Wednesday, 23 July 2008
very tired at work now... if only workers are allowed an hour of sleep every day after lunch! =p
anyway i went for a pre-mission trip meeting last night. i will be heading to Batu Aji, Batam this weekend to see how it is like, and to help out the local church there. this will be my 1st mission trip with my church, and with friends whom i grew up with. some of us have been on mission trips before, but this will be the 1st time all of us are going together. i hope that i do not fall sick during this period of time, as i will be busy for the rest of this week, and next week is Matriculation Week in NUS. last night's meeting also reignited my passion for missions, having doubted to myself whether being a long-term missionary is God's calling for me. i'll see how things go, but this weekend will definitely be exciting! hopefully, during this trip, God will show me something about what He wants me to do in the future.
i think i need a rest, to spend time in retreat with God, to catch up on my sleep too. in the meantime, God give me strength!
giving thanks at 14:11 :)
Monday, 21 July 2008
this is my last week at work, 3 months just went by so fast. i can still remember my 1st day of work, coming to the office which i'm so used to by now, talking to my boss, learning the trade etc. even now there are still many things which i have yet to learn about the company, but all in all it was a great learning experience for me. i really appreciate my bosses and colleagues who are so patient with me, the people whom i work with from other companies and places, and of course God who put me here. who knows? maybe i will come back here to work after my graduation.
had a soccer match yesterday! it was a testimonial match for didi (Simon) and Richard, who are going off to army and Korea respectively. i was late for the match because had ECC meeting in church which ended quite late, but i managed to play for about half an hour in the 2nd half! my position was CMF (central midfielder) and i thought i played ok, though i missed 2 clear cut chances to score. maybe in subsequent matches i can request for the manager to play me in central midfield. in the end SMC lost 4-3 to COGS, but, as Thomas said, "i think after playing so many matches in our orange jersey, this was the 1st time that we played Total Football." i think this is the ultimate compliment that a team can have, especially coming from a respected senior =p thank God that there were no serious injuries on both sides, and we enjoyed ourselves.
giving thanks at 10:31 :)
a few things to thank God for Monday, 14 July 2008
i'm glad to say that my relationship with my dad is much better now. though we did not have our heart-to-heart talk, i think there is better communication between my dad and i, and i thank God for that.
i got a new bass guitar! it's a Squier Jazz Bass, and i simply love the tone and feel of it! it's a second hand bass, and the price was really good. though it's made in China, which is supposedly substandard as compared to those made in Japan or America, the sound and workmanship doesn't look like it. i think it's 1 of those rare gems, the 1-in-a-thousand bass haha. i can't wait to try it out this Thursday for Snooze practice!
i also got a new backpack bag! this is actually a gift from the Engine staff (thanks Jo, Rudy, Janice!) and it came as a very big surprise to me. Janice commented that my current bag was too old and torn (there's a hole in the front pocket, but i don't put anything inside it) but little did i suspect that the staff actually went to get me a new bag! i mean, it's not like i asked for a new bag or i hinted that i wanted a new bag, because i was planning on continuing to use the current one. now i bring the bag to work, and will definitely continue to use it when school starts. it's a dark shade of orange hehe...
i thank God that Ho Wai agreed to help out in Prayer comm (NUS Campus Crusade for Christ Engine region) this coming academic year! when i called him, i did not expect his answer to be so prompt. with Ho Wai in the P-comm, i do not have to worry so much, and i can juggle my responsibilities better, so thank God for sending help! =p
i thank God for Jason and his mission team who went to Khon Kaen, Thailand this year. Jason shared about his experiences yesterday during Youth Service, and though everyone was kind of distracted and not paying attention, i really rejoiced in the Lord. firstly, because God really used Jason and the team to reap the harvest which my team sowed last year. secondly, because i really see Jason growing in his faith, and he is a great encouragement to me. =p
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
giving thanks at 10:02 :)
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
here i am, blogging at work...
at the beginning of 2008, when i asked myself what season of growth this year would be, i felt God telling me that this year would be a season of breakthroughs in relationships, with friends and family. i didn't know what that meant, nor do i know it now, but a particular situation last night sparked my thoughts once again.
being busy with work, Snooze, crusade and church activities, there were many days recently that i went home late, like at 12mn. so last night, after Snooze practice, i reached home, to be scolded by my dad, who was still awake. i will not go into the details, but some of his words did hurt me. it didn't last long, but i spent a long time thinking about the whole thing before i eventually drifted off to sleep.
i know what kind of person my dad is. he definitely did not mean any harm, and i know he wants the best for me. he has showered blessings on me all my life, and i thank God for such a wonderful dad. the unfortunate thing is that even after all these years, i'm still afraid of him, to the extent that i would avoid him, and not talk to him much. i really hope that this will be the year that i will have a breakthrough in my relationship with my dad. i pray that i will have the courage to just sit down with my dad and talk things through. whether he accepts what i do or not, i will still choose to honour God and honour my dad. i hope that my dad and i will be able to understand each other more and more.
before last night, i thought to myself that my life is perfect now, that everything is in order, i have no worries about studies, work, ministry, relationships, finance etc. but i think God wants me to change my perspective of life, that to grow spiritually, i have to go through trials and tribulations. so this is why i did not talk back at my dad or cry myself to sleep last night, which i would have done a few years ago. i'm quite surprised at my reaction to this situation too, as i used to harbour a lot of hatred towards my dad.
living a God-led life is very comforting, because i am at peace no matter what is happening in my life. thank God for that!
giving thanks at 13:18 :)
david chow en yuan