Worship: Worship is far more than praising,singing, and praying to God. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving him and giving ourselves to be used for his purposes. When you use your life for God's glory, everything you do can become an act of worship. The bible says, " Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God."

We bring God's Glory by loving other believers. When you were born again, you became a part of God's family. Following Christ is not just a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God. John wrote, " Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life." Paul said, "Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified." It is your responsibility to learn how to love as God does because God is love and it honors him. Jesus said " As I have loved you, so you must love one another. by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."

We bring God's Glory by becoming like Christ. Once we are born into God's family he wants us to grow to spiritual maturity. What does that look like? Spiritual maturity is becoming like Jesus in the way we think, feel and act. The more you develop Christlike character, the more you will bring glory to God. The Bible says, " As the spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. "
God gave you a new life and a new nature when you accepted Christ. Now for the rest of your life on earth, God wants to continue the process of changing your character. The Bible says, "May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God."

We bring God's glory by serving others with our gifts. Each of us are uniquely designed by God with talents gifts skills and abilities. The way you are wired is not an accident. God didn't give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others, just as others were given abilities for your benefit. The bible says " God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you... Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory"

Taken from " Purpose Driven Life " Rick Warren.

Helloo OAK.

Haha this is actually my first post on this blog but yeah I'm writing to THANK all of you for wishing me and kenneth happy birthday :D

Joycelyn: er, you made the card, right? and for the forks and cups of water. :D

Jun ting: For going through trouble to get the cake.

Alex: For your penguins.

For everyone else, I'm sure you have done something like write in the card or anything else I don't know about or maybe forgot to mention so thanks :D Oh, and for planning the whole surprise thing haha.

And for EVERYONE, thank you for any support you have given to me over the past two years, it really meant a lot yeah :D Haha I love being around you guys.

Okay really have to go now so God bless and see you next week!

Deborah

Pain Today was one of the days which I experienced my ocassional craziness running in my mind (it comes in different degrees). After experiencing it I always try writing what I remember down on my journal, in the hope that I will eventually understand and get rid of this crazy CRAZY thing which feels like nothing of this world and EXTREMELY DEEP and PAINFUL thing which I HATE and I know its REAL. ok I should cool down. Ah, you know the dementors in Harry Potter? The ones which you must use the Expecto Patronium (unsure of spelling) spell to ward them off? What they do - suck out all the life and happiness out of you somewhat - is what like I feel. Not that accurate but nevertheless, it is an idea you can have of it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELZA!! Hahaha. Thanks for praying for my relationship with Joel C. It will be strong I believe. Hahaha.

Anyway, you're really someone mature beyond your age. And how sensitive you are to what God is saying about things in your life. How sincere and authentic your desire for God. You've brought so much to the group. Thanks for sharing openly about yourself. It has super built the rest of us up. And thank you for be smiley and bubbly as you've been since day one!!

Pursue the undivided heart. And remember God's way is the narrow way.

And remember that the undivided heart is not just a good way to live - it's the only way to live.
"No eye has seen, no eye has heard, no mind can conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him"


Ryan

Oakland International Airport


ALRIGHT WOO!

waahhh we have past 300 entries. like 310 now. crazy.

how's school for you all? eh joel c having break soon right! thumbs up man woo!

My school has been quite exciting, I attended the Campus Crusade for Christ and really like them la. Their vision is power, their team is power, the guy who gave sermon was power too, sermon really hit me, and everyone was like family (k cheesy), everyone was like good friends la k. It was a very happy place. AND very different from the rest of the school outside - I dunno there's just a happy glow to their faces la, real joyful Christians. Not that the people outside are sad, but their happy looks far more superficial. Can tell one leh! Ok maybe I'm looking through my own Christian prejudices, but, I think so leh.

And they really very intentional about you - they email you reminder to come, offer to meet you at some place to bring you to their meeting place (though can tell they quite busy), talk with you along the way, talk with you after, send you email after. and it's not like over-friendly. But they're just passionate about what they do. Their vision is very clear.

Anyway the sermon was don't just let NUS be a "passing through". FOUR LONG YEARS can't be just to get educated and fly away right. God has got to have a plan for me to be here. If my mentality is pass through NUS cos real life starts when you work, then I think I'll end up passing through my whole life, one chapter after another, till I die. Haha.

Looks like a heavy workload to come though, like so much readings and assignments, I need prayer to balance my church and school commitments! I was also thinking, why can't I see EVERYTHING as a worship unto God. School, church, non-church, whatever. Everything is spiritual what, why classify it as ok this is Christian and this isn't.


ANYWAY this sunday is CELL DISCUSSION instead of sermon! I really wish we had more time to talk and laugh and share leh like our cell time very rush one, then we sit down knowing we gotta get out for games soon. But this sunday, ya it's cell discussion all the way through, with a lesson point. Looking forward to it thumbs up woo!


Ryan

Waiting on God Hey, this is a poem. I like it.

"To be like Jesus"

We all hear this phrase so often and we know it's what we're supposed to be, but how many of us can grasp the practical application of it?

I realized that being like Jesus does not merely mean, in front of others I will be a very good example. It's a HUGE implication to be like Jesus. It means when people look at you, you will remind them of Jesus, or for non-believers, a foretaste.

Dare we set ourselves up against that standard of perfection?

Time out 6/9/09 Hey guys, i know i've not been blogging, but i just want to tell you God's impressions on my heart during Time out.

I did my timeout at East Coast beach yesterday. And i really think it is something that everybody should try at one moment of your life. To sit still and listen to the crashing waves, the crickets and the vivid wind blowing through your ears. You're sitting silently for God to whisper into your heart.

I begin my time out with this short prayer

" Father, Impress upon my heart what is upon yours ."

Almost immediately, God reminded me of different things in my life that transformed me. Some Good, Some bad, but all of them was something that I've done in some moment of my life.

But, whatever i've done, whatever i've been through, i know, that God's heart aches for me, he hurts, he weeps, and he suffers.

Anyway, many things happened during that short time of TIME OUT, and looking back i can't really believe what happened. I won't go into exact details though.

But, i was meditating on one of Ryan's Quotes.

No man is a fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose

It is not foolish, to give up whatever that i consider treasure on this Earth, whatever that i've been pursuing in my life, to try to gain the little bit of God's grace because God's grace is something which we cannot lose, but yet something we can gain. Earthly things, things that i pursue, things that you pursue are things that we will never keep for long.

I was standing at the shore, and i was looking at the sea. It was then at that moment that the entire beach, is not enough to carry God's vastness. It is not enough to hold God's love for every person. No no, not enough. This beach may seem big, the sea may seem never ending, but that's how God's love is. It is never ending, it is big, it does not only seem big, but it is really big. That me, standing on the beach and from above just like a single dot will be able to be engulfed by the love of God. That that love that cannot be contained in the seas, in the enormous beach can be dwell upon a single dot.

Just a quote i want to share:

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.

do not lose hope in your walk with God. Because Hope gives you the vitality that keeps you moving, that keeps you walking. Hope gives you courage, courage to face up your sins, courage to follow God. When you feel down, it is this courage, that brings you up, that gives you strength to follow God. My dream, is to be with God.

What is yours?

Junting

Hey guys,

I'm so encouraged by your sharing Elza, and your sharing Ken. How aware you guys are that this life is a pursuit of God, that's all that really matters. We talk about undivided heart, and this is how we strive for it week after week. Not on sundays, but during the week, intentionally bringing our thoughts back to God. Beautiful what you guys wrote! Yeah there are times we neglect or forget, but when we realise the state of our heart, we take it to the Lord in prayer.

Elza hope your SS will be fine tmr! I'll pray for you!

Love your last line also, "you guys will always be there to spur one another on in love." YES, that's what OAK shall be, and I can see that happening!


Just wanna share something that touched me a lot, deborah I hope you don't mind! As you all know, I shared 2 sermons in JYM recently, one on the Sparrows, and the other on Life is Temporary. I found it very hard to prepare the Sparrows one, cos I had a few points but couldn't link them properly. So I kept thinking but after a while it became tiring just thinking about it. Some nights I even tossed in bed, just thinking and feeling uncomfortable about it, haha. And the night before, I wanted to sleep early but couldn't, and got up and made last minute changes to my slides. And became kinda tired just thinking about my sermon! So when JYM time came, I felt too mentally drained to share, haha, so I prayed and asked God to really take care of the sermon. And I had the confidence he would. But then, as I was sharing, I felt it wasn't coming out as well as I wanted it to. When I finished the sermon, I felt kinda relieved and just wanted to collapse on the floor and sleep. Haha. But I also somehow felt I didn't present properly, didn't do a good job as I wanted. Somehow, I don't know exactly why I felt bad, maybe just really tired. So I was feeling drained and quite down. I was thinking, 'I thought God was going to help me'. But I also remembered what I said in my own sermon 'Even there, He is holding me'. But I felt drained and quite down.

Then the next day, Monday, I logged onto my email and saw that Debbie had sent me an email!! I was curious what's inside. And when I opened it, it was an encouragement about the sermon! That it was great and taught her a lot. (Haha deb hope you're not embarrassed but I'm so touched I can't help it) I took it as a God-sent encouragement. It really made my day. And I remembered the prayer I prayed before giving my sermon, and felt that hey God answered my prayer! Just not in the way I expected. And indeed He was holding me throughout the sermon. Cos for me I'm so glad if my sermon helps just someone, that'll make the effort all worthwhile. So I really thanked God and said to myself God is indeed faithful.


Remember I shared quite some time back, that when I'm sharing in front of JYM, it's you guys oakers sitting there who give me the confidence. Cos I know you guys love me, hahaha, and I'm don't always feel confident speaking in front of those in JYM whom I might not know very well. (confessions of a chairman)

Deborah showed me what cell group support is like. I thought I was the one supposed to be there for you guys, but you guys became the ones who were there for me. In my mind there's no cell mentor, cell leader, it's just a bunch of friends who love God and care for each other! So don't despise the little encouragements we give to one another, or the little humble sharings about yourself, or the way you just openly share your struggles. These things make the group beautiful. That's what the group is meant to be.


Ryan


Ps. Don't forget to take time out to pray again tonight. :) Come home to the Lord.
You can even use the time to meditate on the lyrics Elza nicely put up for us.

hey all! haha elza here!

hey guys...i haven't been up here for a long time. so. HI! XD

Basically I haven't been doing very well in sch, and my mid years were a disaster. I kinda woke up after that, and have been TRYING to pay more attn, pass up work on time, etc. haha. I prayed about it too. somehow, after mission trip i backslided, and didn't turn to God as much. These few days I've been doing alot of thinking, and realised that my whole life i've been living pretty much seperate lives in sch and at home/church etc. It's not like i am two totally different ppl, but in sch I dont acknowledge God's presence as much. Kenneth, i seriously admire how you are constantly thinking about God, and how you want to improve your relationship with Him. That's how i feel we should all be like, acknowledging God is all around, ever present and always there, not far away but right beside us.

I feel God is really awesome. If I wasn't put into st margs and met one of my closest friends who loves God so much, I wouldn't have understood alot of things. She thanks God for the simplest things, and prays whenever she gets a chance. Not like she doesn't have flaws or anything, but in her actions alone I've realised that's how a person who truly loves God looks like. That's called being salt and light. I've still got a long way to go, and alot of times, my pride gets the better of me. like the whole of today, I slacked instead of studying for my ss test tmw, which I am now really worried about.

The whole week has been full of common tests, and I just died during my chinese today. >< it's been really tiring, and I haven't turned to God this week, so I feel horrible. I got back my bio test that i really needed to do well for, that i studied till 3am, and...i barely passed, and almost the whole class did better than i did. it was quite demoralizing, cuz my whole life i really never did that badly for something I studied so hard for.

During this week the song "what a friend we have in jesus" popped up in my mind a few times, but only now when i listen to it again I really realise that this whole week when i needed someone to really talk to about my troubles, God was always there if i reached out and prayed. And really, the song just spoke volumes to me. I believe that when the song was shared on sunday, it was no coincidence that this song ministers to me now. And it's this small little things that remind me no matter where i go or what i do, He will always be there to guide me on, and you guys will always be there to spur one another on in love.

just for you all if you have time!^^ God bless!

love,
Elza.

ps. i've got no idea how to upload vids. i hope it works! XD



What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,O
h, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer—
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.

look! haha. i saw this at clod storage today :D

Candid photos of OAK!

Aik Ang:

Hey, thanks for the sweet and warm welcome. I realise our blog is quite barren. So here's some candids. Don't be shocked k! And the quality isn't the best. Hahaha. Love each and every one of you all!

Ken: Walk with God Hi :)

HEY GUYS REM TO BRING YOUR AFFIRMATION CARDS TMR IF YOU HAVEN'T HANDED UP!