Christmas season log

5th nov: potong pasir hdb community
17th nov: admiralty hdb community
18th nov: bio/fusionopolis
19th nov: jean's church
20th nov: haji lane

yo.. it's been a long while since our last update. really appreciate the support + prayers we've gotten from quickie fb notices + smses! we know your prayers have been absolutely essential in sustaining us/warring with us! so thank you one and all.
recently been seeing how God answers my desires turned into prayers.. sometimes i'm burdened for certain things + i pray+pray for God to do such-and-such a thing through me, but He chooses someone else to do it.. and perhaps this person will do it better and take it further than i'd be able to, because i see God's endorsement on it.. and how He's created partnership among us without us having the slightest idea..

i think God loves partnership like that within the body of Christ. and that brings me to say once again, thank you all for being our partners in crime. i mean Christ..
it's been exciting to see all the Crusade(-related) bands morphing + diversifying in function just so recently, from school concerts + worship training, to being broadcast on indian radio, in and out of glitzy shopping malls + stages, to half a song in an M orphanage for a dear little teenage girl. indeed in every one of these gigs God's heart has gone out singing over the people He's burdened for.. and in many cases we see His personal touch being ministered through our personal convos and new friendships.
i appreciate so much the open and humble hearts of the forerunner leaders that really encourage their staff+volunteers to run with what God's put on our hearts.

ok that was a big sidenote. of how God is on the move in our area of ministry- the creative arts- as we move with Him unafraid, creative and keeping a close walk.
God is also on the move in the other sectors of society. i hear from friends who minister in the business world, schools, science+tech, public sector, healthcare, of how He's raising up His body all over and using them to bring in His sheep.. indeed there are no secular vocations when we recognise our calling as missionaries regardless of our job titles.

before our gigs i always like to take several hours off to muse with God about what we're doing and why.
in sept ezekiel 34:6 spoke to me, about God's wandering sheep.. 'no one was seeking or searching for them'. he commissions us like the Son of Man 'came to seek and to save what was lost'; like fishers of men.
Isaiah 61/ luke 4 is always a winner, a reminder that God's music is about setting pple free, proclaiming liberty. proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord, proclaiming the gospel. and that we (and those who respond to our message) will be Oaks of Righteousness, Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In, 'laying the foundation of many generations'.
these are such powerful promises that the gospel can touch+rebuild pple's lives, because Christ has done exactly this for each of us who've been redeemed.

on reflection, I wrote that there seem to be 2 sides to this ministry: Calling back and Setting free.

a few other p.o.v.s regarding our ministry (which can pretty much apply to any other mode of ministry):
- putting orphans into the Father's hands.. into spiritual families.
- be a daughter first. sing as a daughter. to raise up sons + daughers + usher in the Day of the Lord.
- jer 33: proclaim that the Lord is good, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
- making disciples of all nations


GIG HIGHLIGHTS
5th (potong pasir):
- our setlist: o come all ye faithful [cool awesome version], the first noel (spacey remix) [so much better on keys but cooked up a guit version neway], love's gonna getcha (cute meaningful song by a pair of Christian sisters Tal + Acacia), one sweet love (sara bareilles. a bit of a stretch for Christmas, but it is kinda relevant).
- we started playing just as the buffet ended, i.e. just as pple decided to go home. lol. so who was left was a bunch of very appreciative Care Corner staff and Christ Community Church peeps.
- the organisers had no qualms blasting about Jesus the awesome centrepiece of Christmas + praying within earshot of all surrounding flats for God to hold the rain (and He did). pretty awesome.
- ran into one of the Luther (sound eqmt provider) staff, daryl, at teardown- someone i'd spoken on the phone 3-4 times just that week about a pair of speakers i was getting.. it's funny how, at these evangelistic events, we seldom get up close and personal with the target audience itself, and it's the the organisers and techies we actually get to interact with more. and the techies are forced to hear the gospel whether or not they want to be there or not.. haha.
- gd time chatting w our host alvin, a like-minded dude passionate about the work of God among the heartland community.
- mud all over my turquoise shoes + spent an hour cleaning 'em when i got home


17th (admiralty):
- our setlist: the 2 carols and 'taste of life'- our newest 'single' that got featured on Walkonmusic.net a few mths back. Taste uses a drop tuning w/ special' chords + i actually forgot the main chord shape (which makes up like 3/4 ofthe song) right from the beginning. haha. i was so dead. i hardly practice that song b/c im so scared of breaking strings.
- loved, loved watching the silat display. never, ever seen silat in my life.


18th (bio/fusionopolis):
- so this info is highly confidential b/c ppl in here might lose their jobs if they found out they were preaching the gospel at their workplace. basically this indian scientist doing cuttting-edge cancer research started gathering fellow Christians in a group actively reaching out to their colleagues, + it expanded to 14 prayer grps. many nonC's had been attending their alpha course + other events, 50% close to receiving Christ.
- our setlist: 2 carols, chi song!: ai shi yong heng (our 1st chinese cover ever), you raise me up. rach did her testimony for u raise me up. weird timing (pple were eating..).. a few pple said they were moved by the testimony/ songs. our host's wife told us semi-prophetically that our ministry wld grow + go far together.. creepy.
- scientists. seemed abit stone :p. the 'games' person was just like me, boring, and the 'game' was kinda sad. then, the speaker in turn was like dissecting the reason for Christmas n it was all very.. scientific. i hope they liked it :p
- we played in between dances by wesley methodist church. it was very typical tampbouriney white flowy dress.. but the 'here i m to worship' dance made me cry. i don't know why. i think watching ppl worship can do that to me. that they would love God that much.. as to give their all.. touches me. i don't know.
- oh yah, one little girl plonked herself rite next to the offstage dancers + imitated their flowy graceful movements. haha. it was hilarious. it was my fav part of the evening. her lil sister copied her too.


18th (geylang chinese methodist church):
- setlist: 2 carols, sarah, taste.
- forced myself to do a short testimony to intro 'taste'. i hate talking. here it is.

"Anybody here gets stressed up when u think abt work? maybe for some of you, esp. u working folks and students who remember what it's like not to have holidays.. every day consists of getting through tasks, solving one problem after another..
it's so easy to slip into the routine of life .. sometimes we we just want to get the job done + dont care y we're doing it in the first place...or we struggle to earn more to give ourselves n our children more comfortable lives, but we forget to ask ourselves: is this what we really want for our lives?

when i met God in a real way ard 19yrs old, i decided that nothing was worth spending my life on than God's purpose for it. from small to big decisions, i let my life be led by God. i became more aware of how God was using people n situations to speak to me. For example i realised tt God had given me skills and a passion for - not just music, but using music to draw ppl to God- and training young musicians to do so as well. So in this season of my life, i chose to be a piano n guit teacher, and i share my music to pple like you whenever i get the chance.

pple ask me, why not earn more money in a better job since ur well qualified w an overseas degree? or why not go overseas to be close to my family who's in the States? but when i direct my choices with God's purpose for my life in mind, He is faithful n gives me so much more than what i need or expect. And life is so much more fulfilling knowing that my life has a bigger purpose.

This song is like a wakeup call, an invitation to think about your own life.. do you like where it's headed? do you feel stuck where you are? as we sing this song, ask God about His dreams for your life."


20th (haji lane flea mkt):
- the most ghetto setup ever, 2 stools along the little alley next to a bunch of bicycles + a drain, little stalls all around + barely a standing audience. it was freakin cool.
- our loudest applause didn't come after love song or any popular radio hit, but o come all ye faithful. hahahah! a bunch of mat dudes were listening beside us + cheered wildly. how weird is that? "O come let us adore Him, Chriiiist the Lord.."

earlier on in the day we'd visited an M orphanage to donate the B+J ice cream vouchers .. i'd been waiting for this day even before we got through Chunkfest.. i knew it was for them. God's priority, the least of these... 3 of the teenage girls recognised us from Vday orchard busking (c.f. our 1st/2nd entry).. we sang for 1 of them. she was so sweet. she'd been at the home since she was little.
the lady at the home's receptive to us gg back to gig :)


so that's all for the update. coming up in jan we have
7 jan: Republic Poly
8+9 jan: esplanade "sofa sessions"
10 jan: my fren eeky's wedding

blessed Christmas everyone!
i'm out here in San Francisco to be with family + finally had some peace+time to update our blog on the 19-hr flight..
here's to seeing more of our incredible God at work in/through/around us in the coming 2010!


*cheers + love*
Red