But what to do? I need ideas and wisdom.

We took time out that night to have a little Ice Creamer at the Daily Scope.

She loves it. Me too.

Firstly it’s the Day of Independence of Israel as a nation, 2ndly, it’s my beloved Pastor’s birthday! And lastly, I’ll be serving in Main Service for the very first time!

I am deeply honored and humbled by Abba Daddy’s grace and unmerited favor on me and acceleration even in the ministry. I was suppose to only serve in June, but because of the impending Vesak day holidays, a few of the guitarists had last minute travel plans and I was available to serve and praise God, that was how I was given the privilege to serve not just for 3rd and 4th service, but 1st and 2nd too!

I’m real excited because it has always been my dream to serve as a guitarist in church. I never dared to even envision myself serving on stage, but it happened last year for GenRev and this weekend, I get to serve and support the greatest pastor on earth. What a Privilege!

As I look back, God has been unfairly good to me. I feel so loved. His love for me is demonstrated on the cross where Jesus died for me, but for Him to even grant the unspoken wishes in my heart, I am indeed so grateful.

Two weeks ago as I was preparing for ZLM worship, I was reminded of Romans 8:32 which says

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

I read a commentary on that passage and it said “He who gave the greater, will not withhold the lesser”.

I thought to myself that it’s actually “He who gave the Greatest, will not withhold the lesser” indeed the Father gave His greatest gift, His Son for me, how shall He not, with Jesus also, Freely give me all things? To give me health, financial blessings, peace, good days, blessed marriage etc…

So I am real excited for the rehearsal tonight and the services on Sunday. To play on Pastor’s bday and Israel’s bday too just tops it off and I dun think I’ll ever forget this date.

God loves us and knows our desires which sometimes even our hearts don’t dare to conceive.

15th May is a very special day indeed.

May Jesus receive all the honour that He’s due.

Excited!

From Tommy Walker to Tommy Emmanuel and now Lincoln Brewster, I’m getting really excited about improving my guitar playing.

“I cannot be anything I want to be. But I can be everything God wants me to be.”

- Max Lucado

I’m excited to be able to serve in church soon and to be rehearse in the same room with some of the best singers and musicians in Singapore is really a humbling experience.

Therefore I desire to play skilfully before the Lord and to recognize that it’s no longer my dreams for me, but to live out His dreams for me.

I’ve always had a penchant for buying tons of things on impulse, but I do notice that this strong desire happens when I meditate, imagine and focus on what I can do with whatever that is exciting me. At times it could be soccer, at times movies, at times games, at times the Word and at times guitar playing.

This brings me to a really important truth in God’s word.

Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

What have I been setting my heart and mind on? Is it kingdom-worthy? Or is it introspective and self-serving?

I cannot remove worry by thinking it away. But worry dissipates when I think of Christ’s supply. The more hopeless the situation, the more likely the salvation right?

But I digress again….

I’m excited because my Lincoln Brewster DVD is coming soon!!! It should arrive in Singapore within 2-3 business days according to the website. Well, I think I will take it easy to learn it one at a time. If I have too many things all at one go, I usually don’t cope well with it and end up not maximising the learning journey.

Well, check these out!

Lincoln Brewster’s long anticipated Instructional DVD for guitar is finally here! Sit down for a private guitar lesson with Lincoln Brewster, former lead guitarist for Steve Perry (Journey) and chart topping CCM solo artist.
Lincoln offers a step by step, in-depth look into guitar technique and soloing. With everything from tuning to note-by-note explanation of his solos, Lincoln gives great insight so you can take your guitar playing to the next level.
On this volume Lincoln discusses and demonstrates:
* exercises
* hammer-ons and pull-offs
* bending and vibrato
* soloing technique
* improvisational philosophy
* stylistic approach to soloing
Beyond that, Lincoln also unpacks his signature solos and rhythm parts in a note-by-note method so you can play some of his most popular tunes like:
Everlasting God
Let the Praises Ring
All to You
Another Hallelujah
Special features on the DVD feature multi-camera angles, with "Fret Cam" and "Picking Cam" all shot in 1080i High Definition (HD) and nearly 3 hours long!

Join chart topping CCM artist Lincoln Brewster for a private guitar lesson as he continues his up close and personal approach to electric guitar. In Volume Two of his acclaimed 1 on 1 series, you’ll enjoy nearly 3 1/2 hours of instruction as Lincoln dives deeper into his playing style and philosophy, picking up where he left off in Volume One. Lincoln continues to give great insight into a variety of techniques so that you can take your guitar playing to the next level.
Filmed close-up, in multi-camera, high definition, Lincoln explores and explains:
Warm-ups and Exercises
Legato and Staccato Technique
Modes… and how to apply them
Scale Patterns
Knowing and Linking the Entire Neck
More of Lincoln’s Signature Riffs
Composing Solos
In addition, Lincoln also unpacks more of his signature solos and rhythm parts in a note-by-note method so you can play some of his most popular songs like:
Today Is the Day
God You Reign
Give Him Praise
Let Your Glory Shine
So grab your guitar and get ready to go 1 on 1 with Lincoln Brewster!
Running Time:
208 minutes (3 Hours and 28 Minutes)

“God will not let you go.

He has handcuffed Himself to you in love.

And He owns the only key.”

- Max Lucado

The Mayonnaise Jar (Extracted from a chain email)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough;
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And start to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
It into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
And poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with an unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things – God, family, children,
health, friends, and favourite passions.
Things that if everything else was lost
And only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else — The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued,
‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are
Important to you.

So…
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
To clean the house and fix the dripping tap.
‘Take care of the golf balls first —
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand..’

One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
‘I’m glad ! You asked’.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

My new-now-ex-colleague joined the company in middle April and I just got news that he was asked to leave and that was last week’s news. No wonder I haven’t seen him around the past 2 days. Shocking is the word to describe it.

I always used the term “A career-ending move” to describe when someone makes a faux pas so MAJOR that it leads to the immediate demise of that person’s career. Sadly, I can find no such gaffe which justifies his abrupt departure and that only strengthens the sense of injustice everyone must be feeling right now.

He wasn’t outstanding as a worker but he was very dedicated. Extremely hardworking in trying to get to gripes with the system. Perhaps my anger also stems from having poured time and effort in training him, sharing the company’s philosophy and HR policies to him and in barely less than 2 months, he was asked to leave. Is that fair?

Is it fair to expect a person to perform in less than 2 months? I am sure even the best took some time to get use to the industry, adjust to the culture before being able to perform.

In a way, I am happy for that colleague as I’m sure he will find a better job elsewhere, bosses that will appreciate him.

“Father, bless him and grant him favour in his new work place. May he not get just a job, but a position. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Even though my company employs a “Hire and Fire” policy and I have seen, in my short tenure here, more than 10 people from various departments leaving, often not of their choice; I still feel an extreme feeling of sadness and regret whenever one leaves and a sense of betrayal by the company.

Surely, you are blinded to the repercussions of such a hasty decision and have failed to see how this would affect staff morale and shake loose any inclination to be loyal to the company SINCE you are absolutely unscrupulous and heartless in trimming head count, treating them as they are but just a mere statistic with total disregard to their emotional and financial situation. Therefore, I won’t be surprise if what you do unto others, be done back unto you.

Over time, wounds heal and raw emotions give way to indifference and apathy. I rationalise that this is the right place to be in because I don’t want to disappoint my bosses. And sometimes when I get this kind of reality checks, it only serves to strengthen my resolve to leave. And I will.

Naturally I would assume the American made series to be of the best quality as well as greatest potential for its value to increase in the future. But generally I tend to keep things rather than sell them away so what I’m looking out for is quality first and foremost.

If I were to buy a new Electric Guitar, I would definitely buy the American made. What else? I saw a Fender off a local online guitar shop www.bgwguitars.com that had good reviews on it. Furthermore the price of their guitars seem pretty competitive except that I’m not sure where I can test the guitar. All it says on their website is their store is at Boon Keng Mrt which doesn’t really seem correct.

In any case, here’s a picture of the guitar and its specifications and price taken off the website (All copyrights to www.bgwguitars.com btw):

Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS
Brand new Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS in Sunburst with maple fingerboard. Fender hardcase and all case candies included. Price: SGD$1650.

Specifications
- Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint
- Glossed neck front with satin back
- Staggered Tuning Machines
- 2 single-coil pickups in the front and middle
- Humbucker at the bridge
- Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
- Bent steel Fender saddles
- Copper Infused Cast Strat® Bridge Block for Increased Mass and Improved Tone
- Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
- American 2-point trem
- Rosewood or maple fretboard
- Fender SKB hardshell case, cable, strap, and polishing cloth

Although I would have preferred the guitar to be in White finish, I am fine with the Sunburst colour. I think I’ll check out some guitar stores in Peninsular tomorrow during lunch. *Rubs hands in glee*

And start saving for it.