A wonderful YAM core team mtg!

Yesterday finally after a long time of serving and doings in church, week in and week out, our youth core team at YAM got together to have dinner at botak jones, then we proceeded to visit Sury's new house, where we shared and catched up with each other and prayed for each other as well as our members. This really got me settled, despite so much work to be done for all the things i've committed to, i know that I don't have to be stressed, and can trust in God.

Just over the last week, I finally did the long awaited major spring (or rather, summer) cleaning of all YAM's files from 2001 to today... (can't believe i'm such a karang-guni). I had kept all the minutes, articles that i've printed and read from the internet, and all those camps programme plans, leaflets, and even brochures of other church's events etc. YES >> KARANG GUNI! And so I threw away half of them, and successfully implanted the other half at SURY's house... there are 2 large bags of them (worth about 6-8 files i think!)

It feels kinda like a lightening of my load, but unfortunately, our dear bro Sury has the task now of going through all of those notes, our YAM history, to see what he wanna absorb and retain... if not, the rest are just paper anyway.. Well, i think it's now time for us to move on and craft a new future ahead!

And so, in the spring cleaning process, it was a major journey for me down memory lane, as I remembered all the planning we did for our camps in 2001, 2002, 2003, etc... I wonder, i was in Uni year 1 then, all the way till now, how did I manage to stick on man! And while some people lament that at 19 years old, they are still "to young" to take on leadership, I just cackle at the thought,... since I joined and started already in that place. It was tough, and I had to learn through being in it right from the start. So... I just wonder, why complain? If you serve, serve God with all your heart... be radical, be bold... you are an instrument of God... (and I recall former years, my prayer to God was simply, make me more confident, coz i was not!)

Through reflecting on my journey "through the years", I can also see, on hindsight, how much growth I've been through. God really brings us through our ups and downs, and in a community, in YAM, there are friends to share the journey. When I am up, I am able to comfort someone who is down, and when I feel down, there is someone to push me on... That is really comforting, no one has to seek God alone. Our journey is made in a community!

Yesterday as we prayed, we had many words/messages for each other. I still feel the 'high' of it today. And i believe it is the same for everyone there as well. Krish, Gav, Jane, Mar, Jac, Sury and me.

The word for me was that if I would lift up my prayers to God with a pure heart and intention, God will see it through. It will be done. Just like Solomon. Read "The Prayer of Solomon" Interestingly, did you know my parents had wanted to name me "solomon" if i came out a boy? lucky i got Samantha though.. whahaahah! And so, I will hold fast to this message, and wait and see. I will seriously wait and see and pray hard upon this...

So the overall message for this post is -- God has great things in store for us! Let us pray, abide in Him, trust in Him, and walk in His ways and He will see us through and lift us up and walk before us each step of the way!

God bless YOU! Jesus is risen!

Pray for Exams

This post is for all our students who are having their exams now.

We pray for you to be strengthened, motivated, and to strive with the best of your abilities, for your exams. We pray God will guide you and keep you safe and in good health!

Gambatte all of you!

Cheers,
Sam

2009 International ICCRS Conference

Watch the video:
http://www.loveinaction.co.kr/

Con 4 Day of Recollection

Today some of us helped out at the OLPS con 4 day of Recollection. Audrey gave her testimony, and Sury gave a talk on the Holy Spirit and his confirmation journey.

As for me, besides playing guitar, I was snoozing half the time. It's time we got some amps! haha.
Enjoy the pics!

Seven Deadly SINS of men & women.

Copied from "BREAKING NEWS" of the Straits Times for your easy perusal.
Feb 20, 2009
Lustful men, proud women.....

VATICAN CITY: Lust leads men to sin. For women, pride is their biggest downfall. This, according to a new Vatican report, is how the sexes struggle differently with the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth.

The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by a 96-year-old Jesuit scholar, British media reported.

Pope Benedict XVI's personal theologian has backed the report. Monsignor Wojciech Giertych said there was 'no sexual equality' when it came to sin.

'Men and women sin in different ways,' he wrote in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

Pride ranks only at No. 5 for men, who are likely to have indulged in so much lust and gluttony that they are too slothful to feel angry, proud, envious or avaricious, the Times of London said.
Women are not averse to lust, but are primarily occupied with pride, envy and anger. Sloth does not set in until after gluttony and avarice, the British newspaper added.

'When you look at vices from the point of view of the difficulties they create, you find that men experiment in a different way from women,' Monsignor Giertych said.

His own observations had confirmed the survey, an analysis of confessional data carried out by Father Roberto Busa, 96, a Jesuit priest celebrated for his computerised study of the works of St Thomas Aquinas.

He said: 'Diverse cultural contexts generate diverse habits - but human nature remains the same.'

Monsignor Giertych said that human weaknesses could 'purify faith' provided that they were 'admitted and offered up to God'.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the seven deadly sins, which carry the threat of eternal damnation, can only be forgiven by confession and penance, the Daily Mail said.

However, 30 per cent of Catholics no longer considered confession to a priest necessary, and 10 per cent even said that it 'impeded their personal dialogue with God', the Times report said.
Many believers accept the broad seven deadly sins or 'capital vices' laid down in the 6th century by Pope Gregory the Great and popularised in the Middle Ages by Aquinas, and by Dante in The Inferno. These are:

Lust: Excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature.
Gluttony: Over-consumption of or overly indulging in anything to the point of waste.
Sloth: The failure to utilise one's talents and gifts.
Anger: Inordinate and uncontrolled feelings that can manifest as vehement denial of the truth or self-denial, or generally wishing to do evil or harm to others.
Pride: The desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to compliment others and excessive love of self.
Envy: Resentment of another person for having something one lacks, and wishing the other person to be deprived of it.
Greed: Excessive acquisition of material goods.

Last year, the Vatican added seven new ones: genetic modification; human experimentation; polluting the environment; social injustice; causing poverty; 'financial gluttony'; and taking or selling drugs.

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican body that oversees confessions, said that two mortal sins which continued to preoccupy the Vatican were abortion and paedophilia.

The latter had even infected the clergy itself, and so had exposed the 'human and institutional fragility of the Church'.

Pope Benedict, who reportedly confesses his sins once a week, last year issued his own voice of disquiet on the subject.

'We are losing the notion of sin,' he said. 'If people do not confess regularly, they risk slowing their spiritual rhythm.'

LENT = Leave Every Negative Thing

As you begin this Holy Season, may you discover the true meaning of LENT, by Leaving behind all Negative things of the past and strive for a Future filled with Hope! (Phi 3: 7 – 14).

A Different Approach to Fasting...

Fasts have a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or television. But there are many other creative ways we can welcome Jesus' healing touch.Here are suggestions you may want to consider.

1. Fast from anger and hatred. Give your family an extra dose of love each day.

2. Fast from judging others. Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our faults.

3. Fast from discouragement. Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.

4. Fast from complaining. When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.

5. Fast from resentment or bitterness! Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you..

6. Fast from spending too much money. Try to reduce your spending by ten percent and give those savings to the poor.

Wishing you all Peace, Love, and Happiness during Lent.


(Rainbow sighted on March 2nd, it lasted from Nicoll Highway right till the end of Marine Parade Road...! )



SMILE :) Jesus Loves You!

The Christian Walk

I read these excerpts from a christian magazine called 'ignite'. It certainly makes sense. Here's some excerpts:

Our daily walk with the Lord is much more important kind of walk than walking or running for exercise. It is not enough to start the Christian race well; finishing well is crucial. Because walking with God is a daily walk, it is easy to grow weary and lose heart at various places in the race.

Some lose heart when it seems like their efforts are not bearing fruit.. Galatians 6:9 encourages us not to lose heart, "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary" (NASB).

In your Christian walk and ministry, it is not so much how you begin, but how you finish that matters. Perhaps you are starting your Christian walk. Or you may have started your Christian walk years ago. But there is still a long way to go to the finish. (Rev. Dr Rick Langston)

So what's it like for you? Running or Lagging?

I think we catholics have much to do. We need to grow spiritually, for one. I just see a typical syndrome happening. People go to catechism, acquire head knowledge. For the many, parents might not be their spiritual role models. Then they get confirmed, and they continue going for Sunday mass. But as it is, sunday is the only time they hear about God. During the week, all is forgotten or put to a side.

Where's our faith visible in the real world today?

We need to grow deeper in our faith, our Catholic lives, our beliefs, our determination, our evangelism, our love for others, etc!