i'm so happy today! the long awaited 5th sunday is finally over and i'm really really tired but satisfied... its times like these that make school really seem horrible not cause of the fun, but cause everything's just so productive. friendships strengthened, good workout, and the youth another step closer to revival.
i cant believe the growth, i couldnt believe we're really seeing things happen.. on one hand, something is telling me "this is just too easy", because it does seem like all this had been achievable by just planning and doing and spending time on stuff. and yet another voice tells me its really God who has been working in the background to guide us, aid us and grant us his grace, which is obvious! How many things could have went wrong? How many people could have been implicated/stumbled because of them? and yet God made it possible for us to experience what we went through today, PTL!
everyone looked whacky and fantastic... but i'd say all of us look good in anything we wear, retro or not:) besides... the hall made everyone look good regardless of what we wore.. thanks to the fellowship ministry consisting of so many girls and one guy terry! and of course, the worship team. thanks corrine and guys who practiced the time has come for so long.. indeed today's rendition of the time has come was the best one everr... loud ttm!!! ttm means to the max!! John 4:23 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
boys and girls, the verse says the time has come. Let us be worshipers that the Father seeks!
to those who are in the process of training and getting rdy to serve in the worship min, persevere on and i'm sure when you get intergrated into it u'll be able to cope much better! though it does seem fun and cool just being on stage, there's really more to worship. our spiritual disciplines, our daily walk with God, and lots and lots of admin work to be done. its not impossible to do well without musical talents, but your hard work now will pay off in the future so jiayou!
after which was worship practice for next week's worship.. indeed it was a tiring day... then basketball. then badminton. altogether i have spend 9-7 on saturday in church, and 9-8 today.. more or less.. its just so tiring but really, really productive.
just now, my dad spoke to me and my sis in quite a harsh tone. and i cannot understand why, he says he heard that both of us had been organising the recent suppers and all, and told us to do it less, like in moderation. and i think he doesnt like it one bit because of his tone... here are several possible things that came across my mind:
1. He may wanna spend and see more of us at home, because we've been out too much these few days.
2. He thinks we dont respect him (because of our poor accountibility skills, yes i'm sure its not just both of us but youths in general. accountibility means reporting where u go, what time and when u'll be home)
3. He doesnt get why the youth is suddenly organising so many activities and he's concerned that we're devoting too much time to church rather than to other things, eg. studies/family.
4, and this is what i hope isnt the case. He doesnt accept the fact that youth ministry is getting fired up, and is having the "adult's syndrome". and the "adult's syndrome", not implying all adults believe in this, is that they think youth ministry is something small, something inexperienced, and still not as holy/ practical/ close to God as themselves.. this is normal in many churches and as a youth, i dont like it when an adult portrays himself as a much more mature and holy individual when in fact his life doesnt show it. Integrity is something we must have, failing which we will stumble many others...
thinking about my father, who played a part in the many organising of activities (he organised the bbq rmb?) i didnt go up to him personally to thank him for doing something like that for the youth. perhaps he needs to know that what he did surely strengthened the bonds and relationships in the youth and maybe sparked off the recent surge of events... over the last month, recallign everything..the events were:
hillsong concert, cycling outing, dad's bbq, shopping for retro day, not to mention the countless times of daily scooping, supper and good talks, basketball after sundays and swimming occasionally. all these have played their part and the response was humongous. its so encouraging to see God in all these, reassuring as he promises to be with us and never forsake us, we see him working over time, slowly.
my only concern now is that this oneness and unity we're seeing will not be another social clique, because many christians see their church that way, but believe that as we knit together as one in Christ's love, we draw closer to Him as well.
Ephesians 4:3-6 "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, onefaith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
being "one in Christ" vs being "one". the difference? worlds. the difference is Christ. this seems to be what separates the social clique from church...
i really wanna post pics but blogger will take tooo long. those who dont have facebook, i URGE YOU TO GET AN ACCOUNT CAUSE FACEBOOK IS REALLY A GREAT PHOTOSHARING RESOURCE!
cant wait for next sunday, youth day, and also the first week of OCTOPUS! i wonder what adults with "adults' syndrome" are gonna say... hahaha but lets just go for Christ. its all or nothing. wooot for this super long post... 1 timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
Posted by keithc at 9:17 AM
Friday, June 27, 2008
wooooootss back to blogging cause i feel like it... cause exams are overr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and usually i'd emo after every exam.. but this exam i dont know... it may be cause i didnt put in my very best, or it may be cause i'm giving myself lee way.. after all i'm clueless about econs and lit still. how to study, how to answer?? for math, it has been e same problem, nothing new.. just lack time and lack practice. they say u cant piah a levels last min. i'm wondering if it'll be the same as sec3... so busy until cannot catch up, til the last min then everything fits.. if that were to happen to me next year, maths is so gone! and chinese.. i need xuhui and ian to spur me on.. there's totally no sense of struggle for me... ahhh.. nonetheless its over.. i guess i needa change my attitude towards chinese totally... A orals are just next monday btw... wad in the world... hope they ask about mas selemat or myannmar... pls spare me from politics and conservation.
but rly, this time i'm not emoing or creating a new blogskin. i doubt i will even after the results collections..
i've been meeting howkiat and janice very often this week, for ice cream (yes i pissed my dad off cause i came back late for dinner:() and shopping for retro clothes on thursday. thanks ariel for organising! we should all take turns to organise activities!! many times we see ppl asking around but dont bother to thank them after all the effort they've made. lois for the cycling outing, and joel for the many supper offers... thank God for them and great bonding. looking forward to this sunday's retro theme, i hope its gonna be a hit for the youth and something that will welcome many others as well!
today there was the trackers alumni gathering, theme on "how has your journey of faith been?" pastor kaiming got me to share for no reason, and i just came up with smth on the spot, noting to myself again, that so evidently has my life changed and i shouldnt be thinking i'm still the same, lonely emo one again. this year i've gained a different kind of victory, and though i may not have entirely won, i would say my faith has increased by leaps and bounds and there has been some "overcoming of the world", cause we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us:)
a short while back, i was thinking if all these regurgitation of verses and remembering about Christ's spirit in me was all done through indoctrination and exposure to the faith from young... the more i thought about it the more i wanted to believe that this faith is humanly possible. but no, the holy spirit still told me that it lives, it breathes and it gives me new insight, not me who gives myself insight. how could i have doubted that the holy spirit is actually just myself? no, it is from God! the times where it convicts me, the times where God's love just flows and the times where it gives me strength to stand up against my fears, enemies, hard teachings. i believe it lives and breathes in me.
the trackers gathering was fantastic, with rly thought involking speeches by uncle david and pastor kaiming.. that the valleys are where we develop our character. i suppose this is true, even for non christians.. its the tough times that make us stronger. just that... "strength" here is defined differently from the non christian and the christian.. wanna know more? ask me! Got to meet up with ben, michele, ronda, dionne, jolyn, glenda, shawn, pkm, elizabeth, meiping, kheng, not to mention CHRISTABEL whom i see everyday... though jared and eugene didnt go... haiz. and i realised trackers is actually dominated by girls. or perhaps girls are just more emo and are more likely to turn up for such gatherings.. worship was cool with wanlin and sheldon. though it was seriously last minute and i didnt know what i was playing, explaining why it was so noisy and loud... i hope the time of worship was still good and refreshing for all of us trackers to worship in one body:)
playing the guitar is really fun and awesome recently... i'm gonna be playing for 3 weeks straight, this sun and the next two... i hope i dont burn out seriously... my burn level is super low ever since school started. gotta keep praying for a perseverant spirit and strength to sustain.. in case fire runs out..
pics will be up next time! misss all the trackers so much! stupid daye.. and vicky.. cant wait for tmr man... but will needa cab to church again. wooot heavy..
Posted by keithc at 10:58 AM
Sunday, June 15, 2008
BASKET DAY!!!
so today was rather fun!!!!
had lots of fun....
super duper alot of fun.....
know why??
cuz today is SUNday....
is father's day today!!!
HAPPY FATHER DAY TO ALL FATHERS!!!!
so church today was full of food!!!! food everywhere!!!
yummy!!!but believe it or not!!! I DID NOT MANAGE TO EAT!!!!
CAUSE I ON "DIET"(phew arg)
anywayz.....played basketball with some of my church friends!!!
and guess wad, the first round the oldies trash us!!!(except lois cuz she's around the same age as us, the rest are 10 - 12 years older then us!!!)
SUPER DUPER HOT LAR TODAY!!!
OHOH....AND U KNOW WAD...TODAY ME ARIEL AND HOWIE WORE THE SAME GREEN SHIRT!!!(and we were all super sweaty after the game)imagine the shirt!!!
YAY!!!!!HAD SO MMUCH FUN UNDER THE SUN...CAN SUNTAN!!!
ok got to end now!!!night ppl!!! ------------------------------------------------------------
okk no prizes for guessing who just blogged for me!! whahhaha i thought i had nothing to blog about but apparently i do... a lot of motivation is lost recently.. makes me just wanna run, bounce ball, swim and do lotsa sports to tire myself out, maybe its just fatigue laa.. but i rly couldnt sit still to do just 2 hours of maths in one day. i looked back at Equipping the Saints' main theme on making time available for the Lord. "teach us to number our days, so we may gain a heart of wisdom". Psalm 90:12. yess, at least i managed to memorise that verse cause it convicts me too much. i can spend one day, starting from 1.30 cause i just woke up. then crapping on the com til 3pm. then realising its quite late so i must study... and by the time i start its 4pm, til 6. and for these 2 hours, i'm messaging what do to after dinner... what crap.
its been crappy, just wasting time and well, even spending it on QT is tons more valuable...
my motivation... flew away. like literally. it just doesnt seem proper when something so close to you isnt around anymore.. in times like these, how do we go back to God and tell him, you're the only one i ever need, the only motivation i need to get my work done? and that he is all that we're working for?
i shall repost my cool statement i've posted 2 times before, we're "called to be the man and woman we should be" whoaa sounds pro right. actually not rly, but whenever it echoes in my mind i feel this drive for excellence...
lets go lets go, mai tu liao... its just started..
Posted by keithc at 7:41 AM
Friday, June 13, 2008
in my rockstar dreams..... i picture myself playing like this dude!! and this genre of music! alt metal/rock.
FREAK KITCHEN IS SUPER GOODD!
Posted by keithc at 11:57 PM
Monday, June 09, 2008
Chad blondel came to faith methodist church tt day, must say i'm not a gigger actually, couldnt really connect with the band, but made no mistake checking out his CD when ariel lent it to me.. this dude is seriously talented and some of his tracks are fantastic... this song in particular was written for his girlfriend, and mind she really has nice eyes hahaha... i cant help but feel emo and think whenever i hear it, i totally love it!! urghh if only there were tabs for this song. Ariel and i will totally jam it man... its solo sounds great too.. ahhaha and i saw his secret pedal! whahha i shall get it and get his sound aahahah...
cause baby, this is what you're doing to me... you made me think that my life before you was just loneliness..
eh but seriously, no girl can really transform you just like how God can... must remember that its really not all about the girl... hahah you despo guys. admit it la, why you all whack me when i said all guys are despo. i may be claiming about myself but i'm sure u all also like that la... dun come put on a macho show and whack me OK! hahaha.... feelings are really hard to control, i suppose joel had a point lah. i'm happy God granted me grace to control mine, if not things will get wayyy out of hand.
moving on, church camp was awesome! i got to make some new friends, caught up with ppl from church that i never really did. one of which was alvin's dad... i didnt even know he was around in church all the while. whole day train at playing pool.. hahaha. then ardella, who is pretty soft spoken actually but humourous in a way... another was clarisse, my sis' goood friend since how long. dillon's sister!! and i never really talked to her all these years til now.. just realised she's quite cute la, chubby also hahaha. (not implying anything elseee, sorry lois!)
its pretty sad ariel came alone, but nonetheless i'm sure it was fun and good bonding together as a church for him. if his sister came, i'm sure the girls would have even more fun. terry seemed to have a great time too haha!! the younger ones like sai wan and her sis.. i was movedd and convinced our ministry is indeed growing... for pictures, visit my sister's blog or any other blog lol.. tons of them.
btw, HOWKIAT COULDNT COME CAUSE OF EXAMS... but its ok, honour God with ur studies, he'll be equally if not more pleased! and camps arent everything la... ahhaha... wait til december man...
ok now i'm back, and its only early june. i suddenly realise 20th june is my first paper, which is next friday. technically it means i have less than 10 days to study for 3 huge, new papers... why does june seem so short! its unfair!! and i cant rly play this week and the next already... it seems i have to go full stream like O levels again... hmss i hope i can find my determination and discipline back...
recently i've realised how stressful and tiring and scary being in the youth comm can be... and i'm finally seeing a situation which is so huge, so devastating, that God's power and glory can shine through again. it has been pretty stagnant and nothing much has been going on after the hillsong concert, and now i finally know why and see why. many things in the youth com are administrative, man driven that sometimes we really need something huge to let us rely on God... i've also realised the importance of my position in the com, and what potential i have actually... reminding myself once again, all we need is a broken and contrite heart, and the willingness to be used.
God CAN choose you, if you let him. on a closer analysis, he DOESNT HAVE to choose you, but he can. AND, you have to give it all to him. obviously, i'm hinting something here. youth camp 08 is upcoming! and if you feel a burden in your heart to serve in an area, let me know! i already have people in mind, but if you have the want to, step up and see God working!
everyone was pretty dead tired on sunday.. i slept on saturday evening til 12+am, and then proceeded to do the worship slides for sunday. i still must tell joel and alvin, why should i play acoustic when my electric can go cleaner than an acoustic! its simply funnyyy. acoustic can go brriiiiing, but it never sparkles as much as my strat... acoustic can go CHIKKK, but it never crunches as much as my strat too. plus acoustic is fat. its real late, time to go!!
Posted by keithc at 10:57 AM
Monday, June 02, 2008
sometimes for the sake of other people, you gotta deny yourself and your feelings. and yes, its painful to a certain extend, and usually it works well..
but when it becomes not being true to yourself at all, how do u cope with it?
