Sent off Matty yesterday at Changi Airport terminal two together with Gpp, Ray & SJ... come to think of it, it was actually the first time I'm meeting SJ in person! Haha... the dinner at swensens was cool... the banana crumble was way sinful... but then. Hahah... Praise God for this bunch of peeps... it's not just the cliche a-bunch-of-internet-friends-decided-to-meet-up thingie... but well, I'm just glad that we've come to forge that special friendship bond over the past one to two years of getting acquainted and knowing one another. Photos will be up soon!

Woke up late this morning... but still in time to make it down to West Coast for my personal retreat. In a sense it was a much anticipated one since I hadn't have one for such a long time... yeah. Then it turned out that the turf... the patch of grassland... came under maintenance till end of March. Was rather put down in the beginning... but somehow He led me to see it from another perspective... soul maintenance? Haha... Thank God... that the trees weren't part of the restricted boundary... and so I still got to layout my sleeping bag and hold the retreat eventually. Did quite a number of readings... it was a tremendously blessed time... just that I could have afford to spend time in restedness... I think I'll need more work on that part. Hahaha.. this sounds totally contradictory... work to rest? Haha... Photos will be up... soon too!

Just came back from prayer and praise not too long ago... Met up with Xav before that for this week's mentoring. Was really glad that he'd done all the read ups... and I know deep down that he understands. I can only hope that it'll be a daily choice for him to intentionally spend time in stillness... to come before Him in a seeking posture. Glad too that Ray's able to make it for the night... to see him so joyful now that his exams are over... haha. I look at the kind of zeal he puts in into basketball... and weighed something that Jan lightly commented... and realised... that all it takes is for him to make the choice to set priorities right... and in fact, I have this inkling that he already knows. I know that we ought not to go by feelings... but let's just say that I have a rather good feel about this brother. :)

Caught up with Tat at the kopitiam... it's a tremendous joy to see how God's moving and working in his life. And hey... it was a shared joy when he shared that his parents knew of him being a Christian and had no objections about that... it's like... how long we've prayed? Hahaha... and to know of divine appointments knocking in his life... blesses my heart to know of close ones' spiritual walk being in the pink of health.

Jesus You are so good... Jesus You are so good...
There's nothing to fear, cause I'm here in Your presence...

:)

Photos were taken... and yes, they'll be up... soon too! All I want now though... is a good cool shower and a nice long sleep on my bed. This week's supposedly my project week aka term break... but it really doesn't feel like it. *yawn*... my bed's calling...

PSALM 84
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD ;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young-
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools. [b]
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

Look upon our shield, [c] O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Got this off Gpp's entry... my heart pounded upon reading every header and its description. Will just like to add on a little "preface" to the importance of it all... from Wayne Cordeiro's "The Dream Releasers":

If I put a $100,000 diamond in an old, crumpled paper bag and threw it on the pavement, most people would walk right over it or throw it in the trash. Why? Because we usually judge what's on the inside by what's on the outside. It's much easier to see the outer condition than the inner treasure. After all, we live in a society that puts the highest premium on the cosmetic, rather than the authentic. Yet the wrapping doesn't always express the true value of the contents.

The packaging can be wrinkled, torn or even soiled, but its condition can't in the slighest cheapen the value of the jewel. We can call the bag dumb or ugly, but it still doesn't devalue the treature within. Why? Because the value is intrinsic to the gem, regardless of what anyone may think.

Don't make the mistake of confusing the jewelry box for the jewelry!

That's precisely the mistake too many of us make. We look at what we are, while God looks at what we can be. He knows our true value because He put it there. And we release that potential only when we begin to see things His way.

But this precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)

BE CONSISTENT - I will be dependable and trustworthy as a mentor. To the best of my ability, I will honour my commitments and keep my promises. I will be there for the youth I am mentoring on a regular and consistent basis for as long as I am required to do so.

BE YOURSELF - I will be thankful for who I am - for the personality, gifts, talents, abilities and attributes that God has specifically given to me. I believe that God knows me, loves me, and has called me to serve as a mentor to youth. And I am confident that He will be able to use me just the way I am.

BE A LISTENER - I will take every opportunity to be a good listener in my mentoring relationship. I will avoid judging and lecturing. I will listen attentively because I care, and because I desire to treat the youth I am mentoring with dignity and respect.

BE HONEST - I will do my best to tell the truth always in my mentoring relationship, even when it hurts. In so doing, I will inspire the youth I am mentoring to be honest with me. When either of us is unsure of the truth, we will be honest with each other and seek to discover the truth together.

BE PATIENT AND FORGIVING - I will be realistic about the expectations I have for the youth I am mentoring. I will do my best to demonstrate unconditional love in every circumstance by being gracious, understanding, slow to to anger, patient and forgiving. I will not allow failures to destroy our relationship.

BE ENCOURAGING - I will bring out the best in the youth I am mentoring by being generous with affirmation, encouragement, gratitude, and praise. I will do all that I can to inspire my youth to dream dreams and to recognize the potential that he or she has in Christ Jesus.

PRAY HARD - I will not become fustrated or discouraged because of my inability to change a young person's life. Instead, I will pray daily for the youth I am mentoring, and trust God to do what I cannot do.

Guess it'll only make do with loads of prayers still... I know it sounds stupid and I really shouldn't do it only when such things happen... but yes.

THE LORD'S PRAYER (Aramaic)
Avvon d-bish-maiya, nith-qaddash shim-mukh.
Tih-teh mal-chootukh. Nih-weh çiw-yanukh:
ei-chana d'bish-maiya: ap b'ar-ah.
Haw lan lakh-ma d'soonqa-nan yoo-mana.
O'shwooq lan kho-bein:
ei-chana d'ap kh'nan shwiq-qan l'khaya-ween.
Oo'la te-ellan l'niss-yoona:
il-la paç-çan min beesha.
Mid-til de-di-lukh hai mal-choota
oo khai-la oo tush-bookh-ta
l'alam al-mein. Aa-meen.

THE PRAYER HE TAUGHT
24 February 2005

Our Heavenly Father
Hallowed be Your Name in all the earth
Your Kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us our daily bread
Forgive our debts as we also forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptations
But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory
Forever...
and ever

Amen.

I'm supposed to sleep early today and wake up early for a time of personal retreat at west coast in the morning. But somehow I was led to do something into the wee hours of the morning... and in the midst of it, I knew it's quite impossible for me to do the retreat. Still, I know that time is crucial... and I desperately need it... and so I'll push away friday morning's timeslot to make way for the retreat then. I know it sounds contradictory... but yes.

The collage above... they were actually made individually as bookmarks for the four of them. Frankly... my heart broke when I first saw of those photos. Yes, these were the photos I was thanking Onionman about... somehow, he managed to capture all four of them in their postures of worship within the same youth service.

There are many things that cannot be explained... how the core team came about... this is one thing that I'll only fully understand when His sovereign plan's fully met out. I didn't choose all of them according to criterias... some may put forth that the heart by itself isn't enough... but to me that's where everything else springs forth. I wouldn't liken choosing them as taking a gamble for God... because I know for sure that it's not a gamble. Funny thing was, two of them weren't even in the picture when the initial core group was being thought of.

Two of them I have followed through for about one year plus... there's a certainty of their heart and willingness to serve and to know God. The other two... knew of their backgrounds and all... but something within ascertained the decision after the first official group session this year. I was very cautious with one of them as he suddenly just popped back into the group after half a year of absence... but things really got set in place when we met up as a core group over our first dinner meeting. Another person was supposed to attend as part of the core but could not make it... there and then, TMSC was "officially" born.

February's coming to an end... and frankly, it has been a rather bittersweet experience. There were many times of fun... loads of fun, stayovers... and also loads of disappointments. But they've thought me something very important... how I needed to get down to prayer and intercession... to know that man's words can only go thus far... that His words are everlasting... that His touch could change a person's life for good.

Something that I've put across time and again over the past month... is the issue of being salt and light everywhere we are. We are God's ambassadors... our bodies His Holy Temple. There is simply no use if we behave one way in church and another in school... simply because Christianity is not about the church... it is about that personal relationship one has with God... and that one is accountable to Him first and foremost. Any sin that's been committed... minor or major, grieves Him. If man feels that disappointment at a certain level... then His... will be a zillion times more. And one can only understand this... if he or she is on an active pursuit of His Face.

Whatever that happened over the past few days since sunday after sharing through the Holy Spirit Booklet material... I can sense some finding the faith more real than before. And it'll be my constant prayer... that they will establish this deep satisfying relationship with the One who created them... that they will one day rely on His love and grace totally and see fellowship simply as an avenue for them to serve and encourage one another in this walk... that all that is passed to them will be transferable to others.

God is good... He yearns for His flock to be back to His embrace. And I'm thankful... thankful. :)