SINGAPORE, 21 NOVEMBER 2008 — HOW DID BARACK Obama overcome a nation’s history, racial divides and social beliefs to become the first African American president of the United States of America?

The answer to that question was given by Dr AR Bernard in his illuminating message this morning. The answer is “Providence” — when God interrupts the natural, sequential order of life to cause something to happen that would not ordinarily happen in the natural sequence of life.

The key to Obama’s victory was not his wisdom, his charisma or even his excellent campaign. Rather, it was the finger of God intervening in human affairs and time to create the perfect set of conditions to usher him into the White House.

Dr Bernard taught that this set of conditions is not within the control of man, but is a Kairos moment, a moment in history when there is a collective sense of deeply meaningful change in the air. The Kairos moment, together with Metanoia (a radical change in mind and consciousness causing people to do what they previously would never have considered or done, such as vote for a non-white person) was what led to Obama’s win.

“And if it can happen for a nation,” Dr Bernard emphasized, “it can happen for a family, a business or an individual’s life too.” If we can learn to be sensitized to the moving of God and recognize it around us, we too can experience a Kairos moment in our life.

Dr Bernard also revealed the key to carrying the Cultural Mandate in the world successfully. In the same way we put on warm layers when we go out in the cold, the key to being in the world and not of it is insulation, which prevents the environment from having an effect on our body. In the same way, strong spiritual disciplines serve to keep philosophies that are against God’s ways out of our lives, and keep our spiritual principles — which preserve our holiness — in.

With insulation comes penetration, which takes place when we have all the qualifying factors for our environment which enable us to enter a position where we can stealthily begin to live out the supernatural in our life and have an impact on those around us.

PHOTOS: Elvis Chiu, Edmund Ong, Maggie Chng, Teo Boon Hwee

Truly, eyes were opened and revelations received as Dr Bernard brought our knowledge of the Cultural Mandate and God’s moving in our day and age to the next level. Stay tuned for the Grand Finale on Sunday night to hear more from this man, whom God is using mightily in the world today!

SINGAPORE, 20 NOVEMBER 2008 — ANTICIPATION WAS IN the air as a sizeable crowd gathered in Hall 8 for the finals of ‘The Brainiest Family’ contest, the only unique gameshow competition in the Asia Conference that involves both parents and children working together as a team.

After numerous rounds, the finalists were narrowed down to three families comprising three family members each, who were all ready to pit their skills against each other in several different categories, namely, General Knowledge, Bible Knowledge, Spelling Bee and the Scripture Memory, otherwise known as Word Power.

As the families worked their way through the different categories, they had to answer every single question correctly in order to work their way to the top and win the title of the “Brainiest Family.”

Many of the questions, such as ‘Which language does the acronym RSVP originate from?’, quoting from memory the Bible verse Malachi 3:10, and spelling out words such as ‘epopee’ and ‘demurrage,’ were rather challenging. The three teams could use up to three available lifelines — the 50/50 option that eliminated two incorrect options, the option to ‘call a friend’ for help as well as the choice of polling the audience.

PHOTOS: Alvin Loh

The atmosphere in the air was tense as the audience waited with bated breath for the families to consider the questions and decide on their answers. Audible sighs of relief were heard as correct answers were given and the families moved on the next levels. However, two families were ultimately eliminated, leaving John Lim and his two children emerging as champions of the competition, and crowned as the Brainiest Family of Asia Conference.

SINGAPORE, 19 NOVEMBER 2008 — BEING A GOOD personal assistant to your Pastor is no ordinary job.

That was the takeaway for participants at the elective “Being a Good Personal Assistant to the Pastor”, conducted by Jacqueline Tan. Known widely to the church as the wife of Tan Ye Peng, Tan served for 17 years as a fulltime church staff member, with 10 of those as Personal Assistant (PA) to the Senior Pastor of City Harvest Church, Kong Hee.

The seminar served to bust many conventional perceptions of PAs and secretaries.

In her 40-minute speech, over and above giving advice on administrative skills, Tan emphasized heavily several beliefs and attitudes that are essential to being an effective assistant and helper to one’s pastor. With the right belief system, said Tan, one will have the right attitudes, which will lead to excellent and effective performance in one’s job. This is extremely important as a job is a calling from God. Tan shared that a PA may be seen as merely an assistant, but it is a job not to be belittled.

Said Tan: “As a PA of the Pastor, even the tone that you use to reply emails on behalf of Pastor will reflect on him, as well as give the recipient an impression of your church.”

She also highlighted the crucial role of administration in the church, instilling the principle that administration is as important and spiritual as preaching and teaching, and is an element of the church that should never be downplayed or overlooked.

“Administration supports how far the ministry goes, how far and how much members can grow.”
Despite the fact that she is no longer serving Kong as a PA, Tan’s passion for her former job was apparent as she shared how there was a joy that came when one has worked hard and helped to bring a vision, such as the organization of the Asia Conference, to pass.

PHOTOS: Richard Cheng

All in, Tan enlightened the crowd on the true role of a PA to the Pastor: being someone instrumental in bringing the pastor’s visions and dreams for the church into reality, streamlining the running of the church and helping to strengthen the church.

17 October 2008 marked the second The Edge meeting as more than 1,800 young people from eight different zones congregated at Jurong West Church Auditorium for “The Great Makeover”, a night of thrills.

As the doors opened, youths decked out in their funkiest outfits and grooviest accessories streamed into the auditorium, turning their attention to the specially constructed runway in the centre of the floor.

The event kicked off with a pre-party at 6.30pm that gave the young people a chance to perform their talents. Fourteen-year-old Rachel performed a soulful rendition of Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and an Indonesian band warmed up the crowd with two numbers. The Edge Dance Crew also made their debut appearance with an electrifying dance item.

The vision of the youth pastors and zone supervisors for this monthly youth meeting is to provide a platform for youth to share their talents and express their creativity.

Says Pastor Wu Yuzhuang: “Even if their standard is not high enough for them to play in the main service, here at The Edge they will have an opportunity to share their talents and perform.”

The Edge aims to overcome traditional expectations of what church is supposed to be like, yet at the same time not compromise on the spiritual aspect.

There was also a “Mr and Ms Edge” competition held as 16 models from each of the participating zones went through a complete makeover and took the stage to strut their stuff for the judges, Jacelyn Tay and Rev. Tan Ye Peng.

Despite the fact that none of the contestants were professional models, every single one still exuded confidence and glamour. It was not easy to single out two winners but eventually Julian Lee, representing Pastor Audrey Ng’s zone, emerged with the title of “Mr Edge” and Stephanie Surya, from Rev. Aries Zulkarnain’s zone was named “Ms Edge”.

PHOTOS: Kenneth / Xavier Tan

Jacelyn was then invited onstage for a short interview with emcee Wayne Choong. The audience was awed to hear her share about her background and experiences of setting up her very own health spa business, as well as writing two books.

Pastor Yuzhuang took to the stage to share a message about the importance of having a healthy self-image before one can look attractive on the outside. His point was that people can only be changed from the inside out. The pointers he shared on how to improve one’s self image were valuable and practical.

All in all, The Edge proved to be a thrilling youth event that captured the audience’s attention and left them wanting more. It was an opportunity for the youth to see for themselves how they can be relevant to their generation, yet living life God’s way. Certainly, they will be looking forward to the next The Edge meeting in December titled “The Great Exchange”.

Jahan Loh experienced art at a young age, and he hasn’t turned from it since.

The talented and adventurous artist, who is currently based in Taipei, boasts an array of vibrant and energetic works ranging from paintings and graffiti art to sculpture and 3D animation, and more.

A native Singaporean, he received his Bachelor’s degree from La Salle College of the Arts in Singapore and graduated with a Master’s degree in Design from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

He received the Singapore Press Holdings Fine Arts Scholarship in 1996, and went on to win the first Nokia Arts Award in 1999, as well as the TIAF Taipei Special Award in 2005. He has held a joint exhibition with Crashone at the Esplanade in Singapore, and he has also exhibited in Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.

He recently exhibited his works at ARTSingapore 2008, an art fair held from 10 to 13 October at Suntec City , which showcased art from all over the world.

Jahan shares with City News his inspiration and the evolution of his art over time.

When and how did you start painting?
I started drawing when I was two years old with crayons and paints, so I guess that was the start.

What forms of art do you specialize in, other than painting? Which do you prefer the most and can you tell us why?
I do art in many different mediums, as I do not believe that we should restrict our expression to just acrylic, crayons and watercolor. In this modern day and age, media such as computer animation also serve as contemporary tools for our expression.

What or who is your art influenced and inspired by?
My art back then was driven by a lot of negative energies, but recently in August, after an exhibition at the 8Q (Singapore Art Museum), I was hard hit by God. Through my walk of finding God, my inspiration came through visions and prayers, and all the negativity that drove my art was changed.

How has your art evolved over time?
I guess every series of paintings that I do reflects my mental or spiritual state. Energies get transferred to the canvas when I paint, and I think more positive messages are coming through.

What are you working on currently and where are you based at the moment?
I have been based in Taipei for almost six years, and I am hoping to relocate back to Singapore next year. I am working on a few projects, one of them being the cover for the ‘Asia for Jesus’ magazine, and a new series of paintings and sculptures called ‘Babylonian Dreaming’, for my first solo art show in the ‘798 Art Space’ in Beijing.

PHOTOS: Jahan Loh

What is the meaning behind the image you created for the ‘Asia for Jesus’ magazine?
That image is a walk with God. Often along the way, even though we know the path, the road is not easy and smooth as the devil has laid many traps and temptations designed to bring us down. I drew that image the way I did because [it is] at ground level [where] you can have a perspective of how truly high and mighty God is, and he is symbolized in that drawing as the Holy Trinity.

What are some of the more notable companies and figures you have worked with? What about the exhibitions you have held around the world?
I worked with companies like: Vans, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Vestax, Sony and several Asian entertainers like Vanness Wu, Machi, JJ Lin, Edison Chen. I [have] exhibited in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Taipei, Thailand, Beijing, Glasgow, Taipei, Korea and Singapore.

Tell us more about the exhibition of your works recently showcased at ARTSingapore 2008. How is it different from your previous works?
The art I showed at ARTSingapore was done after a very life-changing experience this September in Taipei. I was baptized in the spirit by Pastor Johnathan Chow, Pastor Philip Mantofa and Pastor Jaeson Ma after I was possessed by an evil spirit. After this experience, I had visions and a new kind of energy which took over my expression. Everything from themes, expression, concepts in these new pieces was a breakthrough from my older art. I think you can see my past art in the 8Q museum which will run till 2009.

What is the one outstanding experience or project you have encountered which left a deep impression on you and why is this so?
I think the experience I had in Taipei, as I think my eyes were really opened.

What is your motive and vision in painting? What do you aim to accomplish through it?
I think there are many different messages in my art, but most of it is how I grew as a person, and I hope that my art will inspire the people who see it and set them thinking.

Who do you attribute your success to?
God. He has been watching over me and keeping me out of harm’s way even when I did not know it.

What are some of the challenges you face as an artist and how do you overcome them?
I think that a main challenge is getting out of institutions like schools and museums and getting my art into the marketplace. Whether my art is good or bad is subjected to the demands of the art market and it’s a real challenge to get people to believe and appreciate my art. I think the main thing is to persevere.

How do you feel about the arts scene in Singapore and in what areas do we still have room to grow in, compared to the global arts scene?
Singapore is a very young nation and we are still searching for what defines our cultural identity as a nation. I think that we are slowly getting there as long as there continues to be support for the local art scene.

What projects and plans do you have coming up in the future?
The art show in the ‘798 Art Space’ in Beijing and revamping my website www.ja-han.com

For the first time in Singapore, movie-goers were actually encouraged to send out SMSes during a movie!

But these were no ordinary SMSes; these were text messages children sent to their parents to express their love and appreciation.

These text messages were projected on screens during a very special movie screening of Jack Neo’s latest film, Money No Enough 2, which was attended by 4,000 people at Singapore Expo Hall 8 on 24 August. The event was jointly organized by City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA) and youth organization *scape, with the support of Raintree Pictures.

In conjunction with the movie, which emphasised on family values in today’s generation, the purpose of this event was to promote filial piety and encourage people to cherish their families more.

Although the screening was due to start at 2.30pm, by 1.30pm a long queue of excited viewers was snaking from the doors of Hall 8 all the way down the walkways to Foyer 3, about 500 metres away.

To promote filial piety, many of them proudly wore the “Not Just A Name“ T-shirt, which was specially designed for the event. The phrase “Not Just A Name” was taken from a song in the movie, which said the word “Mother” was nothing more than a name.

The audience comprised people of all ages and from all walks of life, including youth, parents and many elderly who were specially bused down to participate in the event.

The movie touched the hearts of the audience, drawing many tears as the audience followed the struggles of the three Yang brothers to overcome financial crisis, and care for their elderly, self-sacrificing mother.

Aside from the movie screening, the audience was treated to guest appearances by director Jack Neo, as well as cast members Henry Thia, Lin Ru Ping, Zhu Ling Ling, Vivian Lai and Natalli, some of whom sang on stage as well.

PHOTOS: CHCSA

The Mayor of the South West District, Dr Amy Khor, who graced the event, expressed the importance of not taking one’s parents for granted and urged participants to send out an SMS to their parents to express their love to them.

As Money No Enough 2 so aptly reinforced, even when we are facing tough financial situations and various challenges in life, the value of our family should never be forgotten.