If You Were

If You Were

If you were busy being kind,
Before you knew it you would find
You'd soon forget to think `twas true
That someone was unkind to you.

If you were busy being glad
And cheering people who seem sad,
Although your heart might ache a bit,
You'd soon forget to notice it.

If you were busy being good,
And doing just the best you could,
You'd not have time to blame some man
Who's doing just the best he can.

If you were busy being true
To what you know you ought to do,
You'd be so busy you'd forget
The blunders of the folks you've met.

If you were busy being right,
You'd find yourself too busy quite
To criticize your brother long,
Because he's busy being wrong.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Listen..

Listen

When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me that I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.

Listen! All that I asked was that you listen--not talk or do--just hear me.

Advice is cheep. Thirty-five cents will get you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper.

All I can do is do for myself. I am not helpless--maybe discouraged, but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.

So, please listen and just hear me. If you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn--and I'll listen to you.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

JUDGE ME BY THE FOOTPRINTS I LEAVE BEHIND

JUDGE ME BY THE FOOTPRINTS I LEAVE BEHIND

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam.

He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.

A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!

There's a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don't know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift It always brings and you realize that Friendship Is God's most precious gift!

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Gleaming Light..

If I have brought a gleam of light
To cheer a darkened day,
If I held out a friendly hand
To help along the way.
Then in these acts of kindness done
It is not me you see,
But glimpses of that Loving One
Who chose to dwell in me.

-- Found in a Christian Newsletter

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

The Bridge Builder.

The Bridge Builder

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you a bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

-Will Allen Dromgoole

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

What do you hear?

What do you hear?

A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket."

His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!"

"No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket."

"That's crazy," said the friend.

The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.

"That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have super-human ears!"

"No," said the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for."

"But that can't be!" said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise."

"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.

"See what I mean?" asked the Native American. "It all depends on what's important to you."

As Jesus tells the Pharisees in the Gospel, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar, but give to God what is God's."

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

+EVENTS HIGHLIGHT for JULY 2009+

(click on poster to enlarge)

JULY HIGHER GROUND SESSION 2009

A reminder for EVERYONE... a few more days to go!!

July Higher Ground Session is here..! Check out the details below:

Date: 18th July 2oo9
Time: 7.30P.M.
Venue: Grace Charismatic Center (GCC)

It'll be a "high" night as we have Amos as the emcee, while ice-breaking will be conducted by Jeremy Chew. Speaker of the night will be Jonathan Wong.

You'll definitely regret not attending this session..
See you there..! Don't be late..!

compiled by Jeremy

Hearing

Hearing

Two old acquaintances, who hadn't seen each other for years, were walking down the street together, renewing old times.

"Just a minute," said one, "I think I hear something," and turning a loose paving stone over he liberated a cricket which was chirping merrily away.

"Why, that's astounding. Of all the people on the street at this hour, hurrying from work, you alone hear the cricket above all the traffic noises."

"My friend," said the first. "I learned a long time ago that people hear in life only what they want to hear. Now, the noise of traffic has neither increased nor decreased in the past few moments, but watch." And as he finished speaking he let a silver half dollar fall from his pocket to the sidewalk. Everyone within an amazingly large hearing distance stopped and looked around.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

God is the Friend of Silence

God is the Friend of Silence

We Need to Find God,
He Cannot Be Found in Noise and Restlessness.

God Is the Friend of Silence.

See How Nature . . .
Trees, Flowers, Grass
Grow in Silence.

See the Stars, the Moon and Sun . . .
How They Move in Silence.
The More We Receive in Silent Prayer,
The More We Can Give in Our Active Life.

We Need Silence to Be Able to Touch Souls.

The Essential Thing Is Not What We Say,
But What God Says . . .
To us and Through us.

All Our Words Will Be Useless
Unless They Come from Within.
Words Which Do Not Give the Light of Christ . . .
Increase the Darkness.


-Mother Teresa

Submitted By IM4JESUS

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

The Legend Of KILROY

The young James Kilroy was working on the docks of Boston harbor in the 1940s, loading the freight ships of the time with big crates filled with blue jeans, destined for the far reaches of the world.

One early November morning the day started as so many before it. The wind was blowing, the weather was gray and drab, and James Kilroy was not in a mood for anything but staying inside, sheltered from wind and rain.

"So, Kilroy, are you dreaming again? Not much you get done today." Kilroy not even blinked, he was used to the foreman and his insults. And the boxes with 100,000 pairs of blue jeans were waiting to be loaded. No way around it, he better get it over with.

But when Kilroy bent down to lift one of the crates he suddenly got a bright idea -- an idea so brilliant that it couldn't be withheld. He grabbed a piece of chalk out of his pocket, and with big, visible letters he marked each box with: "KILROY WAS HERE."

And through those boxes -- appearing in harbors across the whole planet --KILROY's spirit reached the whole world. Indeed an effective way of getting around! After that, whenever the foreman shouted to Kilroy that he never got anything accomplished, he just smiled. He knew better. In harbors across the globe boxes were appearing every day to prove the foreman wrong. Kilroy knew that one could transcend borders and break through barriers many ways, and thereby feel free and independent.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Going With The Flow

Going With The Flow

A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Destiny..

Destiny During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself." He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny." "Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Kick On..

Kick On

There were two frogs that had become bored with life in the River Torrens, so they decided to go on an adventure to a neighbouring dairy farm.

There they found a bucket of lovely cream, and decided it would be a wonderful experience to wallow in it. They hopped in. The first licked his lips with delight, and the two swam around with momentary joy. But cream is much thicker than water, and soon the frogs tired. It was time to get out and return to the Torrens.

The first frog kicked and kicked and kicked, but the cream was thick, and he couldn'tt get out the bucket. Soon he gave up, licked his lips, and drowned in the bucket of cream.

The second frog was far more determined. He kicked and kicked and kicked and kicked some more. Eventually the cream turned to butter, and he jumped out of the bucket and returned to the River Torrens.

Attitude does make a difference to the outcomes of our lives. "Dont give up on life kick on".

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

+ EVENT HIGHLIGHTS for JULY 2009 +

(click on poster to enlarge)

JULY HIGHER GROUND SESSION 2009

A reminder for EVERYONE... a few more days to go!!

July Higher Ground Session is here..! Check out the details below:

Date: 18th July 2oo9
Time: 7.30P.M.
Venue: Grace Charismatic Center (GCC)

It'll be a "high" night as we have Amos as the emcee, while ice-breaking will be conducted by Jeremy Chew. Speaker of the night will be Jonathan Wong.

You'll definitely regret not attending this session..
See you there..! Don't be late..!

compiled by Jeremy

It Is Hard..

It Is Hard

It is hard
To forget
To apologize
To save money
To be unselfish
To avoid mistakes
To keep out of a rut
To begin all over again
To make the best of all things
To keep your temper at all times
To think first and act afterwards
To maintain a high standard
To keep on keeping on
To shoulder blame
To be charitable
To admit error
To take advice
To forgive
But it pays!

- based on Matthew 7:1-2

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Higher Ground June '09

A recap of that night..

Higher Ground Session June '09

Inside: Our guests all the way from ACTS Church..!

Featuring:

VIP Guest Speaker: Pastor Andy Yeoh

Worship leader: Joel Chew

Emcee: Pao Suen

Ice-Breaker: Daniel Cheng


Worship Session..

Pastor Andy..

Listening attentively..

Ice-Breaking Session.. Conducted by Daniel Cheng..!

Discussion Time..

Face-off Time.. Group 1:

Group 2:

The events below are difficult to be described with words.. See carefully and you will understand.. =p

The Life And Times Of Moses


Team 1

Team 2

Moses and The Red Sea..!




Posing..

A reminder for EVERYONE..!!

July Higher Ground Session is here..! Check out the details below:

Date: 18th July 2oo9
Time: 7.30P.M.
Venue: Grace Charismatic Center (GCC)

See you there..! Don't be late..!

compiled by Jeremy

Don't Quit..!!

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high;
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

July Higher Ground Session 2009

Alright, everyone..! Higher Ground is here again, just in time before the July topical test hits the schools..!

Okay, I'll cut it short, here are the details of the July Higher Ground session:

Date: 18th July 2oo9
Time: 7.30P.M.
Venue: Grace Charismatic Center (GCC)

It'll be a "high" night as we have Amos as the emcee, while ice-breaking will be conducted by Jeremy Chew. Speaker of the night will be Jonathan Wong.

You'll definitely regret not attending this session..



See you there..! Don't be late..!

compiled by Jeremy

MYPG IV Prayer Watch

More information will be updated in very soon.

A SMILE ..

	A SMILE by: Unknown Let others cheer the winning man, There's one I hold worth while; 'Tis he who does the best he can, Then loses with a smile. Beaten he is, but not to stay Down with the rank and file, That man will win some other day, who loses with a smile.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

It's Up to You

It's Up to You One song can spark a moment, One flower can wake the dream. One tree can start a forest, One bird can herald spring. One smile begins a friendship, One handclasp lifts a soul. One star can guide a ship at sea, One word can frame the goal. One vote can change a nation, One sunbeam lights a room, One candle wipes out darkness One laugh will conquer gloom. One step must start each journey, One word must start each prayer. One hope will raise our spirits, One touch can show you care. One voice can speak with wisdom, One heart can know what's true, One life can make the difference, You see, IT'S UP TO YOU!

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Holy Man

Holy Man Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeting him at the door. "I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!" "You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant... see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Discouraged?

Discouraged?

As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a local little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked one of the boys what the score was.

"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.

"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."

"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

COMES THE DAWN

COMES THE DAWN

After awhile you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats with you head up and your eyes open.
With the grace of maturity, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on
Today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong
And that you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn and learn ....
With every goodbye you learn.

-Veronica A. Shoftstall

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

The Cold Within

The Cold Within Six humans trapped by happenstance In dark and bitter cold Each one possessed a stick of wood Or so the story's told Their dying fire in need of logs The first woman held hers back. For of the faces around the flame She noticed one was black The second mann looking all about Saw no one of his church And couldn't bring himself to give The fire his stick of birch The rich man sat and thought Of all the wealth he had in store Why should his stick be used to warm The lazy, shiftless poor? The poor man sat in tattered clothes He gave his coat a hitch No way would he let his stick be used By the greedy selfish rich The black man bitter and full of rage Held his oak branch tight For all he saw in his stick of wood Was a chance to spite the white The last man of this forlorn group Did nothing except for gain Giving only to those who gave Was how he played the game The branches held in fate's cruel hands Was proof of human sin They didn't die from the cold without The died from THE COLD WITHIN. -James Patrick Kenny

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

LYPG Is Here..!

Venue: Wesley Methodist Church (WMC)
Date: 5th July 2009
Time: 3.00p.m to 5.30p.m. SHARP

All youths are encouraged to attend this gathering.. All you need to bring is your Bibles and a heart for God. Hope to see you there. =)

For more information, contact:
Jasmine T.
zero one six- 935 0528

Joyce A.
zero one seven- 947 9727


compiled by Jeremy

CHANGING THE WORLD

CHANGING THE WORLD
(UNKNOWN MONK 1100AD)

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy

Attitude is Everything

Attitude is Everything
By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man. " I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Taken from www.inspirationalarchive.com. Subject to copyright by author and owner.

compiled by Jeremy