the King, the Donkey and the Palm Branches

@ the oasis!

2006-09-26T13:32:00.000+08:00

halo... yes finally another post...

Presenting to all of u... @ the oasis... 生命的驿站...

hosanna's highlight of the yr! it's a time for all of us to take a break at e end of e yr and come tgt, bond and reflect on all tt's been done in e past yr... so pls take out ur calenders and mark out 13th to 16th of dec... be sure not to engage urselves in other events durin this period of time if not u'll miss out on loads... hee... yup registration will start soon so watch out! =)

V0tE!

2006-09-25T19:59:00.000+08:00

Hosanna committee'07 election
>> 1St 0ct '06
>> 1430
>> rm3o1
>> Nominees: anna, bethia, janice, qihao, xihui, zhipeng, songyang, kenneth, weizheng
>>9 choose 7
Those who received notification letter regarding election remb to attend the session! For those who did not, you are invited to witness the event! :)

1. Chairman
+to be answerable to the pastoral board and mentors rgdg fs matters+a steering committee member by default, to attend its bimonthly meetings, prepare written and oral reports+to lead members to adhere to the Church's regulations+to chair comm meetings, ensure everything runs in the functioning of fs

2. Secretary cum Publication Officer
+to contact and remind comm members of their respective tasks+to prepare agendas and minutes, remind comm of meetings, book venue+prepare thankyou cards for speakers+to be incharge of fs publication Hosanna!

3. Treasurer cum Special Projects Officer
+to be incharge of the fs accounts, keep accurate n clear rcrds+to alias with the church treasurers, be clear of procedures+to prepare financial report for chairman and church treasurers bimonthly for auditing+to encourage giving of and collect tithes frm members +to rep fs n be incharge of adhoc projects eg.youthnite

4. Welfare Officer
+to take down attendance for all fs activities+be incharge of monthly birthday celebrations eg.preparing bdae cards+to be updated with n report members current situations during meetings+to be incharge of welfare of newcomers+rep fs to show care and concern for members

5. Publicity Officer
+to be incharge of updating and editing fs blog+to provide photos and info to church admin for the church website+to publicise all fs activities

6. Evangelism and Communications Officer
+to source for and spearhead evangelical activities for members+to encourage evangelism and take note of progress+to source for external activites for fs eg. community service, combined fs w othr churches

7. Spirituality Officer
+to be incharge of all biblestudy sessions+to source for quiet time(qt) materials for members, be concerned w their qt situation+to check on the situation of members' number of services n commitmts in church, eg.overloadg+to alias w church library, introduce suitable books to fs

Bible Study (9)

2006-09-08T17:22:00.000+08:00

LUKE

*--16 Sept 2006, Sat, 7.45pm, rm301--*

The Potter's Hand

2006-09-08T17:00:00.000+08:00

About 2600 years ago, God taught the prophet Jeremiah what it meant to be a sovereign God. He taught that His plan WOULD be fulfilled - one way or the other. Either His children would submit to His gentle guidance, or He would bring discipline to teach them the need for obedience.

Although God has the ability to directly give us understanding, His usual method is to teach us through His Word and then allow us to see the application and gain wisdom through our experiences. In order to give a clear understanding of His sovereignty, God told Jeremiah to go to the potter's house and wait for His message.

Jeremiah 18:3-6"So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the Word of the Lord came to me: 'Can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand.'"

Jeremiah understood that God was the Potter and had total control over the shape of the clay. How foolish it would be for the clay to complain or rebel; "Can the pot say of the potter, 'He knows nothing'?"(Isaiah 29:16).

The Potter will continue to mold the clay. If the clay begins to harden in its unfinished state, the Potter loves the clay enough to crush it down, sprinkle it with water and begin anew.The only way for us to become all that God desires is to yield and remain moldable. We have no ability to shape ourself! The Potter is creating something eternally beautiful - we are being "conformed to the likeness of His Son" (Romans 8:29). Oh, if we could only trust that His shaping is so much better than anything we could ever create. How prideful to think we can do better!

There may be times when we have rough edges which must be removed. There may also be times when we need to be crushed down so the shaping process can start over. But we must trust the Potter and believe the results will be worth any pain or discomfort; "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Our Heavenly Father is in complete (and loving) control. Let's daily be filled with His Spirit and commit our lives to His shaping process -a process which undoubtedly will last a lifetime! Let's remain moldable clay and yield to the shaping of the Potter's Hand.

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

The Wise Habit of Saying Grace

2006-08-31T23:14:00.000+08:00

by John Edmiston

Its Biblical!

Today I heard a Christian radio program from America talk for an hour about eating and dieting but never once mention giving thanks. Nutrition was more important than superstition which is what saying grace seems to be for many. If you ask most Christians why they say grace the reply is likely to be because we are not one of the starving millions and we ought to be grateful - or because it is a good witness.

I have discovered some very good biblical reasons for giving thanks at mealtimes. For instance: Did you know Jesus is recorded as giving thanks at mealtimes nine times ? He gave thanks to God as He fed the five thousand and broke bread at the Last Supper. In the epistles the church wrestling with the question of clean and unclean foods. The key verse is 1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanks giving. Here Paul is opposing false teachers who went on about right and wrong foods. They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1Timothy 4:3) .

These verses indicate that from the beginning of Creation God meant thanksgiving and food to go together. Saying Grace acknowledges both the goodness of the Creation (all foods are good) and the goodness of the Creator. It is our most regular way of telling God that we are still gratefully dependent on Him.

Sure - Saying Grace can become a boring and meaningless ritual especially if the meaning has never been explained to us in the first place. The next section of this article will deal with creative ways of giving thanks. Giving thanks for food at mealtimes is a well recorded practice of our Lord, of the apostles and of the Early Church. It is theologically sound. It is a sign of spiritual health - giving thanks is the natural response of the believing heart to Gods good provision in Creation. Giving thanks seems to play a part in making all foods clean and frees us from guilt and condemnation (Rom 14:6).

Finally - we are to give thanks in all things for that is Gods will for us in Christ Jesus.(1 Thess 5:18) And what better to give thanks for than delicious food? Its just about afternoon tea time, so I think I shall go and practice some Christian thanksgiving. A final thought - A Christians diet should have thanksgiving in every course as a matter of course.

Creative Ways of Saying Grace
Thank you God for this good food...Amen Five seconds flat.. Now lets eat. Grace can become a rushed habit, a Christian incantation at meal times. Lets look at what we can do to truly give thanks to God.

1. Make it a time of prayer for all members of the family. Pray for one another and the concerns of the day. Let each person share their needs then pray for the lot when you say grace. This really is very loving and warm and makes everyone feel built up and cared for.

2. Turn off the television. It is nearly impossible to say thanks over a commercial or the news. God wants your total attention. Give it to Him. It also sends a clear signal to children that God is very important . He is even more important than television!

3. Incorporate touch and holding hands. This sends the signal that you are a family under God united before Him in love. It makes grace a special time. Increasingly I am noticing that children are hungry to be loved and touched. Holding hands to say grace says God is love and warmth.

4. Have some silly graces for stressful days. Joy and laughter should be part of every Christian home. Some days everyone is so stressed out that the dinner table feels like a battlefield. Let stress out in a fun way before the meal by saying or singing a crazy grace. Some may object to this as irreverent and that is OK. For me God is fun and comfortable and he likes me - and if I cant be silly at home before the Lord - where can I be crazy?

5. Sing grace with guests. Make grace with guests different - Sing a well known grace the guests can join in or get the kids to enthusiastically teach it to them. Let the joy flow from your family to your friends

6. Use Bible-reading notes. A short Bible reading or devotional before the meal can work as long as it is less than five minutes long. No-one wants the food to go cold! Suitable notes can be obtained from Scripture Union or CLC or any other good Christian bookstore.

7. Make the people more important than the meal. Sometimes grace is regarded as an inconvenient barrier to the joys of pigging out. People and God come second - a long way second, to the rush for more. This is idolatry and a reversing of our Christian values. Meals are one opportunity to demonstrate that we are a family before God. Jesus used them to build relationships and create times for teaching and discipleship. We need to put the family before the food. In the end everyone will feel happier from being properly valued as people.

8. Regularly remind everyone of why you give thanks. Do not let grace become meaningless. We need regular reminders to keep the meaning of grace fresh in our hearts.
John Edmiston

©Copyright John Edmiston, Asian Internet Bible Institute 1995-1999. May be freely photocopied for non-profit ministry purposes.

2006-08-22T18:16:00.000+08:00

Worship is...by John Fischer

Worship is a state of mind.

What do you think of when you think of worship? Stained glass? Choir robes? Praise choruses? Worship band? Hands lifted or knees bent? If you’re anything like me, it’s bound to have something to do with church or doing something religious.

Jesus once said that those who worship God must worship in Spirit and in truth. Now that doesn’t say anything about church or religious activity; in fact when Jesus said this, he was answering a question about the proper place to worship. There was a difference of opinion at the time about which mountain to worship God on. One group said on this mountain and another said on that. That’s when Jesus responded that the Father was looking for true worshipers who worship him in Spirit and truth and that neither mountain meant anything compared to this. In other words, it doesn’t matter where you worship, it matters how you worship.

I think sometimes we approach worship as if we have to have all the right elements working in proper order for something to capture our emotions and truly qualify as a worship experience. We need to hear the right songs, performed in a certain way by the right musical group, enhanced by great visual graphics, and presided over by a trusted worship leader. We go to a certain church because “we like the worship there.” All of this makes worship dependent on certain elements all adding up to create a familiar experience we can identify as worship.
But is worship something that happens to me or something that I make happen? Is worship a mood or a mindset? If, as Jesus said, worship is something that we do in Spirit and truth then it would seem to be something we can do any time, any where. This is, in fact, what true worship is.

I have worshiped at ball games and movies, schools and sock hops, workout gyms and restaurants, on the golf course and at the beach, in the car and in the air, while reading a novel and reading the newspaper, at work and at play.

You are worshiping right now as you read this. The fact that you signed up for these devotionals says that it’s important to you to take a few minutes to focus on God while you go over your e-mails today. But you don’t have to stop worshiping God when you click this window closed. You can just keep on going; no one’s stopping you.

You don’t need anything but your heart and soul to truly worship God. Worship is not something you go somewhere to do, it’s what you pay attention to as you do everything else.

Something to note, since some of us are in worship band. =] Good luck to those who are in the throes of examinations! We'll pray for you. =]

BBQ@Sapphire

2006-08-08T11:23:00.000+08:00

Haha. Im like flooding e blog. Anw, nxt up aft BS(8)..

BBQ@Sapphire
20th Aug, Sun, 5-9pm
Yishun Sapphire

We'll be having pnw, BBQ(yumm), games and time for u to enjoy the condo facilities! Heard theres a jacuzzi there. Haha. Nice fellowship get togthr.

Our beloved ICs for this>> Janice, Mavis and Qihao:)

BibleStudy (8)

2006-08-08T11:13:00.000+08:00

we'll be going on to Luke Chapt1 Verses 46-56 this week ya.
Sat, 12th Aug, 7.45pm, SGPC rm301
Pastor Sheueking will be leading us. Yup. N stay to mingle n mess w evryone aft tt while having tea:)

ElECti0N

2006-08-08T09:59:00.000+08:00

The time of the yr has come again! Choosing of our committee for yr 2007. The ppl to lead our fellowship to greater heights, to be closer to God next year:)

the posts for nxt yr's comm..
1. Chairman
+to be answerable to the pastoral board and mentors rgdg fs matters
+a steering committee member by default, to attend its bimonthly meetings, prepare written and oral reports
+to lead members to adhere to the Church's regulations
+to chair comm meetings, ensure everything runs in the functioning of fs

2. Secretary cum Publication Officer
+to contact and remind comm members of their respective tasks
+to prepare agendas and minutes, remind comm of meetings, book venue
+prepare thankyou cards for speakers
+to be incharge of fs publication Hosanna!

3. Treasurer cum Special Projects Officer
+to be incharge of the fs accounts, keep accurate n clear rcrds
+to alias with the church treasurers, be clear of procedures
+to prepare financial report for chairman and church treasurers bimonthly for auditing
+to encourage giving of and collect tithes frm members
+to rep fs n be incharge of adhoc projects eg.youthnite

4. Welfare Officer
+to take down attendance for all fs activities
+be incharge of monthly birthday celebrations eg.preparing bdae cards
+to be updated with n report members current situations during meetings
+to be incharge of welfare of newcomers
+rep fs to show care and concern for members

5. Publicity Officer
+to be incharge of updating and editing fs blog
+to provide photos and info to church admin for the church website
+to publicise all fs activities

6. Evangelism and Communications Officer
+to source for and spearhead evangelical activities for members
+to encourage evangelism and take note of progress
+to source for external activites for fs eg. community service, combined fs w othr churches

7. Spirituality Officer
+to be incharge of all biblestudy sessions
+to source for quiet time(qt) materials for members, be concerned w their qt situation
+to check on the situation of members' number of services n commitmts in church, eg.overloadg
+to alias w church library, introduce suitable books to fs

Yupp. 7 in all. With our church expandg, many more of us will be called to serve in other ministries nxt yr, but dont worry tt there'll b not enuff ppl to serve for He will provide:)

Pls keep this election in ur prayers, that the presnt comm, mentors n pastor has wisdom frm above to choose e nominees. Keep urself in prayer too, tt if u have a calling no matter how strong or weak to serve in fs comm nxt yr, tt He will prepare u and u'll be prepared to answer when approached to serve.

The voting will be in October, will be approaching you sometime nxt mth so be prepared:)

Lets be passionate in our service to our Lord!

Listening with Your Heart

2006-08-01T20:13:00.000+08:00

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.

- Peter Drucker

take out your kalendars

2006-07-08T16:59:00.000+08:00

oks here it is :))

j[u]ly
15th(sat) biblestudy
22nd(sat) church prayer meeting
30th(sun) biblestudy
pending][ youthnite

a[u]gust
6th(sun) church family day
12th(sat) biblestudy
19th(sat) kparty
27th(sun) flyer distribution

september
2nd(sat) seminar][speaker: pastor sheueking
16th(sat) biblestudy
23rd(sat) church prayer meeting
30th(sat) midautumn celebration
][publication vol2 issue3

Youth Sunday

2006-07-02T21:36:00.000+08:00

Wahaha, Janice is here! fear me! No la, 'cause I'm prolly going to be bored at home, so JUST MAYBE I'll start posting some articles for those who visit the blog on the more frequent basis. =] Anyways, here to post some pictures taken at today's worship service and Lim Woan's Birthday Celebrations! Cheerios.

Nu Shen Xiao Zhu (Acapella song)

Pretty Girls! SherMin and Anna.

Hosanna!

Lim Woan

Sing birthday song..

Card presentation..

July Birthday Celebrations! =D

Anyways, (this is to test and see if people do read, haha), if you wanna get pictures, just leave a tag at the side, and I'll try to catch whenever you are online and then send the pictures to you. OR you can just tag me online whenever you see me. =] Eh, if you don't know my email, hmmm, ask around I guess. Haha. Seeyas!

photos.

2006-07-01T01:16:00.000+08:00

hey guys! photos for bible competition, kayaking and gospel camp are up!! click on the word photos under our hosanna picture under memories. if you want to contribute any more pictures, you can find me. =) more updates coming soon!

2006 Gospel Camp

2006-06-11T23:15:00.000+08:00

We'll be leaving on 16/6, Friday. Please be in church and ready before 7am. Gather at old chapel. We'll be back in Singapore on 19/6, Monday, at about 6pm.

Remember to bring:
#1: passport
#2: Bible
#3: loads of cup noodles and snacks!
[this is the most important item!]
#4: sweater
#5: sandals/slippers
#6: toiletries and clothes.
[all the best if you forget to bring]
#7: swimming costume
#8: socks! [for bowling!!]
#9: your mind, body and soul.

Get yourself geared up and ready for this wonderful journey!

next-up.

2006-06-08T10:45:00.000+08:00

Bible Study
10th June
Saturday
7.30pm
@ Rm301
led by: Rev. Phua

kayaking!

2006-06-08T09:59:00.000+08:00

you can see how many people went!
about 40.
so crowded lo!

haha. Kayaking was very very very fun!!! but i'm so sorry i only got one picture. coz i didnt bring my cam down. yep! go to emmanuel blog to see all! yeah! the pictures are really nice! you are at a great lost if you did not go. both land and water activities were good. All the sunburn, sweat and salt are worth it.

theLunch

2006-06-07T23:59:00.000+08:00

lunch @ liquids cafe!

zw deep in thought about what to eat.

the wait for the food was long n boring
so, xian n ben started taking FHM to read

soon after
everybody was reading it!

yixuan can flip a book page by page by herself!
smart girl.
although she tore up many pages along the way.

finally the drinks and the soup came.

xian's strawberry sundae!

the FOOD!
lets dig in!!

and we ate n ate n ate...

This was our lunch on 21/5. Hope you all enjoyed the lunch. And for those who didn't come, you really missed out alot. So every one of you have to come!

Guan Mo Hui* =)

2006-05-26T21:12:00.000+08:00

En Wei daoshi giving short intro.

Jon on the guitar playing 'I believe'.

Zhipeng our new guitarist!
[LOOK! there's a tuff of hair behind zp.]

whoa! so pro.

worshipteam playing 'Cao Cao' with 2 JJ fans singing along. =)

Canon rock really rawks!
the mo qi was really good.
Keep it up!!

Xian on drums that can vomit! =D

Our own 'Il Divo'!!

Ah Paul's solo.
not bad!

Guan Mo Hui this year was not bad overall. more singing, less exam pieces that would bore us. yea. more varities la basically. keep it up everybody!! next year everybody must go k? even if you dunno how to play an instrument. yep.

welcome*

2006-05-11T22:41:00.000+08:00

Hey! welcome to hosanna fellowship's own blog! yes. our very own blog where we'll post all upcoming activities and update you on everything you'll need to know. yupp.

As you all should know, we are putting up this temporary blog for you to suggest wad url name you want. For now its hosanna-fs.blogspot.com. so you can come up anything related to our fellowship. try to make it interesting and easy to remember. yupp. we welcome all suggestions. remember to leave your name behind. Closing date for all suggestions will be on 30/5. so hurry!

As for the blog skin, someone will do one for us really soon. so this is just a temporary one also. yes. hope you all would like the blog and come often to be updated. and remember to TAG! =)