Prayers That Move Mountains

I had this conversation with God not too long ago....

Me : Lord, what should I share with my Cell this weekend?

God : Share with them about the kind of prayer that moves mountains.

Me : Hmm.. Then You gotta tell me what to say. I'm not sure if I've prayed the kind of prayer that moves mountains...

God : The kind of prayer that moves mountains, is the prayer of little children.

Have you seen the way a child begs his dad for a toy at the department store?

He simply points at the toy and says, "Daddy, I want."

He has full faith that daddy can give him the toy, so he asks, never worrying about whether or not he's been a good boy this month, or if he's done well in school recently, etc.

And he never stops asking til daddy gives in... That's persistency.

I was reminded of this conversation on Sunday at the adoration room.

Most people would pick a spot at the back of the room, shuffle around a bit to find a comfortable position, maybe reply a few SMS first, take out rosary to pray or take out Bible to read and a dozen other things that people normally do when they go to adoration room.

But not this little girl I saw that day.

She walked in, went right up to the Blessed Sacrament, knelt down and kept quiet.

Like Mary of Bethany, she had chosen the best part; To sit at the feet of Jesus, and no one can take that away from her.

Such was the faith of a little child.

After a while, she stood and went out with her mom (who was seated somewhere at the back of the room, by the way).

I bet whatever she asked for was already done for her by our Father in Heaven.

A Day At The Fair

Went to the JobsCentral Career Fair at Suntec Convention Center yesterday.



So exciting... colourful exhibitions, people mingling, filling up forms, having conversations... there was just so much life there.

And here I was afraid that I would be pushed & shoved in a huge, unpleasant crowd... haha... I guess Abba proved me wrong =)

I had great company too lah...
So blessed to have siblings in Christ like Eugene, Jane, Nat, Krish & Angele who would spend their Sunday afternoon milling around Exhibition Hall 404 with me even though they're not really searching for anything in particular.
Thanks for the awesome company, guys & girls... You really made my day.

For the first time in two months, I'm excited about the prospect of entering the working world once again. So many possibilities, a variety of career paths to choose from... Should I stick with my engineering education, or should I explore something else?
I wonder what kind of door Daddy would open for me?
Haha.. maybe I'm like a kid anticipating a present from his father. But hey, my Dad is the King of All Creation after all... =)

Yesterday was also World Mission Sunday.
I hope I can be an instrument of the Gospel wherever my Lord takes me to next.
If it is His will, let my marketplace also be my mission field and harvest ground =)

With Hands Lifted High

My dearest sister Pris won the Topshop/Topman Fresh Graduate Showcase last Saturday!

So happy for her!

You can read all about it by clicking the link to her blog on the left side of your screen.


Sometimes it's very easy to get discouraged in the world.
No matter how hard we try, there's always someone smarter, prettier, wiser, more successful, more talented, the list goes on and on...
So very often we hide our talents, like the servant who buried his one talent in the ground in Jesus' Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28).

Why bother trying, when we're not gonna make it anyway?

Why bother standing up, only to sit back down in shame?

After all, I am a nobody...


Well, that maybe right...

I am nobody, but my GOD is Somebody you don't wanna mess with!

Sometimes we are so preoccupied with our shortcomings that we miss the point of life... It is not about us, it is all about GOD. He's the One who created us, so we can only find our purpose in Him. After all, only the Creator can tell you why He created something in the first place right?


So what we are to do in life is to use whatever GOD has given us, no matter how little, to multiply and bear fruit. The Lord would surely bless our efforts, and He will say to us, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"
For if the Lord is with us, who can be against us?
Sometimes when we think we can never hope to succeed, the results surprise us... We get first prize, we get awarded that lucrative contract, we clinch that dream job... When we were sure there's no way we will get noticed.

Why? Not because of us... Surely it is because of who GOD is!

He makes the impossible possible, so we can say together with St. Paul, "Let him who boasts, boasts in the LORD!" (2 Corinthians 10:17)

So whatever we endeavour in life, let us lift our head high and do it to the best of our abilities...
Let us be all that we can be... Always striving with eyes upon the Cross and hands lifted to the sky...
So that when the world looks at us and wonders why... We can just tell them we're loving our KING...


With our hands lifted high, we will worship and sing
With our hands lifted high, we come before You rejoicing
With our hands lifted high, to the sky
When the world wonders why
We'll just tell them we're loving our King!
-- from the song "We Will Worship The Lamb Of Glory" by Dennis Jernigan

Kidou Senshi Gundam-00, Sanjou!

The wait is over!

At last... the latest entry in the Gundam series!

Rejoice!

Discipleship

"Not everyone has the generosity of heart to be a disciple."
-- Anonymous

"There are many followers in the Church. We need more disciples."
-- Archbishop Nicholas Chia

Followers simply follow others.
Disciples are multipliers; they will gather more followers and inspire them to take up discipleship.

Jesus said, "Many are called, but few are chosen."
These chosen ones are those brave enough to give their lives to Jesus and to follow Him as Lord and Teacher. These are disciples, those who choose to deny themselves, to enter the harvest field and build the Kingdom of God.

Disciples are those who seek to receive, to let the Lord fill their cups in order to go out and give to those thirsty for the Love of Christ.
Disciples are those who endure the discipline of Abba Father, to suffer the crucible of pain and humiliation, like gold tempered in fire.
Disciples are those who minister out of their brokenness.
Disciples are those who do not tire of doing good.
Disciples are those who wait upon the Lord.

Do you dare to serve?

Are you a disciple?

An Offering Of Worship

Any Christian could tell you that King David was the most recognisable worshiper in the Old Testament. The man was responsible for majority of the Psalms, works of thanksgiving and praise to the Most High God that have been sung for generations. Also known for his undignified act of extravagant worship as he danced with all his might in front of the Ark of the Covenent procession, revelling in the marvels of his awesome Creator.

One of the most memorable things David said about worship was this...

"I will not bring before my God that which has cost me nothing."

Praise is a sacrifice.

I guess yesteday's YAM prayer meeting was a sacrifice of praise for me.

I really wanted to go to a BBQ I was invented to attend, for a chance to enjoy good food and great fellowship with brothers & sisters I don't get to see so often. They're a lovely bunch of people and I was really looking forward to seeing them again.

But despite that desire I still volunteered to lead praise & worship as well as to give a talk this weekend at YAM. Somehow I felt that I had to be there to do this.

During the time of sharing at the end, a few of the sisters who attended the prayer meet said that they had a good time of worship, and they really felt the Lord comforting them through the songs. Even my brother who played guitar for me, himself an unquenchable worshiper, shared that this time he felt he could really enter into worship with his music. It was a new experience for him.

One thing I noticed, they were not crediting me for the good time of worship. I praise God for that, for it means I have done what a worship leader was meant to do... Point people to Jesus during worship =)

I sat there and quietly took it all in.
All I could do was give thanks to the Lord, praising Him for using me as His instrument.
Yes, it was His purpose that I was to lead worship at this particular session.
If I had to deny myself by giving up going for the BBQ, then let it be a sacrifice of praise.

For "I will not bring before my God, that which has cost me nothing."

May it be a fragrant offering that brings pleasure to my Father's heart.

The Young Saint

Yesterday, Oct. 1st, was the Feast of St. Therese de Lisieux, also known as St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. She was known for her simple, childlike faith and spirituality, truly living out the words of Jesus when He said, "Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

But what struck me most about her was her age.

She joined the Carmelite Order at age 15, and died of tuberculosis at age 24.

She was a youth, 2 years younger than I am now, yet the Catholic Church recognises her as a Doctor of the Church and a Patron Saint for Missionaries.

Wow..

This young nun shares her titles with great saints such as St. Jerome and St. Francis Xavier.

Many times young people in the Church feel powerless, unworthy or unequipped to serve their community, to accomplish great things for the Lord.

"You're too young, go and study first" or "The youth don't know what they are doing" are words heard spoken by adults within church compounds.

And as youth, so often we believe those words. We let ignorant mindsets and dismissive attitudes limit the wonders of God in our lives. Well, guess what St. Peter preached immediately after he received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost:

"This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

'It will come to pass in the last days,' God says,

'That I will pour out a portion of my Spirit upon all flesh.

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

your young men shall see visions.' "

We the young people of the Church are empowered by the Spirit of God to proclaim the Good News, to do marvelous deeds in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The same Holy Spirit who anointed the young St. Theresa in her missionary works are still very much alive and active in us today!

The late Pope John Paul II loved young people. He wanted to see more young Catholics live a life of holiness like St. Theresa. That is why, towards the end of his pilgrimage on earth, he cried out, "My dear young people, do not be afraid to become saints!"

If only we would look beyond ourselves, to trust in the grace of God at work in our lives...

If only we would open our eyes, enlarge our vision to fulfill the dream God has birthed in us...

If only we would embrace the passion of our youth...

How will you answer the words of Jesus in that familiar hymn:

"Will you come and follow Me if I but call your name?"

-- from the hymn "The Summons"

For more on St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, please visit http://www.thereseoflisieux.org/