Well 2010

There has been many 'first' for me in 2010 with New Life Restoration Centre, Shah Alam, especially over the Christmas & New Year period.

There was my first time participating in New Life's combined youth camp. Only 5 of us represented our church, but I'm grateful for the intimate moments we could share with Olivia, Tracy, & Mun Hong. Personally, it was my first youth camp as a full time minister. It was also there that for the first time, May & I had our youths celebrating our wedding anniversary. Precious moments indeed.

Producing the Christmas skit was another 'first' worth highlighting. It was nerve-wrecking to be working with an entirely new cast, with extra difficulty due to the shape of our church hall. But God took us through with relative ease, and we certainly had a good time. Thanks to Mun Hong, Justina, Grace, Brian, & Chris. I look forward to more skits together.

I've always wanted to lead a carolling team & this time I knew I had to seize the moment. We were close to not having carolling had I not said 'yes'. Christmas is always odd without carolling & I'm so glad we did it. It was a personal victory for me, & I believe there were several other breakthroughs too. 

Mere hours away I was very anxious as we only had 1 practice with half the team. Miraculously a group of youths hung around to do some office work & we ended up practicing the harmonies for our Christmas carols. What joy.

New Life's New Year Service was very special too. I never expected such an opportunity to come my way so soon, but it would be the first time I songled for such a large crowd. Practices were tough & we still had glitches at the event, but it was a moment to savor indeed.

A Case for Naive / Innocence

I wish we would let our guards down and learn to trust each other again; I wish we stop second-guessing people's intentions even before we get to know them. I wish we can accept & give kindness without hesitation or doubt.I wish we can share our honest feelings (positive or negative) without fear of being judged or rebuked.

I know that in present times, it's really dangerous to be innocent or naive. There have been stories after stories of evil revealing it's ugly head at the end of something that began with sincere, good intentions. Misplaced trust that leads to tragedy. Even places of supposed security & refuge aren't safe any longer

However, it's sad when we have to live in fear & worry like that. I've worried for friends who were overly naive with obvious dangers, but now my heart aches for them as they become cynical & doubtful towards people. I'm afraid that we often hide behind 'wisdom' in fear, & we forget to live with pure hearts. I think that it hinders us from doing good & receiving goodness.

I wish I can give compliments without people questioning if I have hidden motives or agendas. I feel like if I want to praise someone's beauty, I have to first say "I'm happily married & I'm not looking to get anything from you; I just hope to make you smile by telling you how beautiful you are"... Can't we just give compliments anymore?

Why must we first question each others' integrity? Why can't we take others' words at face value? The worst part is when we question someone's intention or integrity, we ask everyone else instead of immediately questioning the person in question. We would say "oh how can I trust that person's answer" and we use that excuse to spread unfounded doubts & cause others to also second-guess the individual in question.

I want to be able to impart wisdom or teach without having to tiptoe around people & guard their feelings. If both the teacher & the student are of a pure heart, there wouldn't be a problem where people get offended / hurt / wounded. When I first started off as youth leader, I had people older than me & I feared being their leader because I assumed that they will think of me as a small kid. 8 years on, one of them just told me that I'm one of the wisest people she knows. How much wasted precious time & troubles that could have been avoided had I learned to not assume people's thoughts?

In a nutshell, our first instinct is to not trust - be it due to wisdom / fear / judgement. I believe if we have a pure heart, our first instinct is to trust & rely on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom when necessary.

In the year 2010

I've been doing a whole lot of reflecting these past 3 months. My 25th birthday was the thing that propelled me into that danger zone. Yes, reflections are dangerous - most of the time you get depressed thinking about the past (unless your life is perfect). Then you have a 50 / 50 chance of coming out alive, or dead inside. Even then, how many would have the courage & determination to actually make changes - changes necessary for us to survive our next reflection.

25 is half way to 50. And halfway has kinda been the story of my life (so far). I've managed to trace it way back to my primary school years. I inherited my parents' gift in art, but I only went for a few drawing classes in school. That was my first drop-out, I guess - at the age of 9. Then there was sports. I represented my school in table tennis & badminton. I was good in basketball too. And even though my class lost in the finals, my teacher still recommended me to join a local basketball team - I turned that down. Eventually I quit badminton at 14, to focus on table tennis & 'bola baling'. But all that came to an end when I quit school at 16.

Picked by guitar when I was 12, and that's where my music journey began. But I never had the willpower to learn everything my brother was willing to teach - guitar, drums, keys. In Form 2, I started playing football with the neighborhood kids. But SPM, part-time jobs & college would severe me from playing football regularly - and with that, I lost my speed & dribbling skills. Studied business administration as I didn't know that my real passion was (still is) in mass communications, even that I only got a diploma to show for. In all these, I feel that I've failed my teachers.

I've never been one to have new year resolutions, but after all that reflection, I know I must plan for the year 2010. My only have one new year resolution: to focus on the things I believe I can improve & excel in, and let go of time-wasting activities. And here, I'm going to list down the things I want to focus on / achieve in the year 2010 - firstly to remind myself & allow others to remind me. Secondly, is because I know I cannot work alone in achieving these goals - I need my friends.

Here goes:
1. Drama / movie production - targeting the Easter & Christmas period.
2. Improve musically - mainly on vocals, guitar, & drums.
3. Improve in cinematography & pick up photography.

Trusting God all the way for peace, joy, strength, & love to live through the year.

Which well do you draw water from?

This post is meant as a follow up to this one.

I've come to an age where statistically, 80% of my peers will lose their excitement in attending church services & serving God, resulting in a few eventually walking out of the church & even the faith. Those that remain will spend a lot of their time in church with 2 things - talking about those who left; and wondering why they stayed.

Did the church change? Or did we?

I believe one of the key contributing factors of this sad situation is misplaced expectations. Perhaps for far too long we have placed our expectations of Jesus upon the church. How did that happen? How did we replace Jesus, our covenant keeping God, with the earthly, imperfect church? Unconsciously & unintentionally, we, with 2nd-hand faiths, allowed ourselves to rely & depend upon the church to feed our spirituality. And due to that dependency, our personal relationship with Jesus Christ became an exact duplication of the spiritual atmosphere of the church.

The corporation worship affects our personal worship lives;

Prayer meeting affects our prayer lives;

Church events generates our spiritual highs & lows;

The pastors' sermons become our only source of food & water;

Church members' responses & actions determine how joyful it was to serve God that Sunday;

Church cliques are our great basis for sense of belonging & self-esteem, self worth;

I've been there - for a very long time, I might add. Nowadays I still have such struggles. Should it be that way? Hell no!!

You want to experience Jesus? Get your sources right. Which well do you draw water from? Don't you know He has given you a fountain?

"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
but whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
- John 4:13 - 14.

Reflecting on John 10

I did not expect preaching on this chapter could be so important for my soul. I took 2 youth services to complete John chapter 10, & on both those Saturday nights, I found myself crying myself to sleep as I reflect upon the words of Jesus. It was as if I was part of the audience, as if I was preaching to myself - only that the words sunk in hours after the service.

On a personal level, 2 things really got hold of me. Firstly, is how much Jesus values my life. In verse 3 & 4, Jesus said that He, the Good Shepherd, calls us by name & goes before us. Verse 29 & 30 paints a picture of us as a gift so precious that both The Father & The Son are united towards the efforts of ensuring that this gift is never snatched out of their hands. These verses tell me that my life, my very existence is extremely precious to Him; that we are not random accidents or the result of the Big Bang, but clearly created, chosen & called unto His purposes.

Secondly, are the many provisions He has given unto us. Verse 17 & 18 basically tells us that Jesus had the right, the authority, & the freedom to whatever He wanted to do - yet being in perfect oneness with the Father, He chose to die for our salvation & freedom. He wanted us to enjoy the abundant life so badly, that He willingly laid down His own. And through the perfect sacrifice by the perfect One, we receive our son ship, & all good things as our inheritance. He empowers us with all these things, because He wants us to unleash the potential He has placed in us - & thus fulfilling the purposes He has set for our lives.

Having these truths, how can we not view our lives differently? Trials, difficulties, circumstances of past & present - in all of it, He's there. No wonder Paul could boldly write Romans 8: 30 - 39.

³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:


“ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Justice, Compassion, Love

Micah 6:6 - 8 raises a very important question - one we should ask often - What is pleasing & good in the sight of our God? Is it our giving, our sacrifices, songs, & various acts of service unto him? The answer - act justly, love mercy, walk humbly.

Jesus also spoke on this in Matthew 23:23 - citing justice, faith, & mercy as weightier matters of the law. Yes He did!! According to Jesus, these are more important things that we must not neglect. Paul resounded the importance of the matter in 1 Cor 13:1-3. And it is simply summed like this - without love, nothing we do - be it of good intentions or with great excellence - would matter.


I believe a shift in focus is necessary. The church, collectively, needs that. After all, the church is the body of Christ, purposed & empowered to do good & spread love on this earth. For too long we have been focusing on excelling in the duties we perform within the 4 walls of our building. Even our best 'reaching out' efforts are mostly aimed at bringing people into the church first.

I look at myself, & things I'm supposedly good at - song leading, script writing, teaching... All these are good gifts from God, but so far I've been using them effectively only within a church setting. I can think of so many good things we do within the church, but my brain gets stuck when it comes to schools, neighbourhoods, cafes, community halls, etc. It's not that we don't care - it's that we don't care enough to think more about it.

I'm not saying that excelling in church duties & in-house evangelistic programmes are wrong; I'm asking if those are the only things we know how to do.I'm talking about a shift in focus, a change of paradigm.

John 13:35 - By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. 

Restoration

As I participated in the corporate worship & communion in my home church on Resurrection Sunday, I was reflecting again on an entire year that has gone by - a time of trials and storms indeed.

Compassion, love, mercy, & unity were all severely lacking - basically they were all thrown out the window, replaced by law & rules, condemnation... I won't go into the details of what transpired in these times, but here's what's what in short: My family members were targets of accusations & prejudices coming from the very people we gave our lives to serve; changes were abruptly implemented on the basis of "i have a revelation from God & you're filthy with sin"; and without warning / notice / explanation, I was relieved of my leadership positions. Though now I'm still the youth leader, I've not been serving in the music team since June 08.

While I was reflecting about all that & participating in communion for the first time in 10 months (I refused to partake of an inferior brand of Jesus' blood), I felt God impressed the word 'RESTORATION' onto my heart. I don't know if it's a message also for the church, but personally, yes, I do feel that I've lost many things, & many things have been taken away from me. Yet I'm reminded of the provision available to me through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The blessing outweighs the curse, the joy overcomes sorrow. YES!! I believe.

Be it unto me, according to Your word. I believe.

Fix Me

This whole week I've been reminded, time & time again, that I still have not 'arrived'; that I'm still so un-Christlike in a million ways and that time & age won't get me there. As I step back & observe how people deal with one another, I notice the fact that too often I fail to do what I know is right. I'm a big fat hypocrite - my words are louder than my actions. I am able to tell others what to do yet I fail miserably in behaving correctly. I speak without listening; I teach without applying...

I'm humbled. Holy Spirit searched me out - the verdict: I'm in repair, I'm not together, & I'm a million miles away from getting there. 

Yet you still love me? Unbelievable... Mind-boggling.

Justice, Mercy, Faith

My mind has been stuck onto this verse in Matthew 23:23 for a long time now... JUSTICE, Mercy, FAITH - Jesus calls them the weightier matters of the law. & a month later I'm beginning to make sense of it all... Here are my thoughts...

Now, justice & mercy. Justice is giving what one deserves, while mercy gives what one doesn't deserve. Perhaps the only way to practise both elements is to do it unto others. Fight for the weak & the ones without voice, champion their cause & stand for their rights; give mercy to those who hurt you, & forgive those who have done you wrong. Faith, is knowing & believing that as we follow God's way of justice & mercy - by forgoing our own - He'll carry us through with His endless supply of love & compassion towards us. Selah...

My desire is to be able to practise justice, mercy, & faith all throughout my life & still have JOY everyday... I pray that God will teach & guide me each step of the way.

I shared this verse with the youth (where I emphasized on Faith) & dear Phoebe was jotting down notes...

Click picture for bigger view

Mountain Hiking

Mountain hiking is an interesting experience. My dad was the one who took me up there for the first time, & it was not a pleasant trip. First, we climbed up to a hilltop where a pylon was situated. And just when I thought we have reached our destination, my dad pointed to the next pylon & it sure looked like a much difficult hike. I almost puked & thankfully I lived to tell the tale.

The 2nd time I hiked up this route was with my 2 tuition students & their younger brother. It was much more easier for me that time, but the kids always looked like they were never going to make it half way. The eldest was constantly expressing his intention to give up, & I could totally relate to him. But I know the hike was achievable & I so desperately want them to experience the victory I felt. These boys had so much gone wrong in their lives, they badly needed a win here.

Now, I'm so proud to say that Clyde & Keith overcame the mountain & they can't wait to go up there again. I believe the key to their success was making small goals & taking it 1 step at a time. & I think it's good advice when making our new year resolutions - small goals, step by
step.

Below are pictures taken when I took my cell group (& 2 proteges) up that mountain on the last morning of 2007.

Happy New Year

Cell Potluck

Our cell group had a potluck gathering at my place last Friday. Our teenage members brought their friends over for food & games. Maybe it was awkward at first but later everyone was at ease. The "ha" & "what" game certainly broke the ice. I believe that our 21st Christmas party will be a greater success, now that our friends are familiar & comfortable with us.

And it was a really nice feeling for me, a 23-year-old. Somehow, in spite of the age gap (it's not that big), we could connect with one another. I didn't feel too old in their presence & they didn't feel too young or small to communicate with me. And in a small but significant way, that night comfirmed my ministry to the young people.

A Walk With My Father

My father took me for a walk this evening. A long walk, he said it was going to be. And it took me a really long while to see that we were at the back of the mountain. You know the mountain - that big thing that gets in the way of your vision, your everything. It was nice to see what was going on on the other side of the mountain. For many nights now I've been confused by the noise, the rumble, and the occasional shaking. I could not understand all of it from this side of the mountain. It's so in-your-face, you'd think everything else should be that way too.

I never knew there was a way to the other side of the mountain, but my father did. And it was indeed a long walk. But there I was, watching everything that was going on at the other side of the mountain. A major counstruction was going on. So this is what all the noise was about, I thought. There were a few buildings already up. It wasn't until my dad told me that I realised that the uniqueness of these buildings. It's like nothing I've ever seen. My father of course has seen these designs, but he still talked about them with sincere excitement.

We reach a stream, by a big plain land. The atmosphere was serene and calm. The blue sky accompanied with the formation of the clouds was as beautiful as ever. We just hang out there for a while to just soak everything in. Funny how there's peace and beauty at the other side of the mountain.

On the way back, we found ourselves at a tiny slope. It was steep, but I remember how my brother and I along with some neighbourhood kids would glide down such slopes, back in the day where the trees and wild grasses didn't cover the foot of the mountain. And when there's rain, we would love to just watch water flowing down from the cracks in between. And today I stood there asking myself: Where is the courage that I had when I was a boy? Is it wisdom that stops me from sliding down the slope, or has fear gripped me? I finally decided that the best way to answer the question is to just attempt the slope. The glide was a success, but I couldn't evade the stone that caused a small cut on my shin.

There were no words exchanged when we got home, but I believe both my father and myself knew it was a special long walk. Memory of the walk would be good enough to keep me strong while facing the mountain. And of course the cut would serve as a good reminder too.

Visit to Subang Cell

Last Friday (28/09) I went to Subang cell meeting. May was suppose to come with me, but she was ill. Being alone & quiet in the train brought back a lot of memories. I don't remember what was before, but I remember Barbara was the one who felt the need to start the Subang youth cell. I joined her in starting up the cell group & when she left, I continued serving with Debbie. I remember coming with Joseph and also with May - I believe that was 5 years ago.

Now another cell leader has left (Jason) and that night was the first time I see the new leadership in place. I reminded them of the significance of the moment - that now is the time to make the necessary changes. Re-evaluate - take the good, throw the bad, & FOCUS. At the end of the night, I felt that they too sense the importance of the moment. And I believe that they would rise to the occasion & be an example to all the other youth cell groups of our church.

Take them flying, Ben & Jac!! Hebrews 12:1-2

About Yvonne

Yvonne will be the first to tell you that she has this strange notion of doing what she knows is wrong, & not following through with the conclusion "ya I need to stop doing that". She doesn't realise that she has managed to come to a realisation that many has not - we knowingly, repeatingly, willingly & foolishly, plunge into the same pile of shit. The next question we have to ask ourselves is WHY, but why bother? There's no reasonable answer to justify our unreasonable behaviour. We should just stop it. God help us all.

Yvonne tells me that she likes talking to me because we don't just talk about currents issues or the weather, & there's always some truths to be pondered upon. Well, as much as I enjoy saying things that provoke minds into deep reflection, I love to have such conversations with 'un-churched' people, because I too benefit from those moments. Her honesty about her own life has driven me to look into my very soul & do some... well... soul-searching.

And out of the much reflections lately, this one is a lesson learnt - that when we really humble ourselves & not be judgemental, the people around us - churched or not - can serve a mirror for our souls. And if we are willing to listen, we'll come to our senses & take steps to get ourselves out of that pile of shit...

Yvonne, thanks for sharing & thanks for listening.

Home

So many things left unblogged, but right now I'm just looking forward to participating in music practice, youth service, & the PK Gathering tonight...

I'M HOME!!

Thank you, Philippines!! It was a blast.

more pictures to come.... =)

Philippines: Log Entry 3

Things have slowed down since Uncle Jim & Aunty Lai Lee flew back to Malaysia on Monday. We tried many different types of food, took many beautiful pictures, & did a whole lot of shopping. All these things are possible because of Pastor Tham Wan & Moon Tee's hospitality. They are really something different - totally raised the standards for being a host.

Our great hosts.

APTS, the place we've been staying for the past 6 days.

The APTS compound is a very beautiful place. Samuel, Lemuel, & myself got to play some futsal & basketball here. Oh ya, they have this really steep slope we had to climb too. And it was to our benefit, considering the amount of rice we consumed over here. We attended APTS's morning chapel services. It's a very light & easy service, with pretty good music & much laughter. Here, we met with many different personalities from various Asian countries & enjoyed their fellowship. We have been blessed indeed.

After Tuesday morning's chapel service, we went to a Muslim kindergarten, managed by a Christian worker - now that's something mind-boggling. The children were not intimidated by our presence at all, in fact they were having lots of fun. We asked a boy what's his name & throughout our entire visit, he kept saying "What's your name?". Haha. My dad sang & danced, some of kids followed & had a blast. Their laughter was such a joy to hear. When we left, the children said "Byebye, Guapo", meaning "Byebye, handsome"... I believe they were referring to Lemuel & Samuel.

Tomorrow morning (02/08), we will be leaving Baguio City at 3am to catch a bus down to Manila, where the second part of our mission trip will begin. I don't know if we will be able to access internet anymore. Hopefully there will be some time to get online to contact loved ones & keep everyone in Malaysia updated on our journey. 1 thing for sure is that our flight back to KL will be on 10 August, 11.45am. Please continually pray for our healths & our ministry here. Thank you very much.

Goodbye, Baguio.

Philippines: Log Entry 2

It sure feels odd not being in FCC on Sunday morning. I really miss my family back in KL. But being in Baguio AG is a breath of fresh air. The music team was led by their youth pastor, Pastor Brian. They had a violinist too!! Gosh I absolutely love that. And it's true what's been said - Phillipinos can really sing. I was rather embarassed when I sang & played the keyboard, assisting my dad in his message.

Besides getting to know Pastor Brian, (who happens to be a really hardworking youth pastor and a fellow PK!!) who is such an inspiration, I really had fun getting to know Pastor Dennis. I like that guy. First impression was that his face can't stop smiling... Or maybe he was just being apologetic because he made 5 of us squeeze into the backseat of the car. Even though he's 32, he's really young at heart. I was learning a phrase in Tagalog & had fun with it a bit - he laughed hard & said "You rock!!". WOW, no one his age says that kind of thing!! Not in Malaysia. Someone says 'you rock' and laughs at your jokes? You got to love that guy. And there's also another thing about him that would make the guys back in KL like him....

SpongeBob Squarepants!!

Another highlight of the day would be our shopping at SM Shopping Complex. I only like shopping when I have something I want or need to buy. But firearms are easily accessible in the Phillipines, so we went to a shop where the salesperson was nice enough to let us hold the guns even though it's obvious we weren't going to buy it. It was another one of a kind experience.

Samuel, Lemuel & myself had some encounters that are both funny and embarassing at the same time. I took out a T-shirt to show Lemuel, I thought he might want to buy it. As soon as I lifted it up, the salesgirl immediately went "Oh we have larger size"... That's my sad encounter. Then Lemuel had a weird argument with another salesgirl as Lemuel claimed that she said he's hot. Haha... Who would you believe?

Samuel's encounter was at a shop where they sold funny spoof T-shirts. He finally chose one & asked the lady what size he should get.

Sam: What's my size?

Lady: Large.

Sam: You mean that I'm large?

Lady: No no!! It's not you, it's your size!! You're not
large, your size is large...

By the way, this is the T-shirt that Samuel bought...

Philippines: Log Entry 1

The Philippines trip so far as been a wonderful experience for me. We spent most of day 1 travelling - car, plane, and van. The road trip wasn't that pleasant, but flying was very rewarding - it was my first time looking at the sky from so high... Naturally I took lots of video and pictures.

Almost as beautiful is Baguio. Almost everywhere we've turned there's a picture perfect moment. According to Lemuel, we still have much to explore, and we'll have till Wednesday (01/08) to do just that.

Apart from trashing Lemuel & Samuel in Winning Eleven, the highlights for me are the food here & the new friends we have got to know & enjoy. Last night we were treated to awesome Korean dinner, where we got to know several friends from Thailand, & this morning we met up with the Baguio AG pastor over a Philippino breakfast. So far everyone has been so warm & helpful.

Haha, purposely took this shot... like a private investigator...

Another first time experience for everyone is the prison ministry. It's really one of a kind. This is their weekly service (3.30pm - 4.30pm) & we were fortunate to participate and minister to them. Brother Jim shared his testimony & my dad spoke of the story of Prodigal Son. Personally I was very inspired by both their sharings. And judging by the prisoners' response, they too were touched by that message of HOPE, something I initially thought was impossible. But Father God did His magic and made us look good in the process. It was a great honour to be a participant in His work.

Still Figuring Out

It's been 2o days since PK Retreat, and 21 days since I was prayed upon... I'm still trying to figure out what exactly am I suppose to do...

"I see constraint in your life. Let go. This burden is too heavy for you. You're too young to carry this burden... Yield. Surrender. Let go. Go all out. Don't hold back..."

Still trying to figure out what I'm suppose to let go. The words spoken touched my heart, I know it's true. I can feel the weight of that burden, but my mind just can't seem to figure out what that burden is...

Have to go back to the quiet place...

(picture taken by Josephine Kang)

Be still, my soul, be still...

PK Retreat 2007

PK stands for Pastors' Kids, and that's what I am. And I feel extremely honoured to be part of this special group of people. We gathered from all over the country & had a great time of refreshing. Got to meet some old faces & though I'm meeting most of them for the first time, we connected immediately. All of us are in similiar circumstances, so we could let our guard down & just be ourselves for at least 4 days.

I consider myself as part of the older generation of PKs, so I wanted to be a positive influence in the camp. I didn't exactly jump upon the opportunity to perform the first ice-breaker of the camp, but I chose not to pull out even though there was someone else more ready than I was. The game wasn't suitable for such a big group, and I think most of the people were bored. But my objective was to get myself out there & be known, and I guess I did that.

Also had an opportunity to songlead in one of the sessions, but I passed it to Phoebe & she raised the bar for everyone. The spontaneously-formed band didn't really gel at the beginning, but they were determined in practice and the end-result was just awesome. All their hard work paid off. The band did well, the 3 back-ups singers were simply beautiful to watch & listen. Kudos to all of them.

I brought my PC & video camera, initially wanting to complete my ExG 4 piece with some spare time. But I was given the privilege to document the entire PK Retreat & make a video of highlights for the combine-service on the last morning. I have more footage & will be making more videos soon. Then of course there were the Winning-11 addicts (Levi, Lemuel, Alwin, Michael, Joshua & Kenrick!!) who also occupied the PC. But it all turned out well lah. I enjoyed playing Winning-11 with the guys, & it was nice to have Michel & Andrea to give feedback as I editted the video.

Another goal of mine in the PK Retreat is to get people hooked on PICTIONARY!! My success was evident when I found more than 20 people (segregated into 4 teams) sitting at the main entrance of the hotel playing the WHOLE NIGHT (1am - 5am). For the highlights video I had to ask people for "1 word to describe the retreat" and there were actually some who said "PICTIONARY!!" HAHA... I LOVE IT!!

2 days of football were awesome as well. This is the only time I spent with the adults. 1st day it was a mixture & the 2nd game was a match between the fathers & the sons. On both occasions I had to play centre back, take (& score) penalties, played extremely well (on my personal account), and ended up on the losing side. But it was a lot of fun, & scoring a goal from a free kick is something I'll remember for a long time.

The final night was the best session of all. We were gathered in various groups & we got to know everyone's name. Then there was a great flow of the Spirit, with many people contributing to that flow. I was truly motivated by those who came out & make declarations on behalf of our families - they were bold, inspired, motivated. All the more I felt extremely honoured to be part of this special group of people. I can't wait to gather with them again.

"WE ARE FAMILY"