quite fun. everyone has to put in that extra effort, to stand in the gap. rising up in ministry was challenging, but now in expo, i feel that everyone is rising up, taking on the challenge because there are so many things for us to take ownership of.

secondly, its my birthday this saturday!! woohoo!! finally i'm officially 21!! if you don't know what to buy for me, its ok!! here's my wishlist -

• iPod Video
• DKNY Watch
• Topman Jeans
• CK Shirts (Charmaine, do you remember this?)
• Nice Long Sleeve Shirts
• Suits
• More T-Shirts
• CASH! (To buy things i like!)
• Shoes
• New Specs?

notice that its all in pural? i don't mind multiple gifts, as long as its different=P

and lastly, the root beer float at i-can't-remember-where is FANTASTIC!

Joel, I baptise you in the name of the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit!

4 December 2005 will remain as a very special day for my walk with God because its the day that i get baptised!

nothing dramatic happened, no voices from heaven or doves landing on me, but something spiritual happened! my old man has DIED and i'm a new man now!! with the power of the Holy Spirit and the devil will NEVER get to control me anymore! muahhAha!!

another special thing is that i'm the last person to get baptised in the Jurong West premises! haha!! so cool!! the VERYVERY last person~ =P even pastor aries and pastor audrey were saying that i'm very blessed~ loL=P

btw, my baptism name is Jerome. but pastor aries called me joel instead!! hahaZz~ i guess coz he knows my name, if not, he simply read the first name on my sticker~ =P

took a lot of pictures!! so fun!! for the first time i was so excited about taking pictures!! hahazz! i practically ran everywhere to look for friends, in wet shirt n shorts, to take pictures=P but i've only received a few pictures~ faster send me the pictures!! =P

thanks to charmaine, my official photographer, sijia, who took loads of pictures for me, taifong, who took a few snapshots for me and fajin, who took a few snapshots of me too=D

woohoo!!

complains from charmaine, saying that i never blog. heh~ lazy to blog and don't know what to blog mah=P

anyway, today is SOMEONE'S birthday, but i can't seem to remember who that person is. so lets just forget about it and move on with life=)

we're moving to EXPO in just one more week!! *excited* we had our security briefing / training on EXPO and i'm amazed by the capacity and size of expo. though we haven been there to see it for ourselves, looking at the map itself amazes me.

moving to expo also means that we have to increase our capacity. we can't do things the way we did in Jurong West because its so different! expo is about 3 times bigger and there are so many sectors that contains thousands of people. if we're unable to increase our capacity, we can never serve God with our best.

with so much changes, everyone would be forced to move out of their comfort zone, to make adjustments and to rise up and take ownership. those left behind would eventually fall away because God has moved on. do you want to move with God or fall away?

anyway, life's been great=) a few changes here and there, adapting to changes around my life and accepting things with a pinch of salt. sometimes its tough, but its all worth it at the end of the day.

times may get tough, but tough times don't last! it takes more than patience and understanding to get over tough times. it takes pure determination, mental strength and calmness of the mind to access the siuation and not make things worst.

sometimes its just so hard to understand, but forcing it down with a pinch of salt and keeping quiet does wonders. no wonder the bible says that the more you speak, the more you sin. so if you're facing a difficult situation next time, the best solution is to keep quiet, stand back and access the siuation!!

managing emotions and thoughts is always so important because they can torment you the entire day. learning to control them should be taught in primary school!! its so important to manage our emotions and thoughts because it makes the difference between a happy person or a depressed one.

the devil knows our weaknesses and he constantly uses them to torment us. we can't fend off the devil using our own strength or thoughts. but only thru the word of God, the devil will be binded! at times i wished that i had that rhema word from God, and knowing that His voice is always there, i have to be very sensitive to His voice.

it can be tough during that period of time, but when you hear His voice, it almost feels like the power of water breaking through a waterdam.

all it takes is just a special moment to take all all doubts, fears and worries. just that special 60 seconds can make a difference between a great day or a bad day. sometimes words just cannot express our feelings, thats when our actions play an important role.

oh well, these are some of the thoughts that are in my mind currently=)