Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing ALL a Merry Christmas!

Found a nice picture of Jesus in the crib... did you know that our new priest Fr. Augustine Tay also has his own crib? Go see it at the priests' house! OLPS has a crib-making competition that is going on and the neighbourhood groups have submitted their cribs. So catch the final results and winner at church sometime soon!

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Lesson From Children!

Hello, every one!! How are you? Hope that everything is fine with you all. Would like to share soemthing with you. During this period of time, somehow, I am put among the children. Frankly speaking, I don't like children and they drive me crazy, especially when they start crying. (HELP!!) The worst matter is I have never carried any children even till now and I don't even know how to communicate with them.

Recently, it seems that I have more opportunities to work with and for them. There is something valuable I learnt from them. This is known as 'childlike quality'. Though simple on a superficial level, I realize that it is difficult to be as childlike as them. I even envy this precious quality in them. In this parish I am settling down for the time being, the children were asked to sing for the children's day mass. I can tell you something. The atmosphere created by these children was beyond description with words. They really sing from the bottom of their hearts. I tried closing my eyes listening to them. They were just like little angels singing in heaven. Absolutely no pretense nor emphasis on skills. I was very impressed by their performance for the Lord. I could see that they really put their heart and souls into it.

Then, I opened my eyes and looked at them. They were wearing white dresses or clothes with the innocent expression on their faces. That was how these children brought heaven to the earth. I learnt alot from them. When they were rehearsing for this event, I was there with them too. In fact, their angelic voices lifted me up when I was really down and lost at that time. I sat in the church hall and asked God what He wanted me to learn from these children. The word 'simplicity' came to my mind. I find it difficult to be childlike because I have difficulty to be simple. With all the dreams, values with my upbringing, desires, etc., I don't think I can ever be simple, not to mention to be childlike.

I begin to appreciate children though I still have got no idea how to communicate with them. With these children aorund, I am constantly reminded to be simple. Though difiicult, I guess this is what I have to work on. If not, no matter how much I serve or how sincere I am in serving people and God at the beginning, my focus may be off tangent along the way as I may be lost in the complexity of my desires, dreams, gratification, self esteem and ego inflation, etc. So, this simplicity is essential in order to stay singleminded on God's love in the midst of the many voices in the world.

I learn that anyone or anything that God has put in our life is never coincidental. We are never put in any situation for no reason. All we have to ask from God is to enlighten us and grant us wisdom to learn from even the simplest thing from our everyday life.

That's all for the blog. Thank you.
Cheers,
Elena

The charismatic movement

"The charismatic movement is obviously God's answer to Pope John XXIII's prayer for a new Pentecost. Popes Paul VI and John Paul II both blessed it but said that it will fulfill its purpose only when, like the early liturgical movement, it ceases to have a separate identity of its own and is absorbed into the whole Church. In other words, every Catholic should be a charismatic, baptized in the Spirit, empowered like the apostles."

-- Catholic apologist and philosopher Peter Kreeft (1988)

Do we walk by faith or by feelings?

When we walk by feelings, we are tempted to look inward and pity ourselves. We will want human affection. We will need many more things in life. We need people to boost us up, we will need to be consoled and our mood depends on what we feel for that day.

Yes, no man is an Island. We can't live without those things.

But we can also live by the Prayer of St. Francis, in a true spirit of Giving.

How? That means, rather than to seek to be loved, we will love. Rather than seeking to be encouraged, we will encourage others...

It means to stop thinking of the "lack", and stop wanting things for ourselves, or longing for the things we don't have. But to begin thinking of those less fortunate. To give to them.

It means... "Jesus is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want."

To have faith then, means to believe that for all we do, we will receive our reward finally, at the end. And not to seek it NOW. The prize. The Goal. The crown of eternal life with Jesus.

With this mindset, and through faith, we can then say, that we can live out our calling to be a true witness for Christ.

Therefore, Faith is a breastplate that helps us win our spiritual battles!

We need Faith indeed!

Thank you message from Mel!

Last Sat, Mel Liaw visited us for the first time, in ages! Thank you Mel for coming! This is her message for us! ~ Thanks Mel!

Dear all,

Thanks for tonight. If anything, I had a really enjoyable night with all of you, in the presence of our God amongst us, as we shared about our lives this week, our troubles, our joys and sorrows, and praised and worshiped HIM in song; and then later had fellowship together.

But it wasn't just anything,it was so much more! I felt so welcomed, I felt so warm inside, and I'm really grateful to all for putting up with my noises ( coughing and all). I needed somewhere to breathe, somewhere with some new perspectives, somewhere I could hear His voice... and tonight, I joined in for session, and I really felt much lighter , after. Thanks Sam, Marlene, Abi, Suri, Neil, Jacq, Gavin, Jane. It was a really good experience.

God Bless
Love, mel

Chocolate Twist

Haha! Let me tell you a story of the piece of Hershey’s chocolate.

Sometime in June, a piece of Hershey’s chocolate manufactured in USA made its way to a YISS camp in Singapore. The piece of chocolate had to be separated from his friends in the same bag and given away to group members in Timothy. Of course the chocolate was sad to leave his friends but deep inside it was happy because it could fulfill its purpose on Earth which was to be eaten and to bring happiness to the person eating it.

Anyway, this little piece of chocolate was given to a girl (ok maybe woman) named Abigail. And unfortunately for the chocolate, it was not eaten. :( Poor chocolate wanted desperately to be eaten and it cried a little. Abigail simply chucked the piece of chocolate in her green bag and forgot about it.

Months passed and poor little chocolate was still in the bag waiting to be eaten. It was months of pure agony for the chocolate and it was afraid that its expiry date would arrive soon. Then, its existence would have been wasted!

But one Saturday morning, while Abigail was still sleeping, Abigail's mummy came into her room asking Abigail if she could borrow her green bag because it matched her outfit. Abigail in her sleepiness said 'yah... it’s on my rack.' Mummy went ahead to take the bag and looking in the bag, she found.... THE CHOCOLATE!! :D and a piece of folded paper. She put it on Abigail's table and left in a hurry.

When Abigail woke up, she was delighted to see the chocolate and when she read the little note under it, a tear rolled down her cheek because she realised that her prayers had been answered by God. :)

It was then that the chocolate realised his greater purpose on Earth and Abigail ate the chocolate with a grin.

Answered Prayer

I woke up to find chocolate on my table with a note under. Of course I was happy to see chocolate but when I read the note under, I began to tear. Written in my handwriting were the words "That my brother Victor will be touched by God. Tonight. For my friends Simon, Mattias and Alex, that they will experience God in a special way."
Wah! It was the prayer petition slip I wrote on during YISS in May. I totally forgot about it!

It was then that I realised how God had answered by 'insignificant' prayer.
Praise the LORD!

* Thank you YI intercessors! Chocolate should have gone to you. :)

Some thoughts on Dry Spells…

Have you ever felt "dry" in ministry? Well, here's some of my thoughts regarding this!

• Do not be afraid of dry times when you don’t feel God or feel really zero passion for ministry.
• The time when you are emerging from a dry spell is actually the “best” time in ministry so if you haven’t gone through that, ministry life is not a complete circle yet.
• Dry spell time is – as you can see, very dry and painful. When your bones and skin is dry, you feel tired, old, and generally, lack of life.
• But this is the only time when you will be able to realize so many new things about God. You need to see God in different perspectives. So God is training you to see Him even when you are in a sad or bad patch. If you can only see God during the good/high times, then your vision of God is also, not complete yet.
• A dry spell is not something you can “will” yourself to come out of. You can’t say I wanna be up there, serving, and doing God’s work all the time. You need to seek God’s time.
• During a dry spell, it a time of dessert-temptations like what Jesus went through. So it’s not the end of your spiritual life (we tend to think that we lost that initial zeal and that’s it for us for ministry…) But, it’s actually just the beginning of the challenge of God’s mission for you. Only after Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, he then began his public ministry for 3 years. Imagine what God wants to do with you? So you need the dessert-experience first before you can launch out
• It is only during a dry spell that you can really tell yourself what you want to do – you know when you take a backseat and look at life and re-organise your priorities.
• And if you emerge from that “season” and are “still” in Ministry and haven’t given up yet, you will realize you have even greater passion and greater insight and wisdom than before.

So.. Dry Spell = Storms = Dessert = Trials & Persecutions = Time of rest & preparation…


Jesus is our Rock of Refuge!

What life is all about

Have been thinking of what life is all about. I know I am not seen as enthusiastic in serving as the others and I only appear during Youth Mass. I guess sometimes, it is just too tiring to explain. Only God knows.

Have been facing the topic of death. My neighbour jumped down from our flat three weeks ago. This incident alone has great impact on me as it triggered a series of matters. I wonder why God wanted me to see this incident and I don't believe it was coincidental. I looked down from the 6th storey and he was lying there with his face up facing me directly. It was bloody. Image of that scene still haunt me till now. As I was going for work at that time, her daughter was screaming and crying beside him on the spot.

I think God wanted me to face and deal with certain issues. It triggered my childhood nightmares. I used to see myself jumping down from the top of a Boon Lay shopping centre near my house in my childhood dreams. There was a long period of time when I was scared of walking near parapets of the buildings and bridges. My neighbour's suicide also triggered the memory of my friend who jumped down from his old flat and ended up lying near the lift, similar to the spot where my neighbour lied since he died near the lift.

Before my neighbour's suicide, I visited my family doctor. He suspected certain condition which may cost my life within hours though my symptoms were inconsistent.

Somehow, all these incidents asked me to stop rushing through life with all sorts of activities. I really take these few weeks to rest and reflect what is important. I know more clearly what I want. I ask God to give me more time. I love life.

Two weeks ago, God showed me how beautiful life is. I attended a mass at one of the parishes. The deaf and mute were invited to join the parishioners for mass. It was really awesome and beautiful to see them worshipping and praising God with sign languages. Though we use our voices while they used sign language, it was a wonderful feeling to celebrate the mass together. We are still one no matter how we communicate and worship God. I cried after that. No words can ever describe that wonderful, nice, peaceful and loving feeling. That was the best and most beautiful mass I have ever attended. I also felt sad for my deceased neighbour as he can no longer see the beauty of life.

Don't know why I tell God I want more time to get into university and complete my higher education as I love studies, get married and bring lives into this world. Even if I were to lose my life for bringing my own children into this world, I am willing to. I want to experience life. I am also curious about the experience of having a new life in the womb. I don't want to miss these wonderful experiences. I don't deny life is tough. However, these challenges help me to see and accentuate the goodness and grace from God. These challenges mold my character and I am able to share the joy and beauty with others. Without these challenges, I can never get to go through the experience of seeing the sun in the midst of dark clouds and my life will never be colorful. Imagine if I only see the sun without dark clouds, I think I will be dehydrated to death. Haha....don't know what I am babbling....

I want my children to get all blessings that I have. Each morning I wake up, I thank God for giving me another day as His grace for me. It's a free gift I don't have to earn. I know clearer what I want. I treasure even more the time I have with my friends and family. I feel happy when I see them happy. It's a joy when you see your loved ones happy though they will not be with me forever and this makes these moments with them even more precious. It is also a joy to see them happy from far.

I guess love is not about possession. It also gives me ideas about romance and marriage. If you love someone, you will see that person as part of you (just like the idea of people making up the body of Christ) and all you want is to see them happy. If he is feeling down, you will try to encourage him, make him laugh or simply be present. You will never force things to go your way. Because, this will ultimately cause him to fell pressurized and unhappy which will make you unhappy and miserable even if you possess him and manage to get your ways. So, what's the point of satisfying your own desires which may not be his, which is not even God's will? When it is God's time, He will bless us with the best right one. Till now, I still think it is a nice feeling to love. Of course, I also have to allow people to love me lah.....as God also loves me through other people.

I love God and life. No matter how tough life can be, life, itself, is beauty and grace from God. Though a lot of tears and fear during this dark period of time, I thank God for giving me a chance to look within myself deeper and see more clearly who I am and what I want out of life. I thank God for giving me each day of my life to see my loved ones and receive his blessings and grace. Haha....God is Love.

With Christ love,
Elena

Discernment

Today's talk by Phakist Kunardi, at SACCRE Youth's Leader's Seminar for Discernment was awesome.

He brought to light that Discernment is not about knowing what is the best thing to do or what is right or wrong but about God's will. It's about listening to God

He was absolutely charming. Keep a lookout for the notes and the audio recording at http://www.saccre-youth.org/!



As for me... Phakist's sharing led me to reflect on times where I was in a high, and when I was in a low. He talked about how we should not make decisions when we're too high, or change a decision when we're in the lows.

When I told God a long time ago at the YISS in 1999: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" I had made a decision there and then. And God honored it. And I'm still here serving today.... So it's so true.. it's a calling on my life. And perhaps you have a particular calling too?

Many times, I had wanted to stop everything, quit, and do something else in life - and that was when I was in the "lows". Then, the "Highs" then got me all firey but also impatient, because it seemed no one else was as passionate as me. So, I thought, then what? Why is the Christian life seemingly so difficult?

So it's true that it's only when we've calmed down and are looking at things clearly, without being too low or high or emotional, then can we discern our lives and directions carefully, through our mind, feelings, heart, community, advisors, and God's confirmation through his Spirit speaking to us, each and every minute!

So I've learnt that when I run away and try not to hear what God has to say to me, I never have peace. Only when we embrace and listen to God's call and walk in that direction, we will understand why things are the way they are, or why we have been created the way we are, that God really knows best.

Today many things unravel for me and I praise God for this wonderful opportunity to have Phakist with us all the way from Indonesia!

Everything in life...

This skit makes so much sense to me. What about you?

The start is a bit slow but keep watching. It gets better!! When I watched it I almost wanted to cry... coz God loves US so much! We are FREE in Him!

Taking A Step up the Mountain

I was reflecting on a session we had yesterday on being "mountain people" - aka... being on top of the mountain as opposed to down in the valley. I think that the most exciting time of our life in Christ is actually when we’ve taken our first step for the Lord up the mountain!

Why? Because it's precisely at this point of time, when we've mustered enough courage or are desperate enough to take that first step towards seeking God --- that we actually:
1) Would strive to conquer all our doubts and move forward in Faith.
2) Enter a “spring” season which makes us look forward in anticipation to that upward climb up the mountain to seek God’s face and hear His voice.
3) Leave our valleys – our past, our fears, our problems.. and actively look for higher ground.

When we take the proactive approach - to make something out of our dreams, our situation, our lives, we know for sure that we will be rewarded somehow - at the top of the mountain - by God's presence, and blessings of abundance.

Therefore, that FIRST step up the mountain, to me, is the most exciting moment!

Of course, reaching the top of a mountain and looking around is equally exciting... but somehow you have a little nagging feeling that you are nearing the end of the climb and you either stay, (and get stale) or go back down into valley once again!

While it doesn't mean going right back into the same past/problem again - it means we'll have to do the difficult work of change, or forgiveness, or anything that God has instructed us to do that would to solve that problem. And that is the hard part isn't it? We may be called to greater obedience, greater holiness, and a deeper christian life!

But we can't keep still on one mountain. Maybe it's only Mount Kinabalu that we've scaled. There's still Mt. Everest!!

So God invites us to scale the next.. even higher mountain.

Are we up to that challenge?

And if we are already up the mountain, perhaps we need to take one step down. Coz one day, we will still need to come down from the "peaks" of enjoying God and go through the wilderness again, aka cross another valley -- to scale the next mountain, with new knowledge and strength from having been refreshed by God, knowing that He being our provider, will sustain us through that valley till our next destination.

It’s really like scaling peak after peak! Challenging life indeed isn't it?

That’s the Christian life!

He Never Sleeps He never tires...

God is faithful. He never sleeps, he never tires of hearing our prayers. I seem to be listening to a lot of "Don Moen" lately.. hehe.. blame it on the recent Festival of Praise. Don Moen was great!

Anyway, that aside, his song, "He never sleeps" speaks about how God never tires of hearing our prayers, our needs.

“One day I realised I had prayed the same thing to God every night,” says Moen in introduction of “He Never Sleeps.” “But God is never too tired to hear our prayers, even it’s the same everyday. He is one that never sleeps.”

And so,.. God is never far, never distant, never too busy for us. HE's always there. Forgiving, loving, welcoming.

But, isn't God too good, that we take His Love forgranted? We think we have 1 day more to repen, or that we'll surely have another chance the next time. We relax. And then we slip. And before we know it, we fall.

That sounds really bad. But did you also know that God is ever patient? If we fell, he'll pick us up. He died on the cross so that we might live. HE already took the fall for us. If we felt we've fallen, we simply have to say "sorry" to Jesus.

We might end up thinking... "If Only.. if only... if only...."

But what could we have done differently? We all have our fair share of failures and successes.

So then, if we are not just complaining (or in a self-pitiful mode)... and if we really needed something, such as "if only I was well again..." .. the answer is... "WHy NOT?" SImply... ASK the Lord - who is ever ready to give. ASK the Lord to change you, to move on your behalf.

Just have faith! We need to exercise our faith every now and then!

Well.. Unless... there's some barrier. Is there any sin, barrier, disbelief, doubt,.. in the Lord?

Let us strive to trust the Lord.. for HE is on OUR side. YOUR side. HE IS FOR US! Not against us. Let us also STAND for Him!

Let us never tire of serving Him, of praising and worshipping Him!

Let us pray in the Spirit!

Let us never sleep "spiritually" - let us be alert and watchful - for the gentle voice of the Spirit speaking to us as we pray to the Father.

Let us seek the Lord!

PSALM 8:4-8
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen -- even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

Listen to Accappella version of "He Never Sleeps" by Take 6 (same lyrics but different tune)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCUEzuwhDVU

ARISE by Don Moen

Hey I didn't know Don Moen had a song called "Arise".

And i just remember one of my old dream... I once dreamt of the word "Arise"? In this dream, I was holding on to a balloon that was flying higher and higher... and I was going to be lifted off the ground and so it took a few more people to jump on to hold us down... but it was pulling us all upwards very strongly!

Now that I think of it... spiritually.. isn't it a feeling of being uplifted?

Enjoy!

Arise
by Don Moen
album:

One Thing we ask of You
One thing that we desire
That as we worship You
Lord, come and change our lives
Arise, Arise, Arise, Arise

Chorus
Arise, take Your place
Be enthroned on our praise
Arise, King of kings
Holy God, as we sing
Arise, Arise, Arise, Arise

Bridge
We lift You up
We lift You up
We lift You up on our praises

Hear it performed by a band:

Let our love shine!

Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:8-11

Read the ONLINE New American Bible at http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/

This is our love, Hearts Joined as one..

This is our love
Hearts joined as one
Desperate for all You are
Lord break down these walls
and see how we love
Desperate for all You are
We chase Your heart

We didn´t come to leave here entertained
or worship under any other name
we're crying out for You alone
You are holy Lord

Hillsongs United has a latest song... from their latest "All of the Above" album. It's called "Desperate People".

And this is what we are like in YAM. Many others in Saccre Youth and OLPS youth ministry share these sentiments. We are "desperate". We are desperate for God to be known, for the walls to be broken down.. people to see the love of God.

We're rising up in Spirit and truth... and as ONE, we will sing praises to God, worshipping the Name of Jesus.

It speaks about seeking God, hungering for Him, finding our way, finding our cause as we join our hearts to the Lord's.

And this is my cry. Ministry should be like this. We should be like this.. in our love for God and one another.. to be undivided, to sing praises, to rise up, to love, to give our hearts to one another.

We are all desperate - for God's love. And if we are to really open our hearts to Him, we will be overwhelmed. God's love is serious. It's real. It's powerful. It heals.

God... pour your love over us!

Find lyrics at the HILLSONGS BLOG >>

Hear it at: Full song at YouTube >>

Watch Joel Houston's sharing of "Desperate People" on YouTube:

Waiting upon the Lord!

Dear all, this is a reflection from Sury from yesterday's 22nd July Sunday Mass readings:

I was sitting in church today, reflecting on today's readings. was thinking what does the familiar story of Mary n Martha gotta do wif Abraham?

then i realise wat's e link.. "waiting upon the Lord."

Martha was 'waiting upon the Lord' by serving food, doing all kinds of work for Him.
Mary was 'waiting upon the Lord' by sitting quietly in His presence, listening to Him.

but Abraham did more.. he saw the Lord in the 3 strangers passing by his camp, and he acted to 'wait upon them' by meeting their physical needs of food and rest. He did not stop there, recognising it was the Lord who called Him to serve, He then 'waited upon the Lord' to hear frm Him, to be in His presence.



Jesus taught us to see Him in one another, esp those in need, physically or spiritually. we r called to serve our Lord by loving one another, by meeting one another's needs. in a way, tt's wat we hav to do for our con 3 teens.. in order to bring them to Jesus, we hav to fulfill their physical needs 1st: of welcome, of belonging, of friendship, of genuine care & attention, etc.

in order to do tt, we need to b in touch wif Jesus, to 'wait upon Him'.. onli then will we know His love, and recognise His presence within us, like St Paul says in today's 2nd reading:

"Christ in you, a hope of glory."

cos we r not called to give out of our own self. we r called to serve not under our own strength.
we are called to give out of "His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19) and to serve "not by might, nor by power but by His Spirit" (Zec 4:6)..

so it's gd to rem tt, wk in n wk out.. we need not worry abt how we can journey wif them, or how to present ourselves to them.. we juz need to b genuine, b sincere in e things we do or say.
we need to b a friend to them.

for those who r not realli involved in YAM's con 3 service attachment (or not yet involved.. hehe), i hope tis still gives u smtg to reflect on =)

hav a gd wk ahead everyone..
God bless!


Sury
"everyday..."

p.s. let us not forget to take care of one another in the nxt few weeks. we may need to focus on the con 3 teens, but let us not forget tt we too r ppl wif needs.. n we too need one another as companions on this journey wif Christ. =)

On Mass, Love & Service... Sury's Thoughts

Dear blessed ppl of God

some things i'd like to share wif all of u..

Reflection on Mass
"Take of Me"

i was at holy trin 4 mass last sunday. came in early to guarantee a seat since i've heard tt tis church can b so packed tt ppl hang frm e rafters. Was in silent thought when my eyes rested on the altar. a thought came to me tt in the Old Testament times, the altar is a place 4 ppl to lay down their sacrificial offerings as atonement for sins. suddenly i heard Jesus whisper tt during mass, He is the sacrificial offering, 4 He has given His life as atonement for our sins.

later on, when fr. johnson lifted up the host during eucharistic prayer, i saw Jesus stand above the altar.. His eyes closed, head tilted toward the heavens, arms open wide, and He said "I have given Myself for you. Come, take of me... Come and take of me."

it was a veri powerful moment, where i was reminded in a real way of the love of Jesus, tt He loved us so much tt He died for us, and He continues to give Himself to us every time we celebrate the eucharist. truly it is the highest form of worship...

after i received communion and returned to the pew, i heard God say smtg i've never heard Him say to me before. He said simply "My son..."

in awe, i can only respond "Yes Dad, i am here..."

truly wat a treasure it is to have the sacraments in our Church.

it is truly a grace of God, a priceless gift to all of us.

so the nxt time we go for mass, let us truly seek God and listen to wat He has to say.


Reflection on Love
"How much is forgiven us..."

u know, i hav ever asked myself how come im so crazy for God, tt i wld run for Him no matter how tired i am, no matter how much time i hav to give for ministry. The answer came to me during a Gospel reading some time back, a passage frm Luke 7

36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Tell me, teacher," he said.

41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[ d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

then it struck me... the reason i love Jesus so much is because i realise how much is forgiven me. i look in the mirror and i see this sinful person, yet the Lord still calls me to serve Him. poured out His anointing oil upon me and raised me to leadership.. . why? why wld you bother wif me, Lord?

i dont deserve such a God.. i cld never deserve such a God. yet the fact remains, He has called me by name. I did not choose Him, He chose me... therefore i love Him much, for i know tt much have been forgiven me.

brothers & sisters, how much is forgiven you?

do we ever pause & reflect on our journey wif the Lord, and ponder juz how much He has forgiven us, tt He has taken us out of darkness and into His marvelous light?
how much are we then willing to love Him and run for HIm in the face of such overwhelming love?


Refection on Service
"The girl 'least likely to succeed' "

Below is a testimony by Darlene Zschech, frm her book "Extravagant Worship".. a woman madly in love with Jesus, and one of the greatest worshipers of our time.

From 1 Corinthians

26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."[ d]

That's my testimony; i was the girl "least likely to succeed". The first ministry trip my husband and i went on with our senior pastor, Brian Houston, was to England. I sang a song with a backup soundtrack before Pastor Brian preached. I found tt one of the pastors in he church we ministered to said to Brian, "You were fantastic. But she doesn't have what it takes."
But God has given me opportunities beyond my hopes or imaginations.

My future has never relied on anyone else's opinion of my ability. I'm a testimony of God's grace. God uses people who say, "Well Lord, this is all I have to offer You; so if I'm going to be used in the Kingdom, You will have to work through me."

The very least we can do is give God our lives and let Him show us the great things He can do through our yielded hearts and hands.

May we continue to give of ourselves, esp in the coming 10 wks as we welcome our Con 3 students. Let's surrender ourselves to the will of the Spirit and move with expectant faith as our journey unfolds before us.



Sury
"my God, i'll only ever give my all..."

Elena's Birthday Thoughts.. I LOVE You, Daddy!!!

I was very happy last week. It was my birthday!! Yippee!! Before that, I was going through tough times at work and my morale has been really low. Everyone got his bonus and I was the only person at admin level who didn't get a single cent. It was an insult to me as only staff who literally slept in the office would flunk their appraisal. Well, I work and am put down by my supervisor like a dog but they think I am lazing like a pig from the way she appraised me. I guess I was having identity crisis: pig or dog?? Haha.....

However, God still never fails. I gain friendship out of the trials. Some of my colleagues touched me with their words and action. They understood that it was tough for me to swallow such injustice. They even went to the extent of throwing birthday surprises by giving me treats suddenly. One of my colleagues suddenly opened the fridge in my office and showed me a slice of cake meant for me before I went on leave. I was very touched and couldn't say anything to express my gratitude towards them They even offered me listening ears. I am also very blessed to have my best friend who never fails to spend time with me on my birthday yearly. It is not how expensive the meals or presents are but the thoughts. They are God's blessings to me. I feel that I am never alone. No words could ever express the immense love that God has for me. This love of His has been manifested through these people around me.

In fact, I am still feeling very happy til now. Hurray!! God even granted me one of my birthday wishes the day after my birthday. I LOVE You, Daddy!!! As to what this wish was, it's a secret between Daddy and me.....No matter what, God never fails to love. Everything and everyone around us are treasures from God. Challenges and failures and people we may dislike help us to look deeper into ourselves and push us out of our comfort zones to grow and expand our horizon while all other goodness and people are God's blessings and gifts to us. So, all things and people do not come into our lives coincidentally. They are blessings to us in one way or another. One thing we may remind ourselves is whether we choose to look at the dark clouds or the sun behind the dark clouds. Though the sun may be blocked by the dark clouds, it is up to us to seek the light and we can never deny that the existence of the sun is ALWAYS there. We must always carry this glimmer of hope within us which is enough for us to overcome all challenges with God's omnipotent LOVE and GRACE! Amen! :)

With Christ Love,
Elena

Some Exciting Events!

13th Tonight: Prayer for Vocations Night - Sam & Abi will be playing with the OLPS Ensemble to prayers and good ole church hymns like 'Yahweh I know you are near'. It'll be a wonderful time. 8:00 - 9:30pm at OLPS Main church.


Wow, this is a playwright by our late Pope John Paul II! Definitely a must-watch!
September 4 - 6 at The Jubille Hall, Raffles Hotel
http://www.calmtheseas.com/whatson.htm

YAM Painting @ Holy Trinity on 15th July this Sun
Painting a room in Holy Trinity with our bro, Russell. A time for bonding and fun.

Blood Donation Drive on 22th July
YAMers, we spoke about doing volunteer work and going for blood donation as a ministry. Coincidentally, OLPS is organising a Blood Donation at St Stephen's School Hall on Sunday, 22 July from 9am - 2pm. Pre-registration will be held this weekend in OLPS so do sign up to help save lives!!

Conference on YOUTH LISS August 4 - 5
"As by a new Pentecost"
Find out more --- http://www.saccre-youth.org

The Truth about Christian Brokenness

http://www.tgm.org/Brokenness.htm

Love You So Much Jesus?

Loving the Lord is a wonderful journey which will bring you into a few stages over time. It's an interesting progression, yet daunting one at times, when many who aren't fully in love with the Lord tend to stumble in the 'refining fire' where God tests our faith and love for Him.

Like any relationship, we enter with a blazing love and zeal for the Lord, as we are simply elated to know that the Lord is REAL! That HE loves us! and that we are chosen by Him to be children of God and so on. We, our hearts in all simplicity, and like children, just fall in love with the Saviour of our lives, and we are unfazed in our pursuit of Him. We press on with all our might, our total being is turned towards HIM and HE becomes the only source of life for us. Our everything.

Then slowly, the relationship cools, or begins facing a few hiccups. We start realising how much change this has brought into our lives - our past is gone and we are made new. While we are absolutely happy for this new life, we are apprehensive of what's to come. What's next Lord? Is there going to be a downhill spiral from here? Is there going to be more trials that test my Love for You? We sometimes ponder.

At this point - we are beginning to be tested for our faith. God says, if you love me, feed my sheep.. if you love me, obey my commandments. When our relationship with God becomes deeper, ironically, our sinfulness and old ways are suddenly uncovered by the light of God shining into all the dark areas of our lives. We are faced with the need for change, tranformation, conversion. This is where the struggle begins. Because change and conversion is not easy.

When faced with conversion issues, we have to do many things. We have to be humble, and accept that God is right. We have to yield to the Holy Spirit, including Surrender, Trust, Depending on Him alone, have Faith, and Obey God's will.... why? because, we know that is the path towards freedom & salvation. We know it but the hard part is doing it.

So then, we'll realise that perhaps, our love for the Lord isn't as deep as we thought it was. And we are faced with some sort of guilt and uncertainty about our spirituality. We feel cold. We wonder how we even got here in the first place. We might get a bit lost... or we might even feel disappointed with ourselves for not being as Holy as we ought to be. We struggle between right and wrong - because the difference now seems so clear to us (when before we never realised even that wrong was actually wrong).

And then in our deepest pits, God calls out to us again and assures us with his everlasting and unconditional love.

HE tells us to leave all our anxieties because He cares for us. He tells us that even though we've been unfaithful (not being able to obey, trust him, depend on him, worship him alone), HE still loves us.

So what kind of God and lover is Jesus? A mighty God. A fearsome lover. He is our God and king and also our best friend and our most trusted brother. But then... the challenge is to LOVE HIM BACK - with all our heart, soul, mind and body.

Till we can do that, we won't experience the liberating freedom that our hearts so desire.

So when, will we all begin loving Jesus like never before?

I pose this question to myself. In my reflection, I have found, that my love for the Lord has been far from deep, far from perfect. Perhaps, even shallow, lip-service, selfish.

What can we do to Love the Lord with our total lives and beings? What do we need to lay down before the Cross? our sinfulness, tiredness, and perhaps, even all our good deeds that we did, for ourselves instead of Him.

Let's just be present, worshipping the Lord daily.. to love Him for Him. And He'll give us strength to change, to be obedient, to follow the Lord and do God's will in our lives!

Destination & Purpose

The Man who walks with God always gets to his destination.

If you have a pulse you have a purpose.

The next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.

Marlene's Sharing! Seattle & our 30th June Gathering

It’s good to be back in Singapore after 2.5 weeks in Washington & Montana, marveling at the picturesque glaciers, snow-capped mountains, soaking in the breathtaking views and getting in touch with nature that our great Lord has created! :)

Although I didn’t get to hear the YISS testimonies in the wee hours of this morning at Sam’s place, it was heartwarming just to see you all and a few new faces! The Holy Spirit’s presence was so strong last night during intercessory that I felt my heart beating so fast and loud that I just had to speak out and lift up my prayers in boldness and in faith!

Was doing some housekeeping just now and went though some of my old email. I came across the following that I’ve shared with Krish in Sept 2003, which I felt was really apt to share with all of you as YAM moves forward to be involved with many important upcoming events like 777 Youth Rally, 10-weeks service attachment with 12 confirmation 3 teens, brainstorming for a programme to outreach to non-active youths, etc…

The following is taken from William A. Barry’s “Paying Attention to God - Discernment in Prayer”. It talks about Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who regained his sight. I really like what Barry wrote about forgiving and accepting the past, surrendering to life and to the future. Read on and be inspired!!

Bartimaeus (the blind beggar who receives his sight) is who he is because he was a blind beggar. (Mark 10:46-51) Did it ever occur to you that people like him may not want to be healed?

Jesus put to Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?" If he allows himself to want his sight, 2 possibilities open up. His hopes could be dashed, as it proves impossible for Jesus to fulfill his desires. On the other hand, he could actually receive his sight. But what then? After all, he now has an identity that revolves around being a blind beggar. Who will he be if he is no longer blind? He makes a living and gets attention and even pity from others. How will he live as a sighted person?

To want to be healed, to be changed, to become more whole means to surrender to life and to the future. On the one hand, it means accepting my past as precisely what it is, my past. On the other hand, it means surrendering myself to the mystery of the future, ultimately to the Mystery we call God.

Bartimaeus must have accepted his past. He is a blind beggar. He does not seem to wallow in resentment at what life has done for him; if he did, he would not have been able to ask so forcibly for his sight. To come to this point of acceptance, he may have had to go through all the stages of grief. He may have denied his blindness, raged at it, at life and at God, bargained with God, and become depressed. but now he has accepted that he is blind. And yet it is accepted as somehow past, as not controlling his freedom now, his freedom to desire a change, "Rabbi, I want to see."

To accept the past does not mean to condone everyone and everything. But it does mean to forgive in some deep way. To accept the past as my past brings freedom from it. But the freedom does not mean that I am no longer the person that past has made me.

The next step is the surrender to the mystery of the future. When Bartimaeus opens his heart to desire sight, he opens himself to the unknown. He hands himself over in faith and hope to the Lord of the future.

Like the Israelites in the desert, we can hanker for the leeks and onions of Egypt. Like Peter on the water, we can become afraid of the mysterious world we have entered. But we too, can hear the Lord calling us to trust him, to keep on surrendering to his mysterious future until the final surrender of death itself.

We can take courage from the fact that each time we have accepted our past as past and surrendered to the future, we have met a God who could be relied on, who for all his seeming inability to protect us from the cruelties of life still was with us, still kept asking us,

"What do you want me to do for you?"

God Chose Us

Isaiah 49:1-6
Islands, listen to me,
pay attention, remotest peoples.
Yahweh called me before I was born,
from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.

He made my mouth a sharp sword,
and hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me into a sharpened arrow,
and concealed me in his quiver.

He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)
in whom I shall be glorified’;
While I was thinking, 'I have toiled in vain,
I have exhausted myself for nothing’:

And all the while my cause was with Yahweh,
my reward with my God.
I was honoured in the eyes of Yahweh,
my God my strength.

And now Yahweh has spoken,
He who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
to gather Israel to him:

'It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations
so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth'

---------
Wow!

Isn't it nice to know that God chose us even before we were born? :)

Unlike Sam who was born 2 months premature, I was 1 month overdue!

According to my mummy, it was a cold stormy Halloween evening, with a lady screaming her lungs out next door. Ha ha! sounds so drama.


"It was you who created my inmost self,
and put together in my mother’s womb;
For all these mysteries I thank you:
for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works.

You know me through and through,
from having watched my bones take shape
When I was being formed in secret
knitted together in the limbo of the womb"

~Psalms 139:13-15

Song by Natalie Grant "HELD"

Song by Natalie Grant "HELD" lyrics

This is sooo touching. I think back to our mothers -- my mother, who prayed for me when I was born. Think of how much our mothers (and fathers) cared for us.. how much they loved us and took joy at our birth...

Hearing this song (I can share the mp3 if anyone wants..or listen here) I thought back of my mother... and I must say, I NEVER Thought about this before. When I was born I was premature 2 months. So I was a 7-month old baby.. no bigger than your forearm!! So from what I heard and saw in the photographs of myself,.. I had to be fed through a tube through my nose instead of mouth... and my mum stayed in the hospital for most of that month after... instead of going thru the typical chinese post-pregnancy care regime. So... I never reflected much on this before.. my mother's love ever since I was born. And that my life is a miracle. I survived!

---------------------------------------------------------

As for the song.. it makes me think what does it feel like to be held? What is it to be loved? That people are so much in need of that. Everyone needs some loving sometimes, and it's always nice to give and also be on the receiving end of something as simple as... a hug!

Read Foxnews article: A hug a day could save your life
View the original Free Hugs Campaign by Juan Mann
View The Gao Brothers' World Hug Day



In the forum above, it says, 777 is a Hug the World day. Well, 7.7.7. here in Singapore is also the Archdiocese Youth Day for all catholics in Singapore, organised by CAYC (Catholic Archdiocesan Youth Centre) at the EXPO.

So it's gonna be one big HUG for us with God.. at the Expo!!!

Who is the Holy Spirit to you?

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:26

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would remind us of the things He desires us to know. There are times in our lives when the Holy Spirit speaks into our spirit words designed to encourage us or give us what we need at the moment. That is just one of the roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. The more you know God's Word, the more often you'll recall verses the Holy Spirit will bring to mind for a given situation. Study God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of the things He desires you to know. Os Hillman -

Elena's Sharing

I attended the Novena at OLPS last evening (25 June 2007). There was this priest who was supposed to be our new youth priest but somehow God sent him somewhere to serve. He just came back from his studies from Rome. Somehow, his homily touched me. He mentioned about how we often and tend to judge people. He asked us to tell ourselves that before we ask God not to judge us, we should not judge others.

He also reminded us about the cross. The vertical bar is about the relationship between God and us. We must never forget about the horizontal bar which is our relationship with others. To me, I realize that the intersection which the bars meet is basically love. The cross will never be complete if we lose either of the bars as there won't be any meeting point. The opposite of meeting is separating. That explains why the cross is so significant. To me, it is not just about Jesus dying for us on the cross. It is also a reminder to me that we do not only meet God, we meet God together with our brothers and sisters. That explains why the two bars meet.

This also reminds me of our relationship with our loved ones. Often, we find it easier to reach out to others or do ministry work. Sometimes, we may be too task oriented that what we do is no longer from our heart. We tend to neglect those who are closer to us and even take it for granted that they are always there. However, one should remind himself that nothing is eternal in the world and life is fragile and unpredictable, including our lives. So, we have to take every opportunity to express our love to our loved ones instead of getting wound up in our mission.

Everyday is a gift from God. It is beautiful to wake up each morning to receive this gift of life as we have not done anything to deserve such gift. Each day of our life is God's gift for us to grab the opportunity to get closer to Him. Moreover, God pours his grace into us through the sacraments, His Word, people, etc....In Singapore, we are indeed blessed that the parishes are accessible. There are even morning and evening masses everyday, indicating God's grace and love for us through the Eucharistic celebrations which some countries are deprived of.

No matter how hard life may seem, never ever give up hope. Life , itself, is a gift from God. Moreover, we are chosen to be His children. We had come into this world naked without anything with us. However, it is up to us what kind of memories and feelings we want to bring with us when we leave. Hatred or love? How about legacy?? Do we keep the love of God to ourselves or to express God's love from our hearts through our words, actions, gifts, talents, etc. to others, leaving legacies behind for others?


Cheers,
Elena

About Ministry and Serving God

These thoughts got me thinking tonight:

Fellowship VS Reaching out (Hospitality, Evangelism)
Personal growth VS Others-focused (Love for self, others)
To receive (aka, to be renewed, refreshed) VS To Give/Serve (Impart, Help..)

And it's not that one of the other is not good. The thing is both are of equal importance and we need to keep that balance in our lives or ministry.

There's so many things that form the foundation of a ministry that we are all constantly needing to work on. It's like a table with 4 legs.. not just one. Things like: Prayer... Mission/Goals... Fellowship... Unity in Vision & Service (all members contributing equally)... It's like the Apostles in Acts.. when they ate and drank together, and shared everything they had. Note "everything".

All these years, ministry has been a tough question. Why do we serve? Is it because we are called? Feel accepted? Feel belonged here? Feel that this is what we want to do for God?

People may not understand, our family & friends may wonder why we spend so much time in church. But that's precisely why - the only sustaining thing that keeps us Going is JESUS. JESUS Called, and we answered. No other reason...

Of course, initially, we may be thinking this is a good place for "ME" to grow and develop friendships.. learn about God.. etc. etc... but it is always great if we grow beyond the ME stage and realise that we come to ministry for HIM... to PRAISE HIM, LOVE HIM, Glorify HIM, and also RECEIVE RENEWAL and empowering from HIM.. WHY? SO that we can go OUT and serve OTHERS.

And so ministry needs to be a place where people can find God... most importantly... Amidst a culture of Joy, Forgiveness, Acceptance, Love, Desire for Growth, Transformation, Seeking God, New life, Changes...

Ministry is always active, alive, growing, needing everyone's support, participation, ownership, belonging... it is never stagnant... and the HOLY SPIRIT which is like a breath of wind.. (never static) is the guiding force in ministry. Not our brains!!!

And for each of us personally to grow in ministry, we need to accept that Change is necessary: New priorities, Dropping of old life (including old patterns, mindset, habits... thoughts..). If you've come to this stage of realisation, i'll give you a big pat on your back.. .because the real journey begins from here!

The real deepening journey (refining by fire) with God begins when we realise our need for God, how sinful we really are, understand the depth of God's love for us personally, and realise His awesome grace and what it really means.

Sometimes, we want to change but we get into a tug-of-war with God - our Godly instincts tells us to give up EVERYTHING for the LORD. And when the Lord calls, we then tell him, wait Lord.. i still need to bury my dead father... It's like this.. when God calls, he promises us NEW LIFE... so our past lives are like our dead... let the dead be the dead.. why try to go back into it? Why daren't we walk 100% with the Lord? And if we already think we are walking 100% with the Lord.. are we really sure of that? How long have we been serving the Lord? less than 10 years. Definitely not 100% yet. I myself am only beginning to discover that I have so many areas of my life that are still not 100% committed to God.

OF course, if you say that 100% commitment means a religious vocation? NO... it really means.. 100% of yielding to the life of the spirit - wherever we are. And this is a call for ALL christians - to be obedient to the Will of the Father, and to be an active and vibrant christian to do His works that has been laid out for us to do. What about the Great commission?

Saddens my heart to think that sometimes people think that total commitment to the LOrd means something NOT for an average catholic but something for religious life,.. or the few holy pious catholic devouts. So with this thinking, if they are not up for religious life, they can just lead life and be 'not so holy'.... but God being a perfect God has created us in HIS Image of perfection. That's why the call for Holiness is so great.

So there is much to do for us.. in ministry.. a constant conversion.. a constant review of our priorities... a constant dedication of our love to the Lord (each week during mass, and our meetings!) and constant communication with our Father each day and every minute of our lives!

If you get what i"m talking about .. it's good.. If not it's alright too.


And Lastly... What IS Love?

Love in ministry is simply loving each other. But just like how we are called not just to love those who love us, we need to think about those who 'do not' love us... WHO are these people? People who do not love ministry-work. Perhaps,.. your sister/brother... your parents.. your friends.. they do not 'love' you like each of us love each other in ministry - because they find your work in church unnecessary - or they don't participate together, not involved.

Therefore, there is a gap there. I find that no matter how much I try to go deep with my friends, those who are not in ministry or in the same faith.. it's so difficult. Yet.. I must still try to love them - and love them more! That means a whole lot of different things. My attitude towards them must change. My words to them must change. I must change in order to Love them truly as God Loved me.

If I did not change my attitude towards them... How can they witness God's love through me?

So to end this post.. I encourage you to continue to seek God. Give Him your Total Trust. Total revolution of negative self thoughts. That's not easy> That's why conversion is lifelong.

So Press on!

Let us run towards the finishing line - for the crown of eternal life that is awaiting all of those who believe in Jesus!

What is your Treasure?

Today, this message just speaks to me 2 times in just this day. First I heard a song by Steven Curtis Chapman, singing “What Now” that we’ve found God… what’s next? Then Jasmine sends this Good News reflection (below) about “Identifying your real treasure”. I mean how cool is that.. it just warms my heart to know that God is telling me to ‘treasure’ him even more.. and that HE is my treasure.. even when I’m feeling like I lack something, that I should realize that Jesus is everything.

This brings us to the reflection verse from 2 Corinthians, that if I must boast, I will boast of things that show my weakness. If not, I would never need God. And if that’s so, I would have missed the greatest treasure on earth. I would have been blind.

Steven Curtis Chapman (All things new album)
"What Now"

I saw the face of Jesus
In a little orphan girl
She was standing in the corner
On the other side of the world
And I heard the voice of Jesus
Gently whisper to my heart
Didn't you say you wanted to find Me
well, here I am, here you are

So what now
what will you do now that you've found me
What now
What will you do with this treasure you've found
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you'll remember
This is right where I said I would be
You found Me, what now

And I saw the face of Jesus
Down on Sixteeth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car
While his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus
Gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me
Well' here I am and its' getting cold

So come and know, come and know
Know me now
Come, come and know, know me now
Oh, come and know
Come, come and know, know me now
Come, come and know, know me now

http://www.allthelyrics.com/song/219904/


After hearing this song, I remembered one of our sessions with Krish last year I think. We talked about the kingdom of God and the parables Jesus told. And one was about the treasure in the field,... whereby a man finds it and buys the whole field.

Do we dare to commit our whole life to God like this? Sell off our old possessions (our old life) and embrace the new (buy the whole field) with JESUS inside it? It takes a lot certainly and is definitely a recommended journey to make! I guarantee!

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field.” - Matthew 13:44


And we cry together, Holy Holy,
For there is no other like you Lord
We declare together, You are awesome
And you are to be feared, honored and revered,
You are the Lord

Good News Reflection
Friday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time

June 22, 2007

Today's Readings:
2 Cor 11:18, 21-30
Ps 34:2-7 (with 18b)
Matt 6:19-23
http://www.usccb.org/nab/062207.shtml

Identifying your real treasures

If we cannot see or envision what our real treasures are, then we're blind, says Jesus in today's Gospel passage. If we consider as valuable anything that can decay or could be stolen from us, we're living in the darkness of a world-view that cannot give us lasting joy.

Look at today's first reading to see how much St. Paul suffered in his passion for serving the kingdom of God. And yet, he wasn't complaining. He knew that his work was extremely valuable. He knew that eternal treasures come from pressing on through hardships and sacrifices and boldly facing danger for the sake of the salvation of others.

Take a close look -- in the Light of Christ -- at your treasures, your real treasures. What talents do you have? They are gifts from God. What pearls of wisdom or gems of unconditional love or diamonds of trust have you gained from hardship? They will last forever and eternally benefit others if you use them well. How do your weaknesses become treasures that glorify God? If you learn from mistakes, or if you overcome a sinful tendency, or if you crumble in trials but return to your daily pressures with strength from the Holy Spirit, you're collecting treasures beyond measure. The value of these treasures is in the good that they do for others.

God doesn't withhold anything good from us. We, however, walk around rotting and empty, unless we open ourselves to receive the treasures of heaven. This requires recognizing their true value in regards to other people. If we value earthly treasures, toiling to collect them only for our own sake, we will have nothing to take with us to heaven, nor do we have anything now that will give us long-lasting joy on earth.

Earthly goods are to be used for the kingdom of God. If we're willing to share them with others, it's not a sin to have them. God wants to be generous with us so that we become distributors of his goodness. Affluence is not bad, but it's also not the real treasure. What we do with affluence produces the true treasures -- or else it decays our souls.

Our souls are enlivened and enriched when our motive for having what we have and for getting what we dream of getting is to help that which is eternal in others. Do we want to use our possessions in the service of God's kingdom? Or are they serving only earthly, temporary, selfish purposes?

Only by spreading the love of God do we accumulate treasures that we'll be able to enjoy for all of eternity. And if we have to endure hardships and make sacrifices to get it done, foregoing our selfish desires for an easy, comfortable life, then the treasures are precious indeed!

Come alive!

There is one thing to be alive for...
And it's to take up my cross and follow you Lord!

Devotion
Hillsong United

Verse 1
I've been running, trying to be one who sees
I've been working, salvation out on my knees
There is nothing better than knowing
That we are redeemed
Unbelieving trusting in creative hands,
I am praying for our world to bow to your plan
And this one thought is unmistakable
I take up my cross and follow you Lord

Chorus
When you stand the tall trees and mountains bow
When you speak the fiercest of oceans is still
And I see the sinner seek devotion
The lost become chosen, and I fall to my knees

Verse 2
Unforgiven, my savior who did not deserve death
He was blameless and I was lost in shamefulness
Undelivered, but it doesn't seem right
Unless I keep my eyes focused on the savior who gave his live
In the middle of a world that denies it believes
It is breaking apart at the very seams
There is one thing to be alive for
And it's to take up my cross and follow you Lord

Bridge
I will take up my cross and follow Lord where you lead me
And I will take up my cross and follow wherever you go

My brother, Victor is going to SFX tomorrow!

Abigail's sharing: It’s a gathering for non-Catholics! He’s moving even without me asking him to…Wow, I’m just so amazed at how God works.

My little bro is a non-Catholic so confession on the 2nd day of YISS was his 1st. It was fr. Gerard from SFX who heard his confession and knowing that my Victor was not a Catholic, he encouraged him to go for this meeting. He gave Victor his mobile number but my bro didn’t take it down. =S typical brother!

Anyway! Something amazing happened after YISS. Victor recalled a number and tried his ‘luck’ since he wasn’t sure…and guess what! Fr replied! :)

So I’m so super duper happy and so excited for him! He told me he's going to Holy Trinity for P&W tonight with his friends… I’m so happy!

I just want to ask that you all keep him in your prayers, that God will continue to draw Victor closer to Him.

Thank you all in advance for your prayers and also a special thank you to Rebecca, Victor’s fabulous facil! He told me you’re so cheerful all the time and it really makes people want to share! So thank God for your cheerfulness! :)

Abigail

P&W, AUDIO & ARTICLES store!

Just chatted with Marlene on MSN today - Singapore to Seattle. We're so excited to hear from all of you who went to YISS... can't wait to hear your testimonies and sharings!

Meanwhile... did you all know that I have a server and can store alot of songs and stuff? (although it's almost maxed out now.. if i add a song i have to delete another song).

Here's our audio files and P&W archive links:

http://www.youthariseministry.com/audio/

http://pnw.youthariseministry.com/

http://www.youthariseministry.com/resources/articlesarchive/


God Bless!

When Planting Yields No Fruit

TGIF Today God Is First, by Os Hillman

You have planted much, but have harvested little.... - Haggai 1:6

Have you ever worked and worked only to yield very little from your efforts? Such was the case for the workplace believers during the time of the prophet Haggai. Finally, God spoke through the prophet Haggai to inform the people why their efforts were not yielding any fruit. There was a specific reason this was happening."

You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of My house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands" (Haggai 1:9-11).

God had finally had enough. His priorities were not His people's priorities. So, He withheld in order to get their attention. Zerubbabel was governor of Judah at the time. He was a godly man who sought to do God's will. He listened as the prophet gave these words; then he responded.

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord (Haggai 1:12).

Sometimes God has to stir up the spirit of one man to initiate needed change. Zerubbabel was that man. Scriptures say, "The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel" (Hag. 1:14). God is stirring up the spirit of a remnant of workplace believers throughout the world today. They are seeing what breaks God's heart, and they're responding. Has God placed the spirit of Zerubbabel in you? Are you one who will make a difference for the Kingdom, or are you concerned about building bigger and better barns? The Lord is calling forth His people in these last days to make a difference. Ask Him what He wants to do through you.

Welcome to YAM's new blog!

Welcome! This blog will be a place for us to post our reflections and insights over time... Our online diary of events, testimonials, and reflections!

What will we do with the blog? Share our insights, and have it stored here in an easy reading place for us to go back and read again once in a while. As you know, emails get lost over time.. and website articles are hard to read and update. A blog's most effective.

We can also use it to connect with our overseas friends like Paul in Australia, and over in Philippines, Estie & Patricia!

And so, since i love blogging, i'll post here at no one's mercy! Hahaha... but i invite you to come and read every now and then, and contribute too!

Tis will be our ministry blog so everyone is invited to contribute. If you blog frequently, you can become a co-blogger with me.. if not,... just email me your reflections when you have them, and i'll put it up here..! If you have personal blogs u can link it here too.

So bookmark this page! Add this to your own blog too.

A Cloud of Love for you!

Taken from my office window view!

God Bless!