Valentines!

Really tired over the past few days, buy I'm holding on, and intact, Sunday really lifted me up cause of the highboys sermon ad well as the show I watched last night-faith like potatoes. Angus Buchan- my new role model as a man of faith!!

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Valentines Day is today, and I'm really glad to have celebrated it with my Council peeps. I'm glad that I have been blessed with such friends, because they really can make up one's day. Sure their all whacky and spontaneous, not like me, and I admit that it's hard to fit in at times, but Im really glad that they're able to accept me for who I am.

One of them even said I'm evolving to be like them, haha.

But yeah, I wanted to share just this one thing, cause it made my whole day worthwhile.
No, its cause I was asked out or got cool gifts. (I didn't btw, haha)

This is how it went down:

Hanged with Council peeps till evening so that we could claim the extra roses we sold for Valentines day for our own.

I took 4 roses back with me, one pink, one orange, and two yellow.

Standing at the bus stop, I felt this prompting to givethis random girl a rose. I sumpah/chop that i havenever met her before, so I chose to ignore the heart feeling cause it'll be so awkward.

Okay. So I get up the bus, and when I'm in, I sit opposite this young lady from MJC. Now I see that she's glancing time and time again at the roses. I was reminded about what happened at last years Megalife camp, and that I didn't want to miss out on the second chance God gave. So yes, I followed my heart's prompting, and I gave this lady the spare yellow rose in the end.

When I stepped out of the bus, oh man, I was so happy that I was able to make someone know that she's significant. I'm able to appreciate this more especially after I read Captivating(really good book btw, go read it with Wild At Heart).

I'm glad that I gavethat rose. No strings attached. One thing Angus talked about in the film Faith Like Potatoes was something like this: God isn't looking for ability, He's looking for availability.

Today, I'm satisfied to know God's already using me.

SOOGI- simply one of God's instruments.

NOISE? CAMP! / Reflections

I'll like to thank God for allowing me to be able to go for this camp, cause I do believe I've come out as a different person in all.

Few things I'll like to share:
1. The way God speaks to me (THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING BTW! Hehe, personal favorite!)
2. SK2 breakthrough!
3. Reflections

First up, The way God spoke to me.

It all started in day one, when I had a very heavy heart during prayer sessions, like those times when we build up spiritual atmosphere by speaking in tongues during worship intervals. There was this very intense heaviness and "burning" feeling on my heart (literally).

So I was rather confused, because I've never had such a feeling, and thus I don't know what to do! I even questioned if it was from God or not.

The second night, while responding to the altercall, there was a very strong pain. It was like burning fire on my heart and it was like something weighing me down very badly.

The many prayers after that had to do a lot with "Let Jesus' love come in and shine through you" and the word "heart" was emphasized a lot.

Somehow, that ministered to me, but the pain didn't go away.

Moving on, on the third day of camp, I was doing QT and I was reading Psalms 27, my first ever Rhema word. And that's when verse 10 hit me:

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

I was wondering why that did hit me, because my relationship with my parents have been rather strong and we don't really get into unresolved big fights. My relationship with them has been good in that sense.

Weirder thing was this, I kind of had the impression I was standing and addressing a crowd.

Third night came and the pain didn't go away. It was worrying me. So I decided to pluck up some courage and ask SP what he thought it was. He asked me if it was possibly a burden for people or a prayer item, but I really couldn't answer him.

Then he said that it was possibly a prophetic burden placed within. That hit me.

He went on to elaborate that the early prophets had that same feeling, same burden when they had a message from God that they needed to speak.

I carried that thought along with me.

I believe that it was the day 4 that something started stirring form within. When we were asked to give testimonies to what God was doing in our lives during camp, I kinda wanted to go up and release the verse, and also celebrate breakthrough for SK2 (which I will elaborate later). But due to myself chickening out (hehe!), I didn't.

But at the end of Pastor Andrew's last sermon, I knew I had to release it. He even gave an example of him missing out on God using him because he chose to chicken out! So I was like; OKAY GOD, I HEAR YOU, I'LL RELEASE THE WORD OKAY!

And it tied in very well, because his message was a lot our identity in Christ Himself: being daughters and sons of the Most High.

I did pluck up courage to go up to find Pastor Chye Aik, and I shared with him what I felt was impressed on me. I remember asking him to help me address this to the crowd, cause I didn't want to disrupt the service, and also I didn't dare to believe that the impression of me addressing a crowd would come to pass. But instead, he gave me the opportunity to go up on stage to do so!

At this point, I'm like - WOW.

So with trembling knees and a tensed up body, I went to boldly release Psalsms 27:10 and I somehow found myself naturally asking if I could pray for Megalifers from broken families.

After that, I felt weird, but the burden on my heart was lifted. What was left on my mind was "okay, so did my prayer get through to people?". That thought eventually faded into the wind after a while.

When I got back to church, Aunty Sarah and Aunty Jenny both affirmed that what was released was also very heavy on their hearts, and that it was very timely. So, I was really encouraged by that!

I also went up to thank SP for giving me advice too! :)

So yeah! God didn't really speak to me personally this camp, but it was really an interesting experience to be used in such a manner! I'm sure that this is of many words to come, because right now, I've still got that feeling on my heart, although it is less intense. I'll be definitely praying and seeking more on what exactly I need to release/pray/receive!

All glory back to God!

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2. I'm very happy to say that SK2 has grown through this camp.

Through the discussion after the experiential workshop, the guys and girls split into two groups.

We had a much deeper form of sharing and the guys were able to accept one another's views and desires for cell.

Joshua and I pointed out from a leader's perspective that cell hasn't really been a place that lifted God's name on high and neither did it serve as a place of community. We were very open with them, pointing out certain postures and attitudes individuals had during worship sessions that really failed to glorify God.

Followed by that, most of the guys agreed that cell could be more than what they had been experiencing. But Joshua and I came up with the point that cell must be owned by them; that they have to take responsibility over it.

How far cell will or would go is really based on how much each individual puts in.

This key principle was pointed out very strongly and the guys took it in like a sour pill. A good wake up call, nevertheless.

We then gathered around in a circle and got into a high knee position to pray. The highknee was pointed out by Josh that was something that real men do when it came to being serious (or something along that lines, pardon me for not being clear here).

And I believe that the guys got out of that prayer session changed.

It was a prayer session that I myself never experienced before.

I started out in prayer that "if you want it, pray it".

The guys started praying heartfelt prayers for our cell, they asked for forgiveness for their poor behaviors and they wanted to be agents of change.

I can vaguely remember closing the 5 min long prayer with something close to a pledge:

We the brotherhood of SK2 refuse to be bystanders,

We refuse to let our cell be satisfied with where it is,

We choose this day to be agents of change,

...

And I guess it did get through to us all, because real men teared at the end of the prayers.

I'm proud of my guys, I truly am. And I believe that this particular session will be ingrained inside our hearts for a long time.

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Reflections wise, I learnt a lot more about myself.

I realized that I am indeed a very domineering person, because I was being the more prominent domain leader of Resonance. I kinda feel bad now that I was coming out more than Sora. I guess I've still got a lot to learn when it comes to teamwork, and how each of us deserve to have more air time.

I also realized that I myself need to grow when it comes to being patient. God gave me my first Rhema word, Psalms 27, on the 20th July, 2009.

It was the last part that spoke to me more than ever.

13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Waiting. That has never been one of my strong point. And truthfully, asking for patience is indeed an irony. Character has to be molded into us through our everyday lives and choices, and patience grows with making better choices.

Yep! So I'm looking forward to my future self! To become a patient young man who knows how to give in to others even though power and dominance is something I find myself craving for at times.

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A long post, yes I know, but hopefully, this makes up for the LOOOOOOOOONG time that I haven't been posting!

Edge.

I thank God once again that He's doing something in the SK2 cell. I really do.

Last night's cell session was a really good time for 'em to reflect and sort things out within themselves.

I can't say that all got breakthrough, as some are still doubting, still struggling and wondering where do we go now.

Somehow, I felt very much unable to pray for my own sheep. As if I... well, the point is, it seemed so hard to pray for my members.

But I guess one thing I'm learning is that by praying for someone else, I don't have to "feel" anything, because God's the one doing the work. Not me.

I think I kinda forget that every now and then.

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I'm really scared right now because of promo results tomorrow.

I want to stand firm on my claim that I WILL PROMOTE. But really, shaking off that nervous feeling that's causing my heart to palpitate faster isn't easy.

But well! I'll stand firm.

No matter what, I'll still say God was faithful. (hehe, so no whining from me despite whatever result I get!)

God is good, all the time.

All the time, God is good.

More

More

Verse 1:

Lord You know my heart's condition
You know the struggles I've been through

But turn my eyes to face You Jesus

Make my desire to love You

Pre-Chorus:
My past and shame

The guilt and pain
Oh my heart is weary
But my faith it will not sway

So I lay it on the floor

Take my heart, my all

I'm brought down to my knees

Chorus:

Lord I want You more

More
I'm crying out for more

More

Bridge:

I choose to be a living sacrifice

I choose to live this life for You

My heart is set to keeping Your decrees

More of You and less of me

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Bridge inspired by Romans 12:1 and Joshua 1:6

Verse 1 and prechorus inspired from my own situation.

I know I sound really low, but yeah, its the lyrics that matter la. :P

Science and Faith - The Script

Tried to break her to a science
In an act of good defiance
I broke her heart.
There's a pull up on her theories
There's a watch her growing weary
I broke her heart.
Having heavy conversations
About the frivilous constellations of our souls. oh
We're just trying to find some meaning
In the things that we believe in
But we got some ways to go.
Of all of the things that she's ever said
She goes and says something that just knocks me dead.

You won't find faith or hope down a telescope
You won't find heart and soul in the stars
You can break everything, down to chemicals
But you can't explain a love like ours.

Ooohhhh
It's the way we feel, yeh this is real.
Ooohhhh
It's the way we feel, yeh this is real.

I tried pushing evolution
As the obvious conclusion of the start.
But it was all my own amusement
Saying love was an illusion of a hopeless heart.
Of all of the things that she's ever said
She goes and says something that knocks me dead.

You won't find faith or hope down a telescope
You won't find heart and soul in the stars
You can break everything, down to chemicals
But you can't explain a love like ours.

Ooohhhh
It's the way we feel, yeh this is real.
Ooohhhh
It's the way we feel, yeh this is real.

Of all of the things that she's ever said
She goes and says something that just knocks me dead

You won't find faith or hope down a telescope
You won't find heart and soul in the stars
You can break everything, down to chemicals
But you can't explain a love like ours.

Ooohhhh
It's the way we feel, yeh this is real
Ooohhhh
It's the way we feel, yeh this is real

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Credits to Youtube and The Script

WIld at Heart

is a really awesome book! Just spent some time reading it, and woah, I'm already learning alot in just 2 chapters! I'll update y'all on what hit me later. Off to tuition! :P

Like Incense / Sometimes by Step

This has blessed my heart, and I hope it'll bless yours too!

It's more than a song to me I guess, it's kinda like "With Everything", an anthem of faith, a declaration, a sincere prayer of the heart to really allow God to be the God of your life and how much ya love Him. :)

God bless!

New Beginnings / Area One Rocks! / A Beautiful Exchange

Hey there dear reader! :)

Sketchplay.blogspot.com is gonna be started all over again! I'm looking foward to making new changes to the blog and the entries in this one.

This blog will just be a way to update you on what's going on in my life and if there's anything really good that I wanna share I'll let you guys in on it!

"BUT DANIEL, WHERE DID ALL THE OTHER POSTS OF THE PAST GO TO!? YOU SIAO AH?"

Relax. I kept 'em safe, and they're still with me. :) I deleted 'em from here cause after reading through some of 'em, it can kinda kill your mood or make you think funny stuff about me. So we're refreshing, restarting, re-writing it all form scratch!

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And the first thing I wanna thank God for would be Area One and Potential Cell.

Oh man, gathering at Samuel Ng's place was really a blast!

First off! Happy birthday to Hilary and Daniel (haha, my "younger self")! God continue to bless both of your ministry! It's hard, definitely, to juggle both cell ministry with studies with personal life, but hey! Y'all can do all things through Christ! :D So yeah, JIA YOU mates!

Secondly, I just wanted to reemphasize the point that yesterday was SUPER DUPER UBER FUN and REALLY MEANINGFUL. From the games, to the fellowship, to the sumptuous dinner... Man was it brilliant!

Gotta really take my hats off to Joshua Sho for like thinking of doing such funny games! Especially "2-line vocabulary"! Oh gosh! I can't help but grin when I think of it! So really, kudos to you mate, and thanks for giving us such an awesome time together. :)

And I found Shiwei's new implementation of "The Circle" sharing really special. We were all given 2 minutes each to share anything under the sun; your life, your mum, dad, studies, ANYTHING! And it's pretty cool if you ask me.

At least, I was able to get to know people better;

Like how the VS twins are really random and humorous!

Like how Natalie still can make NEFEs and scream at the same time, and that she's really funny to watch if you play games that include her.

Like how Sherman actually remembers that I was part of his cell (haha!)! Just kiddin' bro, still love ya.

Like how Zoey is so so so different in person and in a group setting!

...

...

.

and the list goes on!

I kinda messed up my 2 minutes, cause I actually had stuff that I wanted to share, but it just slipped out of my mind when the spotlight was on me! Eeish.

Anyways, what I wanted to say included something like this:

"I'm really grateful for this Area One meeting, the Potential Cell, because I really hope to start making good friends here, people that I can identify with, help one another out and learn from each other's style of leading. "

Community is a big thing for me now, so ya, I really hope to find people that I can connect with here. :) Potential Cell has the potential to help me find close friends! Haha, okay that was lame.

So, back to the main point, I'm feel truly blessed to be in this ministry, to be surrounded by such wonderful, God-fearing, young hearts that are on the mission to take on the mantle of leadership in Cell. It's really heartwarming to see and experience this journey together with such blessed people of God. :)

When I ended my 2 minutes of my sharing, I said that "I love Area One", and that I said with my whole heart.

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A Beautiful Exchange: the new Hillsong Live album has really been nice to listen to, not just because of the new music, but mainly because of the meaningful lyrics and that... melody that really usher's in God's presence if you quieten yourself enough. :)

Really a brilliant album to own. Really encourage y'all to get it if ya haven't!

*special thanks to Chloe for helping me buy this! Thanks thanks thanks!!*