Prawning? Or Fishing Prawns?

“I’ve caught it!”

Just 2 weeks ago, I had my very 1st fishing.. erm prawn fishing session with my cellgroup members at FarMart over the weekend. Together with our friends and family members, we gathered at FarMart at around 3 pm and started “prawning”. It had been raining heavily since morning on that day, we were so worried that we might need to call off this event. But thank God, the rain subsided quite a bit when it was nearer to 3pm.

For most of us, it was our first attempt in prawn fishing and absolutely have no experience in that. But that was fun! We learnt the basic technique from our expert, Loke Peng and his buddy, who are regular fishermen. They showed us the techniques and tricks of getting a prawn ‘hooked’ and ultimately catching them. Sounds simple.. but in actual fact, it is really not easy. Not only we need to ‘lure’ the prawns with a good bait, we need to have patience to wait for the prawns to be lured, and pulling up at the right time to get them hooked! For 4 hours, I’ve only managed to catch 3 prawns… haha.. its not bad for an amateur! Guess what? Our top fishermen are the children Veron has brought along during this trip! Amazing!

Most important of all, all of us had a great time fellowshipping with one another. We are one step closer to one another after this event!

“… but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” - Eph 4:15-16, NKJV

Contributed by Serene (W269), November 21, 2006

Be A Tiny Frog

 

This week’s cg message was on Stepping Out. Stepping out into the unknown, to attempt the impossible, in confidence, and from the pull of the world. Which reminds me of this story that was emailed to me recently…

Once upon a time, there was a group of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd has gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began…

Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. They made statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult!!” “They will NEVER make it to the top.” or “Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!”

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one. Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher…. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!” More tiny frogs got tired and gave up….

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher…. This one wouldn’t give up! At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one tiny frog managed to do it. A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal. It turned out…. That the winner was DEAF!!!!

In the real world, we are like this group of tiny frogs. All of us want to climb to the top. To win, to be successful, to achieve our dreams. The climb will always be tough and at times, seems almost impossible to reach. Plus, there will ALWAYS be people around us (and even the inner voices within us) who will try to pull us down with their negative and discouraging words. And then we began to doubt ourselves, lose our confidence, our faith and eventually, we gave up the beautiful dreams and goals that we once had.

So the wisdom of the story is to be like that tiny frog. No, not to be physically deaf, but to be “deaf” to those around you who tend to be negative or pessimistic. Be “deaf” when people tell you that you cannot fulfill your dreams. Break away from the pull of the world. We may not know if we can make it, but we need to step out with confidence into the unknown and attempt the impossible. Because what may seem impossible to us will NEVER be impossible for Him. Continue to focus on what you want to achieve and have faith. Be a tiny frog, but one with great faith! Always think: God and I can do this!

Here’s a quote from Dr A.R. Bernard’s Happiness is…a way of mind, a way of life. “If you dwell on the world’s messages, you are setting yourself up for disaster. If you dwell on God’s message, you are setting yourself up for victory!”

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. 1 John 5:4 NKJV

Seeking God

I was giving bible study this morning when we came upon this very familiar verse in Hebrews:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” - Heb 11:6, NKJV

What struck me was the second part (since I’m sure many of us already know the first half). We know that we need to have faith to please God, and we have heard often enough where faith comes from (for those who do not know, faith comes by hearing the word of God).

What we often overlook is what kind of faith should it be? According to Heb 11:6, there are 2 things we “must believe” in before we leap into having faith for the things we are praying for:

1. We must believe that He is. This means we must first believe that God exists and lives in us. We must believe that the Holy Spirit is real and working through us. We must believe in God’s character and who He is, as revealed through the scriptures.

2. We must believe that He is a rewarder. Some people think that God is sitting at the edge of heaven, waiting for someone to sin so that He can strike them with lightning or something. That’s not God! That’s the devil! We must believe in God’s Fatherly nature and that He is always eagerly waiting to bless us! (“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jer 29:11, NKJV)

However, God always lays down one condition that we have to fulfil in order to enjoy His rewards. We need to diligently seek Him! And that is the only condition He sets for us. As long we keep our hearts right before Him, to seek Him and His kingdom first before all our personal needs and agendas, God will be faithful to reveal who He is to us and reward us accordingly!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. - Matt 6:33, NKJV

Asking Why

I once read a quote that says:

“The man who knows HOW will always get a job. The man who knows WHY will always be his boss.”

Such a simple quote, but what a powerful truth!

You see, how many of us live every day of our lives assuming that things are “taken care of” or “well-thought through” by someone else that we never really stopped to ask, “Why?”

For example, why should we be concerned about world politics? Why is democracy (or the lack of it) a good thing? Why is the Singapore government so inflexible in allowing freedom of speech? Why are we so apathetic towards politics and social issues? Why do Singaporeans (like me) complain so much? Why should we study so much? Why should we help the poor? Why should anyone do anything about the moral decline in the world? Why should we keep asking why?

Oh, all these don’t really concern me, some would say. Yet this is the exact same reason why we should start asking why. Because if we never ask why, we would never realise how much we do not know, and hence never see a need to improve ourselves. We would never think out of the box, not because we are unintelligent, but simply because we are so contented with whatever we have IN the box that we never realised that there could be anything outside of it.

Singaporeans I feel, have become such a materialistic lot, so much so that anything that does not bring us tangible benefits are not worth worrying about. Perhaps when we start seeing a need to devote more time and energy to things that are simply nice to know, like literature, art, music and philosophy would we find more purpose and beauty in life.

After all, it is God who created all these, and as His creations, shouldn’t we take some time to stand back and admire the great things He has done?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10, NKJV

Food for thought:
Now, if you find such a discussion topic very “bo liao”, then perhaps a good way forward is to answer this question: “WHY is it so “bo liao” to talk about this?

Who Is Your Hero?

Ever as the year is drawing to a close soon, let’s chronicle the triumphs of small and big heroes that may help you to shape your thoughts and life.

Lee Kuan Yew, a smart and pragmatic leader, truly a symbol of Singapore. I am pretty patriotic one (Stand up for Singapore… )

Mother Teresa, she and Missionaries of Charity bring out the ideal of compassion to all suffering human beings. She quoted: “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

Last but not least, my SUPER HERO!!!! None other than my Lord and friend, JESUS CHRIST! He is the very reason why I live and breathe and also staying PRETTY ;p! He is my greatest Love and in Him I found my purposes. When I walk, run, laugh, cry or fail, I know and I know I will always have Him along side me. I guess when I see Him in heaven, I will scream and shout:
“Jesus, can I have your autograph!!!!”

Who is your Hero(es)?

Contributed by Phoebe (W359)

Numbers Do Tell A Story

Rachel (the small and super “I” one) posted an entry asking all to take stock of their own lives this year and reflect on how much we have (and have not) achieved so far. I think it is also timely that we do something similar for this blog at this point of time.

This blog was officially launched on 31 October. It has been 3 weeks since and in that short time, we have managed 1,037 hits! That’s an average of about 50 hits a day!

Not bad? Actually, I was hoping for more… Statistically speaking, if every member visits the blog an average of twice a week, that’s about 300 hits a week. Multiply that by 3 weeks and you’ll get about 900 hits.

But you see, statistically speaking, many of these hits would have come from WordPress’s own online community who “blog-surf”. So how many of these thousand-odd hits were from our own members? 

Perhaps we should go among our own CG members and ask who has visited this blog at least once. Maybe then we’ll know the answer…

My Daddy

This is a beautiful poem titled “My Daddy”, written by Rachel Tan (W315)!

As a newborn baby, I can’t fend for myself,
I’ve to depend on my Daddy to feed me well
In His hands I find that rest,
Knowing that my Father is always the best!

Slowly as I learn to walk,
I let go of His hands to walk round the block.
“You may venture out on your own, my dear,
don’t walk too far, but be near!”

Proudly I let go of my Daddy’s hands
“Daddy, don’t worry, I can!”
With those first few steps I walked,
slowly I lost the strength to carry on.
Stumbling hard down on my butt,
I look at Daddy as He laughs.
“It’s ok, my dear when you fall,
know that Daddy is here to lift you tall.”
“Try again my dear if you can,
falling down is not the end.”

Through the days as I grow,
to kick, run and jump, all I know.
“Daddy, it’s ok! I don’t need You,
I have the strength to try everything new!”
There I go to explore on my own,
forgetting that Daddy is still at home.
“It’s ok I think, Daddy need not worry a thing,
I am big and strong, I can take care of my own!”

Slowly I come to a place I’ve not known,
pillars and buildings not renowned.
Suddenly I realise I am lost,
not knowing where I am or where to go?
Weak and tired, I am scared,
I burst out crying, I don’t care!

In the midst of fear and doubt,
I see a figure at the roundabout.
“Is that Daddy, could that be You?”
“Yes my dear, it is true.”
“I thought I’ve lost You when I tried on my might?”
“No my dear, not a single day you were away from My sight!”

Time for a check

Now is 15th Nov, almost half of the month has gone by… Have you stopped & asked yourself: what have I done for the whole of this year?

In the midst of the business of our life, it is easy to get lost in the crowd… but have we taken time off to cut ourself away from the crowd & really spend some time evaluating our life?

It can be your walk with God,your ministry,your career, your relationship with your family, relationship with your peers/friends/colleagues, your financial health status, etc… The question is, “do you want to do it” and “when are you going to do it”…

Time passes by faster & faster each year as we know that the second coming is nearing… Before the year comes to a close,take stock of your life…

Have you make your life count each day? Have you touched another life in your daily activities? Is this the kind of life you want to live again for 2007? If your life is nothing to look forward to, what are you going to do about it?

Let’s really end this year well, end it with a great shout of triumph..Remember, it’s not how you started but it is how you end… How you end will determine how you start next year…

Contributed by Small & Super “I” Rachel@ E394

Souls from Heaven?

Agnes (ok, it took me some time before writing that without the “Sis” in front, but anyway, she…) commented the other day that everyone in heaven is already saved and does not need our help to know Jesus (since they are already in the kingdom of God).

So what does that mean for us?

Basically, what struck me was that while God has sovereignty (or control) over other things we usually pray for - like health, promotion and prosperity - God chose to have no control over man’s decision to love and accept Him as Lord over their lives.

We cannot, like Agnes said, just fast and pray for growth and revival in our CG, then sit back, do nothing and “wait for souls to drop from heaven” like the way we seem to do with God’s blessings, simply because there are no souls to save in heaven! All the souls that need to be saved are right here on the earth, and God has commissioned us to go out there and DO SOMETHING about it while we’re still here on earth. 

Now I found all these pretty amusing, especially the pun on souls dropping from heaven, but jokes aside, I think it illustrated a very important truth in how we approach reaching out to the lost: the Great Commission is to save souls, not to earn more money or excel in life. If we don’t do it now, and do it passionately, then we’ll never get the chance to save souls!

Brothers and Sisters No More?

A few of us were slightly surprised when pastor “abolished” the addressing of church leaders as “brother” or “sister” and insisted we call them by name instead.

Myself, for one, found it hard to make the switch… Afterall, I’ve been addressing them as “Bro Poh”, “Sis Jacq” and “Bro Suraj” ever since I knew them! It’s going to take more than weeks to get this “habit” changed! (At least I can still address Auntie Shirley as “Auntie” when I see her at the nursery! Phew…!)

But while it would be easier for the ‘younger’ ones (in church) to make the change, we should understand that though we have stopped addressing the leaders as “brothers” and “sisters”, it doesn’t mean we should therefore respect them less!

At the end of the day, the spirit of the whole announcement was to make it easier for everyone to be more effective in the marketplace, and not to remove the distinction of and respect for leadership and authority, right?

In fact, now that we have one way less to show our respect, we should be “making up” for it by doing other things?

What do you think? What are your views? Comments? Thoughts?