Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.

Colin Powell

Do you need a pen?

http://photojojo.com/store/

Interesting gifts for photo / photography lovers.

i will worship in Spirit and in Truth

i sell i-scream

I had balloons and icecream at one of my most recent Trybe programmes. What a joy to work in Trybe. Ha.

Lord, Captivate Us

Captivate Us
by Watermark

Your face is beautiful
And Your eyes are like the stars
Your gentle hands have healing
There inside the scars
Your loving arms they draw me near
And Your smile it brings me peace
Draw me closer oh my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

(chorus)
Captivate us, Lord Jesus
Set our eyes on You
Devastate us with Your presence
Falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with You
Captivate us Lord Jesus, with You

Your voice is powerful
And Your words are radiant bright
In Your breath and shadow
I will come close and abide
You whisper love and life divine
And Your fellowship is free
Draw me closer O my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

(chorus)

Let everything be lost in the shadows
Of the light of Your face
Let every chain be broken from me
As I’m bound in Your grace
For Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light
You’re full of wisdom, power and might
And every eye will see You

(chorus)

A real joke :P

Mirabel: (lifting up a pink blusher) Do you know what this is?

WM: Err.... a concealer (And he meant it)

Mirabel imagines a whole face with pink round spots all over because the person is trying to 'conceal' her pimples and imperfections with BLUSHER.

Ha. :)

You were great AH (fullstop)

It takes a whole lot more energy, brain-calories-burning thoughts, intentional-ity, grace and love, to say

"I think you were great because __________________ (traits to affirm in the person)"

than "I think you were great AH". (fullstop)



It's not just about the number of words.

Personally i think there is diminished value in simply saying that someone was great, without explaining why,
especially if you are not already close friends.

Go an extra mile (with extra pinches of grace) to tell the person directly what exactly he or she did great, because:

1. It pinpoints and affirms the exact God-given strengths the person has, allowing him to know so that he can utilise it more;
(not forgetting that it stirs up a lil' thanksgiving tune in his heart towards God)

2. The person may not even know that he has such a strength in the first place / or ever see it as a strength / or not even know he has strengths!

This is also a key that i caught in my years of mentoring the youths, many of whom really need light to shine upon their strengths and weaknesses, so that they can understand themselves better. :)

When you don't pack...

I often find things that I have put into my bag to bring home and leave there, still in my bag, day after day.

Such 'unpleasant discoveries' make me go ahhhhhhhh, because it means i have carried around unnecessary weight.

God dawned this in my mind last evening, when yet again, i found unpleasant discoveries as i opened my bag.

"If you don't pack, you will drag along unnecessary burdens".

Indeed if i do not leave time to reflect upon the happenings in my life, and pack my feelings and thoughts, i will non-consciously shoulder much unneccesary burdens as the days go on.

I hope you also leave time in your life to lay the past at the Cross, so that you can move ahead with greater and greater freedom. :)

A 7-month old incident

Seven months ago, i had an incident that I think i will remember for long. Nope, it is not haunting at all; it did not leave a dark shadow. But God did shake my heart through it.

My colleague and i were on our way back to office in his car. We stopped at a red light at a big junction, and all was normal till i heard my colleague shout out loud, and i turned my head... and saw a person fly into the air diagonally across us.

In the next split second, my colleague was already out of the car. As he ran across the road towards the accident scene, he shouted to me, 'Call the ambulance!!'

i heard it, but in my half-dazed mind. My fingers shook as they dialled 995. My voice shook as i reported the scene. Then it began to pour - heavily.

My colleague ran back, grabbed two umbrellas, passed one to me, and we walked briskly over again - to the driver who was distraught at what he had done, to the weak struggling body lying several metres away from the car.

A few passersby were standing around the victim; one of them motioned me to bring the umbrella to him. I don't exactly remember what happened in the next few minutes but i found myself alone with the victim (whom now i saw was an old uncle), doing all my best to shelter his injured and scarred body from the beating rain. (My colleague on the hand was trying to calm the driver, who was also an old man, down, and shelter him from the rain as well)

I didn't know what to think... i was scared. The rain drenched my back as i squatted beside the uncle whom by now, had blood flowing out of a bad cut on his head, and immediately merging with the rainwater on the floor. The blood looked like it could not wait to take its leave; it just flowed on and on rapidly.

Uncle was breathing very hard; his slumped body lifted labouriously with every breath he painstakingly and painfully took.

My mind cried, 'Jesus, Jesus, tell me what i should do now'. My heart asked myself who i would need most if i were in such a situation myself.... and i knew my reply was 'Jesus'.

I began to cry to the old uncle, "Uncle, you must hang on. Please hang on. The ambulance will be here soon....really, i called them.... Uncle, Jesus is here. He is here with you... Don't be afraid ok..."

This monologue went on for the next fifteen minutes. Cycle after cycle i cried out to the uncle. I did not know if he heard me; but i knew Jesus was with us at that point. I knew in confidence.

The ambulance finally arrived. They took him unto the ambulance, leaving his walking stick lying by itself a distance away. My colleague and i stood in the rain. The next day i got news that he did not make it.

* * *


For the next few days, i cried as i thought about the uncle. As i shared with my pastor and g12 sisters, i cried, and they teared together with me. However I was not traumatised; i think God had been cushioning me from the impact of this incident, probably by not letting the uncle die before my eyes and by having his face turned downwards all along that i was alone with him. He kept my heart really strong through the entire ordeal, and also through what He spoke to me about after the incident.

God told me He really cares about every single person; we are all His creation... no matter how far or how near we are to Him.

He assured my heart that He was with the uncle. (And with this, i claimed that uncle, if he had not known Jesus before the accident, received and reached out to receive Jesus' hand at those final moments)

He called me not to take my loved ones for granted, because life is really fragile.

He gently reminded me that our lives on earth are like a breath; uncle's body was flung like any parcel thrown into the air, and then 'Paaadddd!', dropped and smacked unto the ground. Only when our lives are in Christ, then they matter for eternity, no matter what happens to us.


* * *

Thank you Lord for being with me and tutoring my heart.

The Desert Song

Desert Song - Hillsong Live 2008

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

New Season

My feet treaded their first few steps in the new season.

It is real. My feet felt the ground, the freshness of it all.

I remember myself praying this as i stood before the entrance gate, "God, as i give every breath to You in this new place.... as i leap or turn or simply move, and find myself losing breath, let my every grasp for air be such a longing grab for You, an upward reach to want more and more of You".

Yet in the first steps so far, i found myself breathless many times, but never losing strength.

God is the Strength of my heart... and my feet.

I humbled my heart a lot more this week, as truly, when i am weak, He is strong.


Aren't you excited for me? :)

Drawn by a novel's lives

Am currently reading this book and i already had a favourite line 21 pages into the book:

Children aren't colouring books. You don't get to fill them with your favourite colours.

The intricate lives of the characters against the turbulent historical events makes the novel such an intense but close-to-life read.

Lord, show me Your heart

Reflections on Batam trip

My colleague and I went to recce 3 Batam orphanages yesterday with a school's teachers and students. As I pondered upon the trip, God showed me His heart, and mine.


Just before we left the first orphanage which had the worst conditions out of the three we visited, we met this lady carrying a baby. Immediately we noticed that her left eye is sick – its iris is diluted and there is no sign of a healthy round pupil. A brief talk with the help of the translator revealed that she was already two, though her size was half than it should be.

A closer look at her spotted arms told us that she also has skin disease. But what broke Jaime’s and my hearts most was that she constantly wears a frown. We looked at her earnestly and smiled, but the very instant our eyes met hers, she would turn sharply and hide her face by her mother’s neck. After several tries, the girl believed that we were not there to jeer at her, looked longer at us but her face still looked so sad. Even when she finally tried to smile back at us, the corners of her lips turned downwards, because… she is just so used to frowning.

* * *

At the second orphanage which was times better than the first, Jaime and I met a really diligent boy. All the children were in the small living room with a pile of freshly washed clothes. This boy was the only one who bothered to help fold the clothes, and he did it so intently, making sure corners met corners. Even the piling of the folded clothes was a serious chore for him; he rather rearranged the clothes than to not have them piled up from the smallest to the biggest at the bottom. When a piece got ruffled through the rearrangement, well, he re-folded it as meticulously as before.

I made this remark to Jaime, ”Wow, if ever I want and can afford to adopt a child, I will choose him!”

* * *

This morning, as I remembered these, I asked God to show me His heart. He only asked me one question,

“Why didn’t you think about adopting the first girl with the eye condition instead of the boy who impressed you with his diligence?”

My heart shuddered as I understood what God was exactly telling me. I had easily ‘chosen’ a boy who could potentially be an asset to me – helping out in housework or even just in folding clothes, or at least whom I do not need to worry about teaching to fold clothes (?!), over a girl who may never be able to give me back anything or even live long!

I knew Jesus’ choice if He were me. I repented this moment.

* * *

God led me to read Philippians 4:8 -

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

My thought on adopting an orphan probably sounded noble and lovely. But it was my own desire, and it was not pure because it had subconscious conditions.

God showed me that the various ‘whatever is’ in the verse does not imply choice, but they are actually ‘and’s.

This means if I have a thought that is right but not lovely, it is not excellent or praiseworthy in God’s eyes. The thought has to be true (and) noble (and) right (and) pure (and) lovely and admirable to be so.

I thanked the Lord as I made my way to church,

‘Thank You Lord for showing me that my heart’s desire, even when it sounds good or right, may not be Your desire. Thank You Lord for showing me Yours, and reminding me again, You are with the poor, and most of the time, the poorest.’

One life.

The song below has been ringing in my heart, mind and soul, and from my lips (:P), tugging at my heartstrings with every word.

It is written by my friend Rhordan who expresses his God-given gifts in such beautiful and awesome ways. I salute you Rhordan!

One Light.

One Light in the darkness
One Flame in the night
One Dream in my heart now
One Life now to Live

One Hope for the future
One Path I will walk
One Call now to live for
One Life now to Give

One Song that will echo
One Tune that will last
One Voice into tomorrow
One Life now to Serve

As i sang, i pictured Jesus as an ordinary man, walking on earth and singing this song. I caught a deeper glimpse of His heart last weekend at a camp - the heart to serve, and not to be served.

Greater love has no one than this, that He (Jesus) lay down His life for His friends ~ John 15:13

Can you dream?

Was sharing with a spiritual brother in his car what Jesus spoke to me about His heart for the lost when i was in Shanghai. The conversation went on to my endeavours with the Boys' Home like this.

Me: I guess the best thing i could and wanted to do for the boys was to project a positive future into each of their minds. A lot of them simply can't see their lives beyond a day; they live day by day.

Him: Well that is cos' they cannot dream. (this put a startling silence in my heart)
If they cannot believe they can achieve their aspirations, there is no point dreaming at all...

I then remembered when i was in secondary school and JC, i was also hesitant to dream much. Yes, i was in very good schools - River Valley High and Hwa Chong Junior College, but deep inside my heart i needed to find my identity and purpose more than anything else.

What about you?

If you are currently schooling, are you dreaming? Do you dare to dream?

If you are already working, do you grimace knowing that you have shortchanged yourself from dreaming all these while?


I am curious to find out your answer.

God on msn

As my MSN logged on tonight, i thought God spoke to me these.

Many are fond of or even hooked on using MSN because they can choose when or even whether to reply to messages that came on.

God says,"I have given every man and woman a choice too. Most of them have had heard My call of love in their hearts, but they are choosing when or whether to respond to Me".

* * *

How many of us remember moments or opportunities that were lost because of our delayed responses... Don't miss out on God's call anymore; you may be missing out the greatest opportunity in your life.

Heaven Rejoices over Nicolette and Jamie's Baptism!

Mirabel and Anthony's cells

For Jamie's baptism testimony, go to http://thank-triumph-bless.blogspot.com!

Take me to the place Lord
Where there’s nothing else but me and You
Longing for Your presence
I know that You are calling me to You

Here i stand
And long for Your embrace
Nothing else
Could ever take Your place

Come Holy Spirit
Fall in this place
I need more and more of You
Fill me again with the power of Your spirit
Lord i’m crying out for
More and more of You

Lord i’m crying out for
More and more of You