"Jesus is Lord, behold the King of Kings,
Exalted high, the Name above all Names
I sing His praise, the Lamb upon the throne
Who reigns in glory, power and majesty.

This is my God, behold His hands and side
The wounds of love that healed my brokenness
What God is this? What kind of sacrifice?
Would give so much to gain a loveless soul.

For me to live is Christ to die is gain
For Christ has died, that I might gain His life
He is my all, my joy my righteousness
My hope of glory when He comes again.

Yes suddenly, my God shall come again
And every knee shall bow before His Name
And He shall reign forever on the throne
And in His glory, there I shall proclaim

Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord."

"Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise His holy Name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits -
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
-Psalms 103:1-5

"Nobody knows how weak I am
Better than You
Nobody sees all of my needs
Better than You

And nobody has the power to change me
To what I was born to be
Jesus be strong, in my weakness
Empower me

Chorus:
Empower me
Like a rushing river flowing to the sea
Lord send your Holy Spirit
Flowing out through me
Till I'm living as Your child
Victorious and free
Send the power of Your love
Empower me

Nobody's eyes see through my soul
Better than Yours
Nobody's love can make me whole
No love but Yours

And nobody has the power to lift me
To reach for eternity
Jesus break through all my defenses
Empower me"

Amen

To the Youth Sunday worship team..

A Leader's Heart

Verse 1:
As I watched the other day, my heart was filled with pride
I saw in all of you, many talents so bright
A lil' bit more practice and we'll surely sound nice
We'll fill the sanctuary as our voices arise

Pre-chorus:
But my greatest desire is not that you'll be a star
It's that you'll worship our Lord Jesus wherever you are

Chorus:
And just as David danced in the presence of God
I pray that every note you play and sing will be unto the Lord
Let your hearts be filled each day with a growing love for Christ
As your life with Him grows deeper, may He be your sole delight

Verse 2:
Worship doesn't happen only when we come to sing
Our lives must be an off'ring to God we daily bring
As each of you come forth to serve our God and King
May your hearts be right and your lives be pure as we bow before Him

Pre-chorus:
And as we serve Him together may we do it as one
Our voices in unity as we worship the Son

Chorus:
And just as David danced in the presence of God
I pray that every note we'll play and sing will be unto the Lord
Let our hearts be filled each day with a growing love for Christ
As our life with Him grows deeper, may He be our sole delight

A Reflection

Yesterday was my last day of class in uni. This morning, as I sat in the roof garden, I started to reflect on the past 4 years. Tough as they have been, I had many things to thank God for. An excerpt from my journal:

"As I think back on my past 4 years, I can truly be thankful that God has always been with me. As I go through the past few years of my life, the poignant thing that stands out is how God has been my only constant and will always be. From then till now, culture has changed here and there. New fads have come, old fads have gone. Facebook is in, friendster not so. Some names in the media are no longer as hot as they used to be.

I look around and I see many circumstances have changed. My environment has changed somewhat. In church, younger ones are starting to become more active, some others have entered new phases in life. Friends have changed, friendships and relationships too. Dynamics are dynamically changing. In school, the group of friends whom I first started hanging out with have somewhat dispersed. I leave school with a different set of close friends.

Even I have changed. My perspectives, the way I handle issues and circumstances, my likes and dislikes, what I spend my time doing and who I spend time with, all these things have morphed over the years. It gets scary thinking what life will be like after a few more years have passed. I wonder who I'll be and what the world will be like.

The only comfort I can take is that I have a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. His life, character, truth, ways, and purposes do not change. And it is truly because He lives that I can face tomorrow. "

At the beginning of the year, I remember writing DGMs on God the unchangeable. I opened the file again today and was even more convicted of what I had written a few months ago. Indeed, my unchangeable God is a God who is worth trusting and obeying and who is worth serving with my entire being.


Then hear, O gracious Savior, accept the love we bring,
That we who know your favor may serve you as our King;
And whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless You still:
To marvel at Your beauty and glory in Your ways,
And make a joyful duty our sacrifice of praise.

interesting article

and a video to go along.


What if I stumble? - DC Talk

"There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring
And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives
And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne"
- How can I keep from singing, Chris Tomlin

haha i figured i'd type a post on my birthday so that i can look back and remember that i truly have many things to thank God for.

been feeling very blessed and loved this birthday season. i was able to celebrate my birthday with different groups of people and it was all very meaningful.

dinner with family, having wei'en and mag cook for me, lunch with the auxanites and the church staff (pizza), dinner with my peers, which was totally memorable. (pizza again, but this time with drumlets..)

managed to spend some time with God this morning too. it was good, remembering how almighty and powerful He is, reading through some psalms written by Asaph, about how God led the Israelites and how He delivered them again and again. the same God is with me all the time, leading me through life.

"My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me."
-Psalms 63:8

Last year, during the Alpha day away, we stood and watched monkeys walk across the fence for awhile. As the tribe walked along the fence, someone exclaimed that there were baby monkeys hanging onto their mothers. It took me some time to spot them, but eventually I did. There they were, clinging on tightly to their mother's stomachs. Their mothers too, made sure they were secure, not allowing them to fall.

Reflecting on Psalms 63 yesterday morning somehow brought this incident to mind. I tried to imagine how tightly I could cling onto God, and was reminded of what I saw last year. I want to cling onto God for dear life and find rest and refuge in Him alone. And even more so as the school term peaks at its busiest, and I find myself swamped with so many deadlines and issues to look into.

When I find myself most vulnerable to stress, anxiety and restlessness, that is when I need to cling to Him even more. Because He is our help, we can indeed sing in the shadow of His wings.

On guidance...

" But the true way to honour the Holy Spirit as our guide is to honour the Holy Scriptures through which He guides us. The fundamental guidance which God gives to shape our lives - the instilling, that is, of the basic convictions, attitudes, ideals and value-judgements, in terms of which we are to live - is not a matter of inward promptings apart from the Word but of the pressure on our consciences of the portrayal of God's character and will in the Word, which the Spirit enlightens us to understand and apply to ourselves.

The basic form of divine guidance, therefore, is the presentation to us of positive ideals as guidelines for all our living...

..... Only within the limits of this guidance does God prompt us inwardly in matters of 'vocational' decision... The Spirit leads within the limits which the Word sets, not beyond them. 'He guides me in paths of righteousness' - but not anywhere else. "

Taken from "Knowing God", JI Packer.

"An idol can be anything. It may even be a good thing. But if we want it so badly that we sin if we don't get it or sin to attain it, then we are worshipping an idol rather than Christ. Each of us is worshipping something or someone within our heart every waking moment of each day....
We worship what we "serve, speak about, sacrifice for, seek after, spend time and money on, and trust in".
In other words, who or what you worship is:
'what's on your mind,'
'what you long for - wish for,'
'what is really important to you,' and
'what you have your heart set on.'"

-The Excellent Wife, Martha Peace'

"Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your justice like the great deep.
O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.
How priceless is Your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
You give them drink from Your river of delights.
For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.
Continue Your love to those who know You,
Your righteousness to the upright in heart."
-Psalms 36:5-10

"My life is but a weaving, between my God and me,
I do not choose the colours, He worketh steadily,
Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why
The dark threads are as needful in the skilful Weaver's hand,
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned."

back from bintan. :)

i stand at the beginning of another year, which is fraught with uncertainties, knowing that if God doesn't go with me, I dare not move.