Make a Wish...

"Everything"

Everything (by Israel Houghton)
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Everything, everything
Lord You are everything to me
Everything, everything
Lord You are everything to me

My treasure, my priority
Who can compare to You?
Great is the measure of Your royalty
O Morning Star
You truly are, everything.

Extreme

Just something that I've been thinking of lately....

"The question is not whether we will be extremists,
But what kind will we be?
Where are the extremists for love and grace?" - Martin Luther King

Mumble's birthday present

This afternoon...Jo asked me "Can I eat your goldfish biscuits?" (ie. Mumble's birthday present from Berno) So I said yes, and she proceeded to open up the packet and share it with the other coaches, who really loved it. Then I told her, "Mumble doesn't look very happy leh..." To which she replied, "Aiyah, he also cannot eat what! Not happy for what?" haha! Poor Mumble...look at what happens next.

Abi taunting a clearly pissed off Mumble, as she eats his fav fishies in front of his penguin eyes.

Rubbing it in, for all it's worth.

Mumble: When what you desire is simply...out of reach.

Rainbow coloured, cheddar cheese flavoured goldfish! They're cute and yummy!

Song of the Soul

I'm not one to wear my heart on my sleeve,
And I don't unfold easily.
But if you care to look deep into my eyes,
beyond the smiles,
You'll see how I really feel,
and uncover the soul behind.

Perhaps I fear what I hold inside,
A reservoir of emotions
too much for anyone to bear.
There is only One,
who can carry the weight of my heart.
With everlasting arms,
and eyes so piercing yet kind,
He'll lead me home.

There is so much road ahead of me,
And I'm still trying to find my way,
to make sense of this so called life.
So I'm holding on to my faith.
And I'll keep singing...
Listen closely,
and you'll hear
my soul
unravel.

Boppin' around

I love my fwens and the crazy, random things they say. :) I had an emotionally draining day...but these folks make it all better by making me laugh.

Glenn & I talking about how much we love blueberries, and how he accidentally dropped blueberries from his cup of frozen yoghurt (and apparently when blueberries drop, they make a *BOP* sound).
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Mich: Wow...you're my blueberry fwen!
Glenn: I'm your STRIPED, blueberry fwen! [cos Glenn has plenty many striped shirts in his wardrobe]
Mich: I never had a blueberry fwen.
Glenn: You should be disturbed if you did.
Mich: So instead of Strawberry Shortcake....you're like...BLUEBERRY BOPPINS!
Glenn: .......

Erica & Abi at my table, playing keys. Erica tries to teach Abi how to play some syncopated, funk rhythms:
===================================================================
Erica: *in musician speak* So its...UGH ugh UGH ugh UGH ugh..and then ugh UGH ugh UGH ugh UGH etc.
[the accents are on the UGH]
Abi: huh?? *lost* Why must ugh?
Erica: *earnestly* Sometimes you must UGH to know?
Abi and I: *look at each other before bursting out in laughter*

During service in church....Pastor Vincent is preaching about the importance of observing the Sabbath:
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Muffin Boy: Does Mumble keep the Sabbath? You should give him Sun off you know.
Mich: WHAT?!?!? But he doesn't do anything!
Muffin Boy: But he's always in the office.
Mich: So I should bring him and his furry frens to church?
Muffin Boy: Yes exactly! Mumble keeps the Sabbath. :)

Randomly over sms:
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Abi: "Still a friend of mine, oh, still a friend of mine!!" [it's an Incognito song which Erica was trying to teach Abi how to play on keys]

Randomly over msn:
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Muffin Boy: "Live High" [lyrics from a Jason Mraz song]
Mich: *continues* "Live Mighty"
Muffin Boy: "Live Righteously!"
Mich: *simultaneously* "Live Righteously!"
Muffin Boy: Ba ba ba La pa pa
Mich: !?!? hahaha!

The Journey of Worship

This is an overdue blog post....but I was too tired to blog about it earlier. So here it goes. :) Last weekend, I attended the Tim Hughes & Planetshakers worship concert at Expo, and the Worship Central Conference (featuring Tim Hughes & Al Gordon) at Faith Methodist Church. [In case you didn't know, Tim Hughes is a Brit worship leader who wrote the well-known worship anthem "Here I am to worship", as well as other songs like "Consuming Fire", "God of justice" and "Beautiful One".]

Tim led us through a great time of worship with a very well-chosen set. He chose a few of his songs like "Oh Happy Day", "Here I am to worship", "Beautiful One"....and mixed them with other familiar favourites like "Mighty to save" and "One way" by Hillsong. I love how real and unassuming these Brit worship leaders are. :) No airs, no need for hype. Awesome.

During the conference, Tim Hughes taught a workshop titled "The Journey of Worship" which covered the theology of worship. It was also a time where he shared very humbly and honestly, his heartbeat for worship and the church. And of course, his anecdotes were littered with witty Brit humour, and quotes by great literary figures like G.K Chesterton...all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. :) I was very blessed by his sharing and teachings....and here are a few of my notes from that session:

1) Tim was talking to a Bishop in Manila about the Westminister Catechism which states:
"Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."
The Bishop made a little amendment to that statement, which somehow made it a lot more powerful.

"Man's chief end is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever."

2) "God is calling us to a passionate love affair"- G.K Chesterton
- worship is first and foremost about an intimate relationship with God.
- It's heart to heart, being undone. Honesty, vulnerability.
- It's important to give people SPACE for intimacy with God in worship.

3) All of creation is praising God with an eternal song (Job 38:6-8; Isaiah 55:12, Ps 93:3, Rev 5:13). When we lift up our songs unto God, we are joined in harmony with the eternal song of creation...we become part of something bigger.

4) Never neglect the secret place, actively pursue space with God.
- that's how we become fully alive, and that's our best gift to the church.

5) Set aside a 'creative day' to simply enjoy God and work on your craft, meet with other musicians/songwriters.

6) Worship is caught, not just taught.
- we set ourselves on fire for God at the start of the day, and the world watches us burn throughout the day.

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After the conference...God led me to meditate on Psalm 138 which seemed to sum everything up and relate to my walk with Him during this season. I've been chewing on the nuggets of truth in this Psalm for a week now....and here are a few things that I've learnt.

1) It's so easy for us to assume the semblance of godliness....especially for those of us who are serving heavily in church, or are on full-time staff/ working for christian organizations. But the first verse in Psalm 138 reminds us that we must praise God with our WHOLE HEART....and not just part of it.

2) Worship is truly a journey which will take each of us on different paths in life...but the end point is always the same- God's heart. I'm clinging to that promise in vs 8..."The LORD will perfect that which concerns me." From ashes to beauty. :)

Psalm 138

A Psalm of David.

1 I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
For great is the glory of the LORD.
6 Though the LORD is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

"After an Afternoon"

Today, was all about chilling. :) It started with Senior Pastor preaching about the 4th Commandment- understanding the importance of the sabbath principle. I thought it was so refreshing to hear a church teaching us to guard our rest and to live a balanced life...it really is very important especially in a hectic, fast-paced society like Singapore. (I guess the Aussies understand work-life balance a lot better. heh!)

The most memorable part of the service for me was when Pastor Vincent got us to put our fingers on our wrist, to feel our pulse. At first, nobody knew what that was for.....but he went on to make this beautiful statement: "The Sabbath is about feeling your pulse again...about remembering that every heartbeat is a gift from God." That blew me away. :) Keeping the sabbath is all about remembering that God is the sustainer and provider of life. Wow! :)

And so...in keeping the idea of rest, I spent the rest of Sunday afternoon just chilling and hanging out with Pammy and Abi at Brewerkz, Riverside Point. :)

We sat outside to enjoy our beer, buffalo wings and chilli fries over fun & meaningful conversation. Hmmm...although at one point Pammy very randomly said "Joel Houston is so blonde." haha! I dunno what she means, so we'll just let that pass. Anyway, that's not us in the pic...but I think we all a bit camera shy.

Abi and her beer....in an accidental emo shot.

I love the vibe of this whole place...it's just so laid-back, and the view of the river is just so refreshing (dun ruin it by telling me how dirty it is). It's one of those few, non-crowded places in S'pore where I feel like my soul can breathe again.

Ang moh kids playing in the fountain beside Brewerkz. It's just so heart warming to see kids in their natural element eh? I think they remind us not to take ourselves so seriously. :)

A beautiful mess- who cares if we get wet? :)

Soul in the city

Restful

It's been quite a while, since I've had a whole day to myself to spend as I please (ie. michelle does nothing). :) So I woke up luxuriously late.....then made my way down to the gym for a good work out. Endorphins rock!

After gym, Abi and I jammed to Brooke Fraser's "You'll Come"...that was so fun! Then Pammy and I had a little debate over the cuteness of Brit worship leader Tim Hughes aka Dimples, while munching on popcorn. haha! Frivalous I know. :p I played a bit of keyboards while waiting for Abi and Jo to finish work. It was quite funny to have a background chorus (ie. Abi and Pammy) humming along spontaneously while I played the piano-based intro of "God of this City." The chord progression Bm7_A_G2 never sounded better. haha! Yeah, we are geeks at play. After that, we went to Cedele, Wheelock Place for dinner. Jo had some yummy Alfredo mushroom & bacon pasta....while Abi n I shared a chicken salad with honey mustard dressing, and blueberry pancakes with ice-cream!

Now, I'm lazing around at home...listening to Jason Mraz's fantabulous new single, "Live High." and singing along to the chorus.
"Live high
Live mighty
Live righteously
Takin it easy"
What a wonderful message!! :) I can't wait for his new album to be released on May 13th. :)

Okie...I'm off to watch Bones Season 2 now. And perhaps catch up on my reading, and songwriting later. This feels soooo good and restful. :) *happiness*

Little Blessings

I received this heart-warming sms from my grandma this evening....and yes, she knows how to sms! Altho she makes a few typos here and there cos she's not that familiar with how the phone works. hehe! :)

"Mich, your dad have collected soon kway, otak and chibken pie.
Enjoy eating.- Mama"