the olive and the grape

It's the last day of the year again. Each year seem to pass faster than the year before.

And if you were looking for the thanksgiving turkey, no, it's not here. Haha...
But here's something else for you to chew on:

Gratitude is the echo of grace as it reverberates through the hollows of the human heart. Gratitude is the unashamed acceptance of a free gift and the heartfelt declaration that we cherish what we cannot buy. Therefore gratitude glorifies the free grace of God and signifies the humility of a needy and receptive heart.
– John Piper

For the light that shines through my dark side, I thank God.
For the pain that brings healing, I thank God.
For the sorrow that brings joy, I thank God.
For the bankruptcy that brings about indescribable fullness, I thank God.

Christmas photos!!

Our crazy skit team, who have endured many hours of gruelling training to emote properly!

Now they can finally do their act properly. You can see it on their faces!

The even crazier dance team, who in their unsound state of minds, allowed their choreographer to style their hair!

Bright smiles! Joy to the World 2000 (a.k.a. Joy 2k) - a few more years and we can produce a 'live' Christmas dance album. HAHA!

A heart after Christ

After celebrating 18 Christmases, I thought the 19th one would not be very different from the rest. But I was wrong. Despite having the knowledge of Christ’s birth, I realized I was stuck at a stage, one without much meditation.

I know that the centre of attention of Christmas is Jesus, but this year what probed my mind was the attitude of the Magi from the east. I believe they have come a long way to seek Jesus. They didn’t go on a journey empty handed. They traveled with ‘gifts of gold, incense and myrrh’. Quite a lot of weight isn’t it? (I seem to be more sensitive to weight after my fast marches). So, if we were the Magi from the east will we continue to march towards Christ the Lord even if we do not know when we will reach there? Are we willing to go the extra mile to seek the Lord?

Let this post be a reminder for us to seek the Lord despite the trials and challenges in life.

Who would send a baby?

Words & Music by Mary Kay Beall

Who would send a baby to heal a world in pain?
Who would send a baby, a tiny child?
When the world is crying for the Promised One,
Who would send His only Son?

Who would send a baby, to light a world with love?
Who would send a baby, a tiny child?
When the world is hoping for the Promised One;
Who would send His only Son?

Who would choose a manger to cradle a King?
Who would send angels to sing?
Who would hang a star in the sky above,
To shine on the gift of His infinite love?

Who would send a baby to bless a world with peace?
Who would send a baby, a tiny child?
When the world is yearning for the Promised One,
Who would send a baby?
Who would send a baby?

Who would send His only begotten Son?

http://mp3s.sheetmusicplus.com/soundclips/489670_00.mp3?cart=343907155617731732

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."

I think our dear brother Yi Le doesn't have to dream of one. Huge blizzards happening up north where he is.

The Western conception of Christmas often conjures up the image of snow and long nights. Yes, winter can get really cold and dreary.


But the whiteness of such an image overwhelms me. Snow falls and blankets the entire earth, whitewashing the dirt everywhere. As I hummed "White Christmas", my brain had a chain reaction that produced an unexpected search result - a hymn, Whiter Than Snow.
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Whiter Than Snow
by James L.Nicholson (1872)

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract ev’ry stain;
To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself, and whatever I know,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessèd Lord, at Thy crucified feet.
By faith, for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait,
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst “No,”
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
O glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.
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His blood flows and covers me, washes me and I am whiter than snow!

Awake, my soul! Dream no more!

Christmas Performance

Hey, we haven't blogged for a while 'cos everyone's been very swarmed with rehearsals, chalets, school commitments etc.

Well friends, if you've been wondering what we've been up to, there's a performance this evening, details are as follows:

星光闪耀庆圣诞
Date: 22nd Dec 2008
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: the stage outside Sheng Siong Supermarket
(next to Commonwealth MRT station)

Come and discover for yourself the true meaning of Christmas!
May the joy of the Lord be with you!

(in)sane ppl

I was just thinking about people passing through this choir (former Qing Shao and now Dominant 7th) when my friend showed me this inscription on a mug:

All the sane people quit here years ago.

Haha, how true.

creation

Gen 1:3-5 And God said,"let there be light," and there was light.
God saw that the light was good, and he separated it from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning- the second day.

As I looked through my photos and saw this one, I remembered a sharing by Zhong Jie.
Apparently, in the original text, the words for light and darkness were "order" and "chaos" respectively.
Hm.. before order, there was chaos. Curious. Order was created by God.


I liked this photo because of the way dark clouds nearly frame the photo.
Trying to strangulate, to snuff out the light, the hope.
But they outline the lightsource, in a pretty counter-productive fashion.
Indeed, a light at the end of the tunnel never looked that significant from outside the tunnel.

Well, what an opportunity to look at the bible again. Paul explained this picture nearly 2000 years ago.
5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.)
6May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?
7But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?
8And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come"? Their condemnation is just.

Consider!

细细品尝生活的酸甜苦辣

I like to spend time observing people. Just go sit at a café, on the bus, on the train. Look at the people around you, eavesdrop on phone conversations, make up stories about their lives – it’s entertainment on the go.

And to some extent indulging in such activity has helped me understand myself better. Why do I make these assumptions about so-and-so? Have I had a similar experience before? When did I meet someone like this? Was I ever like this before? Will I be in the future?

Actors, you know what I’m driving at. I think we spend far too much time on the absolutes, the black and whites than on the little nuanced moments that make up most of life. Life isn’t just happy/sad but ecstatic, joyful, pleased, mournful, pained, remorseful etc.

(Plato wrote) Socrates said: The unexamined life is not worth living. Yes, he must have been talking about looking into our own belief systems, to be critical of the things we hold true. Let me just apply that to our emotions too: Learn to recognize the different shades of colours on your palette, then learn to paint with all of them.

You’ll see that life is much more interesting that you thought it out to be. Have fun!!

Reminiscing the past...

This was what one of us wrote a year ago.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

i'm leaving for mission trip on WEDNESDAY!AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.i'm pretty nervous i must say.not because it's my first time but i'm just afraid thatin the course of spreading the gospel, my faith in Him might sway.AHHHH.anyways,before i played for the xian chang today,i was reallyreallyreally nervous & scared because-i had sweaty palms & i was afraid my fingers would slip.-i was afraid that i'll go faster & faster- i couldn't see yibin, which means i don't know when to enter after the cut.- i was afraid i would play the wrong notes.i decided to pray & leave everything in Him& HEY!i didn't feel nervous at all when i played!& i didn't make too many mistakes!:Dthis really reminded me to trust in Him & to leave all worries to him.the concert's nearing & i'm sure we'll all be scared & all but well,trust in Him for all things will go well when we have faith(:alright I'LL MISS DOM7TH WHEN I'M AWAY!BYEBYE.

Posted by mab at 10:59 PM 0 comments

Haha Mabel, I hope your faith in Him has grown and I believe it definitely has :)

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As I was reading the Confessions of Augustine last night before sleep, this line struck me.

'And, when thou art poured out on us, thou are
not thereby brought down ; rather, we are uplifted.'

This echoed in my head what Martyn Lloyd Jones said in 'The Cross': "Our whole notion of love is so abased, so unworthy, that we do not know what love means." Before that he wrote that the trouble we all have, even Christians, is that we do not know God. "We think in sentimental terms." You might not directly see the relevance but indeed, the more I know myself, the more I realise I do not know God. God and his holiness, God and his loveliness. The former that I know less of.

Sometimes, do we truly believe that 'I' am the 'wretched man that I am!'?