RE: Youth Camp 2007

Hello people, our e-invite is out! TADAAAA......

Credits to Shane and Spencer!

So do pass around the e-invite to friends or family members! I will be sending out the detailed schedule for the youth camp to everyone in church soon. For now, meeting point is at Tampines Bus Interchange, specifically in front of the bus 29 queue! Do pray for the camp, eg. the weather, for pastor, for the camp committee members etc...

Through this camp, the committee hopes we can start working on the theme set for FIBC in the coming year... Together we Build, United we Grow! By God's grace, I'm sure we'll all benefit from His word and have a great time "fellow-sheeping" and bonding with one another... =P

love came down at Christmas

Came across this song that got stuck in my head.
i listened to it no less than 7 times since i found it.
Hope u enjoy it too.



Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love from God to all of us,
Love for plea and gift and sign.

He Paid the Price!

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response,

Pastor Thomas began to speak...'I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, 'What you got there, son?' 'Just some old birds,' came the reply.
'What are you gonna do with them?' I asked.

'Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,' he answered 'I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time' '

But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?'

'Oh, I got some cats,' said the little boy. 'They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.'

The pastor was silent for a moment. 'How much do you want for those birds, son?'

'Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!'

'How much?' the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, '$10?'

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation.

Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. 'Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!'

'What are you going to do with them?' Jesus asked.

Satan replied, 'Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!'

'And what will you do when you get done with them?' Jesus asked. 'Oh, I'll kill 'em,' Satan glared proudly.

'How much do you want for them?' Jesus asked

'Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!'

'How much?' He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, 'All your blood, tears and your life.'

Jesus said, 'DONE!'
Then He paid the price.

Be blessed. :)

W.A.I.T. Camp 2007

Help! Everyone in class has a steady except me!!!

Can I hold her hands when we're out?

When love comes knocking, what do you do?

How do you love in God's timing? When is the right age to date?

Seek Godly answers at this year's youth camp!

Presenting ....


W.A.I.T. 2007 - Why Am I Tempted is the theme of this year's youth camp.
We invite all youths and young adults to be part of this camp! Explore together BGR issues such as dating, sexual abstinence and down to the basics of dealing with the opposite gender!

Dates: 29 - 31 Dec 07 (Sat - Mon)
Time: 10am (29 Dec) - 12pm (31 Dec)
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Jonathan Ang
Venue: Aloha Changi Chalet M
Committee Head: Irving & Carmen
Committee members: Shane, Judith & Hannah

Sign up today!

Keep a look-out for more updates on the youth blog!

- Youth Camp Comm -

Faith Independent Baptist Church Invites YOU!

Hymn

O refuge of my hardened heart,

O fast pursuing lover come.

As angels dance around Your Throne,

My life, by capture, fair You own.

Not silhouette of trodden faith,

Nor death shall not my steps be guide.

I'll pirouette upon my grave

For in Your path, I'll run and hide

O gaze of love,

So melt my pride.

That I may in Your House, but kneel.

And in my brokenness to cry,

Spring worship unto Thee.

When beauty breaks the spell of pain,

The bludgeoned heart shall burst in vain.

But not when love be pointed king

and truth, shall Thee, forever reign.

O gaze of love,
So melt my pride.
That I may in Your House, but kneel.
And in my brokenness to cry,
Spring worship unto Thee.

Sweet Jesus carry me away

From cold of night and dust of day.

In ragged hour or salt-worn eye,

Be my desire, my well-spring lye.

O gaze of love,
So melt my pride.
That I may in Your House, but kneel.
And in my brokenness to cry,
Spring worship unto Thee.

On Love

Found this on my friend’s blog..

An article by Michelle McKinney Hammond.

The decision for a mate must be made on a spiritual and intellectual basis before its made on an emotional one.

What about love? you ask. I’ll tell you why. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer 17:9). The heart is willful and is driven by its own agenda. It does not consider things rationally and intelligently - it just loves to love!

Therefore you have to point it in the right directions: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Whenever you meet a man, you need to get clearance from God, check out his attributes, and then allow your heart to engage. Dating exists not for mating; it exists for collecting data. I believe that the biblical design would be friendship, courtship and then marriage. Friendship is two people walking together in agreement and accountability, learning and growing together. Courtship follows the mutual agreement to commit to one another exclusively - it is the decisive turning toward the agreed-upon goal of the marriage altar. It is a period of laying foundation and preparing your life together after marriage.

But dating? Well, if you do date, use the time wisely to gather facts. So when you do gather facts, let us compare the process to clothes shopping.

Check out the fabric.
Is the person mate material? Does this man have an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ? Does he care what God thinks about his behavior? Is he accountable to God as well as another co-laborer in the faith? Accountability is an important factor. It is imperative to maintaining a committed relationship. Is your potential spouse a member of the same family -the family of God? Scripture is clear on this : “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14).

You need to have common interest and values and agree on the essentials of living day to day. You have a similar spiritual walk. You eat the same diet. You enjoy a lot of similar things. You have like interests, like goals in life, like opinions on basic life issues. You have had like experiences in your background. Though there is some truth to the idiom that opposites attract, like-minded folks fare better together.

Furthermore, does he want to get married? If you want to be married and your dreamboat isn’t interested, don’t waste your time. Remember, women fall in love and get married. Men decide to get married and then look for a wife. Note the difference in order. So if a guy says he’s not looking for anything serious, take his words seriously. If he’s not going your direction, get off the bus & wait for the right one.

Does this man want you? Is he pursuing you?
The man who is right for you will pursue you and God’s hand in the relationship will be clear. No guessing, no fleeces, no dead ends. Scripture says: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord”(Prov 18:22). Note - who finds whom? THE MAN FINDS THE WIFE.

From the beginning of time, God has transported men & women across the world in order to put them together. At the RIGHT TIME, He will bring that man on the scene and he will find you. In God’s perfect design, the man is the one who recognizes his mate. Adam has no problem recognizing that Eve was his missing rib. You do not need to strategically place yourself anywhere. You don’t have to help a guy out because he’s shy.

Men will do whatever they have to do to get what they truly want. The man in your life should recognize you as the pearl of great price in his life and be willing to do whatever he must in order to gain your hand. If he is passive about gaining your affections, take it as a sign that he is not interested.

Many a woman’s mother has suggested that it is a good idea to marry a man who loves you more than you love him. As cold as that sounds, it actually might be scriptural if you stop to think about it: “We love him because he first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19).Until then, take the ultimate chill pill. You don’t need a bunch of men in your life to make you feel all right about yourself. You need only one man - your man, the one God has selected to select you. And trust me, the right man at the wrong time can be just as awful as the wrong man at any time.

So trust God’s timing in this. He is the ultimate matchmaker. Relax, sit pretty and allow yourself to be found. Again - WAIT until the man voices his intentions. He should take the lead in establishing the relationship. You may have an inkling that he is the one, but God will use the man to set the tone of the relationship. Allow him the opportunity to woo you - this is your first act of submission. Jesus set the standard for all men to follow. They should love us first. And they should lead the relationship.

Does this man have a vision for his life?
Is he running with that vision? Remember, God decided Adam needed help once Adam got busy DOING his assignment. As we saw Adam, a man doesn’t need help until he is busy doing what he was created and called to do. Is your guy guided by a sense of destiny and purpose, or does he just allow life to happen around him?

A man who is not certain of his mission can be a most miserable person - and you’ll be miserable too if you know where YOU want to go in life. A man who has vision is not intimidated by a woman whose mission statement is clear. He will be your best ally, cheerleader and assistant because he wants you both to make it!

A man who cannot be supportive of your achievements because he is floundering in a sea of uncertainty over his own life is not a healthy partner to have and to hold forever. Creating dependencies or feelings of obligation is not the way to get the best out of your man. Somewhere along the way, he will resent you and flee from the smothering burden of obligation he associates you with.

You want a man who is firmly anchored in his identity in Christ. Remember, we are looking for a man who will be priest and leader of his home. His first instinct should be to want to cover you, redeem you, and provide for you. Your job is to decide if this is the man God has ordained for you to complement.

Complementary.
Do your talents and gifts complement his? Do his gifts complement yours? What about your temperaments? Do you see the two of you as an effective team capable of bringing blessing to the lives of those around you? Do your futures mesh? Can you coordinate your gifts in an attractive and effective way?

This is why knowing your purpose is so important. Make sure your hearts beat for mutual causes. When I go shopping always consider the fabric, the fit and what I already have in my closet. Will my next purchase be a complementary addition to what I already have? If I find that I am going to have to buy shoes and matching accessories to go with a new outfit, I leave it right on the rack. It is too expensive a proposition.

If the man you meet makes you feel that you need to completely reinvent yourself, something is wrong. This is where I ask you to consider the relationship in terms of cost. Is this relationship expensive spiritually, emotionally or physically? Does your longing for a mate make you willing to forfeit who you are in the process? Or does he see you as the gift that you are?

The man in your life should consider you a rare find, a priceless jewel - because of you he is getting ready to get blessed big-time! Any relationship that causes you to feel unworthy, unlovely, unacceptable, undesirable or that you have to work for love, is too expensive!
God has called the man to cover, protect and provide not only materially for a woman, but emotionally and spiritually as well. You should be richer in mind, body and spirit for your union with the man of your dreams. The man in your life should make rich deposits into your heart and spirit, not withdrawals.

Does he have a healthy love & acceptance of himself?
Make sure the man in your life has taken time to heal from past relationships and has made peace with himself. How he cares for himself is how he will care for you. A man’s relationship with God is crucial here. His love for himself will only be as strong as his love for God. This is not something that you can impart. You cannot be his savior or teacher. That is out of spiritual order.

In his rightful place as your personal priest, he should be leading you to a richer relationship with Christ. If he is causing you to compromise your faith and destabilize your walk, if he is leading you into sexual sin or causing you to be distracted from your commitment to Christ, the relationship is too expensive. Offending the Lover of your soul, who promises you eternal love, is too high a fare to pay for a ride that has a limited run.

If you and your man can’t soar in the Spirit, when the force of your love for another is tested by the pull or gravity of the world, your union will not be able to survive. So you decide. How much is your life worth? How much is your love worth?

You will be able to accept only what you believe you deserve. God himself calculated the worth of your love and decided it was worth His life. He now pledges you His love for eternity. Yes, Jesus sets the example for all others to follow when He paid a ransom for His bride. Should you expect less from a mortal man?

Throughout the bibilical age, men were willing to pay the cost for the hand that they desired. The truth of the matter is, everyone knows that anything worth having, costs. And no one gets a ride in this life for free

Ladies, don’t rush. Wait for God’s timing. He wants and has the BEST for you.

Rose Coloured Stained Glass Windows

Another sleepy Sunday, safe within the walls

Outside a dying world in desperation calls

But no-one hears the cries, or knows what they're about

The doors are locked within, or is it from, without...

Looking through rose coloured stained glass windows

Never allowing the world to come in

Seeing no evil and feeling no pain

Making the light as it comes from within, so dim...

Out on the doorstep lay the masses in decay

Ignore them long enough, maybe they'll go away

When you think you have so much, you have so much to lose

You think you have no lack, but you're really destitute

Looking through rose coloured stained glass windows
Never allowing the world to come in
Seeing no evil and feeling no pain
Making the light as it comes from within, so dim...

Called To Friendship - David & Jonathan

Have you found the Jonathan or Davids in your life?

Well, it should still be fresh in your memory the message that was shared today on pulpit. Just recap a few pointers & i thought maybe we can all share here some thoughts on it?

1 Samuel 17:55-18:3

Introduction: The key problem for most of us is that we don't see friends as a gift from God.

The Difference: David & Jonathan were from incredibly different backgrounds yet they could in modern day context, click very well. One of the key things is because Jonathan didn't need David in his life to meet any needs. He was already complete in Christ. He was not dependent on David...

Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. (18:1)

The knitted souls was an act by God...this means that all our friendships are given by God.
And since our sole agenda in life is to respond to calling of God, our friends must help us to fulfill our calling.

The Departure: There comes a day where we have to say "goodbye" to our friends.

42Jonathan said to David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'"

Remember that God is the creative space between you & your friends!

So what do you think of this message today? Tag along or leave comments here :)

- Carmen -

Rockwall Climbing Outing

Hi Guys!

It's been quiet arh...seems like Irving is busy with his special sem? It's okay! Carmen is here to throw in a quick post.

If you guys heard the announcement today, do remember to sign up with Sister Carmen or Michelle for the rock-wall climbing outing..

Date: 25 Aug (Sat)
Time: 10am -1pm
Venue: Emmanuel House, Aljunied
Nearest MRT: Aljunied MRT
Cost: $10 (includes insurance)

Do hope you guys will make it for this k? It's rare that we organise such a outing, oh yes, you're also encouraged 2 bring along unsaved friends, neighbours, cousins, relatives, exclassmates.. okay i think you get the picture.. Haa..

Ta! see ya guys at YF..

(Hap-) *Beep* (py) *Beep* (Birth-) *Beep* (day) *Beep* (to) *Beep* (you) *Beep*....

Hello people,

Wondering what is with all the beeps, censorship? *Nupez* It's Esther's birthday card!!!!We didn't want to embarrass our dear sister-in-Christ with our melodious singing at the airport so we decided to get her a melody card. Yes, Esther is leaving for Jakarta today, and tomorrow's her birthday! In fact, I think she should have reached the place by this time since it's a 2-hr flight. Cindy, Cynthia, Mary and I arranged to meet at the airport to see her off. What is a birthday celebration without a birthday cake! Of course, we didn't get one big cake for her to bring over to Jakarta, just a small slice from Bengawan Solo! While we were deciding on which cake to buy and what colours to use for decorating her card, we realised we didn't know much about her preferences. From pastor's sermon last week on accountability, it reminded us that we can't be just superficial friends, we've got to get to know one another better! So if you guys do not know what's her favourite colour/colours or cake/cakes, ask her when she returns to Singapore! No offence guys but..... *Only Smarties got the answer* (Cindy, Cynthia, Mary and I) HAHAHA. Not funny as usual but never mind! Here's some pictures of the card we gave to her! =) Our group picture is in her camera, so I'll try get it from her when she returns from Jakarta.


PS: Do remember to continue keeping Esther in prayers while she's in Jakarta!

=Irving=

Worship - Tools for spiritual growth

Hello youths, I’m late! Should have posted this way before but yes, I’m sorry! Think it is pretty related to my previous post. It talks about encouraging one another, about worshipping the Lord with our hearts and not only with our lips, renewing of our minds etc (Read on!). We all have Cynthia to thank as she was the one who provided me with the soft copy of the sermon so that I can upload it on the blog. We will be including the schedules for ushers as well as the Youth Fellowship schedule for the next quarter once it has been finalized. So do come back and keep yourself updated on the prayers and praises from our youths and feel free to make any postings!

Worship - Tools for spiritual growth

The roles of a prophet include predicting events as well as confronting people when they are not living right with God. As in the case of Isaiah, he was a prophet from a noble family. He preached for a long time before finally dying a terrible death. Sodom and Gomorrah was being judged because of their sins. Although they approached God as they were being told, because they were not living right with God, these offerings were meaningless to the Lord. In fact, their sacrifices for Him were a burden.

Isaiah 1: 14 (KJV)
14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

However, there is still hope for us. As mentioned in Isaiah 1:18 (KJV),

18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Therefore, as long as we are willing to repent of our sins, through Christ we will be washed whiter than snow, presentable unto the Lord. In our lives, God give warnings and choices. We have to make the right choices and heed the warnings so that our lives will be acceptable and pleasing unto God. If we are not repentant, He will not loosen his iron grip and will punish us accordingly. As in the case of Israel, the lives of the people are evil, but they continued worshipping God on Sabbath day. As they are not living right, the prayers and sacrifices made were of no use. We need to stop doing wrong and learn to do right. Committing evil acts do not require much of an effort. In fact, sinning may even give us temporal pleasures. Doing right on the other hand requires effort and it is definitely not a natural course of action most of the time. We have to resist doing evil and persist making the right choices.

Food for thought: Was there a time when we’ve sinned, but did not apologize or repent of our mistakes? Instead, we try to make up for our wrong actions by serving more?

When we are worshipping, we give the object of worship its worth and do so by exalting the person. Praise is a natural human response to anything excellent, beautiful or awesome. When we see something fantastic, we marvel and are often caught breathless. God is the most excellent, beautiful and awesome of them all. If worshiping Him is not natural for us, it simply means we have not experienced Him like He wants us to. When we read and learn more about Him, as we grow closer to Him, we should want to praise Him even more.

Food for thought: How we know what is true worship really is?

Worshipping the Lord is not about us, but about knowing God. As we are worshipping, we ask of Him to convict me when we sin and encourage us when we are down. True worship starts in the heart. It is important that we are worshipping with our hearts and not with our mouths.

This is clearly stated in Matthew 15: 8-9 (KJV),

8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Food for thought: Do we obey God or the tradition of men?

Jewish men were wicked in the way they handled their finances. They declare that their money is dedicated to God with the intention so that they did not need to support their parents. This is an example of not living right and worshipping God in vain as they are clearly not following the commandment of honoring their parents.

In Romans 12: 1-2 (KJV),

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are reminded that God wants our bodies to be living sacrifices and this is expected of us as a reasonable service. We are a step closer to imitating God when our minds are changed. Through the renewing of our minds, we will then be able to discern God’s will for us. By separating ourselves from this sinful world will we then be able to discover His will for us. There is no need for us to be afraid to seek His will as it is good and perfect for us. Our actions are outward portrayal of our inward states. Therefore, it is important to be concerned about our internal change such as the renewing of our minds.

True worship is both private and public. As in Exodus 34: 22-24 (KJV),

22And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

23Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel.

24For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

In this instance, God promises that if the men followed His command to worship him thrice in the year, no enemies will attack the nation whilst the men are away. He fulfilled His promise to them and the nation was preserved during these periods of time.

In Luke 4: 16 (KJV),

16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

It is the custom of Jesus to pray and go to the synagogue habitually. As a child of God, we should be walking in the footsteps of Jesus and follow this “custom” as well.

In Hebrews 10: 24-25 (KJV),

24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We should be considering one another not to anger but to provoke unto love and to good deeds. As ye see the day approaching, we should learn how to love God more each day and should be encouraging one another as well. Worshipping is also more than just words and lip service, it is deeds

Leviticus 27: 30-33 (KJV)

30And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.

31And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

33He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Malachi 3: 7-12 (KJV)

7Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

One of the things we can do is giving tithes faithfully as commanded in the verses above. God told the people that they had been disobedient since the days of their fathers. The people were not able to realize what they have done wrong. They were trying to rob God by not giving tithes faithfully. Under law, they were supposed to be giving 10%; under grace, they should be giving even more. Since God wants us to give and if we do not give faithfully, we are robbing Him as mentioned in the verses above.

Matthew 6: 1-4 (KJV)

1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

When we are helping the needy as mentioned above, our intent should not be getting notice by men. We should be doing it in secret, not announcing and making it known to all. If we do so, we will not receive our rewards in heaven.

Colossians 3: 17 (KJV)

17And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We must also understand that we are doing all these deeds in the name of the Lord Jesus and not for ourselves. When we are through doing it, and in the process of doing it, we must remember that ultimately, God gets the glory.

2 Corinthians 8: 5 (KJV)

5And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Christians should always think of giving themselves first to the Lord, and by living a life consecrated to God, we are able to give everything we have. Before we give our resources to Him, we must be sure to give ourselves to Him first and keep in mind that true worship focuses on who God is.

I will be still, know you are God...

Still

by Hillsong United

album: Hope (2003)

Still
Words and Music by Reuben Morgan

Hide me now, under your wings
Cover me, within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul, in Christ alone
Know his power, in quietness and trust


Yes, before I start making any comments! Let me clarify something, this is not a hymn. Therefore, in any case, if anyone feels uncomfortable with contemporary Christian music, do inform me and I'll take this post off the blog IMMEDIATELY. It is very important that what we are doing do not stifle the spiritual well-being of a fellow brother or sister-in-Christ in any ways! Instead, we should be encouraging and challenging one another as we are "Running the Race" while we are constantly in battle with this sinful world made up of sinful people like you and I. Also, we will also be sticking to hymns during praise and worship in church as set out by our church leaders. I would also like to share on a personal note that there are many times where I lose focus on meditating on the lyrics of some of these music, absorbed in self-gratification instead of exalting the Lord. Therefore, be it a hymn or a contemporary Christian song, it is important to note that there are times we do not set our hearts on the Lord during worship and it is important that we should refrain from doing so, albeit we are prone to do so because of our sinful nature.

Full credits go to Spencer for summing up this whole song. I was practically nodding my head as he types out how he feels about the song during my conversation with him on MSN. Storms are inevitable in our lives. One moment we might be experiencing peace, but the next moment, we might be caught in a thunderstorm. We must be reminded that, in any case, we have a God who's Lord above all, and we can rest assure to stay still and be calm in any storms because we know that He is Lord.

I will be adding the sermon which was discussed last Saturday during youth fellowship too. Credits goes to Cynthia as she will be sending me the sermon! I lost my worksheet, a clear indication of a bad student once again. I will be working on it! By the grace of God, may we be changed as we try to imitate Him in every aspects of our lives. Do spend time praying for one another and feel free to add in any praises and prayer items. I will end of with this verse from

Psalms 19:14 (KJV)
14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

=Irving=

Your Monday Blues... or Rules?

It doesn't matter at all! Because.....?

In contrast with man who lives under the constraints of time and circumstances, God transcends over these limitations. His omnipotence and omnipresence prevails!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV)
11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

As we are facing trials and tribulations in our lives, physical and spiritual ones, remember that...

Romans 8:28 (KJV)
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Therefore, since we know that God fulfills His purpose in His own time and own way, we must trust that He is in control!

Jesus sees our sorrows and our tears.

John 11:33 (KJV)
33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

We are not alone.

Psalms 55:22 (KJV)
22Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Let us learn from Thomas when he said he was willing to follow Jesus although he thought he might die due to the persecution by the Jews. Let us make statements of courage and commitment which are in accordance to His word...but more importantly, act on them! We are uncertain about how we will respond in a given situation but always be prepared and guarded with the Word of God as we will be tested in trying times.

In crisis we run..... not to Him.... but around in circles. We have not trusted in Him fully in many aspects of our lives. Let our faith be stretched and developed by these crisis... that...

John 11:15 (KJV)
15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

Like the disciples needed experience with God to mature their faith, let us grow closer to God by reading His word.

May God change our lives!

Erh, this was in yesterday's sermon. But as usual, I'm not a good student. =( May have left out important parts of the sermon or might have gotten some parts wrong. Do correct and add on accordingly! May we try to apply these lessons this coming week and be faithful in everything we do. Amen!

=Irving=

Birthday Greetings!

Happy Birthday to you (x2)
Happy Birthday to Shaun...
Happy Birthday to you!

Dear Brother-in-Christ,

May you continue to grow in Christ-likeness!

=FIBC Youths=

Welcome to Singapore (Chow Yun Fatt)

(Sings) Welcome... welcome all of you... Glad you... are... *voice fades away softly* Thank God you guys came back home safely! Sure you all have been blessed by the sermons as well as enjoyed a great time of fellowship. Those we couldn't make it for the June camp can't wait to hear the great experience you all had and see ALL the pictures you guys have taken! Ok, shan't ramble on and on! Have a good rest and see you all soon! =)

=Irving=

FI Youth choir

Hey guys! I set up a youtube account for us already, username is FIYouths, and the password is shineforJesus. Feel free to add videos.

And now without further ado, I present to you our very own FI youth chorale! XD

the power of prayers

the church had this sermon delivered by Dr Curt Lamansky on sunday and i've decided to share it online, though it won't be as good as the original message cos i've selective memory loss. but i'll still try to remember and share with you as much as i can.

the basis of this sermon is taken from one line in the bible which is from the book of James.

James 5:16-17
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on earth. 18Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

The first line says "the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
and as you can see, i've singled out three main words.


firstly, what do we understand by the word "prayer"?

the most basic explanation of prayer is a conversation to God, where we ask for things we might need help with, or confess to our sins, or perhaps to ask for wisdom in handling a particular problem. and in the bible, it often encourages us to pray.

In the preceeding verses, James 5:13-15, it says,
"is anyone among you suffering? let him pray"
"is anyone of you sick? let the elders of the church pray over him"
the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.
and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
therefore, pray for one another and you may be healed.

so you see, in three examples, the bible already illustrates to us when we could pray.
and remember when i said prayer is a conversation to God?

imagine if we had a relationship with our loved ones the way we have with God.
we came home from work or school, then maybe talk a little around dinner, afterwhich we go to our rooms, play our computers, surf the internet, or spend time reading a book or watching tv. and maybe just before bed, we talk again for about 5 mins to them before doozing off.

if we kept up with this, a couple of days later, the wife would probably be asking "did i do anything wrong? why isn't he talking to me? is there someone else?"

so we must remember to pray often. i admit, i'm really bad at this part so i shall also learn to pray more often to God.


now the second word -- righteous
to be righteous is to be pure and godly. ie we must not have any evil intent of whatever we pray for. we must also pray for the right reasons as mentioned in James 4:2-3

James 4:2-3
2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (desires).


the final word is power. why do prayers have great power?

because God is powerful and he is able to give us whatever we want, beyond the physical things in this world where we can imagine. cures for every possible disease, even the flesh eating bacteria in Auntie Jane's case which i'm sure we are all familiar with. bringing back people from a certain death, He is able to do it. But the most important factor of prayer, is that we ask for it.


Further down the verse, in 17, there is another key word. "Ferverntly." this means to keep praying and to be persistent in our prayers. we cannot just pray once and take it that God knows about it since we have mentioned it. No, we must keep praying, for anything and everything.

The bible illustrates this in Luke 11 where there is a short mention by Jesus, about the story of a man who had a visitor come at midnight. In those days, it was custom to provide some form of food to the visitor, like bread for instance, but this man had no bread in this house. and because it was midnight and in 1st Century, they didn't have any 7-Elevens back then. So this man went over to his neighbour and knocked on the door, asking to spare him three loaves of bread. But the neighbour did not want to wake up, and so told him "Do not bother me. The door is now shut, the children are with me in my bed and I cannot get up to get you anything."

Jesus then said, though the neighbour did not want to get up to give him anything, but because of the man's persistence, he will rise and give him what he needs in the end.

So what God is trying to show us, is that we must not only pray, but to pray persistently too.


Now back to the verse. In verse 17, the bible quotes us an example, of how powerful and effective prayers can be.

What do you think of when i mention Elijah? Most people would say he's a great prophet. But verse 17 starts of by saying, "Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours".

Elijah is just like you and me! he was a normal person!

To know more about this, refer to 1 Kings 17.

1Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 2And the word of the LORD came to him, 3"Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." 5So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

To summarise, God instructed Elijah, who is from a poor town of Tishbe on the outskirts of the desert, to go into the king's palace and in front of the greatest man of the region at that time, to say unto him "it will not rain for 3.5 years"

Can you imagine what their reaction might be? They would probably laugh their heads off at the sight of this weird man telling the king such a thing. And remember, the king had the power to kill anyone at that time. If he says off with your head, that shall be it. But we know from the bible they let Elijah go out of the palace. They probably thought nothing of his outburst and just had a great time laughing.

Further info: The Israel rain pattern at that time rained from Oct till March, after which there would be no more rain for as long as 5 months. Assuming that Elijah said this to the king at the end of the dry spell somewhere near oct, where it hasn't been raining for more than 5 months anyway, no one would have given any serious thought about his words.

So Oct came. The rains didn't. and the farmers' crops that depended on it all withered and an entire crop cycle was ruined. So after 6 months of dry weather when it was supposed to rain, came the dry period of a further 6 months and one full year was wasted. There wasn't enough food nor water for the people and you would imagine people dying in the streets from salvation.

And when the next Oct came, again the rains didn't and this ruined their second crop production cycle. another full year was wasted.

This again continued for the 3rd year running and in total 3 crop cycles were wasted. But Elijah prayed for it to not rain for 3.5 years. So add another half year and what month will that be in?

March! And then it started raining.. when it wasn't supposed to!

Many people have commented, there are better examples to show the power of prayer, why did God pick this one.

I believe, the point they are missing is this -- when all this is happening, wouldn't King Ahab be sending his military out to hunt down Elijah, the man whom they had the chance to kill in the palace but allowed him to escape instead?

His people were starving and surely he would want to kill Elijah as he probably had believed he had put a curse on the land and that the only way to get rid of it was to kill him.

But the miracle of it all was -- God protected him. 3.5 years is a long time and he managed to stay hidden all this while, unharmed and was even provided for!

And this shows how God constantly takes care of us in everything that we do.

-derrick-
original sermon by Dr Curtis Lamansky.

Theme Song for June Camp

Hey hey FIBC youths, Guess who's back! It's "me!" chelle's brother. Alright, in view of the upcoming June camp! This is the song that the "prospective campers", as mentioned by Uncle Chiat Pang, will be singing for the upcoming June camp. However, all of us must learn this song because, as mentioned by Pastor, we are one big FIBC family. Therefore, do spend some time looking through and meditating on the lyrics. For those we remembers how to sing, you can also warm up your voices and start to practise singing the song. Whereas for those who can play the piano, even if you don't know how to sing, you've got no excuse, can play and sing at the same time.

I'm Leaning on Jesus

Another gentle reminder before I sign out, this Saturday's barbecue! For those who want to get to join the cast of "Lost Season 4" can meet me at Paya Lebar Mrt station at 1.15pm, I'll bring you on an adventure to anywhere except pit C14, cause I haven't figured my way there yet. Haha! Don't worry folks, I'll figure it out, the buses going there etc etc. If you want, you can also meet up with Ronald Macdonald's (aka Mary) at East Coast Park Macdonald's at 1.40pm. Don't be late, or you'll not receive your Happy Meal package. Alrigh'ty, that's all for now. For those who have not informed Cynthia with regards to your attendance or whether or not you are bringing along a friend, please do so soon, thank you! Looking forward to see everyone this Saturday!

=Irving=

Evangelistic Barbeque

Hello one and all, in view of the evangelistic barbeque we are having on the 26th of May '07, we will be having a session this Saturday to prepare us on how to share to our unsaved friends and family members. Therefore, before attending this Saturday's youth fellowship, we can first read through the tracts we have such as the Bridge to Eternal Life to recap on how to share using tracts. If you've lost your tract, no fear, Irving's here. Erh, no link, but! In view of Spiderman 3 swinging into our cinema screens, there is, however, a web link.

You can visit,
http://www.cometocalvary.org/thebridge/pg1.html

I am sure most of you are already familiar and have committed these verses in your memory! As for those we are in the same league as me, *feels guilty*, do go read up and start to do so! Anyways, below is the picture of our invite. The pit number is C14 be the way, because of my inefficiency, I did not include in the pit number although Cynthia told me way in advance, *feels guilty*... again.

Other than that, thanks to Mary, we now have a rough idea where our pit is in East Coast.

That's all for now folks. Do keep Cynthia or Johanna in the loop with regards to the attendance! Also remember to bring money and make payments to Johanna soon, or else don't blame them if we've only got marshmallows on the bbq grill that day. See you guys soon!

=Irving=

Dim Sum Buffet

Hello youthful ones, the long awaited pictures are finally here! *applause* Special thanks to Cynthia for uploading the pictures onto my laptop! Hurray! Carmen will send me the pictures on her camera so keep a "blog(look)-out" for Dim Sum Buffet Pictures Part 2. I don't think I'll be able to upload many pictures on the blog cause of the cap set by Blogger, therefore, I'll handpick a few nicely taken shots of the youths. If you want to get your hands on the pictures, feel free to approach Cynthia, Carmen or me!

Note: Carmen is busy, look for Cynthia or me first before approaching Carmen!

They use Colgate Total White... Get the picture? No? Put on your sunglasses!
Talk about JT super smiles! Dazzling!


Some bad hair days weren't exactly bad until... ... bad guys came along?
(Bad guys = check out sinister smiles)

more pictures to come... you've been awed by Spiderman 3, wait until you've seen Dim Sum Buffet 2!

Parents' Day!

Happy Parents' Day! Have you hugged your mum/ dad today? Have you told them you love them? Come on... you can run... but you can't hide... from God. Ha ha, just a gentle reminder, the actual date for Mothers' Day is next Sunday and Fathers' Day is on the 3rd Sunday of June. So it's not too late, and even if you are, it's never too late, better late then never! Make every day parents' day if you can! Thank you Ian for the wonderful poem recital! Thank you Irving, *pats own back*, self praise is no praise! Hahaha! In any case, serve and do all things for the glory of the Lord, AMEN! As quoted from pastor's sermon, be reminded that we are tools to share blessings to others, and never draw attention to ourselves as it's the wrong motivation, do everything for God because He gave us our gifts! =) Dim Sum Buffet! Thumbs up for the finger linkin' good delectable delicacies! Toes up a good time of fellowship! Erhms, ok... I've got all four up in the air already! S...t...r...uggling... to type. Ok, enough. Made my point, sure you all agree too ya? Anyways, would like to thank all ushers for their professionalism in carrying out their tasks. Any better we're going to lose you to top restaurants in the world! Should upload the pictures of you guys standing along the spiral staircase leading to the restaurant. Haha, soon! I will get the pictures from Carmen and Cynthia this coming week. Thank you Carmen and Cynthia for busy snapping up pictures, (thankfully not at us stuffing all the goodies into our mouths), walking from table to table while we were busy burying our heads in the heaps of dim sum. Special thanks going out to Carmen for her impromptu "premiere" attempt at Chinese translation! This may just be one of the many talents God gave you! You're really a blessing to those listening to your translation today, and to us youths! Have nothing to be worried about, did great for an impromptu attempt! Quoted from *I don't know who, you all can check out if you're free and drop me a message*, the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement, no one is perfect... except God's son that is, perfect sacrifice for us sinners! To all others who are searching for which other areas they can serve in, no worries because according to 1 Peter 4:1, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."! Last but not least, do remember to think about the challenges set out for us during youth fellowship, and shepherds are reminded to follow up with their sheeps too!

1. Would your current approach to service and ministry be best characterized by a battleship or a luxury liner? Why?

2. We've all heard (and even made) excuses for not having a personal ministry. When you're in a season of holding back, what are your most common excuses? Are they valid? Why or why not?

3. Can you identify a specific area of ministry (inside or outside the church) where you'd be missed if you stopped tomorrow? If you're not currently involved in a specific area of ministry, is there something you could begin to do to start making a difference?

4. If you said to God, "I am willing to do whatever you need me to do" and meant it, how would your life change as a result? Are you ready and willing to make that statement? If not, what things are holding you back?

In His love,
=Irving=

*PS: Kenji, thanks for joining us today. You're greatly missed by us!

Combined Church Bowling Challenge 2007

Hey all, short blog before I head out of home again! First, I would like to thank everyone for taking time off to participate in the Combined Church Bowling Challenge! Hope it has been a great day of fellowship and bonding with your family, church members as well as with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ from Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship.

The picture below shows the results for the teams who emerged top 8! Well, too bad... my team is ranked 9th, on the second page! =| For those who wants to see my name or have other enquires like what your scores are can get the second and third page from me via email or msn!



*drum rolls* The top bowler... the next big thing... the next you know who... you've seen him do it with your own eyes... ... ....goes to.... *drum rolls... eye-rolls....*


Glen!


with an amazing total score of 477.

That's not the end of the story, he did not use his normal 14 pounds ball throughout the competition but changed to his 10 pounds ball halfway through the game due to unforeseen circumstances. His bowling ball's grip came off!

*evil laughter*
(whispers: He'll never know I sabotaged his ball! Got to stop him from getting his personal best)

=Winners for the bowling challenge=

After bowling, we had went to have lunch together at the hawker center below the army market and after which presented Mary her birthday card and birthday "carrot" cake (not the "cai dao quay" you might have in mind by the way). Woohoo! *pops confetti* Happy 20th Birthday! Oh yes, my hands were shaking after the bowling so didn't write much on the card! So yea, may you grow in faith day by day with every passing moment!




An additional note, amidst all the fun, please do remember to continue keeping all those who are in the midst of their examinations in your prayers!

Also, those who have not signed up for the Basic Biblical Mandarin lessons conducted by Sister Rachel, you can visit the below link to catch a glimpse on what we are learning to use for sharing the gospel with friends and family members who speaks mandarin.

http://www.god2100.com/

Now that I've caught your attention! See you at Sister Rachel's Mandarin lessons, you might well be on your way to singing Chinese hymns without breaking a sweat and surviving reading aloud Chinese verses during church service without suffering from a twisted tongue!


Blogged by,

= Irving =

finally, an update

hi people!

I am sorry this blog is like collecting dust. cos i almost forgot the password. Will try, very hard to update it k? Anyway.. here's a photo of our army boy!



















I will send invite to you guys, so more people can be posting here too :)

See ya guys on 1st May for the interchurch-bowling!!!

*karma waves.

Ron Patch Hamilton

The encouraging story behind Patch The Pirate~!

Every young boy dreams of becoming a cowboy, a fireman, or maybe even a pirate, and I did too. I also dreamed of having a nickname that sounded dangerous and exciting—something like Buffalo Bill or Long John Silver.

When I was 27 years old, my dream came true. On a routine visit to the eye doctor, something unusual was discovered in my left eye. After several weeks of testing, I was rolled into the operating room for surgery on my eye. Only God knew what the outcome of that surgery would be. As I slowly regained consciousness several hours later, my wife gave me the startling news. "The doctor found cancer. Your left eye is gone."

The doctor gave me my first eye patch, and suddenly I was a pirate! Kids were fascinated by my pirate patch. Everywhere I went children would call out to their embarrassed mothers, "Look, Mom! There goes a pirate!" The children in my church gave me a nickname that stuck-Patch the Pirate.

Looking back, I can clearly see how God prepared me for this experience. Several years before I lost my eye, God's truth had dramatically changed my life. Verses such as Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God," had shown me I was a sinner who needed God's help. And when I found out that all sinners "shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire" (Revelation 21:8), I was really concerned about where I would spend eternity.

Then I read, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8), and John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I'll never forget kneeling all alone by my bed one night and telling the Lord I was sorry for all my sin. Believing that Jesus Christ had died on the cross for me, I asked Him to forgive me and become my Savior. Since that night, my life has been dramatically different because Jesus Christ has been in control. I not only have the joy of knowing that I'm going to Heaven when I die, but I also have the assurance that God is working all things together for good in my life right now.

Yes, I lost my eye to cancer, but God transformed my loss into a great blessing. The Lord has given me and my family an exciting ministry to families around the world through Patch the Pirate Story and Song cassettes and CDs. We also have a nationwide broadcast called The Adventures of Patch the Pirate that you can hear on this web page. God has been so good!

You too can experience God's love and peace by turning from your sin and receiving Christ into your heart as your Savior. I know there are all sorts of so-called "new religions" being manufactured today. But I also know "there is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us.

Will you pray the same prayer that I prayed by my bed that night? Will you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior? Your eternal destiny depends upon your decision.

Thank you for letting me share a little of what God has done in my life. I pray that the Lord will greatly work in your life also.

May God richly bless you,
Ron Patch Hamilton