one simple word: "PRAYER"

this has been an amazing day...concerning prayer.
This week, my school switch the student shepherd prayer meeting into Monday lunchbreak instead of Weds. For me this is a great, what better way to really kickstart the week than getting the students together in prayer & unity?
Well today I was surprised and greatly encouraged by the number of sudents who showed up for prayer. I think there were about 15/16 today. What excites me even more is the fact that they were most the non-shepherds...who DON'T even have to join prayer. We even dragged a brand new student (I sure hope he'd join again next week) Praise GOD!

We had a great prayer time, prayin for the school, upcoming events,exams n tests. We prayed for some parents who are hospitalized and will undergo operation, and a student who injured his knee during sport. Most of the times we prayed together at the same time, but some prayed outloud alone afterwards for each prayer request. I see how God slowly touched their hearts and how they became more open. My mind then was filled with so many ideas about how to build up and encourage this hunger in them...that God has to remind me constantly that it's all God's work and He knows the perfect time and perfect way to do it =p

So, anyway I did my One Desire prayer 2nite and was listening to pst Seth's sermon on Prayer from last Dec, really awesome reminder for the next 2weeks, or even after...

Our intimacy with Jesus Christ FUELS our prayer...[makes it powerful]
And one key for intimacy is for us to remain in God -->
which means that we need GOD's Word to remain in us...(John 15:5-8)
so that when we pray...FRUIT is produced.
And remain actually means: to continually dwell,or be in the presence of God becoz being apart means we can do NOTHING. a branch disconnected from the vine.
And when God's Word remain in us it meanswe allow God to speak 2us,we let God reign and rule over our lives,to lead us, and we'll be able to make His passion our passion, His burden our burden, His desire to become our desire.
Can't talk about prayer without talkin about God's Word.
awh, too many things to note, just click the title of this post n u'll get the link to the sermon.

Anyway, then as I was browsing i came upon this blogpost and this photo, which also reminds me of a good friend of mine in the states who's about to be sent to Afghanistan in a week or so...it was kind of a shocking news coz this will b the first time ever that I have a friend fighting a war smwhere...it's hard to think about it but I believe God also has a purpose of allowing this to happen and the best I can do is pray. But aside from that this picture really inspire me.



When I was reading all the request on the prayer board,also on the website I really said to myself...WOW, God's really gonna be busy =p
Then again. He can answer all those needs and take care of our problems in a second. But I realize He's also interested in me,seeing my faith grow and to bear good fruits. He's so interested in communicating with me through my prayers,communicate his desire and what's in His heart...wow...to think that i often forgot what a priviledge that is.

ONE DESIRE 'What is Priceless??"

Day two...
Our sessions were entitled "Price of Integrity" and "In the Service of The King". We learned so many things I can't write them all, but the two things that spoke to me most are of course 'integrity' and 'the cost'.
Another confirmation of what God had told me personally just like I wrote on my very first post. So I guess it must be important. my integrity.my character.

He reminded me through the preaching that I am blessed to be a blessing...and that God's blessing ALWAYS include 'positively influencing people' - isn't that powerful?
Also that following God is something I always have to choose, not something that will happen automatically just coz i've been a believer for 10yrs or so. It's always my own desicion whether I follow His ways or not.
'shud I do that 2make this person happy...or shud I first of all make God happy??
'shud I apologize...or shud I not, after all, I think it's her fault.she shud say sorry first.'
'shud I laugh at that mean person who got into trouble...or shud I offer help and show love?

I started to question myself...why did I sometimes choose not to follow Him? How did I ever make those stupid desicions that I know for sure go against God's will?
Then my mind went to the 1st thing pst Andrew asked us that morning.

What is priceless to you?
And I was thinking...if God is the most priceless thing to me, and I love Him that much, I'll be following him gladly and choose to do His will at all times. So I was really convicted to make sure my love for God continue to burn so following Him wont be a hard choice.

I know this will be a challenging year,at work, at home. To somehow make a difference and transform the mind of the students who already believe that the teachers in school are not walking the talk, not showing good examples n don't really care.
Not to try to please the students or other teachers or the boss, but just to do what is right before God (again Micah 6:8)

Pst Andrew also mentioned what pst Seth said that 1st sunday 2010 :
"What actions glorifies God the most?"
How we should hold on to God's values in evryday desicion we face.
That it is again, OUR CHOICE to have a steadfast walk of following Jesus.
Uncompromising, like Joseph all throughout his hardships.

'POSITIVELY INFLUENCING PEOPLE'...that's probably the best blessing I can receive from God.

Then in the evening sessions pst Andrew talked about 'service', how God works behind the scenes in our lives, how God uses His people to testify 2the world who He is, he also talked bout counting the cost of being used.
Exactly what God already warned me about end of 2009.
Bigger price to pay. Bigger sacrifice.

When p Andrew quoted 'Actions speak louder than words', it was as if God's sayin...
So u think talkin bout Me is hard??? try LIVING it. Live ur life for me.
From Joseph we learned how he got to work immediately after God finally put him to good use as a ruler in Egypt after Pharaoh. He didn't sit around n enjoy his new position. He worked hard.
I think i've been too lazy in 2009. Although it was a full busy year, I think I just didn't pray enuf, not strengthen my relationships enuf, not trust God enuf and not work hard enuf.

That morning I read a segment in Charles Swindoll book 'The Quest for Character' which is awesome btw,n the title was "Giving with Gusto"
it started with 2 Samuel 24, where it talks about King David who refused the free gifts from Araunah so David can use it as offering to God.
He said that he won't offer burnt offerings to the Lord His God that cost him nothing...WOW, what a passionate commited love driven statement that David made.
I wonder if I would ever be like that.
John Henry Jowett said "ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing."

What a day it was, a lot of repentance happened in my heart n i'm just hopin to be able to make real changes =p I also felt so blessed to have all these brothers n sisters whom I can learn from, grow together with, challenge eachother and have accountability partners that I can be open with n pray with. Just awesome!

We had great time around the bonfire that night and heard more testimonies, had more time of fellowship,
and I saw hundreds of stars...AMAZING. PRICELESS. JUST LIKE THE MAKER IS.

ONE DESIRE 'LifeStory'

Thinking about the theme of this retreat, I totally didn't expect that Pst. Andrew's teaching and preaching would be more about ourself. In fact the first 3sessions were totally confirming what God's been teaching me during the end of 2009 & entering 2010. The areas in my life that He wants to work on. Even in the first session when we learned about 'Wounds' and how our past experiences -the good and bad- do affect our lives and we should learn from them.

Wow!...Flashback 2weeks ago when God let me be confronted with my past and went through that miserable 'discussion' with my parents. It left me feeling more like a total 'vailure' than a valor =p And if it wasn't for God who gave me strength after the loving smack on the head i wudn't have come to my senses. I wud've made all the wrong desicion. Gosh, it wud've been a terrible beginning of a new decade.

We were given an exercise sheet where we would write down our whole life's phases, recognizing the chapters and remembering the highpoints n lowpoints of it, the events, the people that have affected and influenced us, all that stuff.
First I realized that I do have many beautiful childhood memories with my family, and God kinda restored n refreshed my love for them. I got to recognize important lifechanging events all the good and the bad.
I realized God really want me to deal with all these past because God wants to heal me. Becoz I guess only then my heart can be more free n I can truly make Him my ONE DESIRE

And throughout all that I was able to discover what I learned about myself and about God in every chapter of my life. I learned some good and bad things about myself too, which is good...I learned to understand the purpose and meaning of some things in the past that I wished had never happened. Even for the things that God allowed to happen that I don't know the purpose yet...I know I will one day.

The ONE THING we learned that 1st night is that
The Lord's covenant with His people overrides all of our wounds.
O YES...I am in a covenant with God...the Ever Faithful One. How awesome is that.
Or as I'll say : WORTH IT ALL =p

ONE DESIRE 'the intro'

It was the most awaited event for me to begin this year =) My 1st retreat with the HMCC Jakarta yay! [check out www.jakarta.hmcc.net]
At our lifegroup this Tuesday we especially prayed a lot for the retreat. As usual, whenever God is about to do something big, the enemy always try to ruin it by attacking us with various last minute problems. There were already few ppl who suddenly got ill, or suddenly got busy that weekend and decided not to come for whatever reason, all sorts of stuff.

Fast forward to Thursday… I was on my way to Karawaci so I can help transport the advanced team to the venue when suddenly my car just stopped. It was around noon. That was just the weirdest thing. But I was reminded of our prayer time and thought to myself ‘ the enemy’s just not gonna let me have it easy’. I became even more convinced that this retreat is gonna be seriously awesome. So I just kept on praying and I thought either God will make this car start or He’s gonna provide the team another way to get there.
Bout 30mnt later, service guys arrived and for the next 40mnt or so they tried to figure out what was wrong and couldn’t fix it. Evrything is in good condition and I havn’t had any problem with the car in months.

The car ended up being towed away to the workshop and the team ended up leaving with a cab. Then I had to walk for about 15mnt in the crazy heat with my heavy backpack before I got myself a cab. I thought ‘man, this can’t be happening…this just couldn’t get worse’…but when I looked up n saw dark clouds started forming I quickly thought...’wow..I was wrong. It could b worse. I could be walking in the rain…praise God!’ Again I had to remind myself, NOTHING can ruin my day. I am still super excited about this retreat. I got to Karawaci safely, met the others before we drove off together in the bus.

The advanced team also had a rough journey. The rain was pouring during their drive. The ones who took the cab had to transfer to the car at a rest stop and had to transfer all luggage and stuff in the heavy rain n all…but that too didn’t ruin anybody’s day. We were all DETERMINED to have an awesome time receiving from God.
And WE DID =D

A Glimpse of the Past

Gosh...my first procrastination this year =p...I started this post Jan 1, and didn't finish editing it till now hahah. Shud not happen again.

Reflecting on 2009,i realized that it's been an overwhelming year. It all started back in Jan when i started living my new identity: Valor.
Actually God sorta gave me the idea for that name around the end of 2008 coz He wanted to let me know that my life needed to move in a different direction now.
No more playing it safe or being too comfortable and doing easy things.
It was time 4me to start living fearlessly for God, and step up to the next level in this journey of faith.
And I gave it a shot.
And God took me on an incredible journey.

December 2008 - I had to work with my previous Creative Art pastor to produce our first broadway style christmas musical ever..."Journey to the Manger" with jst about 3mths of preparation. Hands down-the craziest months of my life- God taught me a lot by putting me in a position where i had to handle a lot more stuff than I bargained for. Never felt that much pressure in my life, nor so much responsibilities shoved to my face. But when I finally got to the end, I could look back and totally see how God's been there through it all.
Despite all the 'heartache' =p n longhours...I learned to do things I never thought I could, I was stretched beyond belief and GOD proved that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. He is able.
I learned that if u take God out of the box, He will take u out of ur box too.
I am so limited, but God is limitless

And going through 2009 i've experienced kind of the same thing. Maybe I was kinda like Jim Carrey in 'YES MAN' =p well,maybe not that stupid hahah. But I did everything that I felt God told me to,telling myself, 'you're valor for goodness sake!'. Yea I had doubts,was hesitant smtimes,tried to bargain with God smtimes,

but I kinda see a pattern after a while (well, at least for me). When things seem too difficult or huge to handle at first glance,when I'd prefer to runaway from it, when I am more unsure about myself or my abilities, thats usually the sign that God wants it done =p.
And the hardest one ever...when it involves a choice between pleasing God or pleasing ur friends, ur boss, pleasing man. AAAGH.

So, obviously, my cases don't always end happily,the way i wished it to be. Lookin back I can't believe how gracious n merciful God's been to me.
How faithful, how unconditionally loving.

When I started my new job last August, teaching and counselling Secondary students,
I felt like I'm thrusted into another. My character,integrity,faith, evrytg was put to the test. The first 2-3 months were crazy tough. Thought I was training and teaching these kids, but God was training me too.
I learned that teens have 6th sense that help them know when u're not practicing urself what u're teaching them...and the 7th sense to know whether u're sincerely interested in them as aperson or just doing ur job.

I learned to be silence and wait for God's defense whenever I face oppositions or unfair judgement...
but I experienced how God make little things happen, small but meaningful and rewarding things, that can only make me say in amazement...
"IT WAS ALL WORTH IT"
the hardships, the trouble, the extra hours spend, extra energy, extra mile,
...just worth it. And then I wud finally get what God was trying to show me.=)

2009...year of so many 'first time' thing.

1st time I painted a mural with the YWAM Art Evangelism Team, awesome experience.
1st time I made a painting project for missions convention (which is perfect timing coz God taught me 1st through AES team that even for the smallest painting,mural or any art, if we pray and ask, we'll get God inspiration, which is better than our own ideas...that was a mind changing experience, priceless!)
1st time we did a worship painting for Easter play

1st time I prayed online with a friend, I almost didnt do it, but in the end he thought it was pretty cool, and i've been doing it more eversince =p
1st time I shared the Word of God to around 200 ppl,(students n teachers in school)
and as shocked as I was when my boss asked me...I found myself saying 'okay, i'll give it a shot'. And the fact that some of my students saw how nervous I was, became a useful testimony, prooving to them that I too am not normally brave and confident, but when we step out, God takes care of the rest.
1st time I did a graffiti on an actual wall yay! plus it was the 1st time I made good friends,all graffiti artists over a super short period of time and they were already teaching me all kinds of stuff n being super nice. And I get to share with them bout GospelGraffiti, how there are young highly talented artist who use
graffiti to put up positive and impactful messages, even to spread the gospel and Jesus name.

like I said...living for God...is totally WORTH IT.
Can't imagine living any other way.
I can only hope that when Jesus look at me,and remembered how he came to earth, suffered,humiliated and died on the cross...and conquered all that so I can be saved,...He wud smile n say...'it was worth it'

as for 2010
...the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.(Micah 6:8)