3 Things About FAITH

It's been a while since I blogged, but reading My Daily Bread today really illuminated the meaning of faith and uncovered some of the "myths" people, including myself, tend to have about faith. I realized how my long struggle with the belief that I needed "more and more" of it was unnecessary, and that I've been looking at the world through human eyes (my own eyes) and reckoning that things can only go according to the rules of the world. These 3 simple but fundamental truths about faith can often be sidelined in the constant rhetoric that "You just need to have faith".

1. It doesn't matter how much faith you have.

Here is something where black or white, all or nothing, extreme-thinking is advantageous (otherwise most things should be perceived in shades of grey). Here's an excerpt from Luke 17 as evidence:

⁶He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

In His reply to the disciples who asked Him to increase their faith, Jesus made it clear that quantity of faith is irrelevant. Sometimes we attribute unanswered prayers to insufficient faith, but fail to understand that the effectiveness of our prayers don't hinge on the quantity of our faith but rather the presence of it (i.e., whether we even have faith).

2. Don't limit God's intervention to the ways of the world.

Haha a common error that I tend to commit, by forgetting that God's power is far more superior than the laws of nature in this universe--the laws of science, logic and rationality theorized by men to explain the operations of the world. I hate to admit this but it's even more powerful than psychology (which I totally adhere to as part of my knowledge quest in life). the centurion that Luke spoke about in chapter 7 makes an excellent exemplar for us to model for even Jesus commended him as a man of "great faith":

⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

The centurion, a man of great military status and riches in the Roman army, did not restrict Jesus' ability to heal his servant to the workings of the world. He knew that whether Jesus was physically by his servant's side did not affect Jesus' ability to heal. Often, we think that some preconditions must be present for certain miracles (or rather possibilities) to occur. For instance, I keep thinking that for me to get into a PhD program I NEED to have a publication and hence I keep praying for one (well, this is an example, not that I have been doing so extensively). But God can choose to reveal His strength through my weaknesses by enabling me to get into a program even it is difficult in the eyes of men so that I realize that it's by His might and not my own effort. Don't limit your faith in God to how things of the world function.

3. Have faith that trusts God to do His work in His way.

I like this one a lot. As mentioned in My Daily Bread, "unanswered prayers" are sometimes not unanswered; in some cases, God has overruled our wishes in a loving manner. He knows that what we asked for simply may not be beneficial or the best for us. Perhaps the timing is inappropriate or He has a far greater purpose that surpasses what we hope for. We cannot see things the way He does, and feel neglected, hopeless, and helpless when we don't see any "response" to our prayers. Jesus' prayer on the Mount of Olives offers some comfort in our distress when we feel that our prayers are unanswered (Luke 22):

⁴²"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Well, it can be argued that Jesus had an idea of what was happening to Him and that it was for a greater good He was aware of. In many life situations, we are oblivious to what's to come and we don't even know whether the eventual outcome will be benign or harmful. Whatever the case, having a faith that considers the "invisible" (not seeing but yet believing) would definitely help us to step out of hopelessness and helplessness although I must emphasize that Christianity ("religion") is not a feel good thing. Taste and see then you'll realize that God gives us more than we can ever imagine.

Unanswered prayers are answered still

As part of God's great master plan;

They help to carry out His will

To demonstrate God's love for man--D. De Haan

Rejections, rejections, rejections...

How do you bounce back from rejection after rejection? (If you are looking forward to a great answer, I have none; if you are hoping to find out where to seek the answer, perhaps I may have some direction)

Number of PhD applications rejected:

15 (2008) + 2 (2009)

Number of times my manuscript has been rejected:

2 by two journals

Number of times people rejected participating in my study at the supermarket:

countless...

Rejections are part and parcel of life. This is something I probably learnt of recently. It is definitely not something that I was used to. But now it seems to be "a common home-cooked meal" (jia chang bian fan) to me. Not garnering some kind of sympathy here, just trying to share my newfound realization that things do not always seem so rosy. It is especially hard when everything has been going smoothly in your life and when you are confronted by a rejection, it is a huge one.

Certainly I have faced rejections before. My first one probably in secondary school when I felt socially rejected and lonely. But I looked ahead and somehow I bounced back. I guess I adapted. I was able to navigate the interpersonal world without having to deal with tricky BFF relationships and cliquish loyalties--because I never had either. This is of my greatest regrets, especially when I view people's FB photos and "How well do you know XX" surveys. God is great. Despite this, He has placed people in my life to let me know that I would always be able to obtain support when I need it.

At this juncture, I can loudly proclaim that I'm stepping into a rejection-laden path. This is not catastrophizing, nor is this exaggeration. The career I have decided to embark on is one in which rejections are commonplace and expected. Journal manuscripts and conference abstracts are bound to be rejected, and people are bound to reject participating in my studies. The first time I conducted the supermarket study and the first time my manuscript was rejected I was really upset, but now I'm able to take it all in and not allow myself feel bad about these things. I have moved on and adapted.

Jesus dealt with the most severe forms of rejection--by the ones He came to save, by those He loved most dearly, by His own people in His hometown. The rejections we face are incomparable to the persecution He suffered and the pain that resulted. Perhaps it helps to reflect on this in our times of rejection and find peace in the fact that God will never reject us--not our prayers, our cries, our weaknesses, etc. He accepts us entirely, even if we are the most incorrigible of all sinners.

Now when I face rejections I stop dwelling on the negative emotions that arise; instead, I think of how I can work on reducing my rejection rates. Not sure if that's the best solution. But it definitely helps!

Commonality in Diversity

It's been a long while since I updated this blog on a regular basis. The motivation to pick it up and start writing again after such a hiatus was truly derived from friends that recently told me that they felt encouraged reading some of my entries. I never really expected that. Firstly, because I haven't written anything in a while, and secondly perhaps because I never really believed that people would read such stuff and be touched, be inspired, or acquire new insights. Upon reflection, I guess the main reason why I blog is because some things that I ponder about, for example a message or a learning lesson I draw from observing the world, sound pretty good in my head ;) Besides, an idea will always remain an idea if it remains in the mind. If it were a bad idea then remaining in the mind or eradicating it altogether wouldn't be a bad thing. But if it were a good one then it ought to be shared on a platform so that people can potentially translate it into an action or even a movement! Whiffs of idealism brewing...:D

Back to the subject of "commonality in diversity". It was on the shuttle ride back to my apartment in the Bronx that this catchphrase bobbed into my mind. I can only attribute this to the reflections of home (i.e., Singapore) I had earlier on, and the realization that I've slowly begun to become accustomed to life in NYC. Scanning around the subway station and studying how people scoot home during the rush-hour made me feel so embedded in the context and that I was a part of that social and cultural environment. This sounds kinda vague; I can't really put it into words. The bottom line is I've gotten used to life here. Everything that was foreign to me a while back had become a familiar sight: the subway scene at peak hours, the sunlight at 7 o'clock, the noisy streets of Manhattan, etc. The "barriers" that once made me feel separated from the crowd--the different skin colors and hair colors, the American accent, etc., which were all so surreal to me at the beginning (as though I had stumbled into a hollywood set)--have waned away.

The driver of the shuttle made a comment about the remarkably smooth ride to the Medical Center (the stop before he takes passengers back to the Bronx from campus). The traffic condition was absolutely fantastic. Then he prattled on about earlier trips when traffic was horrible and cars congested the roads, and talked about how one could avert the traffic buildup on Riverside Drive by taking the Broadway rout and how it was sometimes a better option despite the number of traffic lights found along Broadway. I immediately thought how "Un-different" that was from the mindset of a Singaporean driver! I began to see how much commonality there is amidst that diversity we all talk about in the world.

We often notice how different we are from each other, but fail to recognize how similar in actual fact we are to one another. Whether in Singapore or NYC, there are commuters who likewise dash into trains without allowing passengers to alight first, and there are those who refuse to move into the carriages when the trains are full. Whether in Singapore or NYC, we get impatient when we're caught in traffic jams and upset when we miss the bus. In psychology experiments, we see the same social phenomena happening in the US and many times the same results are replicated in other countries--in China, in Singapore, in Europe, all over the world. Sure, you may see differences in the way people from different cultures behave from time to time, but I believe that we are actually a lot more similar than dissimilar.

This makes me think back about the times when I was either in a class, an ECA or a youth group. There were always those cliques that started to form as so-called like-minded people clustered together to form their own little community. There is nothing wrong in that. It happens, it's natural and it's called group dynamics. Different groups of people may uphold different values, have different likes and dislikes, and have different dress sense. When I recall these instances, however, I think of how ideal it would have been for the various cliques to have focused on the commonalities they all shared instead of the things that set them apart. In social psychological terms, it would have been ideal if different groups were able to engage in perspective-taking and formulation of a shared goal.

There is so much talk about diversity right now in this day and age. It is being celebrated, and it took humanity a long time to reach this stage where we respect each other's differences. But above all, we should also remember what binds us together and the commonalities that we share. We all like peace and we all feel grouchy when we don't get enough sleep!

If Christians could remember how they share the same God and not how different they are in their views and beliefs...that would be ideal...:)

Unconditional Love Displayed Conditionally

It's nicely captured in that title, I guess. Yep, that's how it is with my pup. He's a cutesy, girley, Brenheim (meaning white and brown coat), King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. His name is Chewie, and I think from the likes of it, the name is perfectly apt in describing him--chewing is his favorite pastime now and I hope not forever. He's 4 pounds now and as tiny as a boot. Whenever he sits still in his favorite toy dog position, he looks like a stuffed animal.

Yesterday, as per everyday, I was awakened by his squeaky yelps and moans around 8am (he is definitely the morning lark and not the late-night owl). In my fuzziness, I discovered a "lovely" little mess the boy had made. Because an abruptly awakened person is seldom a happy one, I lost my cool though it was largely watered down cos' at the back of mind I was aware he was still a puppy who wasn't the best at holding his poop and pee. Nonetheless, I was grouchier than Oscar and his Grouchketeers.

So what exactly was the damage? There was poop on my bathroom mat, which was one of his favorite lying spots, and to my horror, I found the same beige mat that I adored to be gnawed and frayed at the corners with stray threads littered beside it. I was mad!! I gave Mr Chewie several spanks on his butt and topped them with a furious scolding. Clearly afraid and guilt-ridden, the young mister hurried back to his crate and lay on his towel with full knowledge that he had done something wrong.

Unconditional love with a conditional display. It's difficult not to love this pup especially when he's cute and affectionate: he seizes every chance to scramble into your lap when you sit on the carpet; he loves to lick your toe (though most of the time he bites with his new set of milk teeth!); and he never fails to amuse whenever he straightens his neck upon hearing the doorbell in the Tacobell ad on TV. It's so easy to love him unconditionally, yet at times I get so mad that extending such love becomes an exceptional feat.

On the other hand, his unconditional regard for me (despite the numerous dressing downs he gets when he sets me up on an anger trail) makes it difficult to not reciprocate that affection. However, with puppies, showing that love conditionally helps them understand their limits and boundaries; it becomes necessary to dispense external and social reinforcers when they behave, and punish, confine or deny them of their reinforcement when they go out of line. Hence, the title "Unconditional Love Displayed Conditionally".

I learn a couple of things from this conditional-appearing, unconditional love that I have for Chewie:

1. Loving something adorable is simple. But when that love object messes up, when that love object shows disdain for you, or even when that love object is simply externally unattractive, the task of loving becomes a chore. But God doesn't treat His love for us like a chore or task; he simply loves us unconditionally although we screw up sometimes, although we make a mess of our own lives, and although we show our disdain for Him. Loving us unconditionally is what He does best.

Chewie, when he was still lying in his bed with the right side up

(now he likes to flip it and lie on the other side!)

2. Chewie always flaunts his unconditional regard for me without hesitation. One could say that that's his natural instinct. Even though I shower him with conditional-appearing love, he still maintains that same regard for me. I'm not drawing parallels between my God and my Chewie (God forbid that!). What I'm saying is, despite my conditional praise and worship for God in my life (I pray when I need help, and sing His praises when I feel like it), God never despises that little I give Him. He always accepts it and He loves me unconditionally nonetheless.

Chewie fast asleep on my lap (Lap-Dog!!)

3. Because of the soft spot I have for Chewie in my heart. I always find it easy to forgive him when he misses the pee pad when he aims his pee, when he bites my toe or chews my mat, or when he knows he's pooped improperly and tries to cover that up by eating his poop (this is just a conjecture but you get the picture yah). And likewise the soft spot God has for each one of us makes it such that He'll always forgive us and love us the same even when we do things that hurt Him or make Him angry.

There's Chewie sitting in his toy dog position on the bathroom mat

4. Finally, sometimes it can seem that God's love appears conditional. When we worship Him with our lives, sometimes (not always of course) things are smooth; when we refuse to demolish the idols we set up for ourselves in our lives, things happen to make us go back to God. Such conditional-seeming favor is present to mold us. Remember God's motive is always to prosper us and not to destroy us. The same unconditional love I have for Chewie exists in spite of the conditional affection I shower him with.

Chewie fast asleep in his bed with his stuffed ring toy

Life is not the same with the pup. Especially with the first few months things get way out of hand. I wake prematurely, the cleaning at home becomes doubled, the distance I have to travel just to bring him for shots (that's a whole story altogether!), and of course the extra expenses I incur, all make me regret getting him at times. But the unconditional love he gives me and the same love I reciprocate makes these thoughts vanish and dissipate. And of course, the hope that this is just a phase helps me get by each day!

The UN-GLAM of staying in a cool city like New York.

New York always sounds so cool, doesn't it? When I told several friends that I'll be going to NYC for my postgrad, they seemed so envious of me. Hollywood films perpetuate the image of NYC as being one of the greatest and most exciting cities in the world--well, I guess the exception would be films that depict aliens invading the planet or something catastrophic striking the world; such things always tend to happen in Manhattan in those fictional films, don't they?! Shows like Gossip Girl, Sex & the City, etc. show the glamorous side of living in NYC. Haha but they don't include the UN-GLAM parts of it. 

Today, the UN-GLAM part of living here was glaring to me. There was a snow storm. And it wasn't nice. I can't deny that it looked beautiful; everything was covered with a blanket of wintery white. However, as my friend, Esther, astutely recognized, "It's pretty when you look at it from inside through the window, not so when you are outside!" It's really gorgeous when in the initial stages when the snow flakes fall, but it's a totally nasty experience when it inches of snow accumulate on the sidewalks and pavements and especially horrible when the ice starts to melt. Amidst the heavy snowfall today was slush all over the ground that made walking along Broadway (and many places in New York and Jersey as a matter of fact) a hazardous experience.

I found myself slipping into the self-pity mode so many times today! I was blaming myself for not wearing my Wellington boots out. I wore the other pair which was not impervious to water. When the snow started to melt, puddles formed everywhere. Worse still, the puddle surfaces were shrouded by ice so I ended up stepping into puddles several times and some were pretty deep. After a while, my boots got wet and water seeped through, soaking my feet and chilling my toes! It was a real nasty experience. Anyway, thank God I made it to Harry's Shoe Store just 10 min before it closed and bought myself a USD300 pair of UGG boots that are waterproof. I knew I had to, otherwise I won't survive Montana in the next couple of days (it's like -14 degrees celsius over there!) 

Living in a country with winter is really a hassle. Not that I'm dismissing it totally; I do like the beautiful sights and the experience of 4 seasons. However, there are downsides that people like us who are born and bred in warm and sunny (and humid) Singapore just don't see. It seems so cool being able to wear jackets, and to mix and match different layers and accessories, but it is really costly buying so many different kinds of clothing, shoes and other stuff. Plus, the time I take to change into something (and change out) takes forever! Sometimes carrying those big coats around can be rather troublesome too. I can go on and on about the inconveniences, but one thing I realized is that life in Singapore tends to be more straightforward and efficient because we don't have the complications of dramatic climatic changes. We won't get stuck at Bukit Batok because of a snow storm, nor do we need foreign labor to shovel the snow off the pavements. We don't need to expend large amounts of energy to heat our homes (although Singaporeans probably spend a lot on air-conditioning!), or experience a drop in productivity because of harsh weather.  

So do I like living in NYC?? Haha, I'm just complaining and whining for now. I still enjoy the experience and these are just culture shocks I guess. They make me miss home. Whatever it is, I'll always remember Tuesday night (this week) when I was walking outside as it just started to snow. It was a magical experience. I have seen snow before, but that night was just awesome. It was so beautiful that I couldn't help but feel this joy well inside me and it made me want to praise the Lord. I'm still thankful that He brought me here, and I'm looking forward to the great things He will do soon. He has led me from place to place, closing one door and opening another, and I just can't wait to see where the final destination of this hope He has ignited in me will be. Hopefully, I'll get to stick around for a while. I just bought close to USD600 worth of North Face gear (and that 300-dollar-boots), I think I can tahan the snow at least in NYC, not too sure about Montana. 

REJECTION: LET'S FACE IT!

Let's face it, rejection is a fact of life. And if you are still young and naive to this world, I'm sorry to tell you this truth. What matters most however, is how you choose to respond to it--with despondence or endurance. 

I got my first rejection today. Well, technically not my first cos' last I remembered earlier this year I did receive 14 Ph.D. application rejections (maybe not 14 cos' some schools didn't even bother mailing me a letter of rejection!), but today's, I guess, was the first rejection I got for a journal submission. So that's a first!

Although I am a defensive pessimist who doesn't usually hold my hopes too high just in case my ego plummets in the face of a failure, I can't deny the disappointment I felt. I mean, it's only natural to feel upset, angry, or hurt when you encounter rejection. Some would even argue it's evolutionarily adaptive cos' emotions spur us toward action--and hopefully constructive action. But thank God my co-author (my prof) was reassuring and encouraging in conveying the news. It definitely buffered me from the impact of the rejection. Now, I need to channel my energies toward picking up the pieces and getting back into shape with that paper, which I know I can.

It's amazing what rejection can do to you. It can make or break you. For some, rejection just feeds into their desire to succeed; for others, it can become a traumatic experience that paralyzes their will to pursue their interests, or a scar that can carry grievance and pain for a long time. Well of course, for another group it probably doesn't make any difference--there's always room for statistical variability in our responses to rejection yah? Whatever the case, today I chose to praise God in the face of rejection. For it is in our weakness, that God's strength is truly revealed. God has this knack of using the meek to do the most remarkable things, and using trials to mold us into greater beings. I recalled all the good things He had done, and reminded myself that I really have nothing to complain about. 

What really prompted me to blog tonight wasn't my dejection over being rejected. Rather I just felt this familiar tingling, magical feeling that God was at work today. On Monday, I felt motivated to prepare my application package, and submit it to the office way before the deadline, which is 1 Jan 09. So on Tuesday afternoon, motivated me went down to the bookstore to get envelops to put my transcript and supporting documents into. This afternoon (Wednesday), my package was dropped off at the PhD office. The supporting documents included my CV, which under the "publications" section had my journal title written there as "under review". Obviously, I can't do anything about it now (I had just received the rejection) because the CV has been submitted with my package. Well, I could email the office and tell them that my manuscript had been rejected and change its status, but that would cause too much of a hassle and irritate the staff handling the applications--not a wise move. So somehow everything worked out such that my CV still looks good, and I didn't intentionally hide the news of the rejection from them. In any case, it shouldn't hurt my prospects that much. Besides, I could always change the status to "manuscript in preparation" or something like that. I would update them when I do get through to the interviews. NONETHELESS, I can't help but feel the tingling feeling that God was at work somehow, and He still is. He has given me much more than I can ever imagine, and a wonderful testimony that can encourage and uplift others (haha, shan't reveal anything here for now). So for this and other things, I can only look to Him in awe, and praise Him for His wonderful grace and favor on me.  

Rejection? Hahahaha. Laugh at it. If you deserve to be rejected, then do something it. If you feel rejected unjustly, be it by someone you had treated with respect or someone you totally don't know (like the editor of the journal I submitted to), remember that God frowns upon injustice and He promises in the bible that the unjust will be paid their dues. And even if the whole world rejects you, which is clearly impossible cos' you won't be able to meet everyone in the entire world in your lifetime (duh!), remember that Christ loved you so much that He gave His life to pay for your sins. It's like having the favor of the King. If you have the favor of the King, why would you need the favor of His men? Anyway, pleasing God can sometimes win you the favor of men. Doesn't mean that you'll definitely be rejected by people because of your faith; I guess it's more accurate to think that we should love God and follow Him in spite of the possibility of losing favor with men. Okay, getting into too much theology. Need to stop here now.

Pray A Prayer of AUTHORITY Today.

We sang a song during the service today. It went like, "Tell the mountain to move away; tell the mountain to move away; move away, move away". I could really feel the conviction in the crowd as they were singing it. I felt so convicted myself.

It reminded me of how we need to pray prayers of authority at certain times. Whatever circumstance you are going through, be it a "mountain" or situation you feel has reached a stalemate or seemingly hopeless situation, perhaps you should take up the staff today, just as Moses did when he led the Israelites out of Egypt, and "tell that mountain to move away". Bring forth your petition to God with prayer and fasting, and at the same time, pray with authority.

Matthew 17 (NKJV)
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Mark 11 (NKJV)
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

"What does a CEO, a president, and a goldfish have in common?"

This question was posed several weeks ago to the congregation at TSC by a visiting Pastor. Don't think too hard cos' this is no IQ question, neither is it some psychoanalytical question aimed at detecting some of your innermost desires and unconscious conflicts. Think abstract. Yes, they have to breathe to live, they need food to survive, yada, yada, yada. There's nothing shocking really in the answer. They all will face the ineluctable fate of death's grip over their lives.

The Pastor mentioned two points that stuck with me: 1) LIFE IS SHORT (and I'm sure all you oldies out there like myself can fully comprehend and appreciate this fact, as we start to disregard the need for candles on our cake during our special day every year, and notice the inches amassing at our waists!) 2) LIFE CAN BE WASTED. This second point struck me hard. It's bad enough that life is as fleeting as a vapor; worse still, one can look back and express regret over the lost time that can never be reclaimed.

One of my favorite songs in secondary school was this song by Joni Mitchell, "The Circle Game". I used to sing it when I was walking home along Old Holland Road, being extra careful to notice if there were people approaching me from behind (don't worry, I wasn't being hypervigilant or oversensitive about anything). I remember lowering my voice, or pretending to clear my throat, when people approached. I was pretty shy, you know. Anyway, I loved the chorus of this song:

And the seasons they go round and round,
And the painted ponies go up and down,
We're captives on the carousel of time,
We can't return we can only look behind from where we came,
And go round and round and round on the circle game.

Yep, we are captive to the eventual fate of turning to dust and ashes. This may sound moribund and bleak, but it's a truth that we need to resign to. Of course, if you're Christian (like how I am), you'll believe in an eternity that far outweighs the pleasures of life on earth. However, that doesn't mean that your stay on earth should lay to waste. As I look back on my life (I'm still fresh and in my prime, so no complaints!), I recall times when I wished time would just fly by, and other times when I wished that time would just freeze and God would allow me to revel in the state forever. Unfortunately, we're not a "Hiro Nakamura"; we don't have super powers to time travel or freeze time. Man hasn't evolved to a state where we are able to dictate which time periods to fast forward, and which to configure to a slow playback speed---in it's literal sense, that would be pretty hilarious.

Whatever it is the chilling thought that "LIFE CAN BE WASTED" spoke volumes to me that day, and it continues to do so. As I'm in the midst of my PhD applications and juggling research and coursework, I can't help but wonder where all these would eventually lead me to. It's exciting really and I'm glad for the doors the Lord had shut and opened. Yet my mind can't stop dwelling on the paradoxical fact of life: That most of us spend a huge portion of our lives striving hard just to enjoy a piece of respite amidst the labors of life, so that we can retire at 65 and pay our kids' college education, (and in America, pay off our mortgages). Perhaps then we can take our time to do everything we ever wanted...hopefully we still have that energy and zeal to do so.

Whenever I go on FB, I'm pretty consoled by the photos I see. Perhaps it's just how the yuppies of this generation are able to enjoy life and play hard a little more than the Baby Boomers. Posted photos consist of travel and food and fun and babes and sand and the sea. I guess we all need a little comfort amidst the stresses of life. But at the end of the day, how much of everyone's lives are meaningful, I wonder. In the first place, should that be some higher goal driving our lives, or are we supposed to just drink and make merry since life is short and we are bound to die anyway. Of course again, being Christian, I would take the former view.

An unprecedented moment in world history...

I'm not just saying this because I live in the US of A now, but yesterday's election WAS an unprecedented event not only in the history of America, but also the world. I know how people typically stereotype Americans as egocentric and self-absorbed, but I can be certain that the collectivistic blood of the Orient still runs deep in my veins and I'm not making this statement because I've decided to trade in the five stars and one crescent for a star-spangled banner. However, the election of President-Elect Barack Obama truly marks the dawn of a new era. Though it may seem inconsequential to some of us living out of the US--you don't understand what the big hoo-ha is all about--all I can say is that America as a nation, its culture, economy, education, politics, etc. does have an astronomical impact on the rest of the world. Okay, I guess I've made my point.

Anyway, I'm not here to yak about politics, nor am I here to rejoice and celebrate Barack Obama, I mean, President-Elect, Obama's victory, although I was rooting for him throughout, and was exhilarated when he toppled the McCain campaign, and Sarah Palin (who by the way, had openly expressed her intentions to join the race for the white house in eight year's time!). I just thought I'd blog about my experiences regarding this election because I felt so privileged to be able to witness such a historical event right where it happened. Okay, that is partly true, the truth  is I really wanna blog about this even more so because I was blown away by the over the top reactions of Americans throughout the elections, and especially last night when Obama was declared the 44th president of the United States of America. I'm sure you know how wild they can get. 

The campaign fever really got into me when the two then-presidential candidates came to Columbia for their very first face-to-face dialogue. That I have blogged about. That really got me interested in this whole campaign. In the past few months, there had been so many controversies surrounding Palin (over the unjustified sacking of her former brother-in-law, and her former beauty queen, current hockey mum status) and Obama (his so-called associations with terrorists, and at the start his name sounding like Osama..haha), and it had all been so juicy and talked about over here. Professors and students would comment about presidential debates in class. There was one time, a student in class raised how Cindy McCain insinuated that people in the US Navy don't get PTSD because they are well-trained, and someone else mentioned how McCain stuck out his tongue at times when he said something wrong. On the streets, you would see booths with Obama stuff, and people wearing t-shirts in support of Obama. Then came Halloween when people even dressed up like him. And there were a few Sarah Palins too. More recently there was this dude I think from Brazil that decided to wake up in the morning and do a huge (and I mean really enormous) sand portrait of Obama on a long stretch of beach in his country. With all this happening, it was hard not to be attentive to the elections. That was accentuated when Lehman Bros fell, and both presidential candidates were putting forward their respective rescue package proposals and debates regarding the financial bailout ensued. Last week, Obama's campaign committee did something unprecedented in the history of the American elections. They bought prime time slots on major television networks and did a half-an-hour campaign ad last Wednesday. That costed them a bomb! But the ad was amazing, I felt both an emotional and an intellectual appeal coming from it. Obama is a fantastic speaker, or rather he had an amazing script-writer. Whenever he spoke, it sounded like some script taken off a Hollywood movie where one hero, leader or king makes this dramatic ra-ra speech to boost the morale of their audience. Above all, this campaign was historical because if Obama won, America would have their first African American president (well, technically not completely accurate because Obama's actually half caucasian and he has two degrees, one from Columbia and the other from Harvard, but still...); if McCain won, America would have their oldest president ever elected and first female vice-president, Sarah Palin; if Hillary won the democrat nomination for president, there could have potentially been a first female president in the history of the United States of America. So these points made this whole election so captivating.  

I had two random strangers talk to me yesterday on election day. One was this dude on the street who asked me whether I was voting and obviously I said no. And there was this other guy in the elevator that asked me the same question. Everyone was just so engrossed with elections yesterday. Throughout the day, there were people driving those campaign trucks and sounding those campaign horns (like how we used to do in the earlier days when PAP was still driving around in their lorries and SDP was still in operation...Ah, the Pay-And-Pay, So-Don't-Pay days...). Last night, major news stations zeroed in on the final race to the oval office by canceling regular TV shows and replacing them with election coverage (oh yah, even Heros was postponed on NBC because of some pre-election program telecasted on Monday night...darn!). From 6.30pm all the way till 12.30am, all that was on TV was voting statistics. CNN was doing projections and there came a point where it seemed like McCain was losing the battle and then later on he jumped back for a while. But when Obama seized majorities in the West coast, mainly Washington and California, his victory was sealed. He won 70% of voters' tickets in New York City by the way. Soon later McCain gave his defeat speech and later on Obama gave his landmark, victory speech which was really rousing to the crowd in Chicago and us tuning in on TV. Outside the window, in the streets, we could hear cars horning, people yelling and cheering when Obama was declared the winner. We peered outside the window and we saw people walking on the roads not giving a hoot about the vehicles. A friend of ours said that he was in a cab and this male person just literally walked over the taxi (like pranced over the bonnet). That was how crazy it was. It was like New Year's Day. People were packed elbow-to-elbow at Times Square, Harlem, and everywhere. People were standing on telephone booths and bus-top shelters just to catch the action at Times Square! TV stations were zooming in on people in the crowd with tearful faces, and famous people in the crowds like Jesse Jackson and Oprah. The enormity and intensity of reactions displayed was remarkable.   

This morning I was woken up by sirens. When I walked on the streets, everything felt so surreal and I felt like I was in a state of derealization. There were fire engines and police cars on the streets. Close to where I live was a car accident that had me wondering whether there were more incidents of road traffic accidents last night given the victory prances on the streets of NYC. As a raring fire engine drove by, I peered into the vehicle and caught a quick glimpse of FDNY firemen with their matter-of-fact, cool-as-a-cucumber expressions that totally contrasted the urgency and impatience depicted in the blaring siren. Perhaps all this brouhaha going on was long anticipated and expected. Apart from that, nothing seemed different. The first morning after election day seemed just like any other ordinary day. More than 20 months of campaigning had culminated in the nation's election of its first African American president. Everything will probably resume normalcy in a couple of days, maybe weeks. I wonder what vendors are going to do with their McCain paraphernalia. After the big event, life goes back to day-to-day struggling with finances and commitments. 

As I reflect on this whole event, the only thought on my mind is my hope that Obama can truly deliver what he had promised. Bush has become the scapegoat responsible for the total mess this country is in, and Obama has been accorded the mandate to clear this trash up. A huge burden weighs on his shoulder now, and he must swiftly change his gear and operate as the commander-in-chief of the nation. World leaders are looking toward him. The people of America are gazing expectantly at him. Can the man who inspired and raised so much hope throughout millions and billions of hearts in the USA create the needed and desired change in a country so diverse and stricken with social ills and poverty? Skeptics and pundits alike will now be scrutinizing his every move. With great power comes tremendous responsibility. And I guess that's why Times Square Church is organizing a day of prayer and fasting tomorrow to pray for the new president-elect and his government. And I hope Barack Obama will live each day safely as he takes the oval office in the white house (haha, there was a joke on the Internet about the white house going to be repainted if Barack wins--that's a joke, don't take it seriously). There were two dudes that were arrested for plotting to assassinate him few weeks back. Okay, I'm going to stop here. I haven't completed my paper that I need to turn in a few hours later, and I seriously need to get back to it. 

"Yes, we can!"  

Message from God today...

For the past two weeks Pastor David Wilkerson, founder of Times Square Church, had been ministering and preaching on Sunday mornings. It was indeed a refreshing departure from Pastor Conlon's preaching (not that I don't relish it; Pastor Conlon's a fantastic speaker and a tremendous man of God that I respect a lot, especially his leadership and zeal for God).

Today, Ps. Wilkerson preached an amazing sermon that I just felt the urge to post about here. I won't go into a long rhetoric but I'll just share the essence of it. His message entitled: "God's people will never be ashamed", and was based on Psalm 37:

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.

Pastor Wilkerson was speaking this timely message in response to the crisis ahead in the nation and the world at large. Many are living in uncertain times, not knowing what the future beholds. He mentioned how the "wicked" will reap what they sow, and how this is already happening to some with the financial turmoil. In contrast, God's people will, as stated in verse 19, "in times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty". Apart from taking comfort from the fact that God's stated woes will come to pass, we are to rest on His promises that we will not be ashamed and will continue to be well-provided for during calamity. Imperatively, God's reputation is at stake here; whenever a promise like that is made in the bible, we can be rest assured that it will come to fruition because God must keep His word, like how he did when he delivered the Israelites out of Egypt by enabling them to cross the Red Sea--a seemingly futile endeavor by human standards, He made possible.

God cares about His namesake. In Isaiah 48, it is written:

9 For my own name's sake I delay my wrath;
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to cut you off.

And in verse 11, He reiterates Himself:

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.

In this context He is saying that He won't allow Himself to go back on the promises He made to Israel even though they were stubborn and disobedient towards Him. In the same way, we know that God will fulfill His promises. And we need to look at eternity and not just here on earth.

One last line that Pastor Wilkerson said which impacted me was this: "Unity is not a feeling, it's a choice". Often in church, we feel dissatisfied because we feel that we lack a sense of unity, or we don't feel united as a church. But Pastor Wilkerson gave me an alternative perspective of unity as an action word. Unity does not mean no disagreement. Disagreements, in my opinion, can sometimes birth healthy discussions and collective action towards a common good, if managed appropriately. Unity means wanting a common goal, and sharing the burden as the team surges forward to achieve it.

Dear God,
I pray that those who fear will seek comfort in Your promises,
That they will always put their plans in Your hands
Because You know what's best for them.
Amen.

"We Are Singapore, We Are Singapore..."

Had an awesome day today...though now I feel kinda fat...=.= Probably because we just came back from dinner at Deluxe along Broadway (we had creamy fettuccine with grilled chicken, a tomato cream soup, and a cheeseburger with fries!!!), plus we just dropped by West Side Market to get some groceries after that. We'll be attempting to cook rice tomorrow--yippee!!!--with our new Ang-mo brand rice-cooker. Hopefully the rice that comes out won't be Ang-mo-fied *horrified*!

We went to this Singaporean potluck lunch at TC today, and made so many new Singaporean friends---yay! You have no idea how happy I am :D It's nice being around people from home...*warm chummy feeling*. And eating Singaporean and Malaysian food... But for me, the best part of the interaction is not having to cook up a pseudo-American accent. I just find myself code-switching very naturally when I speak to Americans. Some of my lab-mates actually told me they like my Singaporean accent. Heh, it sounds refined because it's the Queen's English. I'm trying very hard not to code-switch now; it can be effortful trying to think of how Americans would say something and focusing on the content of the message, but it's just so natural to do so when you hear someone speaking with that accent to you. I'm proud of my Singlish accent, and I use it when I speak up in class! (: But of course not the cannot-make-it, super broken kind-lah! Our slangs are cool though...Haha! Anyway, I was so exhilarated. There was so much to talk about cos' we didn't know what course they were in or what backgrounds they came from. It was so easy just making conversation and speaking naturally. Then some of us stayed back to play Cranium. That was so much fun-lor! We'll probably register ourselves with the Singapore Consulate in NYC. Apparently, they hold events where they'll invite Singaporeans living in NYC to attend. There could be free dinners. We heard that recently George Yeo came down, and many tried to take photos with him heh...

After having a whale-of-a-time, we headed downtown to Times Square Church for the evening service, which was as usual, AWESOME. This time the choir did not have their choir robes on, so it was a pretty sight with so many diverse colors among the group onstage. It was the same choir that ministered in the mornings. Woah! They practically spend a whole day in church I guess. The worship-leader was excellent; female powerhouse. She was also new to us. They started with a series of upbeat Jewish-type songs. So catchy that I couldn't help dancing along. As usual, Pastor Conlon spoke brilliantly, though at some point I was really sleepy. He just speaks so much hope and truth into people's lives and I just find it so amazing. Every week I just can't wait to go to church to praise and worship the name of the Lord, and to hear the Word preached to us. The service always ends with a time of worship, which is great. And the choir would minister in song during the offering collection. The song they sang tonight was absolutely beautiful: Total Praise composed by Richard Smallwood. 

The weekend's over! Time flies man! Life here has been a wonderful experience so far. There's so much to look forward to and I'm so glad I'm alive. All because of Jesus man! I'm just soaking in all the cultural experiences here. There is so much diversity and I'm glad to contribute to this diversity as a Singaporean. U'know, being a minority here makes me so attuned to the ethnic mix here. Though we have all these implicit ideas about the different races, there is so much within-group variation that we often ignore. Nonetheless, you just pick up certain tendencies of different groups. Whatever the case, we'll all be singing the same tune in Heaven! Oh maybe not...we'll have some singing Country, some doing rap, and others doing opera! That'll be lovely! 

NEW NEWS NEWS!!!

Since the weekend, news in the past few days has been dominated by news of the Lehman Bros' demise in the financial markets and how different multinational companies followed suit soon after. Before that, the nation was glued to the ineluctable rage of hurricane Ike striking Galveston Bay at Texas. And of course, amidst all this was simply election craze as the presidential candidates enter the heat of the competition and busy themselves with strategic garnering of votes and controversial politics. The turn of events is remarkably dramatic. It is just so amazing how focus switches so quickly, and these rapid changes are exemplified clearly on the headlines of CNN's website. It is indeed an "exciting" time to be here I guess. The ripple effects of what happens here in the US is felt everywhere in the world. Even in Singapore, which is exactly 12 hrs away from here (on the exact opposite spot of the globe), the repercussions are tremendous, with the stock market plunging to the lowest point in two years. Though some of us may not grasp the gravity of the situation, all I can say is change can come swiftly and inadvertently. Please do not be alarmed; this is not an apocalyptic message. All I want to express is nothing in this world is secure, and only our faith is. 

Super hot Sunday - 09-14-2008 !!!

Hi everyone! I'm going to blog about today. It was really hot today. The weather has been a little erratic: cloudy and rainy on one day, and bright and hot on the next. Ha ha, it's been driving me nuts because I need to dress appropriately for the weather. I either end up overdressed and underdressed. So checking the weather forecast is a must before I leave the apartment. 

As per other Sundays, we went to Times Square Church today. Took some shots of the church facade and within the church:

Times Square Church located at 51st Street along Broadway

That's me standing across the street from the church!

The building is actually an old theatre so the ceiling is very elaborately designed.

This is the view from the gallery snapped before service began. The service starts at 10 am but people come here as early as 8 am just to secure seats! Last Sunday, we couldn't get seats cos' we went at 9.40 am so this week we were more kiasu! If you notice a man onstage, that's the senior pastor who was walking and praying before service. And people would gather at the altar area (below the stage) to pray every Sunday.

This was taken after service (obviously I'll be too preoccupied to take photos during service).You can see the choir onstage in their white robes and the pastor at the pulpit area. They were doing a baby dedication, so there were families onstage. And the crowds below are not extended family members. They were responding to an earlier altar call!

After church, we walked down Madison Avenue to go to the Apple Store to buy a cable for my new Samsung printer. Here are some shots taken along the way and of course shots of the Apple Store which was really cool. The place was crowded with people and according to the cashier I spoke to, he said the store opened 24 hours and it is crowded all the time (don't think he meant during the ungodly hours like 3 am though!). There were so many iPods, Macbooks, etc. displayed for people to play around with. And the store assistants, or "Specialists" really look hip, young and friendly. Ha ha, Mac is really about lifestyle and not branding anymore!

Travel by horse carriage - additional way of seeing NYC & getting tourists to spend $$

The smell of horse manure was really pungent in the air!

The mecca for all Mac fans! Ha Ha no prizes for whose fave store this is!

Apple fans - actually it's just one Apple fan, I'm not that fanatic yet!

Check out the contours of this building. Nice reflective surface too.

It's the Louis Vuitton building (rightmost building)! Fans of Louis sure must love this.

The previous photo was actually taken in Harlem. We took a walk along 25th Street to look for Havaianas. Happens that the only shop selling those flipflops is situated in Harlem. But to our disappointment, there were no male designs--now you know who we were shopping for! We didn't really take many pictures there cos' it was our first time visiting the area and we were busy appreciating the sights and sounds, and being vigilant. We were the only 2 out of 3 Asians walking around there on a Sunday afternoon--other person was this old Chinese woman selling terrapins to a bunch of Blacks...which was quite an interesting sight. I didn't dare to snap that on my cam so instead we took this pix of Popeye's...LOL!!!

After Harlem, we went back to rest before whipping up a nice pasta dinner. It was yummy!!! Ha ha, we are really perfecting our pasta...so far we have used 2 kinds of bases, marinara and pesto. Next, we'll try Alfredo! I must say, our pasta beats Pasta Mania's hands down! Watch out for photos of the food we cook in my subsequent postings! For now, photos from PINKBERRY, this hip dessert chain that has hordes of Columbia student supporters! Their desserts are simply heavenly and delectable - it's just yogurt (choose from original, green tea and coffee flavor) and select your toppings from an array of fruits and cereal!!!  

 

Haha,  just posing with my PINKBERRY! Relax, I'm not eating both portions.

Front cup: Med-sized, original yogurt with blackberries, kiwis, and Captain Crunch.

Rear cup: Med-sized, original yogurt with strawberries, kiwis, and mochi! 

Guess who ordered which... 

Answer revealed!!!

Finally made it home to set up my new Samsung printer with the cable I bought from the Apple Store. It looks nice right? But it's super heavy and takes up a lot of space!!! I was so frustrated earlier on that the paper kept jamming. And I later realized that my paper was considered "thick" and I had to alter the settings on the computer....zzzzzz....zzzz....zzz...zz. The stack of paper I bought cost me eight bucks--USD, mind you!!! 

Haha, it's super late!!! I've done it again! It took me so long to upload and format the photos. I had to drag each one to the exact spot and every time I uploaded them, they appeared right on top of my posting. Okay, shall end here...and that also marks the end of my day anyway. Just want to leave you with something that touched me during the service today...second verse of Amazing Grace. Tears just rolled down uncontrollably today as we sang it in church.

Twas' grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed...

It wasn't by chance that I got to know you, Lord. It was by your grace that I experienced fear in my heart--the fear of things around me and the fear of You, Lord--and the only way to bring relief to those fears was to run into Your wide and open arms. And by that same grace, You calmed my fears and still do today. It wasn't by chance. It was all because of Your amazing grace. 

Quarter-life crisis??!!!

Ha, when you thought you have cleared and survived all the storms of adolescence and all the decision-making you had to go through about which college to go to and which major to get into, you'll realize that simplicity is actually a myth and complication enjoys an exponential relationship with what we term "life". I'm twenty-five now (and soon to be 26), and supposing I do get to celebrate my centennial birthday, I'm probably experiencing what pop-psychology and marketing "gurus" (many are just quacks and charlatans, don't be fooled haha) would dub a "quarter-life crisis". Not that I deem myself to be in some form of crisis now. Rather I would more aptly describe the experience as an uncertainty. Most of it seems exciting now, but there's that tinge of apprehension that puts me on the edge of my seat. In the volatile and rapidly shifting era we live in, nothing's predictable and all that is secure is the unchanging nature of God's care and protection on His people. 

I'm almost nearing the end of the book of Esther in my daily devotions (and I just got to know someone called Esther from Korea, who is a pastor's daughter--how cool is that?!), and though the book never explicitly talks about God per se, it is brimming with the presence of God's divine intervention. What's the relevance to my topic? Well, just let me put things this way... sometimes we do things or are prompted to do stuff which don't seem to mean anything now or benefit us in anyway, but later on or even years later, we look back and we finally see how our earlier actions had helped us reach somewhere or serve a larger purpose. That was how God worked in Esther's life. She was crowned the queen of Persia for a reason that was probably beyond her comprehension at that point of time. But later on, everything unfolded and the true meaning behind that was revealed for the glory of God. 

I like the book of Esther. It contains so much hope in it. It helps me cope with the feeling of not knowing where or what my current activities and actions will lead to. Humans are creatures that need to know everything. We love to create orderliness in our everyday realities, and to be able to predict and control what comes our way. But the world doesn't function like that, and God doesn't operate in this manner. I'd like to think of Him like a puppet-master, shaping the way things work in our environment, and we, His beloved puppets doing his bidding (in a positive way of course). At times, we'll be like a Pinocchio, allowed some freedom to do whatever we please (and perhaps tell a little lie once in a while--white lies, of course, because we are nice people ;)). But God is creative and sometimes the plot of our lives are tumultuous and unpredictable so that the ending we savor is a dramatic sweetness. 

After talking so much, I still don't know where I am heading and whether what I'm doing now will enable me to fulfill my dreams and meet my goals. Haha, perhaps my goals aren't even God's and He's not leading me to them! He seems to be pulling me in some directions, and yet sometimes doubt creeps in and tells me that it's too difficult or it's impossible. Fortunately, I've given up wondering whether what I hope for will eventuate. Now it's simply being all ears for His instructions in my everyday life (small acts and big decisions alike) and submitting to them obediently. At the same time, praying for His will and not my will be done. I'm taking mini-steps to a greater goal and seizing opportunities that show themselves along the way, because I'll never comprehend what they mean to me and Him till the day when things unfold just as how they did for Esther.  

One beautiful song we sang tonight at "The Gate" - youth and young adults service at Times Square Church - and a song that we sang at jamming before. I really wanted to embed the video but an error message indicated that I don't have some MIME plugin--can someone tell me what that means? Haha thanks! Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU_rTX23V7Q

Now therefore, I, Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, in recognition of this important event, do hereby proclaim Sunday, September 7th, 2008 in the City of New York:

"Prayer in the Square Day"

In witness whereof I have hereunto

Set my hand and caused the seal of

The City of New York to be affixed.

Michael Bloomberg

Mayor                                                                 

Adapted from http://www.nycprayer.org 

To learn more about "Prayer in the Square", please visit the above website.

To see the promo video for the event, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh6tlQ5KZ-4

=============================================

It's eleven-ish at night now in NYC, and I'm sitting down at my desk beginning to blog about the wonders of God I witnessed today. It was such an awesome and magnificent sight. And the intimate and powerful worship today had me yearning for more, so much that I now experience a sadness at the thought of school tomorrow and for 5 more days! It'll be a week before I return to church to join with other believers in worshipping our most-high God. Sigh... And before this I was always looking forward to school, but I guess being at church wins hands-down. 

I'm sure by now you would have guessed what I am going to blog about. Yes, "Prayer in the Square"! This morning, we went back to Times Square Church (TSC) for service. The praise and worship was equally excellent as per the previous week's, but today it was even more hyped up by the fact that thousands of people in NYC were going to take to the streets and pray in the center of one of the world's most famous locations and tourist spots, Times Square. One could just sense the excitement and zeal for God just permeate the entire sanctuary--from the main hall downstairs to the gallery upstairs. 

What I love about the praise and worship here is that everyone (at least most people) in the congregation just sings, claps, dances, and praises so loudly, spontaneously, and passionately. I mean, we all probably know what Americans are like--how they have huge and loud personalities. And the Blacks are so groovy man... their voices are so rich and their rolls (as in the singing technique, not buns) are so effortless and smooth. They are so creative and vibrant in their music. I love gospel! Each time I worship the Lord, I can't help but sway and groove to the rhythm. It's just fantastic.

Today's sermon matched last week's in its scale of depth and revelation. It was a simple illustration from the book of 2 Chronicles about King Uzziah's downfall. Pastor Conlon likened Uzziah to many people in the Christian realm today who were selling their own formulae for success, when the most basic and fundamental way was to listen to Jesus. I can't convey the message across as convincingly as Pastor Conlon does, so I won't try to do so and I wouldn't want to do it here anyway. I'm just noting this down for my own future reference.

After service, we rushed to MacDonald's (which was next door and swamped by TSC members by then) to grab lunch before we headed back to the sanctuary for a short praise and worship session prior to the walk to Times Square. Needless-to-say, it was another awesome time of singing and prayer. And all this was led simply by one worship-leader playing his guitar, with accompaniment by 2 other musicians (the choir was probably gearing up for the event). One could sense the enthusiasm and eager anticipation in the air during the prayer intercession we had for the event.

Omigosh! It's ten past twelve and I haven't got to the meat of the event! Anyway, just to give you an idea of what we did, the whole congregation marched down to Times Square holding onto little red fans (as you'll see below) under the bright sunshine, which was a contrast to yesterday's rainy evening--God cleared the skies for the event...Hallelujah! It was such a chirpy sight because many were clad in red t-shirts that were produced for the occasion. We got there at ten past two, and waited till 3 p.m. for the prayer to start. Although everyone was squeezing within the barricaded area like carrots and peas in a can, the mood was high and later on old nostalgic hymns were broadcasted through the speakers--it was so lovely and nostalgic. 

At 3 p.m., a video clip appeared on the big screen at Times Square, and shortly after, the band and choir got the crowd singing and praising the Lord. Then we went into prayer. Different people stood in the gap to pray for different needs in the USA: pastors from different denominations, an officer from the police department, a judge from the judiciary system, a military person, a freshman from Columbia, etc. And everyone was just praying along in affirmation, and singing at intervals when different singers would just lead us in song. In just that one hour, we had made a difference in the world and to the Kingdom of God. 

As I stood there, I was deeply moved by the sights, the sounds, and most of all the sincerity in the prayers. Though they blocked off the sidewalks, vehicles were allowed to drive through the area. And every time a bus (especially if it were one of those open upper deck tourist buses) drove by I just couldn't help but check whether people took heed to what was happening there. Questions rang in my mind. Would outsiders just sit up and wonder why we were participating in such an activity? And consider why we were spending one hour (technically longer than that though) standing in the hot sun (it was sunny but kinda hot) praying for others? There were also churches from different countries around the world participating with us in this prayer intercession. Why do we even bother?

Prayer is an often-neglected aspect in our lives as Christians. Corporate prayer especially. Sometimes, it can become mundane and cold. But the prayer I witnessed today will be imprinted in my mind at least for a very long time. Because I saw a true longing that came with it. Believers were joining in unison to proclaim the name of Jesus, and lifting up a banner of praise in the streets of NYC! Everyone adopted the same conviction and mentality to pray for the nation. And I was proud to be part of this prayer community. The prayer was expressive and the vision was clear. 

One of the pastors said this before we left for the event venue: "We can bring people back by spending time with You". I found this very true. Many times we rack our human brains to figure out evangelistic events or ways to persuade people to join a church or a ministry, but we often forget to seek God first. I hope that God will make me a prayer warrior, and that I'll always maintain this form of communication with Him in the good and the bad. 

Wow, it's super late--1 a.m. already!!! Okay gotta stop here cos' tomorrow got classes and I have to be up early to do stuff... Oh no... Shall leave you with this song by Chris Tomlin... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onGbkeWkA64