... Wrote an email out on Friday nite after my Praise and Pray time...
Make some amendments in case some names ought to be seen in the email...

------------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------------------

Dear all,

Just came back from this month Praise and Pray nite. by my church. Actually we already had our day of Prayer. the pastoral staff decided to have the last min Praise and Pray in view of the current chaos both in Iraq and many parts of the world, including Singapore especially.

Most of you have one way or another had been affected by the news of the SARS. It had claimed the lives of 2 individuals. many are still receiving treatments. Many parents are tremendously worried. Many were concerned. Leading to the closure of school from primary to JC level. there is still uproar in the higher institutions on how come they are not subjected to the closure.

Personally, my heart was already heavily burdened to know that war had taken many innocent lives. I thanked God for my CGL(Covenant Group Leader) decided to cancelled the Bible Study to a time of intercession for the war.

During the prayer, one of our members mention something about us humbling ourselves. immediately we knew what he was talking about. we searched quickly for the scriptures.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

We were reminded to humble ourselves and turn and pray for the people.
Thus, we worship God with songs and prayers. and ended with our hearts lifted up by the Lord.

Almost one week had passed, when I met Wee Leong(My Man to Man leader). We were doing some spiritual gift test. After discovering my gifts. he share from 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. The reason why we have the war and this virus.

He shared that we need to humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways. we ended the sessions by praying for the war and SARS.

Friday, which is today, went for the P and P. Pastor Tony shared about 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. Praise the Lord. it's the 3 time, I come across from different individual about these verses. God is really teaching me something. not only me. but to the church as well.

We need to
1. Pray in Humbleness
2. Pray in Holiness
3. Pray in Hopefulness

Through the time of prayer, I realised that I was and am guilty of taking God for granted. I am like the Israel mentioned in the book of Hosea or the book of Amos. Continuously, sinning against God. attracting God's wrath and judgment.

I pray that many of us, Christians will start to take God seriously. God had indeed blessed S'pore with so many blessings, which we had started to get complacent.

I want to looked beyond this unholy trinity of the I, ME and MYSELF mindset.and Pray in Humbleness, Pray in Holiness and Pray in Hopefulness. would you join with me in prayer for the our nation and the world.

Pastor Simon Loh, had sent the example. He died in his duty of service. He was so eagerly praying for the Mok family that to he was contacted with the virus. hence, he was called home to be with the Lord.

Please do remember to pray for his wife Lorenza that she will still clung onto the Lord. Let not the angst or pain which she is experiencing when Pastor Simon left her and children. Please pray for the children too.

My church had did a love offering to support the family financially. though know may not aid them on the financial part. you can still aid them in prayer.

Oops, I realised that I am very long-winded tonight. Rarely, do I take time to sit down and pin down my thoughts in the format of email.

Just wanna to share that I'm learning to allow God to mould me to be a man running after His heart to yield to His calling. I want to start surrendering my life afresh and experience His loving goodness.

Let us be prayerful to those who are around us even the stranger sitting next to you.

p/p/s: Apologizes for sending out mass emails... really dun have time to separate to different mailing list. It's close to 2am in the morning... my eyes are heavy. Blessed morning!!!

In His partnership,

Raymond

I think it's really meaning to me personally... decided to post it over my journal to keep it in case my harddisk crashed...

... The war had already started. There were so many innocent lives been involved. I really don't want to do but to pray for these people.

Thanked God for Josh for changing the agenda of the CG from having the regularly Bible Study to a time of worship and intercession for the current situation in the Middle East.

I don't want to stand on either side... to defend whether Bush have the right to do this or saddam is correct in making his stand.

All I know and care is I hope less people will be involved in the whole affair. The war will end soon, so that less bloodshed and lives can be restored.

Last Fri night, I was been reminded by the Lord. Though I can't be there on my feet, but I can be there on my knees. My hope is that they come to know the Lord soon. There is just too many lives out there who are yet to come to know the Lord, Jesus. The stake is just too high and the price is to high to pay.

Yesterday, my friend asked me whether I will be willing to over to help if I have the opportunity to help aid the people. Told her that I will definitely go over to assist the welfare work if I'm either a student or NSF. I can easily take leave or time off to go without need to worry that I still a job to tied me down. However, I'm encouraged by her church which is going to send a few welfare teams to aid the to rebuild and restore some works there.

I read in an article in Streats a few days back that S'proeans were more concerned that the war end soon so that their jobs and the economy will not be jeopardize. I know that they still need job to secure their basic bread and butter for survival.

Well, I can't blame them for having this attitude, coz I'm holding a job while there were so many of them out of job and this will cause the job market to nose dive further... I'm just myopic on the things that is surrounding me. May the Lord grant me a farther and wider view over the whole disaseter.

...God please help us all, a sinful and corrupted generation!

Received this email from a friend and find it very entertaining…
Read it to lightened your day.

EMAIL OF THE YEAR

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife
stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:

"Dear Lord:

I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays
at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body
to switch with mine for a day. Amen.

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose,
cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school
clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school,
came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and
stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then
drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the checkbook.
He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog.

Then it was already 1 P.M. and he hurried to make the beds, do the
laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the
school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the
way home.

Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their
homework, then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad,
breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper.

After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded
laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed.

At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished,
he went to bed where he was expected to make love which he managed to
get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said,
"Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my
wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have
learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the
way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got
pregnant last night."

... Praise the Lord! I finally passed my speedboat test after 3 attempts... Thank the Lord for the clear and calm weather today...

Actually this morning, when over to meet my leader, Wee Leong over at Seng Kang... have a long talk over breakfast and discuss some of the plans for the whole year. What is my focus right now at this point of time. Which aspects of my life I need to improve in or work out wif. Had a wonderful time, sharing my concerns and conditon of my heart. Then we ended of the session with prayer. He also prayed for me on my speedboat test this afternoon without me initating it. Praise the Lord for this man's heart... A person whom I ought to look up to... having to juggling so many things in life... having a loving wife with 2 little beautiful daughters and 1 boy on the way... Yet he is still willing to meet up with me to help me to grow to be more Christ-liked.

Come home straight to have my lunch and a bit of rest before going for the test.

Headed to the test site with a more calm and relaxed heart.

My name was first called... my heart was pumping again... filled in my particluars in the test form and waited anxiously for my 3rd attempt. Climbed down the ladder to the vessel. Do the normal routine equipments and safety checks... Started the engine and loosen the ropes. She was ready to embark to the open sea. I was able to control her. Going to whether direction required. Rescued man overboard was executed brilliantly. However, when I return to park her... the wave from my astern(backside) of her hit hard on her... causing her to bang onto the jetty hard... thanked God it wasn't a collision. If not, I would have to come back for the 4th attempt... ha ha ha.

Overall, my performance was pretty good. Waited for the tester to completed testing the rest of the testee before proceed to the oral test. I did quite ok for it except for some minor mistakes...

"Well done!" , exclaimed the tested and he handle me a A4 form for me to filled my particulars. FYI, if you given a sheet of paper which is half of A4, or I think B5 paper... it means "Please come back again. You need more practise."

My heart was pumping again. This time round is with excitment not with anxiety. Praise the Lord.

Oh yeah need to get my photos taken. Got to sumbit 2 recent photos. Good oso I can used these photos for my renewal fo my licence in June.

One wishlist cancelled out from my list. Now, I can concentrate on my Class 2A licence which I put on hold since last year July. I missed my Traffic Police test, thus failed the test. Need to go and practise on saturdays to familiarise the test route again and all the obstacles courses.

Class 2A here I come...

...having a headache now~! *Argh...!!!* Overworked.. perhaps. Hopeful, this headache will go off before I knock off from work. Want to go down to the IT show later wif some of frens to check out laptops. Contemplating to get one for my studies...

Still think do I need one actually... hmm well, can still go there and see see look look.

Could control my desire anymore... went online and surf to the MOE website to apply for a post in teaching. I tried to apply again this year before my PPT expiry next year Mar. Hopeful I get in this year... If not I will off form to do physical education.

Still have not given up my hope on teaching... even though I know I competing wif a great pool of people rushing into teaching because of job stability.

Seriously, I hope the economy will pick up and people will not going into teaching like 5 years ago. Personally, I quite saddened by the fact that teaching is no longer because of passion rather it's job security.

Recently, talk to my brother in Christ... he just passed his EPT and will be applying teaching too. Dawn, a fellow blogger she oso applied for teaching...

Talking about Dawn, I had the privilege to interact wif tis fine lady over the icq and to my pleasant surprised... she shared wif me alot of common friends. Most of the people she mentioned I know them... izzit scary that S'pore is such a small country that you have some many common friends.

She(Dawn) is one of those gals I noe which loved outdoor sport. Well done, Dawn~!

I used to be an outdoor person... when I was relief teaching. Having quite a tan... enjoying being outdoor. Now I dun have a sun to accompany me... rather lighttube to radiate onto me to give me a perfect white skin... *boring*

Nevertheless, I am still thankful for the Lord for providing me this job... Even since, I left army I din have to look very hard for a job... from relief teaching in my former sch to another sch then to my current job. Hopefully, God will provide me the teaching job this time round to fulfil my dream.

"Class stand~!"

"Good Morning, Mr Tan~!"

"Good Morning, class. Please sit down and turn to page XX of your textbook."