Five Reasons Why You Should Blog Here

1. It is a good way for us to be good stewards of time.

If you have time to leave 100+ comments on Facebook or play a few games of DOTA, you have time to blog about your faith!

2. It prevents us from being "Sunday Christians".

It helps you to think about God and issues throughout the week, as one should.

3. It helps us remember the things we learnt.

Before our Quiet Time thoughts or thoughts during our daily experiences vanish into thin air.

4. It is a platform to share the gospel.

Let anyone stumble unto here by God's will - and be saved! Or more likely, tell your friends about it.

5. It is a tool to edify believers.

Encourage, exhort, rebuke, teach, correct, clarify, warn, assure - all with the aid of God-given technology.

2010 resolutions

Happy New Year to all (though it's admittedly abit too late ah). As the title suggests, I'm going to put some of my numerous resolutions for 2010 here. Not sure if you guys actually make resolutions, or find them pointless (!) ... I normally start off vigorous and enthusiastic, but as the year progresses, my resolve wanes too ... lol.

Still, I believe there's value in making resolutions, as it is also a reflection on how you spent your previous year and how you want to make it better in the coming year. According to a survey done, most people make resolutions to start a new habit rather than to break one. Interesting, isn't it? - what do you think is the motivation behind this? Anyway, I'm starting to ramble. Let's bring on the resolutions!

1. Exercise more - I repeat this resolution every year! D:
2. Don't waste time and make the time I have count for eternity.
3. Study harder - the Word of God, and Burmese language D:
4. Read more.
5. Get to know the youths in TFC on a deeper and more personal level.

That's it! Now, what's yours? :D

***

Happy New Year 2010 everyone! I watched fireworks being set off from all around Bandung city in Indonesia from the rooftop of a 16 storey building this year and it was spectacular (but noisy). 2009 was a year full of His grace and blessings. I'm sure 2010 will be just the same. Happy new Year!

:D

National Student Leaders Conference

Was asked to write an article for this event about evangelism that I attended so would like to share with you all too and also so that all of you will have an idea of what's going on with the Christians students in University:) which i thank God that I can be a part of in the front line and so here it is, I hope you all are still reading this blog and keeping it alive ^^:

On the 26th September 2009 this year, FES held the annual national student leaders conference themed Students Reaching Students: Quo Vadis?. It was held in Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) Headquarter. About 90 student leaders from Singapore tertiary institutions, Polytechnics and Universities, gathered together in the morning at the Clementi campus. The event started after an opening prayer. It began with a worship of songs led by President of SIM ISCF in 3 languages, English, Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia. It was a meaningful start to the event indeed.

Then the event proceeded with a speech given by Dr Dave Geisler, President of Meekness & Truth™ Ministries who educated the crowd about the challenges faced by a Christian in evangelism over history, from the past until the present. Dr Geisler also analysed the challenges faced by the generation in this era to share the Truth and introduced two main strategies in evangelism relevant to the present situation: to ask questions that probe people to rethink their beliefs and to tell stories about how Christ has changed our life.

Mr Simon Seow, Director of Creative Communication, Campus Crusade for Christ Singapore, during his sharing, shared a video with the crowd and elaborated on the creative communications in campus among the youths of today. And the last speaker,
Dr Stephen Lim, Mission Committee Chairman, FES Singapore gave a personal recount of his experience of a colleague that demonstrated another challenge in evangelism, tightly bounded to the unwillingness of losing one’s culture, family bonds and values and encouraged leaders to delve upon these issues.

Following the lunch after the speeches, student leaders were divided into 6 groups within their respective university to discuss and evaluate the current position of their school in terms of strategies and actions taken in evangelism within the campus. Each school then presented to the floor their strategies and a further discussion was carried out with the rest of the student leaders. Student leaders were challenged to evaluate and improve their strategies. Different approaches to evangelism, from SIM’s lifestyle evangelism through fun filled events that impact the school to NUS’ seminars to change the mindset of Christians and prepare undergraduates for the future challenges in the working, were discussed. Issues and ideas were brought up in the interaction that evaluated the effectiveness of each approach.

Two main case studies were presented during the conference. The first one was on EBS as done in FES Chinese Work and the second, the Friendship Evangelism Programme in the FES Indonesian Ministry which left us with an idea on the programs’ implementation and methods and also, something to carry to God in our prayers.

The conference was a great success. I'm thankful to God for the opportunity to be a part of the event. It was an eye opener. I learnt more about evangelism, about postmodernism thoughts and beliefs that makes evangelism so much more of a challenge in today's world. But God is sovereign and gracious because he brings us brothers and sister closer together and strong as a body of Christ even in evangelism during this time. It is in our hands to make “students reaching students” more than just a feel-good slogan but a reality.

Through this conference, I am also aware of the conviction of other student leaders in their campus and it encourages and heartens me to do more for God. Through the discussions, I have also learnt that there are many ways to spread the gospel, lifestyle evangelism, events and through our talents and capabilities (like teaching soccer). It shows me that God is working in all ways, in many creative ways to spread a common good news, the Gospel. I would love to attend more of these conferences. It was spectacular and it felt like I've grown more as a young Christian. Again, I thank God for this opportunity.

Discrimination

Discrimination have always been existent in the world we live in. In our country, our homes, our schools, even in our very own churches.



Since the sermon(what's your race)(racism issue) that was spoken recently in our church by the speaker, I like to raise up the issue of discrimination and share my thoughts on discrimination and using the biblical perspective to look at this issue.

There are many types of discrimination involve, the more prominent ones are racism, sexism, discriminating of people who are different from us(discriminating the disabled). Along the way, i would just list down examples of our everyday life that could be seen in our society.



For example, racial discrimination is where people of a particular race would start to ostracize the other one. Such discrimination could be seen in America, Australia and even in Singapore. Reason might be just physical. Like black skin and stuff. It might also be religion reason.

Although i think agree that only christianity is the true religion and the truth faith of all faiths, but God created man in his own image. Hate the religion but not the man. Hate the sin but not the created.

God created everyone each in his own image. Each different to what God has intended. If we were to dicriminate people different froom us, what makes us different that we are actually discriminating God?

Likewise, discrimination doesn't only occur in the issue of race, it also occurs in terms of gender discrimination and even people who are of different social status.

Even in churches, we could see that if someone elses is poorer than us, we don't talk to the person, if the person is dirty(i mean physically dirty) we don't get near the person, and even if the person speaks of lousy english, we discriminate him! This is where love comes in. We do not judge a person based on his physical outlook, rather we judge him based on his character. However we do not condemn him, rather we love him and condemn the sin he does.

These are my thoughts for today. Correct me if i am wrong :)

How George Whitefield Studies the Bible

"There he is at five in the morning . . . . on his knees with his English Bible, his Greek New Testament and Henry's Commentary spread out before him. He reads a portion in the English, gains a fuller insight into it as he studies words and tenses in the Greek and then considers Matthew Henry's explanation of it all. Finally, there comes the unique practice that he has developed: that of 'praying over every line and word' of both the English and the Greek till the passage, in its essential message, has veritably become part of his own soul."

Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield, I:82-83.


I realised that in some ways I actually studied in about the same manner as him:
1. first reading with my English NIV bible
2. checking key words in Greek on www.blueletterbible.org
3. picking a good commentary, or sometimes just the notes of a study bible.

But I don't wake up at 5am or pray through every single word :)

Tim Keller on Outward Looking Christians

"Christians should be a community radically committed to the good of the city as a whole. We must move out to sacrificially serve the good of the whole human community, especially the poor… the ultimate purpose of redemption is not to escape the material world, but to renew it. God's purpose is not only saving individuals, but also inaugurating a new world based on justice, peace, and love, not power, strife, and selfishness."