Bye-bye 2009. HELLO 2010!!!

Bye-Bye

Prayer Camp

Shalom Home Visit

Outing to FRIM

YF Camp


Upcoming Events for 2010



YF Year End Camp
Harvest Haven, Gopeng
17-20 December 2010

What sort of New Year’s Resolution should a Christian make?

The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a New Year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31st and January 1st. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31st. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?

Common New Year’s resolutions are: to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money better, and spend more time with family. By far the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating healthier. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.

Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?

Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.

So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions:

(1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make;

(2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you;

(3) Rely on God’s strength to help you;

(4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you;

(5) Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further;

(6) Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory.

Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

Taken from http://www.gotquestions.org/new-years-resolution.html by Got Questions Ministries

Merry X’mas or Merry Christmas??

Well, do you really know what is the meaning of Merry Xmas and Merry Christmas? What is the difference between this two?

Many people nowadays like to use Merry Xmas a lot but they don’t really understand what is the real reason of putting “X” in it. You can see it all over the place especially all the commercial shops lot.

People thought that it is a use of short form by putting “X” to substitute the word “CHRIST”. Yes, it is use in the early 16th century where the printing technology was just introduce. In order to save the cost of printing which is very expensive at that time,they chose to use the word X-mas where the letter X is actually the first letter of the Greek word-Christ (CristoV) to abbreviate the word Christmas . It may be the initial intention of an individual using such word–Merry Xmas, but do they or do you really know how the word “Merry Xmas” accommodates in today’s world ? Do you know what is the intentional use of this word in the commercial world? If you really don’t know, let me tell you what it is.

This word “Merry Xmas” originates for the use of commercial. For the businessman , putting “X” to substitute the word “CHRIST” is not a use of short form as what you thought it is. They have their purpose of doing so. To maximize the market available for different people from different family background,different culture or different religion, they have to come out a way to attract those major part of people,which i call Christian as the minor part. Because the fact is Christian only stand a minor part out of thousands or millions of Non-Christian. Despite the fact that have shown the figure of Christian, It never stops the Christmas from being a well known festival and celebrated by almost everyone including Muslim.

We’ve to really express our “gratitude” to the businessman who have contribute so much to the publicity of Christmas and leaving an incorrect perception of what actually Christmas is. To eliminate the thought that Christmas is only for Christian,what they do is using the word “Merry Xmas. For “CHRIST” is the defined word for Christian, so in order to achieve their intention or purpose they execute the word “CHRIST”. By placing “X” on it, it means to put Christ away, for “X” often symbolizes “NO”. Literally it means “Merry NO-CHRISTmas”, i know it sounds awkward but it’s true.

By doing so,it makes people feel that actually Christmas is not only for Christian. In another words, it is to make it more “UN-CHRIST” like. So that people of different culture and religion can be a part of it to celebrate Christmas. Thus, what is the result of doing all this? Tons of $$$$ going in to the pocket of those businessman who know nothing about Christmas but Money is the outcome of all this. Christmas has become a great tool for them to do so!

You may think that the 8 letter words alone can’t affects much on it. But the truth is it does work and it works so effectively that people thought that Christmas is all about Gifts, Prizes, new Shoes or Clothes, Reindeer, Mistletoe and Santa Claus where all of this got nothing to do with the true purpose of Christmas at all! It’s just some human “spices” to make Christmas a more “spicy” festival.

I understand that many people use it not purposely, but now that you know the reason lies behind it, I hope you will think twice before you lay your hand to write or type the word “Merry Xmas” and think thoroughly through the way you celebrate Christmas, is it the real meaning of Christmas?

Let makes this a joyous festival by celebrating the Birth Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but not because of all those Glamor,Gifts and Prizes that you got during Christmas. Do understand the purpose of why you celebrate Christmas and what you are celebrating about it, I’m sure by doing so you will have a different experience of Christmas.

Thanks for taking your time to read this. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a “Merry and Blessed Christmas”! Hope that you all will have a different experience of Christmas with the presence of Lord Jesus Christ by knowing the truth and purpose!

Taken from http://andrew-caruso.blog.friendster.com/2007/12/merry-xmas-or-merry-christmas/ by Andrew Lee

YF Camp 2009!!!!!

I'll let the pictures do the talking first! More to come.....