Issue 04/2011
Envision
Trinity@Paya Lebar Completed!
Equip
Breaking Chains of Negativity
A Christmas presentation filled with Splendor and Grandeur
Focus
Rules of the Dating Game Live instrumental ensemble 200-strong adult and children’s choir Drama A time traveler’s story
God Salvaged
Experience the love of God and a Christmas like never before!
our
Scan this QR code to watch video.
Issue 04/2011
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Issue 04/2011
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Real Life Miracle Rules of the Dating Game What to look for in a partner
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Missions at a Glance Overview of missions
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Trekking in God’s Faithfulness Missions in Bihar
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Answering God’s Call AlphaTrackers testify
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I12B Children’s Day
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The Island Race The YA car rally encore
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TCA College Graduation A graduate’s response
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Blessed to be a Blessing CCSS distributes food rations
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15 Years of Changing Lives CCSS’s anniversary dinner
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The Romance Quotient 38 What’s the RQ in your marriage?
Blessed Birthday, Pastor Dominic Big 5-0!
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Trinitarian Hero 74 Creator of Trinity’s iphone app
Caught on Trinity’s Camera Trinity moments
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Project Trinity@Paya Lebar 10 Paid in full! Celebration of a Vision 16 S$16 million in faith promises
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Breaking Chains 20 of Negativity Faith that overcomes the odds
God Saved Our Marriage 30 Real Life Miracle
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Advisor Pastor Dominic Yeo Chief Editor Pastor Janice Chng Editor Kevin Kwang
We’ve Got Mail! Star Letter
My husband Andrew and I were captivated by the
articles in the previous issue of the Trinitarian. In particular, I was inspired by the Real Life Miracle “Get Up and Walk!” It reminded me how God sees potential in ordinary ones like us, enabling us to accomplish extraordinary feats and in so doing, give us tremendous breakthroughs. In addition, it tied in very well with the message of having a heart of obedience, which pleases God. We also appreciate the handy size of the magazine which makes it a great gift for friends and contacts in our spheres of influence. The change in size has not compromised the high standards of quality and design. Thank you, Trinitarian editorial team, for doing such a wonderful job and blessing us readers! Anna Lau, tutor ....................................................................................................... Pictures speak stronger than words; the colorful pictorials greatly
Editorial Carol Lim Team Chen Xiufang Chia Ban Seng Diana Lim Elaine Cheah Gabriel Chu Han Mei Zhen Ivan Koh Moo Yubin Sabrina Ng Sharon Lim Tan Rou’en Will Yong Contributing Corrine Lim Writers Dr Henry Cloud Kevin Prasad Contributing ChrisPPics Photography Photographers Dennis Thong Desmond Leong Eileen Lee Eugene Ng Irene Soh Jesmond Ho Law Kian Yan Pufferfish Studio Serene Ong Tan Kiat Yi Twenty4Frames Contributing Faith Koh Designers Editorial Carl Tan Support Joanna Tam Sarah Lau Woo May Yin
enhance the overview and presentation of the magazine. Excellent paper quality and printing too! More importantly, the Trinitarian has a good balance of articles for the young and old. I find the content spiritually beneficial. Kudos to the editorial team and keep up the good work! Daphne Hong, semi-retiree
Advertising Sales & Admin Sarah Lau For ad sales enquiries, Tel: 6304 7718 Email: sarahlau@trinity.org.sg Mailing Address Singapore Post Centre Post Office PO Box 616 Singapore 914021 Website www.trinity.net
Win! Email connect@trinity.org.sg to tell us what you think of the Trinitarian and how you were blessed by it. This issue’s star letter gets a $50 Swenson’s voucher.
Win! Email connect@trinity.org.sg to tell us how you increase your marital Romance Quotient, p 38. The 3 best entries will win a Mr. & Mrs. Love Collection Set.
Email admin@trinity.org.sg ________________________________ ISSUE 04/2011 The Trinitarian is published quarterly by Trinity Christian Centre Company registration number 197802911H MICA (P) 102/03/2011 Designed and printed in Singapore by The Print Lodge Pte Ltd License number L019/08/2011 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without express written permission is prohibited. Opinions and views expressed do not necessarily constitute the official stand of the church.
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As we bid a fond farewell to 2011, which marked the year that Trinity@Paya Lebar was paid off in full (see Project Trinity@ Paya Lebar, p 10), let us look forward to the new year with greater expectations as we believe God for awesome fulfilment of His promises for our lives. Throughout this year, I realized that cultivating a winning attitude is so important. Attitudes are powerful — our attitudes toward God, family and work will determine our priorities; attitudes are what constitutes our successes and failures, finally attitudes dictate how we handle adverse situations. It is faith, though, that aligns us to the right attitudes, so let Rev John Partington’s testimony on Breaking Chains of Negativity (p 20) be an encouragement to you. I’m heartened to know that God is actively building and restoring relationships and families in our midst. For Chris and Dawn, God’s
stubborn love proved to be crucial in bringing their marriage back from the brink and healing their hurts (God Saved Our Marriage, p 30). Exploring and setting the right boundaries in dating is another topic dear to me. So for those still on the lookout for your life partner, What are the Rules in Dating? (p 42) is a must-read. Lastly, we round off this issue with an intimate look at one MIT team’s journey into India’s state of Bihar (find out more on Trekking in God’s Faithfulness, p 49). The team of Trinitarians planned assiduously, trekked arduously and ministered fervently to bring His presence and blessing to a place hungering after God. We thank them for their partnership. Enjoy the read and be blessed!
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Project
TRINITY@ PAYA LEBAR
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D I A P LL U F N I
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Project
TRINITY@ PAYA LEBAR “wereOurverybankers surprised
because we had taken a 10-year loan for the purchase of the land at Paya Lebar but paid it off in 4 years. It was truly God’s provision.
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Raymond Leong former board member who served as Treasurer for 11 years
What amazes me “is not just the few
Trinitarians who gave in hundreds of thousands, but the many Trinitarians who gave of their “widow’s mite”, believing in the legacy they will leave for generations to come. Khong Yew Cheong board member
”
Trinity@ Adam From the days of being nomads, God has given us three pieces of land to call our own. 12
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This year, we celebrate the complete payoff of Trinity@Paya Lebar. God has been faithful to Trinity. From the days of being nomads, God has given us three pieces of land to call our own. We stand in awe at what God has done. Together, we partner with what God is doing and respond with a resounding ‘Yes’ to what God will do. By Diana Lim
when I became the senior pastor, I told “GodIn 2005 that I was not going to raise funds for the
building in Paya Lebar for the rest of our lives. I believe we will pay off Trinity@Paya Lebar in 5 years. We took a 15-year bank loan for the building and we started repaying in January 2008. God surpassed all our expectations. As of September 2011 Vision Month, we have completely paid off — in less than 5 years! We are now ready for the redevelopment of Trinity@Adam.
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Pastor Dominic Yeo senior pastor
Do you Know? Since the completion of phase 1 (Chapel) of Trinity@Paya Lebar in 2007, we have seen about 2,000 people added to our congregation. Over 7,000 people now attend our services every week. Praise the Lord!
Trinity@ Lavender Trinity@ Paya Lebar 13
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Trinitarians
gave their “widow’s mite” Many Trinitarians have risen in faith and given sacrificially to grow a lasting legacy. Here are three testimonies of God’s abundant provision as they fulfilled their faith promises. Making a Faith Promise has been a challenge for me as it never fails to stretch my faith and emotions. Back in 2009, I was challenged by God to give a substantial amount to both the Missions and Vision Faith Promises. I struggled but decided to trust and obey God. I was determined to fulfill my faith promise even if it meant dipping into my savings. I was torn — do I give sacrificially from my savings or wait until God divinely provides? After much prompting by the Holy Spirit, I exercised my faith and dipped into my savings to fulfill my faith promise. To my amazement, about two months later, God provided through a very generous reward at work. And the amount was more than what I had given. I was reminded that God wants to bless my family and me but I had to first take the step of faith and obedience. I did not earn this, it is just the nature of our Heavenly Father to bless us because we are His children. Chen Chee Keong regional IT director
Last year, before the Vision Rally, my company decided to give me a 20% raise. It was a surprise. When Vision Rally came about, I wrote down the entire amount of the raise, an amount far greater than what I had ever given before. Amazingly, after 6 months, I was promoted and given another 10% increment. Eventually I left this company for another one with a better offer and working hours. The new job also come with 10% more pay. Truly, my God can never be out-given for His riches are endless as long as we keep our eyes on Him in faith. Grace Tan internal auditor
Last September, as the pastor prayed over the congregation before we penned down our faith promises, I felt God give me a figure. This was the first time that had happened and it was a huge amount. I hesitated because my job was unstable then. Still, I surrendered to the Lord and wrote down the lump sum, planning to save up over the next 12 months. Time flew by quickly and by March, I still wasn’t able to save up much. I was expecting to empty my bank accounts come September. Suddenly my company announced that we would all get our bonuses by April, even our loss-making department. When I received my bonus, I realized it was almost the same amount as my faith promise! It is truly extraordinary as I managed to fulfill my faith promise six months early. Through this, God taught me that a faith promise is not about how much I can fulfill but how much I am willing to surrender and be a channel and magnifier of His faithfulness and goodness. Carrie Poon retail manager
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Trinitarians sowing their seeds of Faith
How can I give? Through AXS Stations: Click ‘Community’ and you will find the Trinity logo. Check out the AXS Station at Trinity@Paya Lebar, located at Level 1 (below Han’s Café). Through DBS ATMs: 1. Select IBANKING > BILL PAYMENT 2. Select TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTRE LTD under the list of corporations 3. Enter Bill Reference No. 1 – Tithe/Offering 2 – Missions Faith Promise 3 – Vision Faith Promise (Building) Through DBS Internet Banking: 1. Apply for ibanking at any DBS/ POSBank ATM or do so online 2. Logon to DBS Internet Banking at https://internet-banking.dbs. com.sg 3. Select PAYMENT SERVICES > ADD NEW BILLING ARRANGEMENT 4. Select TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTRE 5. Enter Consumer Reference No. 1 – Tithe/Offering 2 – Missions Faith Promise 3 – Vision Faith Promise (Building)
What is a Faith Promise? A Faith Promise is a faith commitment between you and God, where you ask the Lord how much He wants you to give towards His kingdom in the coming year. It is not based on what you have on hand. Rather it is made by faith, believing that God will somehow provide the amount through you. 15
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S$16 , 136 , 662 . 06
Celebration of Every September, Trinity Christian Centre celebrates Vision Month. This year is a milestone moment as the building of Trinity@Paya Lebar is fully paid off and new breakthroughs pave the way for greater things to come. By Elaine Cheah
P
roverbs 29:18 says Where there is no vision, the people perish. God has given Trinity a vision: a vision to build mega-centers that will be places for many people to experience God as well as to equip the churches of the nations. Vision Month kicked off with joyful carnivals at both centers at Adam Road and Paya Lebar. While some Trinitarians were content sipping bubble tea and munching on snacks, others banded together in families and carecells to play games. Over the cacophony of cheering and chattering, winners of the games gave even louder shouts of triumph. Positing ourselves to breakthrough into fulfillment, we rallied as one
church over two nights on September 15 and 16 to hear from God through His servants. On the first night, Rev John Partington, National Leader AG, UK, opened the Vision Rally with a humorous yet soul-searching message to “Defeat the spirit of negativity”. On the following night, Rev Paul Goulet, who is lead pastor of International Church of Las Vegas, called Trinitarians to take on “Faith that makes you fly”. The two invited speakers injected a fresh perspective of faith into our hearts. All stirred up and hungry for God, Trinitarians came to Vision Weekend with faith and new expectations. As Trinitarians filled up their Faith Promise cards and handed them to the pastors, our prayer was
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a VISION “Lord, take it and multiply it so that generations after us will be blessed.” While the cards were being read out and amounts tabulated, Pastor Dominic shared that the building for Trinity@Paya Lebar has been fully paid for. During the last service of that weekend, he gave special thanks to and prayed for the early members of the church who gave sacrificially to see Trinity@Adam built. Many of them have been in Trinity for over 30 years and their expressions of joy as they witness their legacy were beyond words. Over the Vision Weekend, Trinity Christian Centre saw a new record set. Trinitarians from
the various services — adult, Chinese, youth, children and language ministries committed an overwhelming S$16 million dollars. With one building project complete, the church is ready to take on the redevelopment of Trinity@Adam, the first phase of which was finished more than 20 years ago. God is about to do something awesome and Trinitarians are excited to step into the new season. As Trinitarians stepped out of the services that weekend, they each took home a limited edition “We are Trinitarians” golf umbrella — a perfect reminder to “Care and Connect” to see God’s house being filled. T 17
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equip
Breaking Chains of We have the authority in Christ to conquer all destructive thoughts and circumstances, says Rev John Partington, as he shares his own struggles with the mindset of negativity and ways to overcome it.
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Negativity
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here is one thing I find wherever I travel — whether it is in the U.K. where I am from or around the globe — and that is the enemy uses the same weapon in every nation and, at some time, in nearly every person that has given their life to Jesus Christ. What is this weapon, you might ask. The weapon I speak of is “negativity”. It’s in the thinking that it cannot be done, and allowing our minds to say: “Well, that surely cannot happen”.
We can see an instance of this in the Bible when the Israelites sent out 12 spies to find out more about the land of Canaan. You will remember that in Numbers 13:28, 10 of the 12 spies were discouraged after seeing the giants of the land. Only two said, “Nevertheless, let us go up and possess the land”, but they were the minority. Similarly, I’ve found that very often when you speak to a congregation, the reality is that the majority of people there, at some time or
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another, have a voice in their minds discouraging them to believe in Christ’s promises. Negativity is a robber — it is a key weapon of the enemy. But let me tell you, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4), and I’ll be sharing a few keys to defeat negativity and help us live a victorious life.
1 See with “eyes of faith” The first key is this: you defeat the spirit of negativity by seeing what naturally cannot be seen. Our eyesight is a most marvelous thing, yet when we become Christians, we should not live our lives simply through seeing with our natural eyes. It is important to see what cannot be seen, too. We call it “eyes of faith”. In one of my earlier seminars here, I remember holding up an apple and asking participants what they are seeing. Of course, they answered: “It’s an apple.” Well, that was a fact, but it was not the truth. While it was indeed an apple I held up, I was hoping people saw its potential to become an apple orchard instead. If you pick up a seed, you see a seed — but the person with eyes of faith will see the harvest the seed will produce. Yes, there are many things around us that feed negativity, but when our eyes are open, we begin to realize that God has so much in store for every one. The Israelites from King David’s time are a good example. Faced by the Philistine army boasting a great, big giant in Goliath, the Israeli army became a fearful bunch because of what they are seeing. The Philistines, too, were taken in by sight when they saw little David walking up to challenge their champion.
David, however, saw something else. He didn’t focus his sights on Goliath but saw that his God was able to defeat the giant through him. In fact, Goliath is one of the few people to end up a stone heavier than when he was alive! After which, David declared, “The Lord has delivered you into my hand!” We have to see beyond what can be seen, like Jesus did. Where his disciples saw the sick and needy, Jesus saw their healing, their salvation. Today, we see pollution, wars, economic collapse and upheavals; in England, we see rioting, poverty — a time of great need. It’s time the Church of Jesus Christ rises up, open its eyes, and see what naturally cannot be seen, because when I look out, I see revival! I see a God that wants to save the lost, to heal the sick, to do great things. We defeat negativity by seeing something different, through our eyes of faith.
2 Obey God’s Word Secondly, We defeat negativity by obeying what is biblically instructed. You just obey what God’s Word says. Some of you will have difficulty in obeying in certain areas, saying, “But God, can it really happen?” You just obey and see what happens! By obeying the Word of God, we’d also believe what needs to be believed in the spiritual realm. Some of you might feel too weak to do so in your current state, but the Bible says, “Let the poor say, ‘I am rich’.” We begin to believe what God’s Word says, and things begin to alter, and negativity is defeated.
3 Speak out prophetically Thirdly, we defeat negativity by speaking prophetically what needs to be spoken. The 23
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equip confession of our mouths is tremendously important — it actually determines so much about how we live our lives. After all, Man was made in God’s image and God is a creator. How does God create? In Genesis 1:2, it said, “God spoke and said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light.” Creation happened through the word coming from God. In verse 6, He spoke and the firmament came into the waters and in verse 9, He spoke land into being. So, too, day and night, the fish and the birds, all living creatures including Man — God spoke and all these were created. I believe there is a creative power about the words we speak, so be careful of how you use your tongue. God has made us in His image, which includes the ability to speak life prophetically, so we need to start speaking up. There is power in praise, power in being positive, and we need to realize the power of a good confession as we use our tongues. Let me share with you my personal experience on this. My wife and I have been pastors of the church in Liverpool, England, for the past 13 years and it has been marvelous. The very first people we ever met in the city gave their lives to Jesus Christ. The lady that sold us our house asked us what were we doing in the city, and I said, “I’m coming to start and pioneer a church.”
keys and, let’s be honest, it’s not the building that makes a church, it’s the people. And the people kept coming, and the church grew and grew. We went from absolutely nothing to more than 500 “raw converts” in the span of five to six years. While that’s not many for Singapore’s standards, it was many for us; there were no ‘church transfers’ but they were all offthe-street-turned-believers. Many still had tattoos of “Liverpool Football Club” on them, and the grandmas had tattoos and boots and colored hair! It was a very unusual church, but it was fantastic. Then something happened. It seemed as if all hell was let loose. At this time, a 21 year-old girl named Gwen came in and gave her life to Christ. Gwen was an ex-drug addict and a single mum, and she also had cancer. As a church, we prayed for her but nothing seemed to happen. She got worse and, to cut a long story short, she died. It rocked us as a church — one that was full of faith, believing and prophesying — and negativity crept in. What’s worse, her non-Christian parents, who were involved in some “shady, dodgy stuff”, rang up the No. 1 selling newspaper in the U.K. and said their daughter had been going to a church that didn’t believe in doctors or medicine because they’d found some books she had that talked about faith.
She replied: “I’ll never, ever go to church.” The lady came to our first meeting and got saved and, later, her two daughters too. She is still serving Jesus today. And our next-door neighbors? They got saved too. As for the city of Liverpool, there are full of characters. We had all kinds of TV personalities and models getting saved, and our church is housed in a former nightclub! The owner of the nightclub gave his life to Christ and handed me his
My wife and I had no idea this was happening when we went to Gwen’s funeral, but quickly realized the extent of the family’s hatred when Gwen’s brothers chased us off with a “big shooter”, a big gun. That Sunday, the newspaper published a two-page spread with my photographs and the headline “This Evil Cult Kidnapped our Dying Daughter”. While the news of me being labeled a cult leader circulated throughout the U.K., things got worse.
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God has made us in His image, which includes the ability to speak life prophetically, so we need to start speaking up. There is power in praise, power in being positive, and we need to realize the power of a good confession as we use our tongues.
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equip I was away on a trip two weeks later when my wife urged me to return home as there was an ad put out on the city’s paper — Liverpool Echo — saying that John Partington invites them to Liverpool Christian Centre. Considering that my church was called Liverpool Christian Life Centre, the coincidence was too much to be dismissed.
Understandably, I was filled with negativity about what was happening when two things dropped into my mind. The first was it’s amazing what praising can do, and the second was to count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials and temptations. These thoughts came to me as I was lying on the floor.
What’s more, this new church was housed in a hotel that was next to the one that our church had started from, so I went home and decided to go to its meeting. There, I met the other John Partington — I’ve checked it out, it was his name. He was of the same height as me, with the same blond hair and blue eyes. He was even the same age as me! The only difference was he had a beard and led a cult.
So I got up. I began walking up and down the room, and said, “Oh thank you Lord, thank you.” I was praising Him, but through gritted teeth. I was doing it, but not doing it. Going on in this same manner, the other thought came to mind. Count it all joy.
My world, and the world of the church, began to shake and we began to entertain negative thoughts. To compound matters, a pedophile came to the church and, when asked by my associate what he was doing, he said he wanted to see my daughters. In his hand was a carrier bag full of images of little boys and girls that had been cut out from magazines. Another practicing homosexual, too, came into church at this time and invited my son out. Nothing happened, but I believed he was “grooming” him and, when I found out about this, I went to confront this homosexual man. Now, I’m not a person that loses my temper easily but even though the man was a big guy, I lifted him up and said, “Have you done anything with my boy?” “No, no, no, no. Definitely not,” he said. I returned home, shaking. My eyes were filled with tears. I rang my church associate and sought prayer. Anger washed over me, and I didn’t even realize that this emotion was still there. All these things happened within six weeks.
As I kept praising God, I started to move into the reality of “count it all joy”. I said, “Oh, thank you Lord! Bring me more trials and tribulations because the devil is a defeated foe, and my God is an all-conquering Savior who will not let me down and let me go. Hallelujah!” Suddenly! Suddenly something happened in the spirit realm and God broke in. My praise became real as I began to worship Him in spirit and in truth. This did not mean my circumstances changed for the better. It did not. But something altered in my heart, and I realized that the devil can do nothing with a person who might be beaten down by tribulation but chooses to get up and praise the Lord, no matter what’s happening! So how do we defeat the spirit of negativity? We do so by seeing with eyes of faith, obeying God’s word and speaking prophetically. If you’re toying with negative thoughts today, you can arrest them by saying: “God, help me to think the thoughts that You would have us to think”. Let’s start with that, as we walk a life made victorious by Jesus Christ! T This sermon can be heard online at www.trinity. net/sermons.htm
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> REAL LIFE MIRACLE
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God Salvaged our
Constant arguments, family and work pressures as well as an affair drove Chris and Dawn’s marriage to the brink of breakdown. God, though, had other plans and His stubborn love ultimately brought the couple back together. By Carol Lim
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Chris
A
s a kid, I was baptized as a Catholic but I never quite experienced a Christian lifestyle until I met Dawn. It was during our dating days that she brought me to our former church, and it was then that I received God into my life again. In the eyes of many, we were a perfect and loving couple. Dawn and I went everywhere together, whether it was to church services, serving in the same ministry or attending Bible study groups. We were inseparable. As time passed, though, we allowed the ways of the world to shape us. The stress of work mounted, the demands of living with Dawn’s family grew and the expectations of achieving success wore us down daily. Buckling under the strain of these pressures, something had to give and, unfortunately, it was our relationship with God. Missing church services became regular. Over time, we stopped going to church altogether. We tried to justify this by saying we needed the space and personal time to recuperate from the strains of our work life. Even after we realized we had strayed too far from God, we turned to the next excuse of needing to find a church that was livelier and more passionate to make our decision seem reasonable. As our spiritual life spiraled downwards, our marriage life, too, began to show cracks. We ignored it at first but it got worse. Compounding the issue was the constant tension in her family. When Dawn got upset with her mother, she would redirect her unhappiness towards her only avenue — me. As things got more heated under the same roof, it began to wear us down. Additionally, Dawn’s work constantly required her to work later than the agreed-upon hours — a norm for most of us here in Singapore. The problem was I usually had to wait in the car to pick her up without a clue when she would knock off. This grated on me. I felt so unimportant and used. These factors led to constant verbal matches. The emotional emptiness I felt within me grew to a point when I decided to throw in the towel. At that point, I felt Dawn no longer cared enough to want to understand 32
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me. Instead of communicating with her, I turned to my friends for comfort and to vent my frustrations. In these moments of emotional and spiritual weakness, the enemy preyed on me and I succumbed. I had an affair. Our marriage splintered and I decided I had enough. I walked out of our marriage. I rented a room as far from home as I could. With my newly regained “bachelor” status, I partied and lived a life of debauchery. There were nights when I would paint the town red, returned home to shower and went straight to work. I was “happy” but tired and drained on the inside. Needless to say, my performance at work suffered. But God, with His stubborn love, pursued me throughout my season of rebellion. He was constantly there, working silently in my life.
by Trinity Christian Centre. The night I attended, God spoke to me through the stories of these fallen heroes. As I watched them repent, turn to God and rebound victoriously with their second chances, guilt and shame overcame me. Could I have a second chance and rebound victoriously? When Pastor Dominic gave the altar call, I answered it. As a pastor prayed over me, I cried and re-dedicated my life to Christ. However, I struggled to believe that I could break free of my strongholds and salvage my marriage. Nonetheless, God persisted. It became impossible to ignore His constant promptings. I finally submitted to God in obedience. In that posture, I told God that I trusted Him and would do whatever He wished. If He wanted me to work on my marriage, I would.
While I resolved not to contact Dawn, somehow we still chatted on Messenger daily. Even though most of our conversations usually ended in anger and frustration, something in me simply wanted to connect with her. I did not realize then, that though I might have given up on my marriage, God and Dawn did not. My wake-up call came one night when I had a terrible nightmare. I could not recall what the nightmare was about but I do remember fearing for my life. I immediately turned to the Lord in prayer. Having studied in a mission school, saying “The Lord’s Prayer” is second nature to me. However, that night, when I needed it so badly, my mind went blank midway. Panicking, I spent the rest of the night on my laptop searching for the words of the prayer and kept repeating it to gain peace. It was at this point of my life that Dawn invited me to Rebounder — an evangelistic drama staged 33
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Born into a Christian family and having spent my school life in mission schools, I never knew any other ways of life. However, my knowledge of the Bible was shallow and my commitment to God was limited to just attending services. Those days, prayer meant calling God when I needed help. There was no true submission to God. In other words, I was a mere Sunday Christian. After Chris and I married, my world revolved around him. We were the perfect couple in the eyes of friends and co-workers. To me, marrying Chris was my greatest blessing and I would constantly tell people how great he was. Having come from a broken family, I was determined to
make my marriage work; even at the expense of losing my faith. My life became so absorbed by my “passion” for my marriage that we stopped going to church to spend more time with each other. Blinded by love, I failed to see the cracks in our relationship, the problems and quarrels we had were quickly dismissed as part and parcel of married life. Gradually, I started to take Chris and all he did for me, for granted. Waiting hours for me in the car park to pick me up after work, for instance, became an expectation rather than a pleasant exception. So when he decided to walk out on our marriage, I was devastated. Divorce seemed imminent and I was in disbelief that my marriage and life were crumbling around me. I thought I had devoted my all and could not understand why it happened. I started giving up on everything. I lost my appetite and the will to live, overwhelmed by the shame that I had failed to keep my husband and marriage. Faith in God was non-existent as I felt He could not help me out of this rut. I thought that I was being punished for excluding Him from my life. Thoughts of suicide crept into my mind as life became meaningless. I was a wreck. Out of desperation, my mother arranged for costly weekly psychiatric counseling sessions which didn’t seem to help and I became dependent on anti-depressants and sleeping pills. Just when I thought I had reached rock bottom, God used my family to reach out to me. My brother and mother were attending Trinity regularly and they started “dragging” me to church. It was here that my miracle began. My first service in Trinity was beyond anything that I’ve ever felt. The presence of God was so overwhelming that I immediately felt the warm comfort that I needed so desperately at that point of my life. I found myself crying and releasing all my pain and disappointments, touched by the unconditional love of God’s presence during the worship. I felt peace and love in my heart again.
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I was connected to a carecell where I found “angels” in the form of my spiritual parents and pastors who cared for me. They encouraged me to draw near to God. Slowly, I began to trust God again. My nightly lullaby became worship songs playing from my laptop. Attending weekend services and carecell meetings were my “spiritual fixes” to fill the emptiness. I found my self-worth again. And I started praying consistently, specifically that He would touch Chris in His amazing ways. Although I still had doubts over whether God could or would rescue my marriage, I continued to pray that God will bless my husband.
Dawn Thoughts of suicide crept into my mind as life became meaningless. I was a wreck.
And God answered my prayers! Chris had problems with his car and we would communicate using instant messaging (IM). I plucked up the courage to invite Chris to Rebounder. I wasn’t expecting him to come so readily because Chris had mentioned that he was uncomfortable to attend the same church as my family. To my surprise, he came. God touched him during the presentation. From then on, things started to mend quickly. Chris had earlier promised me a short vacation as a gift for my birthday and I asked if he was still keen. Thank God! Chris agreed, and we planned for a getaway to Genting Highlands. My spiritual parents reminded me not to put too much pressure on Chris and they prayed that I would stay strong in God. The trip turned out well and we managed to talk through our marriage issues. When I asked if he would consider moving back home, he asked for time to consider. Weeks passed, nothing happened. After more than one month, Chris finally moved home. He also joined me in church and visited my carecell. The wait was worth it. The journey of restoring our marriage has begun.
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A new life Chris together...
It’s been 12 months since Dawn and I have come back into God’s family, and the demands of life have not changed — the work pressures and family commitments still weigh on us. But this time we have God on our side! We learnt to pray together and to live for God. While we are still young in faith and shallow in our knowledge of the Word, we live by one truth: God’s love for us is everlasting. He is steadfast and faithful, even when we are not. I thank God that He gave Dawn the faith and perseverance to press in. He forgave all my trespasses and accepts and loves me as if those few months never happened.
Words of encouragement for those in rocky marriages…
Commit your broken relationship to God. Trust God to show you how to love each other. You will see these issues become smaller and more manageable.
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Dawn
God exceeds our expectations! I prayed for a revival in my marriage. God not only answered my prayer, he also strengthened my relationship with my family. He not only returned my husband to me, He gave me a “new” man — one who is stronger in faith. Most importantly, He restored my faith. The journey that we took seemed so long and painful, but I thank Him everyday for the experience. In the last year, we have committed and submitted our lives to Christ and made Trinity Christian Centre our home church. We have been water baptized and commit to be faithful members. Today, with God as the center of our lives and marriage, we are growing more in love with one another, and with God. T
We received counseling from our pastors and learnt many valuable lessons like understanding each other’s love languages, recognizing the issues that affected us in the past and learning to deal with them. Most importantly, we learnt to pray together and live for God.
Trust in God for He will provide, and He can do anything if you only believe. 37
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> MARRIAGE
The
Romance Quotient
Romance isn’t dead, contrary to popular belief! We all seek to up our IQ and EQ but now let’s up our RQ (Romance Quotient) by learning the tricks of these Trinitarian couples who keep the RQ in their marriage at a constant high. By Carol Lim
Patric directork Koh
25 years o
f ma
Ange Heng directola r
rital rom Their R ance Q Tips • Meet e ach other ’s love lan guages Patrick ’s: Gifts a Angela w nd Words o words to uld buy surprise g of Affirmation affirm him ifts and sp eak enco . uraging Angela’s : T ouch and Patrick w Acts o o handy ma uld give her hugs, f Service n at hom hold her e. hands and be the • Enjoy m e a ls to g ether as a • Hide lo v • Choose e notes in each o family the to bless o ther coup r’s wallet or bag their marr les which iage in turn ble sses
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ose Suganthy R l e u m Sa education teacher
ton Manian
Mil ting and business marke t manager developmen
special
ce
arital roman
20 years of m
ips packing Their RQ T les over choosing and un ss tu n • Have fu d family groceries s for friends an es • Host dinner her with secret pet nam nts in de ot • Tease each ts of silly and comical inci un co re e ar • Sh kplaces respective wor ure teh tarik. Milton’s signat ys jo en hy nt Suga
Kevin w IT engineLeie r
12 years of
marital
Chong system aYnean Ping lyst
romance Their RQ T ip s • Work on love languag es Kevin’s: To Yen Ping wo uch and Quality time work just to uld give Kevin massage s have meals with him. and take leave from Yen Ping’s Kevin would : Words of Affirmatio n Bible to edify pray with Yen Ping, usi and Acts of Service ng the wo h er . H e would do the kids. the laundry rds in the and babysit
Jayne Lim g n a Y homemaker Goh Dran manage nce rital roma a m f o s r ea 7y Tips Their RQ k breaks es ac sn l ea d lunch dat s’ on their • St n breakfast an • Pencil in lar one night ‘staycatio gu re e av ) H s! • for each ut the kid own (witho se birthday gatherings ri rp su cakes • Spring homemade other with
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> MARRIAGE
Cheong Calvin ista nt engineer senior ass
Jaslyn Wee homemaker
ance
3 years of marital rom
Their RQ Tips • Do cook-outs cooking skills gh • Discuss and analyze wedding by going throu ce inis • Frequently rem wedding album h other encouragement to eac • Write love notes of s gift with handmade • Surprise each other liday trips ho ed nn pla lly cia or spe
Now that we have heard from these RQ savvy couples, we also want to hear from you! Email connect@trinity.org.sg to tell us your tips and “tricks” on upping your marital RQ. The 3 best entries will stand a chance to win a Mr. & Mrs. Love Collection Set. Hurry, share and let love and romance blossom all round!
TENet course
Yes
Before You Say
A wedding is for a day, but a marriage is for a lifetime.
Are you all ready for the wedding but unprepared for your marriage? Through this course, you will understand God’s divine design for marriage, be guided on how to resolve marital issues such as money management, relationships with in-laws, family planning and much more. Dates Quarter 2: Sat, Apr 14, 21 & 28 May 5, 12 & 19 Quarter 4: Oct & Nov 2012 The course is conducted over 6 classes. Please refer to TENet brochure or bulletin for actual dates and details.
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> DATING
Rules of the
Dating Game What You Can Live With and What You Can’t Live With
Between singleness and marriage lies the journey of dating. What should I look out for? Do opposites really attract? Or should I look for someone who’s just like me? What exactly should you look for in a partner as a Christian? By Dr Henry Cloud
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I
n the book Safe People, I told the story of being asked to speak to a Christian college group on the topic “How to Pick Someone to Date or Marry.” It was a mixed group and a topic that was certainly on their minds. I opened the talk with a question: “What do you look for in a person to date seriously or marry?” Here were some of the responses that I got: • • • • • • • •
Deep spiritual commitment to God A person who loves God’s word Someone with ambition Someone fun Attractive Smart and witty A leader in their field Likes sports
“Great list. I like people like that too,” I told them. “But let me share something with you. In all the years that I have done
marriage counseling, I have yet to meet a couple who was ready to divorce or having significant problems because one was not witty enough, or did not read their Bible as much as the other wished, or was not a leader in their field. There are certain traits that people have which have nothing to do with tastes and natural differences. These traits have to do with character. As I told one young woman, “You are initially attracted to a person’s outsides, but over time you will experience his insides. His character is what you will experience long-term and be in relationship with over time.” We want you to look at what your requirements are for the people you date. If you decide and know ahead of time what you will not put up with in a dating relationship, you could save yourself from a
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> DATING season or even a lifetime of misery. On the other hand, you might be too rigid in your preferences and closing yourself off to some good options, and realizing that fact could help you open up to a wider variety of people. There are basically four areas we want you to examine in dating: 1. Some of your preferences might be too limiting, and you need to be more open. 2. Some preferences are more important than you might realize, and you should value them. 3. Some imperfections are minor, and you might have to learn to deal with them. 4. Some imperfections are major, and you should not ever have to live with them. They are totally off limits.
Common Interests Most strong relationships include at least some common interests. Common interests allow a couple to spend time together in pursuits they both enjoy. If you live for the outdoors, you probably do not want to get serious with someone who hates going outside and just wants to play with a computer all the time! Shared interests are very important. People who have little in common will ultimately not spend a lot of time together, or if they do, they won’t be doing what they enjoy. After all, you marry someone to be with them, and what better way to be with them than by doing something together you both love?
Limiting Preferences
Common Goals
I was talking to a young man the other day about what he was looking for in someone to date or eventually marry. He had gotten so particular and perfectionistic that I told him he had basically eliminated the entire market! He wanted his future wife to be a lot of things that were really contradictory and rarely ever seen in the same person, like a hard-driver in business and a stayat-home mom type. He also had a lot of specific physical requirements that were unrealistic for anyone who did not airbrush themselves daily.
Common goals determine how you spend your life. Your goals will affect where you live, what career you choose, how you spend your time and money, and even how you develop your character and walk with God. Before you get serious with someone, you need to have a good idea of what direction you are going in, and you need to determine whether that person’s life is going in the same direction. For example, if you want to
What about preferences? Shouldn’t people have tastes and desires in what they are looking for in people to date? Sure you should. It is all part of knowing who you are and what you like and don’t like. But here is our message for you in this area: Know your tastes and what is important to you, but stay open and flexible in dating, for you never know what might happen.
Important Preferences On the other hand, some preferences are good to have. You will probably want to have someone who shares (1) common interests, (2) common goals, and (3) common values.
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be a missionary or inner-city worker living on a limited income, you must share that goal. Or if you are going to pursue graduate school, then you both must share that goal, because it will call for great sacrifices in the relationship. Interests and goals need to be taken seriously. Not only do they dictate the way you spend your time and maybe even your life, they also reveal who you really are as a person. If you don’t know what your goals are, be careful of getting seriously involved with someone. Their goals should not become your goals by default. Know yourself first. Be aware of how differences in interests and goals are going to affect how you spend your time and resources. Don’t lie to yourself about interests and goals not mattering to you. They do, and you need to consider the impact that they will have on your relationship.
Common Values The third area where preferences are important is the area of character. Someone’s character is
what you are going to experience if you stay in a relationship very long. It is going to be what you abide with, bump into, develop around, share with, receive from, grow with, and so on. If that character is full of good things, then the fruit of your relationship will be good. But if that character is full of thorns and thistles, then you are going to suffer. Believe it, as Jesus said, “a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). To search for character that shows the fruit of the Spirit — love, patience, kindness, and so forth — would be a good dating goal.
Minor Imperfections You Can Live With No one is perfect. Every person that you date will be a person who will sin and let you down. However, as you evaluate the people you date, remember a few things. First, there are sinners that you can live with. Those are people who have the ability to see when they have wronged you, to confess it, to 45
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> DATING care about how they have hurt you, and to work hard not to continue in that pattern. Anyone who sees where he or she is wrong and tries to change is on the right path and can probably be trusted if that path is not just a momentary turnaround. If it is truly a path and is continued upon for the long term, that is a good sign. Here are the traits of someone who demonstrates the ability to work on their imperfections: • • • • •
• • •
A relationship with God Ability to see where one is wrong Ability to be honest Ability to see the effects of the wrong on the other person Ability to empathize with those effects and be truly sorry for the other person as opposed to just feeling guilty for themselves Motivation to repent and change Ability to sustain repentance and change Commitment to a path of growth, a system of growth, and the involvement of other people in the growth process Ability to receive and utilize forgiveness.
• . If someone can do those things, that is an imperfect person who might be worth betting on. (We also suggest that you work hard at being that person yourself!)
A person of good character will still fail occasionally, but generally they have sins that you can live with. These sins are “yellow lights” in your relationship — things that cannot be ignored, but are not relationship stoppers either. Here are some examples of things that will annoy you but won’t kill you, and you could learn to accept in mild doses: • Disorganization • Difficulty with opening up and being direct about feelings or hurts • Tendencies toward performance orientation • Tendencies towards wanting to appear strong and avoiding vulnerability (often a male disease)
• Perfectionism • Some attempts to control (like a naturally assertive person being pushy) • Avoidance of closeness • Impatience • Messiness • Nagging • Mild forms of other things. We all have imperfections, but these flaws will not kill our relationships if we have them in some mild forms. Sometimes, they are not even relationship killers in more significant forms if there is ownership of the problem and the ability to work on it. All of us have ways that we “miss the mark.” (That is the Bible’s definition of sin.) We all do not get everything right in relationships, and as a result are somewhat of a pain to be with at times. That is normal. So look at what bothers you. You might be bothered by a normal sinner. You might have not learned how to put up with humanity and be too judgmental or perfectionistic in your demands. Remember, since you have to date sinners, decide which sins you can live with, or at least, work with.
Major Imperfections You Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Live With But not all sins are in the yellow category. Some are bright red — as in stop! I have often heard people say, “All sin is sin”. If by this they mean there is no difference among sins, nothing could be farther from the truth, and that is not what the Bible teaches. It does teach that all sinners are equally guilty before God, and that we all stand in the same state of guilt before him, but not that all sin is equal. Some sins are more damaging than others. As Jesus said clearly, there are “weightier” aspects of God’s law, and those are the ones that destroy relationships and hurt people, things like the lack of justice, mercy, and faithfulness (see Matthew 23:23). These sins are inherently destructive, and are more hurtful than the “yellow” sins. (Being messy or impatient with
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someone can hardly be compared to lying about an affair.) Lest this stance on sin sound too harsh or non-forgiving, listen to the way that David put it in Psalm 101:2 …I will walk in my house with blameless heart. As David implies in this psalm, character begins with yourself. He decided to avoid: • • • • • • • •
you value for your dating life. Ultimately, you will get what you value. Value good things, and say no to things that destroy. T Taken from Boundaries in Dating by DR HENRY CLOUD. Copyright. Used by permission of Zondervan. WWW. ZONDERVAN.COM
Vile things Faithlessness Perversity Evil Slander Pride and haughtiness Deceit Wickedness
What an incredible list of character traits to avoid! So many heartaches would be avoided if people would say no to dating someone who showed the above character.
S
N
D
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KI
ES
Y
SIT
O ER
EN
G
IT
W
Because of the very nature of human beings, relationships will be imperfect. You are always going to be dating someone with flaws. But, remember, there are flaws that you can live with, and those you can’t. The ones that you can live with can teach you a lot about patience and acceptance, as well as intimacy and working through conflict. But serious character flaws can destroy and injure you. The best test is God’s Word, and how your own heart feels as you are in a relationship with a person. If you are dealing with a person who injures you, leaves you feeling bad about yourself and love, and hurts you in other ways, you are dealing with things that you should not be allowing. The best test is always your experience of the person. If you are feeling a lot of bad things as a result of being with this person, let that be a sign. The relationship will not get better on its own. Do what you have to do to stop the destruction. Protect yourself by knowing what you feel and value, and have the courage to stick to what
FAI T
H
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Missions at a Glance This year, Trinitarians have been giving their time and resources towards missions. Here is an update of our missions work between January and September 2011. By Will Yong
GO: Training and Consultation Trips
47 Trips 12 Countries (Bulgaria, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States)
GIVE: Highlights from July to September: The months from July to September 2011 have been eventful. In partnership with Care Community Services Society, 279 Trinitarians turned up in force to distribute rice rations to needy families. Our Local MIT (Thai Ministry) reached out to more than 90 Thai nationals in Singapore through SALTing and a Singing Contest jointly organized with our Thai ministry. Through a Charity Festival and food boxes, an MIT to Japan blessed the people who were displaced by the earthquake last year.
694
Sponsored children in Cambodia, India and Thailand
18 Ministries given love offerings
5 Crisis relief efforts
This quarter also witnessed the adoption of another home for destitute children in India, with an intake of around 50 children. Our sponsorship provided the means for the children to carry on with their academic, physical and spiritual development. Trinity is indeed impacting nations and the next generation! 48
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Trekking in
God’s Faithfulness An Indian village so remote and treacherous it’s been said to be a graveyard for missionaries. Trinity sent a Mission Impact Team of 14 Trinitarians to Bihar. With no more than nine training sessions under their belt, they set off to witness and experience a mighty move of God. By Will Yong
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In the beginning Somewhere just south of Nepal, tucked away in the east of India, lies the state of Bihar. Despite recent economic growth, a significant proportion of its 83 million people continue to live in poverty, mired in illiteracy. The pastor we worked with was a former student from TCA College. He has a powerful vision to plant a school in every village in Bihar. Biharis are typically farmers and laborers, and their children follow likewise. Instead of going to school, young children as little as six can be seen helping their parents in the fields or feeding cattle. He believes that this cycle of poverty will perpetuate without education. So far, he has planted four schools in Bihar. Destination: Bihar Getting to Bihar was no easy feat. The team departed for Chennai and took a connecting flight to Calcutta. They embarked on a back-breaking overnight train ride, and took a one-hour drive on “non–Singapore” roads before finally arriving at a village in Bihar. By now, more than 27 hours had passed since they took off from Changi International Airport. Missions right away You would think after a 27-hour journey that ‘rest and relax’ would be the next stop. Not so for this team that began by teaching 200 children in the school to sing some songs and presented a contemporary version of the Prodigal Son, narrated entirely in Hindi. All walls of inhibition came tumbling down after the skit. The children roared and clapped their hands enthusiastically, a stark contrast compared to the initial looks and stares. It was an incredible experience for both the team and the children.
The team then prayed over every child, planting seeds of salvation. While the team was ministering to the 200 children, you could sense the hunger for God in the entire place. Even the on-looking teachers seemed interested in what the team was sharing. Leong Hin, a team member shared, “I doubted that the teachers would believe the message but God convicted me on the spot and I repented.” God touched the teachers and they all accepted Christ that day. The following day, in another village and carrying the faith lessons learnt, the team ministered in another school. And this time they did not hesitate to share with the school teachers. Not only did the children receive salvation, all four teachers accepted Christ as well! Sporting to salvation Moving on to another village in Bihar, the team organized an exciting telematch-style ‘Sports Day’ for 230 children. Over four hours, students and their parents gave their all as they raced and competed against each other in a series of funfilled games. The delighted shrieks and laughter of the children and adults caused a stir in the sleepy village, attracting many curious onlookers and supporters. As it was getting dark, the team conducted a short service and shared the gospel with 600 children, parents and other villages. Nearly a third of those present gave their hearts to Jesus. Praise the Lord! A youth team member, Michson Ang recalled, “when all the people raised their hands to accept Jesus, it was like a wave of the Holy Spirit moving. It was so tangible I could feel it. I couldn’t help but cry in the presence of God.” The ‘out of reach’ reached On the fifth day, the team continued their ministry and visited two more remote villages.
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These villages were accessible only by foot or bullock cart. Team member, Chew I-Ling shared, “This trip is like going for an army training fit for Indiana Jones!” Though this village was out of reach, God’s arm was never too short to reach it. The pastor in the village shared about his own encounter with God. One night, long before anyone had even mentioned the name of Jesus in the village, the Lord came to this man in a dream and revealed who He was to him. When he went and found out who this Jesus was, he accepted Christ and eventually became a pastor,
1
1 Praying and ministering to the children 2 Teaching the children worship songs
2
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preaching the gospel, casting out demons and healing the sick. Through him, many others in the village too came to know the Lord! Indeed, this story made the team reflect on God’s love and His desire to use His people. “It only takes God a fraction of a second to save a person,” reflected Sajeeth Praveen. “Even though God can do that, He still uses us to minister.” 3
The team was also blessed by the generosity of the villagers. After a long
3 Presenting drama to the children 4 The Miracle Feast
4
T
M e h
ccomplished! A n o i iss
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and muddy journey, the team was greeted by a very unusual custom: the women of the tribe would use their best bowl and towel to wash and wipe the feet of the visitors. It was an extravagant act of service that moved many of the members to tears. Jocelyn Bacasno said, “When the lady washed my feet it was as if Jesus was washing my feet, I was overwhelmed. I had never felt such love, it was simply divine.” Moreover, despite their simple circumstances, they were so eager to provide food for the team that, as one team member put it, “we had to guard our plates or else they would shove chicken or more rice at you when you weren’t looking!” The hunger God fed On the final day of ministry, the team conducted a training session for about 90 missionary interns, teachers, pastors and Christian workers to encourage them and empower them with creative teaching methods for their schools. Trina Law, team member, was impacted by the passion and hunger of the villagers and missionaries who came for the two-hour empowerment. They travelled with their children, not in a car, but weathered
hours of walking and cycling through heavy thunderstorms just to be equipped. The team from Trinity decided to be a blessing and made plans to whip up a generous feast to feed the “multitudes”. The team stayed up late the night before, peeling and chopping copious amounts of garlic, onions, chillies and tomatoes. Armed with an enormous pot and stove fuelled by burning chopped wood, three team members and six locals cooked up a storm for all 129 attendees. With only 20 minutes left to lunch time, the team looked at the enormous pot of biryani (rice with spices and chicken) and the rice was still raw! (A standard two cups of rice would already require 20 minutes to cook – what more rice to feed more than 120 people.) With lots of raw rice and little time left, the “chefs” added in the most important ingredient, faith. They covered the pot of biryani with a cover that did not fit the pot properly. Then, they prayed very hard. When lunch was to be served, and the pot of biryani was opened, God had performed a miracle — the rice was perfectly cooked! The team served a spread of Biryani, Pepper Chicken, Brinjal Curry, Payasam, Egg, and Onion Salad. A feast so lavish it would normally be seen only at weddings. Everybody enjoyed the meal and had their second and third servings. In addition to the sumptuous meal, the team handed out thick coats and blankets for every attendee and their families to prepare them for winter. The team had set out to bless the people in Bihar spiritually and physically. In turn, the members were blessed by the joy in the people they met, the faith lessons learnt, and their passion and hunger for God. Missions is truly a partnership with God to see His message of Salvation reach the ends of the earth. T 53
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For senior pastors, pastors, elders and leaders
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Register for Pastors’ Conference For overseas delegates, sign up online at www.trinity.net before 31 Dec 2011 and enjoy an early bird registration fee. For Trinitarians, look out for more details in the bulletin in Jan 2012. Be a Host to our Overseas Delegates Be a blessing! Trinitarians, if you can host a delegate in your home, look for more details in the bulletin in Jan 2012.
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Answering God’s Call It was not easy to leave a job behind and having no income for at least three months. Three Trinitarians testify that as they dedicated 90 days to AlphaTrack, God honored them. By Chia Ban Seng.
quit. My senior management wanted to re-employ me but I declined the offer as I had signed up for AlphaTrack. It was at AlphaTrack that I learnt how to pursue God deeper and take steps of faith to see God work the supernatural. I experienced a breakthrough in evangelism; it was such a joy seeing people receive Jesus!
In January this year, I felt God’s prompting to attend AlphaTrack. I wrestled for weeks as I felt that I was not good enough. By the time I made enquiries, the registration for Batch 36 was closed. Initially I felt relieved, I must have heard God wrongly. However, God continued to tug at my heart. I obediently submitted my resignation and to my surprise, my bosses rejected my resignation and told me to go on no-pay leave.
During this period, my job position was left vacant. After AlphaTrack, my company kept their promise to reinstate me at my last-drawn pay. A new hire would have earned less. I was also surprised that a new boss whom I had worked well with has taken over the team. Later in October, I received a pay raise. God has shown me the full extent of His favor! Shireene Kan, banker
My life was totally transformed by God through AlphaTrack; I grew in intimacy with God and drew closer to Him. Through a renewed relationship with God, I found my identity in Christ and have become more confident and secure. God doesn’t just work during the 90 days. When I returned to work, my bosses gave me an increment back-dated to May. God is a God of providence! Adeline Lee, group leader in oil and gas industry
After spending three years in Hong Kong to head up a new branch office, I decided it was time to come home. I had already rejected an assignment to Taiwan so I asked for no-pay leave in Singapore so I could attend AlphaTrack. Not only did my bosses agree to wait for me to resume work, they even planned for me to pioneer a new business area. In addition, my allowances and benefits when I was overseas were added to my local pay package.
For months, my colleagues and I had been having difficulty working under our boss. I decided to
Through AlphaTrack, God has become more real and I have grown in my desire to seek Him. Cynthia Sam, product manager
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> CHILDREN
October 1 & 2 For the first time, DiscoveryLand and Pre-Teens children each had their own special Children’s Day celebrations. Altogether, 864 children, including 39 first-time visitors, were treated to a wonderful weekend of ‘balloony’ games, great worship, a powerful message and yummy popcorn. Following the aroma of freshly popped corn that permeated the hallway, even adults were drawn to the celebrations. The delicious treats are reserved especially for our little ones, leaving many adults wishing they could be children once again.
Having a ball of a time
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Children celebrating Jesus in one accord
I brought my friend to DL!
Worship with the fun gang
Leading the children in worship
One, two, three‌ popping popcorn for our kids
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e t m o c l e come o iscov an d j ery oin me an !
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> YOUNG ADULTS
I
t’s the Amazing Race with a twist. Twenty-six teams, each comprising of three cars, competed to locate checkpoints scattered around the island. Twenty stations within three hours was definitely a race against time. The stations came in a variety of locations and settings. At Care Community Services Society, teams learnt the value of honor when they made a card for their carecell leaders as a show of appreciation for people in authority. Those at the Pasir Ris Prawn Farm attracted curious onlookers when they tried to fish out as many prawns as they could to earn bonus points. Caught between time crunch and scoring, patience was a hard lesson for many.
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Over at the Marina Bay Golf Course, the value of strategic leadership was demonstrated as team members guided their teammates to form various shapes using hand-held strings. Unity was displayed at Bishan Park as participants were challenged to walk on a stony path as a team. It was a painful experience to remember. At West Coast Park, teams learnt the value of faith as participants, handicapped by foam goggles, had to navigate their way on wooden structures aided by their teammates. The day was capped with a time of sharing in small groups, as participants reflected on which station impacted them and how they could apply the values they had learnt in their daily lives. Kudos to the organizing committee for the massive coordinated effort!
On Oct 30, 315 young adults scooted around the sunny isle of Singapore in 76 cars during the Young Adults (YA) Car Rally. This was a race that not only fostered closer relationships, it also provided food for thought. By Chen Xiufang
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Hold my hand and trust me I won free fuel! No pain no gain Gearing everyone up to a roaring start 5 Awesome Car Rally Team
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Testimonies I am a new member of Trinity. I knew about the Car Rally only a week prior to the actual event but I signed up anyway. I had completely no idea what I was in for. Nevertheless, I was excited to meet a new bunch of friends from “Fireplace”, my new carecell. I was all geared up to have some great fun.
My friend Stephanie invited me to the Car Rally, and I thought it would be a fun experience. I was right — it was so much FUN! I met new friends, had a lot of fun and most importantly, I learnt something during the event. My favorite destination was West Coast Park, where we had to balance and walk on a narrow wooden bridge wearing foam-cup goggles that made it hard for us to see our own steps. Here, everyone had to cross the bridge assisted by one of the other team members.
The most meaningful station was the one where we had to appreciate people who are in authority. We wrote and drew a card for our carecell leader. Of course, our appreciation for our leader did not end there but it was to be a life long journey to appreciate them through consistent love, support and prayers. The challenge for me personally is ‘consistency’. Through this session, I am reminded to consistently love, understand and learn to view from their perspective. The people who influence me most are my parents, boss, pastor and, not to forget, God. I need to have a consistent love relationship with them.
This challenge was a total hit on the title, “Walk by faith and not by sight”. If we crossed the bridge without the other member’s help, we might fall off the bridge. I think this is really the same with God and us. God is always there to give us the help needed to cross whatever bridge we’re facing in our life. The question is, do we really want to hold onto God’s hand to help us cross or do we want to go ahead and cross the bridge by ourselves?
Overall, the Car Rally was a great success! Although my team did not win any prize, the experience and lesson learnt from this event was priceless. Chiam Tow Ming, lecturer
I pray, “Let me seek God’s assistance and cross together with Him rather than depending on my own sight.” Yunita Susilo, business operating manager
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TCA College Graduation “L
ife at TCA College begins with our dear faculty and staff. You have been more than just teachers and lecturers to us. You became our friends, mentors and spiritual parents. Your efforts in helping us grow beyond the grades will always be remembered fondly as we launch into our various mission fields.
2011 On October 2, TCA saw 44 students from China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom graduate. The joyous occasion was witnessed by 600 guests.
You showed us what it is like to dedicate wholly to doing God’s work and seeing lives grow and change. Your doors were never closed to us when we needed help or counsel. You showed us that having a balance of both knowledge and Spirit can help us grow to become effective ministers in the Kingdom of God. With all our hearts, we thank you for never giving up on us. It took us three or more years, but we did it. We will remember the fun times we had in our small groups, Cultural Nights and Cohesion Day. And precious relationships built over our course of studies, through prayer, encouragement or helping each other with our research.
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To sum up “life in TCA College” with just one word, I would say: Balance. We might have arrived on the shores of TCA with a few arrows in our quiver but now, I believe that we are going out with better skills and stronger arrows. We, the graduates, thank God and thank TCA College with all our hearts for preparing us to march on stronger in our various callings in God! Graduate’s response delivered by Kevin Prasad, who graduated with BA (Hons) in Theology. Kevin worships at Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church. 62
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1 Certificates 4 Graduates walking to receive their Certificates 2 Rev Dr Wilson Teo, President of TCA College 5 Giving a Graduate’s response 3 Rev Dominic Yeo, Vice Chancellor of TCA College
6 We made it! 7 Trinity’s Pastors and Ministerial Staff
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Blessed to be On September 10, Care Community Services Society (CCSS), the social services arm of Trinity Christian Centre, had another food rations distribution exercise. This was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Dairy Farm Singapore. The event not only blessed the needy but also the volunteering hearts. Sharon Lim, a second-time volunteer, shares more.
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill
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Unloading the boxes of blessings Angeline and Vera - “We want to help again!” Blessed to be a blessing Every pair of hands, big or small, count! Ms Tin Pei Ling, MP of Marine Parade GRC and Mr Benjamin Goh, Executive Director, Care Community Services Society (CCSS)
“K
am-sia, Kam-sia!” (Hokkien for “Thank you”) was heard resounding down the cluttered corridor of a Circuit Road block where 83-year-old Madam Tan lived. That Saturday morning, the volunteers were excited to use their neglected dialects and Mandarin, but Madam Tan was even more excited to welcome her friends. These “friends” are the staff and regular volunteers from CCSS’ Senior Activity Centre (SAC) with whom she has spent many cheery afternoons. This was my second time joining CCSS to distribute food rations at the MacPherson, Balam and Merpati estates. However, the community was already familiar with CCSS as it has been faithfully blessing them for four years now. Often, entire families and carecells from Trinity Christian Centre, in addition to the regular CCSS volunteers, would turn up with 1
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a Blessing their children and infants in tow to join the regular CCSS volunteers. “This is certainly a very meaningful activity that we’re doing this morning,” said Ms Tin Pei Ling, the newly minted Member of Parliament for the Marine Parade GRC (MacPherson constituency) who also turned up to volunteer. “These simple food packs are practical, significant and helpful to these elderly residents especially those who are living alone. During the packing of the rations, there is also a strong sense of teamwork amongst volunteers who were strangers before today. I would love to be part of this food distribution again, and CCSS is certainly one of the important stakeholders in this community.” Angeline and Vera, volunteers from the same carecell, agreed with Ms Tin. Both were really pleased that the entire process was fast, efficient, and well-planned. “Everyone worked as a team and it was well organized,” shared a physically drained but grinning Angeline. “I would want to help again!” 3
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Kudos also to Ms Tan, a regular volunteer, who tirelessly pushed trolleys of rice, oil, sugar and other daily essentials, all sponsored by Dairy Farm Singapore. Perspiring under the blistering heat, she commented, “I am very happy to be involved in brightening up the residents’ day.” At the end of the exercise, smiling faces were all around. In the Macpherson area, many elderly folks live alone and are devoid of outside interaction. That is, until someone comes to their door with food reminding them that the world has not forgotten them. It was heart-warming to be able to spend the morning this way as it reminded me to slow down and take time to look at the needs around. They were blessed but for the volunteers, like myself, Angeline, Vera and Ms Tan, we were also blessed. T To find out how you can partner with CCSS to bless the community either as a volunteer or a sponsor, please contact the office at 6304 7604 or email ccss@carecom.org.sg
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On 1 November 2011, Care are Community Services Society iettyy (CCSS) celebrated their 15th year ar off significant contribution to lives inn tthe he omee. community, with more to come. By Corrine ne Lim
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15 Years of
Impacting Lives 2
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1 Rev Dominic Yeo, President of CCSS, presenting a token of appreciation to Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of National Development 2 A medley of “Rhythm of the Seasons”
12/2/11 7:24 PM
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n that Tuesday evening, a warm and relaxed atmosphere permeated the atrium outside the ballroom at Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel. A buzz of chatter and laughter could be heard as some 200 passionate like-minded people mingled. Hosted by the staff of CCSS, they include beneficiaries, volunteers, partners, champions and donors. All of whom had built friendships through serving the community. This dinner was organized to celebrate a significant milestone in the journey of CCSS — 15 years of transforming and empowering lives. It was also organized to honor the life changers. The evening’s Guest of Honor was Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of National Development. Present were also Ms Tin Pei Ling, Member of Parliament, Marine Parade GRC and Mrs Kay Iswaran, Patron of CCSS.
Among the guests present were young and old from all walks of life. Some were once beneficiaries of CCSS, but are now life changers themselves. The theme of honoring them was strong and seamless. A symbolic lighting of candles at each table took place to reflect bringing light to someone’s world. Photo montages and video clips revealed how life changers had made a difference to someone else. The ensemble performed a medley that summed up the celebration, “Rhythm of the Seasons”. Before the evening ended, all present saw God’s miraculous provision. He moved powerfully and many donated generously. Every moment of the evening was special and meaningful. It is exciting to now look forward to more of what God will do through CCSS in the community. T
It began with a welcome address by Rev Dominic Yeo, President of CCSS, followed by an affirming address from Mr Lee.
…and more 4 3
3 Welcoming the guests 4 Thank you for your act of kindness!
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5 Mr Benjamin Goh, Executive Director of CCSS, Mrs Kay Iswaran, Patron of CCSS, Rev Beatrice Kang,Vice President of CCSS
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Blessed Birthday,
Pastor Dominic!
Day1 The entire Trinity’s staff walked into Pastor Dominic’s meeting with a Liverpool cake! Truly, he will never walk alone.
Pastor Dominic Yeo: pastor, mentor, spiritual father, friend, loving husband and loving father.
A three-day surprise celebration was held to honor our Senior Pastor as he crossed over into a new decade and the next half-century of his life. Here are the highlights from those three joyous days. By Diana Lim
Blessed Birthday 70
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P
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Day2 A video comprising snippets of Trinitarians young and old singing “Happy Birthday” to Pastor Dominic was played at every service.
Day3 Pastor Beatrice’s resounding vocal prowess blessed the Birthday Boy with the following song adapted from “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”.
You were in your 40s Now glowing at 50 It’s amazing just how you do You’ve grown in stature Much to His pleasure In wisdom and fortitude We now need someone older and wiser With grace and gratitude You are now 50 Leading us in Trinity We will and always love you
Pastor Dominic, from all of us in Trinity Christian Centre. 71
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Caught on Trinity’s
! a r e m Ca
Did you see me in the Trinitarian?
r ‘Trinity Share you ith us. ’w moments o t Send them rinity.org.sg @t connect
‘Noah’s Ark’ docked in Trinity
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> TRINITARIAN HERO
Desmond Foo, sales and marketing manager
Desmond Foo juggles many roles — husband, father, sales and marketing manager and spiritual parent. What many of you wouldn’t know is that he also spent his free time creating our church’s first iOS app! We speak to the self-taught developer and find out what inspired his creation. By Carol Lim
What inspired you to create the app? How long did you take to develop it and make it operational?
Pastor Dominic 2009’s Watchnight message on “Blessed to be a Blessing” challenged me to explore avenues in which I can be just that to others. Since then, I’ve received a vision from God that through mobile devices, more people can be reached. After sharing my vision with Trinity’s Corporate Communications team, the app was conceptualized in April this year. Another five months of hard work was spent on coding the app and now it is finally available. Creating the app must have been a time-consuming task. What kind of sacrifices did you have to make?
Yes, it was. I had to make some adjustments to my daily schedule but, thankfully, without affecting my job and family time. Most of my coding was done after my kids were asleep. I had to learn how to develop the app. With a God-given passion for programming, I researched various sources from the Internet and library books. I also made an investment to purchase the developer’s license from Apple in order to test out the app before releasing it. What is one feature of the app you particularly like or hope users would enjoy using?
Nominate your Trinitarian Hero! Email connect@trinity.org.sg to tell us why you think this person best espouses the vision and values of Trinity.
The ability to access the latest sermons! This app allows Trinitarians to listen or watch the sermons that they have missed.
Any other dreams or aspirations you have brewing up?
Continuing on from the vision God gave me, I’m looking forward to seeing the Trinity app available on other mobile platforms such as Android and BlackBerry.
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Issue 04/2011
Envision
Trinity@Paya Lebar Completed!
Equip
Breaking Chains of Negativity
A Christmas presentation filled with Splendor and Grandeur
Focus
Rules of the Dating Game Live instrumental ensemble 200-strong adult and children’s choir Drama A time traveler’s story
God Salvaged
Experience the love of God and a Christmas like never before!
our
Scan this QR code to watch video.
Issue 04/2011
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Published on Dec 15, 2011
Trinitarian Magazine Issue 4/2011
