lifesong
Everyone needs compassion
And love that never fails
Let mercy fall on me
When everyone needs forgiveness
Kindness of the Saviour
The Hope of the nation
Saviour, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything that i believe in
Now i surrender
Shine a light in and
let the whole world see
Singing, for the glory of the risen king
Jesus, Shine a light and
let the whole world see
Singing for the glory of the risen king
Saturday, November 24, 2007
-2:08 AM
look who's taller
HEHE BERNIE is taller than DARREN... how awesome is that!!! HEHE
Saturday, November 17, 2007
-11:39 PM
a short testimony :)
(This testimony is as much as Cherish's as it is mine :D)
So where shall I begin?As most of you would know (if you didn't no worries :D) I have recently finished my drama performance exams. To be exact, Friday the 16th was the day we performed.Since our performance exams involve all of us to perform in groups, I was in the same drama group as Cherish. And everything seemed to be fine right up until the first full dress rehearsal (i.e. the week our performance exams were due): everyone was working hard, everything seemed right.Then on the day of our full dress (which was a Monday), Cherish turned up really sick. Her eyes were swollen, she could not swallow without her throat hurting and yes, my group started to panic.At that time, she had not gone to the dr yet and so we thought perhaps Cherish's condition would clear up. But as Tuesday approached, Cherish suddenly rang me up and told me she couldn't make it for the first session of our drama practice due that day because the dr had told her she had toncillitis.May I just say, I just blanked out at that very moment.Our performance exams were on that very Friday. And toncillitis, it was just right smack out of the blue. It was just absurd. Unheard of. How on earth?I started to fret. The other three drama members started to fret as well. And as we were just discussing Cherish's condition and thinking of a way to get out of it, all I remember was myself thinking: I need a miracle. I need a miracle.And for the whole day the phrase kept repeating itself in my mind.I prayed hard on Wednesday, Thursday, I believed for a miracle. Believed and believed and when I heard from Hannah that Cherish seemed to be better, I thanked God for it.Then, on Thursday, Cherish called and told me that on top of toncillitis, she had glandular fever.The world really seemed to crash down at that moment then. After all, performance exams were the next day and there really seemed to be no way she could get well on Friday. Absurdly no way.I told Sarah and of course, Sarah being Sarah ;) called some of the other UL members up and went to pray for Cherish. Right before we went over to Cherish's place to practice drama with her. The whole night we pressed for the drama practices and the whole night the whole group fretted that she might not be well enough to do the performance the next day.She was breathless. She was tired. Her eyes were swollen. Her throat hurt. And again I thought: Please God. I need. A miracle. She needs a miracle.And you know what? I got it the very next day.No, Cherish did not recover a full 100% the next day but she did recover well enough.My drama group couldn't sleep the night before (at least I know that two out of three of them didn't) because of anxiety. I myself had a fitless sleep. We were all up early the next day, arriving one hour before our drama performance session and we were all pacing in the rehearsal room worrying over Cherish.And when she walked into the rehearsal room wearing sunglasses, we were all probably prepared for the worst.But let me tell you something, my fellow ULers, the moment she took off her sunglasses and the moment she looked at us I tell you I could almost cry because I was THAT happy.Her eyes were swollen yes but they were looking much better. She looked less pale. And for a moment we all couldn't say anything and then right smack out of the blue one of my drama mates said:"Oh my God, this is a miracle."We went into the performance exams and no the miracle didn't stop there. :)Our drama teacher, Roger, came up to us and told us that we were ALL eligible for special consideration for the exams. And that when we applied for special consideration, our final performance mark would have a probability of being reconsidered and then marked up.Notice, MARKED UP, unlike the other drama groups who had a final average mark from the three examiners, we had the privelege of getting our average mark from them REASSESSED and REEVALUATED and possibly MARKED UP.How good is that?AND that's not all. That's not all.After the session was over, talking to some strangers, they just told me straight on saying: You know what? I think out of this drama session, your drama was one of the strongest. One even said: You know what? If they didn't announce that one of your drama members was sick, I would NEVER have known because other than her voice being soft, HER ACTING WAS SUPERB and your drama was by far one of the BEST in this session.OHH no that's NOT all. There's some more. Roger personally came up to me and told me: "Despite your difficulties, your group pulled off a good performance. In fact, your drama is one of the BETTER ONES OF TODAY"S SESSIONS.Imagine that. Out of almost 30 drama groups, one of the better ones despite all the circumstances!And so let me encourage all of you: Despite our moments of doubts in God's abilities and despite the fact that sometimes He doesn't provide a result that you want, He will do something for you that by the end of the day, it all turns out great. It's simple really.God. Of. Miracles.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
-11:51 PM
Video!!
Hey all, this is the video for Ephesians 6, which Marcus, Darren, Joey and Joanne put together weeks and weeks ago... Sorry I took so long to put it up... Teehee... But now it is here... so enjoy!!
http://www.veoh.com/videoDetails.html?v=v1439628F2Gj78EQ
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
-3:04 AM
what motivates you to get up in the morning?
“I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.” (Psalm 3:5)These days I have no mood to get up in the morning. In winter, I didn’t like to get out of bed because it was always so cold. Now, I don’t want to get out of bed because I don't feel like studying. But I can wake up every morning because I know it’s a new day that the Lord has created. It’s a new day with things for me to do. I can’t just lie around in bed all day! That’s is idleness – it’s bad! (yes, check your bible; it does say somewhere that laziness is bad) So, when I lie down and sleep, I can get my rest; and I will wake up again to a new day (a new day that the Lord has created) and like the song goes: ‘This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it’ (:So I shall rejoice.(:
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
-11:10 PM
Oh noes its exam time!
Ahhh its exam time again! Just looking back, exam time never really brought much good memories (for me at least haha) and generally isn’t a very pleasant time to be in. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are some points which came to me…
Exams are just how we view it.
Hmm this can be said with pretty much anything else but its true, exams really are how we see it. Numbers 13:33 says ‘[…] We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’ The perspective was the problem, not what the material thing was. Think exam time sucks? Well guess what it does now!
On the contrary, exams can be worship too! If we can worship God with our voice, what we say, our actions and our offering, what’s stopping us from using our exams and studies to worship Him! Remember that it is because of our God given intelligence that we are where we are now, so let us lift it up to Him because we are sowing the seeds which He gave up. It’s not just limited to praising and thanking God for the results but to essentially dedicate the entire process to Him and by doing so glorifying His name with our efforts! With this in mind, there is a nasty nasty habit which needs to go away and that is COMPLAINING. Honestly I myself am guilty of this but whats the point?? Seriously?!? We don’t complain when we give to God or sing His praises, so since our exams and studies are worship why do we complain? It is a blessing and a privilege that we have the opportunity to take these papers to further our life. Look at Exodus chapter 15 and 16. Loads of grumbling by the Israelites after being brought out of Egypt. Then look at 1 Corinthians 10:10 and Numbers 17:45-50. Long story short, they died. Ouch…even though Jesus already died for our sins, its still not a nice thing to do.
‘I cannot’
I’ve noticed that exam time breeds a lot of ‘I cannot’ comments. Here is a simple list I can think of. I cannot pass, get H1, do well, get in the course I want, remember, understand, understand the question, write fast enough, finish the paper in time, finish studying in time, do all things through…wait that’s not right. Because the Bible says I CAN do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Don’t build up our selves on these lies of the enemy but build on God’s Word and His promises! Remember if we build (a house) on these lies (sand) we are doomed to fail and collapse. But remember its ‘Christ who STRENGTHENS me’ not ‘Christ who does everything for me’. Common saying where if you don’t study, don’t expect to do well. So lets not laze around but use the strength from God to perform and soar!
So final thoughts. Some times we feel like we cannot reach our goals and they seem ridiculously far away. But a few weeks ago this is what God told me. Exodus 3:11 says ‘But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”’ Moses was having serious doubts and it can mirror a lot of situations we are in. ‘How can I do well when I have always failed’. ‘How can I beat (insert name here) when he/she has always beaten me’. And God’s first words simply blew me away which says (in verse 12) ‘I will be with you’. Never forget this, with God by our side and with the work we put in, we WILL succeed (last time I checked Moses actually did bring the Israelites out of Egypt).
So God bless everyone and keep chasing those dreams hand-in-hand with God!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
-1:36 AM
calming the storm
this is my first time posting so im expecting you lot to be nice to me (hem)
KIDDING~
ahhhhhhh well my mentor (cough sarah cough) encouraged me to post this qt revelation of mine when i mentioned my idea of posting it to her sooo oh wells. :D
Matthew 8: 24-26 "And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the seam and there was a great calm." Jesus in the middle of the storm of the century, sleeping peacefully. Such a serene picture, such bliss, such calm. So when we stand in the middle of the storm of our lives, don't run around panicking over our sails, steerings and navigations because we feel that if we didn't we would be doomed. Because when we go around fretting, we're giving in to our fears and frustrations. Don't go round begging for help from other "ships" because they are fighting their own life storms. Some might be "weaker ships" than you, some "stronger" in dealing with the storm but always know that they will not be able to commit themselves a 100% to saving you from YOUR life storm despite their willingness to at times. BUT never fear :D there is always one who can. And it is He who you should go to in the event of a storm. He's right there in the middle of the ship, waiting for you to come to Him so that you can sit right next to Him, so that He can hold fast to you with no intention of ever letting go, so that you can sleep in His bosom even as He'd take you, safe and all, through the storm of your life.So never give up and never give in. Ever. He's always there to help you through anything. All you have to do is run.
To Him.
