christrocksourlives...keepthefireburningforHIM

2008-02-17T02:56:00.001-08:00

hello my dearest CG (:

you know i wonder why i'm always the one updating..
i also wonder if anyone even comes here anymore.
but in any case, i have something to share.

this past friday, my school had chapel & a group of people from SERVE08 came to like worship with us.
they performed a drama for us, and part of the drama was this song from the passion of the christ i think.
that was one of the chapels that i really learnt something.

I'm very sorry but due to time constraints i can't go and properly put the lyrics here, so please go: www.nicocacola-.blogspot.com
THANK YOU :D

there's a link to a video in youtube also.
& yeah, it just really touched me cos that song showed me more than anything else, just how much Jesus suffered for us.
for once in my life, i truly understood (as much as i can without going through it myself anw) how painful the cruxification for Jesus was.
as in like because all I ever thought was like "oh yeah, He suffered for us."
but when i thought that, i only ever thought of God as God and not man.
because God won't suffer like that on a cross right?
but the son of man can, and will.

when i heard the song and read the lyrics, i almost cried.
cos for the first time in my life it really felt real, and yeah, i just want to share with you guys (if anybody even comes anymore) cos i'm really glad that i finally understood the enormity of Jesus' suffering.

2007-12-25T05:47:00.001-08:00

HELLOOOOOOOO CG :D

this blog is dead! haha so i shall revive it (:
yeah & cos i have something to share too..
it's kind of about the christmas outreach but i guess it all started from camp so yep.

during one of the camp sermons, Pastor Carl Butler shared about how we should just take God at His Word & see what we dare to ask of Him.
yeah & so i was rather inspired by that, so i decided to just pray to God about asking my friends down & all.
you see, recently, like for this year, i've barely tried to ask my friends down cos they never seem to come, so i guess i got kind of discouraged.
but during camp, i just felt like God did SO MUCH for us, & the least i can do is try to share with my friends right?
so yeah, i decided to ask my friends down for christmas outreach.

at first their replies weren't promising (some didn't even reply haha) like always.
but i called one of my friends - Shili - to invite her down & at first she wasn't really interested.
until i told her i was acting & she suddenly sounded quite interested.
so i got kinda excited & she said she'll ask her mother.
but i guess a few days, when she hadn't replied yet, i started to like get ready that none of my friends would be coming, because it's not the first time she wanted to come before.
you see, i've been asking her down since last year but even though at times she DID want to come, it was because her mother didn't allow her, so yeah, she never got to come down.
but i guess i really underestimated God, cos He really surprised me.

i had to go away overseas to China on sunday, & by then, Shili had already told me she could come, so i was super duper happy :D
she wanted our other mutual friend to come too, so i asked her to invite my other friend since i was going away.
so yeah, i went away, & i really put everything out of my mind.
i even kind of forgot about all my other friends i'd invited since i didn't think they were coming.
i guess i just decided to leave everything to God, because things started to get really busy then, what with being away but still having to prepare christmas things for everyone, the drama etc.

but you see, God works in really cool amazing & awesome ways, which is kinda what i just discovered.
when i got home, two days before the outreach, i contacted my other friend, Ellie, who said that she MIGHT come & amazingly, she said she'd be coming!
yeah i've asked this friend several times too, but yeah, nothing ever really happened.
so anyway, i was really happy already, because i had two friends coming & usually i have none! :D

the day of the outreach itself, i didn't even think about my friends cos i was busy trying not to get nervous about the drama.
but like just before i was supposed to meet Shili, Ellie smsed to say that she was bringing her friend along too.
i guess i was kinda scared, since i didn't know her other friend, but i just thought well, this is all the more better cos someone else has another chance to hear about the good news, so i just prayed that i wouldn't be scared, then i just put it out of my mind.
just after that, Shili smsed me to say that they were going to be late.
it was only then that i realised that two of my other friends were coming too, cos i knew she wasn't coming with Ellie.
yeah & i started to get really scared, cos i've never had a non-Christian come to church with me before, & suddenly they come in this whole hoard.
so maybe you could understand why i was scared.
but i just thought, never mind, because it was really so very amazing that all of them came!
you see, i kind of have an invitation "history" with all of them.

Shili - I've been asking her down since sec 1 but she could never come because her mother wouldn't allow her. & i was starting to get desperate cos i just couldn't see a way that she could come.

Ellie - Yeah I've said earlier; i've asked her down a few times but nothing ever happened, & she also said once that she didn't think her mother would allow. i guess she wasn't that keen that time too since she never really asked her mother.

Yufang - I've asked her so many times too, since last year, but even though she can, she never wanted to come alone. & there was once she almost came, but because nobody else could come, she decided she didn't want to come.

Alicia - The best part in this whole thing is that i didn't even ASK her to come down. i didn't even invite her, & that was because her whole family are rather devoted Buddhists & she isn't allowed to come to church.

The thing is that, i really should have just trusted God in this, because He can really do it.
He can do ANYTHING.
It's so amazing the way He planned it so that the once in a blue moon christmas outreach that fell on my birthday, is the one that i happen to be in the christmas drama.
Because those are the two reasons that all my friends could come!
Shili's mother decided to allow her to come bcause it was my birthday, & Shili herself wanted to come cos i was acting.
Yufang & Alicia sort of came cos it was my birthday.
Ellie decided that since it was my birthday, & i wanted her to come, she'd come.

"Everything is possible for him who believes." - Mark 9:23

i hope that i have sufficiently revived the blog (:
i'm so sorry my post is so super long (maybe it's just that i'm naggy D:) haha
& thanks you guys for the wonderful cake!
you people are so sweet & nice!

i love you people,
nichola :D

2007-09-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

okay, here are a couple of photos that i have.

actually, i don't really see the point of putting them up since you all saw me get dunked already but oh wells, it's nice to look at them again right?

Plus i'm not gonna be embarrassed even if they're unglam cuz i'm now beautiful in the radiance of baptism :D hahaha.

okay, nichola you can add on from here when you get to upload the ones you took (:

just before getting in the pool...

shermaine, shzehui, me

ps alvin, me, ps kenneth

A BIG THANK YOU to you all who came down!

I truly am thankful for my cg (:

2007-09-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

hello my dearest CG :D

first a BIG congrats to Isobel on her baptism ((:
she makes me wish i got baptised too haha. no well, anyway.
i wanted to post her photos here, but haven't loaded it yet so maybe next time.

actually what i really wanted to say was what happened this past week.
it was really really cool and awesome. to me anyway.
it's about how you know people always say just do your best and God will do the rest?
well i guess sometimes it can be really cliche but this time for me, it wasn't ((:

i had a IH (integrated humanities : history& geog combined) test many many weeks ago.
but my teacher didn't return it until just this week.
well i was really scared for that test because it's mostly the skills that matter more.
cos i knew the content, but you know my test had source based questions and a structured essay.
i'm fine with source based questions but i was REALLY REALLY scared for the structured essay.
because for the last test, i failed the essay component, and even though my teacher explained how to do it and i really listened, i didn't think i really got it.
to make things worse, i spent so much time on the other parts of the test, i left only FIVE minutes to do my 9 mark essay qn (my test is upon 20)
i really started to panic but i just scribbled like mad and finished like half a min before time was up.
after the test, i had this feeling that i'll either do really well, or really badly.

then when i got back my test...
well i got really cool marks :D
so yupp, i really believe that if you do your BEST, God will do the REST.

2007-08-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CELESTE!!!

here are the photos. sorry they're like super super belated!

behind the scenes.... starting off as chocolate....

working hard.....
eating hard....
hard work paid off :D
our chocolatetoppedmarblem&mc-lettered birthday cake (:
birthday girl's supposed to be surpised face when we sang happy b-day. hahaha (:
group photos of course, with the cake!

2007-07-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

yo cg! (=

time to liven up this blog again!!!!! yoohooo!! (:

hahaa anyways! I wanna share something with you guys!
today i was on the longlong bus ride home. and i've been thinking of our cg outing this saturday for like.. 24/7! so.. I was thinking about it again! A lot of things were going through my mind...

like... will our friends enjoy themselves? will they be open? what if they think we're WEIRD? what if they don't wanna come back again? What if we can't answer questions they have? what if...

ALL THE WHAT IF'S!!

Well, God stirred me to pray. right then. in the bus. So I did.. And.. haha i actually SPOKE them out. (but not shout duhh hehe ) and I kept praying. praying praying praying. and! as I prayed, God started revealing so many things to me! One of the key things that made an impact on me was that, it is not the EVENT that saves people. it's the GOD behind the event.

Well, i've always been worried about how our friends would respond and if we're doing enough. I keep worrying that we're not catering to their interests and all! But then, when God told me that line again, it got me back onto track! It's not about ALL the things we plan. everything we plan can just go down the drain, everything can screw, but God will still be there.

It's NOT the elaborate programmes and speeches and skits and songs ... etc that will attract people to the gospel.

It's NOT the cool venue and the food, or even the people that would attract people to christianity.

It's ALL ABOUT GOD.

No matter what- elaborate christmas outreach/ captain's ball outreach.... or even a simple cg outing, WE STILL SERVE THE SAME FAITHFUL GOD. And He can touch people through ANY event, ANY opportunity. The chances that our friends will accept is not dependent on the programme/ event. it's all about God.

God.

He is amazing. Does He need an event to touch people?

YEAH!!! SO!!! I really really believe that God can do amazing things in our cg outing!! ((= It;s not events that converts people. It's God.

And, everytime there's an outreach or cg outing, i take a LONG time to evaluate. HMMM is it better to invite friends to an outreach or would a cg outing do??? and now, looking back, THAT itself is not grasping the opportunity!!!

We don't need an outreach to evangelise. We can do it everytime, everyday. God doesn't need an outreach to touch people's lives. He can and DOES do it everytime, everyday.

((((=

our friends (the world) need God. without Him, what are they running for? they run after grades, acceptance, love, friendship, money, fame....

what lasts?
at the end of time, none of them would hold on! what are they left with? ---nothing---

THEIR LIVES ARE LIKE A DOUGHNUT!! they need Jesus to fill up THAT hole! emptiness? lost?

WE'RE FULL. they need to know God! Jesus has already died for them; do they know that God who died for ALL their sins; that God who took their punishment; that God whom we can depend on anytime anywhere; that God that loves us more than anyone/anything; that God who lasts for eternity???????

all God needs is a heart from us, to be willing to say, "use me"and He can raise us up to be women of faith and strong witnesses for Him.! (:

that's what God told me today... and I thank God for that opportunity to be with Him, connect with Him (:

GOD IS FAITHFUL YOU GUYS! WHOOO!! (:
LET'S HAVE AN EXPECTANT HEART FOR OUR CG OUTING! EXPECT AMAZING THINGS FROM GOD!! COS WE BELIEVE IN A GOD OF MIRACLES!!! ((((=

whoooooooooooooo yay!
- jo-ann!

Will you be a part of it?

2007-07-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

The world can be reached. Can you see it? Will you be a part of it?
Fear often holds us back. What people think about us often holds us back. But Jesus said,"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" What matters more? What they think or what He thinks? What matters more? What they think or where they spend eternity in?

Hi CG(: I realised that I haven't been blogging in this blog in AGES. Here's me praying that we'll all strive to achieve our vision thingy we wrote on Saturday. GO CG!
CG outreach outing on 28th! Invite your friends ok! I've already planned everything. It'll be combined with the other Sec 2 CG ok? So that the guy friends Jo-Ann's inviting will feel better. Hope you all will understand...(: I will send you all the e-mail with all the details soon.

JIA YOU CG IN YOUR STUDIES, IN EVANGELISING AND EVERYTHING ELSE(: GOD'LL BE WITH YOU NO MATTER WHAT RUBBISH YOU FACE!:D

Love,
Celeste!

2007-06-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

HEY CG (:

CHURCH CAMP ROCKED

I'm sure all of us who went agree (((= I just wanna share something with all of you guys.. maybe you guys know it already but i'll just say it here again.

God has really touched me in the church camp and He changed the focus of my life and I'm really thankful for that! Because I entered church camp, with no expectancy of anything God would do in my life. Because before that, I could only think about SLCSLCSLC. my whole life revolved around SLC. and it's not something good because it distracts me from God!!!!! And, if you read my blog post about slc, you can really tell that slc seemed to be MY LIFE before that.

and, I wasn't willing to let go of slc. I could! But I wouldn't. Because I wanted to hold on to SLC forever. I was paying lip service or however you spell it, as rev. edmund chan said, when i said "SLC's the biggest part of my life. But God's my life". Because then, I just wanted to think about only ONE thing- SLC.

And, I knew that I was neglecting God. I didn't like it. I wanted God back in my life. And yet another part of me wanted to JUST KEEP SLC IN MY HEART AND MIND FOREVER. I prayed, I did, before camp started, that God would change the way I felt about SLC. That He would make a paradigm shift in my priorities!! That God will be MY LIFE. again.

During camp, i felt God's presence again. and it was the best I ever felt. To know that my God, the creator of the universe, would still accept me despite everything I did before- neglected Him because of something like SLC. And, yeah.. He is always faithful! unlike humanity.

And even though God didn't do something physical and VISIBLE during camp, He did something even better- He touched my heart. each sermon revealed something different to me, and subtly, He changed me.

God changed my focus. Now, I can proudly say that God is more important than SLC. God is the MOST impt in my life. And I can truthfully say that! Because I really prayed during camp that the Holy Spirit would fill me up again and God will break me, break the outer shell that is blocking out everything else. And He did!

And right now, I just can't stop thinking about how faithful and loving God has been. He IS LOVE. He accepts us for who we are, even though He knows the DEPTHS OF OUR HEARTS. He is our saviour. Our Lord. Our friend!!

The most amazing thing is that God changed me in the most unexpected way. I didn't expect God to do anything, as I said, because I thought I had disappointed God too much. BUT HE DID! That's the most amazing thing!! I was unfaithful to Him. I doubted that He would (even though I knew He could) and THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKES I MADE.

But again and again, God is graceful and merciful. He forgave my sins LIKE HE DID FOR EVERYONE ELSE, and He brought me back to His side; under His wings; dwelling in Him; being a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit as well.

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. God answers prayers! God WANTS us to be by His side. He loves us more than we can ever imagine!!!! What more can we ask for?? Because we already have... the God of the HOW MUCH MORE by OUR SIDE.

I just want to encourage you guys that, yeah, we serve a God of miracles. And He CAN CHANGE YOU. even if you don't think He will. Even if you don't want to change. But it's not about YOU remember?? It's all about God!!

I was stuck in the middle- SLC and GOD. I wanted to be with GOD but i couldn't let go. But now, God has brought me to HIS SIDE. And because I KNOW THE 'YES' IN MY LIFE, I CAN SAY 'NO' TO SLC. And saying no to slc has been the best choice I have made this whole year xD

So!! LETS CONTINUE TO GROW IN THE LORD. KNOW OUR 'YES'. SO WE CAN EASILY AND FIRMLY SAY 'NO' TO ANYTHING ELSE THAT THREATENS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I have learnt that now, through this experience. And I thank God for that ((((:

Our God is an AWESOME GOD. He deserves the BEST we can give Him. It's ALLLLL about HIM.

And I also want to say that ever since I made this choice, God has changed my attitude and everything! And He makes use of this change to open up so many opportunities in my life!! Like, after I returned from church camp, ALLL of my friends started asking why I seemed so happy and high and they ask "how was camp???" and all, AND ---DRUMROLL-------------

THERE'S THE CHANCE TO SHARE!!!!!!!!

YeAH!! And this all the more confirms that THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR ME. HE WANTS ME HERE.

God had a plan for each one of us when He sent us to church camp. This was mine. For our cg, it is probably cg bonding. I don't know how God touched each of our lives, but Im sure He did. Let's always remember that God as a better and bigger plan than us and,

HIS WILL instead of OUR WILL.

PRAISING GOD AND LOVING OUR CG,
jo-ann ((:

2007-06-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

hello everyone (:

i'm back from japan! so sorry i didn't tell you all when exactly i was leaving!
[i think i told gladys though..]
so anyway, while i was there, the most amazing miracle happened.
i think its kind of unbelievable, but just so amazing.
maybe if it happened to someone else, and i was told about this, i would just go "wow" and not feel anything else.
but the fact is that the someone else was me, so it really affected me.

i went climbing this mountain a few days ago - tateyama alphine.
it was filled with snow, and the snow was really thick.
yeah there it was spring, and the snow from winter hadn't melted yet.
so the snow is really hard to walk in, and i kept slipping and falling down.
in short, it wasn't a nice walk.
what made it worse though, was that when we were leaving the mountain, i realised that my handphone was not with me.
it'd probably fallen out of my pocket when i fell or something.

i know by now, if you've read everything, you'll probably guess that somehow i found it.
yes some way or other.
to continue my story, i did find my phone.
but there are several things that make finding my phone even more amazing.

1. My phone is as white as the snow
2. It had no battery [so cannot call]
3. It was on silent mode [so even if there was battery AND reception, nobody will know]

four days after my handphone was lost, i went to make a police report.
the day after that, my handphone was found.
they told me that a tourist found it and it was passed to the police.
its already a miracle that my phone could have been spotted by someone in the snow.
also my phone was still working despite being in the snow for what must have been hours.
another thing is that the tourist was so kind that he/she even reported the phone.
he/she surely must have been God-sent!

and if i'd made the report a day later, i don't think i would have gotten my phone.
because we were travelling all over the place.
nobody would be going back just for my phone!

so i'm really amazed by God's miracles, He's just so wonderful :D

love, nichola

2007-04-30T02:06:00.000-07:00

hello my dear CG (:

ok i've been wanting to post this entry for a rather long time, but due to certain reasons the post never materialised, so i shall finally do it now (:
i think you all know i was in OM (odyssey of the mind) and through this competition i guess i learnt many things.
up until the day of competition, we were extremely unprepared.
i think we were the most unprepared group - this is not an exaggeration.
so we were rather apprehensive and everything but we really wanted to win something for all the efforts we put in.
because unprepared as we were, for the past two weeks or so we really tried our best to correct that "unpreparedness".
we cancelled all our tuitions, skipped our CCAs and all that stuff.

up until the competition day itself, we were still fixing our props and stuff.
at the competition venue, i think we were the only group there, all of us trying to fix and complete the props.
we were all nervous (except me and i don't know why)
but we prayed a lot because my group was all christians except for two so i guess God blessed me with that (:
so we all felt we didn't do too badly for the performance and we didn't (:
we actually won first runner-up despite being so unprepared.
so from this i have learnt that God can work miracles.
prayer really works because we were just constantly praying.
i'm really glad that i had the chance to enter this competition because God just really thought me something through this.

i'm really sure that if God had not been with us, we wouldn't have won second.
it's really a miracle that we won something at all, because we really were so unprepared.
God's miracles are just so awesome :D
don't you think so too?

oh yes and concerning the change of blogskin, i'm all for it ((:

LOVE, NICHOLA

2007-04-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello all!
It's been awhile since I posted anything on this blog, so I thought i should.

It's good to be back from China, never thought I would miss home that much. Haha, and its really good to be able to see all of you people again.

I felt that our Easter cg discussion went really well, although it was only 15mins or so. I'm just really proud of all of you for chipping in a few answers here and there, explaining stuff to our new friends...rather than the cg leader always answering questions...haha so that was good :D

Was really glad to see joanna there too! Kudos to the people who managed to ask her down for Easter! Hopefully, she'll be more regular in yf and in cg outings, and then our cg will officially have ZERO MIAs!

Let us continue to encourage and uphold each other in prayer, yes?

Remember to do your quiet times!!

See all of you this saturday :)
Love,
Chrystal.

2007-03-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

HEY EVERYONE :D

I know this is the first week of term 2 and everyone's dying of work. busybusybusy. yup! I'm busy too... haha.

ANYWAYS! I just thought I'd post because these few weeks, I've realised how important it is that we keep our faith strong, strong enough to withstand external factors like STRESS and COMPETITION. What's more with SYF and competitions coming up for some of us...

Yup. One thing I've learnt these few weeks (because I'm going through a kinda hard time now) is that as much as our God is MIGHTY, spiritual growth is not a ONE-TIME-OFF THING. What I mean is that we can't pray that God will give us spiritual growth, believe that He will and POOOFFF we will. I'm not saying it can never happen. Of course it can! (like paul)but instead, we should persevere in asking for spiritual growth and ACT the same way. We shouldn't expect to have spiritual growth if we are not willing to MAKE WAY for spiritual growth e.g. set aside time for God each day.

Spiritual growth is a process. One that only God can make happen. But we have to change our mindsets and attitudes as we pray for it. and God will speak to us through His word, and THAT will help us grow. Even though only God can help us grow, we must sacrifice as well, if not, do we REALLYY want it???

So...
Pray
Until
Ssomething
Happens!

We know God loves us all so much, and HE WANTS to draw us close to Him. But, are we willing to let Him come in? It's more than just accepting Jesus. It's about how we react upon receiving Jesus, whether we have to faith to hold on tight to God, sacrifice our WILL for HIS, and let the Holy SPIRIT live within us, giving us strength and courage.

So, when we're all busy and all, we must remember that OUR GOD IS MIGHTY. HE CAN SAVE US. He goes before us in all our problems, and everything is in HIS HANDS! HIS LOVING HANDS. So we must all have faith that He will carry us through everything. Even though things may not work out the same way as we want them to, it's all in God's will and we know HIS WILL IS GREATER THAN OURS.

Hmm...this is kinda what I've been thinking about during my QTs someone correct me if i'm wrong!!!! hmmmm.

So I gues we should all stop and think if we've been relying on our own strength to do things. Is that why things seem to be screwing up? Is that why we havent been happy for daaays. Is that why our spiritual lives seem so dry?

I did. When I was all caught up with work, I started to get stressed and push myself to do everything. I'll be like.. no i'll do qt after my work let me finish my work first. But after last saturday, i knew that the hole in my heart was getting bigger and bigger and bigger and only God has the power to fill it up again. So.. it feels much better when you're faced with a task. But, before you rush into doing it, pray and commit all you're doing to God. Have the faith that God gives you strength and just give your best. God isn't worried about how well we do our projects. He's concerned about how we deal with them. Are they becoming more important than God in our lives???? yup. So... I guess we're more vulnerable to falling when we're busy so WE MUST ALL CONTINUE PRAYING AND SPENDING TIME WITH GOD ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE BUSY!! and when we do that, we can actually turn the TRIAL into something positive, and grow in our faith and perseverance!

Anyways, let's all continue burning for God, spending time with Him and spreading His love to everyone!

EASTER IS IN TWO WEEKS LET'S INVITE MANYMANY FRIENDS!! invite and PRAY. xD YAY!

Loves,
jo-ann!

2007-02-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

hello!

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you guys on the details for our cg outing this week.

Meet at 11.30 at Serangoon MRT station.
We can bake some brownies and have some ice cream to go with it after we're done. :D
Lunch at my place, maybe we'll call in pizza or something.
My house has tons of VCDs so you guys can just pick a few and we can watch, eat and bake. HAHA.

Please bring your EZ link card because we will be going to Marina Bay around 4 plus for the dinner. The dinner is 12 dollars so REMEMBER to bring your money okay?

If you'd like to drag your friends to my house, by all means I welcome them :D Just tell me a few days in advance...

See you people then!

Much love,
Chrystal

P.S: If you have anymore questions just message me :)

2007-02-04T23:47:00.000-08:00

HELLO MY DEAREST CG (:

Okay it's no longer the FIRST week of the year. haha! not even the first month already!!!! ANYWAYS. THIS BLOG IS BECOMING DEADER BY THE DAY. SO I SHALL BRING SOME LIFE TO IT :D

One month into 2007.

Haha for me, this year has been really really great! Even though i have much more commitments in school, the workload is much heavier, responsibilities are greater, none of that really matters. This year i can really sense a big change in my spiritual life! Like, in 2005, tm camp was the pivotal point. It really.. exposed me to what a CHRISTIAN life is about. And it was from tm camp 05 i started feeling a little passionate for God. 2006 passed. I REALLY GREW A LOT SINCE I JOINED TM. THANKS TO THIS CG!! :D:D haha and many other things as well.

And then, 2006 tm camp. another pivotal point. I don't know like amytan said, every tm camp seemed to reveal another part of this relationship with God. AND THEN!!!! (haha i'm getting CLOSE to my MAIN POINT) 2007 came!!!!!!! and manymanymany great things happened!!!! God's presence became so real in my life!!!!!!

And then. A dear friend of mine passed away on 27 jan.

It was a saturday. I was on my way to church for tm. I don't know... for a while it was really numb. I didnt know what to feel............youknow. but it was when I talked about it, it became really sore.

yeaaaa.

So that saturday wasn't very good for me.

WAHAHA THAT WAS WHAT I THOUGHT BEEEFOORREEE.

umm.. you see I had this feeling that my friend going for op that week was gonna be used as an incident to reach out to others about the faith. And.. I JUST FELT IT THE WHOLE WEEEk. but I never expected for her to.... yeah.

AND THEN! That night. after tm, I spent veryvery long praying HARD. Like, I then understood that my friend was in heaven (she was a christian YAY (:) and enjoying herself with GOD! She couldn't be happier. And I should be happy that she's gone home to rest. Yeah.

AND THEN! i was talking to my non-christian friend about this. I kinda told her that my friend was in heaven and if we accept christ as our saviour, we can go to heaven. and we can see her again! stuff like that.

I just thought of it as a kind of encouragement. AND I never expected this! BUT THEN. Somehow, after that I asked her if she wanted to accept christ. I never did this before when evangelising because I always thought it was too abrupt. But, I DID! And I would never regret it in my life! BECAUSE!!!!! she agreed! :D

I called. And over the phone, I said the sinner prayer along with her.

THAT WAS BY FAR THE HAPPIEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was super excited man!!!!! haha!!!

YEAH!!!! THAT WAS GREAT!!!

And it really made me realise that GOD DID HAVE A MUCH BIGGER PLAN TO ALL THESE. And He used my friend to impact so many people, even people who never knew her. And HE IS GOING TO BRING PEOPLE TO HEAVEN THROUGH THIS. I PRAYED FOR SALVATIONS THAT NIGHT. AND GUESS WHAT. WE SAW A SALVATION!!!!!!!!!!!! and the whole of heaven rejoices together withme!!!! :DDDDDDDD

Yeah! That incident really encouraged me to CONTINUE evangelising to others. AND TO TELL OTHERS OF THIS GOOD NEWS. YES!!!!! :D

And I feel that that incident was really part of GOD'S BIG PLAN. It was such a pivotal point to a lot of people's lives. The christians I know, the NON-christians, the 'luke-warm' christians... EVERYONE.

Personally, that incident was a pivotal point in my life in terms of changing my lifestyle to become a TRUE living testimony for GOD (: I feel that NOW my priorities have really changed and i've become more passionate for the lost. and thats GREAT!

wow. thinking back about it. God's really so amazing. He used this incident to change lives. not a life. but LIVES.

yeah! I hope this experience of mine can really encourage you guys too (: to continue evangelising!!!!!! Because God knows what we try to do. And everything we try to do for Him matters to Him. We might not see the results yet, but we know God's working and moving :D

yeah and just encourage you guys to continue praying too!!! haha this incident also made me experience the importance of prayer. the greatest thing is that my friend converted AFTER I prayed real hard. And God really answers prayers! (:

haha yay! and i wanna thank this whole cg AND OUR CGL- CHRYSTAL for being really... encouraging for me. yup and im glad God planned for EVERYONE OF US to be in this cg. YAY SO WE CAN ALL GROW TOGETHER! :D

haha IM DONE WITH MY LONG-WINDED POST!

countdown to tm: 4 more days!!! (:

<3 jo-ann!

2007-01-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

HELLOO my dearest cg! ahahaha...

It's the FIRST FIRST FIRST saturday of 2007!! hahaha make some noise man. becauusee it's also the FIRSTFIRSTFIRST tm of the YEAR!!! YAY (:

Anyway, all of us just had the FIRST week of school! How was it people? Hope you guys had fun during your first week! X)

But, the MAINMAINMAIN reason why I'm blogging here is because I just wanted to share something that happened..that past week!

Well, before school started, I was reading everyone's blogs and everyone was talking about school starting and the homework and the what not's in rgs. And the more I read the more I started getting worried.

I wasn't worried about the homework. I wasn't worried about the stress. Because, well, tm and cg and the BIBLE has really taught me A LOT about how God is always there for us and how grades are not the most important thing at all...

I was worried about my faith.

I was really worried that my faith wasn't strong enough. I was worried that.. well somehow the stress would GET to me and I would drift away from God.

Last year was a really pivotal point in my spiritual life because that was when God changed my life so MUCH that my priorities were all changed. And... well I was worried that I would CHANGE BACK into what I was BEFORE.

and this REALLY REALLY affected me the few days before school started..

So, the more I thought about it the more I knew that nothing could help me overcome this fear, except God! So I just wanted to keep reading the bible, keep doing qt, keep praying so that God may speak to me or stengthen my faith.. or well.. something.

Well, the more I did qt, everytime it would tell me something different. Well, here's a part from my journal.

I realised that by worrying over such things, I'm doubting my faith in God and God's might to change me (FOREVER) and God's love that He wants to draw us close to Him.

How could I ever doubt God's LOVE???

If there's anything greater than EVERYTHING, it's God's LOVE!

God's love never changes.
Only people change.
But God has the power to change people.
into who He wants them to be.

If there's anything I should fear in this world, it's God! When I fear God and accept His awesome-ness, there's nothing I need to fear!

Not even losing faith.

Because God can and WILL hold us close and change us, if we ask for it! And I'll keep praying and praying that God will draw me close, even when in times of trouble.

And here are some bible verses that really encouraged me during this time.

...I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand...
- John 10:25-30

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life... Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
- Matthew 6:25-26

And as Philippians 4:6-7 says, and as we all should know, we should not be anxious about ANYTHING. but instead ask God in prayer, and He will guard our hearts and minds.

Yep! And.. as I continued to do qt, I really felt like, well, "I know people change. But my God can change me" and I will PRAY that God will change me INSIDE out so not only my priorities change, but also my mentality, my thoughts....etc.

And, throughout my first week of school, everyday, God gave me opportunities to share the gospel! And that felt great! Because the more I shared the gospel and my testimonies, the more I felt the PASSION for the lost and the FIRE for God!!! And even though neither of the 2 I shared to accepted, I know God is working in their lives... (((:

Yep and those opportunities also kind of encouraged me that God si STILL THERE for me! :D

Well I wanted to share this with you guys because for me, I always fear losing faith and I don't know if you guys do too, but I thought if you guys feel it too, then I'd share this thing that happened to me... :D

kk bye! see you later at tm!!!

oh jo-ann here by the way (:

2006-12-31T22:44:00.000-08:00

Hello, and a very happy new year to all of you!

I'm back from my holiday, and its nice seeing you all again :) I heard about some of the new CG goals, and I must say I'm encouraged and glad that you guys are so excited about setting goals. (Haha, partly because I'm a lousy goal-setter, so that's why you guys are there to balance things out and be EXCITED about goal-setting. :D)

The goals seem fine EXCEPT the 6 cg outings per year thing. That's an average of 1 cg outing every 2 months. HAHA. You people sssuuuuuuuurrrrreeeeee have alot of time eh, don't need to study is it. What if your parents come after me with a chopper asking why their child has so many cg outings??? No more Chrystal-the-cg-leader.

So for my safety, and your well-being of being a good student and yfer, I suggest we cut down a bit on the cg outings :) Okay?

Haha, please try not to have last minute cg outings, like today when celeste called me to tell me you people want to go to east coast in the same afternoon. Sometimes I have some stuff on, so you need to give me ample time okay? Haha, and if there is no cg leader at most of your outings, Dave and shukun will come after me with a chopper. :D

PS: Remember to do your quiet times! (if not you will be chopper-rized. muahaha.)

Much love to you all,

Chrystal
(The chopper scenarios are an exaggeration, so please don't take it too seriously :))

See you on saturday!

2006-12-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

Greetings, my favorite bunch of sec ones (going on sec 2s).

Christmas! yay. I hope you all like your gifts. For some of you, your letters and gifts are still with me because i didn't get to see you on Sunday to pass it to you. Yup, so come and bug me for it okay. If not there is a 99.9% chance i might forget, and you will end up recieving your christmas gifts next christmas. :)

Really want to thank all of you for making yf more enjoyable for me each week i go down. All your giggling, funny questions, "i don't know"s etc. really made cg time fun. May God bless each and every one of you to grow up and become men and women of faith! I hope to see some of you in leadership roles somewhere in the future. So BE PREPARED. I can jolly well arrow you, and before you know it, you might be a cg leader someday, taking a new bunch of young people. :D

Continue doing your quiet times regularly okay? Tis very important (if you haven't had this point drilled into your head by now). I'm so sorry I can't go for the Christmas Cg party on the 27th. I'll be flying off to bangkok for a short holiday that morning. So you won't see me at yf this saturday. I'll be back soon! I'll try to bring back food from thailand for all of you.

Let's continue to encourage and pray for each other, as we start the second year with this cg. (: Oh by the way, please feel free to organize your own outings if you guys want one. AND REMEMBER TO ASK THE GUYS ALONG. Don't leave them out. :)

Much love,
Chrystal
(this is the first time i'm blogging on the cg blog. Isn't it amazing.)

2006-12-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

HELLO!

i see its been quite awhile since anyone updated..
so anyway i shall revive the blog(:

i guess all of you know about my paternal grandfather. yea.
well.. i was very sad at first because well you know.
then isobel shared this verse with me:
jeremiah 31:13
I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
and so well i was slightly encouraged to know that God would do that for me, even though i didnt know how.
because to me its like this is how it happened. how can it turn into gladness?!
to me its like IMPOSSIBLE.
but this week, and in camp i've been learning how nothing is impossible for God(:

so gradually through this week He started to show me little blessings.
well not exactly blessings, but good things.
first was being able to like play with my nine year old cousin because she lives in canada. and i see her like once in two/three years.
and each time she's grown alot and slightly different. so ya.
second was that my aunties and uncles finally saw how different christians are because we love.
for one of the funeral days part of the camp comm and gladys and isobel came as they will know.
my aunty was taken aback when she saw what a big group of young people came.
as you probably know.. a funeral isnt such a nice thing to go to.
and my mother told her that they were from our church.
so well those who came, thanks for coming.
and third which happened to day is that my friend, cheryl, agreed to come to the christmas outreach(:
i actually didnt think of asking her. thanks to grace la ((:
its not actually connected to my grandfather but still its good.

so thanks CG for being so supportive ((:

LOVE, NICHOLA

2006-11-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

HELLO CG!!!! (((:

To all of you who didn't come yesterday, I'm sure you guys have your reasons but it was really fun!!!!!!! And I hope all of you are having a GREAT holiday!!!!!! And for those who have many practices for cca, just try to enjoy them and know that God is there. His plan is bigger than ours (:

Anyway, I also dont know what I'm blogging about here. I just felt a sudden urge to blog at the cg blog. What I wanted to say was.... for the ONE DAY CAMP and other outreach events that tm organises, as you guys try to bring your friends down, DON'T LOSE HEART IN INVITING THEM!!!

Even if they turn you down the first time, CONTINUE asking them!!!!!! Let's say someone tries to invite you for an event, and only asks you once and you turn him/her down and he/she never tries again. Would YOU actually be the one who asks him/her if you could go for the event again? Of course not! So, we got to put ourselves in our friends' shoes and imagine how they would feel. BE PERSISTANT!

REMEMBER to keep on praying!!!!!!

You do not have, because you do not ask God
- James 4:2

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him
- John 6:44

Turn to God for the strength to ask your friends and pray that God will touch them, because they would NEVER come if God doesn't will it so. So, GOD'S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN CONVERT SOMEONE! We're instruments for Him to reach out to others, but He will touch them.

For the one day camp, I invited 3 friends but none of them could come. I was so confident that at least one would come because I prayed for them everyday!! But in the end, none of them could come. I was reaally sad :(

But then, God 'reminded' me that He didn't ever make anyone that He didn't love! And His plan is bigger than ours. And He has a MUCH GREATER plan for all of us, including our friends! Put our trust in Him, and He will carry you through. Only if you pray. Only if you have faith.

PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!!!!!

THERE ARE JUST SOOO MANY things that remind us to pray. EVEN SONGS!!!!

"What if His People Prayed" is a great song!!!!!!!!
Here is the chorus. It's really meaningful (:

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face, yeah
And turn from their old ways
He said that He would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear yeaah
If only we would pray

God loves to talk to you. God loves to listen to you too! God loves you.

With love,
<3 jo-ann

2006-11-06T01:28:00.000-08:00

HEELELLOOOO HEELLLOOOOOOOO DEAREST CG PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here I shall insert a big nice fat smiley face.

XXXXXXXXDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Okay down to business.

Celeste and Jo-Ann proudly PRESENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

drumroll....................................................

CG MOBILE!

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ("&&*"%^*!&*%
We're gonna have like, cg on the phone.
This means, we'll call each other up on phone on a specific day and we can talk and do admin stuff.

WHY????????????
Basically, we can use this time to catch up on each other's week and encourage each other in the middle of the week! This is GOOOD So that we can include everybody cause no one would put the phone on their ears and don't talk.
And we can use this time to call up our dearest MIAs!! After all, there's strength in numbers.

WHEN?????
Tentatively, we thought maybe every thursday night would be good :) Or if any of you prefer any other days we can just change it. But for now thursday night!!!!

HOW?????
Some one will start offf the conferencing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD

SO WHAT DO I DO???? other than talk on the phone.
So, be sure not to abandon your phones so that you can listen to our call. Meanwhile, pray that all these will work cause it's a rather crazy idea(:

YAY!!!!! Do your think it's a good idea? We thought it might be useful so we must pray so that God will see us through in this. ALL PART OF A PLAN TOWARDS MORE FELLOWSHIP!!!!

Ohyes by the way, this was inspired by the message on fellowship and what chrystal told us about cg-bondship :)

See you all soon. BYE!

<3 celeste & jo-ann

2006-10-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

HIHIHIHI DEAR CG =)

jo-aaaannnnnn heereee XD

Okay i just wanted to liven this blog up again after.... so long.

So I guess all of us finished our exams already, well except grace but we'll pray for you grace :)

OKay so I wanted to share something that happened at the beginning of this week. === my exam week.

On sunday night, after reading the devotionals and stuff, I was going to sleep and I was trying to tell myself to.. calm down and stuff

Then I thought of something that happened a long time ago. For my physics paper, I wanted to glorify God through my grades. But then, my grades deproved from my bio grades. And... i got REAALLYY SAD. At that time, I was not upset that I did not get reaaaly good grades. I was upset and confused that why when I wanted to get the grades for God.. my grades HAD to deprove!

But on that sunday, as i was praying, God just told me this: Grades to glorify. Not try to glorify for grades.

That was the phrase that helped me get through my exam week without worrying or whatsoever. AND this week was one of the best weeks I've reaaly had. even though it was my exam week. I studied, yeah. BUT WAS IMPORTANT IS THAT THIS WEEK GAVE ME SOO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE by being a witness for God's love. By not worrying, we actually stand out and yeah it was great =)

So throughout my exam week, it kinda whizzed past and.... my focus wasn't on the exams. But rather staying calm such that non-believers might get curious and ask. Or give me opportunities to share. Like how I could with my close friend one of the days.

I guess my point here is that: Sometimes evangelising isnt all about having to speak out to share to others. Sometimes, evangelising can be doing God's will and hence, stand out. And I realised that through my exam week so it was REAALLYY a greaat weeek for meee. XD

I also wanted to encourage you guys to be calm during exams, knowing that God will pull you through, no matter the result. What's important is not the result, but how you react to that result. God doesnt need high grades. He wants your heart. And by trying your best, He can be satisfied. XDDD

Yep okay I gues this doesnt reaaly help you guys now... since your exams are over. ahahaha but it's a thought :)

Okay then BYEEEE!!!!!! Have fuuuun but remember not to go overboard. ahah. and graaceee. study hardd!!! and we'll pray for youu.

with love, <3 Jo-Ann

HELLOOOOOOOO MY DEAR CG!

2006-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hello CG! MY EXAMS ARE OVER!! Okay, anyway, to those whose exams are still on, or coming, I want to wish you all ALL THE BEST & GOD BLESS! Thanks to those who have been keeping me in prayer throughout the exams:) I have been praying for you guys so I hope that God answered... Those of you who are still having your exams, here are a few verses for you to remember so that you'll be motivated and stay happy.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
God is by our side wherever we go & whatever we do. He told you NOT TO BE TERRIFIED so don't freak out during your exams. God will be there even though you may not feel it:)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer or by petition,with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ" Philippians 4:6-7 Again, don't be ANXIOUS. Tell God about your worries and he'll calm you down. Cause your problems are soo small like a microorganism compared to BIG DADDY GOD!:)

That's all i have to say! Do your best for your exams for God's glory:) BYEBYE!

LOVE, CELESTE:)

2006-09-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

HEYY PEOPLE!!!

Jo-ANN here!!!!!!!!! XDDDDDDDD

YEP I TOTALLY AGREE GREAT WORK CELESTE!!!!! WWOOHOOOO i cant wait for shu xian to come down!!!!!!!! X))))

Okay I wanted to blog because something totally great happened yesterday!!! AND GUESS WHAT. it was september 11, so I guess this can totally change your mindset of sep 11!!!!!!!!!!

Okay maybe it may not seem like a great miracle but I think it was THE GREAT PIVOTAL point of my spiritual life. for ssssssooooooooo long I havent done my qt because of school and stuff but yesterday I just felt an urge to do so I just put down my chinese work and did my qt for ONE HOUR!!!!!

I'm REALLY glad!!!!! and I think God spoke to me yesterday and my journally experience was good too!! And what's more, my mum said somethings to me yesterday that really encouraged me this time even though I heard them so smany times before. So, yesterday's qt was SO GREAT!!! And I just wanted to urge you guys to do qt too coz I finally realised how great and touching they can be!

Sometimes we may say ''QT isn't fun and God doesnt tell me anything''

But actually, the quality of your quiet times is not all dependent on God. Whether or not they are interesting depends on whther YOU make them interesting. If you do your qt with an open mind and an expentant heart with faith that God will speak to you, EVERY qt session would be filled with FUN!!!! God is always there, it's just a matter of whether you let Him reach out to you. X)

So, be encourage my friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOO!!~~

Praise the Lord in all you do!!! In all that happens...........

I love this song's chorus!

And i surrender to you,
I will give to you everything
Show me what to do
And I will give to you all that I am
PLacing my soul in your hands

AND YES! I CANT WAIT for the day that we are allowed to help lead worship upstairs for primary school kids and THE DAY WE ACTUALLY DO IT!!! WWHOOO!!!!!!!!

With love, <3 jo-Ann

2006-09-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

HELLO CG PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jo-ann here. X) IM BLOGGING!!!!!! WWOOOHOOOOOO

Anyway celeste that's really cool!! OH MY GOSH YOU SHOULD REALLY INVITE HER DOWN TO CHURCH!!! IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEP PRAYER WORKS!!!!! It really works, no matter if it's in small or big ways, we can see that God is there for us all the time and it really encourages all of us X)

CELESTE IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! aaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!! HAHAHAH.

OKAY PEOPLE I'VE GOT GOOD GOOD GOOD NEWS TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOPPEEEEE X) my cousin has decided to join our church !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESYESYESYESYESYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS she thinks our worship rocks and the people are really friendly. GOOD WORK PEOPLE!!!!!! XD I'm really glad that she decided to come to our church after all, fellowship is as important as personal growth too and church helps us in all aspects of this life. Anyway!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

One outreach has already done so much for all of us, and I hope that through this, we can also know how important and effective prayer can be! We may not be able to invite friends down for outreaches all the time BUT if that's the case, then we should actually tell our friends the gospel! Prayer REALLY works and if we just pray hard enough and keep the faith that GOD will help us through, then our friends may also receive CHRIST through these conversations about CHRIST. Sometimes we might fear rejection or being laughed at by friends, but we dont have to fear these. I used to be afraid of these too, but then we just have to know that God is there for us all the time and He is our friend, our Saviour, our Father, our Lord.

''I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength''Philippians 4.13

Most of us should know this verse from the bible and maybe, we know it so well that we start to be TOO familiar with it and no longer see the truth behind it. Now I understand what Dave said before about how familiarity comes into picture when it comes to keeping the faith. We have seen this verse so many times, we can memorise it backwards! But, we dont see the deeper meaning it has.

Only recently I started to look at this verse from another perspective after a terrible incident that happened. Someone's relative died and I know that I can never relate to her and emphathise with her fully. But when searching for verses to encourage her, I came across this verse and an evil though just went through my mind. This verse is too simple.

But, in the end, I just though that it was the most appropriate verse. strength. what is strength really? Strength is what we all need, strength is so broad an issue that it can be related to almost everything we do. strength to face up to peer pressure, strength to do what's right, strength to go through obstacles, strength to have the faith. God can give us everything, God allows us to do everything through the strength He provides us with! And so, everything is possible because of this strength, it only depends on whether we WANT to use it and whether itis the BEST way for us, depending on God's will, which is for all our best interests. X)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, This verse can be seen from so many perspectives and simple as it seems to be, it carries a much deeper meaning that God can use to speak to us.

If God can use a verse as short as this to speak to us, He can speak to us through EVERYTHING. and what's important is that we allow Him to. X)

HAHA I kind of squeezed a lot of what I wanted to say in this post and I think it must be very confusing but... God's love is SO BROAD YOU CAN NEVER STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!!! HAHAHA YEAH!!!!!!!

WITH LOVE, <3 jo-Ann

HELLO CG

2006-09-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hey my fellow CG friends. I have come to BLOG! Cause I loved today's outreach:) I hope you all enjoyed the outreach today! The music workshop and the Captain's ball. I have been praying really hard for it and I'm glad everything worked out FINE! At least, I think so... Anyway, I had 2 friends who came for the Music Worshop today and it was great. We were learning guitar, for those who don't know. And, one of my friends was super open and accepted Christ!!!:D:D:D:D

I think it's like really great cause I have been praying really hard for another friend to come and she wasn't allowed to come. Then when I asked this friend, she said she could come. And i prayed really hard that she'll be open. So it's like very very encouraging to see this cause I was rather upset that my other friend couldn't come. Being able to see my friend saved is better than her coming for this outreach!

I don't think you can understand this whole chunk of words cause the language i'm using is rather weird. So, to sum up the whole entire thing, is that prayer changes and you should continue praying and praying even though something you want does not happen. Something GREATER may happen. Pray Until Something Happens!!!!!

LOTS OF LOVE, CELESTE:)

P.S: PRAY FOR JOANNA!:D

2006-07-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

hello people(:

firstly i want to thank jo-ann for posting her THAT post.
because it kind of helped me get the right mindset.
and i'm also posting this to REVIVE our blog.
so its yi ju liang de (:
but anyway.
THANK YOU JO-ANN!
because some people have been like saying some (not so nice) stuff about me.
i did something which technically wasnt exactly wrongwrong.
but still not something people would normally do.
and so some people told me some stuff that others said about me.
it kind of really AFFECTED me.
and some people just STARE at me sometimes.
i hate being stared at and the look isnt nice.
so i was kind of depressed like what jo-ann said.
until...well until i read her post.
so THANK YOU JO-ANN again(:
and i shouldnt care how others judge me because they judge me for something i cant exactly help with.
as long as i havent done anything against my conscience its okay.
thankyou jo-ann(:
oh and this is nichola

2006-07-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

HEY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! This is jo-ann blogging at the weirdest time ever. xDDDD

Now, the funny thing is:
1. I am blogging.
2. I have an exam tomorrow
3. I havent started studying

HAHAHAHAHA. okay.... but actually it's quite easy. history just write about the road and the wells and the blahblahblah.....

anyway, my point im trying to make here is....

well, you see. i feel different. somehow. Now, unlike last time if you did know me last time, i get totally stressed when it comes to exams... like my hair starts dropping and i wake up in the middle of the night with migraine and such. BUT now, last last week's sermon kinda spoke to me especially the part about SUCCESS. well, ive always been kind of like a materialistic person about exams and results but... ive now come to know that that's not what life is about... ESPECIALLY ONE OF A CHRISTIAN. success is actually knowing, accepting and obeying God's laws if im not wrong.... and that really made a big difference for me. God isn't going to look at how many certificate you have, God isn't going to look at how much you got for A levels or PSLE. God isn't going to look at your school. He is going to look at your HEART and faith. and that is what's important.

so i guess what i'm trying to say is that exams are important yes. BUt, we shouldnt put too much priority in it.

Also... i feel like sharing something really important that happened to me this week, or last week. it might seem a little bland but it really affected me.

I just had this feeling that someone in class didnt like me la.... i dont know why that should be normal coz you cant possibly have everyone like you. but... im really affected by what others think of me :( so I was kinda down for a couple of days.... BUT THEN! yayy i talked to chrystal a little about it and even though it was a pretty short conv, i thought it was really meaningful.

she told me that what others think about us was not what was important. what's important is what GOD thinks of us.

YES!!! and that's what I have been telling myself every time i feel im being looked down on by others and it really comforts me that there is someone out (or up) there who really cares and will never forsake you. Someone who will always be there for you no matter what.

THIS IS LIKE MY FAVOURITE PART IN PSALMS, i think all of you know it.

Psalm 27:1-3

The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attaxk me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war will break out against me,
even then will i be confident.

Thanks a lot Chrystal and everyone in this cg xD

REVIVE THE BLOG!

2006-07-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

HELLO PEOPLE! THIS IS CELESTE. Yeah, I posted the previous post. And I'm here again! The blog was dead for ages. So I came to post cause I didn't want to see the blog die. See how nice I am. HAHA. Okay, anyway, hope you all are enjoying school. Yeah, it's kind of horrible seeing piles of homework stacked infront of you and nagging teachers just nagging all day long. DO seek God cause He'll bring you through(=. We can do all things in God who gives us strength:). YAY. So don't stress yourself up like me during the end of the holidays. I SUPPORT YOU ALL! I LOVE THIS CG! YAY! (haha this post is 100% lame). BYE!(=

Your CG member,
Celeste!

hey.

2006-05-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

hey people. since i haven't been visiting this blog and keeping it alive, i will POST! yay, grace's post is so right. i got so upset with my exam results the other time. then my friend sort of like "comforted" me. she said that even if we get very very high marks now, we can't bring them up to heaven. God won't judge you according to how much you get for your exams. yeah, but it's easy for her to say cause she got the highest in class... XP

we should EVANGELISE! somehow, i find it pretty hard to talk to my friends about God. cause they are like play play laugh laugh then what do i do? suddenly say STOP! I SHALL TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT GOD! that'll be really odd and they will probably avoid me for the next ten years... model answer: PRAY!

okay, that's all for today. BYE AND ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS!!(:

2006-05-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

XD. i just prayed and read the bible. i just read one passage and...somehow i ..... something just came to me. I dont know if itz like over interpreting...but it just came to me and i thought I'd share it with u guyz.

i was reading exodus 36 to 38. it was one of the chapters i refused to read before coz i thought i wouldnt understand all the things about making the tabernacle and i thought it wasnt necessary for me to read it other than to know that it was complicated.

so... it said..

'' He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers- all of them master craftsmen and designers. So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given the skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded. ''

okay.. it seems very normal. but then, somehow i realised that, even if these people were brilliant, smart, blessed with the skills and abilities from the Lord, which I may add is the most valuable gift ever, they still carried out the work as the Lord told them to.

In other words, they were smart. They could have easily did it their own way! But, they chose to listen to God so closely that every cm was right.

Think about it this way. Many of us now are smart in our own ways. in fact, all of us. In the area in which we're better than others, we often become overly confident and take matters in our own hands, thinking we know best. How many will actually still take orders from someone else? the defiance is just...overwhelming.

And something else I thought when I read this verse is that, even though these craftsmen and designers were skilled, they are to do the work.... well, this isnt exactly from the verse but then, i thought that when we are skilled with an ability, we should always use it to glorify God. and only that will be recognised in judgement. not how you used your brains, for example, to help your friends win money or something. but really, how you used them to honour God.

Well, that kinda spoke to me coz I thought to myself. How am I using my gifts? How am I using my abilities that God blessed me with?

Firstly, I think all of should also think about, what did God bless me with. when we know what we're good at, only then can we use it advantagously to glorify God's name. So, i figured it was brains although Im not exactly one of the smartest in class. Getting into RGS itself was.... one of the greatest gifts my academic life could possibly receive. So, how was I using my intellect?

This was when I felt most down about myself. Because, other than to score best in class and to reach a GPA of 4.0, what else was I using it for? Nothing.

So now I'm trying to think of ways to glorify God's name through my talents and I thought yall should give it a thought too. XD.

HAHAH. It's really great when you finally have a verse speak out to you after so long. PRAYERS WORK. trust me!!!!! hahaha...

jo~~

2006-05-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

HEY PEOPLE!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. cheer with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahahaha 27th may!!!!!!!!!! okay. this blog has been veryvery dead. itz so funny. like this blog is resurrected every...2 weeks? okayy... you know what, i've been trying to get inspiration from this blog for my com studs. and i JUST dont understand the html stuff. ugh. nevermind. HOLS ARE HEREEE(:

guess what. i got...4 projects to do during the hols. isnt that GREAT. yeah i think my teachers are like the best people on earth la.

itz SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yayyyyyyyy. yfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyf!!!!!!!!!!! i didnt go last week. oh forgive me coz i was veryvery sick. did nich or celeste or isobel tell you??? nevermind i shall say again.

i was very sick. sick. sick. as in...physically.
1. I had two infections!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! aahahaha. throat viral infection when my thornsals turn white which is kinda scary. and skin infection coz i fell in school and there's a GARGANTUAN wound. and my dad says itz the shape of Africa. HAHA.
2. flu
3. cough
4. phlegm

lalala. i feel like...so vulnerable to illnesses. among my family im always the one to get sick first. whywhywhy???? im like...so healthy!!!!!!!!! right..............ermerm..

oh!!!!!!! this is such a great time to say all my illnesses. heehee(:
1. gout. in case you people dont know what it is...actually i didnt know what it was last time either so i dont blame you. haha. okay itz kinda like crystals forming in your joints when there's too much uric acid in your body. it comes from peanuts and tomato and strawberry and anchovies and stuff BUT MOST OF ALL IT COMES FROM DRINKING. so thats the weird part. and itz for old people. weirder part.
2. weak heart.
3. migraine
4. locked jaw. HEY ITZ NOT FUNNY OKAY ITZ PAINFUL!!!!!!!!! itz like..you jaws get pulled open further and your muscles arent strong enough to pull them back into place. and itz PAINFUL!!!!!!!! :'( so you have to push the lower jaw in and back. ow

that should be about it. but then, i dont feel upset about it. you know why? coz ... i dont know why. but my friend said i need not feel so upse about these coz ive been blessed with brains. haha. RIGHT.

someone help me. my spiritual life is getting kinda dry. i read the bible. but nothing seems to GO IN. aaaaaaah. i must keep praying (:

jo~~

2006-05-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

THIS IS NICHOLA(:
hello people

okay there is so like something wrong with my computer and i dont know WHY.
but nevermind.
okay yup so.
the person who blogged before is GRACE.
and grace you should write your name there along with whtever you are saying.
and very funny. grace its RUDE to laugh at other people!
haha.
just something on wht grace said.
i kind of just realised wht she said is really relevant to wht i am facing now.
and it was rather timely. thank you grace.
and also lately even though GOD did many things for me-as minscule as they may be-but very often i forget to thank HIM.
however today HE did me a miracle and i am very thankful for that.yupp.
just wanted to say that.
and a question :how many people are going for church camp?

Grace blogs.(:

2006-05-21T04:14:00.000-07:00

i thought i'd blog since my exams are over. yeh.(:

just a reminder: davinci cod ething and sports extreme and parents night are coming. haha do attempt to invite the respective people.(:

before i start, i want to laugh at nichola. haha. i thought it was rather amusing when she kindly told us that we have to highlight her post to read it. haha. ;)

today i had a thought during sermon. i thought i'll share it with you, maybe it'll just make you go: "O YAR!" maybe it'll encourage you. haha. whatever it is, take a read.(:

Psalm 127

Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves.

you know this part of the bible really spoke to me, cos ive realised that although we may be given the talent to do great things, and we may slog really hard to acheive big things. you see it's not wrong, but without God in the picture, everything will be in vain. i'm sure we all say amen to that. and like what dave said before, the things we work for in this life will give us a good job for the next fifty years, but seeing our friends saved gives us an eternity of joy to see them in heaven with us. so always open your eyes to look out for opportunities the Lord places in your life for you to reach out to your friends, or just to be a living testimony. yeh. a light on a hill cannot be hidden, let your light so shine before men!

jiayou!

by the way i like the blog song. haha.(:

cherriOs~

HELLO!!!!

2006-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

hi cgers. this is CELESTE posting. er... i think i like tm. UHH... i don't know what to blog. so i'm typing rubbish. because nicocacola requested me to blog so being a nice person, i came to blog. say yay. hmm... i'm making this blog sound unwanted. ~~i'm so going to get F9 F9 F9 F9 F9 F9 for everything. RARR... i studied quite~~i will NOT fail. (: HAHA. this is encouraging myself. i think this post is kind of crappy. i loved today's worship! you know what i realised? it's usually either nichola, jo-ann or i who are posting. and it's weird. cause we're NOT the only ones in the CG. YAY. okay, i sound... rude and sacarstic. I THINK I'M CRAZY! HAHA. okay. exams are OVER!(: and june holidays are like... 14 days more(:. so skip around and rejoice!

2006-05-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

hello again(:

hope you people are doing okay/fantastic:D with your exams, tests etc.
because unfortunately for me i am not doing so okay.
but nevermind.
hope you are still doing your qt and praying daily or more.
i think prayer is the most fantastic thing right?:)
because you dont have to do anything or be at any specific place to pray.
you can just pray whilst doing your exams or walking or whatever.
and the great thing is that it will alwaysalwaysalways be heard no matter what.
doesnt matter if you dont get the answer immediately.
and for me i think its okay to wait-i dont really mind, at least i try not to.
but Jesus is like the friend who will always be there for you come wht may.
He wont ever betray you or ignore you or do whtever things we humans are prone to do.
no He will always be with us because He told us that He would never leave us nor forsake us.
cant remember which part in the Bible says so though:P
so everybody continue working and studying hard to honour our Lord!

your fellow cg-er(:
nichola

2006-05-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

hellohellohello(:

since i am the only one without without exams and knows about the blog and actually blogs i guess i dont exactly need to study so i shall keep the blog alive(:
how are you people doing with your exams?
when does it end anyway.
and when it does please blog(((:
i want to ask one question too.
sometimes both sean and samuel dont come, then right..how are we supposed to know why?

GOD BLESS EVERYBODY AND GOOD LUCK TO YOUR EXAMS OR TESTS((:
nichola

2006-04-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

hello everybody(((:

its so sad that joanne left tm. even tho i dont really knw her well. in fact i hardly even talk to her.
but anyway. it is sad. i think we should pray for her ya.

anyway just to tell everybody who didnt know: i changed the url of my blog and i think grace is quite happy right???
yes i know she is.
anyway i re-linked myself already.
dont know why im telling everybody this la(:

actually i wanted to blog here a longlonglong time ago liao.
but either forgot or my comp got problem.
so anyway.
i shall just type my favourite verse here (and by the way i still have no idea why i like it so much despite efforts from some ppl yesterday)
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary.
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31
just some extra info tho you all dont need to know.
i found this verse thanks to my school.
it is printed on my school wall on the sec one level.
and one day i just saw it and felt that it was a very nice verse(:

your fellow cg-er
nicholakoh(:

2006-04-28T02:29:00.000-07:00

oh my shit. okay. oh no. this blog is DEADDDDDDDDDDDDDD. and its ROTTINGGGGGGGGG away. why?!why?!WHY?! I cant believe i'm actually ACTUALLY asking that question. especially when i'm one of the major accomplices of the murder of www.cgontherun.blogspot.com. yes. i know!!!!!!!!!! but it's soooo not my problem that the damn school makes me bald!!!!!!!!!! and now...im stressed. BUT. GUESS WHAT?!
....................
...........................
....................................
...........................................
.......................................
..........................
.......................
HAHA! THERE'S TM TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!! AND................
BEST OF ALL..............
.........................
I SHANT BE LATE TMR!!!!!!! COZ THERE'S NO RINGER PRAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EVERYONE SAY YAYYYYYYYYYYYY.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY :):):):):)

okay, i shall quit caps locking. i would like to make an annoucement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YES. AN ANNOUCEMENT. SO ALL YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE LISTEN UP.

joanne..our dear dear joanne lim.......... well..being her beloved buddy....i smsed her that day.....for specifics please consult me...(HAHA). O0. okay. back to the point. i asked her WHETHER SHE WAS WAS COMING FOR TM AND WHY SHE HASNT BEEN COMING.
and guess what she said.

she said..............
''i'm not attending bartley church anymore. sorry!''

in case you people are still sitting on your chairs being so free you can blog at such a time (well..actually i'm also very free...actually no..but that's not the point), in case your mouth is still intact. LET ME REPEAT MYSELF LOUD AND CLEAR THAT YOU..WHEREVER YOU STAY SERANGOON OR JURONG OR CLEMENTI OR YISHUN OR TOWN OR EAST COAST OR WHEREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN HEAR ME.

SHE SAID!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT......... SHE WAS NO LONGER ATTENDING BARTLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

okay. let's all start crying....wahhhwahhhwahhhh. haha...but...dont worry....she shall stay in our hearts forever, despite the distance...WHATEVER.

HAHA. okayy..i feel lame today.

soooooooooooooooooooooooo...CYA PEOPLE TMR!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOOO

jo~~

hi cg!

2006-04-26T03:01:00.000-07:00

hey people!! :) i hope you all are having a GOOD WEEK. exams are here so study hard to... HONOUR GOD THROUGH YOUR STUDIES! (what chrystal likes to say.(:) haha. err... yeah, but DO remember to go for YF and do your quiet time! also remember to call your buddies.(although i haven't called mine) YEAH. okay, also, keep this blog alive. it's semi dead now. CG leaders (chrystal, grace and esmond) i think you all should post some like "announcements" inside here. so you can also keep the blog alive. kill two birds with one stone. HAHA. i don't see any floating Vs. eii, and i don't hear any songs when i visit the blog. haha. SEE YOU ~~GUYS~~ PEOPLE ON SATURDAY! (: bye!!

Your CG member,
CELESTE!

2006-04-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

ahhhhhhhhh. since nobody has posted for quite some time and i havent either i have decided to post something.
let's see...church camp is coming up!!!!!!!!
whose going for church camp?
so far only two that i know of.
as for myself i am not sure. i think most likely am able to go:))
iwanttogo!!!!!!!!!!
people, even if there arent outreaches coming up YET we must still continue burning for God and spread His Word at every chance we get and those who have the password and user for this blog PLEASE POST!!!!!!!!!!!!

see you all next saturday! :D

hellooooo!

2006-04-12T02:42:00.000-07:00

hi people. since this blog is so miserable, i decided to take the initiative to post! haha. say: thanks celeste. HAHA. anyway, chrystal's birthday is coming. 17 april right? see, i can remember people's birthdays. laaa. easter on air is this saturday people. remember to invite your friends ( i don't know if mine are coming). GOODIE. street e on sunday! haha. there is nothing much to post. so BYE!

2006-03-31T04:39:00.000-08:00

lalalala...wassup people. im not doing my hwk now.....weird..i feel like buying something now..haha! weird..i know. okayz..so IM BLOGGING. i feel soooo excited for easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!! i want ALL my friends to come..alalalllalalallalalalalalal (:(:(:(:(:(: yay there's tm tomorrow. praise the lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hmmmm can i change the song btw...not that i dont like this song...just that im getting kinda bored of it. aniwaez....i got one way stuck in my head!!!!!! ahh. and the song where u sing we will worship the lamb of glory. we will worship the king of kings.....then my favourite part...and with our hands lifted high we will worship and sing. and with our hands lifted high we come before you rejoicing. and with our hands lifted high to the sky and the world wonders why we'll just tell them we're loving our king....yay wasnt that nice? im so sad i missed worship last week......

HEYYYYY!

2006-03-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

hi people! this is celeste. i think that this blog is going to die. people, please post and tag more. yay yay yay. this week isn't THAT BAD(: yay! smile more and you'll find your life more pleasant. i think i'm abit mad. yay, CRESCENT DANCE ROCKS(:!!! i'm really tired. yeahHHH!!

2006-03-22T00:55:00.000-08:00

hi ppl. nichola here. you knw, im just wondering...why nobody post one???? and in the first place, who actually knows abt the blog AND the site? anyway. very bad lah me, cos im only posting here out of boredom. haha. yay. evangelism course is so useful, and i learnt quite alot of things frm it already even tho i only had the first session. mostly sec ones only. very little ppl. i cant wait for sat. school so boring already. haha.

hi~

2006-03-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

hi cg. this is celeste. hope your week will be good. i have a feeling it's gonna be lousy. let's go get drenched in the rain again. HAHA i like ole! :) yayyy. enjoy your week and REMEMBER TO DO QT. good night people. tag on the board!

2006-03-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

you know i tried to tag alot of times! but the tagboard never fails to fail to display my tag!! )))):

it's doesnt like me.

anyway, yes it's spelt SEAN.(:

JIAYOU! :D

/ Grace((:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

-1 Corinthians 13:13

2006-03-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

u know something. i shouldnt have ever named this blog cgontherun coz now...iz like soooooooo embarrassing to actually tell others the add. ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! ok. im gonna change the add of the blog. who has ANY suggestions for the new name that we can actually refer to in PUBLIC. itz not my problem that i came up with such a crappy name!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was desperate!!!!!

jo~~

2006-03-15T05:40:00.000-08:00

this is nichola here. so jo-ann, dont complain i nvr say anyth. anyways. yes. we have to 'advertise' our blog or whatever so more ppl will noe abt it and tag more, so that it will be alive. haha. so lame. one thing, ole was so funnnnn!!!!! so those of u who were invited but didnt come, i'll tell u, u missed out on alot of fun! so nxt time ur invited by us, do come. haha. see evrybody on sat.

heyy!

2006-03-14T23:30:00.000-08:00

hey people. this is celeste. this cg blog is cool. and our cg is cool too!:) haha. see you guys on saturday! yeah!

2006-03-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

ok. i shall admit it. im like the only stupid idiot who ACTUALLY posts on this cg blog when it is a CG BLOG. ok..maybe itz because esmondchrystalisobelgladysseansamuelrachel all dont know abt it yet...BUT STILL. gracenicholaceleste!!!! u guyz better blog i tell u...if not....if im still the only one..i shall start using this blog FOR MYSELF. muahahahahaha..i like this blog okay!!!! if yall dont want it..I WANT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yayy...:)

jo~~

2006-03-14T02:37:00.000-08:00

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. i established our cg blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whoooooooooooo...yayyyyyyyyyyyy

2006-03-14T01:04:00.000-08:00

HEYYY!!! darling cg...as nichola refers to it as....yayy i made a new cg blog!!!! yayyyy..im really happy.....ahahaha..u know..ive realised that the older i get the worse my vocab becomes...opps err...random. okay. sooo..letz keep this blog alive okay?!?!?!?!?!? yayyyyyyy...