Sunday, November 04, 2007

Arise & Build!!

Pastor shared about having a vision and remembering it, not letting the terror of the night drain away my faith.

what really amazed me was that pastor mentioned that financial blessings are the easiest blessings to receive! simply because of the promise of reaping what we sowed.

think of it this way - every dollar is a seed. the moment you plant a seed, it grows. same goes to our finances! we sow our finances into the kingdom of God, expect it to multiply.

woah!!

another thing that pastor shared that blew away my mind.

our visions can be sidelined we lose sight of it. i've to continually remind myself of the vision God has placed in my heart and keep envisioning it happening; definitely work towards it also. if not, i'll get sidelined and miss out on the vision that God has placed in me! - this statement confirmed what i've been hearing from the Holy Spirit. that if i do not pick up my cross, the vision will go to someone else who's willing to carry the cross.

REMEMBER JOEL! PICK UP YOUR CROSS!!

most importantly, i learnt that in order to receive something, i've to give that thing that i need. eg: i need a healing, so i pray for people who are in need for healing.

another principal of sowing and reaping!

these are like, basics, which i know by knowledge. but after today's sermon, it became more of a revelation!

and because of this sowing and reaping principal, whatever that God did once, He can do it repeatingly!

so. who needs financial help? haha=X

Thursday, November 01, 2007

what are the things you would spend your last few dollars on?
  • $2 mixed flavors ice cream
  • $0.50 Jack&Jill Spicy Potato Chips
  • $0.60 The New Paper
  • $1.20 M&M Minis
  • $1.20 Hersheys Special Dark Chocolate
  • $1.20 Milo Canned Drink
  • $1.70 Iced Honey Dew Sago + Pearls

Cruxify my flesh!!!

near future seems bleak; not sure if i can pursue my desires of studying in SOT this year because i'll only ORD on May 5. SOT starts classes on April.

did consider the plan to take half day leave during the start of my course, but i found out that i'll be given only 7 days worth of leave. best of all, due to the block leave, my leave will be deducted. thus leaving probably less than 3 days?

struggles.

other concerns affecting my decision too. finances, how am i going to pay for the school fees? work, definitely have to work, but a job thats ultra flexible?

really want to enroll into SOT this year, but why does it seem like a dream so far away?

something in me feels fearful to lose out in the coming year's SOT. the coming year's SOT feels special; somehow, i feel like a part of the coming year's SOT intake.

Lord, grant me the desires of my heart.

recently a friend of mine shared about his plan for studies after the army. he extended his contract for about a year so that he's able to save money to study overseas.

tempations.

is it wise for me to extend till next 2009's april, so that i can save money for 2009's SOT?

thing about saving money is that i really have to be extremely disciplined.

headache.

Lord You called me, i'll take the step of faith, and walk on water.

only You know the desires of my heart.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

randomness.

Do feel a little caged up at times. limitations, expections.

can't i just live life the way i want?

bah.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Recently completed a course in the army and was doing self reflection during my "survival" training.

Maybe i've protrayed myself as someone too soft and easily stepped over. I looked at my guys and watched how they talked and reacted towards me.

Seems that they were talking to their friend more than their commander.

Yes, i know that its important to build friendship and not draw the line between officers and specialists, but its also very important for them to respect the command given to me. So i can't have them walking up to me, trying to bend the rules here and there just to fit into their comfort zone.

I've got to be more strict with them, especially with my commanders. Army's not about staying in your comfort zone, but stretching your limits, learning more about yourself.

Maybe i should set higher standards and demand more from them, and learn not to be so easily taken in by others.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

back home!

service was fantastic.

pastor kong's back and he shared about tithing. something very basic, but extremely important in our walk with God.

now i feel empowered, recharged. but not yet ready to take on the world. =X

down with a minor injury. in-grown toe nail.

seems minor, but it causes serious pain if not treated. i decided not to go ahead with the surgery in camp as it would result me to get out-of-course in my recce commander course. so i told the MO that i'll probably just grit through the pain and only after my course, i'll seek surgery.

after serving today in leather shoes, i removed my socks earlier and found half my toe covered in blood and pus. not mentioning the constant pain with every step that i took.

but i guess i just got to grit through the pain and pray that my toe recovers soon.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

one more entry before i book-in into camp.

God is just so amazing. sometimes when you feel that you're left on the shelf, God surprises you with the things He has been doing all the time.

i've been quite blessed as my parents allow me to go church, despite different beliefs. though they dont really ask me what church or God is about, they have never questioned, challenged or gave me an extremely difficult time.

recently, certain issues happened at home and it caused my mom to open up more to Christ. though they were not very pleasant issues, i was glad that my mom was willing to listen to my advise and my sister.

sometimes when others are really weak or helpless, that is when you're able to demostrate the power of God.

but of cos there are incidents that i wished didnt happen at all. but what i'm glad is that my family members are protected.

knowing that God is such a wonderful God, it makes me even much more burdened. it makes me feel like going around, sharing the good news of God, so that they can experience the same kind of love that i experience.

sometimes i don't even know why i feel so disturbed. felt that i should do something, rather than wasting my life away. but i've also learnt that thats one of the many ways the Holy Spirit communicates to us. He attracts our attention to seek His face, to pray and to "find" out whats bothering me.

many times, i feel that i not worthy. things that i've done probably have not just disappointed God, but my loved ones. but time and time again, i find myself surrounded by His presence, His peace, when i pray.

problems became easier to solve, angry emotions begin to calm down and understanding creeps into my heart. feels terrible when you begin to understand what had just happened and you've caused another person to feel hurt.

maybe sometimes its about loving somebody regardless of self. loving someone not because of what i can receive, but because of what i can give.

if i can give God my precious time, He's able to give me more than just His presence, love and peace. if i've to make a decison between God and something that i really like, would a short term pleasure be more satisfying or something thats not seen in the realm of the spirit satisfy me even more?

making a difference in the lives of others is not something nobel. but it demands sacrifice, patience and love. its not just an one day affair or an one incident thing. its a daily renewing of commitment to help that person, to watch them grow stronger in Christ.

sometimes its not just about bringing people to church and hoping that pastor would preach a message that would touch their hearts. but its about winning their hearts over, before bringing them to church. to do that, you'll have to be there for that person since day one, no matter rain or shine.

then when the time is ripe, naturally the person would want to go church.

the gospel is never forced down someone's throat. its the word, or our attitudes, that causes harden hearts to be soften, then His love that fills the void in the heart.

now lets stop forcing the gospel down throats, but let the love of God flow through us and into the world that needs Him!
Last post - June 11 2006

Today - September 9 2007

I've been on null for more than a year! are there anymore readers? hahaz.

for the past year, nothing much has happened. got into the army, got best trainee in my platoon, got into OCS and commissioned on June 9 2007.

something to be very proud of and glad that i made it through.

now that i'm commissioned, many would think that its time for me to slack. well, its barely the beginning because i'm still on course for my vocation! i'm training to be a recce commander and i'm sure its going to be extremely exciting.

cannot go into the details, but watch and see! i'll infiltrate your fridge like never before!

so many happenings recently, so many to say. but so little time, or rather lazy my fingers and brains are. all i'm thinking of is the ice cream tub thats waiting for me in the freezer and a cup of iced milo.

maybe this is the start of a blogging lifestyle again, but definitely not everyday because i'm a stay in trainee. would only get to book out on fridays and if i get confined, sundays.

even officers get confined! boo!

Sunday, June 11, 2006

what is an irritating person? is he someone that talks too much or tries too hard to be someone else?

personally, an irritating person is an insensitive person. he does things without much consideration, talks without thinking and is often oblivious to his surroundings.

sometimes you may think that you're not an irritating person, but to somebody else, your actions and speech makes them feel irritated. why? i don't know too! because in Deuteronomy 29:29, it says "The secret things belong to the Lord our God"

maybe when we go up to heaven one day, God would reveal to us the things that we never understood. perhaps we would then be really ashamed of ourselves because of the foolish things that we did.

sometimes God deals with you indirectly. He sends somebody into your life and treats you the way you treat other people.

you want to be loved? then love others first. always placing others before self, without a motive should always be the mentality of ours.

i may have the potential to be the Mr. Gentleman of the universe, but because of my selfish desires, i would be stripped off the title and it would be given to somebody else who's willing to rise up.

you may think, "aiyah.. i'm still young, still got many more years ahead of me" but what you would never know is that your foundation is already cracked the moment you make this statement. with that crack in your foundation, the devil can come in easily and cause you to go off course.

ok.. i'm out of point, anyway, this is quite an random post and i'm not directing at anyone=)
hmm.. why is blogger in chinese today? heh.. weird..

anyway, i've about 4 more weeks of "freedom" before i'm being transported to pulau tekong for 2 years of service to the nation.

as the saying goes, "its the place where boys turn into man."

i've heard many friends share their experience, and some older generations sharing with me their "sob" story because they had lesser pay, tougher trainings and lack of welfare. but many shared with me of what to expect inside because the people i'll meet inside may be far from what i can imagine.

basically, national service is like going for weekly camps at a far away place, being seperated from everyone else and the occational confinments, field camps and overseas training.

it wouldn't be bad for those singletons because they do not have much "responsibilities". but those lovely dudly BFs would probably suffer abit more because of the seperation. some people would even "encourage" you by saying that your GF is probably flirting with some other guys.

heh. not only that, pampered children would definitely not get used to camp food for the first few days. thank God i'm not a picky eater (sometimes). so i'll just gobble down whatever food thats given to me, if it tastes ok, and not make a big fuss about wanting mcdonalds =P

but i guess its gonna be really fun. imagine getting a really great buddy in the army, one thats great to work with, willing to work and serve hard, encourages and edifies, my army experience would definitely be a great one!

going through thick and thin together, helping one another cover our backs, slack during guard duties and stuffs like that would be so enjoyable because of a wonderful buddy=)

i think its really time for me to mature in my thinking. got to have the wisdom of God in every espect of my life. no longer thinking just for my selfish desires and needs, but about meeting other people needs.

about enlarging my capacity, stretching my limits to reach the next level. i know its never gonna be easy because its always easier to flow a fuse than to control the voltage. but once the damage is done, it is forever there.

i think i've done enough damage and in my last 4 weeks, i do not want to induce further damage. i just want to enter national service knowing that everything is ok, under control and smooth flowing.

saying is always easier, but when the situation comes, the action seems hard to perform. every part of our brain would scream out in harmony, inflicting anger cells and boiling blood. before we know it, another scar is formed, damage done.

then when you calm down and realized how foolish you were, you spend another 30 minutes trying to pacify the other party, explaining your actions and asking for forgiveness.

all these trouble can be saved if only we control our emotions and think about the words that are proceeding out of our tongue. watching our body language is also very important because communication is about body language too.

standing too close to someone or simply having a irritated look can turn someone off and spoil the day. so observe not just our tongue, but our body language too!!

gosh. how did this entry turn out to be a communication lesson? heh.. anyway, its late.

snooze time!

Saturday, May 20, 2006

ooh. just came back from a soccer game with the security guys at ngee ann poly. talk about convinence manz! they should have all their games at NP! =D

it was quite a nice match.

surprisingly i played from the beginning. was thinking that i would be "relegated" to the bench because of my poor attendance and lack of equipment. i had to wear bro mike's track shoes to play=P

anyway, its been a million years since i last played soccer and it was quite fun running about, chasing after a ball, with formation definitely!

i guess all the Football Manager gaming experience saved me. i played at midfield right and for the first half, i had quite a lot of action on my side.

just before the half time, i started to see white and i got replaced. i almost whited out on the field! thank God i had just enough time and strength to walk to the side, almost blind, and ask for a drink to refill myself.

i went back to the pitch for the second half! couldn't stand sitting at the bench watching others play! hahaa=P

this time, i wore daniel's boots and it was soooo much better! i finally had grip on the muddy pitch and i was able to run with control.

i think the match ended 5-3 to security! hahaa=P not sure if i contributed to the first goal because i took a shot, but it got deflected and someone headed the ball in instead. lol=P anyway, we won! doesn't matter if i scored or not=P

on a personal evalution of myself, i thought i played quite poorly. couldn't trap the ball in the air and had several bad passes, miskicks and moments of blurness on the field. heh=P ricky was like roy keane, shouting and motivating us to play harder~ even told me off, to wake up my idea. haha=P

currently i'm considering getting boots for myself so that i can join them everyweek for a game of soccer. gotta exercise before i enter national service!

2.30pm! i'm gonna be really late! gotta cut my hair, meet steven then travel to changi airport!

BYE!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

>.<

ashley's at phillippines right now!! -cries- which means i've no one protecting me in the company, getting me out of trouble and helping me when i need help!

oh well. anyway, had a great time with taifong today. we walked stores together and i saved a lot of money on transport because he drove me around the various locations we visited! hahaz! learnt several stuffs about driving and it has indeed stirred up my spirits to learn driving asap!

the shock of getting into army on 6 july 2006 is still trying to settle in. i still can't believe that i'm entering NS sooner then most of my friends! to think that i passed NAPFA! i thought i'll get like 2 months off or something?

or maybe its like that - 6 july 2006 - 2 mths = 6 may 2008 i'll ORD! which sounds REALLY soon. AND remembering that i can clear leave, i'll probably unofficially ORD by April! Praise God!!

i'm gonna do a countdown to ORD and bring it along when i enlist on 6 july. =D i'll probably be labeled as crazy

i've got so many things i want to do!! before my NS!!

i want to travel overseas, by air, land and sea!!

air - take an aeroplane to some country to play
land - drive/get driven to neighbouring country to play
sea - take a cruise to play!

generally, i want to play before entering NS!! i want to see more of the world before i'm confined in little tekong!

7 more weeks to national service.... >.<

Monday, May 15, 2006

Friday, May 05, 2006

heh. Loads of things i wanna blog about, but i'm quite lazy to type them all out here.

Anyway, quick update!! i'm currently very obsessed this song i heard recently at a KTV session with the gang.

it's called - Superwomen. (I bet everyone's going.. cheyyYyy..)

it's such a sweet song!! feels so honest and it's the type of song that comes best when you're discouraged by a setback.

Well. technically speaking, my contract at Reborne is expired. but i'm still returning to the company to help out at certain areas. i've been offered a two weeks extension because one of the sales executive is going on exams break and i'll be taking over her position for the time being.

i don't know if its a blessing in disguise because there's loads of conflicts going on, regarding if i've been doing my job or i'm just a waste of the company's finance.

seriously speaking, i do not care what they're talking behind my back. as far as i'm concerned, as long as i'm doing my job, i'm secure.

but what annoys me is that my effort is not appreciated in the company, and worst of all, its being doubted. only once i received open praise from Lars, the bigboss of the company, because i called up the audience from the Nanz Chong talk show held recently and managed to get sales for our new product.

Lars praised the effort i placed in speaking to the audience, gathering feedback and promoting sales to them.

i also learnt something valuable this week. there's a famous quote that goes, "no point crying over spilt milk" i simply thought it simply means whats done cannot be undone. but i had the honor of experiencing it first hand.

sometimes we do things out of anger and if we're unable to control our tongue, all hell breaks loose. thats why the bible says that the wise controls their tongue and the bible also mentions that the more we speak, the more we're prone to sin.

we can only regret after doing such things, but there's nothing we can do to undo the event. its not like Microsoft Words, when you can click on the undo icon and all the mistakes are erased.

scars are permanent. no use rubbing against it, hoping that it would go off one day.

anyway, i could have used my brains before using my emotions.. but, no point crying over spilt milk. i've to stand up once again, dust off the dust and move on with life. i cannot afford to stay at the same place and hope for a miracle to change the event that happened.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

alrites! it's time to revive this blog of mine!!

to all my faithful readers out there, congratez!! You'll be reading fresh, new posts from me once again!! heh=P

as you noticed, a new skin is being used already~ not bad for a start right?

I've no idea what to write today, but i just feel like blogging all over again. I wonder why too.

Not much happenings recently, except that i'm given a 2 weeks extension for my current job. I don't know if its a blessing in disguise, but it can be quite stressful working there. Just look at Ashley and everyone would understand. She seems to be on the tenderhooks everyday and she explodes everynow and then. Heh.

Maybe I should just blog about this.

Working at reBorne has certainly opened up my eyes. You see the nice guys and the bad guys in the same place. Sometimes you look behind your back and you find a knife being stabbed into your back.

There are also nice people that fight the battle for me, thanks Ashley! When things goes wrong, they are always the ones that I look for.

But my work there is quite boring. I just goto stores to check stock and order stock. Not much responsibilty, not even exciting after 2 weeks. It takes much discipline to work everyday and there are days when i just slack at home=P

On Wednesday, we would have bible studies with Lars, the boss who wears Boss polo tees, or sometimes guest pastors/speakers to teach us the word of God. Recently it has been Aileen giving us bible studies, reading passages from the bible and sharing revelations with each other.

Quite interesting company eh?

Saturday, March 18, 2006

FUTURECAST

Quote - "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay

Hi, I'm Phil Pringle
You're going to love this;

Forecasting is based on a predictable future. That animal is extinct.

Forecasting says 'This is what we believe is going to happen.'

Futurecasting says 'This is what we are going to make happen.'

Futurecasting easily predicts the future because those who futurecast are going to make that particular future happen.

So, what are you going to make happen?

Monday, February 20, 2006

Move slower to move faster.
Take a little longer before you speak.
Take time to order your thoughts.
Take time to prepare properly.
So many demands, so much to do;
The temptation to rush is overwhelming.
But.Stop! Sit...
Even right now!
For an hour.
Consider God.
Think about your plans.
Then... Act.

-Phil Pringle

-

how true are these comments made by Pst Phil? its so true! so many people are quick to anger, quick to speak, quick to make comments that they forget everything else.

they forget that the comments they make would hurt someone else, they forget that it would cause a scar in someone else's life, they forget that God should be in their plans.

sometimes people rush to finish things, they forget the ultimate objective of the plan. why did we even start doing this project? is it for the fame? for the glory? or for the purpose of it?

stop and consider, are we in line with God? are our thoughts in line with him? many times we get tired, burnt out because what we're doing is not what God wants us to do! the joy of the Lord is our strength! if we're doing what God wants us to do, no matter how tired we are, we would still be filled with strength.

no one's perfect. we all have flaws and we need to learn from one another. allow yourself to be teachable, learn from the ants! learn from the roadsweeper, who's able to endure the sun, rain, cold just to keep our neighbourhood clean.

when you're not teachable, you wont be molded to who God wants you to be. then you end up getting frustrated because the same problem is coming back again and again.

stop and consider, is this happening to you now?