Sunday
Tiring tiring day.
The result of sleeping late and waking up early, rushing to SMC from COGS, rushing to COGS from SMC, playing football in the hot sun, then playing table tennis shortly after.
Anyway, I have no regrets sleeping late last night (or more like this morning). I watched Liverpool defeat the hapless Mancs 1-0. Danny Murphy shall henceforth be our default penalty taker. Of course, it was double the pleasure, as I was watching it alongside Matt the Big, supporter of the hapless Mancs. Also, to rub it in, he was wearing his Man U van Nistelrooy jersey, AND HE DIDN'T PLAY! Muhaha I'm SO evil...
Anyway, this morning I went to COGS for service. Was the cross-bearer, fairly routine. Sermon was on the unity of the church, unity in holiness. After service rushed down to SMC for worship band prac.
Played piano for SMC AY today. Only 5 songs, but led by Andrew the Captain, siong enough. Things started off with a blistering Better Than Life. Could feel the spirit moving in the room. Then slowed down after that with We All Bow Down, then the new song Always, then Be Glorified, and finally More Than Life. I must say worship was good today, really brought the congregation to worship, while the band was able to worship as well. After that, we had a guest speaker. He spoke on the topic of Servanthood. Really really good sermon. The bible verses cut straight to the heart (even though not in terms of the topic...), and the teaching was very sound and solid. The gist of the sermon is that you've got to have a relationship with God before you serve, otherwise it's not for God. Also you need to ask God what He wants you to do, otherwise you're not fulfilling God's will. What really struck me was that you need to give up the things most important to you and put God first in your life (Luke 9:57-62), otherwise, you labour in vain, for you will labour for your own selfish ambition. In other words, I must let go. It's going to be hard. Very hard. But it has to be done. Hopefully if I seek Him and His kingdom first, I will be given it back, but I've got to rough this patch out first. Anyway, the sermon was so good I stayed behind until after prayer before I rushed off to COGS.
Amazingly, I wasn't late. Changed into my Liverpool jersey and Valencia shorts and boots and waited for the matches to start. Only Joshua the Soloist and I were in jerseys. I felt SO out of place. Next time, I'm wearing my PE shirt...Talking about next time, we'll be mentioning that a LOT in this paragraph. The lower secondary match was rather tight. We let in an early goal, but we scored a late equaliser to force the game into extra time. The scores were still even after extra time, so it was a 1-1 draw. We'll be having a rematch next time. Then, next was our match. To put it simply, it was horrible. Our defence barely even existed. We left the keeper exposed a LOT. We were conceding like crazy. Meanwhile, I wasn't much help upfront. I played HORRIBLY today. Rarely even got a touch of the ball. My shooting was wayward. I had no control over the ball whatsoever. Earned a few corners, that's about it. The second half was better for me, worse for the team. Joshua the Soloist...let's just say there was an incident regarding him and a certain Nathan from YE. So in the second half, he was reduced to ramming balls from half-field over the goal, while I, desperate for something to do, was busy turning my marker inside out. Really worked him out in the second half. Then, it happened...a cross came in from my right and I outran my marker, and I was one-on-one with the goalkeeper with the ball right in front of me...and I missed the ball...I wrongfooted myself and missed the ball totally with my right foot. I felt AWFUL. I spurned my team's best chance. If anyone in the team is reading this, I take full responsibility for our loss. I'm really really really really really sorry. Man, it's awful missing a chance like that...anyway, we lost 6-1, also due in no small part to some foul play by YE. It's OK. We'll get our chance next time. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." -Romans 12:19. YE better watch out next time.
Anyway, after our loss, I spent some time reflecting on the disaster. The first and most significant thing I noticed about our loss was the most vital...we forgot God. We didn't pray before the match. His presence wasn't with us. We were playing with our own strength. We were playing without the One who does miracles. We MUST NOT forget next time. This is imperitive. I can't believe we forgot the most important thing. Anyway, enough about that. We move on to tactics. YE played like this...they defend in numbers, then attack on the break. We should play like that too. Defend when we don't have possession, have someone with a lot of speed and stamina (striker) apply pressure on whoever has the ball. He may not be successful most of the time, but when he does, he should have a clear run at goal and we should be rewarded with the goal. The rest just defend. They get the ball, punt to space. Also players should look for space. If they (the opponents) are concentrated on the left and there's space on the right, right back run up. If concentrated on the right and space on the left, left back run up. If concentrated on the wings, lone striker stay up. If concentrated in the centre/not concentrated, push them to the wings. If ball is too far behind lone striker/chaser, man-mark and close them down. I also suggest we confirm the date for the next time ASAP so we can choose our players beforehand so we can train accordingly. The way we are training now is so so wrong. Ramming isn't bad, it just doesn't have a place in the kind of game we have to play in such a small field. We need to train one touch shots and long through balls, as well as pushing attackers to the flanks and man-marking off-the-ball players. And goalkeeping, definitely. Any more opinions? Feel free to to post in my tagboard. We'll need as many ideas as we can get.
Anyway, back to the day. The big guns strutted their stuff, Ian the German Chelsea Goalkeeper producing a goalkeeping masterclass, stopping some impossible shots. In the end, we finally prevailed with a 3-1 win over YE. I guess it was one of the few amicable meetings between the CC and the YE. At least THIS YE team showed some sportsmanship. At least they played fair. At least they didn't brutally assault anyone's privates (Read: Joshua the Soloist). Anyway, we played well that match. Good win, guys. Then we went up for prize presentation and refreshments. Didn't eat much. I think I only had a cracker, that's it. Drank LOTS of water from the water cooler. Then went back down for more footy. And I FINALLY found my form. What perfect timing. I think it's God's way of humbling us all, to depend on him when it counts. Ah well, as long as we don't forget next time...
Waited in church for about an hour for my parents. Then found out I was getting home anyway. Once again, the "Aargh..." feeling. I could have saved everyone the trouble by following Joshua the Soloist and Mich the Rugger in their sleek black Mazda6. Then again, it did look a bit crowded in there. And it wouldn't be doing much to my "letting go" would it...
Anyway, was brought to JCC to bathe. Before that, had a nice hour of table tennis with my father. Been a long time since I played. Didn't deteriorate as badly as I thought I would have. Still managed a decent game. After bath, char siew rice for dinner, then it's back home...
This letting go thing is really wearing me out. Is this really the will of God? Or is Satan trying to orchestrate some devious trick? I really can't tell. I'm really confused. Currently, I'm following. I don't know about the future. I just hope I'll get some confirmation as to who it's from, and how long do I have to do this. Maybe forever, I don't know. I may get my answers, maybe I won't. I'll probably just obey for now, trust it's from God, and wait and see in terms of my questions and answers.
Lord, I'm so confused...is that voice I'm hearing really you?...Nevertheless, I trust wholeheartedly in you...your will be done...I will obey...I...must...let...go...
You'll Never Walk Alone
When you walk through a storm hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone.
The result of sleeping late and waking up early, rushing to SMC from COGS, rushing to COGS from SMC, playing football in the hot sun, then playing table tennis shortly after.
Anyway, I have no regrets sleeping late last night (or more like this morning). I watched Liverpool defeat the hapless Mancs 1-0. Danny Murphy shall henceforth be our default penalty taker. Of course, it was double the pleasure, as I was watching it alongside Matt the Big, supporter of the hapless Mancs. Also, to rub it in, he was wearing his Man U van Nistelrooy jersey, AND HE DIDN'T PLAY! Muhaha I'm SO evil...
Anyway, this morning I went to COGS for service. Was the cross-bearer, fairly routine. Sermon was on the unity of the church, unity in holiness. After service rushed down to SMC for worship band prac.
Played piano for SMC AY today. Only 5 songs, but led by Andrew the Captain, siong enough. Things started off with a blistering Better Than Life. Could feel the spirit moving in the room. Then slowed down after that with We All Bow Down, then the new song Always, then Be Glorified, and finally More Than Life. I must say worship was good today, really brought the congregation to worship, while the band was able to worship as well. After that, we had a guest speaker. He spoke on the topic of Servanthood. Really really good sermon. The bible verses cut straight to the heart (even though not in terms of the topic...), and the teaching was very sound and solid. The gist of the sermon is that you've got to have a relationship with God before you serve, otherwise it's not for God. Also you need to ask God what He wants you to do, otherwise you're not fulfilling God's will. What really struck me was that you need to give up the things most important to you and put God first in your life (Luke 9:57-62), otherwise, you labour in vain, for you will labour for your own selfish ambition. In other words, I must let go. It's going to be hard. Very hard. But it has to be done. Hopefully if I seek Him and His kingdom first, I will be given it back, but I've got to rough this patch out first. Anyway, the sermon was so good I stayed behind until after prayer before I rushed off to COGS.
Amazingly, I wasn't late. Changed into my Liverpool jersey and Valencia shorts and boots and waited for the matches to start. Only Joshua the Soloist and I were in jerseys. I felt SO out of place. Next time, I'm wearing my PE shirt...Talking about next time, we'll be mentioning that a LOT in this paragraph. The lower secondary match was rather tight. We let in an early goal, but we scored a late equaliser to force the game into extra time. The scores were still even after extra time, so it was a 1-1 draw. We'll be having a rematch next time. Then, next was our match. To put it simply, it was horrible. Our defence barely even existed. We left the keeper exposed a LOT. We were conceding like crazy. Meanwhile, I wasn't much help upfront. I played HORRIBLY today. Rarely even got a touch of the ball. My shooting was wayward. I had no control over the ball whatsoever. Earned a few corners, that's about it. The second half was better for me, worse for the team. Joshua the Soloist...let's just say there was an incident regarding him and a certain Nathan from YE. So in the second half, he was reduced to ramming balls from half-field over the goal, while I, desperate for something to do, was busy turning my marker inside out. Really worked him out in the second half. Then, it happened...a cross came in from my right and I outran my marker, and I was one-on-one with the goalkeeper with the ball right in front of me...and I missed the ball...I wrongfooted myself and missed the ball totally with my right foot. I felt AWFUL. I spurned my team's best chance. If anyone in the team is reading this, I take full responsibility for our loss. I'm really really really really really sorry. Man, it's awful missing a chance like that...anyway, we lost 6-1, also due in no small part to some foul play by YE. It's OK. We'll get our chance next time. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." -Romans 12:19. YE better watch out next time.
Anyway, after our loss, I spent some time reflecting on the disaster. The first and most significant thing I noticed about our loss was the most vital...we forgot God. We didn't pray before the match. His presence wasn't with us. We were playing with our own strength. We were playing without the One who does miracles. We MUST NOT forget next time. This is imperitive. I can't believe we forgot the most important thing. Anyway, enough about that. We move on to tactics. YE played like this...they defend in numbers, then attack on the break. We should play like that too. Defend when we don't have possession, have someone with a lot of speed and stamina (striker) apply pressure on whoever has the ball. He may not be successful most of the time, but when he does, he should have a clear run at goal and we should be rewarded with the goal. The rest just defend. They get the ball, punt to space. Also players should look for space. If they (the opponents) are concentrated on the left and there's space on the right, right back run up. If concentrated on the right and space on the left, left back run up. If concentrated on the wings, lone striker stay up. If concentrated in the centre/not concentrated, push them to the wings. If ball is too far behind lone striker/chaser, man-mark and close them down. I also suggest we confirm the date for the next time ASAP so we can choose our players beforehand so we can train accordingly. The way we are training now is so so wrong. Ramming isn't bad, it just doesn't have a place in the kind of game we have to play in such a small field. We need to train one touch shots and long through balls, as well as pushing attackers to the flanks and man-marking off-the-ball players. And goalkeeping, definitely. Any more opinions? Feel free to to post in my tagboard. We'll need as many ideas as we can get.
Anyway, back to the day. The big guns strutted their stuff, Ian the German Chelsea Goalkeeper producing a goalkeeping masterclass, stopping some impossible shots. In the end, we finally prevailed with a 3-1 win over YE. I guess it was one of the few amicable meetings between the CC and the YE. At least THIS YE team showed some sportsmanship. At least they played fair. At least they didn't brutally assault anyone's privates (Read: Joshua the Soloist). Anyway, we played well that match. Good win, guys. Then we went up for prize presentation and refreshments. Didn't eat much. I think I only had a cracker, that's it. Drank LOTS of water from the water cooler. Then went back down for more footy. And I FINALLY found my form. What perfect timing. I think it's God's way of humbling us all, to depend on him when it counts. Ah well, as long as we don't forget next time...
Waited in church for about an hour for my parents. Then found out I was getting home anyway. Once again, the "Aargh..." feeling. I could have saved everyone the trouble by following Joshua the Soloist and Mich the Rugger in their sleek black Mazda6. Then again, it did look a bit crowded in there. And it wouldn't be doing much to my "letting go" would it...
Anyway, was brought to JCC to bathe. Before that, had a nice hour of table tennis with my father. Been a long time since I played. Didn't deteriorate as badly as I thought I would have. Still managed a decent game. After bath, char siew rice for dinner, then it's back home...
This letting go thing is really wearing me out. Is this really the will of God? Or is Satan trying to orchestrate some devious trick? I really can't tell. I'm really confused. Currently, I'm following. I don't know about the future. I just hope I'll get some confirmation as to who it's from, and how long do I have to do this. Maybe forever, I don't know. I may get my answers, maybe I won't. I'll probably just obey for now, trust it's from God, and wait and see in terms of my questions and answers.
Lord, I'm so confused...is that voice I'm hearing really you?...Nevertheless, I trust wholeheartedly in you...your will be done...I will obey...I...must...let...go...
You'll Never Walk Alone
When you walk through a storm hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone.
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