last night i attended the Feast of Tabernacles!

it's outside the Alabaster House and spilled over to the parking lot. i was at the right place at the right moment, standing inside the main area as 5 shofars all around me blew. surround sound! it was such a good time of food, worship, and celebration. gave me a better understanding of what the israelites/israelis do on this festival. so much worship and dancing, rejoicing before the Lord. with e setting sun as the backdrop it was a beautiful pic! wished i had my camera with me. 1st time hearing 2 Spirit-filled Rabbis! i m so happy! Praise God!

these 2 days are really nice, restful, fruitful, worshipful ones. i love it! (didnt have sch cos it's retreat week. we take turns in groups to go)

will be going on school retreat thurs-sat.

tomorrow, we'll be blessing the 1st years' socks off! haha!

update on 911 quran burning event: CANCELLED!!!!! YAY!!!!

Florida pastor calls off Quran burning

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/11/florida-pastor-calls-off-quran-burning/

(CNN) - The pastor of a Florida church says his congregation has decided to call off the burning of the Quran that was to be held Saturday - the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States by the al Qaeda terror network.

"We will definitely not burn the Quran," the Rev. Terry Jones told NBC's "Today" on Saturday "Not today, not ever." The burning had been planned for 6 p.m.

Jones arrived in New York late Friday night and was working to set up a meeting with the imam in charge of the Islamic center planned near ground zero. The planned meeting, Jones had said, helped persuade him to halt the burning.

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but no such meeting took place in the end.

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here's what i thought is ridiculous. (i m against being ecumenical) Jesus said, "I am the way, the Truth and the life. no one comes to the Father except through me." we should stop swinging to the other end in reaction to some err we want to counteract!

Churches read from Quran in face of proposed Quran burning

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/13/churches-read-from-quran-in-face-of-proposed-quran-burning/

Journalist Amy Zerba filed this report from Gainesville, Florida:

Rev. Larry Reimer says there's a simple message at the core of his faith: people have more in common than they have in conflict.

It's one reason he chose to have a passage from the Quran read at the United Church of Gainesville, part of the United Church of Christ, on Sunday.

And he wasn’t alone.

More than 20 religious leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim backgrounds around Gainesville had the same Quran passage read - along with Christian and Hebrew scriptures– at their congregations over the weekend. Local synagogues made it part of their Rosh Hashanah celebrations.

It was a sign of unity after weeks of talk by a Florida pastor who threatened to burn the Muslim holy book on 9-11 but who ultimately cancelled the event.

“It just seemed that the reading of Quran was the most affirmative thing we can do,” said Reimer, who has served at the United Church of Gainesville for 36 years. “You might say (we) befriended the Quran and brought it into everyone’s framework, everyone’s point of view.”

Reimer came up with the idea a few days after he learned of the planned Burn A Koran Day from worried parishioners. He approached local religious leaders to join him in reading common Hebrew, Christian and Muslim scriptures at their Sabbath services.

The response from the community was overwhelming positive, he said.

Shanna Johnson, 40, a member of the United Church of Gainesville, said the proposed Quran burning forced the Gainesville community to talk “rationally” with others about different faiths.

“The things that we have in common can really come out in this type of situation,” Johnson said.

Reimer plans to continue connections with clergy from other faiths. A group of religious leaders will meet in October in Gainesville to try to improve interfaith relations.

“My whole ministry, my whole faith is designed around the sense that we have much to learn from each other that we are a common family and that our division is not among religions but it is among fanatics and extremists on both sides that we have to overcome,” Reimer said.

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"Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, a professor of religion and African-American studies at the University of Florida, read from a Hebrew Scripture (Deut 6:4-5); a Christian scripture (Matt 22:34) and from the Quran (Aal 'Imran 3:64) during a Sunday service at ehe United Church of Gainesville in Folirda. the common message between the 3 passages was "one God," she said.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so, these 3 religions are mono-theistic. so? does that mean it's the same?

Microwaves Myths

Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/6-biggest-lies-about-food-busted-2391419

Myth: Microwaving zaps nutrients.
The Truth: This is misguided thinking, says Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Whether you’re using a microwave, a charcoal grill or a solar-heated stove, “it’s the heat and the amount of time you’re cooking that affect nutrient losses, not the cooking method,” she says. “The longer and hotter you cook a food, the more you’ll lose certain heat- and water-sensitive nutrients, especially vitamin C and thiamin [a B vitamin].” Because microwave cooking often cooks foods more quickly, it can actually help to minimize nutrient losses.

Myth: Radiation from microwaves creates dangerous compounds in your food.
The Truth: “Radiation” might connote images of nuclear plants, but it simply refers to energy that travels in waves and spreads out as it goes. Microwaves, radio waves and the energy waves that we perceive as visual light all are forms of radiation. So, too, are X-rays and gamma rays—which do pose health concerns. But the microwaves used to cook foods are many, many times weaker than X-rays and gamma rays, says Robert Brackett, Ph.D., director of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. And the types of changes that occur in microwaved food as it cooks are “from heat generated inside the food, not the microwaves themselves,” says Brackett. “Microwave cooking is really no different from any other cooking method that applies heat to food.” That said, microwaving in some plastics may leach compounds into your food, so take care to use only microwave-safe containers.

it is sad that a 50-member church (Dove World Center Outreach in Gainsville, Fla) and a revengeful pastor (terry jones) can hijack the media and thousands of minutes of airtime. and organise a burn the quran day "in the name of Jesus." whatever happened to turn the other cheek?

just as the Filipino hostage situation involving a bus load of HK tourist should have had a media black out, similarly this burning of the quran event should have. the former resulted in 8 deaths. the latter would bring much more.

if the media has not fanned the flames of this runaway spark, it will not have turned into such a huge worldwide religious fire that is so hard to put out. we cannot continue to sacrifice peace and social harmony, international relations and inter-personal decency on the altar of sensationalism. it is time to call the media to attention and to hold them to good journalism and worthy news coverage. it is time we should re-think how our media function such that a delinquent minority will not waste the time and resources of the majority and that their lame causes not be inflated above and beyond that they are.

ever since the media caught wind of this, it has blazed the world over and this time round the fire is being flamed by the church in Germany that Pastor Jones has founded. that church has disowned and renounced Jones in 2008 but now felt need to voice their disapproval of Jones' antics to the world. the Church (note capital letter 'C') need to live not in reaction, not in retaliation but in reconciliation and for restoration. we are ambassadors for Christ (1 Cor 5:20), we are called to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). Jones in his call to burn quran to send a message to the muslims is doing so in retaliation. the church in germany, and all the world around are reacting, and thus give rise to probable more escalated reaction on the recipients' part and over-correction of a minority's error by government or society.

quoting Jason V: you have hope of fully solving your problem if it's 100% your fault.

it's a good one to remember that you have to own your problem.

caught a little of the movie "gladiator" on channel 5. as usual bloodthirsty crowd chanting "kill kill kill" as they cheer on the deaths of the gladiators at the colosseum turned me off. but tonight, a startling recognition of similarity. the crowds in Jerusalem who hailed "Hosanna" also cried "crucify!" and in both instances, i see me. murderous and inhuman.

what are we apart from Christ?

we create our own problems. it's not someone else's fault. it's not our genes. it's not the weather. it's always cos of our own poor choices.

i know i have a loadful of those.

the silliest thing is to think it's someone's fault cos... then not only have you absolved your responsibility (if only), you have no hope to get out of your Sh#%. and alot of us dont ever cos we always think it's someone else's fault. the saddest thing is... it's your life you are messing up! and a whole lot more too!

wake up. own your life. the SH*@ in your life is not someone's else's responsibility!

stop letting your life go to waste cos "it's all their fault!"

sometimes this is like a cool refreshing drink in the parch desert,

sometimes this is like a tight slap right across the face.

1 Cor 13

yesterday i promised XL i would blog. i have been so slag in updating my blog and she told me she comes here periodically. sorry to those who check out this blog only to find cobwebs! sigh.

anyway, since coming back to SG for summer hols, i have been busy meeting up with people. sometimes i feel i m busier like that than when i was working! b4 returning, i had asked God if i should find a temp job for these 3 months. i had wanted to earn some money for school and living expenses. He told me, "No." i realised the wisdom of it now. being without a job, i was able to go speak and minister to different churches, church groups, small groups, my friends...

there are many that i have not been able to meet up. there are many whom i said "no" to. i hereby write: forgive me.

and add (tongue-in-cheek the cliche): it's not you, it's me.

i have said "no" to more than 10 persons so dont take it personally. and "no" to many who wants "second round." i really cannot afford to meet everyone. don t have enough time. not that i'm that popular. but sometimes being away for so long makes one seem more popular than when one is always around -"Oh, you're back! we must meet up!" i cant do one year's worth of meet ups in few months.

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i just read an email on "how do we keep our passion for Christ?" and it got me thinking.

some may think (like the sunday sch song) read your bible, pray every day. others throw in fasting and witnessing. while others may insist it is getting back to the heart of worship. one in that email, a professor is quoted as saying there are 2 keys - a repentant heart and suffering for Christ. he argues that we keep our passion for God by suffering for Him.

i totally disagree with him! i think he got it the wrong way round - we keep our willingness to suffer for Christ because of our passion for Him! suffering in itself is a result not a motivating factor.

we must not mistake "effect" for "cause", nor "cause" for "effect." Christ suffered (effect) because He loved us (cause). you cannot duplicate "cause" by producing "effect". it does not work itself backwards. an athlete doesnt suffer aches and pains, keeps to his tight and rigorous training schedule in order to keep his passion for his sport. it is his passion for his sport that he pushes himself day after day! likewise, spiritual disciplines are followed to strength oneself spiritually and it is only cos one has passion, not the other way round.

now, i m not against spiritual disciplines, repenting, worshipping, suffering, doing ministry. works are a natural outflow of love for someone. but the acts can never help restore a love-lost or keep love. only love can.

so how do we keep our passion for Christ? to be head over heels in love with Him? that the embers of our passion never die out?

passion and love begets passion and love. we love because He first loved us - 1 John 4:19

"I am my Beloved's and His desire is for me." -SOS 7:10

we keep our passion for Christ by knowing His love for us. what i mean by knowing is not merely cognitively. it's by encountering the Divine Lover. Christ pursues us. God romances us. we need to know the love of Christ - the depth, height, length and breadth of it. should we ever lose our passion for Christ? besides repenting, we need to get a fresh encounter with His love.

i suspect our answers betray how we see Christ, our depth of knowledge of Him. do you see Him as Lord? then serving Him makes sense. if you see Him as a suffering Saviour, suffering for Him is your way of "working out your salvation". if you see Him as a taskmaster, your do's and dont's must be kept. but remember, God is love. it's the essence of Him who came to die for us. Do you know Him and His unconditional, infinite love for you? have you truly experienced it? if not, ask Him to show you not just cognitively. He is so ready to blow you away. just ask those who are so so passionate about Him.

had a great day with the body of Christ. it's wonderful to be in "family"

was at COOS SSM in the day learning and soaking with them.

Spoke at CPC with jo in the evening. came back on the last train.

these people are hungry for God. praise God!

i used to have a very short-term view of life: that i will not live v long b4 Christ will comes back. i m beginning to "see" generations that will come after me. that my life will be lived out to the full and i will "rest" with my fathers until the day of Christ.n my legacy affects generations after me. the Church will go from strength to strength, glory to glory.

why do we have more faith in Adam's act of disobedience to give us a sinful nature than in Jesus' act of obedience to give us a righteous nature? Is Adam more powerful and effective than Jesus? - Joanne W

Dining Out: Top 5 restaurants in Singapore

Reuters - Tuesday, June 1

SINGAPORE, June 1 - The Miele Guide to Asia's finest restaurants is written by food experts who know and love the region .

This is a list of the top 5 restaurants in Singapore, Asia's gourmet hub where the local cuisine is as varied as the international options on offer.

1. Iggy's

Since it opened in September 2004, Iggy's has consistently won rave reviews both locally and internationally. The restaurant, owned by Singaporean Ignatius Chan, received high praise by taking 45th place in The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009. Iggy's kitchen runs without a head chef, but its team of chefs - many of whom have been with the restaurant since it opened - work closely with Iggy (as Chan is known among friends and diners) to develop new dishes and recipes for their delightful four-course table d'hote and eight-course degustation menus (the restaurant does not offer an a la carte option) that focus on showcasing the most exceptional seasonal ingredients. The service is impeccable no matter where you're seated. Reservations at Iggy's are highly recommended.

3F The Regent Singapore

1 Cuscaden Road

www.iggys.com.sg

2. Jaan par Andre

This hot newcomer to this year's Top 20 list is hardly a new restaurant. But since chef Andre Chiang took over the kitchens of Jaan in 2008, he has revitalised the outlet and elevated it to that of gastronomic hotspot, adored by local and regional foodies alike. The first thing that strikes you upon entering Jaan par Andre is the view. Expansive, floor-to-ceiling glass windows front a sweeping panorama of Singapore's cosmopolitan cityscape. But it is chef Chiang's unique French nouvelle cuisine that is the real showstopper. Each dish is gorgeously plated and bursts with flavour, balancing the parameters of creativity and inventiveness while maintaining the integrity and essence of each individual ingredient. Reservations are essential.

70F Equinox Complex

Swissotel The Stamford

2 Stamford Road

www.equinoxcomplex.com

3. Les Amis

With its consistently high food quality, impressive wine collection and reliable service, Les Amis is an institution in fine dining, credited with putting Singapore on the world's gourmet map. Since opening in 1994 - which is a lifetime for the fickle diners of Singapore - it has jolted the sleepy culinary scene and steadily grown its base of loyal customers. Using the season's freshest ingredients, chef Armin Leitgeb deftly executes his creations, preserving the integrity of its flavours and layers of textures. The menu changes every three months but seasonal specials such as white asparagus, truffles or morels demand exceptions. And oenophiles will salivate at Les Amis' award-winning wine list; its S$5-million collection won the Wine Spectator's Grand Award - the only one of three in Asia. Indeed, Les Amis has become an icon of Singapore's gourmet scene, helping to cultivate a generation of more discerning diners and providing Singapore with a stream of restaurateurs and chefs, boosting the dynamism of this diminutive city-state.

#02-16 Shaw Centre

1 Scotts Road

www.lesamis.com.sg

4. Gunther's Modern French Cuisine

Since it opened in August 2007, Gunther's has steadily made a name for itself with its focus on serving only the freshest ingredients. And while 'simple' best describes the food chef Gunther Hubrechsen serves, it is by no means boring. Rather, exquisite produce is treated with a clever lightness to render sublime taste sensations. His food is always light, clean and refined, with little embellishment but plenty of flavour. And diners gladly shell out top dollar for an experience that excites but doesn't overwhelm. This uncomplicated attitude spills over to the simple yet chic 50-seat interior, that now boasts a jolt of whimsy with its Art Nouveau-inspired curvilinear panel designs on its ceiling and at the bar.

36 Purvis Street #01-03

www.gunthers.com.sg

5. Au Jardin

Step into Au Jardin and it's almost easy to forget that you're in urban Singapore. Set in a colonial bungalow nestled among the lush tropical greens of the Botanic Gardens, Au Jardin impresses with its menu of awesome French dishes. So deft is Singaporean chef Galvin Lim with French cuisine that he was inducted into the Commanderie of Cotes de Bordeaux in 2008. The dinner degustation always hits the right notes with specialties like Alaskan crab with radish ravioli and acacia honey mustard vinaigrette. Au Jardin's knowledgeable sommeliers are also on hand to recommend the best wines to go with your dinner.

EJH Corner House

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Visitors Centre

Cluny Road

www.lesamis.com.sg

kris vallotton in spore for school of prophetic ministry. i'm helping out as ministry team.

it's so incredible. listening to his messages so many times and yet i never get tired of listening.

thank You God for bringing Kris to Singapore to build us up.

use us to bless the school.

i'm back in spore. after a wonderful 1st ever family holiday that brought us from up north in California to LA to Yosemite and to SF. a gruelling 2000 miles journey... more than 20 hours on the road. God's hand on this trip was evident since the beginning of planning it. thank You Jesus!

was glad that Spore won the table Tennis world championship! YAY!

met YT, shirley C to celebrate darling's birthday today. was nice meeting up. was a laughing good time.

school ended on 16 may 2010 with our graduation being held at the convention center. i wore the superman tee. tho felt pretty underdressed, i was assured of its significance during worship by God: i had started this journey wearing this superman tee (on 13 sept flying out of Spore to redding) and there i was at the graduation, ending this 1st year journey at BSSM wearing it. this "S" tee stands for the supernatural life that i begun pursuing this year.

and it has indeed been rather supernatural. seen so many miracles. been God's channel to cause some too.

i've changed quite a bit. n come to think of it. it's pretty hard to put into words. words almost cant quite nail it. maybe cos i'm not so good with them. anyway here's my attempt:

1) God is bigger and "good-er" than you think. all Christians are quite programmed to profess "God is good all the time." but yet like me, that confession needs to become a solid conviction. and through this year, this conviction was strengthened.

2) God is powerful. yet most Christians are satisfied with just reading about it from the pages of the Bible than experiencing it themselves.

3) God is less easily offended than Christians. i was more easily offended by people who dont share my notion or ideology about God and i realised... God isnt. He is less uptight, less quick temper, less narrow-minded than i m. "tsk tsk tsk, they should be more respectful to God!" and fail to see God having fun with and enjoying them. he is not impressed with our sobriety nor religiosity.

4) God desires intimacy with us. He wants sons and daughters, friends (John 15) not slaves who mindlessly and robotically obey a hard to please master. He wants to be known. and we can know Him.

went to mexico city for sch mission trip from 20-28th march...
we saw more than 3000 miracles and 400 salvations!!!!!! praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fr pics etc, go check out my facebook =)

just looking at my blog today just saddens me. i used to do it up nicely. now it's just a default design from blogger. and no tagboards, counters, embedded vids or MP3s... oh from what height it has fallen! sorry to my younger friends. evan's too old to bother now... haha...

m feeling SO very hungry today! ate so much bread n still! n made a wrong choice of drink - coffee. now my gastric's having volcanic activity of some sort.

ok. i have just applied for 2nd year in BSSM. just felt it. so just did it. i had wanted to apply after my mission trip. it's weird how sometimes all the inhibitions just fall away and you cant explain it. hmmm... God will You show me what made that change?

i'm in a weird season; a Song of Songs season (where God brings me back to that book everywhere i turn, every book i pick up to read outside school curriculum), and in spite of this, i still find that everything else is still hazy, still needing clarity. there's so many pressing questions unanswered in the midst of prophecies given by so many different individuals about how my path is set, die has been cast, the Lord is guiding my steps. and so often i fall into the temptation of doubting and asking, "where is my path?" "where on earth am i supposed to turn?" sigh... it's times like these i m reminded that i havent gotten it altogether yet and having to tell myself "chill, evan". shant be too hard on myself. shant throw tantrums like a spoilt brat not actually knowing what she really wants. shant lose my peace and rest by demanding pre-mature answers.

"if you use your circumstance as an excuse for not thriving, you are living a lesser gospel." - Crystal S.

was a good day. so glad the sun's up FINALLY. it's supposed to be spring but the past week was COLD!
went walking the Sacremento River Trail wif JH. was good. that reminds me, i need to press in to discover the meaning of my dreams!
"Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream" (Num. 12:6).
There are about 121 mentions of dreams in the Bible. Joseph and Daniel are recorded as having interpreted dreams sent from God, and the Bible describes many incidents of dreams as divine revelation. An example of a Biblical dream is told in which Jacob sees a ladder to heaven.

did GGW 15 on Matthew 25. was surprised dat i actually enjoyed it alot! =)
God comes to you in His majesty and glory as well as in His lowly state (see 25: 31-46). do you receive Him?

ok gtg. barnes and nobles closing. =)

today has been a rather great day... almost every single one has been great i know.
received 3 prophecies/visions from pp and i really need to absorb it and let them sink in. alot of confirmation, affirmation of who i m, what i will do, getting what i have been pressing in for. thank You Jesus!

it's so refreshing to hear a mission trip giveaway from a Christian radio station! instead of some holiday or concert tics, it's my 1st to hear "win a mission trip for you and a friend to Haiti!" wow...! =)

from the book, Journey of Desire:
There is a secret set within each of our hearts. It often goes unnoticed, we rarely can put words to it, and yet it guides us throughout the days of our lives. You may not always be aware of your search, and there are times when you seem to have abandoned looking altogether…. Seasons may pass until it surfaces again.