15 days, serving the nation

Hey guys, I'm back!!!

Much has happened during this 15 days in NS. Some were good, some not so good, but God is always good! :D

The food at NS is not bad actually! :D
I was very much surprised as I have heard people describe NS food as inedible. Of course there are times when the food quality isn't very good, but its free anyway XD. The best meal was the Western one, with chicken chop, fries, rice, bread, veggies and ice-cream! All these for Freeeee!

It's pretty boring in NS right now...
Right now there's nothing much to do as my real assignments haven't been given yet. Thus, my friends and I usually sleep, stone, play paper games, talk rubbish, play Reversi, read books and news, and go to the canteen for a snack. We played so much Reversi that we invented new strategies and became much better at the game. Bryan and I were so bored that we invented a paper game. Although I feel it is a waste of time, I count this as a time of rest as I know that once the real assignment is given, I might be very busy. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while its like this ;)


My superiors are cool! :)
Our officer, who is in-charge of us NDP clerks, is really friendly guy :) Very shuai also!
My RSM is very particular about timing and dressing, while my CSM has a fierce look with a bulldog face. Nevertheless, they are reasonable and fair people, and rather approachable :)

Thank God that I get to stay out everyday!!!! :D
He answered my prayers!
The bad part about staying out is that I have limited time for myself. There were days I had to wake up at 4.45am just to get to Sungei Gedong, which is even further from civilization than Lim Chu Kang. To get 7 hours of rest, I have to sleep at 9.45pm, which proved impossible. Thus, I have been sleeping 4-5 hours everyday for the first 2 weeks. (-_-)zzZ

I didn't have much time to play computer or guitar, and was caught up with ironing clothes, preparing for the next day, doing NS admin stuff, checking email, account for my finances, sync prayer, quiet time and so on.

I felt burnt out on many occasions, and hard to feel the presence of God in my prayer, because I was too physically, mentally and emotionally drained.


Thank God for Weiren's word about...
Having a satisfied soul!
I had the privilege to play guitar for Weiren's Zone meeting!!! XD
I felt so honoured and happy that Weiren gave me this privilege, but was quite reluctant to go at the same time. I was feeling really burnt out already, not to mention the heavy stuff I gotta carry. BUT I was glad I went! The word was really for me at the right time!! Basically, the Word was telling me to set aside time to do the things that I like to do, so that I can serve God effectively and joyfully :)

I am a minister of life... I must first have life in myself...
body, soul and spirit!

Thank God for Bryan!
who coincidentally is in the same camp, same vocation, same office as me! He started driving my friends and I to camp and back home everyday! This means more sleep time! You rawk bro!

Thank God for new friends!
They are:
- A guy who is Bryan's and my senior in our course in Poly!
- A friendly artist who helped us through our first day in our battalion :)
- A "chao keng" dude who brings joy to the group XD
- A musically-inclined dude who taught By2 drums for 1 day!!!


Well that pretty much wraps up my NS experience thus far. Till next time, when I have time! :P

Pre-Enlistment Speech

Well, I'm entering NS like tomorrow, so I thought that it'll be good to do a speech.

So here it goes... (ahem)

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to address you this umm.. extremely early morning. As you would have known by now, I will be entering into Full-Time National Service tomorrow, on the 15th September. The whole course of my training may last for 10 years, in which I will encounter many life-threatening situations which includes fighting terrorism, engaging jungle warfare, battling wild boars and cleaning toilets. But my country needs me, and I must defend with my life. To express my patriotism, I am even playing a patriotic song on this Blog. As such, I would like to give my well-wishes and goodbyes to all my dear friends, knowing that this may be the last time we will ever meet again....

Nah just joking :P

Alright I'll be serious...

My Views About NS
I believe that NS is the season of consecration and breakthrough for my life; I will draw closer to God, grow more spiritually mature. My dream, as Weiren has inspired me, is to become a Cell Group Leader while in NS :D

It is rather impossible to serve God as a Cell Group Leader while serving as an NSF, because of the high commitment of both positions, but with God all things are possible!

Of course I'm a little nervous about it cos NS is something new and unknown to me, but I just trust God that everything's gonna be alright.

I'll try my best to be a blessing to my Officers and my camp and shine for the glory of God - please pray for strength and wisdom :)


My Desires:
1) Cellgroup Growth
I really want to see W406 grow to 50 regular members corporately, and our spiritual levels grow individually. This is Weiren's vision, that we grow to 50 by October, and it will happen if we stay united in this vision!

You guys rock!

If we're gonna grow to that size, all of us must become more mature; going from "little children" to "young men (and women)". And the only way to do that is by the Word of God! I'm always praying that all of us will know, believe, confess and apply the Word of God in our lives!

"...I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one."
(1 John 2:14)

My heart's desire, as Weiren's desire, is to see all of you leading victorious lives - overcoming emotional and spiritual struggles, being blessed in everything (finances, studies, relationships, etc) and REJOICING ALWAYS!

"...Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
(Nehemiah 8:10)

2) 9 to 5 vocation
I'm praying that I'll be able to book out everyday, so that I can attend service, attend cellgroup, attend BS, give BS, attend prayer meetings and conference calls, attend Revivalist meetings, go out with w406, go out with Leroy and gang, nua at home, work on projects, sleep more, serve God, learn Jay Chou songs, go gym and have proper quiet time.

If I have to stay in, it'll be difficult to do all these. Imagine if I become a CGL and I cannot attend CG because have to stay in camp. Pray for me that I will get a 9 to 5 vocation, and for favor with the officers :D


3) Personal Growth
Basically, I want to grow in 4 areas:

• Love
• Boldness & Anointing
• Wisdom
• Strength (Perseverance)

This are the 4 traits that I believe will lead to a successful and balanced Christian life. I may be doing a sermon on this next time lols.

4) Build the House of God!
Let us arise and build! There is one special promise in the Bible that applies to those who build God's house:

‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider it:
Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’
(Haggai 2:18-19)

Let's believe together for a land in the marketplace, for the marketplace to penetrate the marketplace! A beautiful 15,000 seater stadium; an iconic structure that Singaporeans will be proud of; a place with lots of facilities to carry out Bible studies, services, meetings; a cool place to hang out with cafes and retail stores :D

May the name of Jesus be glorified by this building!

Praying that I will have the finances to give, cos I don't want to pledge a smaller amount from last year.



Alright, so those are some of my desires :D

Oh yes, as fate would have it, Bryan will be entering on the SAME day as myself! He's also reporting at CMPB, and he's posted to Armor HQ as well! Talk about 有缘!

Gotta go to bed now.
Love you guys, see ya!

A Busy but Fruitful Week

Hey all, sorry that I haven't been posting. Been really busy lately. By God's grace, I managed to survive last week. Was practically working on Armor Valley every day, without slacking off, which is quite a miracle cause I normally would slack :P

Armor Valley: The game I'm working on with my company

I asked Josiah to play while I took the screenshots. Being an older brother has advantages :D

I started jogging again after a long while, on the advice of my boss, cos I have been oversleeping :X

Last wednesday, I had dinner with Fabian after BS at Fisherman's Wharf! Their fish and chips rawks so hard! I think I had Dory fish or something, which was $7.50. Had a nice time of sharing and encouraging each other :)

Giant Magnum ice-cream!
(at Dhoby Ghaut Interchange)

That's Fabian

When Fabian shared about deciding between 2 jobs, I felt an uneasiness about 1 job, but a sense of peace about the other job. It was the Holy Spirit leading me to show him to which job to choose! True enough, the job which I felt the uneasiness required Fabian to work during his cellgroup meeting. Wow, so cool! (phrase borrowed from Wanyi)

Fabian's a real brother, always very thoughtful and caring, constantly praying for me and asking about how I'm doing :) Thank God for such a wonderful bro!!! XD

It was quite draining this week, cause apart from work, I helped Weiren played guitar for various meetings. Many times I feel overwhelmed by the stuff I gotta do, and I get anxiety attacks nearly every night. Nevertheless, "My flesh and my heart fail; BUT GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" (Ps 73:29)

For a long while, I could not believe that I can last forever while serving God. I feel that I'm destined to burn out all the time. Thank God that He gave me a revelation through Weiren about the Word of God. According to Psalms 1, if I build my life on the Word of God, I will last forever, always fruitful in everything I do, always joyful in every situation.

Last week was a struggle but thank God for His Word! I'm a person who is quite unstable, not really faithful in the things I do. That's why I love Rom 4:20-21! I've learnt to put my name into the verse:

"Israel did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief,
but was strengthened in faith,
giving glory to God,
and being fully convinced
that what He had promised
He was also able to perform."

Wow! You can have a lot of revelations from this single verse!
Line 1: I CAN be faithful, it is possible! It is a matter of choice! Let me say that again, I CAN BE FAITHFUL! :D

Line 2: When I am weak, then I am strong, for He strengthens the weak; and to those who have no might, He increases strength.

Line 3: Ultimately, all glory goes to God, none for myself, because it is He who gives me strength, and my life is not my own (Gal 2:20)

Line 4: FULLY CONVINCED! When you are convicted about God's promises, nothing can discourage you! But this conviction comes from God, you cannot have it by yourself; you must ask God for it (a paradox but that's how it works)

Line 5 & 6: My future is bright and safe in God's hands; I do not need to worry, because God has shown me a glimpse of what my future is going to be, I know where I'm heading, and I rest in His promise, because Rom 8:28 and Jer 29:11

Woohoo! The Word of God is living and powerful! Thank God and Weiren for that revelation! I gotta watch myself though, and make sure I have love, because knowledge puffs up but love edifies.

Okay I could carry on talking about the Word of God but then the post would never be complete, so let's move on...


Leaders are also people, and we need to "nua" once in a while...

Scene before Cellgroup Meeting

God spoke to me a few times over the past 2 weeks, showing me what is my purpose now, and my purpose 5 years from now. However this week started off with temptation - I had a carnal dream on Monday which I have never had before in my whole life. Had to shake it off by confessing the Word.

I still have PLENTY of weaknesses, especially in self-discipline, but "being CONFIDENT of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will COMPLETE it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6)

Alright that's what I want to say, although it's kinda spontaneous and unorganized :D
I know I still owe the final segment of The Best Of Jay Chou series, but I won't have time to do it until next week, when I finally stop work XD

Seeya!