It's just the beginning

Hello! Here's a video that is really touching and deserves a few minutes of your time. So press the play button! ( lk NAO)   =D

CF Christmas Party 2011!

At 7.00 p.m. on 16th December 2011, something happened. An amazing event was held, to be precise. It was so awesome, that it was supposed to be in the TIME magazine (but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was taken off ) , it practically shook the Earth, it almost shifted the Earth's axis, it almost killed off Chuck Norris, it almost halt global warming , it had stopped all wars on Earth and it made the act of defying whatever you can possibly think of possible!

Naaaah, none of those stuff could have happened. DJCF Christmas party happened, but hey, it was still awesome!

The party was to start at 7pm but some of us came early to set the place up. Some were decorating the living room with strings of red and blue lights, courtesy of Samantha and some were sprucing up the area, shifting the chairs and well, you get the gist of it.

As the sun sets, darling Cf-ers started arriving with all smiles and of course a present for our Exchange gifts activity.

We placed all our presents under the Christmas tree! =D

This was how it was like before the party. Oh and you see that television? We were using Yi Qian's magical television of wonders to screen the lyrics of Christmas carol songs we were going to sing later that night.

Soon enough, more people started arriving, and everyone was bonding so well, that we didn't even need icebreakers to warm things up! =)

The committee brought lots of foods! Pizza, smores! Oh wow, in fact, we had 2 types of mash potatoes served on our table! One was with raisins and the other with egg. I'll stop naming all the food that was there now, or I'll make you readers really hungry! =) But before we could insert delicious food into our mouths, we started the night with a word of prayer.

MAKAN TIME!

One of the best parts of our Christmas party this year, was that DJCF-ers weren't the only people present at the party; we also had DUCF-ers, Tmn SEA CF-ers and even juniors who aren't even in Form 1 yet! It was such a delight having them join us! Also, like every year, we also had a number of  our beloved ex CF-ers who took their time off to come for this party. It was so heartwarming to see people of different ages and backgrounds bonding with one another all under one roof! =') Truly, we have God to thank for that wonderful night of fellowship!

(From the left): Joanna, Brandon Lee, Alycia and James Lee

(From left): Sasha Kow , Jason, Samantha, Christopher and James.


The atmosphere during the party.

Then next, came the time for CAROLING led by Alycia, James and Ken Vyn! =)We started off with the song "Silent Night"- indeed, all of us had to keep silent for a moment to focus our attention on God after about 2 hours of fellowshipping with one another. Yi Qian's magical TV of wonders came in very handy for those of us who didn't know the lyrics, until it hung while we were halfway singing. But hey, we didn't let that stop us from singing to God! So we went on singing more carols, such as "Angels We Have Heard On High", "O' Come All Ye Faithful", "O' Holy Night" and "Feliz Navidad".

Alycia also shared something briefly with us during our session of caroling. Her message was basically this;  God gave us the GREATEST GIFT anyone could ever ask for, His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Sometimes, when we face struggles in life, we may tend to wonder, "How can they say that God gave us the greatest gift, when I'm facing so many problems in my life and not even enjoying this gift? How can they say that God loves me?" Well, here's a reminder to all who ask this question. Remember, that no matter what we go through in life, God still loves us and will NEVER stop loving us- rather, it is we who are often too caught up in our struggles that we tend to miss out on God's endless love for us. Remember this guys, whenever you're facing hard times. =)

We ended our caroling session by going around, shaking everyone's hands/ hugging one another, wishing them 'Merry Christmas' while singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas". All of us also received cute beautifully decorated Christmas cards done by our lovely Cf-ers (special thanks to Isabel and Karina!). THANKIEW!!

After much singing and annoying the neighbors ( naaah, we didn't, well I hope not) we resumed our previous activities, talking and playing games!


I think that all of us were somewhat high that night. Honestly, and no it wasn't drugs. It was something much more addictive than that.

MARSHMALLOWS!!! Courtesy to Naomi who awesomely brought 2 containers of these! =D
Look what it did to this guy. I'm sorry Josh, I had to put this on the blog. =P

Hmmm, looking at my pizza??

I don't trust you with it!

GET AWAAY FROM ME PIZZAAA!!!!


I have no idea what had happened looking at this picture but from my deduction, Timothy ( guy pointing ) is accusing Daniel ( guy who is being pointed ) of eating all the food at the party. No wonder Joshua was so uptight about his pizza! XP

So was the party fun?

YES IT WAS!!!
And that's why you shouldn't miss out on whatever events CF has! =D

A HUGE thanks to Yi Qian's parents for allowing us to use their house for the party, the comm. and everyone who brought food and everyone else who helped to decorate the living room before the party started and cleaning up the place up after. Also, thank you to all who came because the party wouldn't have been as awesome without your presence! And credits to Yu-Jun and Yi Qian for the pics!

Above all and most importantly, thank GOD. For everything. =)

Also, since Christmas is coming up.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Woah, what's with the critiscm?

HELLO!!! CF had its Christmas party on Friday. =D And it was legen...wait for it, DARY! Yup, I said it. It was legendary. Of course, it was expected *hehehehe* I shall be posting about the party soon enough! Anyway, here is a devo. that I would like to share with you guys and why a devo again? Because it's awesome and I find it very practical and applicable. So go on, go on. Don't be shy. =D Start reading! ^___^ And this is from the Our Daily Journey's website written by Mike Wittmer.

Read > Proverbs 27:1-17
An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy (Proverbs 27:5-6).

More > Hebrews 12:1-12 to learn why confrontation is a sign of God’s love. (NLT)
God’s Discipline Proves His Love
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

What criticism do you need to reconsider? How can you determine which aspects are true? What is good criticism and what is bad criticism?
In The Last Lecture, Professor Randy Pausch described a particularly bad day when his hardnosed football coach yelled at him and made him do push-ups for messing up some moves. Afterward, an assistant coach helped Randy put his bad practice in perspective. “Coach Graham worked you pretty hard, didn’t he?” the coach asked. Then he continued, “That’s a good thing. When you’re messing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.”

Being berated by a boss is one of life’s most painful experiences, which is why Randy remembered it when he wrote his memoir. We instinctively duck and deflect, focusing on their anger issues rather than whether there is any truth in what they’re saying. How dare they treat me like that! we fume. Yet we miss an opportunity to consider their criticism and grow as a person.

Nobody likes to be told they’re doing something wrong, but it’s the only way we ever improve. Regardless of motives or manners, our critics can be our friends. So rather than defend ourselves by pointing out a critic’s flaws, we must consider the possibility that elements of the criticism we received could be true. If we determine that we have been lazy, careless, or unkind, we must repent. We can pray, “Lord, I’m sorry for my sin. I was wrong and out of line. Yet today, with Your help, I choose to be diligent, disciplined, and to value the feelings of others more than myself.”

God accepts us just as we are, but He loves us too much to allow us to stay that way. He challenges us in areas that need improvement, and sometimes He uses our critics to get His point across. Take heart when you receive valuable criticism, for though it means you messed up, it also means God still believes in you.

Next > What critiscm do you need to reconsider? How can you determine which aspects are true? What is good critiscm and what is bad cristiscm?

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Hebrews 12:1-13

Summer

Hello! Remember bout the girl Summer I told you guys in the previous post?? Well, here is her testimony! But before that let me tell you a lil bit bout her *this is for the people who have not read the previous post ( cause I know you guys lazy to scroll down. Heh =D ) *=)

She is from DU, yes she is a Du-rian~ =) . I met her at NSCFL, a cute girl she is and she so happens to be the person in charge of the DUCF blog. Awesome isn't it? The DUCF blog link is on the left column btw. Go read it up, the blog is an awesome read. So moving on, this is her testimony from NSCFl camp. =)

The testimony of Summer

So what did I learn in camp? hmmmmmmm, well there's just so much I have learnt in 6 days! There was macro and micro planning, learning how to plan a cf/yf meeting much more accurately. And I also found my spiritual gift! I think if you ask everyone in NSCFL they'll probably all say the same thing, which is: 'camp was awesome!' or 'ohh I made a lot of new friends in camp' or 'the Word in camp really hyped me up! I can't wait to serve God in cf/yf!'.

Then we go back and do nothing. So what I want to share with everyone is this: just cause we went to a camp and came back doesn't mean we're perfect. We shouldn't just let whatever we have learnt in camp STAY in camp. We should bring whatever we've learn into practice. Don't be afraid to share His Word.


Those of us who went with our cf/yf, remember to always be there for one another. Support each other and always stay strong in the Word of God.

Is an ant significant?

HELLOO!! =D

So did you enjoy Jia Min's testimony? Naise riight? So keep on visiting the blog because there will be more testimonies. The next one coming up is not written by a Dj-ian but a friend from DU. =) Anyway, here's something I'd like to share with you guys. This is actually a devo. from "Our Daily Bread" except I got this online.

Risky Business

December 10, 2011 — by Joe Stowell

Read: Matthew 1:18-25

Then Joseph . . . did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. —Matthew 1:24

Bible in a year:
Hosea 1-4; Revelation 1

On some of the Christmas cards you will receive this year, no doubt there will be a man standing in the background looking over the shoulder of Mary, who is prominently displayed caring for the baby Jesus. His name is Joseph. And after the nativity narratives, he isn’t heard from much again. If we didn’t know better, we would think Joseph was an insignificant bystander or, at best, a mere necessity to undergird Jesus’ claim to the throne of David.

But, in fact, the role that Joseph played was strategically important. If he had disobeyed the angel’s command to take Mary as his wife (Matt. 1:20), he would have, from a human perspective, put the entire mission of Jesus at risk. Taking Mary as his wife was a risky assignment. Public perception that he was the baby’s father put him in serious violation of Jewish law and made him a public disgrace. Yet today all of us are thankful that he was willing to risk his reputation to participate in and facilitate God’s unfolding drama.

Most of us are insignificant compared to the major players in this world. But all of us are called to obey. Who knows what God has in store when we are willing to surrender to God’s will—even when it puts us at risk!

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey. —Sammis

It’s no small thing to trust and obey.

Everyone plays a part in God's plan. Even a small creature like the ant plays a part. Every part makes a difference! Even the panda who looks, honestly speaking, useless plays an important role for sure. For all you know, its poo fertilizes the soil for the bamboo plants....Seriously... SO YES, the point is, you are here for a reason so don't let yourself feel insignificant because that's a lie. =D

Also, DON"T FORGET! DJCF is having a Christmas party. The details are in the previous post. So scrooooll down. So seee ya there sooon! =)

DECEMBER HAS ARRIVED!

Hi everyone! So have you thought of your answers for the questions posted in the previous post? Anyway, from the 21st to 26th November, a bunch of us Dj-ians went to a camp called NSCFl camp. I'm sure some of you have heard about it. It's a camp organised by Scripture Union. And the book that was focused on during the camp was Philippians. The theme was " GET, SET, GOD " and our games group names were named after famous Christian athletes.

The writer of Philippians is by none other than Paul. And the Philippians was written at the time he was at house arrest to well...the Philippians. =D

So anyway, this camp really taught me a lot. And so it has to everyone as well. Jia Min, a dear Cf-er has spent her time writing her testimony about her experience in NSCFL. So yes, here is a glimpse of the camp through her eyes. =D

The Camp To Remember

I’ve never been to NSCFL camp before. It’s my first time and I was feeling a little giddy and afraid being surrounded by hundreds over people. I was also very reluctant to leave my comfy bed at first but looking back now, I have totally no regrets signing up for camp. Everything in camp was great. The people were warm and nice, the campsite has a natural-ish feel, you can see the clear blue sky in the morning and the stars shining at night. I am blessed with a very friendly roommate and also getting to be part of a very sporting and noisy group – Kaka.

The people in my group was extremely nice, especially my group leader, Emily, who took unpaid leave to be at camp to take care of us. She was a great listener and guided us throughout camp. She was also very open with sharing her life with us, she even bought us Seremban Siew Pau! We simply love to eat. Every morning during quiet time and every night during post mortem, all you can see, is us, EATING. The activities in camp benefited me a lot. For the workshops, I signed up for worship and peer counselling.

I learnt a lot from the worship workshop, led by Patrick Leong. His singing was splendid. He not only taught us what we should prepare mentally as a worship leader, he also gave us a chance to worship in a random band during practical sessions. Besides gaining more knowledge about worshipping and music, I also learnt how to coordinate and respect each other in this workshop.

The one part of camp that touched me the most was prayer and fasting. I’ve never been fasting in my whole entire life. Even in this short 5 hours, I’ve learnt so much! The station ( there were 5 stations that we could choose to go. For a few hours, we couldn't talk to anyone but just fast, pray and basically have quiet time with God ) that got us all in tears was the one where everyone can take a stone, think about all the burdens, pray, and leave the stone together with all our burdens before the cross. I wept as I was kneeling down before the cross, and I walked out of the room weight-free. And for that instant, I felt so relieved.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ Such a precious affirmation and promise for all of us, but why is it that we don’t seek for God first in hard and happy times? And that led me to the next station, we were showed a video about the gift of worship, and it really struck me. What is your motive when you worship God? I sat in the hall and watched the video again and again for more than 8 times. I am a worship leader, but sometimes I still do question myself, why am I worshipping?

The video was like a wake-up call for me, slapping me in the face, telling me it’s time to put God first in everything I do. In the video it says, Worship is a huge thing. We look forward to worship each week. When the music includes one of our favourites, we say, "The worship was great!" When the music stinks, we yawn and wonder why the worship wasn't very good. We leave churches because of the "worship style".

Have you ever wondered why we're more concerned with what worship does for us and less concerned with the object of our worship? It seems like it's more about what we GET not what we GIVE. It would be like taking a gift to a friend's birthday party, but keeping it for ourselves.

Worship is all about GIVING our lives to God. Worship is not about the feelings we receive when we sing. Worship is not about convincing God to bless us. Worship is not about whether or not the guitar is too loud. Worship is not about what's happening on the stage. Worship is not about entertainment, lighting, or sound.

Worship is not about us at all. IT'S NOT ABOUT US. It's about Him.

And we enter through the gateway of the cross.

At the cross, we surrender love cry dream give up shut up kneel confess

We look at God, and place Him above all else because He is worth it! Life gets crazy and painful. No one can deny that. JOB STRESS DIVORCE DEATH ADDICTIONS PARENTING LONELINESS

No one is asking you to pretend that those things aren't affecting you. You're just being invited to bring that stuff to the cross, and to simply gaze at Jesus. And as you look at Him, allow your response to be worship

Besides growing up and being more mature spiritually, I made a lot of friends and had so much fun. DJ-ians have been really encouraging, feels like it is God’s calling that I should join CF next year. I’ve been swaying around in other curriculum activities for three years, feels like it’s time to go home now. I pray that everyone who joined NSCFL this year and those who benefited from it will bring the knowledge back to their respective CF’s and YF’s to serve God better and to glorify God’s name. I also hope the bonds and friendship between the campers will not be just a 6 days thing, but will grow stronger as we grow up together as brothers and sisters in Christ. For those who didn’t join this year, I urge you to join next year! Toodeloos!

God bless (:

Jia Min.