the relocation

for more reasons than one, ps jeff and i have decided to shift our blogs
you can wait for him to enveil his but my (spartan) new blog is done

my first blog post was in may 2003, exactly five years ago
thank you, blogger, for having been such a wonderful companion in my schizo moments

as for the next chapter of my life...

irrevocable.wordpress.com

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:01 am

 
still on burma

while media turn their gaze to china, burma still has two million people displaced
they are awaiting food, water and shelter - many wont survive if they dont receive aid soon

consider this:
$5 will pay for clean water and water purification tablets for one family for three days.

or if you are working:
$30 will provide household kits for one family. A kit contains cooking pots, mugs, plates, cutlery, washing powder,
toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, razors, sanitary towels and bath towels.
$100 will provide a family kit containing all of the above plus emergency food, water, blankets and temp shelter.

we'll have a chance to give this weekend
big or small, let's be a channel of blessing!

listenin -- to zanarkand by final fantasy philharmonic

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:22 pm

 
life's quotes (part 2)



the other one of my life's quotes, the one on the right, is not really a quote
rather, it comes from an old english poem by william rose wallace (1819-1881) and it goes:

the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world

the original intention and meaning of this saying is to praise all mothers
a woman who nurtures her child well is a force to be reckoned with
because by shaping his ideals since young, she could very well raise up a world changer

to think that this saying appeals to my 'maternal instinct' is waaay off the mark
instead, this saying explains the very reason i am in youth ministry

i have shared the long and the short of it all in april's care leaders meeting
and i hope to share more of this in june camp (provided i can finish the lessons!)

but the bottom line is this:

i have the responsibility to rock (many!) cradles, each of them entrusted by God
and i know that if we train young people in his ways, they will grow up strong and godly
so how do i choose to rock these cradles? wake the immense potential in them? or let them slip away?
to raise up a bunch of lukewarm christians? or to raise up a generation of passionate world changers?

this is not a role i can afford to take lightly! i received it with much fear and trembling...
thus, the quote is stuck in front of my workstation so that i can have daily reminder of God's calling

on an another note, i'm talking to raphael (while blogging! ADD pills, please!!)
and when i asked what he understood of this saying, he gave his take:
in order to build up influential people, u must first be able to care for and love them
that's a slightly different but very interesting angle! i cant help but to agree with it as well!

anyway, so, a note for all shepherds/mentors/leaders,

the future of the world could very well be in your hand

imagine that

listenin -- shine on by mercy me

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:55 pm

 
life's quotes (part 1)

spent my day covered in dust.. am moving my workstation to the next door
i thought it's also a good time to ruthlessly throw away tonnes of stuff that've piled up for years
dumping a whole pile of mishmash into the garbage bag felt so liberating!

psychologists say one look into your bedroom or office desk tells a great deal about you!
lots of pictures means you're sentimental.. spartan desk means you're a no-nonsense guy..
everything aligned according to the law of straightness means you're gideon ng..

so here's one look at the wall in front of my desk



those quotes are not just my fave quotes; they are my life's quotes
the one on the left from soren kierkegaard goes:

purity of heart is to will one thing

many people define purity as what is NOT - it is not diluted, not tainted, not tarnished
but i believe (apparently so does kierkegaard) that purity is defined as what IS

purity is an absolute desire, a fierce zeal, a resolute will
she gives herself wholly and unreservedly for one and only ONE pursuit
so focused she is on what she's fixed her eyes upon,
she leaves no space for anything else in her heart

and that is how i want to pursue him and his godliness
relentlessly. unashamedly. with great delight.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him (Php 3:8)


purity of heart is to will one thing - to know him and be found in him


listenin -- miss sarajevo by U2

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:39 pm

 
mom's day



it was such a sight to see 59 parents at the front being prayed for by their sons/daughters
heard sniffles all over nexus, not just during praying time but during many parts of the service
guess this weekend's message really touched an area close to our hearts

wish my mom's in town.. since she's not, my sis and i called her about midnight
she sounded shyly happy (and sleepy!) - will give her a good treat the next time she comes by!

before i sign off, below is a story from one mother in our church

to all mothers who may read my blog [angela soh =)] and all spiritual mothers out there,
Happy Mother's Day!!


I’m Deborah, from the Family district. Am thankful for the opportunity to stand here today as a testimony of His
goodness and grace.

God blessed us with a lovely pair of twin girls last September. They were delivered prematurely on September 26.
That was probably my most difficult among my 3 pregnancies. When we were told of my expecting twins, both
Michael & myself were caught by surprise as we have no twins genes coming from both our families. As I
progressed in my pregnancy in the 5th month, my gynae told me that one of the twins wasn’t growing too well
in the womb and had to be closely monitored. Each time we went back, her growth curve would deviate from the
norm, while twin1 was growing according to expectation. Then a time came when my gynae concluded that a
premature delivery is almost a certainty as twin2 was just not thriving.

She promptly made calls and referred me to see a consultant at KKH the following Monday. They did some scans
and the result showed that twin2 was having a reverse blood flow. In laymen’s term, her heart was working too
hard and she’s not getting nourished in the womb. So I was strongly advised to be admitted immediately and she
warned that a c-section will most likely happen in a couple days time.

We were caught off guard and I was really panicking. Mobilised everyone we knew to pray that I’d be able to keep
the babies in for a while longer till they’re bigger & more developed. But I guessed God has some other plans.

After we met up with the high-risk team of doctors to discuss our options (which were not much of an option
really), we prayed and sought some advice, finally we decided it was best to take them out immediately and leave
them in the hands of God and in the care of the team of NICU staff.

The next few minutes just flew by – signing of documents, getting me ready for the c-sect. Babies were out in
no time and were brought to the NICU immediately. Glenda, the older and bigger twin weighed slightly above a kg,
while Gianna, the smaller twin was a mere 600gmmer!

I procrastinated visiting them cos I didn’t know how I was going to deal with our first meeting. But I had to go.
The journey from my ward to the NICU was the longest I’ve ever taken I think. They were placed at the farthest
section of the NICU. When I saw then both in the incubators, my heart broke and tears just flowed. Seeing
their little bodies, with tubes and syringes all over them, literally left me speechless and feeling depressed. The
sight would break the hardest of men. We couldn’t hold them, but only touched them. The first touch brought
tears that flowed unceasingly. Despite the heartache, deep down we knew that God was with them and cradling
them, even though we couldn’t.

The next few weeks and months was tough but God was good indeed. He gave us the strength and saw the
girls through each hurdle. They stayed in the Neonatal ICU and Special Care nursery for 2-3months before
discharge. We are so thankful for the KK doctors & staff from our church who kept a special lookout for our
babies while they were on duty. We are even more thankful for all the support from our families and friends.
Especially a big thank you to our parents who helped care for our 2 older boys while we were busy running to
and fro home and hospital. To our people in the family district (even members whom we don’t know very
well and vice versa) went all out to bless us with in-kind & cash gifts to help us cope with the enormous 5-figure
hospitalization bills.

Through this ordeal, we’ve been blessed out of our socks by everyone who cared. Your prayers, gift and kind
thoughts saw us through. God used so many of you to touch us and to strengthen us. Michael and I just want
to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH! We are indeed privileged to belong to this family of God.

Whatever we have gone and are going through, we are assured of God’s presence with us (even though
sometimes we felt simply overwhelmed). He’s promised never to leave us nor forsake us. We just kept on
claiming on His promises and He’s there to see us through the test. We still remind ourselves daily to commit
everything into His mighty hands and see Him work in our everyday lives.

The verse that kept us going - Romans 4:20 - He did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith.

We all know the song that goes “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord, great is Thy faithfulness.”

That’s our God! Keep the faith.

And since it is Mother's day, let’s remember to always appreciate what our mums have done for us through the
years (and show it).

Thank you all once again.


listenin -- daughters by john mayer

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 10:47 pm

 
the weekend has officially started

and there is one sale you cant afford to miss (you wanna click me!)

for all who love reading or writing, here's a hilarious excerpt from TIME's michael kinsley

Writers Vs. Editors: A Battle for the Ages

Like the detectives and the prosecutors on Law & Order, two very different groups of people are responsible for
the words that fill the world's magazines and newspapers. There are the writers, who produce the prose, and the
editors, who do their best to wreck it.

Writers are sensitive souls--generally intelligent and hardworking but easily bruised. Treat them right, though,
and you will be rewarded. Writers shape words into luminous sentences and the sentences into exquisitely
crafted paragraphs. They weave the paragraphs together into a near perfect article, essay or review. Then their
writing--their baby--is ripped untimely from their computers (well, maybe only a couple of weeks overdue) and
turned over to editors. These are idiots, most of them, and brutes, with tin ears, the aesthetic sensitivity of insects,
deeply held erroneous beliefs about your topic and a maddening conviction that any article, no matter how
eloquent or profound or already cut to the bone, can be improved by losing an additional 100 words.

Editors are selfless, editors believe. They labor in anonymity and take their satisfaction vicariously. The writer gets
all the glory. He gets the big bucks. He gets invited to the parties, the openings, the symposia, while the editors
toil at their desks turning the writer's random jottings and pretentious stylistic quirks into something resembling
English prose. But that's O.K. Editors don't mind. They say, "Have a lovely time at that writers' conference, and
we'll have the rewrite done when you get back."


shirls' note: if you like that as much as i do, go ahead enjoy the full article

and ah yes, writers are egoistical, whiny, self-indulgent creatures
but still... WRITERS RULE!! =)

have a God-filled weekend, everyone!

listenin -- outback oasis by don grusin

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 7:01 pm

 
personal thoughts

[was debating with myself if i should post this.. *winces* please get the content, not the angst
the opinions are entirely personal.. except for the last bit about the church cos that's truth hehe..
anyways, it all began with a mail dennis sent to us leaders...]

----------

From: Dennis Loh
Sent: Wed 5/7/2008 1:46 PM

For those who don't like to read news, you can watch them
http://edition.cnn.com/video/

They are grouped into different catergories. You can catch the recent Cyclone news there in case you missed it in
the news. It's terrible man... The poorer countries are always the ones that are hit the hardest in the world.

----------

From: Shirley Melinda
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 4:40 PM

of course! that's cos poor countries dont have the infrastructure, finances or rescources to deal with disasters

if this cyclone happened in western europe, they'd have the knowledge and infrastructure to prepare beforehand
(thus minimising the damage and accelerating the recovery)

so in the end, really, it's cos greedy people are running these poor countries!
and all junta cares about is staying in power! bunch of ineffective corrupts who hold on to iron rice bowls!

not to mention, cyclone, flood and many disasters are the reaping of how we've treated planet earth so shabbily
anyone felt how horrendous the weather's been? it's 46deg in india! our grandkids will die cos of global warming!!

why? cos fastest way for 3rd-world nations to catch up is to produce mass goods at cheap price and heavy pollution
and developed nations (who've killed our planet for past few decades) just stand around, judgmental but not helping
(why should they? they've sucked enough and have gotten whatever they want.. the most they can offer is al gore)

wah, i'd better not get started on this! haha! not over emails... [sorry sorry, kinda caught up in the moment]

anyway, yes, it all goes back to the root of all issues: SIN
like what mike said few weeks ago - the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart

what i'll do: i'll pray for the burmese people God loves, donate when the opportunity comes my way,
and move on with youth ministry because i do and still believe that we are the hope of the world

p.s. thanks, dennis! it's true, as leaders we cant be ignorant of what's going on in the world
that is the first step of holy discontent that will bring about God's vision and convictions... =)

----------

On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 4:03 PM, Shirley Melinda wrote:

Hey, good news!
We've just finished Management Meeting and have decided to collect offering for Myanmar next week.

I do believe the church must be a harbour for the hopeless and a haven for humanity.
So let's keep up the good work, people! Everything we do counts for now and eternity! =)

----------

[on hindsight, i didnt mean to sound bitter or anything like that.. haha..
i'm just angry - not at any particular person, but just at how much sin has destroyed our world
this kinda issues used to wreck me! but i've learned to understand God's heart a lot more
and i DO know and believe.. that the jesus is the answer to every mankind's problem]


listenin -- the heart of worship by dallas willard and john ortberg

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:57 pm

 
i shouldn't even be here!

i'm in the midst of doing camp lessons and am supposed to be concentrating really hard right now

which explains why i'm blogging this very moment

everytime i need to sit still to accomplish a task, everything else seems to be more important
calls to be made, emails to be replied, fingernails to be clipped and yes, a post to be blogged

in fact, i went so far as to clean up my entire blogroll and add many new links
meanwhile, my working notes sprawled all over my desk, completely ignored...

big pharmacy companies should make some kinda ADD-suppression pills
i bet they would sell like hot cakes around this region!!

or maybe God just wants me to identify with many of you mugging hard for exams
[or maybe God just wants me to know i'm a lazy pig!]
in any case, all you muggers out there, my heart and prayer go to you guys

fix your eyes on the finishing line [which could be an image of campfire made of burning textbooks
while you dance around singing, "wont u break free... wont u break free..."]

you know, two of my beautiful sheep (shar and jas) have just finished their exams today
and the first sms they sent me said something like:
"we are meeting up together to plan our holiday growth plan!!"

seriously, dont you just think that i have gorgeous godly sheep in my care?!?
with that kind of hunger to pursue godliness and growth, how can God not use them?
i am encouraged and humbled by their intense motivation...

really, shirls, you should be ashamed of yourself! end this post now and continue on your work!!!

listenin -- 3x5 by john mayer

p.s. and if you are supposed to be revising, what are you doing here surfing blogs?!?

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:56 pm

 
appetite for the word

the best way to respond to a sermon is to apply it immediately

i have told God over the weekend i really need to sharpen my leadership edge
thus, here i am, exploiting the empty office by blasting sermons over my speaker
it has been a night of spiritual buffet *burp*

menu for tonight's scrumptious dinner:
culture and core values in team building - wayne cordeiro
my generation - steven furtick
shepherding by proper relationship (which stopped halfway cos something's wrong with the tape!!)

ah well, think i should wrap up for tonight
i have just applied one sermon.. now i have three more to apply!!

but since i'd ransacked office library (wait, does anyone from edu dept read my blog?),
i have decided to bring home two other tapes to listen to on the way and at home
(cassette tapes, mind you! meaning i have to use the ancient walkman...)

and adrian, i know u're reading this, remember to send the series u kidnapped when u went to perth!
thanks a million!! ketchup the next time you and lovely wife drop by!

phew... so many things to learn.. so many things to apply...
those who know me long would agree i'm not diligent at all; 'slacker' is my middle name
but i'm pretty desperate now! i really need more of God's principles for life & ministry!

and like the wise saying goes:

we are what we eat

so, friend,

what have you been eating?

=)

listenin -- shepherding by ministry of the word

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 10:41 pm

 
jeff chong on leadership

The moment we are fearful to say the Word of God as it is... we have lost the plot!

Our authority doesn't come from our seniority. Our authority comes from the Word.

Leaders, we are accountable to God to do a good job.

This whole issue about feeling incapable is rubbish. The truth is none of us is capable!
The issue is not our incapability. The issue is we've lost our sense of calling.

*OUCH*

i choose not to respond in cowardice
i ask for grace and power to be a better leader


when we spent time praying during altar call, i could really sense God doing a new work in us
now and then we need this kinda call: you can be better than this!!!

courage. wisdom. anointing.
for outreach and discipleship.
courage. wisdom. anointing.
for outreach and discipleship.
courage. wisdom. anointing.
for outreach and discipleship.

i so love listening to God's word in God's house
every saturday i leave nexus with so much more of God in me


ahh another happening last sat - debut of daniel leow's latest baby
[note: it's not made of wood but carbon, i.e. it's super light and indestructible]


original price: $3,700
the price at which he got it: $2,300
no of days daniel owns it: 7
no of strings left on it after PnW: 5

talk about playing passionately! daniel, your baby must be crying...
well, at least the investment is worth the sweet, sweet sound!!

signing off with one last quote...

shirls on the horrendous weather
if it gets any hotter than this, you guys have to scrape me off the pavement!

listenin -- so come by israel n new breed

s.h.i.r.l.s musing away at 11:42 pm