They Warmed My Heart

I am currently conducting a Speech Training Programme in a school in Sengkang. My first class started on March 19, I had such an enjoyable time with these bubbly seven year old children. When I ended my training, a little child asked eagerly: “Ms Jee Fong, are you coming back again?” I was so pleased to hear that. This is what makes my work so interesting and fulfilling. These children truly warmed my heart. I look forward to see them each week.

Heartfelt Thankfulness

On 15th March 2008, I had the opportunity to attend a worship seminar called International School Of Worship (ISOW) by Brendon and Cathie Clancy held at Paya Lebar Methodist Church. It was such a blessing to sit under their ministry. You might want to find out more about them at http://www.theclancys.org/theclancys/index.cfm?id=isow Cathie made a profound statement which brought a timely reminder to me when she said: “Thanksgiving is the door to God’s heart.” When our hearts are overwhelmed by the goodness of our loving God, in gratefulness we begin to declare His great name to people around us.

Monte (my husband) and I are thankful for the opportunity for Monte to minister at the Good Friday service a Chapel of Christ the Redeemer last Friday. We appreciate the pastors and christian leaders that have extended their hands to us in networking and ministry unto the Lord. We continue to entrust God to open more doors to serve Him in any capacity that He desires, whether it be preaching, teaching or other areas of ministry.

Yesterday, I patronized a food stall mended by an elderly woman at a primary school in the vicinity of Bukit Gombak for I was conducting training there. I was pleasantly surprised to see some handwritten words on two separate pieces of paper pasted visibly on the wall in appreciation to those who had patronized her stall. It did not take a long time for my heart to be melted by the tenderness of this dear woman. She understood the true essence of thankfulness.

Why Me?

I am very thankful for the Lord's opened door for me to be on the judging panel of FAME2008. This was an inter-boarding school singing competition for some boarding schools here in Singapore. It was held last night at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Boarding School. Along with me were three other judges. We had a great time together.

When I was first approached to be a judge, I was thinking to myself that maybe someone else who was more qualified could do a better job. When I finally accepted the offer, I felt so honoured and privileged. The competition was so well planned. We spotted some real good talents. I learnt so much through the experience.

This brings back to mind what took place when we were in Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines some years ago. A professor on campus was not able to honour a commitment as something unforeseen had crept up and he asked if I could take it on. When I found out that I have to minister at a worship seminar at an established church, I was hesitant. He could have asked any student in the seminary or the faculty members to stand in for him. Why me? Monte (my husband) encouraged me to go ahead as he felt that I could do it. To cut the long story short, I took on the challenge. It turned out to be a great blessing. I went away encouraged and thankful for God's help, grace and strength because His enablement and empowerment was more than enough for me to accomplish the task.

When God opens the door for us, He graces us with all that is necessary to do the job. In our inadequacy and timidity, we may miss the blessings of the Lord at one time or another. When we step out in faith and confidence in Him, He lifts us up to greater heights. He teaches us new things and opens us to the realm of the supernatural. He accomplished what we are unable to do in the natural in order to show us His goodness and graciousness. Thank you, Lord!

Turn My Heart

Turn My Heart

Turn my Heart, O Lord, like rivers of water
Turn my heart, O Lord, by Your hand
Till my whole life flows
in the river of Your Spirit
And my name brings honour to the Lamb

Lord, I surrender to Your work in me
I rest my life within Your loving hands


When God’s hand rests upon us, we have everything that we ever needed. No person however good or fantastic in this life can ever take His place in our lives. As we surrender our hearts to Him daily, He works wonders in and through us. The pure in heart shall see God in His glory, honour, strength and power. He reveals His heart to us more and more when we choose to allow Him free access to our hearts. We become in tune with His spirit, we begin to hear His voice with increasing clarity. As He takes over our hearts; peace, joy, comfort, hope, courage and love will overflow from us to touch those who need the Lord.

Our Ninth Wedding Anniversary

On 20th Mar 1999, Monte (my husband) and I committed our lives to each other under the Lordship of Jesus in holy matrimony. I have had the best years of my life with Monte. I love and cherish him dearly. God is so good to us. When two of us unite our hearts to love and serve Him, God showers His blessings upon us.

Today, some people are afraid to settle down. They may have immediate family members or friends whose marriage did not work out. For no apparent reason, the crippling fear that it may happen to them haunt them. Some do not dare even to venture into dating someone, while those who are courting may be doubtful of a possibility that things may not work out.

The only solution that is feasible is allowing God to take over. He sovereignly gels the married couple with His love. He shows us the way, He paves the way for us to a long, lasting, fulfilled and loving marriage in Him. He removes all fears and doubts and replace it with faith and hope. The Lord knows that we cannot manage on our own, He offers His help and support every step of the way. There is nothing He cannot do. That is why many couples grow stronger in their love for one another as the years linger on because they have Jesus to lead them on. If you are fearful, release your fears to the Lord and allow Him to have a free hand to lead and guide you.

She Wouldn’t Look Me In The Eye

I thank God for the opportunity to conduct a Speech and Drama training programme in a school in Bishan from January to early October last year. I was there once a week. I had such a wonderful time with some 40 eight year old children.

Among these lovely children, my encounter with a little left an indelible mark on me. When I first took notice of this girl, I realized that she was never able to look me in the eye. I cannot put my finger into the specific reason for that. She could be extremely shy or insecure. Sometimes, I did sense some nervousness in her mannerisms.

As the months went on, I saw her becoming increasingly relaxed. Sometime in September, something happened that brought such joy to my heart. I was awarding some points to the different groups of children for a friendly competition for a segment of the training and for the first time, this little girl stood up and shared how she felt the points could be awarded more fairly. I was startled; she stood up and spoke her mind before the other 39 children. It took a lot of courage to do just that. She made my day. Her confidence level was evidently raised. I saw how she grew as a person. I saw how she came out of her shell and shone brightly.

All Glory Goes To Him

As God’s servants, we need to be extra careful with the area of ministry He has entrusted to us. Particularly, for people who have access to the pulpit, for those who are in the limelight most of the time. We need to constantly posture our hearts towards the Lord and not allow pride to creep in.

A few years ago, Monte (my husband) and I received news of a prominent minister of God overseas had fallen into sin. He is a good person by nature. We were blessed by his ministry. However, one area that stood out in him was that he had a tendency to brag about the great achievements he had attained in the ministry. The success got to his head. Pride ruined his life and ministry. We pray that God will touch him and restore him back to the ministry again.

After a powerful time of ministry, the man or woman of God needs to come back to base camp so as to speak. We need to be reminded over and over again that God is the one who has flowed through our life and ministry. It is never because of us for He can use anyone to fulfill a given task. However, He has chosen us to receive His blessing and to be His channel and instrument. Ministers of the gospel who love and fear the living God know the importance of giving all the glory back to Him. If we covet that which only belongs to Him alone, we are exposing ourselves to great danger.

Upbringing Matters

As we approach Good Friday, let us reflect on how we treat our maids. Recently, after completing training in a primary school, I ran into a little nine or ten year old girl. She was talking to her maid in a stern voice saying: “Late.” Obviously her maid must have been late in picking her up from school, but what saddens me was the attitude she had displayed towards an adult. Her rude behaviour was atrocious. If this bad behaviour is left unchecked, it will affect her adversely when she enters adulthood and work life or even thereafter.

Some of our children are so fortunate to have a maid to serve them at home. The maid is at their beck and call. I am not surprised that some parents will not allow their children to lift a finger to chip in in housework since the maid can handle everything. So much so that even when they need a drink of water, their maids are there to serve them. In essence, some of our children become little ‘emperors’ and ‘empresses’ at home. I dread to think of the next generation that will emerge. Will they be compassionate, caring, responsible and considerate? It is the duty and responsibility of every parent to inculcate good attitudes like respect, honour, kindness and the list goes on.

Earlier on, I mentioned that I was disturbed by the little girl’s rudeness to her maid but my next encounter brought a breath of fresh air to the scene. A few weeks ago, I witness a spat between a teenager and her mum on the MRT train. The teenager was upset with her mum because she felt that her mum was not treating the maid. Well. This was met by her mum’s strong disagreement. I do not know enough to comment a lot here but I was touched by the teenager’s care for her maid. She was willing to stand up for what she knew was right to say enough at the expense of her mother’s wrath.

Tinted Glasses

When we see through tinted glasses, we will not see objects in their original colours. For instance, if we are using purple lens, everything we see is purplish. In the spiritual sense, sometimes we see people through tinted glasses. We add on our own preconceived ideas, prejudices, critical judgments and biasness.

The Pharisees came strutting in in their religious garbs judging and criticizing incessantly. Jesus, full of compassion and love treated people with love, honour and respect. The Pharisees were seizing every opportunity to condemn people. But Jesus was releasing and setting people free in His love.

If we are seeing through tinted glasses, may the Lord replace them with crystal clear lenses. Seeing through the eyes of Jesus compels us to love and care for the lost and dying. People who desperately need the touch of God. May we be His instrument and channel to reach out to those who are seeking the truth. For their emptiness and void can only be filled by our merciful God and Father.

Siamese Twins

Praise and prayer, worship and intercession cannot be separated. They are intertwined, just like a pair of Siamese twins. Very often in times of prayer and prayer, we break out into spontaneous praise and worship. Many years ago, while I was in a prayer meeting, a Christian leader mentioned how powerful it would be if the prayer and worship ministry should come together as one.  This is certainly an formidable force to reckon with. The forces of darkness will be pushed back while the dominion and power of God will be unleashed in full impact.

Growing Dependency

It is every parent’s nightmare should their children for one reason or another continue to be dependant on them as they graduate from childhood, to their teenage years and finally into adulthood. Some time ago, I came across a newspaper article featuring some young adults who are getting money from their parents although they were at the age where they should be able to fend and provide for themselves.

One of the greatest paradox in our walk with God is that as we grow and mature in the Lord, we become more dependant on Him contrary to the dependency between the earthly parents and their children. There is absolutely no way we can make it in life on our own strength. We may pride ourselves and think highly of our earthly achievements and attainments, but if we are honest with ourselves, we know that all that we have and possess comes from God. He gives and He takes away. The high and mighty today may one day be the down and outs or the outcasts of society.

In the early 90’s, a director that I worked for in a Christian organization fell and he was charged for some wrongdoings and landed in prison. People looked up to him, the staff members and his family respected him. However, the sad thing happened and he had to face the consequences of his wrongdoing. I do not think that he fell suddenly, but rather, it was a gradual process of falling away for deception led to his destruction. I do not know if he is back in the fold though I am aware that he has been released from prison. May the Lord minister to him wherever he is now.

Clipped Wings

If the wings of a bird is clipped, it cannot fly freely. When we are stagnant in our walk with the Lord, we are like birds with clipped wings. Some of us are held back by fear, discouragement or apathy. Maybe people or things in life may have crowded God out of our lives. We do not experience the power and love of God. We do know what it means to step out into the water. We will not feel what it is like to soar like the eagle in the sky when God carries us by the wind of His spirit. We miss the wonders and miracles that unfold when we step out in faith to love and serve the Lord.

The vibrancy of a Christian life is experienced when we abandon themselves completely to the will and purpose of God. And God in His goodness saved us and blessed us with every spiritual blessing from on high. He nourishes and fortifies us. He wants to set us free from our own prisons. He wants to set our hearts free to love and worship Him without reservation. He wants us to live in the light of His glory and grace all the days of our lives. He pours His blessings on us and grant us perfect liberty.

Swinging Moods

People who are by nature creative like musicians, artists, writers or people in advertising, fashion, the media and creative arts are more prone to mood swings. For this reason, these people will need to pay special attention in this area.

The psalmist David constantly bore his heart to the Lord. He had times of great joy and times of despair but he went before the Lord at all times. Even when he sinned against God, he went directly to God in repentance.  He did not allow his emotions to get a hold of him and he triumphed in victory through the crises and challenges he faced at every juncture.

Vocal Training Workshop on December 15, 2007

My last vocal training workshop was held on December 15, 2007. I had a wonderful time with the participants. I have been training with individuals or groups at different times. One thing is for sure, I will never get tired of vocal training. As I train, I continue to grow and learn through each opportunity that comes my way. Every participant and trainee is a blessing from the Lord.

Cruel To The Core

In the 1990's, while I was on a ministry trip with the worship ministry in a third world country, I saw one of the saddest things in my life. On a free day, my fellow ministry members and I were visiting a famous fort. At the entrance, we saw many maimed and handicapped children begging. To my horror, I learnt that some of these children were actually born normal; they were maimed by their family members like their parents or caregivers. By doing so, they use them to beg because they were so poor. I shudder to think of such an inhumane act of destruction. So brutal and heartless. How on earth can a human being commit such an act of brutality to another?

Here in Singapore, we have had cases of parents who kill their children before committing suicide. These parents may think that they were doing their kids a favour, they may be worried that their children would suffer if they were not be around to take care of them. However, they committed murder because they have no reason to take away another life even if they were their own flesh and blood.

More Love, More Power

Lord, we want more of You in our lives. Nothing in this world can ever replace You. Fill us, mould us, shape us, restore and refine us for we need You more with each new day. As we journey with You, You show us Your greatness and awesomeness in increasing measure. How deep and strong is Your great love, Lord. Help us to be steadfast in You just like the trees that are planted by the streams of water. Teach us Your way and lead us on in Your strength and power. May we be more like You so that when others see us they will know that we have been with Jesus.

More Love More Power

More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life

I will worship You with all of my heart
I will worship You with all of my mind
I will worship You with all of my strength
For You are my Lord, You are my Lord

I will seek Your face with all of my heart
I will seek Your face with all of my mind
I will seek Your face with all of my strength
For You are my Lord, You are my Lord

So Thoughtful

On February 28, I had just completed training in a Storey Telling programme to a primary three class at a school in Yio Chu Kang. I am privileged to get to know little Daren. At the end of class each week while most children would leave to go home, he would ensure all the chairs and tables in the classroom were all in place. The amazing thing is that no one asked him to do so. He did it on his own initiative. He is not a 19 year old boy, he is only nine years old.

Last year, I was so touched by another boy by the name of Benson in a reputable school in Bishan where I was conducting a Speech and Drama programme for close to ten months. Little Benson would be the first student who would asked me if I needed help whenever he saw me struggling with a little too much to carry besides my bags. He would asked eagerly: "Ms Jee Fong, can I help you?" He was only eight years when I was training him last year.

As I pen down my thoughts on these two little wonderful children, my heart is overwhelmed by their exceeding thoughtfulness and kindness. I will remember them for a long, long time.

In the course of my work, the Lord opens my eye to see the beautiful things in life. He speaks to me through people, the environment, things and the circumstances we go through daily.

Authentic Or Artificial

In my encounter with Christian leaders over the years, I realized that what draws me to a good leader is not so much whether he or she is full of charisma, eloquent or has excellent bible knowledge. Apart from loving God and loving people, one area which stands out strongly is that of the leader’s willingness to be vulnerable, to be real and transparent. Like everyone of us, they have good and bad times and they are not afraid to share their struggles and challenges to the people who are under them so that they are covered with prayers, They modeled by their lives. The impact of these authentic leaders are strong and far reaching. Under their leadership, we fully comprehend what it means to know that though we are weak, we are strong in the Lord for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

In reality, many leaders tend to be afraid to expose their weaknesses to their charges. They fall into the trap of having to put on their best front at all times and in all occasions. Mentoring and discipleship becomes a form and ultimately lose their effectiveness and impact.

Not A Care In The World

Look at our feline friends! Without a care in the world, they linger in slumber land no matter where they go. Sometimes even in crowded places, you may catch some of them in deep sleep. If only we can learn from these creatures, we will not be bogged down with all our worries which sapped away our energy. The loving hand of God is upon all of His children who put their complete trust in Him because He will never fail.

Training With The People's Association

I am so thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to partner with the People’s Association (PA). Their website is http://www.pa.gov.sg/

With effect from May 23, 2007, I have been accepted as a PA registered trainer in Recreational Karaoke Folk Singing (English).

He Refused To Budge

Lately I have been having problem getting Mickey home whenever I bring him out for a walk. It happened again on Thursday, February 2I. As usual, I was walking Mickey at the surrounding area near Bukit Panjang Plaza. As I was trying to get him to go home, he just refused to budge. He stared right through me and for that moment I saw such defiance and stubbornness on his pudgy little face. If Mickey could speak, I believe he must be saying: “So what can you do to me if I do not want to move.” As I kept trying to cajole him, he absolutely refused to cooperate with me. Finally, I had to get help and I made an SOS call to Monte. In this post, you can see Mickey soaking in every moment near the taxi stand outside Bukit Panjang Plaza while we were waiting patiently for Monte to come. Mickey is out of this world.

Secret Place

God calls us into the heart of the forest. He calls us to His living streams. He beckons us to linger by the riverbanks. He invites us to enter into His secret place.

In our busy and hectic lives, we can easily be swept away by the tide of life. We get distracted easily. The television, the newspapers, the magazines, the books, shopping, dining, recreation are luring us every corner we turn. The ever burgeoning social media platforms clamour for our attention endlessly.

The Lord beckons: "Come away with me!" He draws us into His inner chambers. He leads us to flowing streams and still water. He desires to fellowship with us. He desires to reveal His thoughts to us. He longs to share His heart with us.

We desperately need to be alone with Him. A place of solitude, a place of tranquility.  Precious moments where we still our hearts before the Lord.  The only voice that will be ringing loud and clear comes from our loving Father. He is with us in every season of our lives. He walks with us every step of the way.