Running !

Race

uth chronicle
Issue I 2010
Jan — Mar
 Editor’s Note

Greetings, dear reader! us useful pointers when endured much more than
embarking on a new leg of many of us will ever go
Once again, another year has life’s journey. Our >25 section through. Joel Quah has
passed. The Uth Chronicle is features an article by Auntie written a short review of a
published quarterly and as I Esther who talks about book titled 'Tortured for
pen this note, it is with the 'Running the Rat Race', with a Christ', which details the life
realisation that I will (God very pertinent reminder for of Richard Wurmbrand and
willing) only write another all of us to ensure that our how much he accomplished
three of these before yet time is spent wisely, where we with God's help.
another year passes. 2009 seek after the things of God
has flown by like many years first. On a parting note, let us also
before it, and before we know remember to 'Look not every
it 2010 will vanish into For some of us, the new year man on his own things, but
eternity as well. May we keep may already have brought every man also on the things
in mind God's command for us concerns to light. Do you feel of others' (Philippians 2:4),
in Ephesians 5:15-16, 'See daunted by events on the for our race is not against
then that ye walk horizon? Are you worried each other.
circumspectly, not as fools, about the hurdles before you?
but as wise, Redeeming the Do you perhaps feel weary May God bless your reading.
time, because the days are already as you think of how =)
evil'. many laps must be run before
the race is over? Elder P.S.: If you have been blessed
This issue's theme is 'Running William Seah shares God's by reading the Uth Chronicle,
the Race' and as we begin the Word with us with regards to then don't toss it aside after
new year in earnest, are we 'Spiritual Endurance' and reading! Pass it on to
truly prepared (in the draws our attention to the someone else and share the
spiritual sense) for what is many encouraging promises blessings!
ahead of us? Some of us may in the Bible. I have also Yours in Christ,
be moving into a whole new contributed an article to this Brian
environment whether it is in issue, where I share some of
school, work or (for some of my personal experience in UTH TEAM
the guys) the army. Before we 'Overcoming Hurdles'. Advisor: Bro Henry
Chua
plunge straight into the race, Editor: Brian Lim
it is important for us to first It is also encouraging to Secretar y: Jonathan
Tay
stop and check our walk with remember that others before Layouts: Grace Auyo
ng
the Lord. Dn James Fu writes us have run this race and Photos: Samuel Chia
about 'Starting Off' and gives emerged victorious. By God's Special Ops: Yeda Ko
grace and enabling, they have &
Michelle Chiang
3
Starting Off by Dn James Fu
around us. God has specifically placed
us as beacons of light wherever we
are. We should only leave our post if it
is no longer God’s will for us to remain
there.

At times, God will require some of us

to take that step forward, or even a
great stride ahead. For some, God
may require you to simply hold your
ground. God has raised each one of us
for a different purpose. For Peter and
Paul, they were, at one point in their
lives, called to be prisoners (Acts 12:5,
16:25) – clearly not the most coveted
vocation in the world. And both
experienced a similar experience while
in prison – they had the opportunity to
break out of it. In both scenarios, they
each had an “open” door. From
hindsight, we know that it was clearly
God’s will for Paul to stay and for
Peter to leave. It was clearer for Peter
A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES
1. Are you walking with the as there was an angel that led him out.
BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP.
Lord? What about Paul? Paul had become a
2. Is this God’s will for you? minister to the other prisoners. That
But before you take that first step, in
was his calling then. To leave would be
which direction are you going?
Before we can even determine to give up that calling. Furthermore,
whether or not a choice is God’s there was still the unsaved jailor, who
Everyone’s going somewhere. Whether
ordained will for us, we have to first would have taken his own life had Paul
we like it or not, time pushes us and
check our spiritual condition and not stayed (Acts 16:27).
hurries us on our way. Time pushes us
ensure that our closet is empty of all
from one phase of life and, very often,
skeletal sins. There is simply no way Once it has been established that it is
abruptly into the next. And there will
that God will answer our prayers for indeed God’s will for us to embark on
be many choices to make. Some of
His will to be revealed if we are not a certain journey, there are another
them will chart our life’s course over a
spiritually attuned with Him. If I regard two things that we have to do:
few years. When a wrong choice is
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not 1. Purpose in your heart to not
made, it will be very difficult (but never
hear me (Psalms 66:18). Instead, we be defiled.
impossible) to rectify that choice. A
will simply be charting out our own 2. Remember that it is God’s will
Christian will know when a wrong
course and associating every open for you to take this path.
choice is made. His heart will be vexed
door we meet along the way as a God-
daily as Lot's was (2 Peter 2:7-8).
send. And even in the presence of the Everyone has his own Achilles’ heel.
When our life’s journey is paved
vexation of spirit, we can still comfort What will it take for you to sin against
through daily vexation of the spirit,
ourselves with this delusion that we’re God? There is the love of money,
how many of us can claim to be better
walking according to the will of God. p r i d e , p o w e r a n d g l o r y, l u s t ,
than Lot – to be able to abandon our
covetousness, and sloth. The list goes
current journey when the Holy Spirit
God will always clearly show us on. It takes just one misguided step to
chides us to return to the strait and
whether or not a path is His desired deviate from the path set by God. It
narrow path?
will for us. Every choice and decision only takes a moment of weakness
we make will inevitably affect someone along with 'I know what I’m doing' for
We are not heroes. We should not be
else. None of us live in an isolationist’s Satan to find that hole in your spiritual
charging into the unknown thinking our
world. A simple decision to go armour.
own 'special' abilities will make
overseas to study will affect all your
everything right. That is plain
current areas of service in church, as Consider Daniel. He purposed in his
foolishness. Before we take the first
well as your witness and testimony to heart to not defile himself (Daniel 1:8).
step, we have to ascertain two things:
your friends and relatives at home. Our He asked that his friends and he be
lives are intertwined with the people given pulse (vegetables) and water to
4
eat instead of the king’s meat and
wine. A very bold request was made,
and it was backed up with the courage
to face whatever resulting
consequences (most probably death)
simply because of his desire to not sin
against God (Daniel 1:13). Are we
willing to make the same kind of
sacrifice? It may require us to say in a
project where the members are
required to work on the Lord’s Day,
'please allow me to work on other days
and I will bear whatever consequences
if the results are not satisfactory.' To
purpose in the heart to not be defiled is
to encase a deep hatred against sin.
We do not always have the luxury to
'pray about it' when we have to choose
between pleasing God and pleasing
man. When we have truly purposed in
our hearts to not be defiled, we are
able to act on instinct in those
situations, to act on an instinct to do
that which will glorify the Father in
Heaven. It only takes a moment of
hesitation and uncertainty for
temptation to realise into sin.
God has a special path laid out for
everyone. It is a path which will be
God-glorifying as long as we follow it. It
will be a path where the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, will
5 Some Christians just don’t see it.
abide in us. When you have determined
that a certain decision is God’s will for
you to take, remember that. Down that
path, you will face trials and
discouragements. You will begin to see
greener grass appearing everywhere
else. You will wonder if your current
path is actually the right one. Satan will
try all means to make you deviate from
the path. It is all a spiritual battle. Let
thine eyes look right on, and let thine
eyelids look straight before thee
(Proverbs 4:25). Look past the horizon
and do not get distracted by all the fluff
that the world throws at your eyes.
Unless it is a clear sign from God that it
is no longer God’s will for you to be
where you are, you should never
abandon your post. You could be the
only beacon to point a lost soul to
Christ. When you abandon your post,
you are basically abandoning those
around you as well.
Taking the step forward in a new
journey is never easy. The unknown lies
ahead. But what we know is that God
will take each step with you as long as
you allow Him to. Purpose in your heart
to not sin against God. Why? Simply
because Christ too purposed in his
heart to die at the cross for our sakes.
•••
Spiritual Endurance
by Elder William Seah
•••
This warfare is a
IN THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
spiritual one and our
has been compared to several things
adversary is none other
but just to name a few - a race, a
than the devil, Satan
pilgrimage and warfare. Whichever it
himself who tirelessly
may be, it all begins at the point of our
seeks to destroy our
conversion and ends when we arrive
faith, which he tried to
safely in heaven, our eternal home.
do to Job but failed.
While here on earth, we need to
The story of Job is a
exercise endurance or perseverance
classic example of a
should we want to complete the
man who “was perfect
‘course’ victoriously and hear the Lord
and upright, and one that feared
say to us “Well done, thou good and
God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1) The Apostle Paul in his second
faithful servant….enter thou into the
whom the Lord allowed Satan to try epistle to young Timothy wrote, “Thou
joy of Thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)
him, stretching his faith in God to the therefore endure hardness, as a
extreme limits. But at the end Job good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2
A race – “Wherefore seeing we also
prevailed and was richly rewarded Timothy 2:3)
are compassed about with so great a
because he knew His God in a personal
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
way, having endured to the end. Job How then are we to endure
every weight, and the sin which doth
not only knew about God for who He is, hardness, the trials and testing which
so easily beset us, and let us run
but he knew God in an intimate and come our way, and emerge victorious
with patience the race that is set
real way. Can you imagine yourself at the end of it all? What does God’s
before us….” (Hebrews 12:1)
having been stripped of all your Word hold for us?
possession and family for no fault of
A pilgrimage – “Dearly beloved, I
yours, and still can say, “Naked came I First, God’s Word promises us
beseech you as strangers and
out of my mother's womb, and naked victory. Therefore, we need to know
pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts,
shall I return thither: the LORD gave, God’s Word for in His Word we are
which war against the soul….” (1
and the LORD hath taken away; assured that “we are more than
Peter 2:11)
blessed be the name of the LORD.”? conquerors through Him that loved
(Job 1:21) That was what happened to us.” (Romans 8:37) Christ by His
Warfare – “For we wrestle not against
Job and he did just that! And the Bible resurrection has not only justified us,
fl e s h a n d b l o o d , b u t a g a i n s t
records that “in all this Job sinned but gotten us the victory over the
principalities, against powers,
not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job power of the evil one, our adversary.
against the rulers of the darkness of
1:22) As such we are to commit ourselves to
this world, against spiritual
the reading and meditation in His Word
wickedness in high
The Apostle Peter issues this daily so that we may grow in grace and
places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
warning, “Be sober, be vigilant; in the knowledge of Christ. (2 Peter
because your adversary the devil, as 3:18) Recall the words of Psalm 1:1-3,
Look around you and you will
a roaring lion, walketh about, “Blessed is the man that walketh not
notice that the world at large crowns
seeking whom he may devour: in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
success, but our God crowns
Whom resist steadfast in the faith, standeth in the way of sinners, nor
faithfulness. The Apostle Paul
knowing that the same afflictions are sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But
reminded the Corinthian Christians that
accomplished in your brethren that his delight is in the law of the LORD;
“it is required in stewards (servants),
are in the world. But the God of all and in His law doth he meditate day
that a man be found faithful.” (1
grace, who hath called us unto His and night. And he shall be like a tree
Corinthians 4:2) This applies to us too.
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after planted by the rivers of water, that
Every truly born-again Christian is both
that ye have suffered a while, make bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
a child of God as well as a servant of
you perfect, establish, strengthen, his leaf also shall not wither; and
Jesus Christ. What a joy and privilege
settle you.” (1 Peter 5:8-10) whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
to be in His Majesty’s service!
6
In Joshua 1:8 we read, “This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou
mayest observe to do according to
all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then thou shalt have good
success.”
The Christian faith is not merely
a ‘religion’ like any other. It is more
than just a ‘religion’; it is a unique
‘relationship’, a personal and vibrant
‘relationship’ with a living Saviour who
has saved us by His grace. Energised
by the Spirit in us, we are strengthened
by the same grace Paul wrote about
when the Risen Christ said to him, “My
grace is sufficient for thee: for My
strength is made perfect in
weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) What
is most wonderful to know is that His
grace besides strengthening us, will
sustain us to the end as we read in
Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of
this very thing, that He which hath
begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ.” We must learn to know Him
more and more which is so adequately
expressed by Paul in Philippians 3:10,
“That I may know Him, and the
power of His resurrection, and the
7
fellowship of His sufferings, being be troubled, though the mountains
made conformable unto His death.” shake with the swelling thereof.
Selah”? (Psalm 46:1-3) Thanks be
The question is “How well do I unto God for His promise that He will
know my God, and my Christ?” During not allow us to be tried or tested
the recent severe test of my faith when beyond our limits but will always make
I was at the brink of death having a way of escape for us. (1 Corinthians
suffered an acute heart failure, His 10:13) Develop a total sense of
Word from Psalm 23:4 was so real, dependence upon the Saviour and ask
“Yea, though I walk through the Him for the discipline to do His bidding
valley of the shadow of death, I will whatever it may be. In John 15:5 we
fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy are reminded of the words of Christ
rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” Himself, “I am the vine, ye are the
My heart was at peace as I was further branches: He that abideth in Me, and
comforted by Nahum 1:7, “The LORD I in him, the same bringeth forth
is good, a stronghold in the day of much fruit: for without Me ye can do
trouble; and He knoweth them that nothing.”
trust in Him” and later strengthened by
Jeremiah 32:27, “Behold, I am the Third, God’s Word equips us
LORD, the God of all flesh: is there with the necessary armour and
any thing too hard for me?” weapons for our warfare. Since it is a
spiritual battle it must not be fought
Second, God’s Word points us w i t h t h e a r m o f fl e s h – t h a t ’s
to Christ. “Looking unto Jesus the foolishness and sure defeat. When
author and finisher of our faith; who Jesus was tempted of the devil, what
for the joy that was set before Him did He use as His ‘weapon’? The Word
endured the cross, despising the of God! Knowing our needs, God has
shame, and is set down at the right all the weapons for us to ensure our
hand of the throne of God. For victory. So the apostle Paul wrote,
consider Him that endured such “Put on the whole armour of God,
contradiction of sinners against that ye may be able to stand against
Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle
in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:2-3) not against flesh and blood, but
Jesus is our perfect example who a g a i n s t p r i n c i p a l i t i e s , a g a i n s t
endured to the end to do His Father’s powers, against the rulers of the
will thereby fulfilling the darkness of this world, against
plan of God’s redemption spiritual wickedness in high places.
for a lost mankind. Many Wherefore take unto you the whole
times in our moments of armour of God, that ye may be able
adversity, we look to to withstand in the evil day, and
human help rather than to having done all, to stand. Stand
trust in Him. Did not the therefore, having your loins girt
psalmist say, “God is our about with truth, and having on the
refuge and strength, a breastplate of righteousness; And
very present help in your feet shod with the preparation
trouble. Therefore will of the gospel of peace; Above all,
not we fear, though the taking the shield of faith, wherewith
earth be removed, and ye shall be able to quench all the
though the mountains be fiery darts of the wicked. And take
carried into the midst of the helmet of salvation, and the
the sea; Though the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
waters thereof roar and of God.” (Ephesians 6:11-17) Our
adversary has no power against God’s upon God; for my expectation is from
Word which is our only sure defence. Him. He only is my rock and my
salvation: He is my defense; I shall
Fourth, God’s Word exhorts us not be moved. In God is my salvation
to wait upon Him. David concluded and my glory: the rock of my
Psalm 27 in verse 14 with these words, strength, and my refuge, is in God.
“Wait on the LORD: be of good Trust in Him at all times; ye people,
courage, and he shall strengthen pour out your heart before Him: God
thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalm
He had earlier testified that “the LORD 62:5-8)
is my light and my salvation; whom
shall I fear? the LORD is the strength Let me share this acronym with
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? you on the word WAIT (on the Lord):
W h e n t h e w i c k e d , e v e n m i n e W atch unto prayer,
enemies and my foes, came upon me A cknowledge His Lordship in life,
to eat up my flesh, they stumbled I nstructed in His Word and
and fell.” We are absolutely no match T ake Him at His promises.
for the evil one, our adversary. But we Forget not, that to plan and
have a God who in Christ has pray is not God’s way BUT to pray and
destroyed the power of the enemy. Our plan is God’s command. Follow Him as
God is sovereign and knows the end He leads for God never leads us astray
from the beginning and desires the best but always aright along the strait and
for as we wait upon Him for ‘marching narrow way – the way that leads to
orders’. Oftentimes we move ahead of everlasting life!
Him though we have asked for His
leading (because of our impatience) May the Lord strengthen us in
only to find ourselves in deep trouble at the inner man that by His grace, we
the end. Allow Him to lead you, step may endure hardness as good soldiers
by step for indeed “the steps of a of Christ, pressing on toward the mark
good man are ordered by the LORD: until we see Him face to face in glory or
and he delighteth in His way.” (Psalm perchance at His soon and glorious
37:23) Again heed to the words of the appearing!
psalmist, “My soul, wait thou only •••

Overcoming Hurdles
by Brian Lim
•••
Hurdles everyone will encounter. We hear all the time people
talking about problems they have to deal with, whether it is an
examination or a mid-life crisis. But what sets us, as Christians,
apart from the world is how we deal with these hurdles.
Unbelievers will turn to a myriad of solutions and sometimes in
our faithlessness we follow suit, often forgetting that we have a
gracious God who has promised to provide for our needs.

I thank God that I am able to share some of these moments

where God’s grace shone in the darkest times in my life. On
hindsight, I now understand that these trials were meant to drive
me closer to God. The most striking instance of this would be
the entire period leading up to the divorce of my parents. It was
a trial that spanned nearly three years, beginning some time
while I was in Secondary 4 and only ending halfway through my
second year in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
8
It was a very dark period of my life, in
more ways than one. My spiritual life
was in shambles when I was in
Secondary 4. I was fully immersed in
the world of games. Nothing mattered
more to me than being able to enjoy
myself, and coming to church on
Sundays was simply an obligation I felt
I had to fulfill. It wasn’t until my parents
started fighting that I began to find
some small measure of comfort in
church. I did not, however, actively
seek God. I was willing to ‘get by’ with
games, channeling my feelings into
writing or just confiding in my Internet
friends; these were my emotional
crutches and I turned to them when I
needed to escape from reality at home.
Eventually, though, my pillars of
support began to fall apart. There was
a drifting away from Internet friends,
and suddenly everything else lost its
appeal. The situation escalated to a
point where I felt constantly moody
and prone to snap at anything. A
feeling of hopelessness stalked me,
and eventually I could no longer
contain the feeling of despair. One
day, though, my mother (who had then
begun to attend church with me on
Sundays) unexpectedly printed two
verses and pasted them on her
cupboard.
2 Cor 12:9-10, ‘And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for
my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasures in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities,
in persecutions, in distresses for
Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then
am I strong.’
The words spoke straight to my heart
and Sundays no longer seemed like a
chore, looming at the end of every
week. They turned into a refuge, a
sanctuary where week after week I
could meet with God and pour out
everything before Him. I started to rely
on Him more, knowing that I was weak,
helpless and unable to deal with
everything that was happening. And
amazingly, even through the situation at
home did not improve (in fact, it
continued to deteriorate) I found peace
and comfort that I had never known
9
before. It came from the knowledge
that His grace is sufficient and that
whatever the trial, there would be an
equal supply of grace to bring me
through. The weaker I was, the more
God would supply strength.
By God’s grace, despite everything, my
‘O’ Level results were enough for me to
enter Mass Communications. It was a
totally new environment and I was
forced out of my introversion. I had to
face many more difficult and trying
situations, but now I knew the
necessity of turning to Christ and
approaching these trials with Him in
mind.
In time, I began to adopt a more joyful
attitude towards these difficulties. I
knew that everything was a part of the
process of refinement – that God was
burning away the dross and moulding
me, bit by bit, according to His desire.
Many verses in the Bible came up, like
Jas 1:2-4, ‘My brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience. But let patience
have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing’
and 2 Cor 4:15-17, ‘For all things are
for your sakes, that the abundant grace
might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God. For which
cause we faint not; but though our
outward man perish, yet the inward
man is renewed day by day. For our
light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory’.
That did not mean I enjoyed the trials,
but I found I could face them with
hope, not dread. Indeed, we should not
face trials with a grim determination, for
there is nothing to be grim about. All
our time spent in the furnace to be
purified is not something we face
without hope – there is a joyful promise
that at the end of it, we will be made
perfect. Faced with such a promise,
how then can our determination be
grim? It does not mean we will be
laughing on the anvil when we are
being forged according to God’s will,
but it certainly means we ought to face
it calmly, with the full assurance that
every stroke is measured perfectly by
an infallible Smith who will never break
His work.
I realised it was silly of me to expect to
be able to sail through difficulties and
trials. Even if God’s hand is guiding us,
it does not exempt us from having to
struggle with doubt, sin, and all
manner of temptations. But I think the
most wonderful thing is that God has
called us and promised us that He will
guide us through, no matter who we
are, where we come from, or what
abilities we have or do not have. As 1
Cor 1:25-29 aptly states, ‘Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men;
and the weakness of God is stronger
than men. For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men
after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called: But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world
to counfound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world
to confound the things which are
mighty; And base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath
God chosen, yea, and things which are
not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his
presence.’
With this in mind, knowing that there is
no worth at all in man and his strength,
we should strive to face hurdles in our
lives with prayer and a total surrender
to God’s will. And when (not if, for God
will surely see us through according to
His will) we are finally brought through
these hurdles, we can look back and
testify of the goodness of God and
acknowledge that He rightly deserves
all glory and honour for His faithfulness,
His wisdom and His lovingkindness.
An Insider’s Look to say, the learning curve was a bit
steep for me since I had to learn the
at the Preparations of
songs from scratch.
the Church Choir
‘An Evening of Praise and
by Lim Zhongyan
Thanksgiving’ will be held on 20th
•••
December, and it is merely two weeks
As part of the congregation, I have
away (at least at the point of writing).
always been blessed by the Church
On top of having to practise and
Choir’s song presentations. It was only
perfect eight songs, we also have to
when I joined the Church Choir that I
get used to standing for a relatively
realized how much effort goes into
long period of time. It will be mentally
each song practice, purely for the sake
and physically draining, but just as we
of glorifying God. It was also an eye-
are constantly reminded it is God who
opener as I had never seen such
gives us the voices to sing praises to
intensity while going through a song.
Him, we are reminded to look unto Him
The nuances; the phrasing; the speed;
for strength in singing and being a
the dynamics; the balance of the
blessing to the congregation.
volumes among the different choir
Personally I feel it is very easy to say
parts are all things that I had never
‘Oh, it is because we have good
paid that much attention to because
voices', or 'We have such a great
they just seemed so natural to the
conductor to guide us through the
listener. The perfection that is aimed
song, which is why the song
for is evident in the number of times
presentation turned out well.’ I believe
we go through a particular phrase of
that is something we need to keep in
the song. Even the slightest drag in
check (and we are reminded of that
time or the way we emphasise our
every practice) as we continue to serve
words might affect how the listener
Him, for it is God who gives us our
perceives the entire meaning of the
gifts and it is only right that we serve
song. And that is how serious the
Him with what he has bestowed upon
Church Choir is when we practise,
us.
because we know that each and every
one of us has a part to play in how the Of course, the Church Choir is not just
song eventually turns out. As such, the all work and no play. For example,
commitment level of being in the there are times when Dn Eric will
Church Choir is quite a high one - the amuse us with his funny antics in an
Church Choir practises every Sunday attempt to lighten the mood, and he
after morning service. rarely fails to do so (maybe never =p). I
was also very much impressed by how
I was actually interested to join the
the Church Choir appears to be a big
Church Choir awhile back, but only
family when someone shared about
recently did I actually join. In fact, it
her troubles and everyone prayed;
was on the bus trip from the Awana
when various people went overseas
church camp back to Singapore this
and came back with food for us; or
year that I expressed my interest to
even when Olivia turned 1 month old
Uncle Kong Sing. Quite interestingly, I
and Dn James brought cupcakes for
joined the Church Choir in one of their
everyone to enjoy. There was also a
busiest years. They were finishing up
thanksgiving dinner for the completion
recordings for a CD (and I also had the
of the CD project, which I unfortunately
privilege of helping to record two
had to miss. Even though I am so new
songs), and were preparing for 'An
to this family, I already feel quite at
Evening of Praise and Thanksgiving',
home. May God continue to bless the
which included a presentation of eight
Church Choir as we continue to strive
songs already learnt over a period of
to bring songs of praise and
time. Preparing and practising eight
thanksgiving for His glory!
songs was no mean feat and, needless

10
 Tortured for Christ
by Joel Quah
•••
The following is the review of a book
that I hold very dear to my heart. It
has gotten me through the parts of my
life that I found the toughest, mainly
by showing me how my life (or if we’re
honest, any of our lives) isn't really
that tough or miserable. It helped with
bringing my focus off earthly woes up
to heavenly blessings. It has also
made many Biblical concepts
concerning Christian living very
tangible. It has shown me how much
I’ve underutilized God’s strength, and
how my ‘new-found great faith’ is
really just a slightly larger mustard
seed than before.
I implore one and all to examine the
life of Richard Wurmbrand, a
Romanian pastor of Jewish descent
that lived through both the Nazi
Occupation and Communist rule.
The above synopsis of Richard
Wurmbrand’s background would have
evoked quite a response from those
with a basic grasp of world history. It
is hard enough to be a Jew converted
to Christianity—for that usually means
that you would be shunned by your
family and the rest of the Jewish
community. It would have been hard
enough for a Jew to live through a
Nazi occupation; I need not elaborate
on the atrocities committed by the
Nazis during the Holocaust. Being a
11
Christian would have exacerbated an
already harsh situation to be in, for the
only sort of Christianity that the Nazis
did not allow was true Christianity—
and Richard Wurmbrand was certainly
a true disciple of Christ. Now having
endured merciless treatment at the
hands of his captors, Richard
Wurmbrand did not have time to
celebrate freedom at his release
following the Nazi’s defeat, for the
Communists came to power and the
cycle of physical pain re-started, and
in fact, intensified.
This book describes much time spent
behind bars, under torture, in solitary
confinement, but it is no ‘Mein
Kampf’1. The focus was never on
physical suffering. Instead, one finds
passages of singing and dancing in
joy and of his intense love for his
captors. He preached fervently to the
soldiers, and when he asked one of
them whether or not he believed in
Christ, the soldier replied,
“I have no such military order to
believe. If I have an order I will
believe.”
Such a response brought tears to his
eyes and spurned an agape love that
would bring him through all his days,
no matter which cruel captor had
custody over his mortal frame.
This book also has brief accounts of
his most courageous and wise wife.
She attended a meeting with Richard
Wurmbrand, where the Romanian
church was altering their doctrine to
accommodate the wishes of the
Communists. She prompted her
husband to stand up against the
blasphemy, and he initially resisted,
saying that if he did so, she would
lose her husband. But she made it
clear to Richard Wurmbrand that she
did not want a coward for a husband.
I encourage one and all to get a copy
of this book. The YF theme for 2009
was “Myself Aside, Jesus Inside”. It
speaks of laying aside self and all our
carnal requirements for God’s work.
The theme of the camp was “Laying
Your All On the Altar”. This resonates
with the 2009 YF theme. To knock it
all home, the theme for 2010 is
“Taking Up Your Cross Daily”. This
book will show how much we can do
when empowered by the love of God,
edify us and reveal the deficiencies in
our service. I pray that it will inspire us
to truly give up our entire beings as
living sacrifices unto Him, that no
principality or power might deter our
service.
The copyright of this book has been
relinquished, and the .pdf file of the
entire book can be obtained from me.
I hope this book blesses you as much
as it has blessed me.
1 Editor'sNote: For those who do not
know, 'Mein Kampf' (translated as 'My
Struggle') is a book by Adolf Hitler, which
serves as both an autobiography and an
explanation of his political ideas.
 My Bloo
Heylaz  the voices which we
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been
away from Singapore for almost half
a year now. I can’t imagine how I
would have managed starting work
in Shanghai without God’s grace!
Although my journey has been
filled with enriching encounters and
interesting experiences, the road has
been bumpy and uncertain. Much
has changed; from the food I’m used
to eating, to the church I’m used to
attending, to the way I view
Singapore life. I hardly know where
to begin writing in this article!
lift in praise with such
great gusto every
worship service. I
would join them, if and
when I master reading
the Chinese lyrics, and
recover from this sore
throat… >.<
As for friends
outside of the church I
attend here, be they
expats or local Chinese, all
already seem to have varying sets
of unsound beliefs rooted in their
minds. Compared to the
people I met while schooling
or otherwise in my
sheltered life in Singapore, I
find these people somewhat
more hard-hearted and
parochial-minded. This
frustrates me somewhat,
and I realize that the
childlikeness of our sheltered
Singaporean youths may
actually be a quality to be
treasured as well,
while it lasts.

Maybe I should start by
counting my blessings.
I’m glad that I had a
sturdy upbringing,
especially in the
Christian faith. I have no
familiar Christian
friends here to support
me spiritually, and even
after I managed to
locate people that
share my beliefs, it’s
still not quite the
same- it’s not convenient at all
to meet up regularly in this large and
capricious city, and there’s always
the language barrier. It would have
been so easy to fall away and forget
God, if not for the foundation that my
years in CPBPC have given me. Dear
reader, do treasure your fellowship
group(s), treasure having a building
to worship freely in, and treasure
even the beautifully bound
hymnbooks you have to sing from
every Sunday!
In my little Christian group here,
we have none of the above, except for
12
To move on in
counting blessings,
life is full of trials
here, and I thank
God just for bringing
me through
everything. I’ve been
lost in a typhoon’s
thunderstorm, had
the electricity in my
house cut during the
bitter cold of winter
nights, contracted flu
twice, had an allergy
attack, still have
diarrhea just about
every week, been befuddled by the
language barrier at every turn… and
the list goes on. My life verse proves
most pertinent in these times,
however. It’s Romans 8:28… “We
know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to
His purpose.” :)
I have seen God’s hand in
wonderful scenery as well (I am
exceptionally grateful to BM for
showing me around China a few
times, during my first few months
here!) seen so much more of the
diversity of humanity here… but
whilst enjoying the new experiences,
I keep reflecting on the old. There’s
nothing like moving out to a new
country yourself and starting a new
life of work in a new company, to
understand the value of true
friendship and agape love- something
too rare in this world, it seems.
My most vexing concern is often
simply trying to understand people;
especially in an unfamiliar, secular
work environment, exacerbated by
the Mandarin culture. I pray that I
will be able to learn faster- the
language, the culture, the roads,
everything! Either that, or come
back to you guys faster ^^ Do take
care, and remember to count your
blessings too. :)
In Christ,
Phoebe Choo
 >25
Running the Rat Race One
 of
 the
 orphanage
 kids
I believe this topic is not new
to you. Perhaps I was asked to
write this article because I was born
into the year of the rat?

Nah, I think more so because I’ve been

through this crazy race myself. My race
comprised of attaining top results,
vying for top leadership positions in
CCAs, business competitions,
‘branded’ internships… etc. History
aside, I’ve also been working in China,
Beijing, which means more traveling
!
between cities; more aggressiveness
needed to outrun the Chinese who are
‘wittier’; the need to spend more time
to brush up my Chinese; the
understanding that everything I can do,
the Chinese can do better (and
cheaper and more and…). And you
know what? It never really ends, and it
never will.

So, a good way to deal with this issue

is to understand what running the rat
race truly means to us as Christians,
and to understand its consequences
 study
 group
and final outcome.
Are you in the Rat
Race?
I did a Google search for a
definition:
“an exhausting routine that leaves no
time for relaxation” 
“A rat race is a term used for an
endless, self-defeating or pointless
pursuit. It conjures up the image of the
futile efforts of a lab rat trying ...”
“An activity or situation which is
congested with participants and which
is hectic or tedious, especially in the
context of a busy, modern urban
lifestyle”
“mad scramble or intense competitive
struggle, such as in the business
world”
Do the above characterize your current
life? Do you often find yourself too
preoccupied with school work,
projects, competitions, tuition,
networking? Socializing so much that
by the time it comes to the end of the
Bible
!
day, you are completely exhausted and ARE LOST IN THE RAT RACE! And it’s
skip QT or fellowship and end up about time you do something about it!
playing your video games,
Facebooking, watching DVDs or
reality show re-runs on YouTube? Do How to Prevent Yourself
you find yourself so exhausted at the from Getting Lost
end of the day that you fall asleep
The race will always there. The key
while praying to God?
point is who are you running it for? If
Do you find yourself unconsciously you know who you are running it for,
thinking how to outwit, outplay and what should be the correct way to run
outlast that certain classmate/ it so you will not be lost?
colleague of yours? Do you find your
We often run the rat race because of
conversations just revolving around
peer pressure, family expectations,
your school, hobbies, etc? Do you feel
ambition and motivation to achieve
excited to be elected into leadership
tangible results at the end of it.
positions so you’ll feel popular and
However, keep in mind that God
respected, and have some power of
brought us into this world not to run
influence? Is God only in your life on
the race for others or ourselves, but to
Sunday, or Saturday at YF? Do you cut
live with a singular goal and that is to
corners on your QT or service
glorify Him by living our lives for Him.
preparation?
So following after God’s heart should
And the list of questions can go on and come as our first priority!
on.
However, this is easier said than done.
If all or most of the above applies to I remember packing my Uni schedules
you, you know what it means - YOU full of activities. The first tasks I

13

My
 lovable
 p4-­‐5sunday
 school
 kids
  February; God also provided the
from....Hong
 Kong,
 Canada,
 Japan,
 Korea,
  opportunity to lead a Bible study. The
Zimbabwe,
 Uganda,
 Chile,
 Finland,
 America,
  second was answered in end
UK,
 and...
 Singapore!
 ;P
scheduled in were project work
deadlines, project meetings, business
conferences dates, tuition slots,
teaching assistant sessions,
networking sessions etc. Only after
that was done did I pen in FCM, YF or
other church activities. My peers
‘wowed’ at my ‘perfect’ schedule.
However, my power-packed schedule
usually tired me out by Friday, so by
the weekend I was sometimes
‘stoned out’ during messages or too
tired to go for YF. This not only
affected my quality of service and
spiritual growth, but also health, and
of course it gave me enormous eye
bags.
Feeling lost, I turned back to God and Him regarding our priorities and
learnt to pray to Him, asking Him to
guide me in scheduling my plans for
the next day. I learnt to commit my
day and its activities to Him. I found
out what works best is not only
morning QT, but also saying a prayer
before the start of the day. Whenever I sent me to Nanyang Girls’ instead of
have the slightest temptation to go off RGS where I really suffered studying
track my priorities, prayer really helps higher Chinese. I totally hated the
to put me back on track. Now I am
glad that I have the full energy to
serve Him - Sunday in Beijing can be
as follows: 7am – QT/Prep for Sunday
School Lesson 8.30am – Buy Sunday
School Snacks from Bakery 9.30am –
Sunday Service 11.30am –Teach
Sunday School Class 3pm – Start
cooking preparation for Bible Study
14
! The first resolution was answered in
October; my Bible study group will
Group 6pm – Bible Study Group
dinner starts 10pm – Home / QT
So whenever you have the urge to go
off on a tangent, just remember
Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the LORD
with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct
thy paths. Be not wise in thine own
eyes; fear the LORD and depart from
evil.” This is one of God’s rules - to
run the race you need a partnership
with God. One must stop and
acknowledge God along the way, and
wait patiently upon Him to direct you
instead of always trying to catch up
with others. This means praying to
decisions before we scurry ahead.
Sometimes, the answer is not
instantaneous but God never fails and
we should wait patiently upon Him to
give an answer in His own good
timing. (i.e. I never knew why God
‘cheena culture’ till I was posted to
China in 2008 – realizing His will for
me after 10 years)
What if you’re
already lost?
Going to China really put me off track
as I was embracing a whole new
world. A new culture of food, travel,
shopping, friends, and of course, the
Olympics. Service took a backseat
and I didn’t make an effort to find an
area of service in church. However, by
the end of one year, I realized that I
felt really empty instead. Everything
that I had accumulated had nothing to
do with my spiritual growth. I was still
at base camp spiritually. For 2009, my
resolution was
1) Spiritual Growth, Bible Study Group
2) Service.
also be reaching out to the aunties
and older kids at the orphanage at
least once a month.
So if you are already lost, it’s never
too late to turn back and detangle
yourself from things that will impede
our race for Christ. Remember, God
never forsakes His sheep. As
Hebrews 12:1-2 teaches us
“Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith; who for the joy
that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne
of God," Secure that final prize with
glorified victory and do not fall into
the pit of success at the expense of
others.
So remember:
Only one life,’Twill soon be past; Only
what’s done for Christ will last.
Matthew 6: 24 "No man can serve two
masters: for either he will hate the
one, and love the other; or else he will
hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon."
So be wise about running with the rat
pack and pray that your resolutions
for 2010 are on the right track!
Esther
Also known as Auntie Esther (though
she has not come of age yet)
 DEAR YF-ERS
Retrospect If I were able
to send a lett
er to
myself in m
y early twen
this may be ties,
it ...
Hi Henry,

God has been so good to you that sometimes, it is easy to take for granted and to forget His goodness.

Although not born into a wealthy family, you had no lack. Through the various stations in life, you were
blessed with good friends, challenges never insurmountable, in fact often smooth pathways, and most of
all, God’s guiding presence.

The “O” levels came and went without you really realizing it. Then the “A” levels. You will recall you
prayed to the Lord for 4 things before the “A” levels. You had wanted to :

1. Be a strong Christian
2. Do well enough in “A” levels to enter the U
3. Train yourself physically and to be an officer in the army
4. Embrace chivalry as a gentleman, and have a steady girlfriend

On the face of it, you attained all. But did you?

Perhaps the last three you attained, but are you sure you became a strong Christian? What good is getting
the last three without the first, the most important?

What is a strong Christian? A strong Christian is one who knows he is weak. A strong Christian is one who
does not indulge in self-reliance, and because you did on various occasions, you cannot be said to be a
strong Christian.

The problem is that which is visible are the last three things. A person’s academic results are tangible,
and the route he takes after that is clear for all to see. What is not clear is how he attained the results. For
you – do you not remember the second year when you committed most time to the Lord, and relying on
His strength instead of yours, you actually did better than the other years? Had you committed more to
Jesus, whether the results are the same or otherwise, you would have been able to view the results with
the perspective touched by God.

Preparing yourself physically and being an officer in the army brought that tinge of pride, no matter how
slight, into the equation. Especially when most friends were not selected for officer-training, and both
your brothers did not do well in the army. Yes, you did pray. Yes, you did turn to the Lord during the
twelve months of training as a recruit and officer cadet. But the extent and frequency with which you did
so could have been higher, the level of reliance on the Lord much deeper. Did you not turn to Him more
when you were down than when you were up?

Let’s talk about relationships. Thank God your girlfriend then was a good Christian girl. But you could
have been distracted by other girls who were not necessarily the same. To you, what was most important?
God’s will for your only life-partner, or your will to have someone you think suits you most. Or that cute
and adorable girl who is head over heels with you? The girl with whom you share a relationship must be
someone you know can be the mother of your children, someone whom you can depend on through thick
and thin; not some flippant flighty personality who tickles your fancy.

Coming back to the 4 points you prayed for, at the end of the day, if you got it right on the first, you will get
it right on the other three. You see, if we are right with God, if we are close to Him, the other three and for
that matter, whatever other issues that crop up in life will be seen in the right perspective.

So Henry, you must be so grateful God has given you so much for so long in the past despite your lapses of
unfaithfulness and periods of self-reliance. What lies ahead, no one knows. My only advice is : remember
Psalm 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy
word”.

15
YFspeaks
COMFORT ALONG LIFE’S JOURNEY
The race of life can be fraught with trials
sometimes. So what/who do we really
turn to for comfort along the journey?
We asked YFers (who were familiar with
the use of writing instrument and paper)
for their top 3 items, and here were the
responses, in order of frequency:

1. God/prayer/quie
t time
1. Family/a family m
ember
3. God’s Word/the
Bible/
memory verses/psalm
s
3. Food
3. Hymns
3. Sleep
3. TV/movies
8. Friends
9. Computer
9. A musical instrum
ent
Cottage Meeting at Dr Tow
11. Sports
Ah, time for our usual spread the Gospel to others,
11. Drawing
11. Girlfriend YF cottage meeting!  but they were not touched by
11. Soft toys Thank God for the sharing by God’s Word. I still remember
11. Tears our senior pastor, Dr Tow. feeling very discouraged
after that!
Our memory verses
Sharing top spot were God and family. A that day were Ephesians However I realised
good start it is that many of us 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye that we should not keep this
remember to turn to God at some point saved through faith; and that joy of salvation to ourselves!
(one with the qualifier of “only when I’m not of yourselves: it is the gift Even when we faced with
really panicking”), but one that falls of God: not of works, lest any obstacles in the midst of
short. It’s easy to turn to things and spreading the gospel, we
man should boast.” As
people around us that we can see with should press on and pray
children of God, we owe
our eyes, but may God be our very
Christ a debt of gratitude. We about it. That was why we
present help in trouble.
were saved to serve the were saved. We were saved to
Various foods as a collective, presumably LORD and help others. I was serve.
to be consumed in the quest for comfort, reminded of my duty to
ranked above “friends”, who are spread the Gospel and tell I will try again!
generally less edible. others about Christ and his
goodness toward us. There God Bless,
“Girlfriend” was found among the bottom were times when I tried to Carmen.
feeders, along with various inanimate
objects and solitary activities.

Actually, moving up to YF seems quite

scary to me. I don’t really know the
people there, and am pretty afraid. I
think that YF will be quite different
compared to Teenz, cause the people
there are older, and the messages will
probably be more difficult. However, I
kind of look forward to going YF
(though I’m a little scared).
I hope YF will be fun and enjoyable,
and that the people won’t be scary. I
think that YF will be a good place to go.
I think the people there will be more
mature. — Anonymous
TEENS THAT TALK
I think YF would be quite cool. I am quite scared to move up to YF because of the
big age gap as compared to Teenz, and also because the messages would be more
difficult to understand as well, but nevertheless, I’m looking forward to joining
YF in a few years’ time! — A Sec 3 teenz
I am looking forward to moving up
I think YF will be very edifying. And
to YF but a bit nervous too. I think
that the things we learn are more
that YF will be fun and ‘Chim’. I
mature. I hope that the people won’t be
hope that YF will teach us more
so scary and it’ll be fun. Am looking
things and that it may edify us.
forward and excited to go YF but scared
And I hope that the people there
too.— A girl from Sec 3 teenz
are nice. — A girl from Teenz
YF Outing @ Botanical Gardens
by Ko Lingting
time
ing on 31st Oct! It was a busy
Thank God for a blessed YF out and
midst of countless assignments
for many of the YFers in the o took
God especially for the many wh
upcoming exams, but thank
with likeminded brethren(: I’m
time off to come and fellowship ots of
ret it! Here are some snapsh
sure those who came didn’t reg here’s
for those who weren’t there,
the day to look back on. And
what you missed! =p

We started off the day with

singing + a
devotion by Kenny from Ps
63, provoking
us to reflect on whether we
truly love and
desire God’s Word. Very me
aningful!

Next up – gam
es! (eat alread
exercise, righ y must
t?)

iz
d?) BMC qu
(m uch a n ticipated/feare sw or d
The fort cros Of course, physical feeding is important
be a group ef
turned out to ng, but good fu
n for too:D The food was all lovingly prepared by
l ch a ll en gi
puzzle… stil the various groups – each group was in
o!
the groups to charge of contributing 1 food item. YUM!

17
 Storm clouds started to loo
m…

rain long
th a nk G od He held the
But photo…
fo r u s to take a group
enou gh

… or 2 (guess who’s behind Brian!) Truly a

blessed and enjoyable time! See you at the
next YF outing!(:

18
YF Camp Thoughts
THANK GOD FOR A FRUITFUL YF CAMP. Truly a week of
spiritual feeding, it was revival for some, and a time of
fellowship, especially between the YFers and Teens. I was
tasked by Brian to do a little sharing on my thoughts of the
camp, so here it comes

For me, organising a camp was something new. I had

organized army programmes like route marches but had
no prior experience organizing
church activities. The task
seemed great and what’s more,
it was a combined camp that
was to be held overseas. That
explains why I didn’t dare to
take it up when Exco first
approached me. Thank God for
revelations through preaching
and His Word, especially
through the study of Elijah at FCM by Bro Paul, and my
personal study of the life of Peter, showing me how vessels, no matter how weak or
unsuitable they seem, can be used by God if He wills it.

It didn’t make it any easier that I only accepted the task around July. The list
of preachers chosen was slowly ticked off as they all were busy.
Forming a suitable committee, finding a theme and all the
logistical preparations had to be done. On top of these, university
was starting and it would take up a sizeable amount of my time
and mental faculties. Thank God for His providence and how He
saw me through all these, yet at the same time trying my faith and
helping me to constantly seek His face. Other problems, especially
with the ever-changing numbers and various situations/requests
(especially those that came at the very last minute while I was
overseas), sought to frustrate me and make me lose faith in God.
However, I thank God that through the reading of His Word and also
the encouragement of brethren there was the peace in my heart that
all things would fall into place, albeit in ways not of my choice.
There was also the help received from committee members.
Thank God He gave me wisdom to choose these members for they
helped rectify many deficiencies.

When the camp started I was a little tired, having just

come back from India. I also had a 'present' of diarrhoea, which
explained why I sat out of icebreakers. But I also was worrying
too much, looking at self to solve all problems. Thank God for
rebuke from a comment made by a YFer which made me wonder
why I was trusting self and not being joyful in
service. Thus from Day 2, I sought to be more joyful
in service with God’s help even if I was at times
limited by the diarrhoea, for which I also thank God
for it helped me see how weak and frail I was.

Personally, I found the messages hard-

hitting and thought-provoking, as I had hoped they
would be. Pr Dennis’ messages showed how much I
lacked in living my life totally in Christ, and
Kang’s messages on the principles of Christian
interaction did show me more of what I should
look out for. My regret was the occasional
distractions that filled my mind with regard to
the running of the camp, which made me lose
focus at times. Thank God for the workshop that
helped by emphasizing the practical steps that
we could take to put the messages into practice.
19

Besides the messages, I would also like to thank
God for all the other activities:the games, the
object lessons, the outing, the workshop and
Brian’s story time. Even though the weather
wasn’t perfect, God gave enough. Thank God
for logistics that went well also. We didn’t lose
anyone, and the part-timers reached and left safely. Another big
thing to thank God for was the safety and health of the campers. Despite the rain, there were only a few coughs,
colds and fevers, and apart from some cuts, scrapes, bruises, and one injured knee, there was nothing really
major or serious. It was rather surprising given the number of campers and how camps usually are “sick zones”.

In addition, I thank God for the number of people that attended, as the initial sign-up rate was a little slow.
Above all these, I was glad and encouraged that among those were turned up were teens and infrequent YF
attendees. Especially encouraging was to see Hui En not pulling out even though none of her friends her age came.
That was sweet. Indeed thank God for the warm fellowship, and that the younger ones (mainly the teens) did not
hide in one corner, but really came out of their comfort zones to fellowship with the older ones. I trust that we
have all gotten to know each other a little better, and hope that this will encourage more to attend YF.

In conclusion, I thank God for granting me the

opportunity and the ability to organize this camp with
the help of my committee. Indeed it was a time of
learning and growing spiritually. I hope and pray that
the spiritual revival we had will not fade away even as
we enter this new year, but instead we will apply lessons
learnt. As with the buddy system, I do hope that we
would continue to encourage and edify each other,
helping each other to walk close to God, and creating a
Youth Fellowship that indeed shines for Christ by
leaving our all on the altar. Looking forward to the next
camp already, which by tradition is run by the 2I/C of
the immediate past camp:)

In Christ,
William

PERSONAL POINTS
Name: Yeong Lee Wei
Age: 22
Studying at: Imperial College London (2nd yr Computing
Masters undergraduate)
Hobbies: Ice skating, Playing computer games,
Programming, Reverse Engineering software
My hopes & dreams: Want to get a job at Google/settle
overseas like in London when I'm 30 (provided the world's
still around by then!)
20
 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January
2nd: Annual General Meeting
9th: CPYF 29th Anniversary
“May the Lord Find Us Faithful”
— Rev Quek
16th: YF Night
23rd: Take Up Your Cross Daily
— Bro Henry (Cottage Meeting)
30th: YF Outing
Birthdays: 3rd Raphael
7th Zhongyan 11th Suling and
Matthew Yeo 12th Christopher
15th Serena Lok 28th Joline
Feburary
Who are you taking up your
cross for?
6th: Combined YAF-YF Meeting
13th: No YF in view of CNY Eve
20th: What is God? — Eld Chew
27th: Who is God to you?
31st - YF outing @ Botanic Gardens. YFers enjoy
— Eld Chew
Birthday: 14th JQ
March Some also get quite a workout walking from the
Denying Yourself
6th: What is ‘denying yourself’?
— Rev Quek
13th: Character Study on
Denying Self (OT) — Rev Quek
20th: March Retreat
(19th-20th Mar)
27th: Character Study on
Denying Self (NT) — Rev Quek
Birthdays: 2nd Elliot and Ivan
3rd Johan 4th Wella and Lisa
6th Elvin 11th Kang
17th Jelaine 31st Yin Leng
Short and Broad
OCTOBER
Dates uncertain - Ko Lingting starts her
first restaurant and her first theme park
(both virtual), and the rest is history.
4th - Some YFers get to know the Secondary Fours
graduating from Teenz over a pizza lunch.
16th - Jeremy Chan returns from a 2 week adventure in
Taiwan.
17th - Gabriel Teo goes to Kukup for a one-day trip with
his parents.
Also on the !7th, Some YFers (mostly members of KiNG)
have an impromptu outing as they visit Gethsemane B-P
Church for its Reformation Lecture-cum-Cantata
presentation, “Sola Scriptura”.
21st - FCM NUS holds a gospel rally at NUS Kent Ridge campus, with Dr
Paul Ferguson speaking on the topic of "Is Your Life Complete", from Luke
16. Several new friends are brought to the meeting.
25th - Reformation Sunday. CPBPC commemorates Luther's nailing of
his 95 theses to the cathedral at Wittenberg, and celebrates also 500
years since the birth of John Calvin. Rev Quek delivers the morning
message on "Discerning the time (Luke 12:54-56)". Young People's Choir
presents "A Mighty Fortress".
30th Oct-3rd Nov - Sophia Huang goes on a road trip
in Norway, where she delights in the snowcapped
mountains and magnificent fjords.
the beauty of God's creation at the Botanic
Gardens, with a devotion by Kenny Cheong on the
topic of "Does your soul thirst?", a potluck feast
prepared by each of the groups, and an
entertaining time of games organized by Elvin.
Tanglin to Bukit Timah side of the park or just
plain wandering about, but God graciously grants
splendid weather.
•••
NOVEMBER
2th - Brian Lim is appointed the
student coordinator for FCM
NTU/NIE.
7th - "Meat Attack" @ William's
home. Guys' Bible Study
Fellowship gathers at the home of
William Quah to consume a whole
lot of barbecued meat and play
tennis and basketball.
Also on the 7th, YF Cottage Meeting @ Dr Tow's home. YFers meet at the
home of Dr Tow Siang Hwa and wife, as Dr Tow reminisces about
the Youth Fellowship of his time, gives advice for our generation, and
prepares a sumptuous spread for them. This is followed by an impromptu
session of singing Christmas carols.
Short and Broad II
NOVEMBER CON’T
11th - Pr Ko Ling Kang returns from Perth after a 3
month stint ministering to the brethren at BPCWA.
13th-29th Abigail Quek and
Evangeline Chiang set off together
with a group of church members
led by Dn Milton for a 3 week tour
of the Holy Land. They are very,
very well-received by the locals
(particularly of the male variety)
in Egypt, Jordan and Israel.
Truth B-P Church.
4th-13th William and Jason Quah and family travel to
India, where they meet up with naturalized Indian
lawyer Danny Quah and spend their holiday touring
Delhi and Rajasthan.
5th - YF Games Day. Wet weather notwithstanding,
YFers gather in church for a time of indoor fun
remembering nicknames and birthdays, slashing and
shooting, and dodging balls.

16th - Brian Lim takes his first-ever Literature paper,
and finds that his fellows publish an average of 4-page
length responses to each question, 2.5 pages more than
he.
16th-20th - Carmen Yeo attends NJC's Youth Leadership
Training Camp to further develop her skills as a squash
captain.
18th - Ivan Ting, Jason Quah and Ruth Ng finally
conclude their gruelling 2-year International
Baccalaureate programme.
Also on the 5th, The Ko Ling X siblings and special
friends travel up to Malacca for a break and lots of food.
8th-11th JW Camp: "Be Ye Ready". Rev Quek and Pr
Dennis Kabingue are the speakers.
8th-29th Kenny Cheong returns home to Melbourne.
11th – A small party of dotK girls gets together with the
intent of exercising their bodies standing up
(badminton), but ends up mostly exercising their
stomachs sitting down (food).

20th - Hannah Woo finishes her A level examinations.

Also on the 20th, Matthew Yeo celebrates the end of

Project Work with a party. Incidentally it is his elder
sister Lynn's birthday.

Still on the 20th, dotK has a combined meeting with the

Helpmeet contact group. Rev Quek speaks on the topic
"Conduct of the youth" from 1 Timothy 4:12-16.
13th - Sophia Huang makes her first flight in a glider
over a London airfield.
21st - Damien Choong flies home to Melbourne.
14th-19th Combined YF-Teenz Camp @ Resort Lautan
25th - Kenny Cheong goes to KL for a well-earned break
Biru, Mersing. YFers and Teenz travel up north to
and time with family members.
Mersing for a combined year-end camp. The theme is "Is
Your All On The Altar?", with morning messages by Pr
25th Nov-13th Dec - Ruth Ng flies off for a tour of
Dennis Kabingue and night messages by Pr Ko Ling
Europe and China.
Kang.
28th - Joyce Huang passes her 2 star kayaking course.
24th - Christmas Praise Service. YPC presents 2 items:
"Under the Stars" and "Come and Worship".
30th Nov-5th Dec - Teenz camp in church. Pr Ko Ling
YFers present “Hark! What joyful notes are swelling”
Kang spoke on "The Question of Suffering".
and a Mandarin item, “一件礼物”.
30th Nov-13th Dec - Ivan Ting
25th-31st - Michelle
travels around Europe for a post-IB
Chiang and family go to
holiday.
••• Hong Kong for the
holidays.
DECEMBER
2nd - Elvin and Jo-Ann Siew go to 26th - YF Remembrance
Hokkaido for a family holiday. Night. YFers share on
God’s goodness in the
4th-11th Abigail Quek, Choong Kai year past, with bold
Shuin and Kenny Cheong go to resolutions for 2010.
Bethel Development Center at
Chiang Rai for a mission trip with 31st - Year End Service.
 A Publication of

Calvary Pandan Youth Fellowship

Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church

201 Pandan Gardens
Singapore 609337

Email: uth.chronicle@gmail.com
“Edify, Educate, Engage”