His love for us

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - (Matt 7:9-11)

"Man Cannot commit a sin so great as to exhaust the infinite love of God," Dostoyevsky's saintly Zossima tells a woman who has committed an unspeakable crime and is afraid to die. "Can there be a sin which could exceed the love of God? .... Believe that God loves you as you cannot conceive; that He loves you with your sin, in your sin ..... All things are atoned for, all things are saved by love. If I, a sinner, even as you are, am tender with you and have pity on you, how much more will God." Peter ..... asked him, 'Lord, how often am I to forgive my brother if he goes on wronging me? As many as seven times ?' Jesus replied, 'I do not say seven times; i say seventy times seven'" (Matt 18:21-22). This is not arithmetic, but a biblical way of saying, " I say infinitely." Could it be that Peter's Lord requires more of his children than he asks of himself? Could such a Lord even think of banishing his children from his forgiveness - especially "forever"? Would this not make God the greatest celestial hypocrite? Apparently even "children of wrath" find it difficult to sustain this kind of cruelty

The heart is a slave

- The Parables of PEANUTS

A New Year

2008, a new year.

A new start once again, but God is the same as ever before so its another year of being challenged to hold onto him in gd and bad times.

A look back into 07. God has been good always. One of the many blessings to give thanks for is MMM, M'kkdesh Makan Ministry. I guess as i look back, it was a success cos God bless this fellowship by always bringing ppl to come and be part of it. Everyone in their own ways supported it very much and some of the church ppl even know abt it, haha, we r famous ! Can we copyright the MMM thingy, haha? May those of you who set aside time on fridays enjoyed and grown to love one another company.

Maybe cos i'm ard more often this time rd, i get to see and interact with everyone on a more regular basis. Getting to know the cell better has being a wonderful experience. Of course, we grow older yr by yr and we do change so its a constant need to keep updating oneself to know every individual. ( Now most ppl know hw much clothing i have, haha, just stop asking me to buy so often, getting complains @ home le, !)

Aug was cell retreat, working with elena, xinyi and mattathias allowed me to be part of something special as well as to know them better as individuals. As i mention to them b4, i hardly know xy and matt much b4 the retreat com thingy so its a gd start, haha.

Friendships grew, one of which was with Guorong, someone whom i'm very thankful for all the support, time, prayer, shopping experiences, nonsense and much more. I guess it's one of those God divine appointment situations where ppl come in to walk with u when u most need it and then having to move on but still, i've learnt a lot through the ups and downs of this friendship and i'll treasure what the values of this friendship is and put it into gd use for the future. Thank care Bro, do i need to type out a thesis for the word friendship, haha!

Many other old and new friendships were strengthen and formed and it's going to be another challenging year to try to keep up with all of them. It's been great to know the guys & gals better last yr and the great fellowship that God has bless all of us with. Of course, this is going to be extremely long post if i comment and thank every single one of u so till next time la. 24 hrs is never enough when u want to spend time with people and chill out to know one another better!

Study wise was gd, didnt do that well in the 1st half of the yr but still, i was thankful to be at least heading in the correct direction. Sem 2 exam results were a surprise to me, didnt really study hard enough and instead of studying more, i think i set more time aside to contribute to things outside of studies. The last day b4 so many diff exam papers, i still was blur over certain things like those 25 mark question thingy that will determine u fail or pass the exam kind but i'm really thankful, even like for eg after deciding to go for the bb/gb nite walk in the middle of exams, its not abt earning pts, its all abt being obedient and ya, clearing all 8 subj was a really nice feeling to have esp when u know divine intervention was involved in the results.

Now for 08, i suppose there r lots of things to do and do. Ah !! one of which is the whole new responsibility of being in a ministry. Never been in one, although everyone outside of cell thinks i'm in sound, lol ? and wooo 5 mth commitment isn't a joke, i wonder how i'm going to survive especially since i've to teach the kids as well! Oh well, 1 step at a time and God will lead me on, just have to trust him in that.

Cell grp has been a great support to me this past yr esp all the various events which they took part in. However, i want to lower my contributions somewhat to allow others to come in and do things in their own unique ways. I dont mind doing it but i always feel that everyone shld try to help out a bit in the organising from time to time even if it isnt their talent. In our weakness , He is strong ! Another thing is the fact that been involved in the children side will mean lots of brain juice gone so ya, need to polish shield to deflect all the arrows flying from cell side, wahahaha.

Try not to read too deep into the last paragraph thats above, i know some of you can process a million diff scenarios from this, haha. And oh yes, may you dear reader have a wonderful God fulfilling year ahead.

Christmas

.... As a Member of Christ's body, I shld attend to the pain of a suffering member nearby. But then what? Hw shld i respond? The physical adaptations to pain in my own body teach me much abt the appropriate responses of neighbouring cells.

To better understand the mechanisms of response to pain, I've subjected my own fingers to the mechanical devices we use on Clarence(Monkey): machines that press a metal rod against fingertips with measured force and frequency. If i put in hand under the tiny mechanical hammer delivering a force of exactly one pound over one-twentieth of a square inch (twenty pounds per square inch), I find it not painful at all. It feels rather pleasant, like a vibromassage. But if i let the machine run on several hundred beats, my finger turns slightly red and feels uncomfortable. After 1500 beats i must pull my finger out, for i can no longer endure the pain. My finger, now sore to the touch, is distantly warmer than its neighbouring fingers. When i return to the machine the next day I can only tolerate a couple of hundred beats before yanking my finger away. In a mysterious and complex process, my body evaluates pain not only by the mechanical forces but also by how the cells are "feeling" when the stress begins.

My body's protective response shows visibly in inflammation, as blood surges to the affected area and the body cushions the point of stress with extra fluids. In regard to the pain system, inflammation brings on a condition called hypersensitivity. My finger that has endured hundreds of tiny hammer blows becomes hypersensitivity to hammer blows, because in its inflamed condition just a few more stresses could lead to a blister or ulcer.

Similarly, a finger that has been burned becomes hypersensitive to heat, because even a little heat would harm the mildly inflamed tissues. I've more than once put my hands in basin only to discover, to my surprise, that my hands are sending mixed signals. My left hand tells me the water is hot; my right hand says warm. Then i remember an incident from breakfast: a drop of hot bacon grease popped out of the pan and landed in my left hand. I had not noticed it at the time, but pain nerve endings at that spot lowered their threshold and are now reporting warm water as hot.

Who has not felt the irritation of a sore finger, from an infected hangnail perhaps, always seeming "in the way." It gets bumped every few minutes no matter hw careful you're. That sensation has a sound physiological basis: your pain cells have suddenly become ten times more sensitive to pain. My finger becomes hypersensitive so that i won't foolishly subject it to more hot grease or hammer blows. Pain cells in effect "turn up the volume." In these remarkable ways, hypersensitivity builds up a shield of pain to protect unusually vulnerable parts.

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All of us experience a psychological parallel to the reaction of hypersensitivity. When we are under severe strain, maybe resulting from an accumulation of small stresses - bills, work pressures, irritating habits of family members - suddenly every minor frustration hits like a blow. We've become hypersensitive, and our minds are telling us we need a respite as surely as neuronal hypersensitivity warns our bodies of a need for relief.

Following the example of cells in the human body, we members of the Body of Christ would do well to learn the place of hypersensitivity and how to respond. Cells in my fingers, although uninjured themselves, take up the cry for relief from a nearby injured cell and report it to the head. There is a place for "intercessory pain" in the Body of Christ.

In addition, the body makes certain allowances for its hurting cells. Pain works precisely because it is loud and insistent. People in pain, physical or mental, while in a hypersensitive state may lash out against those who try to befriend them. They require from more healthy members a forgiving acceptance that sees past surface reactions to the hidden needs.

The Christian church, said one noted pastor, "is the only outfit I know of that shoots its wounded." He referred to a common tendency to harshly judge a person who is alrdy in emotional or spiritual pain. In contrast, a healthy body will make far-reaching adaptations to announce the pain and make sure it is heeded. Healing agents are summoned by the area of local need, as my study of monkey's denervated fingertips clearly confirmed.

Real love protects and defends areas of special vulnerability. We may be called on to booster bruised egos, gently confront an insensitive person, or take upon ourselves some of the minor stresses that have accumulated. As a former missionary, I cannot overstate the life-sustaining role of people back home who invested themselves in me by praying and writing letters. These specially sensitive cells sought out my pain and nourished me in time of need. Such dedicated people make the difference between a missionary who serves twenty years and one who breaks down after a short time.

- Paul Brand

This the Season of giving and receiving even more than one expects. Jesus coming to take our pain away truly mark this special day which we celebrate every year. Are we as his Body practicing what He has personally demonstrated to us in reaching out to our fellow brothers and sisters when they send out the pain signal, that we'll protect and defend them with love? Are we able to love unconditionally without judging someone's past? Only as an individual would you know yourself best in this area.

2007 is drawing to a close like no body business. For everyone of you, it's been a yr of up's and down's of which some have more up's than down's and vice versa. No matter what, it's a year that the Lord has brought us through and gave us lots of reasons to care and support one another in times of needs. Continue this rush of blessing and accountability so that as one body, everyone will grow together spiritually and in other ways as well.

December is flying past way too fast and jan is almost here, meaning its back to the cycle once again ! Oh well, despite all the tiredness of so many activities, personally it's been a great chance to catch up with everyone as well as having joy and laughter together as a cell.

It's rare to receive christmas gifts in such as large cost for myself personally. Thanks really to the Lord for giving me a creative zen from a friend's church outreach lucky draw. 1st prize somemore ! I didnt pray for this, kind of lost on what exactly to do with it atm since i very much prefer music from my handphone but i guess, it means i'm suppose to use it in a way to bless others in 08. Time will tell I suppose, the true meaning of such a gift.

Thanks esp to Guorong and Linfeng for the watch ! However, i'm still going to fix my other watch which has it stripe broken, haha. The watch cell grp gave is almost 4 yrs old but it's still working so oh well, now at least, can change different watch to wear. But still, a big Thank You for the gift guys. On top of that, many thanks to everyone for your cards of encouragement, chocolates and gifts. This might sound funny but here goes. Every gift's value is small cos why, the most impt thing is that for 365 1/4 days in every year, the friendship, care, support, etc that God has bless me with through u guys is the true value of friendship so many thanks to everyone for the daily blessings of doing the small or big things ! Remember to carry on encouraging and loving one another forward in the new year itself. That's really what the Body of Christ is for right?

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May 2008 be an awesome year for everyone here in Mkkadesh. God bless

Before, During & After

I must say, my holidays only truly started on Mon(3th) after the children camp ended on Sunday. Boy was it great to feel aimless and go abt doing whatever i like {well, not much really anyway}. That aside, i was too tired from the weeks of minimum sleep and sort of slept whenever i could during both the day and night the entire week. The rain was a plus factor to just stay @ home to recharge and be prepared for the retreat during the week end.

God is good all the time, met up for some morning tennis with Thomas, Barnabas & Wenzheng on thurs. Though it rained for most of the morning and early afternoon, we still managed to have a fun time with some light drizzle thats all. My 1st form of exercise for weeks, body was aching a bit on friday, haha.
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Friday morning itself was quite interesting, almost everyone from cell who was there asked me how come i was late. Here's my reasoning, if registration was from 8am to 915am, i decided to come only @ 9am to catch as much sleep as i could, hehehe. Oh well, thanks everyone for asking! After a short time of worship and prayer, we departed in our camp/retreat grps to our various venues for the Blessing 1000 outreach.

My grp consisting of Shu Hui, Jayne, Wee Lee, Mattathias and myself headed to Raffles place. Unique to go to a CBD area on a week day since i hardly ever did that. We split up into grps and tried to give out the booklet(forgot wat it's called), though since we were there in the late morning, the bulk of the office ppl were working and the people whom we eventually tried to reach out to dont really understand english. Ever regret not learning enough Chinese? It was an interesting and eye opener experience, last time i did this was ah.... let me count my fingers, ah yes, 7 yrs ago. LOL !

Came back to DCB by train and wat a coincidence, managed to meet up with LF and Suz grp which was coming back from Orchard. Lunch was Nasi Lemak, oh boy, 2nd egg of the day for me alrdy since breakfast was inclusive of egg. Departed shortly for our respective venues and LF, MW and me was in the same car as Andy. Finally remembered wat the Hotel was called, Hangout ! Nice place i must say to chill and relax for the next 2 days.

Our Hotel Room, simple and nice !

After a short time set aside to settle down, we had like 1hr + to do watever we want till icebreaker time. Wooo, they have a lounge here with TV, Internet and coffee and tea and pool table. This budget hotel at least does have some sort of facilities.

Sitting down most of time is good for the body, haha. We played 2 simple games. One was to find out certain ppl with certain items/places they have been to, etc. The other was mind intensive, tested our brain juices to the max! LOL, lots of ppl really forgot everything abt nursery stuff alrdy, hehehe. Time flies & we headed down to Bukit Timah for dinner. Almost the entire retreat headed there for dinner. Food was as usual good from this place. Funny thing was, they gave us $10 each for 3 meals(dinner, lunch, dinner) and we alrdy almost spent finished the money in 1 meal. Gua gua gua.

The 1st nite combine sermon session was by Joyce Chow. Her teaching was engaging and managed to keep ppl on their toes and help them remember the impt things of being a witness for Christ. Some pointers would be Soul-winning, Preach ONLY Jesus and Return to God on his terms.

We split into 2 grps, 1 headed back to the hotel, the other went to Adam Rd for supper. Retreat sure is a retreat, almost everyone was in bed by midnite when we came back. Of course, since there's a comp @ the hotel, i didnt sleep that early but sure feels weird from previous yrs where ppl would gather @ nite and chit-chat a bit.

Breakfast which some call combat ration? I wont mind this everyday in the army, wooo.

Woke up early for breakfast as they had to spilt us up due to the lack of seats. YA taste of food quite different from ppl our age. What seems good to us isnt up to their standard, so they headed out for breakfast instead while we enjoyed good food here @ the hotel. U decide yourself from the pic whether its gd or not.{Not included in the pic are other food items like cerals, fruit cocktail, orange juice}

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Day session was taught by Pastor's friend of being a witness in the workplace.

> The real church is make up of ppl like U and I

> Work/Labour is a worship onto the Lord

> Prayer is impt for your friend salvation

> To be rdy in season and out of season

> Make use of activities like Oikos

Rojak(grp name)

Aftenoon games for the retreat was to eat even more food! We played the popular game Shi Zhi Lu Kou. Each grp had 7 different places to go to eat and compete to see who finished 1st. Everyone was relaxed, no competition mood and took our time since we were given like 4.5 hrs to play, haha. Food was great, some dishes we have tried b4, others for the 1st time. God held the weather for us, drizzle a bit but other than that, cooling weather to be walking ard in. Almost everyone finished quite early and some of us took an afternoon nap, woooo, what a life !

STAR Attraction

Woke up refreshed and headed to the HK cafe @ Bukit Timah for dinner. Nice food i must safe. We made the right choices ppl!

Combine S.A. sermon session was by Rev joshua.

> Taken from Col 1: 15-20. Recurring word was ALL.

> John 1: 1-4. God was the word

> Luke 1: 26-28. God chooses who he wants, dont be fearful when He comes calling.

I like Dim sum

Headed to Gerlang for supper, so many ppl (saturday i guess) and the traffic was bad. Took quite a while to find a lot but the food was worth travelling down for. Sat in a Volvo and experienced GForce! God really was with us, we travelled a bit too fast and the trafiic police was riding beside us! Thankfully, nothing happen though we suspect since our vehicle was a Msia plate license, we managed to get off with it. Came back to the hotel and went to the nearby paradiz centre with Kelvin, Dongwen & LF for some pool till 2am, ops !

Sunday le! Breakfast was gd once again. We packed up and returned out keys. Time flies and it was the last session b4 we ended retreat 07. We split up into guys and gals grp. Eric led the guys side, Wee Lee the ladies side. Both grp had a great day of learning. (Will type out for the guys side and mail the campers soon)

Retreat was officially over ! Headed to PS for lunch with Diana, Linfeng, Marcus, Mattathias, Suzanne, Xinyi & afterwhich went home to do some laundry(raining, wonder how are they ever going to dry) and catch a nap, b4 rushing down back to DCB for Barnabas's confrimation.

Confrimation service, grats Barnabas

Clifton, Ruth and Noel came back to church in the evening and joined us for dinner and gave us a ride to the camp side. We got lost a bit but eventually managed to find the exact location. This yr the last nite quite different, no more performance! Still, the entertainment was great and everyone had a gd laugh from the various games and speeches.

Mr Zheng having fun

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Age really is catching up! They even had a lao lang bunk where ya, most of the ppl sleeping there were among the oldest campers. And on top of that, most of the ppl in this bunk did sleep pretty early but i guess, 3 days of energy zapping activities will tired anyone out very fast. Chatted with some of the guys in the dark with only a lightstick as a light source. Feels like those camps where ppl would be in the dark with only a candle and tell one another ghost stories. Of course, we didnt do that but talked abt everything that was under the sun !

4am liao, and most ppl KO lo. Went down to chit-chat and play some card games with whoever is still up. Went back to catch a nap @ 6am & slept like 1 hr + i think. Anyway, camp was also officially over and ya, till some ppl post the events during the camp, the retreat ppl wont really know much, haha.

New Cell grp shirt? Haha

Headed to Clementi for lunch with Chris, Elena, Guorong, Linfeng & Nicodemus and did some early Xmas shopping! By late afternoon, i went back home to sleep, & on the train, kept falling as i stood, too tired alrdy, hehehe. Time to spend yet another week trying to catch up on some sleep.

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An awesome wk end spending time learning abt God word, interacting with ppl of different backgrounds and just chilling out together. Wat a Bz and event packed Dec for most of us to come! Till then, hope everyone learnt something from the camp/retreat and apply them in your walk.

Thanksgiving

Exams r finally over and a month of rest and recovery is here, woohoo. Just really thankful that God and everyone's prayer saw me through this past 3 weeks of madness. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements. The 4+ hrs of sleep i had everyday really is crazy! So much to remember, so little brain cells to store them, haha. Human beings sure are unique in their ability to retain info when under stressed!

Rush down straight after exams on friday to Sentosa to join in the children camp. I didn't plan any programs this dec but somehow God has done it alrdy, which is good, saves me the trouble of having to come out with some reasonings so that i won't have to do some part time job the next few wks.

Though i joined in the camp a day late, it's great to still be able to know the kids, the youths helping out as well as the adults there to a certain extent. And here i was coming down after my exams and there were people still in the midst of their exams and they still came down to help! That's what u call having faith and trusting in the Lord for everything. And LOL, since i was in the 4hrs + sleeping mode due to exams, was able to keep up with this punishing sleeping pattern during the camp w/o much problem.

A wonderful time of witnessing so much that God is doing in the lives of the different generations of people in our midst and being in control of all the activities and the weather as well. It didnt rain at all during the entire camp, woo ! Hopefully, through the children, their parents and friends will in due time come to know more about God and his love for everyone.

I need more sleep before the camp/retreat this coming week end!

Cell - Members

I will be summarizing some parts since Dr Paul touched on a lot of medical terms @ times which many of us might become lost with all the names as well as quoting from him & adding in my own thoughts at times. Feel free to comment so that we can all share and learn from one another.

One drop of blood under the microscope will reveal a totally different picture to a human eye as compared to just seeing it as a red dot. Red blood cells are the most numerous along which one can find white blood cells as well. The protectors of the body against invaders, they travel all over the body and @ times having to elongate to travel through narrow capillaries.

If u watch them move ard long enough, u will think that they are so slow and ineffective, can they really defend the body? Well, poke a needle through a blood vein and these chaps suddenly become "alive". Like a homing missile, they zoom in on the target and defend the body against the invaders.

" I sometimes think of the human body as a community, and then of its individual cells such as the white cell. The cell is the basic unit of an organism; it can live for itself, or it can help form and sustain a larger organism. I recall the apostle Paul's use of analogy in 1 Cor 12 where he compares the church of Christ to the human body. That inspired analogy takes on even more meaning to me because of the expanded vistas allowed by the invention of microscopes. Since Paul's analogy renders a basic principle of God's creation, I can augment it like this:

The body is one unit, though it is made up of many cells, and though all its cells are many, they form one body ..... If the white cell should say, because i am not a brain cell, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the muscle cell should say to the optic nerve, because I am not an optic nerve, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an optic nerve cell, where would be the ability to walk? If the whole body were an auditory nerve, where would be the sense of sight? But in fact God has arranged the cells in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If all cells were the same, where would the body be? As it is, there are many cells, but one body.

The analogy conveys a more precise meaning to me because a hand or foot or ear cannot have a life separate from the body, a cell does have that potential. It can be part of the body as a loyalist, or it can cling to its own life. Some cells do choose to live in the body, sharing its benefits while maintaining complete independence - they become parasites or cancer cells. " - Paul Brand

Food for thought: Ever wonder @ times are u like the white blood cell, wandering aimlessly when they is no bacteria/virus ard? That one even starts to question the aim of your existence in that particular place, settings or time. Sometimes, some of us seem like we always have things to do to contribute to the body of Christ (Just like the red blood cells are forever carrying oxygen ard the body), while others "look" lost. But hey, everyone in the body of Christ serves a different purpose, just like the white blood cells know whats its actual purpose is, trust that God too has a specific purpose for U, just that the timing isn't right yet. When it does arrive, u'll know for sure 100% whats your purpose in the body of Christ.

Ideals of Spiritual Friendship - Accompaniment

Accompaniment

This brings us to the final ideal of friendship. Friends accompany each other on the journey of life. The term accompaniment may have musical associations for you. These associations are actually quite relevant. One of my musician friends is an accompanist for recitalists. He tells me that the challenge the musical accompanist faces is not to lead or get in the road but to stay in close supportive contact with the person he is accompanying. The challenges in spiritual accompaniment are similar.

The first interactions between Jesus and his disciples recorded in Scripture were his invitations to join him on his journey. The wonderful thing about accepting this invitation was that he then accompanied them on their journey. This is what true friends do. They accompany each other on life’s journey.

Sometimes we are blessed with a friend who accompanies us for the whole of our life. Ruth and Naomi were blessed to be able to remain together, and one suspects that their friendship continued even after Ruth’s marriage to Boaz. At other times the period of accompaniment is shorter. David and Jonathan journeyed together for only a small portion of David’s life. But for however long they share friendship, true friends share enough of their separate journeys that these journeys become intertwined. Something that was separate becomes connected. My journey becomes our journey, and I am no longer alone.

Friends accompany each other by taking an active interest in each other’s journey. As noted previously, this places a particular priority on the inner dimensions of that journey. But because the soul is the whole person, friends are also interested in the external aspects of each other’s lives. Job frustrations, relationships with family members and other circumstances of life are shared and embraced with interest because true friends care for each other in their totality.

Because the accompaniment soul friends offer each other gives priority to the journey of the inner self, they can withstand physical separation. Even across the distance of times apart, friends can stay attuned to each other and continue to sense the flow of each other’s lives. Catching up occurs quickly and the connection seems never to have been interrupted. Accompaniment doesn’t require a great deal of actual time together.

The lives of friends intermingle, and the intimacy they experience often spreads across a number of spheres of experience. They become an important part of each other’s story because they share in important easy in each other’s life. That sharing forms an important strand in the cord of accompaniment that binds their lives together.