Its Easter, no easter egg?

I was task to conduct an hour children activity for children (3-6 years old) of my church. Why not paint Easter eggs? Its Easter after all...

But the plan was quickly shoot down by one of the elders. "It's too commercial", he commented!

Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Easter. The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans.

Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. In Christianity, they symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus: though an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life; similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.

Lamb of God
The empty cross and the empty tomb provide a full salvation. "The Lord is risen indeed!" Luke 24:34

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches.

We believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus Sacrificed for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Dear Lord, I am so thankful that You are always present. I never need to make an appointment to speak to You, the God of the universe. No matter where I go or what time is it, I can depend on Your presence.

Brotherhood

Is Gang related activities on the rise in Singapore?


History of Secret Societies in Singapore
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_chinesesecretsocieties01.htm

Man's nose slashed off with 35cm knife in Tampines fight 23 March 2013
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/1664388/mans_nose_slashed_off_by_35cm_knife.html

Gangs recruit teens in Bukit Panjang 9 Nov 2010
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20101109-246475.html

Darren Ng was a member of a gang that was going to meet a rival gang at Downtown East on 30 Oct 2010, when he was fatally slashed
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101111-246698.html

More Malay youth in gangs? 24 Oct 2012
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121022-378957.html

Police arrested 59 for gang-related activities 11 Jul 2011
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/59-arrested-gang-related-activities-082258002.html

Recent news headlines on gang fights and even death gives me great burden and worries about youths falling through the cracks of society. Are these kids from "poor" background? Broken families? Are they not "Loved"? Early school dropouts?

The problem lays with Friends, if parents are not close to the children, naturally they will seek other source of "Family". "Friends" they can trust, feel good to hang out with, Brotherhood!

Friendship is one of life's greatest gifts. "A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17


Jonathan, David's friend is an example of true friendship. David was in exile, hiding from Saul. Jonathan went out to find David, with the intent to help David find strength in God. (1 Sam 23:16)

A true friend is a gift from God and one who points us back to Him.

Spending quality time together

Yes its March school holiday again! Reminded to spend some quality time together as a family. Allow the children to relax, enjoy the sun and experience "Life". During the weekends my family traveled to Malaysia for the church's family camp and it is really wonderful.

We try to have the children spend quality time in God's beautiful creation: Nature!

"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

How important is it to enjoy each other's accompany, especially so in the busy Singapore lifestyle. Same goes for God, our Lord enjoys our presence and we must please our Lord with our time. A time with my family, larger-family of Christ (making new friends) and bring focus back to Him.

Pleasing the Lord is not only to be a primary aim of every believer, but something at which we should all seek to excel, not to be accepted, but because we love the Lord, just like we love our children.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

New wine, New wineskins Pls!

When one steps down, others will be chosen to step up and lead, just like when Moses leaves his legacy and Joshua takes over. "Be Strong and Courageous" God reminded us to step out of our comfort zone to lead when the time comes.

Unfortunately, today many Christians in churches and ministries are silenced because of the fear of the leadership that someone else may be doing the Lord’s work with proficiency and may show the leadership up. Fear-based leadership is absolutely destructive to any organization, and that not only applies to ministries and churches, but to business as well. To quell a person who shows ability is the most absurd thing a leader can do. It is nothing more than personal pride.

In Deuteronomy 31:14, God gives Moses the Word that he is to begin the process of the transfer of leadership. God was going to take the life of Moses and now was the time for Moses to begin to hand over the reins to Joshua. He and Joshua were summoned to the tabernacle to appear before the Lord. Notice the word God uses in speaking about the coming death of Moses. “Behold, thy days approach that thou must die:…” God is telling Moses that he must die. This should be a warning to all those in headship positions in churches and ministries. Unless the Lord returns, we will all die and if we do not do as Moses did, choose a successor to the ministry or church, then if we die suddenly, the flock in the church or the people in the ministry will be without leadership and can cause a serious problem in the ongoing ministries. If someone heads up a ministry or church, and is approaching the age of 70 or 80 years old, they need to realize that they have to relinquish the reins of authority. It is time to step down but not out. I really admire those who know they are getting on in years who head up a full time ministry and pick their successor, and the transfer of authority goes smooth and the church or ministry continues to move forward.

Authority & Power pass on to the next leader
~Moses opened the red sea
Exodus 14:21 "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,"

~Joshua crossing the Jordan river
Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

The Catholic church gets a new POPE

Replacing Pope Benedict, who resigned last month.

Argentina's pope a modest man focused on the poor

The first Latin American pope, Argentina's Jorge Bergoglio is a theological conservative with a strong social conscience, known for his negotiating skills as well as a readiness to challenge powerful interests.

He is a modest man from a middle-class family who declined the archbishop's luxurious residence to live in a simple apartment and travel by bus.

He was also the main candidate against Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 conclave that elected the German to become Pope Benedict, backed by moderate cardinals looking for an alternative to the then Vatican doctrinal chief.

Described by his biographer as a balancing force, Bergoglio, 76, has monk-like habits, is media shy and deeply concerned about the social inequalities rife in his homeland and elsewhere in Latin America.

"He is absolutely capable of undertaking the necessary renovation without any leaps into the unknown. He would be a balancing force," said Francesca Ambrogetti, who co-authored a biography of Bergoglio after carrying out a series of interviews with him over three years.

"He shares the view that the Church should have a missionary role, that gets out to meet people, that is active ... a Church that does not so much regulate the faith as promote and facilitate it," she added.

"His lifestyle is sober and austere. That's the way he lives. He travels on the underground, the bus, when he goes to Rome he flies economy class."

The former cardinal, the first Jesuit to become pope, was born into a middle-class family of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife.

He is a solemn man, deeply attached to centuries-old Roman Catholic traditions as he showed by asking the crowd cheering his election to say the Our Father and Hail Mary prayers.

He spends his weekend in solitude in his apartment outside Buenos Aires and is a member of well-known Argentine soccer club San Lorenzo.

"He was always a very pleasant and accessible person," said Roberto Crubellier, 65, a church employee in a downtown Buenos Aires church where Bergoglio used to go and pray.

"He used to walk from the cathedral (about 10 blocks) and he stayed, praying silently in the last rows of pews, as though he was just an ordinary guy."

In his rare public appearances, Bergoglio spares no harsh words for politicians and Argentine society, and has had a tricky relationship with President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.

TURBULENT TIMES

Bergoglio became a priest at 32, nearly a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illness and quitting his chemistry studies. Despite his late start, he was leading the local Jesuit community within four years, holding the post of provincial of the Argentine Jesuits from 1973 to 1979.

After six years as provincial, he held several academic posts and pursued further study in Germany. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and archbishop in 1998.

Bergoglio's career success coincided with the bloody 1976-1983 military dictatorship, during which up to 30,000 suspected leftists were kidnapped and killed -- which prompted sharp questions about his role.

The most well-known episode relates to the abduction of two Jesuits whom the military government secretly jailed for their work in poor neighbourhoods.

According to "The Silence," a book written by journalist Horacio Verbitsky, Bergoglio withdrew his order's protection of the two men after they refused to quit visiting the slums, which ultimately paved the way for their capture.

Verbitsky's book is based on statements by Orlando Yorio, one of the kidnapped Jesuits, before he died of natural causes in 2000. Both of the abducted clergymen suffered five months of imprisonment.

"History condemns him. It shows him to be opposed to all innovation in the Church and above all, during the dictatorship, it shows he was very cosy with the military," Fortunato Mallimacci, the former dean of social sciences at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, once said.

His actions during this period strained his relations with many brother Jesuits around the world, who tend to be more politically liberal.

Those who defend Bergoglio say there is no proof behind these claims and, on the contrary, they say the priest helped many dissidents escape during the military junta's rule.

His brother bishops elected him president of the Argentine bishops conference for two terms from 2005 to 2011.

CONSERVATIVE THEOLOGY

In the Vatican, far removed from the dictatorship's grim legacy, this quiet priest is expected to lead the Church with an iron grip and a strong social conscience.

In 2010, he challenged the Argentine government when it backed a gay marriage bill.

"Let's not be naive. This isn't a simple political fight, it's an attempt to destroy God's plan," he wrote in a letter days before the bill was approved by Congress.

Bergoglio has been close to the conservative Italian religious movement Communion and Liberation, which had the backing of Popes John Paul and Benedict as a way to revitalise faith among young people.

Milan Cardinal Angelo Scola, who was believed to have the most support going into the conclave, is also close to the movement, but has taken some distance from it as it got mired in political scandals in Italy.

Bergoglio has addressed the group's annual meeting in Rimini and presented the books of its founder, Rev Luigi Giussani, to readers in Argentina.

His support contrasted to the critical view that another Jesuit, former Milan archbishop Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, had of Communion and Liberation during his life.

Martini died last year, leaving behind a posthumous interview saying the Church was "200 years behind the times."

Rev Gerard Fogarty, a Jesuit and Church historian at the University of Virginia, said he was "pretty sure I'd never see a Jesuit pope" and was surprised that Bergoglio had been chosen because of the criticism of his stand during the dictatorship.

The Jesuit order was founded in the 16th century to serve the pope in the Counter-Reformation and some members of the Society of Jesus, as the order is officially called, think no Jesuit should ever become pope.


Every Christian has a responsibility to prepare themselves to leave this world and to commit our ministries to the next generation. We saw this in the Moses-Joshua relationship. Moses was not threatened, nor was he angry about giving his ministry to Joshua. He knew it was his time to die because God told him, plus he knew his ministry would end before they went into the promised land. The time to begin preparing the next generation is today. If there are people in your church who show leadership promise, don’t truncate their ministries by bringing in someone from your Alma Mater and shutting them out. A flower blooms where it is planted and there are many Christians in home churches who are ready to bloom. All you need to do is water them and let God do the rest.

We need leaders with Humility & Conviction

Whataya want from me?

Adam Lambert concert in Singapore 8 March 2013 at The Star Theatre, this friday 8PM.

Unhappiness surfaced over the venue of his concert, The Star Performing Arts Centre which is own by the Rock Productions. Rock Productions, which is a business arm of New Creation Church. By allowing his performance does NCC share a common view on his lifestyle?

Adam Lambert and his concert entourage flew into Singapore late Wednesday afternoon fresh off the Hong Kong leg of his world tour amid a bit of controversy over his upcoming gig's venue.

He was welcomed at Changi Airport by an army of screaming "Glamberts" as his fans are commonly known.Decked out in dark shades and a cap, he smiled briefly for the fans as he was quickly escorted and whisked into his waiting private transport.

A complaint has reportedly been filed regarding a venue – owned by a church’s business unit – hosting a performance by openly gay singer Adam Lambert.

“The church is made up of the people, not the venue. If we come together to praise and worship, that is the (composition of) the church. In order to maintain the venue, at times, it has to be leased out for other purposes,” she explained.

Lambert is set to perform Friday night at The Star Performing Arts Centre (The Star PAC) situated at the new Buena Vista mall, Star Vista, as part of his world tour promoting his latest EP, Trespassing.

Known for his flamboyant fashion sense and soaring vocals, Lambert came out as openly gay after finishing runner-up in the eighth season of American Idol.

While this is not the first time the popular 31-year-old singer is in town to perform, the buzz this time centres on the choice of venue for his gig.

The performing arts centre is fully owned by Rock Productions, which is the business arm of the New Creation Church (NCC). NCC is part of the National Council of Churches (NCCS), which represents 200 churches in Singapore.

NCC's response
The Star Performing Arts Centre (The Star PAC) is a commercial entity, fully owned by Rock Productions Pte Ltd (Rock), the business arm of New Creation Church (NCC).

As a venue, The Star PAC is open and available for hiring by impresarios, concert organisers, institutions and commercial organisations.

The Star PAC operates its business independently from NCC with a strict arms-length policy in place. Pastor Joseph Prince serves as a volunteer Senior Pastor of NCC. He does not sit on NCC’s board and he is neither involved nor kept abreast of management decisions of the business entities under Rock.

Conditions set forth by the authorities in the tender award to Rock states clearly that Rock will “operate the 5,000 seat performing arts venue on a purely commercial basis and will not implement any leasing or pricing policies that will discriminate between religious groups, institutions or organisations from hiring the venue”.

All public events held at The Star PAC and other venues in Singapore require a Public Entertainment License, which is issued by the Singapore Police Force. We have government bodies including the Media Development Authority dealing with issues of public decency and we have the utmost confidence in their policies and ability to protect the interest of the general public.

Any event or concert presented at The Star PAC should not be misconstrued or misunderstood as having NCC approving of its artistic presentation or endorsing the lifestyle of the performer.

Concerts are a celebration of the arts and the artistes, and The Star PAC remains a performing arts venue that serves to enrich and inspire the arts and culture in Singapore.


Let's separate the issue of enjoying his Talent from accepting his lifestyle, he may be a gay or infact he is gay but that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying his song and music. Maybe the title of American Idol is too much, Adam is the runner up... Even in America with his talent he can't win the top honors because the anti-gays are against him winning it. The land of the FREE doesn't support a gay talented singer? Come on... How can this be?

Do you think Adam Lambert lost becos he's gay?
He is no role model, there are enough of role models from the bible;

•Abigail, woman of tact & poise (1 Sam. 25)
•Abraham, the friend of God (Jas. 2:23)
•Barnabas, the great encourager (Acts 4:36)
•Caleb, mountain climber (Jos. 14:12)
•Deborah, the fearless patriot (Jdg. 4-5)
•Daniel, the lion tamer (Dan. 6:22)
•David, man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22)
•Dorcus, the Christian philanthropist (Acts 9:36-43)
•Elizabeth, the priestly mother (Luke 1:6)
•Enoch, who walked with God (Gen. 5:22)
•Epaphroditus, a man of reputation (Phi. 2:29)
•Esther, the providential princess (Esther 4:14)
•Ezekiel, a man with a strong forehead (Eze. 3:8)
•Haggai, the old man whose time was now (Hag. 1:4)
•Isaiah, the gospel statesman (Isa 53)
•Jeremiah, the languishing over sin (Lam. 1:16; 2:8)
•Jethro, the preeminent father-in-law (Exo. 18)
•Job, the patient patriarch (Jas. 5:11)
•John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jho. 21:20)
•Joseph, a lad of dreams (Gen. 37; 41)
•Joseph, a man who obeyed dreams (Mat. 1:24; 2:13-14, 19-21, 22)
•Joshua, a decisive conqueror (Jos. 24:15)
•Lois & Eunice, Christian professors (2 Tim. 1:5; ;3:14-15)
•Lydia, an hospitable business women (Acts 16:12-15, 40)
•Mary, the magnificent (Luke 1:28)
•Moses, the meek Num. 12:3)
•Nehemiah, the builder of God's wall (Neh. 6:15)
•Noah, true grit (2 Pet. 2:5)
•Paul, that passionate apostle (Phi. 3:6; Gal. 1:14)
•Peter, from shifting sand to solid rock (2 Pet. 1:10)
•Timothy, a likeminded young man (Phi. 2:20)

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Is Singapore prepared to go all the way?

Singapore is once labelled "Disneyland with the Death Penalty" "Singapore is far from a sterile 'Disneyland'. It is a fantastic fusion of the best of Asia (food, street activity, friendliness) and the West (working infrastructure, coherent traffic patterns, obedience to simple rules of civility)."


Singaporeans love to follow rules and regulations, it is the way we are being brought up... "Behave or the police will catch you".

Two Women Get Married in Taiwan's First Same-sex Buddhist Wedding; first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage 12 August 2012.

Two Women Hold Their Wedding At Tokyo Disneyland; they got married 1 March 2013.

Two lesbians have become the first gay couple to tie the knot at Tokyo Disney Resort, both decked out in fairytale white dresses despite an initial ruling that one had to wear men’s clothes.

“My love Hiroko and I wore wedding dresses and had a mini-parade in DisneySea, a place I also love,” Koyuki Higashi, 28, said on Twitter.

“I was really happy!” she said.

The event, which was held last Friday, was the first homosexual wedding in the popular amusement park even though gay marriage has no legal standing in Japan.

“We may not have a law that applies to us, but when someone congratulates us for the wedding, I will proudly say ‘thank you!’” said Higashi.

The couple first hit the headlines after the theme park initially told them there would be no problem with the ceremony provided they dressed “like a man and a woman.”

A staff member said a same-sex wedding would create “repercussions” among visitors if both brides wore wedding dresses or both grooms donned tuxedos.

But just few days later, the resort operator got back in touch to say their initial response had been wrong and gay couples were free to mix and match their attire.

Higashi posted photos from the celebration on her Twitter site, showing both brides clad in white and accompanied by Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Same sex marriage, legalise it and honour their existence. If the government is not prepared to go all the way than remain status quo isn't a bad move.

Registration of Marriage, HDB and MCYS or even MOE need to change hell lot in their policies before Singaporeans are being forced to brave the on coming force.

Do you know that if a child is born to an unmarried parent, it is very difficult for the child to enter primary school unless they seek special assistance?

Our Wise PM Lee: Best to let gay rights issue be status quo

When it comes to Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says his view on it is unchanged.

He was speaking at the ‘Singapore Perspectives’ conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and was responding to a participant who asked how a secular country such as Singapore deals with “an old and archaic law that nearly discriminates against a whole (group) of people”, TODAY newspaper reported.

The Prime Minister said that the situation might not necessarily change even when homosexuality is legalised, citing the recent demonstrations in Paris by those who support gay marriage and those who do not.

“Why is that law on the books? Because it’s always been there and I think we just leave it,” he said.

He said that he had explained his decision in 2007 to retain Section 377A, saying that Singapore was "basically a conservative society" with many being "uncomfortable with homosexuals, more so with public display of homosexual behaviour".

The issue of gay rights has been a hot topic in the news recently with the Singapore High Court due to hear two cases contesting the law against gay sex. Supporters and detractors have been speaking out in an attempt to lobby the verdict.

SOCIAL INTEGRATION IS IMPORTANT

Actress Janice Koh, who is also a Nominated Member of Parliament, asked the Prime Minister whether there is space for public discussions on potentially polarising issues, adding that such discussions could help build a stronger society.

“These are not issues that we can settle one way or the other, and it’s really best for us just to leave them be, and just agree to disagree. I think that’s the way Singapore will be for a long time,” PM Lee replied on the issue of gay rights, adding that the “conservative roots” in Singapore do not want to see society changed.

He added that “we discuss many things openly now, which in the past we would have hesitated to do”, such as with race and religion, “but to think that you can take your hands off and just leave it”, he thinks “it’s very unwise”.

PM Lee’s response to S377A has caused disappointment among those who would like to see it removed.


"In the world you will have tribulation; but be a good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Faith is believing that God is present when all we hear is silence.