Herald

Here's Kenny!

2009 is here. Another new year filled with fresh possibilities.

Even as I watched the displays of fireworks (and there were more than three of them from where I was), I could not help but wonder: are people unwittingly 'celebrating' bleaker, uncertain times to come?

Whatever it is (or will be), I am sure God has it all under control, as my God, Jesus, has all things in the palm of His Almighty Hand. He is Jehovah Jireh. :)

And I did not forget to finish my blogging (nor am I discontinuing it) of Hillsong 2008. I will summarise and bring it to an appropriate completion ... soon. :)

Jesus bless you.

Jesus be blessed.

Soaring up, down under: Pt 3

Day 5 8th July

The Conference had begun!

The winter mornings in Sydney are really cold and if you are tucked up nicely in a warm bed and the alarm bells ring at 630am, there is no where else better to be than to remain in bed ... oh the luxury. This would have been the case but for the fact that I came all the way to the largest island/smallest continent in the world to experience God, so at 645am (haha), I forced myself out of bed and shivered my way to the washroom.

Our hostess, the wonderful Beth, drove us in a heated car to the nearest station, Pennant Hills and it took us to Strathfield St and then to Lidcombe St, where we switched again to Olympic Park. We arrived at about 815am (the trains in Sydney are very punctual and predictable). By this time, the doors were already opened and people were literally flocking in the cold to enter the warmth of the indoor Acer Arena stadium.

That morning our speaker was Ps Brian Houston on 'Does my donkey offend you'? He spoke about the Palm Sunday story where our Lord Jesus rode on the donkey into Jerusalem amidst praise and adoration by those who would scream for His crificixion a week later. Basically the message was about things that God allows us to have to be used as vehicles for Him (ministry, gifts, etc) and we should never forget that it is not about those vehicles, but about Him. Jesus should always be upon whatever 'donkeys' we have. Amen.

Subsequently, Joel Houston shared his vision (I Heart) that God had given to him and what it meant to him and us as Christians ... to love God and love people with all our heart; God's commandments. It was not really prepared in the sense that you could see that he spoke from his heart. All glory to Jesus.

Our seats were just a stone's throw away from the stage where the Hillsong Team led the morning worship to Jesus.

Tim Costello (World Vision, Australia) also spoke on Freedom being the heart beat of God and about the fact that in today's world there are about 21 million people in literal slavery! We are agents of redemption, not just spiritual but also physical (social justice).

The congregation then broke off into our respective streams: Leadership, worship leadership or community. I had signed up under worship leadership and that morning the elective speaker was Mr Marcos Witt who runs the Lakewood Church Spanish service in the USA. He gave an interesting exposition about worship leadership based on Revelation 4 (the four Heavenly Creatures). It was nothing I have ever heard before and it seemed to make sense. :)

(the picture shows Darlene Zschech (pronounced something like 'Zhjec') introducing Marcos, pictured later in my blog)

Evening approached and by 430pm it was time for the first of two daily rallies. As I already stated, it is amazing worshipping Jesus with 25000 of my brothers and sisters in Christ. The Hillsong Team led again and the evening's speaker was Paul de Jong (of New Zealand). Paul is a good preacher and can be funny at times (if you look closely when he grins, he looks a little like Sean Connery, haha).

He spoke of faith and confidence (being attributes we are actually born with) and how to restore God centred confidence in times of trial. Powerful words.

730pm's rally (and it was getting colder) started again with worship to Jesus and this was followed by Mike Pilavachi (I think he started Soul Survivor ministries and is Matt Redman's pastor in UK). I loved his British humour and he was hilarious. Really funny guy, and with an inspiring message: the relationship between worship, evangelism and justice (worship is an expression of our love to God; evangelism is an overflow of that worship (if you love someone, you want the world to know that person) and justice is a consequence of that (helping the poor, widows, orphans, oppresed, etc). He also remarked something very interesting: Evangelism is a church without walls which doesn't preach the gospel but IS the Gospel.

(picture above: Israel and team, picture below: Mike Pilavachi)

Israel Houghton also led a short time of worship along with the Hillsong Team and for those who are wondering, he is a gifted and anointed worship leader and song writer with Lakewood Church in USA. His songs were really upbeat and lively (e.g. Let the Redeemed).

What a day. What a great start to the conference proper ...

... and there was more to come. :)

Jesus be blessed.

Soaring up, Down under Pt 2

DAY 4 7th July
(Day 1 of the Conference)

Pancake on the Rocks. :) That about summed up our morning. The gang met up at about 10am and made our way to The Rocks for a pancake brunch. To cut a long story short (it was not really that long anyway), here are the pictures of the pancakes. The bacon (for the savoury pancakes) and the 'original' pancakes were especially good (soaked in rich, golden, shimmering maple syrup).

We then visited the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and before we entered, took this picture.

Let me say this without prejudice, art seems to be anything today. I mean anything. There was this exhibition where the object on display was a table with some tools on it. Also some pictures of people framed up ... So much for that experience. The picture above would also be an 'exhibit'.

A few hours later found us at the Acer Arena in Olympic Park for the opening rally of the Conference.

(Due to the fact that I have been told that I tend to write theses when blogging, these entries are short, sweet and picture packed. I took over 400 pictures and videos. Please visit my Multiply site for all of them by clicking on the link in the Links section).

The initial rally opened what eventually turned out to be an awesome experience for me personally. I worshipped Jesus like never before, some nights literally singing my heart and lungs out, crying and crying out to my God, Jesus. Proclaiming freedom, proclaiming the promises of Him who reigns forever. More pictures from the first rally (Hillsong Nights). The Hillsong Worship Team led the worship sessions (there are two rallies each day: 430pm and 730pm with different speakers). The first day we had Robert Barringer (I think this is correct) and Ps Judah Smith. The former's message was about being extraordinary in the world, and the latter's was a message about 'Embracing Grace' (Luke 15: 1-24) to which I responded to God in rededication. Amen. What a start to the week.

The fourth picture is Robert and the one below is Judah.



Ok that's all for now.

Jesus bless you and be blessed Lord Jesus.

Soaring up, down under

Picture this: 25,000 people from 69 countries all around the world, united in praising and worshipping Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour: all in one stadium ... wow, wow, wow.

That about sums up my soaring experience at this year's Hillsong Conference at Sydney's Acer Arena: 5 nights and 4 days of soaking/being in God's/Jesus' presence and learning from some of the most anointed preachers in the world; responding to several of God's calls for me personally and getting to know some of the locals.

Sign me up for the next one! Haha ... and it is done ...

Some highlights of the conference and my trip to Sydney.

DAY 1: Friday 4th July

We departed from KLIA (thanks to aunties Susan and Grace for kindly fetching us) at about 8pm to Singapore via SIA. Changi Airport is an impressive airport, but somehow I still prefer the marble (is it?) floors of KLIA to the carpeted ones of Changi. We had wait for a couple of hours ... and then we were off: Sydney here we come. I enjoy night flights as it enables people to sleep easier. As usual, I was excited about catching up on movies, etc and was even looking forward to the food. :) I managed to watch 21 and most of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

DAY 2: Saturday 5th July

We arrived at about 9am the next morning at Sydney Airport and surprisingly it did not take us long to clear customs. My uncle Charles met me at the airport and it was then off to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Yummy ... I am serious when I say this: I think these are the best doughnuts (that I have had) in the world.

Well shortly after that we went to have tim sum :)

This was followed (the rest of the day) by going shopping for food as uncle Yuichi had graciously agreed to cook dinner (ginger and capsicum pork Japanese style, etc) while uncle Charles baked some shortbread. (The last time I visited them, I put on weight like nobody's business ... haha. Thank God for my uncles).

DAY 3: Sunday 6th July

Morning dawned and I was supposed to meet up with the rest of the gang (Yoke Kheng, Soon Seng, Jean and Anne) for worship at Hillsong Hills Campus. Along the way my uncles took me to Ikea for breakfast (walau right? Makan ... makan) (see above for picture).

Finally the bus came to pick us up in front of Max Brenner Cafe and we were on our way to Hillsong. The church is a large one, very 'professional' looking outside and inside it was a mini stadium. Reuben Morgan led worship that day with the team and we had Pastor Judah Smith (see later) to speak to us. What a service. Praise Jesus.

Later, we went back to Paramatta and went around Sydney, meeting up with Mun Yee and shopping at Paddy's Market where I finally bought a hat (g'day mate), a platypus and an echidna. :)

(the Australian girl was a friend of the person who took our picture) :)

Soon we had to go our separate ways as YK and I were to head to Pennant Hills to meet our wonderful hosts: Peter and Beth Kirkgarde (I hope this is correct). They are some of the warmest hosts I ever have had the pleasure of staying with and I really thank Jesus my Lord for them. They arranged accommodation for us, fed us (yum), fetched us to and from the station to get to and back from Olympic Park and were just great examples of Jesus.

We got them some small gifts: for Beth a batik scarf and a pair of origami earrings (from Charmaine) and a sarong for Peter. Jesus bless them.

I shall stop here for the moment. Have to rush off to class at UM. Tomorrow's update: the start of a (in the words of Ps Bryan Houston) 'fantastic' conference, beginning with the evening rally.

Jesus bless you.

The Change

Hey all,

How do you like the new look of my blog? I find it modern, clean and bright.

Suddenly my interest in blogging has kicked in once again.

Tis a new season for me in life, spiritually in Christ and hopefully ... in love.

Jesus bless you all.

An 'Axe' to Grind

Hey there,

Time for another update.

The title for the post sounds serious, but in actual fact it has nothing to do with the proverb which means 'to express one's anger to another' ... rather it talks about my experience with my guitar aka 'axe' as taught to me by my guitar 'shifu' Ms Jia Ling.

I started lessons back in April 2008 and so far (after some postponements) we have come to week 6 already. What have I learnt and achieved?

I can play 5 chords (10 more basic ones to go).

I can play my first song: Keep Holding On (although practice is still needed).

I can play Rain Down (Planetshakers) ... woo hoo (although more practice is required).

I can play (almost) Happy birthday (but I think my version is different from the norm).

Okla, so I am cannot play like Reuben Morgan or John Mayer or Eric Clapton ... yet. But slowly and surely ...

Anyway, I want to do my best for my Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus bless you.

Passion

Dearly beloved,

Oh how the years go by ... eh, oh how the weeks go by (more appropriate here). My last post was a few weeks ago and quite a few things have happened since then. Here's to life (an exciting ride). Journey with me ... (we will walk very slowly as it was only a few weeks ago). :)

1) Hillsong United

May 28th marked the beginning of a series of events that I was looking forward to, so much so that it motivated me to do well in my exams (which ended in early May) so that I could figuratively throw myself into them without worrying about results (haha). If you know what I mean, please say 'amen'.

At that time (when I was revising for my papers), they seemed far away ...

Hillsong United visited Malaysia through Glad Tidings Church and for those not in the know (in that sense), Hillsong United is the 'youth arm' of Hillsong (a mega church in Australia and around the world; also the name of their worship ministry/group). Well suffice to say that the place was packed with young and not so young alike. We were all gathered there by 615pm (the worship concert was at 8pm) and as the time neared, the front hall got smaller and smaller with the crowd. The concert started on time (I think) and I managed to get a standing place in front with an expectant spirit. I was there to expect the unexpected ... to worship Jesus and to enjoy it. The evening started out swimmingly with The Time Has Come and progressed with lively worship songs (One Way, Tell the World, etc), which slowed down to more meditative and reflective songs (Hosanna, The Stand, etc) and finally ending with Saviour King, a powerful reminder of who we worship, Jesus Christ our Saviour King. Hillsong United worshipped with The Solution too as an encore and this song reminded me that no matter what the world is going through, political instability, financial roller coaster rides, wars and etc, God IS and will always be in control. Amen. Praise you Lord Jesus for the time of worship and rededication to you. May ALL your children arise to take their place/destinies in Malaysia and around the globe. Hosanna in the highest.

Wow I was thirsty after that ... and looking forward to ...


2) Antioch NetWork CommUnity's Family Camp: God's Love, Our Passion.

Morning dawned and I was like woo hoo camp! I totally believe in God's power to work through camps because I experienced my personal spiritual revival in a camp (about 5 years back in PD, Palm Springs). Thank you Lord Jesus. Soon, we were on our way to Gopeng, Harvest Haven. The journey was pleasant and uneventful, filled with songs and conversation. Oh a very interesting thing happened: our map was um ... inaccurate ... haha and I misdirected three cars, and we ended up travelling through cow dung littered roads (you see Harvest Haven is a secluded hideaway specially for church camps, nestled in an oil palm plantation filled with cows).

Highlights of camp: (i) the messages (Ps Aow and Ps Mei) were really anointed: about passion and purity, evangelism and personal holiness. The ministry was blessed and refreshing. God really worked in camp and there were breakthroughs. (Messages can be obtained through me (mp3) if any of you wish to listen). Also our sister Karen came to know the Lord. Praise Jesus. May Jesus bring her deeper into Him daily.

(ii) the worship team: a younger team (some inexperienced, in that sense) but the Lord Jesus used us powerfully. New songs which matched the theme of the camp, leadership anointing and even jumping during the worship. Lord Jesus take us further and deeper than we have even been.

(iii) fellowship: I made many new friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, from cards to swimming, from board games to caving to Twister, truly the joy of the LORD is our strength. How good it is when brothers/sisters come together in fellowship.

(iv) accommodation: was excellent, save for the too soft pillows (haha). Please feel free to access my Multiply site for the pictures.

(v) personal revelation: I had been asking the LORD about my direction in Campus Ministry and in the Campus Church Planting and so far I was just being stubborn. The signs were all there: a handful of college students were/had joined us in ANC through KDUCF, fellowship dinner(s) with other youth pastors from other churches, God's pastoral and apostolic anointing ... what was I waiting for? Well God spoke to me, through me :). I read a verse aloud during one of the messages: Deut 12.13 and almost immediately I realised that it was for me, and this was affirmed by the Ps later who spoke on ministry and God's calling based on that verse. Amen. My stand has been taken. Campus Ministry it is ... Jesus leads His people.

Another blessed camp, I can hardly wait for the next one. I hope to see all those who came this year (including my buddies Scott (haha), Jason, Johnathan and Han Jia) next year. My GG is planning it. Hopefully also those who could only make it for partial camp can come for the full one next year.


3) New car

New car, new car ... silver Myvi. Very nice indeed. I still have my trusted ol' Kancil though and still appreciate it. After all, they are all God's provision. Is God good or what? Haha.

I like the new car smell, the elevated feeling I get driving a 'taller' car, and it drives smoother too. I will have many good years with this: and may it ALL be for God's glory.


4) Good results

God is so good. He blessed me with good results too for my two papers. :) All glory to Jesus, the source of all blessings.


... and I am looking forward to ...

Passion conference, prayer retreat, Hillsong Conference in July, my holidays (with my ANC gang and my PoTs gang), etc.

Oh how the weeks will go by ...

And all glory to God Almighty, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Jesus bless you all.

The cattle on a thousand hills ...

How many cattle are there on a thousand hills?

Psalm 50:10 speaks of God being the owner of everything on Earth. He is after all the Creator of the universe and all in it and deserves all praise just for that.

... not only that, God is a good God too. A most generous Father.

Psalm 34: 8-10 states:

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

How do we know someone or something is good? Why through experiences with them/it of course. The Psalm uses the sense of taste and says 'Taste and see that the LORD is GOOD'. Amen. When you have experienced God's goodness, you, like me and the rest of creation will also rise up to give Him praise.

Just a short testimony to share of God my Heavenly Father's amazing grace and providence:

As some of you may know I have already signed up for the 2008 Hillsong Worship Conference in Sydney this July and the flight ticket was a somewhat hefty RM2700. That plus the price of my passport renewal added up to RM3000. Now for some that may not be a lot of money, but for where I am now, it is :).

I had some money stashed away but not quite enough and so I was hoping my increment would be a good one this year. It was scheduled to come at the end of April and so I was praying for God's providence. If memory serves me properly, I asked for a specific sum (as I also remembered a testimony of my co adviser of the Christian Fellowship in KDU). The day came ... I received the envelope and said a prayer before opening it.

...

Praise Jesus ... truly I was surprised when I saw that the amount I received as an increment was actually more like an adjustment and it was the exact sum I prayed for. Is God good or what? Jehovah Jireh my provider. All praise and thanks to Him, who sits on the throne.

And it did not end there ... after paying for the ticket, I found myself short of cash for the rest of the month ... hmmm ... oh well, if God owned the cattle on a thousand hills, and He does, what is this to Him? I prayed (and complained a little) to God and told Him about my financial circumstances (which He already knew anyway ... God knows our every need even before we ask for anything). Lo and behold, when KDU celebrated its 25th anniversary, we were given 'ang pows' and when I opened mine, the sum was substantial ... so much more than I thought.

Is God good or what?

Also, a couple of times during the past few weeks, some people have paid me money that I had forgotten was forthcoming.

Is God good or what? And He got me through the month ... :)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1.17)

Delight yourself in the LORD ... and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37.4)

Matthew 6. 32-33 says that God knows that we need everyday necessities and He will provide them. We have to seek Him (His Kingdom) first and ALL these things He will provide. He knows best.

Is God good or what?

:)

P.S: My LLM exams have come and gone, and of course I know that God was behind me all the way ...

All praises and thanks be to my/our God and Lord Jesus.

Jesus bless you all.

Hey there 2008

Ahem ahem ...

Wow, this blog has not been updated for ages. I know, I know ... it is almost half a year into 2008 and this is my first post of the year. Well better late than never.

Some updates

What has happened so far in the year? Most recently, praise Jesus, I completed the second year of my LLM and am having the pleasure of relaxing after exams (last paper was yesterday, and it was a long time coming ... haha but I do appreciate God's wisdom in postponing the paper for one day). Thank you Father in Heaven. :)

So four subjects down, two more to go. If you are reading this (and I do not blame you if you are not from my neglect of my blog), please keep me in prayer: should I do two more to complete my masters in law or do a research project (that counts as two subjects) to complete and prepare me for my (future) PhD? (Dr Ken has a nice ring to it)

What else? Oh yes I attended the Youth Alpha seminar and a Planet Shakers concert (first time). I had a great time worshipping God and singing.

Mmm ... I am officially and comfortably at my new home in Pelangi Utama with my parents, which is a blessing.

I am taking guitar lessons (actually just started, but I am enjoying it). Pretty soon I will be able to play like some guys call Jack, John or even mmm Reuben? Hahah. I am taking it one step at a time. Jesus bless those guitar lessons and teachers.

I shaved my head (at the end of last year though) ... haha not for anything else other than an experiment to see how I would look like and it turned out OK. Funny thing is as the stylist started and shaved off a tuft (is this appropriate?) of hair, she asked me 'Is this ok?'. (Peluh).

I have attended some events for youth pastors and saw some friends off to different countries (how ya doin, Charis and Anna?).

2008 has been a blessing so far and I think it can only get better, with Jesus by my side.

I have several events to look forward to: Antioch's camp, Hillsong United, Hillsong Worship Conference in Sydney, holiday in Langkawi, among other things. My teaching hours are less this semester too. Whew.

Write more ... soon ... I hope.

Jesus bless you.