Pressure....

MY FRIENDS PRESSURE ME TO SMOKE

A guy is caught between his friends and a smart decision.

A couple of friends started smoking and constantly invite me to join them. I don’t want to, but I’m afraid to say no. What should I do?
You’re smart for not wanting to smoke. After all, what your buddies may think is an OK activity can end up getting pretty gross: wheezing lungs, yellow teeth, ash-tray breath—a life cut short. The truth is, smoking and healthy lungs don’t mix. Prolonged tobacco use can cause a whole host of life-threatening diseases. That is true of both smoking tobacco and chewing tobacco.
The problem is, your friends are stuck in the moment, which leaves you with some hard questions:
What’s the No. 1 thing keeping me from facing my friends and telling them that I don’t want to smoke?
Would I rather confront the guys and chance losing our friendship or give in and do what I know is wrong?
Do I want growth or guilt? (I’ll probably always wish I had stood strong for what I believe.)

God’s Word can give you the strength and encouragement you need to face your friends. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

It’s a tough step, but you know what you’ve got to do: Speak up and be true to yourself and God. You may face some weirdness from the guys—like put-downs or a strain on your friendships. Yet I’ve discovered that most people respect those who show backbone and stand confidently for what they believe. What’s more, your courage may be just the thing your buddies need right now. Your actions today may steer them away from even dumber risks in the future.

Adapted from the January 2008 isuue of Breakaway magazine.

CU Camp CANCELED

Hey guys,important announcement here.....

The CU Leadership camp thts supposed to happen on the 3rd June 2008 has been CANCELED.
Please inform others whom you know about this.
Thank You

Prayer Walk

Hey everyone,

There will be a PRAYER WALK for the upcoming rally this Saturday, 24 May 2008, at Kompleks Sukan Pandamaran from 7.30 to 9.30 am.

Come, pray, interceed for your friends and commit the rally into God's hands! Encourage your friends to come and pray too. Those who are involved directly with the rally, please try your best to come. :)

For details check with Mary-Ruth (U6C) or Jude (5G).

The Bible and the Basket of Arang Batu

Coals = Arang Batu
The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could.
One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book.

What good does reading the Bible do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house.The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water;
I want a basketof water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather thebasket was again empty.Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!""So you think it is useless?"
The old man said, "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.
(Author unknown)

Share the GOOD news!!!

Interserve is a network of Christians from all over the world who, using their professional skills, work together to serve people of Asia and the Arab world - getting alongside them in tackling material, physical, mental and spiritual needs.

On the 25th of April 2008, we had the privillege to hear from a missionary frm Pakistan.
Often,when we hear about ppl in the mission field,we usually think tht tht person actually goes around the country preaching in churches or in some unknown part of the world and normally declares him or herself as a missionary if anybody ask...

But this lady tht came for our CU mtg recently shares the same purpose but,
in a different way.
In places like Pakistan and parts of the world where the gospel is not being allowed to be preached,ppl like this lady come in as social helpers and share the msg of hope as well.

Having lived and worked in Pakistan for 17 years,she shared that being Christlike is one of the most important things esp cos Pakistan is a Muslim country where you could be put into jail just for sharing abt Christianity.
Just by showing God's love,ppl cant help but start asking about her faith.And this becomes an opportunity to share about Jesus.
Prayer also,which many of us take forgranted is the most powerful weapon to reach out to ppl cos ppl are constantly in need of something and thts one of the best ways tht we can share with others about God's love.

After hearing what she shared I thought abt how we in Malaysia are so fortunate to be able to worship God freely,whatmore in schools where we are allowed to hv CU mtgs every Friday.Yet there are still many Christians who do not come or invite their friends to come.Not to kutuk anyone....but hey,shouldn't we be more supportive of the place where God has placed to reach out to our friends and classmates who hv nvr heard of him?=)

So,just wanna challenge u guys out there,to be the salt n the light of ur schs,wherever God has placed u,be a testimony of Christ.

And ya,keep this in prayer too:
1) The church of Pakistan n Afghanistan
2) For yourselves,tht God would use you in reaching out to others.

Check out:http://interserve.org for more info=)

UPDATES!!!!!!!

HILLSONG'S COMING TO MALAYSIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Wohoooooo..........
Atlast the band tht gave you songs like One Way,All For Love and Hosanna is coming to Malaysia!!!

For ONE NIGHT only,this Aussie band is going to come for a concert
The details are as follows:
DATE: 28th MAY 2008
TIME: 8pm
VENUE: GLAD TIDINGS PETALING JAYA
No. 6, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Section 13,
46200 Petaling Jaya,Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
[tel] 03-79582777
[e] gtpj@gladtidings.org.my

OK,this is the painful part,but i gotta say it anyways....
To enter,you need to have a ticket and this ticket cost.........RM50(but like the flyer says it will go as donation)
I knw its alot,might be even more than your monthly allowance but well,if you are ardent fans,
SAVE UP! your canteen money and enjoy this really cun concert,haha

Besides that,you'd also hv to arrange your own transport there(the church add is above)

Yeap,so there it is,but do be quick to let me knw ASAP if u wanna come for this cos there are limited tickets.

UPDATES!!!!!!!

Hey ppl,sorry for the lack of updates in this past 2 weeks.......hehe,gt lots to share but dunno whether u guys gt read anot...ha.....so if u wanna see more updates,pls leave sum comments or sumtin ya,give the editor sum motivation abit........haha.big thanks!

ok,first up..................(see next post=)

Its Coming to an END!!!!!

ATTENTION

Dateline for the T-SHIRT DESIGN COMPETITION is this WED,30th April 2008.

Please hand in your designs to either Yvonne (U6B) or Josiah (2 Yakin)

Remember,that are prizes to be given away to the top 3 best designs!

"Its OK,I'm Forgiven!"

Have you asked this question before?
My friend is saved, but he doesn't act like it. He lives a life full of sin. He even admits it, but says, "It's OK, Christ forgives me!" It seems like he's using God's grace as an excuse to do whatever he wants. What's the correct way to view God's grace?
There's an old saying: "To err is human, to forgive divine." That's true. We all sin and we all need to be forgiven, and the Bible says, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, NIV). He loves us so much that he sacrificed his life to forgive us for our sins, even those that we repeat again and again.
But it's so easy to take advantage of God's love. One smart-aleck once said:
"I love to sin, God loves to forgive. What a wonderful arrangement."
In Romans, Paul confronts such thinking: "Should we sin because we are not ruled by law but by God's grace? Not at all! Don't you know that when you give yourselves to obey someone you become that person's slave? You can be slaves of sin. Then you will die. Or you can be slaves who obey God. Then you will live a godly life" (6:15-16, NIRV).
It sounds like your friend is becoming enslaved to sin and doesn't even want freedom. That's a problem. It sounds like he doesn't want to follow and obey Jesus, which calls into question whether he can truly be called a Christian. Putting it a bit more pointedly, Augustine, a church leader in North Africa around A.D. 400, said, "It is human to err; it is devilish to remain willfully in error."
It's a serious problem when people take advantage of God's mercy and continue in their sin, never repenting or even trying to turn their behavior in God's direction. In fact, knowing your behavior is wrong and continually opting for wrong over right is choosing to turn your back on God. And that's a dangerous place to remain in. I'd recommend you gently find a way to help your friend see the truth of Romans 6:15-16. He has a choice of what's at the center of his life: sin or Christ. Right now, he's making the wrong choice.
(Answered by Marshall Shelley,a former pastor and editor of Leadership, a magazine for pastors.)
*Taken from Ignite your Faith

BK Quizzzzzzz

Study time....but who says studying the bible is not fun?Haik!Try answering this....
Which of the following is ok to eat?

• lamb
  
• pig


• catfish


• all of the above

What does God say should be done to someone that is a murderer?

• kill them


• forgive them


• try to help them


• put them in jail for life

By the way,check out these facts frm the B.I.B.L.E....
it was written in 3 different continents: Asia, Africa and Europe...

1. it was written in many different places: wilderness, prison, traveling, islands...


2. it was written by people who did different kinds of jobs: fishermen, kings, shepherds, a herdsman, a politician, a doctor, a tax collector, a rabbinical scholar and more

The quiz will be held on the 11th of April and participants will be tested on the book of Acts(chapter 1-10) and Genesis(chapter 1-3).
The format of the paper is Multiple Choice Questions(MCQ) and fill in the blanks questions.The duration is 1 hour.

So,for those who are taking part,please study k?Dont simply take and flunk it...rmbr,its God's
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leavin
Earth
HAPPY STUDYIN!