Sorry guys for being MIA so long! I always had stuff to say but somehow never found time. So, HERE I AM!

Thanks JunQiang for putting up the tag board! :) I tried but failed terribly heh.

AND, thanksgiving this week for the cell: all your posting results!:) I think it's been great all around and well guys, your 2 or 3 years of A levels and your poly years start NOW (Sam phua you're an exception, you still got some time but make it productive ar)! So stop playing, get out of the first-3 months mood and START mugging! Same goes for you IP people. I hate to sound like a nag, but I don't want you all to regret these years of your life. Don't be a nerd, but get a life too! That's where CG outings come in handy. This week will be your holidays right? Take a day off with the cell and make time for each other! It'll be crazy week for me, rushing two projects, one due next monday, but oh well, just arrange among you guys first yea :)

Anyway, these few weeks we've been doing prayer in firm foundation, and we're gonna finish up tomorrow. While I think the questions are quite good, I don't think it answers adequately what you all might have in mind la. I mean, I have questions about prayer too which will not be answered in this book, and definitely it is no help for you guys that I confess not to be an expert on prayer. In fact, it's such a novelty to me, as I shared with you guys in cell last week. So guys, be active in your learning! Go search up on anything that bugs you, but don't be like a sponge and absorb everything one website says. Explore around and compare what different websites say. In other words, be critical in your "studying"! Here is one website that I found, it's like a mini Christian search engine! Mini cos it only searches within it's own website haha. This URL focuses on prayer though. (http://gotquestions.org/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=prayer) Find one that you think is best and share online!

Well, one thing I learnt in NUS cell this week was the sovereignty and grace of God. Okay, that's TWO things haha. We were doing on Acts 7:54-8:3, and it talked about the stoning of Stephen and the persecution of the Church, one of the persecutors of whom was Saul. Firstly, the point on the grace of God was well pointed out by one of the guys. He said that God is really gracious to appear to Stephen at the time of his stoning because it helped Stephen to really look beyond the pain of this temporary world and to look on God. It probably alleviated ALOT of his pain from the stoning by the mob.

Secondly, the sovereignty of God. this was very well elaborated by Victor, my group's facilitator. He's really zai la, he can speak Hebrew and he knows a lot about the bible and the history of the Church and stuff. He's even lived in Israel before! Anyway, he was telling us about how stoning took place. Usually, when it was a sentence passed on someone, the criminal will be thrown into a pit about 3-4m. If he doesn't die, they'll drop a big stone into the pit and on him. If he still doesn't die, everyone will come forward and stone him. So, Stephen was accused of blasphemy, and this warranted a stoning. However, and you can really see the hand of Satan working here - trying his best to thwart God's plans, to inhibit the growth of the church - the mob literally went crazy, yelling and stoning him. It was utter chaos! And then followed the persecution, another attempt to overthrow the church. BUT, our God, is a God who WILL prevail. The world can throw everything they have against God, and God will make the church double, triple instead of letting it go down. He is our Maker and Creator, Master over all, who can go against Him and be victorious?

Another point raised by Victor was regarding the "glory of God". He said that the word glory in Hebrew, "kabhod", literally means "heavy". What, then, do you think is the glory of God? In this sense, it really shows how tangible and real God is - the "heaviness" of God. We always ask fpr God's glory to be shown, but it is no plaything. It means that under the heaviness of God, in such a place, there is no room for unrighteousness. Isaiah, when he saw the glory of God, lamented that he is a man of "unclean lips". So don't anyhow ask for the glory of God! It is really asking for alot, if not all, of God, and it is a very serious thing.

Anyway, that's what I've learnt from this week! A bit long la, but I hope you all gained from this as much as I did. :) See you guys tomorrow! (even though I think you all will only get to see this next week)