Man in the mirror

Too late for a MJ tribute i guess. I kindda like this song very much. But something about this youtube singer really caught my attention. its the voice i guess. Nothing new about the version, but his voice is great! enjoy.

Nobody

This song is irritatingly infectious!!!! argh.. I'm embarrassed that i quite like the catchy tune! =(

ha. the MTV's not too bad too. enjoy

Best seller in the making!!

Counting down to less than a year before i fulfill my bond to the army. next year July 20th and I'll be leaving this life behind.

Happy? i guess so. I'm not too sure. Happy that I'm finally stepping out of this very alternative life style, but yet there are so many things that I have grown to like about army. This familiar routine and the people that come and go. I'm going to miss the times talking to these youngsters about dreams and ambitions and what should matter in their life.

Then again, when i was looking back, my dreams and ambitions have gradually changed over these few years. Things that matters to me have taken a shuffling in priorities. It is scary that everyday i start to lose that passion for the things that are dear to me, to the extent that i am willing to compromise. The scarier thing is that i hardly realised that i compromised.

Only just last week, i was talking to a friend i haven't seen in a year, and we started talking about what i intend to do after i leave the force. I paused for a moment. I had my compromised plans at the tip of my tongue, but i could not say it out. A ridiculous sense of sadness fills my heart. Only then, i realised how much I've changed. Changed to be pragmatic, realistic and most disgustingly, I've changed to be someone unlike Daniel.

I couldn't hold back the sadness. I started rambling on about my ever extravagant master plan to bridge the arts and media industry with the talents and the more i talked about it, the more excited i got. ha.

My plan is next to impossible with where i am now, but i have this overwhelming optimism that i somehow will pull this off. I'm excited and hyped up just thinking about the possibilities! i feel relief and comfort knowing that i am still passionated about my ambition!

From then on, I decided, I'll carry on and tell my stories. I'll carry on and be a bard of our time, telling the grandeur of the modern epic stories of our lives, inspiring people to imagine and see their imagination to fruition! To run after passion, hold on to it and fly!

The word "Inspiration" originally meant "from God". And I'm thankful that God Himself is my inspiration. That Jesus is a storyteller Himself, telling the most wonderful stories that is so powerful that it shows people the truth! That His story of love and salvation, so moving, so real, so liberating, so important and the best part is that I am in the story too.

I decided. I'm going to do something I'm passionate about. The things that makes me happy. I'm not gonna compromise. Not when God intently engineered me this way. The way ahead is scary and most uncertain, but I'm stepping out in faith that God will nourish me and guide me and make me the person He intents me to be.

I'm writing my own story this time round. Its been quite a story with love and hate, friendship and betrayal, adventure and dull moments, hope and disappointments, God and godlessness. The best is yet to come.

but since I'm the author of this story, I chose it to be a happy ending. I'm sure this is a bestseller in the making! =)

Inviting Friends To Church

Here's an article that hit close to home when Prudence recommended me a Christian blog. It suddenly made sense of what i've been trying to articulate for some time but somehow was unable to put it into words. Take a read, might make a difference to your church.

Article taken from www.beyondrelevance.com

~Start~

Here's a truism: people that have had a life-changing experience with God want others to find God in a life-changing way. This is surely true. It is also true that most people that sat in church pews last year never invited one single person to their church. So what is the disconnection?

I think one of the biggest disconnects we have in the church is that, as leaders, we often forget what it was like to go to church for the very first time. The intimidation factor for a lone visitor in a new church is simply huge. But it is nowhere close to the stress and vulnerability that is put on a churchgoer who invites a visitor. All inviters put their reputations on the line every time they invite someone to church. You can rest assured that your church members will not invite someone if they do not expect a positive outcome. And most of the time, that's why one church isn't growing and the church around the corner is. It has led us to say that "People are not ashamed of Christ, they are ashamed of their church." Ouch!

I asked a young friend how he was enjoying his church; he admitted that he loved it but was bothered by the fact that the church wasn't growing. I asked him why it wasn't growing; he acted bewildered and said, "I have no idea."

"Yes, you do," I challenged him. "You know why it's not growing."

After a silence, I asked, "When was the last time you invited someone?"

"Well, it's been a long time," he said ashamedly.
"Why don't you invite people?"

He shuffled his feet and said, "I don't know."

"Yes, you do," I said. "The reason you don't invite people is the same reason why your church is not growing."

I could tell that bells went off on the inside. He responded, "Yeah, I know why." He had known it all along. He just had never connected the dots between the challenges of inviting people and overall church growth.

It might be simple. A congregant might be embarrassed about the church decorations, the woman who shouts from the back of the church, the inexplicably deep or dry sermons or the pastor telling jokes about his wife. The harder it is to invite people, the more challenging church growth is.

You see, I knew my friend loved God and wanted others to experience Christ's love. Unfortunately, most people are not intimidated about being Christians; they are intimidated about inviting people to their church.

The simple truth is that if an invitation is hard to make, for whatever reason, fewer people will be invited. The battle for growth is first fought in the hearts of churchgoers who want to better the lives of those around them. This is actually the desire of the vast majority of churchgoers.

I cannot say this emphatically enough-all true Christians want other people to become Christians. It is planted in them when Christ is planted in them. This means if your church has to beg, push, cajole, offer incentives, or even just remind people to invite others, it is a telltale sign that, for whatever reason, they do not believe the ministry that takes place will make a successful connection with the people they would invite.

This is where the rubber hits the road. Is your church connecting with your community? The main link is through your congregation, and if they think you're not connecting, you won't.

It is no wonder Paul challenged us in advance to "become as one to win one." The ability to relate to our communities and church growth go hand in hand. When a ministry can successfully relate to the people in its congregation in a way that reassures them that their guests will be connected with, the churchgoers will be willing to invite others because they know it will relate to those they invite.

By analyzing the temptations and challenges associated with inviting people to church, we found the following to be true. If a churchgoer can answer these questions positively, then inviting friends and family will not only be easy, it will become a lifestyle. The church will explode with growth! As a side note, my guess is that none of these topics would ever show up on a visitor survey. They require us to look closely in the mirror, as even our closest allies would have a hard time advising us of some of these issues.

1. Will my friend feel welcomed?
   Principle: Hospitality-The atmosphere, nomenclature, and style of service should be inviting and not intimidating to the unchurched.
2. Will my friend fit in?
   Principle: Comfort and Compatibility-Like it or not, invitations and visitor comfort decrease when social or cultural gaps exist.
3. Can I feel confident that I know how the service will turn out?
   Principle: Consistency-People need to know what to expect, because they will invite accordingly.
4. Will my friend get something out of it?
   Principle: Relevance-The message should be relevant and powerful for people at all spiritual levels.
5. Will my friend understand it?
   Principle: Understanding-Jesus taught through practical illustrations. The songs and message should be understandable for people at all spiritual levels.
6. Will anything that could seem strange to the unchurched be explained through Scripture?
   Principle: Sensitivity-Scriptural actions should be carried out with clarity and considerate explanation.

Having said all this, I am convinced of one thing. If members walk out of your service saying, "I wish my unchurched friend had been here," they will start to think about inviting their friend. If a member walks out of your service three weeks in a row and says every time, "I wish my unchurched friend would have heard that," nothing will stop that member from dragging that friend through your doors. The challenging thing is that often, when members walk out of churches, the only thing they can say is, "I wish my other church friends would have heard that."
It's time to evaluate. Are we creating an atmosphere that fosters growth or are we just ministering unto ourselves?

~End~

Funeral

an advert commissioned by MCYS. I love it. Simple message, beautiful execution. Touched me. :)

Thank You for the Cross

Good Friday had just past and looking forward to Easter. Took some time to think about Jesus and the price He paid for our sins. It's rather ridiculous why he would suffer the crucifixion and be ridiculed and insulted for our sake. Good thing I'm not God, because I was Him, I'd look down from the cross and laugh at myself and think why am I going through such pains for these undeserving people! Me included.

Thank God for the cross, for his love, His mercy, His grace and His resurrection. Thank you Jesus. May i be reminded everyday of what you've done for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's so easy to make promises, resolutions and commitments. But all these are too easy to ignore as well. Finding it easier and easier to forget about the godly things i should be doing and giving false importance to my worldly dealings. "oh, I'm too busy with work", "I've a meeting to attend". Nothing but excuses to draw me away from my Father in heaven.

But it's so hard to fight alone. It is tough fighting in a broken environment. Your comrades are either wounded soldiers or lost civilians. I remember the scene from the movie "black Hawk Down" when the helicopter pilot who crashed into a hot zone and was left there waiting for rescue. His comrades died protecting him as long a possible. Wounded, he sits in a corner with his limited ammunition, killing one at a time till he ran out and was mobbed by the angry Somalians.

Helpless and with limited resources and strength, i wonder why i entered this war. But i know the convoy is near. They are coming for me. i wouldn't be left behind. They promised. They are fighting their own wars, just like me. We promised to back each other up when we're done.

Help is coming. The end is near. A new beginning awaits. I can smell it. I may be clubbed and mobbed before, but i do not fear he who kills my body, my soul is well in my Father's hands. The weak and wounded will stand and fight till help is here. And we know it is on its way.

stay and fight

Many nights i wonder what is wrong with everything around me. Why does things turned up like it is. It always builds me right up just to drop me down again.

Apparently, they are as right as they can be. Regret is the order of the day. They probably did the right thing and they are reaping their rewards while I'm left here caught in yet another tough and lifeless yet important decision in my life.

I find it hard to forgive the people who did this to me. As much as i want to, sour discord stirs in my tummy when i think about them and how they did it. They say time heals.. i'm still waiting to see.

I too long for a new beginning, a new calling, a new lease of life. Perhaps someone new in my life as well. But i look around me, the possibility seems to be gone. I used to have a bunch of friends who had crazy dreams and beautiful ambitions, nothing too formal, only too extravagant. We had nothing to back us but each other. Then they held on to their own dreams and flew away, apparently without me.

Now i learn that people do find courage in numbers. I'm afraid to dream alone now. When i share my crazy dreams and ambitions, there's no one who really understands how i feel. My life is less then it was. As usual, sad but true.

Don't want to dream alone. There must be more to my mundane life. There must be a twist in the new chapters ahead. I'll have to find forgiveness somehow. I'll have to let go and jump someday. As down and out as I am now, i know I'll stay and fight. I'll fight and win. I'll win and .. erm.. any idea what's after that? :)

Counting down :)

Broken as i am

as kids, we would wish that time passes faster. before i knew it, 2009 silently crept into my calendar. As much as i would like to down play the arrival of this dreadful year, it's here.

i really wish it meant something.. ushering in the new year.. making new resolutions.. celebrating the passing of a year. so meaningless.. so sad.

i never did any of the above.. didn't find the need to. but as much as i sulk at how fast time has passed me by with me still marching on the same spot, it's about time i get over 2008, or maybe 1999, 2000 as well, all the years that i held back actually. Holding back the years where i wish i could re-live, holding back the years that i wished didn't happen. i kept them all. Dragging these memories with me, it's slowly becoming excess baggage, pulling me down, holding me back.

sometimes i feel so broken. but i can't be the only one that is broken rite? cos that would make me so pathetic. So how come no one seems to show their brokenness? why does every life seem so beautiful?

The way i see it.. there really is no shame in being broken. Broken as i am, God still loves me. And in my brokenness, He will make me whole again.