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First off, pardon me for this rather long hiatus... haha. On one hand I really didn't know what to type everytime I had the opportunity to drop by... ever since I included the "frivolity" section I am mindful not to write an entry that would eventually be classified under that... Hahaha. But yeah... rather, I find that the scarcity of free time these days has resulted in lesser reflections on my part... and even at this point of writing, my schedules are already packed into the new year with just one more short break (thank God for Char - she is right la... if it's not for her I would be staring at the computer screen 24/7 this season in time... Pa is good. (: ) And yes... I should be sleeping now because I'll have to wake up very early later and make a trip back to the apartment to dump some stuff before heading down to Nick & Beck's wedding... am leading worship.

But I guess certain things that transpired casually over the course of a very good dinner tonight... they're worth a mention and an entry here - something that made me ponder... and probably would serve as a good reminder.

Char and I went for a little housewarming at a friend's place... man we were treated to a really good feast! We eased into the food and conversation began amongst those present... as stories went around, it was mentioned of a Major in an army unit whose ambition seemingly was to tekan (torment) the people under him, treating them like underlings. He would use foul words (he's a university graduate if I'm not wrong) on them and give unreasonable tasks for his men to complete... and as though there was a need to strike a balance off the negative tangent, it was then said of him that he's really devoted in his faith and goes to Bible studies four days a week.

I had a chill pass through me when the latter part was being told over the dinner table... my insides were like, eeyer... why like that...

Lest I become judgmental! Haha... I am reminded that we are all creations of God, all under construction.

The pitfall is that whereas many call upon Jesus as their Saviour, many don't quite catch the implications of the second part, when they are to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and grow to being more and more like Him, where the fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness... to name a few.

I have my fair share of personal encounters, especially this year, when I officially hold a full time job and get to interact with more people beyond church, both adults (colleagues) and youths (students).

There are colleagues who are believers whom I had rather peculiar not-so-pleasant encounters with... I had to be reminded by my immediate boss (whom I am really thankful to God for... having him as my immediate superior and mentor is like adding a thousand dollars to my salary!! Haha... :P) that I have to learn to be discerning - not all Christians are Christians - I was like. HOR. That makes sense... but I'll rather believe that they've called upon Jesus as their Savior, but perhaps not so much of acknowledging that He's Lord and that they need help in becoming more like Him...

And I must admit that I must constantly check the planks in my eye - I may not be filled with many prickly traits and attitudes on the outward, but I am reminded that God sees me from the inside out... and only He knows how irky it can be sometimes. :|

And youths? It's always been the case that it is more tolerable for me to look beyond the ignorance and incongruence for the professing youths... they are after all growing in their faith and learning what it means to follow Christ and carry His Cross. It's a joy that I'm given the opportunity even to witness the transformational power of the Cross in the lives of individuals who took that step of faith... and beyond that, got themselves discipled along the way. :)

And that... will be the mark of God working and growing us to becoming more like Him. The next chapter of the Major's life has yet to be written... probably somewhere down the road that transformation would occur. And it will probably be so for others... myself as well. And for those who've yet to know Jesus personally and not just knowing about Him from hearsay, friends, media, books and literature... there'll probably come a time as well.

Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior can be the greatest service you'll ever do to yourself.

Another Christmas is coming in a few days' time... it'll be yet another time of good cheer, of gift exchanges, of merry making, of love, joy, peace... then come January, everything returns to square one.

Or does it have to?

Know Christ... know Christmas. No Christ... you get mas. mas selamat. Haha...

Head down to Orchard Road these few days (19-25 Dec) and soak in some true spirit of Christmas! ;)

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Char and I took a bus to town after church service this morning... we went there to meet up with Uncle Wee Boon (her dad) who's running his maiden full marathon at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this year. Boy am I inspired! (: His sole purpose was to complete one... and he's done so at the age of 50!

Mmm looks like I should start putting words into action and aim to complete my first marathon in time to come... next year's Singapore Marathon bah. My longest thus far was the half marathon done in 2005 in the same event... Guess it's time. :)

If you've noticed, there's this Nike+ widget that I've been displaying on the new templated design - I've recently bought the Nike+ device that tracks the distance one covers using iPod... and they've this "challenge" section where you select personal running challenges to motivate yourself to run more... I've chosen this challenge set by another person to run 170km before the year ends. So far I've covered 100km or so... and so after witnessing so many runners doing their thing in the afternoon, my heart felt itchy... went back to boarding apartment where my running stuff are and set out to do a half marathon.

The sky was threatening to rain... and the weather forecast said so too. But I went anyways... and as I began to run, I just had the sense that He would hold back the rain till I'm done. It was a rather good start... then something happened halfway through. My iPod jammed. 6.22miles (approximately 10km) of record lost just like that... meaning that the 10km I just ran wouldn't be registered. For a moment I felt a bit sian hoping that I could recover that data... gave up in the end and restarted the device. Ran another 5km before returning to the apartment.

It would be great if I can continuously shave off my timings with each run... but for now, I'll be really contented if I can complete my first marathon next year... Mmm. Anyone wants to work towards completing a marathon next year too? :)

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It has been quite a season... a difficult and a different season.

Out of which... I came to appreciate more of God's unchanging love, grace and mercy... in the midst of my unfaithfulness and active rebellion. It's scary actually, to see how cold my heart could go at times... and how convenient it could be for me to attribute it, as an excuse, to busyness, to workload and all have yous.

Thanking God for God... I can see light at the end of the tunnel once again. :)

Attended the prayer for My Hope Singapore a couple of days ago and had a good time praying with an elder brother from another church (Leng Kwang Baptist if I'm not wrong). It was a rejuvenating time for me in the midst of my restarting of certain disciplines like doing quiet time, journaling and praying... and yes, a feeling of reassurance and familiarity came upon me when His Spirit touches my heart. Haha.. joy! :) And indeed, it's a joy to witness brothers and sisters coming together in this nation-wide project, and all the more to hear of some of the youths being involved in this as well.

And as I came upon this article this morning... I am thankful that despite who I am and what I've done or not done, the burden's there. Has been... will be. And right now at this station in life I know that I'm called to pray more than anything else. Knowing is one thing... acting it out is another. Do keep me in prayer, that I may be faithful in the things that I'm called to do... big or small. And that I may continue to be a good testimony wherever I'm placed.

I'll journal more soon. :)

Getting Uncomfortable
How far will you go to reach a lost soul?
by Greg Laurie

Why on earth does God choose to use people to reach people? If I were God, I wouldn't use people. I would just do the job myself.

If I were God, I would roll the heavens away, poke my face through and say, "Hello, humanity. I am God. Believe in me now, or I will kill you." Aren't you glad that I am not God? At the very least, if I were God, I would raise up an army of mighty angels to preach the Gospel. Wouldn't that be powerful? I would never use people; they are flawed. They make mistakes. They fall short. They are inconsistent. Sometimes they contradict what they say by the way they live.

But God, in His great wisdom, has chosen to use people to reach people. Jesus has given us our marching orders. He said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). This is not optional. It is the Great Commission, not the great suggestion.

In order to be effective in sharing our faith, we need a burden for those who do not know the Lord. Jesus showed us that we are to go outside of our comfort zone and reach people of all backgrounds. He went to the woman at the well in Samaria. In Jesus' day, not only would a rabbi not talk to a woman, but a Jew would never talk to a Samaritan. If you add the fact that the woman was immoral, she had three strikes against her.

But Jesus spoke to this immoral Samaritan woman. He engaged her in conversation and reached out to her in love. He was showing us that we need to go to all people, whatever they look like, whatever their race, whatever their background, whatever their socio-economic status. All of the messages on evangelism and all of the training classes you can go to will mean nothing if you lack this simple prerequisite: A burden.

Do you really care about lost people? We have to care and reach out to these people, even if it means going out of our comfort zone. Even if it means getting extreme.

Some time ago, we were in Hawaii holding a crusade. A father and his son were at Waikiki Beach handing out fliers for the event The little boy wanted to go up to a burly, beefy biker dude. The dad looked at the guy and said, "I don't know if that's a good idea." The son was insistent and walked right up to this big guy and gave him an invitation to the crusade. The guy took what that little boy gave him, crumpled it up and threw it on the ground. That night at the crusade the father told us that when the invitation was given, the first man on the field was that biker dude--he came after all.

We all know someone who needs Christ. For you, it might be some cranky old neighbor. It might be your mom or your dad. It might be a person you can't envision ever being a Christian. She is so hard. He is so against God. You have written him or her off. Even thinking about witnessing to that person seems extreme to you.

Think again. Remember, no one is beyond God's reach. That person can come to Jesus. Pray for him; pray for her. Allow God to put a burden on your heart, and be willing to reach out as God leads you. Are you willing to be extreme for Christ? He wants to use you today.

Greg Laurie is senior pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship (independent/nondenominational), in Riverside, Calif., as well as an evangelist with Harvest crusades. He has written more than 10 books, including The Upside Down Church. He and his wife, Catherine, are parents of two children and live in southern California.

Bible verses marked NIV are taken by permission from The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado. © 2002 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association from the January 2003 issue of Decision magazine