“台上一分钟，台下十年工”

近几个星期与小瓜们一同做道具，看到大家的用心，令我非常感动。

少年人的字典找不到 “行不通” 这三个字。点子源源不绝，一个比一个华丽、奢侈。为了一首四分多钟的歌，换三个布景，已经用了数十个工作小时，至今仍未完成，旁观的家长、朋友不仅感叹：孩子们啊，这样作值得吗？

大家虽没说出来，却以行动明确地表示：是值得的！我们不是吃饱没事做，自找麻烦。做这一切不为了什么，只是想把最好的献给我们的上帝！

今天忙完“富士山二号”的制作，拖着疲惫的身心回家。在路上突然想起 “台上一分钟，台下十年工” 这句话，觉得非常贴切。台上歌手、演员、音乐家的一场演出最长也不过是三、四个小时。台上的风光不知是多少栽培和汗水的成果。他们不会因为时间短促而不勤加练习，为的是忠于艺术，换取观众的掌声。

小瓜们：别人怎么说，就随他们去吧。你们没有因为献唱歌曲短促而不尽全力将道具做好，希望你们不是想换取人的赞许，而只是想换取上帝的掌声！这三个星期与你们的 “朝夕相对” 更是让我觉得在神的家里大家相辅相成，一个人的长处可补另一个的短处。谢谢你们无私的付出 =）

Pub trivia (1)...

Why this post is called 'Pub trivia' is so as to offer you a glimpse of the various publicities we did... And the reason why its 'trivia' is simply because its Trivial stuff. Yes... I'm sure smart you would have gotten it long ago...

So, we went to PLCMC, TACMC and KYCMC last Sunday, 25/11 for publicity.

This is the PL adult choir, oh they do have a youth choir, how nice :) And thank you PL youth for taking 20 tickets!!!

Handing out a ticket! Congrats to you XXX, proud owner of a 15/12 ticket!

Little boy Shawn who really liked Zhongjie... Haha.

Well, only managed to take photos in PL...

Oh! and we met a ULTRA superUberDuper cute guy there... *grins*

Haha, me and Wenxin couldn't get our hands off him...

Presenting to you....

"CHARLES!!!"

AWWWww... ... ...

While waiting for the second service to end, we discovered adorable little Charles lying very quietly in his pram.

We REALLY really hope to see you at our concert Charles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And all you PL folks and TA and KY and BP and AMK and Foochow and HC and TP and QC folks!

Watch out for our next dash of 'Pub trivia', right here at the official blog.

Applelovely

Why applelovely? Here's why:

I was supposed to be in church at 3.30pm. Already running late, but I had this sudden urge to buy apples for Dom 7th. It's crazy, I thought, already late and still buying apples?

Whatever, it's not every day I do something crazy.

So I went where my legs took me reaching the nearest supermarket in less than 10 minutes. I bought 20 apples. I would have gotten more, but that was about as much as I could carry. Since I was already running late, I thought I'd catch a cab to church. 2 empty cabs zoomed past me. Humph...Maybe they didn't like me. Finally a 3rd cab stopped.

The cab driver was about 50+ yrs old. I got on the cab. No greeting, no smile, no asking me where I wanted to go. After a short uncomfortable silence, I gave him my destination. He didn't utter a single word the entire journey. Plus, he wasn't smiling. In fact, he looked troubled with a deep frown plastered on his forehead.

I was all ready to conclude that maybe he was a mute or something. But then again, maybe he just had a bad day. I very much wanted to ask him what was bothering him but decided to mind my own business in case he was bent on giving me a tongue-lashing.

When I was about midway through the journey, I thought I might share the gospel with him. But truly, I was a coward. Should I? Should I not? Should I? Should I not? Playing this tick-tock game in the head wasn't fun at all. It's tormenting. What if he decided to boot me off the cab? Maybe he just wasn't in the mood.

All the excuses. All so familiar.

With each second ticking by, I was getting closer to my destination. There must be something I can do!

Just at the junction before my church, I thought, maybe I'll give him one of my apples. Maybe I shouldn't. It's just so...out of step.

It was then that I realised, it takes so much courage to be nice to a stranger. A coward like me won't make it.

The cab drew to a stop and the meter registered $4.70. I paid the exact fare. And before I bolted out of the cab, I don't know where I had the courage or the strength to do it, I reached down into my shopping bag, grabbed a big red apple and said to the uncle in Mandarin: This is for you and Jesus loves you.

He turned his head and his frown broke into a smile, maybe for the 1st time that day. He looked at me in the eye, said thank you and that I was very kind.

As I was getting out of the cab, I finally understood the insanity of buying the apples when I was running late.

Between smiles and tears, I whispered a prayer of thanks. Isn't He wonderful?

I penned this 050507 anecdote for the church editorial some time back. I thought of sharing it here again so that we may realise that we're touching lives one at a time, one small act at a time!

Let's pray that we all have the courage to reach out to others, no matter when and where.

same for 2

the same breath which allowed voice.
is back to take it away.

im down with some flu whatnot..
and my throat is feeling gapping wide, like asif the mouth and the nose are now connected by a highway instead of the usual side road.

when i try to sing, it hurts like mad.
when such happens, i suddenly feel pessimistic about the concert.
like its getting into me. How am i going to sing all 9 songs + 2 without my throat ripping apart.
Lord forgive me, the assuming fool.
forgive my insolence when i failed to keep my throat healthy.
Forgive my cowardice.

It reminded me about how a same thing can be for the good, or bad.
like our bodies.
Holy for God's enjoyment.
desecrated for sin, for the satisfaction of secular desires.

why? simple. because of the bug, the virus, the bacteria, the enemy.
a beautiful voice, now torn and destroyed.
a beautiful soul, mutilated

Thank God for jesus's blood.
for it cures all.
yes, it cures AIDs
cancer
grows bones
grows organs
anything. just so long its GOOD.

我要歌唱主赐的恩典
but i can just keep that in mind.
till the sore throat passes by.

i will sing of God's grace.
i will pray for the immunity

i will walk with jesus under the umbrella, singing in the rain
till the storm ceases.

it's an Attitude.

Cheerfulness :)

"The cheerful heart has a continual feast."
~Proverbs 15:15 NIV

Cheerfulness is more than a perky personality trait.

It’s an Attitude that causes you to see the best in other people…
It’s an Attitude that causes you to put aside negative thoughts and choose to give God the praise and glory for each new day.

TRUE cheerfulness is an attitude that allows you to be compassionate, caring kind and encouraging to others no matter what your circumstances might dictate.

Cheerfulness is in fact a sign of faith – that God will cause all things to work out for your good and for his glory.

May our positive perspective on life not be dependent on the changing winds of circumstance.
Instead, may it be grounded in God, who is unchanging.
Even during difficult times, see your Attitude of cheerfulness as a sacrifice of praise to our loving Father. You will soon find that you can serve as a sign of hope and encouragement to others!

Task: Ask God to help you spread that cheerfulness around through your smile and your happy disposition.

“欢迎你来出席我们的音乐会！Hehe... ”

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart.
~Proverbs 15: 30 NIV

*cheerful mosaic Michael J. Foster

PROPagenda!!

Mount Fuji (Fujisan) is with 3776 meters Japan's highest mountain. It is not surprising that the nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been worshipped as a sacred mountain and experienced big popularity among artists and common people.

Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano, which most recently erupted in
1708. It stands on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka
Prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear
days.

The easiest way to view Mount Fuji is from the train on a trip along the Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Osaka. If you take the shinkansen from Tokyo in direction of Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, the best view of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed from around Shin-Fuji Station on the right hand side of the train, about 40 to 45 minutes after leaving Tokyo.

Note however, that clouds and poor visibility often block the view of
Mount Fuji, and you have to consider yourself lucky if you get a clear view of the mountain. Visibility tends to be better during the colder seasons of the year than in summer, and in the early morning and late evening hours.

FUJISAN; 父子圣灵 三位一体！a dormant volcano we have made dominant! for the 幽谷scene, to get the texture of a mountain, we have employed a ('sky' idea) corny floury method rolling in much of our hygiene resource, toilet paper! mache! mounting. de en will post pictures of our dominant fuji soon (: btw we'll have to make another one. even more diminished in size. after which we'll have to spray paint it (camouflage the fuji in to the sinful, dirty state of mankind) >.<

on this very tuesday morning, some of the girls have gone to swim (hope they have a splashing time and it's shine after rain!) i was obliged to stay home to clear some stuff, such as my nose and room, which i have yet to. but something i've cleared, and cleared my head a little, is the first few chapters of A.W. Tozer's Tozer speaks to students book. (glad to have received this as as birthday gift along with Andrew Murray :D) when i read the above description of mt fuji (obtained from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2172.html) some things sort of paralleled what i just read so. just some, out/in-sights.

the nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been worshipped as a sacred mountain by many; OUR PERFECT GOD (公义又慈爱) ought to be and deserves ALL our adoration and to be adored by ALL. Fuji stands on the border; (someone said this before- jireh?or anyway the bible says)there are only two types of people on earth, either we are in Adam (dead with sin) or in CHRIST (alive). no grey area. no teetering on the border. supposing God's at the top of the mountain. we're with Jesus, we walk together, we'll only be climbing higher and higher, seeing God clearer and clearer.

Note however, that clouds and poor visibility often block the view of Mount Fuji, and you have to consider yourself lucky if you get a clear view of the mountain. Note however, that "Ye shall receive power..." (Acts 1:8) those four words are the promise our Lord Jesus Christ gave to His waiting disciples. (quoting Tozer) the Holy Spirit comes giving us inward understanding so "Ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things..." (1John 2:27) He simply lifts the fog off it and shows it to us. He does not create the mountain; He takes away the shroud from the mountain so that it stands clear and bright in the sunshine. this was about a point that the power that come to us by our faith does not create objects, which is the main difference between our faith and other imaginative, weird, occult religions (Tozer said all this!) Above all things the business of the Spirit of God in its fullest effectiveness is to remove the veil from the soul and show us Jesus Christ. "He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:15)

hope we'll continue our PROPagenda with 你我他的三角关系 in mind and next session will be on wednesday! we'll concentrate on making another micro fuji (the one we did is only for the board on one side there'll be the other side-prepare to milk your hands again!)， making more skulls and skells for the 山脚，inserting the helly hot lava/flames with possibly cellophane or spraypainted string, making the canopy for the garden scene! and regarding the sea scene i hope we can work on it on thursday- mabel can you arrange that? thanks- and to qihui and others who have been and will continue bringing/buying materials diligently :D to achieve our PROPosals!

PROP OUR PRAISE TO GOD! (our own praise with our voices, and if we get praised when we praise/propmake!)

an FMC sister commended on our beautiful work and our seeming hardworkingness when she passed by 404! :D
and it's quite...(insert suitable adjective here- applelovely?) to publicize/spread the gospel to taxi drivers! on our way back last sat from worship pianist class (4 little girls) we were practicing 神迹 in the taxi intentionally, after which the auntie responded by asking if it was a christian song, and that we can sing louder if we want! (: tada. then we ended off by giving her a flyer, pointing out to her that our destination was where the concert will be held if she were interested to come! (sadly we didn't have tickets with us immediately BUT at least a flyer and some memories of our voices :D somewhat not in harmony totally though)

why applelovely- ask aiping. aiya! we should have said Jesus loves you! :D

shinejesusshine! :D

i reallyreallyreally think my posts are very silly compared to the rest but NEVERMIND!
i shall blog:D

well just popped by to say,
we live by faith & not by sight.
so, don't be too affected by the tickets thingy aight!(:

i'm sure God as a better plan.

i'm looking forward to 'seeing' his plans, are you?

alright, pardong my bad english.
HAVE A GOOD DAY(:

till the storm ceases,
love(:

a flower a day, keeps sadness away(:

Tally

Ticket tally @ 6pm today:
413 tix for 14 Dec (Fri)
116 tix for 15 Dec (Sat)

Ticket Tally @ 10pm today:
463 tix for 14 Dec (Fri)
166 tix for 15 Dec (Sat)

*scratch head* why? - so you ask.

I'm still trying to digest the news. We gave a certain church 100 tix for each of the days, but it was suddenly made known to me that they can't give out the tickets 'cos they have an event on 15 Dec.

Yah, I know they have no obligation to help us. This is worse than outright rejection. It's false hope. I can't help being disappointed. We still have so many tickets. And we've gone to almost all the CAC churches already.

Suddenly lost. I'm like...God, tell us what lies ahead. What plans do you have for us?

Be still my soul
要等候

thoughts from publicity...

ok, this came kind of late... i took some pics at both foochow methodist church and ang mo kio methodist church (where i went for publicity on last sunday). but i'm still procrastinating in putting them up... just give me a little while more.. =)

it was really heartening to receive warm welcomes from people in other churches. it felt like visiting our FAMILY! thank you, brothers and sisters in Christ from other churches! =)

i hope there will be more occasions for us to interact with one another. and we await your appearance at our cd launch!

we did face some hostile moments though. and in those moments, i felt like a salesperson trying to sell something, which i think is good, yet people do not seem to appreciate it at that point of time. the lyrics of 永恒的保障.我们的专长 just kept ringing in my ears when i was "selling" the cd launch to others. (if you want to find out what are the lyrics in the song, then you must come for our cd launch!)

i am not sure how many people felt it (or will feel it). but personally, i think each of these songs hold a special meaning to me and somehow, God seem to speak to me through them. as such, it did upset me a little when people rejected us. because i feel that they are rejecting something that they do not know and they do not even take a second look at it.

anyway, i am really glad that the tickets (and just in case you wonder, the tickets are FREE...) are going out so quickly. i just cannot wait to share the fruit of our labour with everyone out there. and we are talking about the fruit from a few batches of dominant 7th (previously, 青少音乐组).

i am sure that most, if not all, of my choir mates share the same thoughts and cannot wait to share our songs with you, at our launch. the cd-making process has not been easy for anyone who has stepped into the recording studio. but it does not stop there. editing, designing, mixing, mastering.. even now, everyone is still busy with PROPS-making on top of our tight schedule for rehearsals!

however, the process has definitely been sweet and brought us together even more. it is not easy to have people of different age in the same group and yet, still be able to bond in the love of Christ. the youngest in the group is 13 and as for the oldest being, erm... u make a guess.. and it's not me! =)

i really hope to see YOU (whoever's reading this blog) at our cd launch. it has been 5 years of hard work from all of us and even now as we enter into the last stage of the cd-making, we still cannot relax because there is so much more to be done!

at this point, i just got to give a teeny weeny bit more credit to our producer for all the pre-recording, during recording and post-recording stuff that he has done (and still doing) during these 5 years. thank you! =)

if you wonder why we are working so hard, it is really to share our best with all of you out there; and most importantly, to give our best to our Lord. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

it was by God's grace (through the love of a brother in Christ) that we were able to produce this cd. the purpose of this launch is not to push the sales for the cd. we recorded this cd and now we are launching it because we want to share God's love with you. and we hope that, through the songs, you will be able to experience God's love for you.

thus, i hope that those who have not obtained the FREE tickets to our cd launch to contact your friends (who are in dom 7th), or to call the numbers listed in the poster right in the first post and get them NOW. because opportunities do not knock on the door all the time and... our tickets for saturday night (15 december 2007) is running out fast! hope to see you at our cd launch! =)

now de en,
WHY DIDN'T BLOGGER EAT UP THAT SUPPOSEDLY-BEAUTIFUL-PICTURE-BUT-TURNED-UGLY-BECAUSE-MY-FAT-BACKVIEW-IS-IN-IT PICTURE!?
i look so.. AWESOME!
(not)

anyways,
i felt like i did a gazillion sit ups after practice today.
it was tiring but HEY!
i still enjoyed the whole practice!(:

seriously, i never thought serving God could be this fun
& i thank God that i'm in it(:
oh, i thank God that ALL OF YOU are in dom7th too(:

hokay i promise i'll post a longer & not-so-random post soon aight!

rest well & exercise alotalot people!
much love,
mab(:

why God, why me?

whoo! after blogger ate up my posts, pictures and video, more posts came from the other members!



well today i just wont stop asking God.

God, why choose me?

but then again i know the answer, its exactly why im saved.

out of pure grace, out of infinite love.



ok well. in propagenda 3,

we had the record time for making props.

im serious. though the steam kinda ran out later

but im VERY sure we did alot more compared to the first session.

For me it was an eye openner.

i just came in without any expectations on the thursday afternoon.

and whoo!

everything was in place, the picture was taking shape.

prior to the monday's session which i could not turn up,

trees sprouted, flowers bloomed. The setting was decided, the animals increased in their numbers.

reminds me about how exciting it must have been for God when you saw to the formation of the universe.



well anyway, a picture of the garden.




today is saturday. so that means we're finally starting on the

( i really dont know how you'd call it) thingy.

its like song introduction thing. and of course we're to memorise and imbue emotions.

ok erm hm. one sad thing i realised. Was that most of the testimonies took place in like... childhood?
i mean, could it be that other than our precious childhood years, we never had better or significant exeriences?
(oh visitors and guests, pls also consider this at your own time.)
SAD RIGHT?!

sad. of course sad.
isit the hustle and bustle?

why isit that we're letting the fierce torrents of tasks and ambitions wash us away?

actually i dont have an answer.
Im in the church choir, im in the youth comm, i make videos for church.
I daresay im an involved youth.
but i dont have an answer for that, you see, even church stuff can add to that torrent which often concusses and confuses.


let us leave life today consciously.
John wesley wrote in the hymnal, that we should be aware of being half dead or asleep.
I believe this applies to life, as much as it applies to singing!



stay awake guys.

till the storm ceases.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us

hey Beloved!

Sorry this came kinda late you will see (my procrastination again…)

I am so heartened by the words of De En. Spoke exactly what i wanted to share during the week i was due for sharing but could not because of Discipleship Holy Communion.

Indeed, every step of this exciting and elated journey calls for a somber look deep into the recesses of our heart, to see if seeds of pride germinate in ungodly heat, sprinkled by the waters of self-praise and self-consuming glory. For me I have to be real careful about this as well, for it creeps in unknowingly. Everytime i step up on the stage, and feel the darkness of my pride, may the Spirit chasten me to say: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory” (Psalms 115:1)

切记。。。。巴别塔的狂傲

切记。。。。尼布甲尼撒王遥望巴比伦，说：“这不是我用大能大力建为京都，要显严的荣耀吗？”
上帝从天上对他说他必被赶出离开世人，与野地的兽同居，吃草如牛。
最终，王亲口说：“那行动骄傲的，他能降为卑” (但以理书4：37)

切记。。。。但以理被邀为尼布甲尼撒王解梦时，说：“只有一位在天上的神，能显明奥秘的事” (但以理书2：27)

切记。。。。希律王对众民讲论时，受人称赞：“这是神的声音，不是人的声音。”
圣经说希律不归荣耀给神，所以主的使者立刻罚他，他被虫所咬，气就绝了”
(使徒行传12：22)

切记。。。。巴拿巴与保罗医治了一个瘸腿的，众人看了，说：“有神藉着人形降临在我们中间了！”
请听巴拿巴与保罗迫切的回应：“为什么做这事呢？我们也是人，性情和你们一样！” (使徒行传14：15)

切记。。。。来临的音乐献祭

求神帮助我们

切记。。。。

“耶和华啊，荣耀不要归于我们，不要归于我们，要因你的慈爱和诚实归在你的名下！”

:D a PROPosal?

pray on (:

GOD'S FOOTPRINTS ARE ALREADY ON THE SAND. AND THE SEA.
will you leave yours beside His?

you'll be happy if you do!!! :D

we're proposing that in the song 不再孤单! (:

thanks everyone for having fun doing props

(i'm assuming u do :D and that's probably not a false assumption) and do join us for the coming sessions most likely monday, thursday, friday. i propose YOU, yes YOU reading this, prop aside some time properly to propmake, if not propagenda, and pray-again-dar-(lings)! haha doesnt sound very perfect but HIS PLAN IS and it's oh so B-E-A-utiful.

OH FUXING i saw a komodo dragon too!! on 21/11 at sentosa. ;)

All things bright & beautiful >>>

这是天父世界

I was on my way to school for my last A level paper, when I saw a bright yellow bird (I think it is called Eurasian Golden Oriole) and a Komodo dragon (separately). It is certainty a rare sight and I actually saw both of them in one day. The animals are amazingly designed and the credit really goes to God, the Creator!

For “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)

Next, I shall share a photo by yours truly.

美景将祂彰显！
Let us never cease to honor our creator , who love us for who we are.

这是天父世界，耶稣爱我。

Round 2!

Haha...I'm glad everyone got a taste of publicity today =) Waking up early on a Sunday morning, set up booth, get a fair share of rejection, adrenaline rush before the making of announcements, chaotic ticketing procedures...大家都在各自的角落为同一个目的忙碌！谢谢大家， 你们辛苦了！

To date, we've got about 1, 000 tickets out. That works out to around 50%! Thank God! 2 more publicity Sundays to go, so go for it Dom7th!

We're drenched in His showers of blessing!

PROPagenda

OK. today in propagenda...

the first props were manufactured today in QCMC 4th level.
The group of workers finally sat down to walk the talk.

however, due to poor attendance.
3 toadstools
2flowers
1 stalk
1 butterfly
1/2 tree.

Goodness...
all i know is. more input is required for a larger output.
eg. or inputs required.
raw materials (paint, brushes, hands)
people.
time.

if the input increases 100%
the output might well increase 200%
(really?)
well okay. be sure to tune in for more
propagenda by 温馨

next up is the toa payoh experience.
however, time is running short and a teenager desperately needs sleep.

i'll just talk about how i agree with aiping.
quote:
"Serving in church in the area of the performing arts is tricky business. Singing, playing and acting - all very showy. Sometimes I find myself sliding into the trap of doing so for personal glory rather than God's glory, for ppl's praises rather than God's approval. Sometimes I wish to draw attention to myself when it shouldn't be. The line is just so thin. If others see only us but not God's work on us, it is clear that we have fallen short of our goal."

well.
if its ever so tricky.
darn it applies to me
right now i just pray hard that im anti-self-seeking.

cauz today at toa payoh's friendy, quaint singing competition,
we witnessed some *cough* singing.
(sorry i dont mean it mean-ly)
well. basically. to put it in the best sense ever.
we saw people who had alot more courage then voice
(that is more of a good point, some have voice and no courage, it amounts to nothing. However those with courage still get to sing.^^)
well. at first i was getting all proud and stuff.
Though i didnt voice them, the awful criticisms were drifting in my head.
but.
i was jolted to sense.
i was wrong, im missing the point.
again God values the heart and not the voice.
cause'
"when the music fades, all is stripped away. And i simply come"
its just us, its not the music. ( i hope i didnt interpret wrongly)

then i thought and thought.
and it dawned on me, in a scary fashion....
if i performed and the audienced applauded... i would be left empty should it be that jesus's clap never sounded.

however, i could well imagine how those grannies received claps from jesus himself, even with a voice most humans dont regard or recognise.

what would i my answer be, should Jesus had been there tonight.
sitting in the row before me.
what would i say?
what would i say if he turns around, with a smile written over his face.
what would be my answer when he points to the "singer" infront and asks me.
"She's jolly good ain't she?"

could i say a yes, and mean it?
could my view of the performance be devoid of the sharps and flats?
can i appreciate people the way God does?

for today. im sad to be reminded that i cant.
Why?
because of my own pride in my voice, something that doesnt even belong to me.

such pride, easily and mindlessly obtained will keep us away from God.
It will hurt us, hurt them, hurt HIM.

think today, whether you sing or not.
because its not just singing that causes us to stumble.

push on.
till the storm ceases.

In the buzzz of things

Yes, I've finally finished writing my paper! My CA is officially over! Now, like tucky said, it's time to be involved!! I really can't wait to do the props and get down to the full dress rehearsals. After like...5 years (!!!), the anticipation is really killing me. Haha...

Before I start getting high, let me share some stuff about the stage, the act and the heart. I've been wanting to share this 'cos it's so relevant for the concert.

Serving in church in the area of the performing arts is tricky business. Singing, playing and acting - all very showy. Sometimes I find myself sliding into the trap of doing so for personal glory rather than God's glory, for ppl's praises rather than God's approval. Sometimes I wish to draw attention to myself when it shouldn't be. The line is just so thin. If others see only us but not God's work on us, it is clear that we have fallen short of our goal.

Dominant 7th: to lead ppl back 'home' (to the tonic chord) to be in the perfect cadence with God, through our music, our songs, our service in the music ministry. The heart of worship - it's God, not us.

The stage is our altar. In the old testament, there are always elaborate preparations before a sacrifice is offered to God. What do we offer up? Do we prepare our hearts, our offerings? Therein lies the quest for perfection. Not for arts' sake, but to give our God the best that we can give. Do we prepare enough? Are we doing the best that we can?

As we get into the the BUZZ of things, let's remember not to offer substandard B-rate stuff to our God, our creator. Do everything out of reverence for God and worship the Lord in spirit and in truth!

Okay, now that I'm high on the right Spirit, I want to say something about the publicity at the CAC held at Kum Yan!

It was planned that CAC was held at Kum Yan and through Pastor Chong, we actually got to bring the news to the ppl at Kum Yan. We were intially turned down for publicity in that church but miraculously, on Wednesday, friendly Ian invited us to do publicity at the youth service!

My heart leapt for joy as I witnessed God's loving works. What are the chances? Everything was worked out. Just like this. *SNAP* Done. No human wisdom would have seen it coming. When a door shuts, another door opens. God is truly gracious!

In His time - He makes all things beautiful in His time =)

PROPagenda

HEY FELLOW SERVANT SINGERS!

my first post here.
anyway, since qihui has already posted yesterdays' pictures..
i shall post about...PROPS!! (it's alright right? there's still the element of surprise because talk and product may be vastly different...)

okay anyway, we need MATERIALS.
to save money, please collect (if u wish to know why can ask me personally):

1) toilet paper rolls (any size is fine)
2) majorly green things that can be cut into leaf-like shapes (e.g. green tissue boxes/cloth)
3) blue/white string like things
4) wires/random craft material
5) GLUE (if u can spare any good ones- very essential)
6) PAINTING TOOLS (brushes/paints/palettes/SPONGES/RAGS)

THANKS and bring on saturday if you have. just wondering, is there any space in church where we can put the materials? even better a working space but i know that's quite too much to ask. will be finalizing the designs and stuff soon and will post again! thank you for volunteering to help i know all of you cant wait to get your hands dirty right! just kidding i think not. okay shall post random pictures to try this out.

we could have a captions contest for these... (insert adjective) _______ pics! XD
(chocolates from TIFFANY from australia; thanks!! and the keychains too! )






















jireh's long leg (tianci's arrangement inspired by zhongjie's creativity) and he claims he did not intend to be caught by the camera in the last pic! yah right, breko's beef! not just medium, but rare! go have the door, it's aJAR! when we wanted drinks by jar.

zhongjie's brother joined us, and said something funny! introduced himself as zhong1 yi4, and someone commented "zong yi da ge da!" and he retaliated "wo shi zongyi, ta cai shi da1 ge1 da1 ! (points at zhongjie)" hahaha!

okay randomness.

doesn't yixin's pic (2nd one) make u think of this commercial song... "give me one give me one give me one more? XD"

alright looking forward to one more one more many more posts! <3
leading to 15 dec!

dom7th~ for the divine perfect cadence (:

guess Who!
X

Till the Storm Ceases Goes GOLD!

When something goes GOLD, it is at the final stages before production and distribution.

over the past few weeks..
to some of the members, the flyers, tickets, choreo all popped out from nowhere.
but the confusion ends here, because we've already stepped into the holidays.
Its time to be involved, time to know where things come from because you made those things, because we're already at our final stages of development, with a short, SHOCKING 28(approx) days left to shipping!
well. lets see.
we've got the props to do.
the hearts to prepare
the bonds to forge
the publicity to dare

2 songs (requires confirmation) have reached the final copy status.
Thank God for the editor who has the "never too good enough" mindset.

well maybe i shouldnt be seating in my comfy chair, slouching and typing from a uncomfortable-yet comfortable distance.
its time to straighten those bones and leap off the seat.
whip up the phone and start doing the talking.
i mean.
when people say walk the talk.
it suggests that you've got to first talk.
before you can walk it.
if not in the end, the walk is blind, and the result is nothing.
right, right?

ok time to stir up a storm.
ok thats ironical.

till the storm ceases.

publicity at chinese annual conference 2007 (kum yan methodist church)

today was quite a fun-filled day... by God's grace, we managed to sing and publicise for our cd at the chinese annual conference 2007 (which was held at the kum yan methodist church).

it was quite nice that we were being spotted almost immediately by one of the members there and he welcomed us warmly. thereafter, i had a little surprise from him. he told us that we were to sing at the area that's supposedly the church's carpark. the carpark's quite an open area and the fans were really noisy. WORRIED. i was quite worried since we may not be heard clearly and our voices may not travel far enough.. it's not exactly an ideal place to sing... yet, the song seemed to be well-received by the pastors and co-workers (at least from the response that we had)... praise the Lord! i'm feeling the heat for the launch of the cd! =)

and, me being the one who likes to add pictures onto my blog, here are some of the pics that were taken at kum yan...

"bonding" of the brothers...

zhong jie's preparing the booth for publicity!

name cards, posters and of course, copies of clips of our cd recording...

and here's the "final product" with (some of) us!

flyers....

the date for our cd launch is getting closer and there are still some stuff that needs to be done.. that includes providing the contact details on our flyers for people who wish to obtain free tickets to our cd launch on 14 and 15 dec 2007... and i assure you there are A LOT of flyers.... we only managed to stamp about 500 flyers on sat evening... gosh... for a moment i thought i was going to get cross-eyed or dream of the stamping process and the numbers...

i was half-right though. the theme song was stuck in my head till i had difficulty going to bed! haha...

and gals, thanks for continuing with the stamping for the flyers today... =)

i can't wait to go to other churches to share the good news and of course, the launch of our cd! hope to see you there! ;)

Take a sip of chicken soup!

I was reading ‘Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul’ and I came across this
interesting paragraph.

“Too many times we pray for ease, but that’s a prayer seldom met. What we need to do is pray for roots that reach deep into your Eternal, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be swept asunder .” Philip Gulley

How deep are your roots?

Let us constantly seek the Lord (to grow stronger roots) so that when the storm comes, they will be strong enough to endure the storm. =)

old songs, new songs.

old choir. new choir.
many of the existing choir members now...
did not exist in the near history. (near future? near history!)

well anyway.
today was just like any other sunday.
fun, relaxed, excited.
many youths dont agree.
well thats ok, cause im no longer of this world.

On the way back home in qihui's car, we were listening to some of the old songs our choir sang.
i could recognise some, but what i can figure out was...
how the songs sounded so great where everybody kept their tempo.

then we moved towards this song titled
"moulded your way" or something (man.. i cant recall)

brings back memories..
sang it at barker methodist during... eh.. methodist's birthday i think.

it sounded the best so far, so unknowingly, torsten beside me appealed for qihui to drive slower so we can finish the song.

just like how every other part of a body understands the other, qihui went
" oops i missed a turn"
and so there we were, 'missing' that particular turn, finally buying time for the younger batch of our choir to finish hearing yet another masterpiece batch before.

while listening to the songs, i drifted with the clouds in the sky.
peering up, dreaming, i was sure i saw the rainbow even before the storm ceased. ( there wasnt a storm, no there wasnt a rainbow either :))
What i meant was.
I was reminded again of what a family i have in this choir.
Indeed a choir isnt about plain singing.
Its not about coming together in voice, its also about coming together in heart, mind and soul.
All in the name of God, of course.

well. If we were to survive this concert/cd-launch, such togetherness
(in the truth) sure will come in handy.
Togetherness uhh.
the rainbow is appearing, the storm has yet to cease.
Now that's hope!

Together.
No storm too tough to brace!


HANG ON!
till the storm ceases

My URGE

I suddenly had this urge to share with you all and this urge is so strong that I had to put down my books for tonight. I was just listening to this song and I thought it had some relevance to some people in Dom7th. Here goes my first post!

Complete
by The Parachute Band

Here I am, oh God
I bring this sacrifice
My open heart
I offer up my life
I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to You, Lord
In Your strength will I break through, Lord
Touch me now, let Your love fall down on me
I know Your love dispels all my fears
Through the storm I will hold on, Lord
And by faith I will hold on, Lord
Then I’ll see beyond the Calvary one day
And I will be complete in you


The words/phrases I will be sharing are in bold.

1. Sacrifice and restore
Physical and mental involvement in a specific tasks often mean that you will have to sacrifice. I know for sure this period will be horrible for some of you. My sister for example, had to juggle academic, work and Dom7th these few weeks, that includes spending time to blog and construct lengthy e-mails. Our everyday routines can be so energy-draining. But because of this, all the more we need to pray and spend quality time with the Lord. So remember whenever you grow weary, ask Him to restore you! Find rest in Christ alone! Jehovah Jireh – he will provide what we lack.

2. Your (=God’s) love dispels all my fears
I recalled one week when we were praying for ourselves and the concert during Dom7th practice time(not too long ago). ‘Lord, give me courage’. ‘Lord, give me confidence’.

These were the phrases I heard pertaining to publicity. There is fear of rejection. There is fear of failure. There is, of course, stage fright. Once again, hold on to God, for it is his love which dispels all our fears. May God’s love be our driving force for whatever we do too.

3. Through the storm I will hold on, Lord
I was just praying one night and I was just wondering what kind of situation you all are currently in. This paragraph is for those who are troubled by their responsibilities in their lives, especially for De Xian. During a prayer meeting, I found out that De Xian had a lot of pressure meeting the standards of his school choir and that his passion for singing (in general) is quite affected by it. From time to time, I believe he had to face the music (literally and figuratively)and endure long hours of practice. During storms like this, hold on to the Lord.

“神是避难所,是我们的力量,是我们在患难中随时的帮助!” (诗篇46:1)
No matter what happens know that we are all in good hands. God’s hands =)

依靠耶和华

It's raining again!

During designated prayer time last night, this song came to my mind and I found myself leaning ever closer in His arms. We sang an all-girls folksy arrangement for this some time back. Let it be a reminder to us to trust Him always, and that if we serve the Lord, we do not serve in vain.

若非耶和华建造房屋
建造的人就枉然劳力
若非耶和华看守城池
看守的人就枉然警醒

我行若非神所悦
一切将拆毁
我所做若无神祝福
一切都将枉然

若非耶和华建造房屋
建造的人就枉然劳力
若非耶和华看守城池
看守的人就枉然警醒

我今需要持守的 --
只是一颗心
一颗完全相信的、
坚定、依靠的心

Prepare Ye Horses!!!...

FOR BATTLE!

Finally found the verse that I wanted to share yesterday during prayer.

All thanks to the HUGE storm that provoked me into writing this. Also, this week has been such a emotional roller coaster I just can't ignore but share it with you all, more so than sharing Candy... HA.

"The horse is made ready for battle, but victory rests with the LORD."
~Proverbs 21:31

We are all, metaphorically, preparing our horse(s) now. With the phone calls, emails, powerpoints, singing, choreography etc, it does seem like its going to be an intensive battle! And boy are we Excited about it!!!

I think we are so excited that we honestly thought we are going to win it all man!

Yet, by His grace, we have been reminded and drawn back to him with a contrite heart to admit that we were so busy feeding our horses and training them up that we ALMOST, just almost forgot who is the commander-in-chief.

He leads us into battle and he decides how, when and whether we are ultimately going to win whatever battle we are fighting. This is not preparing ourselves to be pessimistic. Rather it serves as an important reminder that as mere soldiers, we have no authority over our leader neither should we assume that just because everything has been so well planned that we MUST win (I'm using win very loosely here, its up to you to interpret it).

So, do not be discouraged or disappointed with the results we see right now, but with Hope, trust that as long as we are doing all these for the Glorification of God and Edification of Saints, we can be sure that Victory has already been achieved!

Also do not be complacent that our horses are already fattened up and strong now but keep on praying with a humble heart that the Lord will use us as instruments to play the Bestest music for him! "La di Da..."








If any of you haven't, start whipping up your horses into shape!

"Eeehh-Haaaah!!!"

"With Christ and for Christ, Victory is certain."
~Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

La_ _ _ _ _ _ _..... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ y

My virgin post here. Today morning, Yi Le chuckled,"天赐's lazy. We'll just go up and get the flyers without him." I hid a smile with my arms and legs snuggled, head still resting against ivory plastic; never once thought that stacked-up basement chairs made such perfect pillows. Sweet.

But really, what a premonition though. Rain lays a different kind of bedsheet over your bed, the kind that knows how to call out your name. So I'm just gonna borrow this from my blog then go lie down and listen to some split-splat. For now. Have fun.

The Trivial Matters

It irks the modern soul to think
Of how the God of stars and seas
And overflowing majesty
Could conjure up the idea of
A reddish swelling facial bump
To which we all refer to as
The pimple. Oh divine imagination!
How heav’nly all we see our zits
Contraptions of our Father’s glory
Well let us not forget the story
Of breaking wind and breezy weather
What sin is found in such synergy
But glory glory to have a Dad
As droll as this. That brings to mind
Our vocal chimes and why they come
Alive just during shower time.
I think God truly hoped that we
Could praise Him anytime, He did.
Just let me add colloquially,
The same Supreme who crafted all
These random idiosyncrasies
Had given me a helping hand
In wielding brave this crafty pen.

~tc©

怎能不歌唱

又下雨了！我突然有一股冲动，想到外面去，在雨中奔跑，边跑边高声歌唱！

今天第一次出外宣传，真是出奇的顺利。恩约堂主理牧师和弟兄姐妹的热情招待，使我感动不已，深切体会我们虽来自不同的教会，却在领受同一份恩典，在主里并没有你我之分。那种感觉好奇妙 =)

得到他们热烈的回响，我们受宠若惊，也感到兴奋鼓舞! 感谢父神的带领，我们再一次见证了他的丰盛供应。

我怎能不歌唱， 因快乐欢喜！

They will never leave you alone

The songs we rehearsed today are ringing in my head. I'm positive I'll be dreaming about them later. Haha...

我要歌唱主赐的恩典
当我来到加略山
神忘记我一切的罪愆
却不忘记
永远不忘记我

The slides for this song are so nice! Some pro(-crastinator) did them. Want to see? Come for the concert!

It took a miracle to put the stars in place
It took a miracle to hang the world in space
And when He saved my soul
Cleansed and made me whole
It took a miracle...

The tunes don't ever leave me alone. Neither will He! 不再孤单!

Thanks for trying so hard, Dom7th-ers. There was some good singing today! We still gotta work on the faces, but we'll get there =) 加油!

all the best to all who are going to other churches to publicise tomorrow!
have a good headstart!

GOD LOVES YOU & ME! :D

THE ZOOKEEPER ( slave to be exact ) IS BACKK :D
HAHAH.

ogay. just popped by to say
it's a pity that some church has turned us down BUT
要 信 靠 等 候!
as long as we trust & perservere,
i'm sure all will turn out fine!(:

i pray that publicity will go well & dom7th will be bonded & prepared
for the concert & whatever the outcome of the concert is(:

i'll be praying!:D

okay time for work!
MUCH LOVE(:

Ups and downs

Countdown to concert: 44 days! So soon!

I was quite sad to hear today that some churches had turned us down for publicity. Awww....why like that? A rocky start to the publicity campaign but we shall persevere! 万事起头难，但有志者事竟成！

Ang Mo Kio gave us a positive response! That's something to be happy about. Please pray really really hard about the publicity. I'm really really scared that very few people will turn up for the concert. No, I should say, I'm scared that the small turnout will be due to us not trying our best.

44 more days. So many things to do, so little time to pray. Sigh...I'm such a worrier! There is not a day that passes without me thinking about the concert, about you guys...

Dom7th-ers: 该做的，你做了吗？There's still some time before Saturday comes!