Before the lesson, we played a game to get to know each other's names because there were a lot of newcomers this Friday. We each had to made a body gesture for each syllable of our name. Then, we had to repeat the gestures of every person that had done their body movement already. Thus, it took quite a while to finish. After the game, we had a testimony from Miller. I got an email from him the day that the event occurred, so I'm going to paste the important parts onto this review:
Well....on Friday as I was taking down the drums, I found a Power Bead Keychain on the ground....Seeing that everyone had abandoned the multifunction room, I pocketed it. Then on Saturday, I was bored out of my mind so I strung the beads on a necklace. I wore it to school today and it worked magically as many people noticed 5 different colored beads on an attractive purple string. This came as a shock to me since I used to wear a Power Bead Anklet on a Leather Strap, but it was never noticed. Ok...the first four people that asked me what it was, I didn't exactly give an answer which made me furious with myself. I was so mad. But on the bus ride home, I finally got a chance to talk about the beads. And strangely enough, the kid I talked to was Jewish. So me and the kid were talking about our usual wrestling topics when he noticed the necklace and asked, "What does that mean?". I explained to him each color and to my amazement he said "I don't get Judaism and I don't believe it. I've been thinking about converting to either Christianity or Zen Buddhism." Then I said "why buddhism?" and he replied that he liked the philosophy. Well then he said "I'm leaning towards Christianity because before I run for track, I do better when I cross myself" Then we got into a big talk about the difference between Protestants and Catholics. Then he asked me all these questions about Jesus starting with stuff like "So what is in the New Testement?" to "How was Jesus born?" to "How do you get to Heaven" to "Was Jesus the first person in Heaven?". I answered all these questions without problem. It was a great day for me.
Thank you Tommy for the lesson, and we hope to see all of you back next week!
June 9th, 2000: WATER HOUSE! It was really fun attending the event. I think we showed that we, as teens, can plan and develop a show to please God as well as anyone. The highlights of the event were the Skits, Music Team (4Christ), Body Worship, and of course, the refreshments. For a more complete review that will be posted shortly, go to the Water House page. Please visit back here soon as the school year comes to a close.
June 2nd, 2000: Rehearsal For Water House. Go to our Water House page for more information.
May 26th, 2000: Review Will Be Done By My Good Friend Vernon Cheung.
May 19th, 2000: I was too lazy to take notes this Friday, so this review might be a bit vague. Tonight's lesson was on [Christian] Freedom. What does freedom mean? Freedom means to be unrestricted to do anything; no laws or rules. Most people think of the Christian life as a life full of rules and laws. In fact, many of us feel that a non-Christian has more freedom than a Christian. Why? The world's view is that to be a Christian, you have to obey all the commands that God gives us, including obeying our parents (which for some people, I know, seem to be a tough one). Jocelyn pointed out to us, that in point of fact, the Christian life has more freedom than a non-Christian life. How can that be?
To point this out to us, Jocelyn handed out pieces of paper one by one, that had something written on it. Some papers were orange, and some green. The people that received green pieces of paper, had to stand inside a box. People who got an orange piece of paper, was allowed to stand anywhere in the room. As each person received their piece of paper, that person held it up and read what was on the paper. When it was all finished, the TWRers realized that the people inside the box, who were holding the green pieces of paper, had things written on them that were temporary. They were descriptions of non-Christian characteristics. The orange papers described Christian attitudes. There was a contradicting statement for each green-paper statement. For example: A green piece of paper said, "I Am In Control." An orange paper said "God Is In Control." Another orange paper said: "I Will Drink Whatever I Can Find," while a green paper statement said: "I Never Thirst."
What did this exercise have to do with the lesson? Well, the people in the box represented non-believers. They had to stay in that box. The people outside of the box represented Christians, people who could stand wherever they wanted. We realize that God provides more freedom for us spiritually, than the world could ever give us. God sent his son down to die for us, so that we would not die from sin. When Christ Jesus became our sacrifice, we were no longer held liable to sin. God presented to us the best gift that we can ever receive: the gift of eternal life. And the only thing that you have to do to receive His great gift is to accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior. Jocelyn told us at the beginning of the lesson. The greatest moment in our lives, including our future, is when we accept Jesus into our hearts. What greater promise can the world ever offer to us?
"The Green Mile," a movie that was released a couple months ago, depicted the lives of people in prison who were in death row in the South during the 1930's. These people were waiting to be executed because they had committed a crime so horrendous that the court had decided that they deserved to die. People who do not believe in our Lord is on death row. They are waiting to die. But Christians have been released from this by the blood that Jesus shed for us. Before we accepted Christ, we too were on death row. And for the non-believers who are reading this right now, I'm sorry to say this, but you are on death row too. However, God has offered His Son as our sacrifice. It is our decision whether or not to accept Him into our hearts. Being a Christian does not mean that you are, in any way, free from sin. As our human nature, we continue to sin. But God loves us so much that He will forgive us whenever we ask for forgiveness.
This lesson was to point out to us that being a Christian does not mean that you have to live a life full of rules and laws. On the contrary, "We're FREE!" Knowing God gives us all the freedom that we could ever want. (I just want to point out that with this freedom comes responsibility, and with responsibility, accountability.) If you are a Christian, you are free to roam around, but as a non-believer, you are restricted to the things in the box. To sum it all up, though many people think that a non-Christian life give you more freedom, please don't be trapped by the worldly views. God offers us more freedom than you could ever imagine. We have a God who loves us, cares for us, protects us, guides us, is patient and gentle, and is faithful; a holy God that is righteous in all ways. So if you have never thought about the great gift that God has given to us, or you just need something to push you over the line, maybe this lesson will help. Remember that when you accept Christ Jesus into your heart, that moment will be the greatest and I assure you, the happiest moment in your life.
Thank you Jocelyn for the lesson on Freedom. I think that we all enjoyed it a lot. Announcement: We will be having a practice rehearsal for [Mocha] House on June 2nd, the week before the actual event (JUNE 9th). You should be prepared to practice. Please invite your friends to come; this is what this whole event is about. Please contact the counselors for more information. As for me, I guess I'll have another review up next week!
May 12th, 2000: Tonight's lesson was Spending Time With God, lesson given by Tommy. We started the night off with a game called Celebrity Charades. Each TWRer was given three pieces of paper. We had to write the name of a well-known non-fictional person down on the piece of paper. Afterwards, we folded them up and put them all in an offering bag (misused?). The large group was split into two teams; boys vs. girls. A member of each team was sent up, one at a time. That person's job was to gain as many points for his/her team as possible. When they drew a name out of the bag, they had to use gestures to help their team guess the celebrity. You could not use any sounds or write anything. It was a noisy game, but it was pretty cool.
Then came the lesson. Tommy told us, that if you want to meet a friend, or if you wanted to keep a strong friendship with someone, you had to try. "Who has a friend that you don't make an effort to talk with?" Friendship is about communicating, trust, and respect. If you don't try to spend time with that person, then technically, they cannot be your friends. Tommy asked us, "How many of you have gotten a letter from a friend? Did you throw it away after reading it? Did you read it over and over again?" Many times, our friends try to communicate with us, but we "throw away" the opportunity. So, "is God your friend?" God gave us the Bible for us to know more about Him and His love. The Bible is a letter for us. God wants us to read the "letter" so that we can know how to handle different things (ie. anger, disappointment). In Joshua 1:7-8, it says: "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." What is this verse telling us? God is revealing to Joshua how he can succeed in the ways that Moses failed (vs. 8). He is telling Joshua that if he obeys God's laws, he will be "prosperous and successful."
But what does meditate mean? Meditating, is thinking deeply and/or intensely. God tells us to meditate on His word. We should go in and read it and really try to understand what God is trying to tell us. Tommy gave us two examples. When we take exams, we study the notes and material. We read the textbook, study it, and try to understand it. We can't flip through the pages and say, "OK, done" and toss it aside. In the same way, if we want to be successful at video games, we either play it constantly, or study the strategy guides. In the same way, we must study God's word by doing our devotions and having quiet times. Prayer is very important if we want to spend time with God. Prayer is talking to God. He is our friend, so why not talk to him?
The three points of this lesson:
1.) Joshua 1:7-8 ~ God tells us that it is not easy to do our quiet times. There are a lot of worldly distractions that prevent us from finding time with God. Stand Firm
2.) We were not born to know God's word. We were not born to memorize it.
3.) God did not give the Bible to us so that He can benefit from it when we study His word nor did he intend for us to study the Bible so that we can please Him. Instead, it is a way for us to benefit from His word.
God's word teaches us and also rebukes. (Ps. 119:105, 2 Tim. 3:16) It is very important for us to read the Bible and to get to know Him. Here are four points that Tommy gave to us to help us with our Quiet Times:
1.) Look at our daily life/schedule, and plan when we can find time to spend time with Him.
2.) How much time are you going to open up so that you can do your devotions? Know where your limits are! Don't be distracted by the world. Remember, it's not the length of time you've given to God, the key is consistency.
3.) Strategy. We cannot open up the Bible and just expect to learn something.
4.) Find a friend who has the same desire/goal of mind to know God and to know of His great love. Keep each other accountable.
God wants to know us. He gave us the Bible to help us know Him because He loves us and He wants us to love Him back. So why not open up a slot of time right now and talk to God and get to know Him? [If you are not sure how to do your devotions, please visit our Dedication Station]
Jocelyn will be giving next week's lesson. Thank you Tommy for the fun lesson! Check back next week for another review!
April 28th, 2000: Tonight was basically a time for us to talk with each other, in our small groups, about Teen Conference 2000. We shared with each other our favorites and something that I noticed as we each shared was that we all felt that the worship time was great. I too, felt the same way. The atmosphere of the singspiration was incredible and we could literally feel the ground tremble. I think that for most of us, it was a great experience as we got closer to God. However, I also feel that for most of us, it was a "pit-stop" to re-fuel ourselves. This is something we must try to avoid. We often stray away from God after these retreats and lose sight of His power and majesty. More importantly, we also lose our devotional time with Him, and sometimes even our faith and trust in Him. Don't let these conferences light your fire again. Keep the flame burning! Be on fire for God every day and keep in mind that He is Lord.
Tonight was also a time to sign up for activities in the upcoming event: Mocha House. The main theme will be God's Love. Mocha House, which will be held on June 9th, is a time for you to invite your friends to learn about Christ, especially those who do not yet know Him. It is a time for us to share with them just how great God's love really is. Through skits, body worship, and musical offerings, we will let them know more about God, but at the same time, allow them to have a lot of fun. As the counselors pointed out, Mocha House will more or less be entirely run by the TWRers. We must also emphasize that we have to remember who we are doing this for. Don't let friends drag you into doing something if your heart is not into it. Sign-ups will be available during the upcoming weeks. We will need testimonies, skits/mimes, body worship, musical offerings, or any other activities you would like to do. Also, we need people to give out the invitations, clean up and set up, and do the audio/video controls. Remember, the date to remember is June 9th. Next week's activities are still undetermined as of now. More preparation for Mocha House will probably be occurring. 'Til next week!
April 21st, 2000: As we all know, tonight was Good Friday, a day when Christians remember the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was a sad time, for those who had been faithful (i.e. His disciples) were losing not only a friend, but a guide. But we must also remember that his crucifixion is glorious because Jesus died on the cross, to take away the sins of man, so that we may not be judged by our deeds, but our faith in Christ Jesus. We are imperfect, impure, and unrighteous people. We are not worthy of His love. But God's love for us is so great that he sent his son as our sacrifice, so that we may, in turn, have a chance to enter the gates of heaven, so that our sins may be forgiven. This is the greatest gift that we can ever receive. God lays it out in front of us. However, it is our own choice whether or not to receive it.
Tonight, we re-enacted Christ's Last Supper and His Crucifixion. With almost every person with a role in the re-enactment, we took off our shoes and went upstairs in groups where tables had been put on the floor. Scene 1: Last Supper, Day before passover (Thursday). Miller, as the narrator, introduces us to the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus' disciples came up to Him and asked how they should prepare for the Passover meal. Jesus (played by Adrienne) replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' As the time of the Passover Feast neared, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave the world and go to his Father. The devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot as his betrayer. With the evening meal served, Jesus got up, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He then started to wash his disciple's feet. (This is when two people from each group washed each other's feet in re-enacting the event.) Then, Jesus told his disciples, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me. (Matzah is passed around to each of the groups and so is "wine.") Jesus said, "Take and eat; this is my body. Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured for many for the forgiveness of sins. (We then had the candle at each group be lit as we sang Jehovah ~ also our song of the week.)
In Scene 2: Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus tells his disciple, Simon Peter, "I tell you the truth this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." Simon Peter answers, "Even if I have to die with yoiu, I will never disown you." (This conversation is our verse/passage of the week ~ notice a pattern?) Jesus then went out to the Mount of Olives to pray. When he went back, he found them asleep, exhausted in sorrow. Jesus commanded, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. He said, "This is your hour -- when darkness reigns."
Scene 3: House of the High Priest. Jesus was seized and led away to be taken to the house of the high priest. Simon Peter, who was following at a distance, was accused to be seen with Jesus. He denied the accusation three times. Then, the rooster crowed. Scene 4 takes place at the Scull (on Friday), as Jesus is led away to carry the cross. (Each of the five candles were placed in the shape of a cross at the center of the room. As Jesus and Simon Peter drag their crosses behind them, the candle at the base of the cross formation was blown out.) Two criminals who were to be executed were led out. Jesus was crucified along with the criminals, one on his right, and the other on his left. Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Another candle is blown out.) One of the rulers mocked Jesus, saying "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One. (At this point, nails were handed out so that each person had one. At this point in the story, Alison came around with a metal plate. We were instructed to drop the nails into the plate [loudly, if possible]. The sound of the nails hitting the metal was to remind us of the nails that were hammered into our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Also, the fourth candle is blown out. We sing "See the Scars.") In the ninth hour, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. The curtain separated the temple from a room that only the high priest could enter once a year. It was a place where God was, a place where the high priest could talk to God. The tearing of the curtain symbolizes that the high priest is no longer needed for us to communicate with God. We ourselves can directly talk with Him and lay before him all our troubles, hardships, and worries. And Jesus was our way of letting us have the opportunity to do this. When the curtain of the temple had been torn in two, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," and so he breathed his last. (Last candle is blown out. Before the last scene is re-enacted, the lights were shut off and we listened to music [sounds] that represents what it felt like when Jesus died.)
Scene 5 is when Mary Magdalene sees Jesus alive, arisen on the third day after his crucifixion. Jesus told her, "Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" With that, we prayed and returned downstairs. There, the room was open for questions. That is when Hoi asked the important question, "What is the importance of the curtain tearing in two?" I have included the explanation above. Adam closed us in prayer, and also opened up a time when those who had not accepted Christ into their hearts yet, those that were not yet Christians, had a time to pray and tell God that they had indeed accepted Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and Savior knowing that we are imperfect, but that you will forgive us whenever we repent to our sins. PTL (Praise the Lord!) for those that accepted Christ tonight. For others, we hope that it was a good learning experience, even for those that have grown up in the church and have heard the story many many times. It was a time to set our minds on Jesus in a serious, yet fun way. We thank the counselors for their great preparing and we especially thank Adam and Alison for leading us in this activity. Reminder: Mocha House is on June 9. We strongly encourage TWRers to invite their friends to come for we will be sharing the Gospel and having skits/videos and other entertaining activities. We will be starting to prepare for Mocha House next week. You will be able to sign up for different activities then (hopefully). See you all next week!
April 14th, 2000: Tonight was part 2 of the series of lessons on forgiveness. The title was "Forgiving Others," given by Adam Yen. The counselors started out the program by performing a skit which shows us how hard it is to share about God with our friends or loved ones. They added in catchy lines to entertain the TWRers. We then watched part of Ben Hur when Jesus carried the cross and when He was crucified. It was a very painful scene to watch, especially when they nailed Jesus to the cross. Each pounding of the hammer brought chills up my spine. Adam then explained to us about Ben Hur, and about how his enemy had put both his mother and sister to death. Yet, when his nemesis died, Ben Hur was there at his death bed, asking his enemy for forgiveness. What does forgive mean? Our definition:
* to pardon
* don't stay mad
* "it's okay"
* accepting an apology
* letting go (feelings, debt)
* not holding a grudge
In an argument, two parties are involved. One person does something wrong and apologizes. There are two possible responses: either to accept the apology or not to accept it. Why do we forgive? It is because we are ordinary people. We are not perfect, thus we sin all the time. So is it natural for us to hurt people? Though we may doubt it, the answer is, yes, it is in our human nature to hurt others. Most times, it is unintentional and we may or may not be able to prevent it from happening. Not everyone will forgive, depending on the situation. A grudge is when someone has wronged you and s/he has apologized, but it does not help and you continue to feel angry. Sometimes, you may even want to take revenge. We often have grudges. Adam asked us, "Who thinks that they are a forgiving person?" A couple of people raised their hands. "Will you be able to forgive others?" He gave us examples. In last weeks lesson, God forgave Abraham countless times. And Ben Hur's best friend turned against him and he found it hard to forgive his foe. God tells us to forgive the sinner as many times as it takes in order to make things right. FORGIVE OTHERS. If we forgive others, God will forgive us. It takes a lot of LOVE to forgive, and the Holy Spirit helps us to forgive. We must always keep in mind that God forgives us every time we ask for forgiveness. And just as God forgives us, we must in turn forgive others because the sins that are committed against us are in no comparison to the offenses that we commit against God.
Thank you Adam, for another wonderful lesson. We will be having a Good Friday program next Friday. Hope to see you all there!
April 7th, 2000: Tonight's lesson was the 1st part of a 2 part series of Forgiveness. Tommy Lo taught us about God's forgiveness towards us. Why do we need forgiveness? It is because we are not perfect. When athletes commit crimes, they say, "I am not perfect" and they ask for another chance to redeem themselves. So, what does it mean when someone forgives you even when you hurt them or broke their hearts? The definition of forgive is: to not punish a person for something wrong he or she has done, or to pardon someone for their sins. When we tease, or harm another person in any way, we usually apologize by saying "Sorry!" or "I know what I did was wrong." So how does God forgive us?
We looked in the Old Testament to find the answer. We read Genesis 15:4-6, and Genesis 17:3-7 which is about the covenant that God made with Abraham (then Abram). We then flipped to Exodus 2:23-25, when God hears the Israelites groaning. They are groaning because of slavery and because of their bondage. When God hears their groaning, he remembers his covenant to take care of them. We then read Exodus 6:2-5, Exodus 3:6, and Exodus 3:15-16 which states that God's name shall be remembered from generation to generation. Tommy then told us to turn to Leviticus 4:13-21 and Leviticus 27:31. These two passages talk about sin offering for God. Tommy then explained to us, that God forgave the people in Israel because of His great mercy and grace, and not because we are His people that He created, or because we deserve it. We cannot just say, "O God, forgive me." We must have sacrifices as sin offering. These sacrifices are not cheap. They need not to be just words, but they need to be serious and obligatory (from Vernon). God asks us: "Do you really think you derve my forgiveness?" God does not just want an answer. he wants to see us trying, in effort, and in action.
Do we always know when we sin? No, we often sin unintentionally. It is when we don't purposely sin, or when we just don't realize that we are sinning. God punishes us even if our sin is unintentional. That is why we must ask God for His forgiveness, and often times, it is through prayer. We have to pray to God to ask Him to forgive our sins we know we have committed and our sins that we commit unintentionally. Tommy's 2 points:
1.) Sacrifice itself (sacrifice the best; anything else is unacceptable
