High school romance is what i'll call this wedding! =) More than a decade of dating, Chong Wee and Jia Ying finally tied the knot. Straight away i knew I was in for an awesome fun filled wedding. (what else can u expect from a bunch of friends who've known each other for a decade right?) Here's some photos from the express highlights shown on the same day. More photos coming up! =)















More photos here www.facebook.com/album.php

After Sachin and Kiran's birthday shoot, im convinced once again that babies/kids/toddlers, never fail to put a smile on my face. Their innocence, playfulness, frustrations from not being able to communicate how they feel, giving up their toys for one another - or not, chubbiness, and the list goes on.

It was a bummer the custom made party stuff Sheryl ordered did not arrive in time for the party due to a delay in Germany. But all thanks to her sisters, Sharlene and Sara, who came up with some really fanciful decorations last minute.

It was truly enjoyable being able to photograph these two lovely boys on their birthday!
Happy birthday Kiran & Sachin!


















More photos here www.facebook.com/album.php

" Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute

You didn't grow under my heart,

But in it. "

A poem i found on newborn. Isn't it amazing to gaze at the beauty of a God given gift and cherish it! =)








More photos here www.facebook.com/album.php

It's been almost 2years since i last met Tricia and family. I first got to know them at Tricia's brothers, Sean's, ROM in which i shot for. This coming december Sean and Peisin will be getting married and I will be shooting it again. I remember Kayla leaving quite an impression on me. =) It's great to know that Tricia is pregnant with her second and I had such a great time shooting with this family. 









Kayla wasn't happy and voiced her opinion: "don't squeeze my cheeks when u kiss me!" haha














What a sunset to end off the day's shoot. =) More photos here www.facebook.com/album.php

Caleb and Sulin got married about a week or so before National Day. In fact, they got married on the last NDP rehearsal. So we got treated to some live action from where we were. Pity we missed the fireworks, but nevertheless it was a fun and enjoyable time shooting for this couple.

 Norman was not your typical serious guy. In fact he was the complete opposite. He was fun, sporting and outgoing. Annie on the other hand displayed poise and elegance, having a fun wild side to her as well. A really lovely couple to photograph! =)
































More photos here www.facebook.com/album.php

I got to know Leicester and Amanda some time back in 2009 through Wendy. My first impression of them, dead serious. Haha. But after getting to know them better, I realized they were pretty fun and hilarious. They were really gamed for anything during their outdoor shoot and the actual day was a blast. Here's some photos from their wedding.
































more photos here www.facebook.com/album.php

It's been a week filled with uncertainties about the future for dear and myself. Not "bad" uncertainties but rather tough decisions to make with regards to those uncertainties. So today, we decided to set some time aside to fast and pray. (it helps to fast with a partner) =)

We both ended up having a great time praying for our families, our cell, our work, our ministries, our future and ourselves. This intentional effort to seek God together renewed, restored and empowered us spiritually once again. I strongly encourage anyone to do tt.

Galatians 5:25 says:
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."


Paul talks in Galatians 5 about Life by the Spirit. I remembered a while ago, last year rather, during cell lesson in my previous cell, AHH, I asked myself and the cell this qns. So if Gal 5:16 says, "So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.", does it mean we're not living by the spirit since we still have sin in our lives? From Galatians 5 we learn that 2 different natures exist in a Christians' life. The sinful nature and the spirit led nature. We also learn from Paul in v17, that these 2 natures are in conflict with each other, so we do not do what we want to do. He then went on to describe each nature in detail in the following verses (v19-23)

Then in verse 24 and 25, Paul taught us 2 things that we must do to control the lust of the flesh and to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with it's passion and desires. v24 Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit."


John Brown highlighted a very important thing here. "Crucifixion.... produced death not suddenly but gradually...true Christians....do not succeed in completely destroying it(the flesh) while here on earth; but they have it fixed to the cross, and they are determined to keep it there till it expires."(I would think that's the time our bodies are made perfect)

In Luke 9:23, Jesus said:"if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up the cross DAILY and follow me." Dying to our sinful nature, is a daily thing we need to do!

v24 then talks about being LED by the Spirit and to WALK by the Spirit.
John R W Stott:"it is a great mistake to suppose that our duty lies in passive submission to the Spirit's control, as if all we had to do was to surrender to His leading."
I totally agree with this. It is one thing to know what's right to do and another to actually do it.
Not only do we "cruify the flesh" daily, we must also "walk by the Spirit". To DELIBERATELY, INTENTIONALLY, PURPOSEFULLY walk where the Spirit leads. In doing so we end up being more "subdued" by the spirit led nature in us and in turn we bear the fruits of the spirit and that will help us not to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Have we been walking by the spirit? =)

3 days to the first ever live worship recording for Grace. It is indeed
a historical moment for us, the church. We can expect great music,
great lighting, great sound. But before we get too hyped up about it,
and we shld, do we know why are we going for it? As u read, I hope
u'll also be able to catch a glimpse of what we're in for.

At youth service, I stood in awe, once again, speechless of the Lord's grace, mercy, forgiveness and love.
As we sung these lyrics from a song that Leon wrote,

" Your love, your glory, your hand it comforts me,
your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness poured on me,
I give you praise, I give you praise. "

I began to tear. In the midst of that, I questioned myself. What is the difference between us going
for the live recording and going for a live orchestra performance.
Both seemed pretty similar in the sense that they both seek to deliver the best
musically and create an unforgettable experience for those who come
for it. And that is great, even for our first recording I would expect
to have that as well. But what exactly are we in for? 

In Galatians, Paul brought us to see God's divine redemption of mankind.
Firstly, God himself initiated the covenant with Abraham. 
Genesis Chpt 15: 4-6

4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Then God gave the law to Moses. Through the Law, sin was revealed
and we know because we cannot overcome sin on our own, we need
a savior. So, through the Law, salvation became indispensable.
Romans 3:23 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Last but definitely not least, God fulfilled the covenant he made with Abraham through
Jesus Christ.
John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The fact that we were all sinners, object of God's wrath, undeserving of his grace, but because he
LOVES us so much, he "painted" our Salvation so that we may once again return to him and communion with him.
I look at this "painting" and I cannot help but stand in amazement of our awesome God.

Just like how God "painted" our Salvation, he also wrote and composed the music, which we will be singing this
coming Sunday at our Live Recording, through the very own people he created as well. 
That got me excited because we are going to be singing together, as a church, "first-hand", songs God wrote, composed and gave to us!
A symphony of God's love songs. And that's what we're in for!
How then is it different from going for a live orchestra performance? It's who we see behind the songs.
We don't just see great composers, talented writers, dedicated musicians, hardworking sound, light and visual team.
Through these songs we'll be singing, we see the "painter" of our salvation!

Finally the busy month of June is coming to an end. It's been a hectic 3weeks. Fell sick before Grace Retreat, recovered in time to run the retreat. Came back with back to back full day shoots and fell sick after that again and then left for PLCMC Retreat with Ps KM. The past 3 weeks seemed like the longest man. Nevertheless it's been an awesome month and I thank God for sustaining me. Now it's time to reflect and also give thanks. =)

3 things inspired, affirmed and motivated me throughout these 3 weeks.

The first thing, an INSPIRATION. Just before we set off for Grace Retreat, we received a heartbreaking news from Josh. Noella's dad had unfortunately left them to be with the Lord. It came all too sudden. On the day of cremation, we drove out from Zon Hotel to pay our last respect to Uncle James. Even though I did not know Uncle James, from the eulogy that Noella delivered I felt like I knew him for a long time. I thought for a moment and I realized it was because his children, Nat, Noella and Nicole, all whom I know one way or another, had already been living out his legacy. That was the most powerful testimony of how their Father lived his life and how he had impacted their lives and now mine. Having heard of such a Godly Father, Im more determined than ever to live a legacy behind when i pass on. Regardless of our education, our family background, our qualification, etc etc, NOBODY should ever be left out! It is easy to be in and stay with a clique filled with people who are "popular" or "well-liked". Nobody wants to be with the new guy, nobody wants to have someone who does not know about the latest gear or latest product in their group, people live to glorify those in the limelight and leave those who worked so hard backstage out of the picture. I met a new friend in retreat and had the opportunity to talk to him and minister to him. It was so hard breaking to hear that he had given up trying to make friends and reach out to others because he felt like he was the only one doing it. But I thank God for people like him, and encouraged him to continue doing that because we need people like him. If we don't change this kinda "exclusive treatment" in our community, we can never reach the community out there effectively. To see things change, we need to be the change. That's the legacy I wanna leave behind.

The second thing, an AFFIRMATION. I remembered how the Lord led me over to the Children's Ministry at the start of the year after 8years in the Youth serving in the creative arts ministry. I recalled some who laughed at the idea when I shared, but I thank God he surrounded me with people who were encouraging and positive about the move. I still remember the words Ps CX told me and the advice Joey gave me. During the retreat the children really inspired me with their worship. And i believe all those who experienced it were ministered as well. I've never in the past half a year heard them sing louder than they did during this retreat. It was not just about being loud, it was because it was simply an expression from their heart. And that was pure and beautiful. It was an affirmation because I wasn't sure how my experiences and the structure of worship I brought with me from the youth can help the children engage deeper in their worship. But through this retreat, and through the tireless efforts put in by all the CC teachers/Big Kids and worship leaders over the past few months/years, the children have grown in their worship. All glory to God alone and I thank him for re-assuring me once again he is control of everything.

Last but not least, a MOTIVATION. I was given the opportunity to serve alongside Ps KM during PLCMC's Kids Retreat. From this retreat I realized one thing. Teaching youths is not the same as teaching children. Haha. Like duh....!! In any case I find that I need to work on my delivery of the word to the children. With worship I feel that I'm more or less confident of what to do/say etc. But with teaching, I felt lost. Lost because with kids, I had to simplify my words but not contort the meaning of the word. That's tough. To make it tougher, children have really  short attention span! =S So, as i taught, I had to be conscious of their energy level to gauge if they were still with me or not. =S Therefore I am more motivated to brush up on my delivery of the word, be it with youths or with children. To be precise but not contort the word of God.

I give God all glory and praise for the last few weeks. It wasn't easy at all. I am grateful for dear, my big kids, friends and mentors and who prayed, encouraged and supported me.

Dear i know you'll be reading this, so I just wanna say thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout these 3 weeks. It was tough but you choose to release me to do what God wanted me to do instead. Thank you for taking the effort to do that, I really appreciate it. =) Had a great date with you today! Love U! 

Here are some testimonies and photos to share. =)

What some volunteers said:

"And I decided to help out with the 7-12 year olds. I found it a very heart-warming experience to see them praise God so fervently. I'm really thankful for this opportunity to spend time with the adorable kids." - Abigail

 

"I never really remembered myself enjoying children's church, with the awkward silence during worship, or the constant "shh" from the big brothers and sisters. But I felt prompted to accept Soo Wei-jie's offer to help, and I have since experienced the most indescribable experience ever. The worship was so pure, and I could feel God moving through and touching every kid. Even without the music, the sound of the children's voices alone was very, very inspiring. I LOVED IT." - Victoria

 

"Through helping in the children's ministry at this retreat, I have seen God's love and will for children.  Though mischievous and sometimes aloof to the surroundings and to the message behind the lessons,  I feel that something great is in store for these children, and I am excited to see God working in them." - Bryson


What a parent said: 

" Dear Pastor Kwang Meng,
Here is a thanksgiving for the retreat. Thanks for the wonderful programme for the Grace Kids that focused on evangelism.
At today's dinner, Dave suddenly started telling my dad about God's love and if people did not receive Christ, they will go to hell. Dan also chipped in here and there. The two of them spent some talking to my dad about salvation while my dad tried to divert the conversation. But the boys were so bold and persistent. My dad attended church for a short period of time in the past. But he refused to say if he accepted Christ and stopped attending church as well. Dave finally popped the question and asked if my dad believed in God. Finally my dad said that he believed in God.
I thank God for the confirmation of my dad's salvation. And I thank God for the courage that Dave and Dan have to witness to my dad. And I thank you and your helpers for equipping the children during the retreat. I believed that God will use the children in our church to reach out to the world." - Christine

Grace Kids Retreat 2010
 

PLCMC kids retreat 2010