Sunday, December 26, 2004
Blessed Christmas
Blessed Christmas! :) Sorry for the late greeting. ;p Just came back from my sis place. It is the first time when the whole family gathered at her place. We had a typical English Christmas dinner, followed by unwrapping of presents together. My parents, being conservative Asian parents, didn't really get used to the idea, which they think is very ang moh. Later, I found out that my brother-in-law, who is a real ang moh, had memorable christmas celebrations in his childhood. Guess that's why he wants his children to have memorable experiences too. I'm really happy tonight, not because of the food and gifts, but an opportunity to introduce the gospel to the family. I was contemplating whether to give my nieces a christian CD on the whole bible story ('The King, The Snake and The Promise'), with fear that my sis may react negatively. Really thankful when she eagerly played it. Praying that this is one step nearer to sharing the gospel to the family.
What I've been up to...
Have been too lazy to blog..been thinking about a lot of things. Sometimes, it may not be helpful that I blog. Prefer to pen it down in my journal. Anyway, it has been a good break thus far. Am thankful that I've learnt much from God's Word, and being challenged to live out the truths in my life. Also spent quite a far bit of time catching up with friends and my family. Not forgetting catching up on sleep as well. :)
It's high time that I announce publicly that I'm no longer in YCKC (in case some YCKC friends are still wondering.) With regards to the reason, it is personal. Feel free to contact me if you wish to know. Apologies if I've made a sudden disappearance, because I didn't want to declare it to everyone at that point in time. Thus, I've only made known to a few people who are close to me or whom I'm directly accountable to. Once again, sorry if I've not handled this matter well.
As for which church I am with now, I've been attending Bethany Trinity Presbyterian Church (opp Helping Hand, near Bethesda Serangoon) since early Nov. Thank God for the warm fellowship I receive there, and I'm settling down well. Coming next year, I'll be serving in the Youth Ministry and trying out the Children's Ministry for the first time! It's indeed an exciting year ahead. Appreciate your prayers as I build up relationships with my fellow church members.
As the break draws to an end, I'm glad that the decision making process for the FES issue is finally settled. At least we can move on to the next stage of speaking to resource persons and planning for ministry. As Ann mentioned in her blog, all of us must have thought hard about this issue, and definitely important for us to do so. Through it all, I'm really thankful for the encouragement I've received from fellow exco members and also Fred, Steff and some of the graduates. Looking at the same issue from different perspectives (yet not displacing God's Word in the decision-making process) is very helpful. I'm sure all of us have matured in the process, sharpened our understanding of the gospel and ministry, and putting it into practice in this issue. It is my prayer too that we will seek to encourage one another in every step of the way, and many years down the road, we will still be guarding the good deposit that has been entrusted to us, not compromising in any way. :) True gospel ministry is tough, may our focus never waver.
It's high time that I announce publicly that I'm no longer in YCKC (in case some YCKC friends are still wondering.) With regards to the reason, it is personal. Feel free to contact me if you wish to know. Apologies if I've made a sudden disappearance, because I didn't want to declare it to everyone at that point in time. Thus, I've only made known to a few people who are close to me or whom I'm directly accountable to. Once again, sorry if I've not handled this matter well.
As for which church I am with now, I've been attending Bethany Trinity Presbyterian Church (opp Helping Hand, near Bethesda Serangoon) since early Nov. Thank God for the warm fellowship I receive there, and I'm settling down well. Coming next year, I'll be serving in the Youth Ministry and trying out the Children's Ministry for the first time! It's indeed an exciting year ahead. Appreciate your prayers as I build up relationships with my fellow church members.
As the break draws to an end, I'm glad that the decision making process for the FES issue is finally settled. At least we can move on to the next stage of speaking to resource persons and planning for ministry. As Ann mentioned in her blog, all of us must have thought hard about this issue, and definitely important for us to do so. Through it all, I'm really thankful for the encouragement I've received from fellow exco members and also Fred, Steff and some of the graduates. Looking at the same issue from different perspectives (yet not displacing God's Word in the decision-making process) is very helpful. I'm sure all of us have matured in the process, sharpened our understanding of the gospel and ministry, and putting it into practice in this issue. It is my prayer too that we will seek to encourage one another in every step of the way, and many years down the road, we will still be guarding the good deposit that has been entrusted to us, not compromising in any way. :) True gospel ministry is tough, may our focus never waver.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Wedding cum Class Gathering
Attended my Sec 4 classmate's wedding last night. She's the first amongst us to get married and I guess more to come soon. The dinner was much of a class gathering as well. Most of us have not met up for a couple of years and it's really nice to catch up with one another. Guess wedding dinners are the time when most people are committed to meeting up. :) My Sec 4 form teacher has recently been seconded to NIE for research in pedagogy and teaching practices, and she is staying serangoon north too! What a coincidence. While giving me a lift back, she shared about feeling claustrophobic being a christian. The thought of meeting the same people few times a week puts her off. Also, the commitment level in service also drains her. Wanted to encourage her but time did not permit. However, we agreed to meet up for lunch when school starts. Hope we'll have a good talk then!
