the good samaritan

HI PEOPLE!!! :)

sorry for the late update! last friday we were really blessed to have Pastor Cathryn from Eaglepoint Church come and share with us! She quoted Luke 10:25-37 which spoke on 'defining who our neighbours are'. She brought up many thought-provoking ideas on the matter that made us rethink our attitudes really.

In the story, the priest walked by the injured man without even looking, and the Levite was "a little more kepo" and went to see him, but walked away anyways. So when most of us read the story, we figured that we were more like the Samaritan man than the other two. But then Pastor Cathryn challenged us, asking how many of us watch the terrible things on the news through television, and can WALK AWAY, unaffected? How many of us can watch floods, genocide, trafficking and abuse happening all over the world, and feel no different? and at that moment, so many of us went WHOA.... never thought about it that way!

Many of us were left with that question, what are we doing as human trafficking is happening while we go through our everyday lives? What are we doing to relieve the plight of others? Do we care enough about the people suffering from malnourishment or poverty around us? I was personally challenged by everything Pastor Cathryn said, but felt like there was nothing much i could do now for these people who need help. So thinking about it, there are definitely some things we can do now, as little as they may seem. What we can do firstly, is PRAY. Matthew 21:22 says that " and all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." The simplest thing we can do for our brothers and sisters who are suffering around the world now is pray, to really pray as a cf and by ourselves, never giving up on praying even if nothing seems to be moving. Let's persistently keep upholding them to God, believing that one day they will be saved, physically and spiritually.

Also, let's keep a look out for things other things we can do now, even as students, be it volunteer at UNHCR, Tenaganita, or even just helping out with different ministries in church. Maybe if we surrendered just a bit more of our time, we could really make a difference in the lives of others. And the Bible says seek and you will find, so I believe that if you seek to make a difference, you will find many opportunities to be agents of change. But for sure, it won't be easy, but definitely so worth it.

Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven."

Join us next week, same time same place! And prayer meeting is ALIVE too, every morning at 7.40 am in the SAM garden! :) Change begins by prayer, remember that! :D Have a good week people! :)

GOD BLESS YOUU!

make YOUR difference

though you've probably read this verse before, read it again, for God may want to tell you something through it this time. :)

" Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ' Come, you blessed of My father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him saying,' Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, ' Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "
-Matthew 25:34-40

what are we doing for the 'least of My brethren' today? do we even realize the presence of these people around us? the quiet girl in your class? she may be struggling through family problems. the irritating guy you know? he may be lonely and desperately in need of a friend. see, the thing is, if all these people around us were Jesus, how much differently would we be acting? maybe what we all need to do is to stop looking at ourselves and start looking at others instead. we gotta love them like Jesus and "wash their feet" the way Jesus washed the disciples' feet. we were called to serve others not ourselves. we never know how much difference we could make by the little blessings we give to others. there's a difference only YOU can make in the lives of those around you today, dare you choose to make it?

know what? i'll tell you a secret!!! :) making a difference in someone's life, by doing little stuffs for em, actually makes you HAPPIER. i'm so serious, tried and tested! :D i believe that when giving becomes more of a habit than receiving that you will realize that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. so today, take up the challenge. make your difference everyday. say hi to a lonely stranger, buy someone a subway cookie (did i mention i love subway cookies? ;P ), tell your family you love them, write someone an encouraging note or just laugh at the complete unfunny joke your friend made. put a smile on the face of others and you'll feel the joy overwhelming you too. believe it! :D sure it may be a random act of kindness, but so what? let's live life riskily and to the fullest each day!!! :)

let us all show others Christ by loving them the way Christ loves us. :)

and here's something to ponder on
" Being gifted doesn't mean you have been given something, it means that you have something to give others."

and guys, if you've been looking for a good radio station but haven't found one yet, check this out!!! they're awesome. :D
http://www.spiritfm.com/spiritlisten32.html

goodbye for now!!! :D
p.s come for prayer meeting! ain't no better way to start your day!!! :D

All The Right Things

Hey guys, CF today was totally POWERFUL. We had Pastor Dave Yeow from Acts Church over to share, and he re-ignited our passion to make a difference while we're still here in college, to dare to stand up and make a stand and to live a strong Christian life, no matter what people say, if we really do want to make a difference.

We're only in college ONCE (discounting those of you who wanna be lecturers but haiya it's not the same la) and let's not live life with regrets, all the 'what if's', thinking how you would live your life differently if you could go through college again, how you wouldn't be wasting your time at the AC pool centre everyday, how you could have made a difference and impacted the lives of your family, friends and lecturers.

There was a lot we took back from CF today, so hey! If you're missing out on it, join us next week, same time, same place as the green picture thingy above. And hey do bookmark this page so it's easy to check updates from time to time.

Also, the post before this is by my co-blogger, Candice! (muahaha) Yeah our job is to update you guys and keep this blog more than alive, but LIVELY and we can't do it alone. Drop us a short 'hello' if you're visiting us, in the chatbox on the right!

Have a great day/evening (it's evening now) and GOD BLESS. =P

daily dose of inspiration

hi everyone!!! :) here's one of my favourite stories that you may or may not have heard before, but either ways, do take a moment to read and think about it! there may be new things for you to learn from it. ;)

Three Trees

Once there were three trees on the hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams with one another when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver, and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyonce can see my beauty."

The second tree said," Someday i will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

The third tree said, "I want to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. When people look at me on the top of the hill, they will look up to my branches and think of the heavens, and of God and how close i am to reaching Him. I will be the greatest tree of all and people will always remember me.

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came to the trees.

When one came to the first tree, he said, "This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the carpenter." So the woodsmen cut it down. The tree was happy cause he knew that he would be made into a beautiful treasure chest.

When another came to the second tree, he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think i can sell it to the shipyard." The woodsmen cut this tree down too, and it was happy because he thought he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came to the third tree, he was afraid because he knew that if he was cut down, his dreams would not come true. But the woodsmen cut him down anyways, for no special purpose.

When the first tree reached the carpenter's, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he wished for.

The second tree was cut into a small fishing boat. His dream of becoming a mighty ship and carrying kings came to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and a woman came to the barn. She gave birth and placed the baby in the hay in the feed box made from the first tree. The man wished he could have made a crib for the baby but the manger would have to do.

The first tree could feel the significance of this event and knew that he held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men went into the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were on the water, a great storm rose and the second tree was afraid that he was not strong enough to keep them safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Peace" and immediately the storm stopped.

At this time, the boat knew that it had carried the King of Kings in his boat.

Finally someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.

When Sunday came, the tree realized that it was strong enough to stand on the top of the hill and be closer to God than he ever dreamed possible, for the Lord Jesus was crucified on him.

Are you the feed box today, completely given up on your dreams? Or are you the fishing boat, used only in smooth waters? Or are you the large piece of wood, growing dustier each day? Sometimes in life, we all reach a stop, a phase where we begin to wonder if God is really there, if God is really listening to our prayers. But take heart, He is listening. Not only that, He loves you so much that He wants to do things His way for you, for He knows that His ways are better. Perhaps you didn't get the grades you wanted because God wants you to take a different course. Perhaps you didn't get to go to the party because God wants you to be closer to your family. Perhaps not getting the job you want means a better one is coming. Our God is a God of wonders, and if you just surrender, really let it all go to him, you can be assured that life will never be sweeter. Place your hope in Jesus Christ and watch it blossom to more you than you could have ever imagined.

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you kne that those jobs needed doing so you are not surprised. But presently He starts to knock the house in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What is He up to? The explanation is that He is making a house that is quite different than the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. And He intends to come and live in it Himself."

- C.S Lewis

God bless you!! :)

ECA Carnival

ECA Carnival is tomorrow!!! And now that CF is OFFICIAL in Taylor's, we'll be having OUR OWN BOOTH! Praise the Lord! So come on over and support us! We'll need manpower in distributing flyers and getting the word out that CF is official now!

=P Cheese~!