Announcements...

YAF Formal Meetings

We will be taking a break from formal meetings from now until Dec 2009. YAF formal meetings will resume in January 2010.

The YAF ex-co will take this time to approach small group leaders, and for training & preparation for YAF materials for next year.

YAF Informal Meetings

In light of the above, we will still want to meet up on an informal basis!

Anyone who would like to contribute suggestions/help to organise, please contact either myself, Juline, Yongjie or Adrian.

Example of how u can help:

"we can do a YAF caroling thing in Dec...I'll open my house!"

OR

"there's a good eating place I discovered - let's go!"

OR

"we haven't done ____ in a while...let's revive it and invite friends!"

etc.

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As such...

There is an outdoor drive-in movie this Saturday!

Retro Movie Mob

17th October 2009

Fraser Street

Arrive at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm

Please contact Deb if you want to go together!

Dead Sea Scrolls & the Ancient World Exhibition

Thursday 17 September 2009

Hear, and your soul shall live

Isaiah 55

1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Food for thought:

• What are some repeated words / theme of this passage?
• Who is 'every one' in verse 1?
• Why would he ask those with no money to buy something without price?
• What about the covenant?
• What did you learn about God?

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after thee

You alone are my hearts desire

And I long to worship thee

You alone are my strength my yield

To you alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my hearts desire

And I long to worship thee

7 August 09

Last Friday we had about 12 young adults come down for YAF. Following Yong Jie's devotion on Fellowship the previous week, Debbie shared on the importance of Prayer in the context of the YAF ministry. Here is an excerpt below:

As we hope to have God bless this ministry, we need so many things. We need people, we need hearts (hearts that want to see this ministry grow), we need time well-spent, we need discipline, we need discernment, we need gifts, we need wisdom, we need direction. While it seems like an overwhelming list of things, we need to realize it’s not something we add to our shopping cart with ‘enough’ effort or with the natural passing of time. It boils down to this question: Do I know Him?

So how do we know our God? Well, how do we know someone personally if we don’t talk with Him?

“The underlying dynamic of Ignatian prayer is that of a conversation. We are in a relationship with God that involves give and take, our response to his invitation, a sharing of life. The Spiritual Exercises urge us to see ourselves as God sees us—as sons and daughters, members of his family. Jesus used the affectionate word abba to refer to his Father when he prayed. The closest English equivalent is “Papa.” We can address God in the same intimate way because we are his children. Prayer is a natural outcome of this close relationship. Prayer is a conversation. The essential activity of prayer springs naturally from our humanity. It is a matter of conversing with a very good friend.”

- David L. Fleming, SJ.

This quotation holds personal meaning for me. I realise how I prayed was an indication of how I related to/viewed God. I called Him Father, talked with Him as a daughter speaking to her father, coward in reverence and fear, but ended in “Jesus name”. I saw God as my heavenly Father, but not as the other Persons He embodied. He is also Jesus, one that I can lament to and who understands what I go through spiritually and physically. He is also the Spirit in my soul. So who is God? Father figure? Empathetic friend? Our conscience? He is all of those. How do you relate to Him? I encourage you to question if your relationship is 3-dimensional.

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How Can I Pray?

A great way to pray is to look for God’s presence in your life. More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen. The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern his direction for us.

Try this version of St. Ignatius’s prayer.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.

Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you—a blur, a jumble, a muddle. Ask God to bring clarity and understanding.

2. Review the day with gratitude.

Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.

3. Pay attention to your emotions.

One of St. Ignatius’s great insights was that we detect the presence of the Spirit of God in the movements of our emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Boredom? Elation? Resentment? Compassion? Anger? Confidence? What is God saying through these feelings?
God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. But look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction in some area of your work? Are you concerned about a friend? Perhaps you should reach out to her in some way.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.

Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.

5. Look toward tomorrow.

Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance. Ask him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.

St. Ignatius encouraged people to talk to Jesus like a friend. End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God. End the Daily Examen with the Our Father.

Source: http://ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/how-can-i-pray/

In other news: Welcome back Jean & Happy (belated) birthday Leonard! :D

31 July 09

Devotion 

Philippians 1:1-8

Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 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: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

[YJ insert]

Sharing & Prayer

1. How have you experienced God this week?
2. How do we show love to people in YAF?

In thinking over the question, it was a jarring reminder to be conscious of God/experiencing God throughout the week! Showing love...building meaningful relationships. 

Mongolia missions exposure

by Yeo Zhi Han

To summarize my sharing about the trip, I'd like to share two lessons that have left me challenged. Firstly, through our experience in Mongolia, we have truly learnt what it means to be part of the larger body of Christ and needless to say, we are more aware of how God moves on a global scale. God is truly the coordinator of His own good work and He knows where He will take His ministry. Oftentimes, we belittle God and take control of things with our techniques and methods and strategies and displace God from His rightful place of the centre of everything.

Secondly, after seeing that non-Christians were so willing to join FCS despite their indifference to Christianity, we were left with questions about why many of the ministries we serve in do not have environments that are welcoming to non-Christians. Have we lost touch with the world and what they think? Have we gotten so used to taking the moral high ground that non-Christians feel disgusted with our hypocrisy and boycott our activities? Are our various fellowships just meant to be Christian safe houses? What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world? These are just some of the questions that are a poignant reminder that we cannot stop re-examining and reflecting. As we return to our various churches, small groups, bible study classes etc., it may be apt to once again question the true purpose of its existence. With the Word of God as our foundation, we must continually wrestle with the issues that challenge the faith so that we may be able to face them and hold the banner of Christ high.

There is a higher throne

Than all this world has known,

Where faithful ones from ev'ry tongue

Will one day come.

Before the Son we'll stand,

Made faultless through the Lamb;

Believing hearts find promised grace—

Salvation comes.

Hear heaven's voices sing;

Their thund'rous anthem rings

Through em'rald courts and sapphire skies.

Their praises rise.

All glory, wisdom, pow'r,

Strength, thanks, and honor are

To God our King, who reigns on high

Forevermore.

And there we'll find our home,

Our life before the throne;

We'll honor Him in perfect song

Where we belong.

He'll wipe each tear-stained eye

As thirst and hunger die.

The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King;

We'll reign with Him.