Monday, March 31, 2008

School starts this Sunday, 6 Apr 08!


Every stallion first started out as a wild rookie. It's kind of the same as a Christian. We need God to tutor our hearts in a way that will allow us to be transformed into the fullness of who has created us to be, so that we can reflect His glory. That's what we hope to share with and impart to you in our Ladder Of Success classes. That's why after a season of prayer and fasting, SCHOOL STARTS THIS SUNDAY! Mark the 6th of April 08 down! Lessons start at 10am but do come at least 15 min earlier to get your registration done and to prepare your hearts to receive of the Lord. Come and be transformed by the renewing work of Christ in your lives today!


1) LOS Class Schedule (Apr-Jun 2008) 17 years and below

2) LOS Class Schedule (Apr-Jun 2008) 18 years and above

*SOC class will commence only in September 2008.

**Image used is adapted from an ad for Minichamps.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Our CNY Dinner



Just uploaded onto the SJ Tribe Flckr Site.

Monday, March 17, 2008

THROUGH IT ALL

stumbled upon a testimony and song by Andrae Crouch, a really gifted man.
it has blessed me, may it bless u too.



if i never had a problem, i'd never know that God could solve them, i'd never know what faith in the Word of God could do.

i thank God for the mountains, i thank God for the valleys, i thank God for the storms. through it all, i've learnt to trust in Jesus.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Psalms 73


Hurray-ness. We have completed the first 2 books of Psalms and we're going on to the III book today.

"Whom have i in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"

I simply love this verse. Partly also when i read it there is a hillsong tune that comes to my mind. I'm sure you know it too. But i think this psalm is a prayer that i want to pray every single day for the rest of my life. That my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Earth has nothing i desire but you. I pray that God will help me to mean that because we all know that by the things we do and the things we spend our time in, we jolly know that we don't desire GOD!
we probably desire good grades in our studies. the new iphone. a new mac book. a girlfriend la. this and that. there are so many of our desires. not saying that its sin to want those, i'm sure God's desire is to bless us! but the good test is if we don't get what we want, do we get impatient or frustrated?

May we be able to make that our prayer today boys!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

SUFFERING - BY JOHN PIPER: A REFLECTION

a wise man once said, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

deep words. deep implications. this wise man was Paul, an honourable disciple of Christ (1 Cor 15:19). what made him say what he said? what were his underlying beliefs?


to paraphrase him, he had basically implied that a Christian's life ought to be one that was pitiful. and that the only hope we have is that in the afterlife, some good would be wrought from our suffering. (if there were no afterlife, our efforts are in vain, to be pitied.)

goodness gracious me, what does that mean?

to put it harshly,
this means that as Christians, suffering is expected of our job scope.
this means that a Christian life is not going to be as comfortable as we hope.
this means that Christian living comes with challenges that will cost us.
this means that God didn't just want us to be prosperous and healthy and comfortable and happy and NOT DO ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF OUR COMFORT ZONE.

ouch
.

that is honestly hard to swallow. it is indeed very tempting to dismiss it all as radical heresy. extremist. heretical. unfounded.

i wonder how. i wonder why.

let's consider the reverse: if God simply existed to prosper us and bless us and make us happy, wouldn't life be just great? in fact, it would be too great. then what would be different from us and the rest of the secular world? would God then just be a genie-in-a-bottle? something isn't right here, either.

so what is it?

if we follow the life of Paul as an example, we would catch a glimpse of what he meant. he endured hardship to preach the gospel. he suffered for the sake of the gospel. he was even martyred because of it. he was truly a radical.
and it was because he understood the weight and significance of Jesus' crucifixion well. the people saw the love of Christ exemplified in his suffering.

simply put, if Jesus means so much to us; is so real to us, then it would definitely be something worth suffering for. if our friends saw that it mattered that much to us, then our God surely must be of some substance.

we don't all have to fly to some far-off country to be martyred (though that would be something, wouldn't it), but are we even willing to risk "losing face" to share God's love with someone? a friend, a loved one? the homeless guy sleeping on the bench?

the question is, what are we doing about it? do we make light of Christianity? are we simply trying to maximise our comfort -- tapping from the best of both worlds?

weighty questions. weighty reflections.


Lord, i need compassion; stir my heart, move me. may i be willing to be used by You -- change my heart. use me to do great things for You, Lord, and may Your joy forever
be with me. this is your servant, checking in.

Friday, March 7, 2008

the drought

dry season. in our little hometown we have been facing the dry season. army boys are happy. they dont need to have foot rot. recently it has been starting to rain again. i love rain. i like that gloomy feeling that makes me feel 'emo'. that makes me in a thinking frame of mind that causes me to think of what i am living for.
think ive been really down and out this season. running away from God. as in this season where everyone is fasting and praying i took myself on a guilt trip because i cant do it. just goes to show my love that has gone cold in every sense.
narash msged me just now and say: "pls put in your inputs in our blog... keep it alive"
and i didnt know what to write. my walk with God has simply been monotonous. think it boils down to my lack of discipline.
pray with me that the rain will come again. and rain down hard on me. wake up.

Dear Lord send your rain. Realign my heart will you?

Charles

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

MARCH THE FIFTH

The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. - Psalm 65:12-13

the Lord is a Lord of goodness, of abundance, of blessings; not of poverty. let all the Earth shout for joy and sing. glory to God!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Where's the rest?

It just takes a moment to update this blog.

This is Narash Checking In.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

THIS IS THE TRUTH



a clever video my friend sent me.

there can be hope... if we do something about it.