God & Work/Studies

Hola!

Hope the weekend was a blast for you :)

Here's a short recap of what was covered last Friday during the session helmed by the forever comedic Charles Lim. This was the fourth instalment of the God & Life series and here's what was covered:

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In life, it's all about letting God take charge. Our plans are a cross we carry. God's plan was a cross for Jesus. It is up to us to see our cross, grab it and follow him.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 talks about chasing after the wind and gaining nothing

Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of the plans God has for us

It is hard to chase after a goal you cannot see and even more so if we rely on our own human strength. That's why God calls on us to seek Him in prayer to allow him to guide us in our journey through school and work. Our lives might seem mundane if we just concentrate on the surface and fail to see the deeper meaning of the reason we are here. We are God' children and He has a plan for us all. Therefore it's up to us to see it and surrender to His will.

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This friday (29 September 06, 8pm, CSC) is the fifth instalment of the series and Fr. William Goh will be sharing on God & Family so see you there! :)

God & Prayer

This week, we had His Grace Archbishop Nicholas Chia come to share with us about God & Prayer, the third instalment of the God & Life Series.

He shared about the importance of prayer and how do we as individuals ensure that we are praying the right way. Here's some notes you might find useful:

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What is PRAYER?
* Prayer is not just external ritual.
* Prayer is a dialogue – more listening than speaking. Story of Samuel. Speak lord your servant is speaking not the other way round


Forms of PRAYER:

Praise: Worshipping in the highest most personal way, worshipping God’s greatness and love

Thanksgiving: Offering our prayers in return for God’s gifts to us. Gratitude for body, mind and life. Am I grateful or do I complain?

Confession: Telling God about our sins, failures, sharing these to experience forgiveness, examination of conscience, daily repentance.

Petition: Asking for needs of healthy, strength, and Christians. Praying for the sick, our enemies, those who witness Christ and those who need Him. Asking God to teach us to live Christian lives, solve problems we can’t solve alone. Offer sacrifice for others, people who have no one to prayer for them.


When shall I PRAY?

Anytime: God doesn’t have office hours. God wants to be in communion with us, knocking at the door of our heart.

Alone: when you have time for personal mediation. Be still and know that your spontaneous flash prayers during the day are God

At special times: Religious holidays of remembrance of Joy. In time of tragedy or need.

In fellowship: with your congregation in prayer groups. At home with you your family.


For effective PRAYER:

1. Be prepared in mind & heart; put away other tasks and read scripture before praying.
2. Realise the presence of Christ in your life, feel His nearness (Matt 28:20)
3. Beconfident, pray with faith, and expect your prayers to be answered (Matt 21:22)
4. Devote yourself to God with all your love & desire, put yourself totally in His control, surrender your life to Him
5. Discipline yourself in your daily life, be consistent, be persistent
6. Be receptive to God’s message to you, accept His wisdom, don’t preach to God. God knows what is right & best to us because He is a loving God.

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God & Life Series - Part 2

poster designed by dorothy pang.

Last Friday (8 Sept), we had the 2nd instalment of the God & Life series.

Freddy Gomez came to give a session on God & Me.

As usual, Freddy gave a thoroughly enriching and helpful perspective on how we should live a victorious life.

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Here's a summary of what he covered:

If St. Paul can rejoice despite being imprisoned, so can we >>> Phillipians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say again, Rejoice!

* Your response to challenging situations will determine your outcome. It's about being victorious for Christ. We are more than conquerors. Undesired events might deter us from being positive but our response is detrimental. It decides what state you'll get into.

* It's always easy to blame it on the environment and to complain or get upset but it only leads to more grievances.

* Ultimately, the way you react to situations determines the state you'll be in. So try to be resourceful and see the upside of events that might not necessarily be too rosy and you might not feel so miserable.

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I hope you found that recap useful!

For this week, we'll be having His Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Chia here at CSC to speak to us about God & Prayer.

We'll be combining our meeting with the adult group at CSC and there will be mass as well. So you're all invited to come down! I'll see you there!

Please note that this Friday's meeting will start at 7:30pm sharp.

Where: Catholic Spirtuality Centre, 1261 Upper Serangoon Road
When: 7:30pm, Friday, 15 September 2006
What: God & Prayer

God & Friends

Yesterday night, we kickstarted the first session of the God + Life Series.

The topic was God & Friends. Amplify Co-ordinator Leonard Koh gave a very enriching sharing and he brought home the fact that most of us are influenced by our friends and we all tend graviate towards those the people who are most accepting of us. If that friend is a good role model then all the better, if not, then we should be aware and make a wise decision.

This verse sums it all:

Proverbs 13:20 - "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

At the end, our friendship with God is most important and good friends encourge and do not hinder our relationship with Him.


This God + Life series is made up of four parts, and the following three will be on subsequent Fridays as such:

8 Sept: God & Me
15 Sept: God & Church
22 Sept: God & Work/Studies

Freddy Gomez will be helming next week's session and he'll be touching on how we as individuals can live a Christian-centred life; one that's victorious and good.

We hope to see YOU there! :)

Where: Catholic Spirtuality Centre, 1261 Upper Serangoon Road. Click HERE for directions.
When: Fridays, 8pm
What: God + Life Series
Who: Amplify Ministries.

Cheers!