ONLY BY GRACE

Luke 18:1-8 1. Jesus thinks it is important for us to learn how to pray. 2. When we pray, we are not to lose heart. 3. There are many things in life we can pray for - goods, guilt, acts of God etc 4. Need to be convinced God hears 5. The point is not whether we can get an answer but if Jesus can find faith. 6. What do you have faith for today? 7. Will Jesus find faith in our hearts and homes? Enemies of faith 1. Resignation 2. Coping 3. Numb 4. Bitterness 5. Tiredness 6. Self-centeredness 7. Self-loathing Areas needing faith 1. Forgiveness of others 2. Injustice 3. Sickness/health 4. Loss 5. Bondage from sin 6. Broken relationships 7. Abuse 8. Lack & poverty 9. Anxiety & depression 10. Blindness & deception 11. Change in transition ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Today's sermon and so apt.  "Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Ye

A group that I will remember quite fondly. Of all the courses I've ran since last year, this has to be the most challenging one by far.  The start of the week was shrouded with a lot of doubts and uncertainties. I wasn't confident I could keep this group together because of how separated they were. I found myself battling with a lot of negative thoughts and even the comments I passed to my colleagues weren't encouraging as well. It made my spirit very heavy. I don't recall being desperate enough to pray to ask for guidance but I knew I was at my wits ends. I believe in those low moments, God saw through my thoughts and emotions. And truly, He knows what to give even before I would utter my requests. This is how big my God is.  He paved the way for me to speak right into their hearts and I don't believe it is of any coincidence when we had that HTHT session on Tues night. I felt that broke something in the group and in the subsequent days, the group's dy

Almost there....almost there. My biggest investment ever!  The journey that started last Sept is almost coming to a completion. The last few months and especially weeks were spent putting in the finer details - choosing materials, colours, furniture etc Whilst it was fun hunting for furniture it was quite a stressful experience also as the $$$ came out fast and furious.  Nevertheless I know that this is all worthwhile as it will be an investment that will exceed my earthly expectations. My God who is able to care for all the birds and provide a home for them will give to His daughter even more. I'm thankful every time I recount the provision He lavished on me and I believe His blessings will continue to flow through and out of this house that He has lovingly provided.  "Who am I, that the lord of all the earth Would care to know my name Would care to feel my hurt? Who am I, that the bright and morning star Would choose to light the way For my ever wanderin

In Every Circumstance "God’s ideas about our flourishing are different than ours. We think flourishing means eight hours of shut-eye, a good job, being surrounded by people who treat us with respect, being given the opportunity to succeed at something, good medical care, a loving marriage, and happy children. Those are good things, but they are not the things God is most concerned about supplying us in this life for our flourishing. In God’s economy, we flourish when our need for Him is met in Him.  There is no circumstance under heaven that God isn’t using to grow us into oaks of righteousness. There is no need that He won’t fill with Himself. The promise is really true: God really will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus ( Philippians 4:19 ). There is nothing we truly need that is not found in Christ . Even more, the circumstances of being denied an earthly need or desire are often His tailored means of accelerating our holin

Newest additions : Gabe & Shane Leong  I AM OFFICIALLY AN AUNTIE TO 2 NEPHEWS!!!  When asked how I feel about the arrival of the twins, I really didn't know what or how to feel. To some extent, there was a mixture of jealousy and envy because having twins was something I wished for myself.  Truth be told, I wasn't that excited as I had to adjust to the house being more crowded, messier and my personal space became smaller. All these nagging thoughts and feelings were a struggle and I was thankful for my camps as they became like mini retreats for me.  In any case, I had to accept the fact that the family has expanded and I had to take stock of my own emotions and to commit them to God appropriately. Took my time to be familiar with the twins and learnt to carry these fragile little things. There's something magical about having a tiny bub in your arms. The feeling is especially warm when the little one snuggles near the bosom (the position of security and comf

My 2nd RAC course turned out to be a memorable one. What I initially thought will be a disastrous week actually became one that will stick with me for a long time to come.  A motley all-boys group comprising of St Pats, GMSS , Deyi and HCI. The first impression the group gave me wasn't a very positive one with a few whose body language clearly told me that they really did not want to attend the camp. A sinking feeling hit me as I started my first get-to-know-you conversations. It wasn't as pleasant nor positive like my previous few courses. Nevertheless, I had to just press in and do my best to liven up the atmosphere and to have the boys buy into the programme slowly but surely.  If anything, I believe Simon and myself had divine favour as we heard of other instructors dealing with scuffles and defiant students who had to eventually be dealt by the higher management. In comparison, I believe we had a reasonably manageable group. Not only were we able to have control over t