The Inspired Educator

Dog

2011-02-11T22:16:00.001-08:00

If I had a house with a garden, I would have no hesitation in getting a dog. I grew up with many dogs in our home, among them many Spitzes, a Doberman, a Pointer (for a while), a Daschund, two from a breed that eludes me now (haha), and my favourite (and final dog) a white Bull Terrier.

I miss having a dog.

I read the Star today and there was an article about dogs and their owners, what having a certain breed may say about you. Haha. Ok.

If I had my way, I would instantly choose either another Bull Terrier or a Beagle. In fact, I momentarily considered buying this really cool Beagle pup from a pet store some time ago, but the fact that I live in a condominium brought me back to reality. Oh well.

Oh by the way, some people have confused the Bull Terrier for the Pitbull, which may have a less than stellar reputation. They are quite different, mind you.

Here are some pictures of the dream dogs:

The first photo is from this website: http://about-your-dog.com/english-bull-terrier/

The second: http://www.bestbullysticks.com/blog/bully-sticks/spotlight-on-a-breed-beagles/

They would make great pets.

Now for that house with a garden. Haha.

Jesus be glorified.

This world is spinning faster, to a new disaster

2011-02-11T07:59:00.001-08:00

What's with the world?

Haha.

One of the more decent songs on the radio today (and a lot of songs are rubbish) is 'I run to you' by Lady Antebellum. The lyrics speak volumes about the current world situation.

I am not sure if the 'you' that is used refers to another human being (I think it does because at one point the man sings 'I run to you, girl'), but it would mean a lot more if it referred to God. God is our only refuge in today's world.

Psalm 91: 1-2 declares:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

The Bible also clearly says that this world will deteriorate further (Matthew 24, 2 Timothy 3), so the happenings in the world today are really or should not really be surprising.

God is my refuge. I run to Jesus.

Jesus be glorified.

Reboot

2011-02-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

2011.

I am back. I hope this desire to blog continues through the (not so) new year.

A few updates to what has been happening/happened, as a testimony to God's goodness.

1) The 'wall' that I hit is coming down gradually. I am finding joy again in what I do.

2) One step at a time, one day at a time. Walking with some people is not easy, but I find that the journey can be enjoyable. I have been blessed with a small group in Bethesda. Some I have connected with with relative ease, others took a little time; but I thank God for all of them. Walking with people can be very rewarding. Thank you Jesus.

3) Work is progressing relatively well. I am tackling some new things, but with God's grace, time and effort, all things are possible.

The new look for my blog reminds me of John 15, the Vine (Jesus) and the branches (us). Here is to a blessed year where we remain tightly clinging to Jesus.

Jesus be blessed.

Keep on

2010-10-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have hit a wall.

It is a pretty high wall, and one that seems to go on and on for miles.

But I remember from my devotional reading that Life is a Test. By God's Grace I intend, in Jesus' strength to pass that test.

Heavenly Father, only You can bring about changes for the best. Let it be done in Your time.

In the meantime, I am going to keep on and keep on shining.

Jesus be blessed.

(More than) half way mark

2010-08-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

2010 is more than half done and it all seems to have just rocketed by.

What has happened in the past 7 plus months?

New Frontiers: first thing's first, the law school (which includes me) of KDU was blessed to move in to our new campus at section 13, near the Rothmans Roundabout. The new campus is spacious, green, newly renovated and did I mention spacious? Haha yes I am a 'spacy' guy (as in I like space, not the kind where aliens come from but where there is a lot of room). I remember coming in to the new campus to select seating places in December 2009 and looking forward to being planted there. Now that I am here, I cannot imagine going back to the older campus, which lacked space (haha). And, with our new campus we have a ''new'' CF too. God is gracious.

Bethsaida: we finally branched out from Bethesda and have been meeting weekly since May (I think). A lot of personal sharing and encouragement and it is less formal now, a lot more like the simple house church that we have heard so much about. :)

Visit to the palace: This may surprise some but I have never been to PutraJaya (as far as I can remember). The Law Society organised a trip to the Appeal Courts and I tagged along, as a so called chaperon. Haha. The building itself is beautiful I must say. Very palatial and posh inside.

Sing: Had many karaoke sessions this year. Really the bug has bitten me. :) Thank you UTas semesters 5 and 6 and OBU semester 4. Also thank you ANC karaokers. :)

Re retreat: Haha, you are reading it correctly, the extra 're' was intentionally done. I have had a handful of retreats this year, to Fraser's Hill (twice), to Cameron Highlands (once) and to Ipoh. It is always a blast to have a retreat with church mates and friends but the thing I notice is that I usually end up more tired after a retreat. Must be the lack of sleep. Haha. Well there are more to come I am sure, but this time I will be keeping my sleep time. :)

World Cup: One of the highlights of this year so far, surely, and one of the most enjoyable. The Oranje should have won (haha, not getting into some kind of debate). I remember the late nights and early mornings, the stuffy mamak and watching some games with dad in front of the telly. I don't think I have quite recovered from the lack of sleep but I did enjoy the Netherland-ic march all the way to the finals. A pity about England though.

Hello and goodbye: Hello Lisa (my old friend), hello Mich and Rach (again), hello Stephen from Ireland, hello Chung En (again). It is always nice to have hellos. But then again we also have goodbyes: goodbye Sabah, goodbye semester 6 UTas, goodbye Sammy boy and goodbye Ming Yue (soon). I will miss you guys. Jesus be with you all.

Answered prayers: My Heavenly Father really provides. He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Mom was baptised this year, and I am beginning to know how to listen to God in answer to my prayers and to wait. :) Exciting times ahead.

Gifts to me: A Dell laptop for me at the beginning of the year from the PC Fair. Thank you Roy for accompanying me to get it. Thank you my Heavenly Father for it too. Also I recently got what I had been looking for for some time: a Netherlands 10 Sneijder jersey. :) Cost me a small bomb and some time to wait but it is all good. Thank you Vincent Lee for your time and effort. Thank you my Heavenly Father for the jersey. It is currently hanging next to my 9 Shearer jersey. Haha.

Run, pray, pray more: Runnat 2010 was good, running in the rain, an experience. Haha. The Global Day of prayer was awesome, I know our Father in Heaven is going to do something powerful. The launch of the 40 Day prayer and fast was impactful as well. Pray pray pray. It is the least we as children of the Most High God can do. Our Lord Jesus be glorified.

I think that is about all I will write for this more than half way mark. I know there is more to come and am looking forward to what is in store. My time is in Jesus' Hands so I am secure.

Jesus bless you.

Two Oh Oh Nine

2009-12-22T23:32:00.000-08:00

The year is drawing fast to an end. I have waited about a year for this. Every year after Christmas I begin counting down to the next Christmas. :) It is (besides church camp) my favourite time of the year.

In ending the year, I thought it proper to recollect significant events that happened this year (in random order, because I have probably forgotten quite a few, haha) and significant people that I have had the blessing to come across. Here they are (and all glory and thanks to Jesus for them):

Hillsong 2009: 7th - 11th July 2009 (if I remember) found me in Sydney (again). I have been to Sydney three times in as many years and I really give thanks to Jesus my saviour for that. The ticket was itself a miracle (about RM1670 return, bought a few weeks before the conference) and the accommodation was another miracle (Bob and Sue Garrard, Sue whom Yoke Kheng and I met at Hillsong 2008). The conference was a blessing and I learnt from some of God's best servants: Louie, Craig, Chris, Jentzen, Joel and the Hillsong team. Oh and the 'bonus' pictures with my brothers and 'buddies' Joel, Jed and Rubes. :)

H1N1 scare and weight loss (cool): I quarantined myself for about 6 days after returning from Australia as I developed a fever some hours after coming home. Imagine my fear as I am a paranoid guy. I packed and was ready to check in to a hopsital but when my dad called the hopsital they said unless it was serious (coughing, etc) there was no need to check in. I took Tamiflu (just in case) and literally cooped myself in my room the whole time, coming out only to wash up, bathe and wash my dishes. My beloved mom would bring the food to my door and my nephew would ask me why I could not come out. When I finally completed my 'course' one of the things I did was to weigh myself and lo and behold I was 4 kgs lighter. From then on it has been gym and/or pool 4-6 times a week. :)

Run for the Nation: 5 am and some days of training to complete a 5km course in 40 minutes. Running and praying for the nation was something new. Prayer walk with a run ... haha. Thought it was less than possible but all things are possible with Jesus. All glory to Him.

LLM (Master in Law): My 'bachelor' hood has been superseded by my master in Law degree. Haha. I am still a bachelor (albeit a most eligible one ... and I thought I made it Obvious to her). Three years and six subjects later I am now qualified to lecture (haha). All glory to Jesus for walking with me through all those tiring assignments, presentations and exams, and for wisdom. Exams are literally a thing of the past now (for Law that is). :) Plus this was my very first convocation (mine). God has been very good with the salary adjustment too.

Restful Holiday: my trip to Johor was probably my first holiday trip where I slept kau kau. Preferring not to risk going to Singapore at the time or going most anywhere (H1N1, haha), I slept, drank tea, played games on Sahaya's I Phone and slept some more. What a holiday ...

The Little Book that could: JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit allowed me to pocket RM200 from KDU. I won third prize in a book review contest that KDU had organised. It is truly the little book that could. Haha.

Visitors from abroad (angels?): Sarah Yang and the Singapore team, Herr Piero, Janice and Matthew from Singapore (and the USA), the YWAM team and Watchman Ngiam all were God's spokespeople to our campus team, church and I this year. I believe we are in a time of equipping for the labour ahead. Thanks all you guys who have been such a blessing to me (us). Jesus be glorified. And thanks to Piero for all the laughter during our photo taking sessions. Haha.

'Handsomology' instructor: Pastor Victor and Kelly ran the Cross Encounter Camp this year and although it was for the youth, this older youth still learnt and was impacted for God. The time of rest (I think I feel asleep a little while) before The Lord Jesus during the final evening was such a blessing. Handsomology? Just ask Pastor Victor.

Camp 2009: Bethesda (us) was entrusted with the planning of the camp and by God's grace, the camp was a success. We revisited Harvest Haven and had a good time with an anointed speaker: Pastor Joshua Krishnan. I learnt that his son Jason is also a Magpie fan (yeah). The only glitch was the tomato game (haha, Ming brothers ...). Accommodation and food were good, sessions were impactful and it was fun, fun, fun. Jesus be glorified.

Campus Life: My time at the Damansara Jaya campus (KDU) has come to an end and soon we will be shifting to a new campus in section 13 PJ. Many have complained, but I for one am looking forward to it. A new environment is always good (a change can do us a world of good) and right now, I am also listening and waiting for further instructions from Father God about the new campus work there. Amen. Also I am a lot nearer to my old office, LexisNexis Malaysia (Jaya 33). God bless the CF under the capable stewardship of Miss Angeline and Mr Simon and the new president Jennifer.

Campus Life 2: The students that God, Jesus the Lord, has entrusted me with are some of my very favourite. I have known them for some time (since sem 2) and will miss those flying off soon (whether sem 4 or sem 6) but am looking forward to seeing those that remain at least a little while longer. Karaoke anyone? Prawn fishing? Haha. Jesus be blessed in and through them.

Campus Life 3: We have been meeting for more than a year in our Campus Ministry group and there have been progress concerning the oikos list. I thank Jesus for all my co workers (Roy, Aaron, Xiying, Jia Ling, Yoke Kheng and uncle Chris) and oikos and I pray that in the year to come, God will multiply us and continue to shelter us under his omnipotent wing.

David A: my first secular concert of sorts. David Archuleta at the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheater, packed with young (ho hum) and not so young (wow) alike, girls and guys too. An enjoyable consert (more of a sing a long) from an able performer with a really good voice, whose songs have become some of my karaoke staples. Haha.

Karaoke: Speaking of karaoke, I think it strange that come November to December karaoke seems to be the in thing for me. I could be an addict ... haha. I have been four times in two months already (last year three times I think) with several groups of friends and having a blessed time every single time. For Obvious reasons, I find singing with friends so much fun and boy do we have a good laugh at each other. Haha. Bring it on. Oh yes, I have a membership card too. Haha.

Potty and Lotty: My dear group of FES friends have come through again, we have managed to get through another year of becoming closer and having our monthly (most of the time) dinners and laugh sessions. Thank you guys for making my time with you all so memorable ... and yes, my house ... soon. :) Jesus be blessed.

'Oh man' incidents: My A-level group from CF, a most memorable group this year, my yum cha, Hokkien mee group has given me two things to be thankful for from two less than savoury incidents: (A) Getting conned by a group of youngsters aka supposed 'stolen' laptops. Two of my CF students were accused by some random guys of stealing their boss' son's laptop. Well it was all a con game and they ended up two laptops short. I believe there were angels protecting us that night as no one was hurt. (B) The I Phone that went for a swim: I am still a little apologetic to John for pushing him into the pool when he had his I phone (a gift from his grandfather I think) and was ready to buy him a new one. Thankfully it was repairable. Jesus be glorified for that. :) (C) This is a different "oh man" incident: NUFC was relegated this year ... oh man. But in retrospect it was a good thing for now they are soaring in the Championship after having most of the 'dross' cleaned. Kudos to Chris but I am still waiting for Alan. :)

'We'll miss you' incidents: To the Wongs and the Yus, thank you for making my growing up in church a blessing. I have been encouraged by you, learnt from you, been inspired to walk nearer to God and just been blessed by your love, friendship and food. Jesus bless and keep you all always. I will miss you for sure. :)

I think that is pretty much it, but I am sure I am forgetting some other important things. Oh well, good or bad, God be praised.

Jesus bless you all and thank You Jesus for 2009. May 2010 be even better for Your glory Jesus.

Amen and Amen.

New Campus

2009-10-18T21:42:00.001-07:00

I am excited at what is going to happen.

KDU Law and Business Schools are moving to a new premise, s 13, with a renovated building and the works.

A change will probably do us good, and I for one am looking forward to it. :)

Parking woes? Hmmm ... maybe but I am looking forward to it.

Jams in the mornings and evenings? Maybe but I am looking forward to it.

It is just like when you buy some fish from the store and release them into an aquarium and they roam about exploring the new environment ... I am looking forward to that.

New campus = new opportunities for God as well.

Jesus be glorified.

5 am

2009-10-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

Would you get up at 345am and run/jog at 5am in a semi deserted area? :)

God in all His goodness can be quite persuasive. All glory to Jesus.

I actually enjoyed myself and the run was quite invigorating. My team mates were excellent as well and we managed to cover the route and pray (at times out of breath) through the prayer cards.

Run for the Nation, which is what about 1200 Christians from all denominations and churches have just done over the weekend, is complete. Hopefully the praying continues, redemptive prayers for our beloved Malaysia and her people.

Signing up next year? Haha. Remember the date 23 May 2010.

All glory to Jesus.

Expectation

2009-07-02T02:37:00.000-07:00

Dear reader,

Tomorrow Jia Ling and I fly to Sydney to meet up with the rest of the gang (Yoke Kheng, Kevin and Jia Yein) for the Hillsong Conference 2009. :)

Psalm 91 shall be my/our comfort.

Jesus be glorified in us and through us.

Jesus bless you.

P.S: please keep us in your prayers: protection, joy, experiencing God.

Vacation from vacations

2009-06-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

The topic is a little misleading. I am not taking a holiday from holidays ... haha. In fact I think I need to take breaks every now and then and not just breaks like weekend types of breaks because I find that my weekends can be just as busy as my weekdays. I am talking about taking a real holiday, not the kind where you get more tired after one, but one where you almost literally do nothing, have nothing planned when you arrive.

I had my first (or at least I think it was my first) holiday where I did not come home more tired than when I left. I have just returned from a holiday in JB with a group of good friends. We left on Friday morning with virtually nothing pre-planned but looking forward to whatever came. Eventually all of them visited Singapore but I decided to stay where I was and just relax. It is rather liberating to be able to wake up, go for a nice breakfast (the food we had in JB was very good from local Malay dishes like nasi ayam penyek, lontong, bakso and laksa Johor to Chinese delicacies like roast duck and salted egg fried crabs), return to the bungalow and just relax, play games, play IPhone games and sleep whenever you wanted to, not having to rush from one place to another enduring the heat and haze and (hehe) flu.

That is exactly what I did and I enjoyed it ... it was different. For the longest time, whenever we would go on vacation, whether family or friends, we would normally be rushing from one place to another and then at the end of it I would reflect and wonder where did the holiday go? Well this time I decided to stay back and enjoy the huge, well furnished airconditioned bungalow and sleep whenever I felt like it. :)

I did meet up with some old friends though and joined them for a few meals and this I enjoyed a lot as well as they were friends I had not seen or kept in touch with for sometime. I think overall my level of activity this time around truly qualified my vacation as a vacation from vacations (the type that tires you more than energises).

Jesus be blessed.

A little behind time as well ...

2009-06-12T02:41:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

Here are two book reviews I submitted for a book review contest in KDU. By God's grace I ended up winning third prize for the staff category for the Hobbit review.

:)

The Hobbit review
http://tlc-kdu.blogspot.com/2009/02/book-review-contest-hobbit-reviewed-by.html

The Great Gatsby review
http://tlc-kdu.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-review-contest-great-gatsby.html

God's timing is perfect as I needed the money which I won to pay for something unexpected.

Jesus be glorified.

Completion

2009-06-12T02:20:00.000-07:00

Hi.

It is almost time for Hillsong 2009, so I feel I have to summarise the rest of Hillsong 2008 (haha) so that things can proceed forward (after almost a year).

Some highlights:

1) As I mentioned before (many months ago) I am awed at being a small part of the congregation of 25000 followers and worshippers of Jesus gathered together to worship God in His Holiness and Splendour. God is great. The atmosphere during the worship services was awesome ... I felt a freedom to just worship God our Heavenly Father and to pour my heart out to Him (even as His Word in the Psalms tells us too: pour out our hearts to God). It was liberating. :)

2) The messages were timely and sometimes humourous (esp Joyce Meyer's messages) and contained a lot of Biblical teaching and truth. I just pray that I have learnt from that and that I am now a different person than I was one year ago ... for the better.

3) The workshops were eye openers as I got to learn from those God had anointed, some sessions being very practical and fun. It was a privilege to listen from people such as Leeland, the Hillsong Worship Team and Judah Smith.

4) Our hosts, Peter and Beth were kindness personified and we were taken care of so well. Thanks again Peter and Beth and all of Jesus best blessings on you.

5) The trip home (and there) was safe. God is good.

This year around, I do not plan to blog day by day of the Hillsong Conference as you have seen that I can take ages to do so ... haha. I pray almost daily for the healing and protection of God over us as we prepare to brave the journey into Australia, esp from the H1N1 flu. Exodus 15.26 and Psalm 91 are great comforts. Hopefully and prayerfully, by then the H1N1 will be a distant memory.

Jesus bless you.

Jesus be blessed.

In the beginning ...

2009-02-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

Life is a highway, life is a rollercoaster, life is ... life.

It was not the best of starts, but it was not the worst of starts either. I think for most 2009 started rather shakily what with the economic crisis and all. I had felt (in 2008, if I remember correctly) that for me at least, 2009 was going to be a year of sanctification. With sanctification comes trials and of trials, the Bible says (in James 1:2-4):

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

My year paradoxically, has not started very well and yet in a way it has. I am grateful to my Lord Jesus Christ for the financial blessings I received (including the review contest I won today: third place, all glory to Jesus) and for the fact that I know God has something great for me this year. On the other hand, my rash recurred and my LLM assignment has been postponed on numerous occassions, the burden on my shoulders heavy, among other mishaps ... I think to myself every now and then, will I be able to stand after the trials, and am still holding on to the truth of the matter that is Jesus Himself will hold me up. It is not I that stand but that God holds me up in His omnipotent arms. Still the going has not been easy, not for me, not for most.

God gives and takes away. Who am I to complain? Job had the right attitude ...

'The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. (Job 1: 21b)

Lord Jesus Christ, have Your way in me, with me.

May we all have a fruitful 2009, all for Jesus' glory.

Herald

2008-12-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-07-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-25T00:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2008-05-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

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.

Tas-Mania Pt 2

2007-11-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

The days in Tassie went by quite quickly, but that was because I was enjoying myself. There are so many things to relate, but I think I will just highlight them. The pictures that I took from my visit are on my Multiply site (phyeken.multiply.com), so please feel free to have a look:

University of Tasmania

I was finally able to see firsthand our twinning partner. UTas is one of the oldest and largest universities (so I understand) in Australia but the law school was anything but old. The campus is colossal and the law school is confined to a corner, bordering the residential areas of Sandy Bay, Hobart. As we arrived, we were greeted by Prof Margaret for a short discussion and then were ushered into Dr Gail's (one of my moderators) classes: Law of the Oceans. I received a warm welcome and an introduction in front of the lecture theatre (wow ... felt really nice). After that it was off to the cosy law faculty lounge where we were served morning tea and all sorts of biscuits, cakes and pie ... yummy. During my visit, this is what I remember: I had good chats and lunches and dinners with my moderators (Ken, Dr Lisa and Dr Gail) and other lecturers that I had met before (John and Michael), ate loads of great food and wine, visited Dr Gail's lovely home and had a great evening with her family (and superb seafood, food and wine), spent good times with my ex students, took a tour of the campus (courtesy of my ex boss: Patrick Foong), visited Salamanca market (an experience that can only be appreciated if you are there), tricked (haha) by my students to visit Zoo Doo (an um interactive zoo where the emus and osctriches and all sorts of towering animals 'assault' you for food), walked around Hobart city and had home cooked meals too (thanks all). I really praise Jesus for His grace and love and generousity. Also I visited Energizer Life Church.

P.S: hehe ... do pay attention to the food pictures I took. It's no wonder I gained about 3 kgs. Hahah ... and that was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as Sydney was also a gastronomical adventure in itself.

So please feel free to check out the pictures. Here are a few below. I think there are 400 plus at my Mulitply. :)

Jesus bless you all.

Tas-Mania (Pt 1)

2007-11-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

I took over 1400 photographs while in Australia ...

O_O

Pre Australia: the situation looked grim ... I had about a 'gazillion' things on my plate and little time to enjoy any of them. My time with my God, Jesus; family; work; ministry and friends and studies was precious little. I felt as if I was running when I wanted to walk, burning out slowly but surely. I was grudgingly serving God and others and just needed a break. In the nick of time, God 'rescued' me from crashing and burning ... and gave me a much needed retreat in the form of a 10 day trip (almost fully sponsored) to Tasmania and Sydney. So on the 25th of September 2007, I boarded the MAS flight and made my way to Koalaland ... :)

Flight: I enjoyed my trip even before I arrived at my destination ... woo hoo. I admit I was slightly nervous about flying (after my experience flying back from Sarawak) but I prayed and put everything into God's hands. I enjoyed it so much ... I was actually trying hard to stay awake trying the movies, songs and video games ... hahah ... like a child in a candy store. Needless to say, even at that time, I was looking forward to my flight home also (walau). I managed to watch Mr Bean 2 and also listened to many songs and played some games. Food was good (I was hungry) and flight was smooth.

Melbourne: I last visited Melbourne when I was std 5. That was a good ... 20 years ago. This time however, I was just squatting, as it were, at the airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Tasmania. Melbourne is nice and cold and windy too (reminded me so much of ol England). The transit time was 5 hours and I must say, Australian customs mean business ... oh the number of mooncakes I saw being inspected ... hahah.

Tasmania: Finally ... Tassie land! Even as we circled to land, I was thinking how sparse the population was ... Tasmania is relatively, in that sense-lah, untouched in its pristine condition. Nature lovers will adore it. The airport was small (like Ipoh one) and it even had a Selamat Datang sign :). We (my friend and I from KDU) were greeted by a driver hired by the University of Tasmania to ferry us to the largest hotel in Hobart, the Grand Chancellor. The country side gave way to city sights and a huge bridge (which name I do not recall now) that connects one side of Hobart to the other. The hotel was elegant without being too expensive looking and guess what? we each got a double room! Talk about space ... Food was on the university and so was transport. Where else can you find such a business partner? Sigh ... :) God bless Utas.

Dinner day 1: Seafood, seafood ... we had (on UTas) a seafood dinner at Blue Skies restaurant. The raw oysters in Tasmania are the best that I have ever had. So fresh ... yummy. We ordered this huge seafood platter (besides three entrees and wine - the wines are delectable) which had pan fried and deep friend fish, octopus, calamari, prawns (fried and steamed), really fresh veggies, mussels and raw oysters with roe. Walau.

We had dinner we my ex boss, Patrick Foong, now pursuing his PhD at UTas. After dinner, we three went for a late evening walk around some parts of Hobart. The night was nice and cold ... like I like it. What a wonderful start to my trip ...

More to come ...

Jesus I bless You.

Jesus bless you all

Occupational 'hymns'

2007-08-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Another superfastsofastitisablur update (hahah). This one is from aunty Dolly and it is a good one. For those of us who grew up with hymns (although we sing mostly great contemporary songs, I still think hymns are majestic).

Here they are:

The Dentist's Hymn ... Crown Him With Many Crowns
The Weatherman's Hymn ... There Shall Be Showers Of Blessing
The Contractor's Hymn ... The Church's One Foundation
The Tailor's Hymn ... Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn ... There Is A Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn ... Standing On The Promises
The Optometrist's Hymn ... Open My Eyes That I Might See

Heheh ... there's more:

The IRS Agent's Hymn ... I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn ... Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn ... Send The Light
The Shopper's Hymn ... Sweet By And By
The Realtor's Hymn ... I've Got A Mansion Just Over The Hilltop
The Pilot's Hymn ... I'll Fly Away
The Paramedic's Hymn ... Revive Us Again
The Judge's Hymn ... Almost Persuaded
The Psychiatrist's Hymn ... Just A Little Talk With Jesus
The Architect's Hymn ... How Firm A Foundation
The Credit Card Telemarketer's Hymn ... A Charge To Keep I Have

And more:

The Postal Worker's Hymn ... So Send I You
The Waiter's Hymn ... Fill My Cup, Lord
The Gardener's Hymn ... Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
The Lifeguard's Hymn ... Rescue The Perishing
The Criminal's Hymn ... Search Me, O God
The Baker's Hymn ... When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
The Shoe Repairer's Hymn ... It Is Well With My Soul
The Travel Agent's Hymn ... Anywhere With Jesus
The Geologist's Hymn ... Rock Of Ages
The Hematologist's Hymn ... Are You Washed In The Blood?
The Men’s Wear Clerk's Hymn ... Blest Be The Tie
The Umpire's Hymn ... I Need No Other Argument
The Librarian's Hymn ... Whispering Hope A Charge To Keep I Have
The Zookeeper's Hymn ... All Creatures Of Our God And King

More than Enough

2007-08-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here we go again ...

I am back after a semi hiatus (hahah). Not an intentional one anyhow, was ill and very occupied with work and further studies.

The days and weeks do pass by very quickly. It's already August, and it has been more than a month since my last post (thinking out loud: actually, a post a month is reasonable, wouldn't you say?). Anyhow, here are some updates concerning me and my memorable few weeks.

(1) The Holiday/The assignment/The illness

It all started with the holiday ... one that we had been planning for months. Destination: Redang. I had not been to Redang before this and was looking forward to this: sun, sand, fellowship and fun (food, boardgames and etc.) It had been scheduled for 19th - 22nd July and all was going smoothly ... until the assignment was given.

Hmmm. I am ok with assignments, but not if they get in the way of health and relaxation. I was happily in my Trademarks Law class in UM, listening to the lecturer and thinking of my holiday that Thursday (it was a Monday) when suddenly the bomb was dropped. I was given the very first assignment of the year for the class - a presentation on the Law of Passing Off. Oh wow ... my heart sank and I was speechless for a few seconds (apparently the honour was all mine as I was a second year student in UM and the only one with an Intellectual Property Law background: yeah ok, hahah). However the worst thing was that my holiday would be ruined ... I thought fast and ended up saying this 'I am ok with going first, but would need an extension in the deadline as I will not be around from Thursday till Sunday' (hoping that the lecturer would pass the buck). She did not.

Groan ...

I had to start on my research immediately and so to the library I walked and got loads of cases copied for my research (I think I had to cover about 20 plus cases and explain them, lecture style), hundreds of pages literally and slowly began to pore through them.

Sigh ... (I guess that is why they say 'He is reading law' and not studying law)

Stress weighed heavy upon me and soon I fell sick. Fever one day before our trip. Very disappointed ... but I was determined to go for it, so I prayed about it. I was on MC that Wednesday. Thursday came and went and the trip went on, and I had a good time. I enjoyed the trip there, travelling early in the morning (by the way most of the pictures are on my Multiply site, so please feel free to look) and listening to praise and worship songs in Yoke Kheng's car. Some highlights of the trip: (1) frying eggs and luncheon meat on the balcony of the hotel with our portable stove ... hahah I was so fearful that they would blacklist us; (2) introduced Careers to the gang and they love it; (3) fellowship and seeing certain two people having verbal spars; (3) snorkeling in Redang: pretty corals and schools of fish, exotic and otherwise (even made a couple of new Japanese friends); (4) the food (that we broughtlah); (5) having fun with Sahaya and YK with quiz questions (hahah, inside joke).

(2) The flu saga

The holiday went, but the flu remained. My fever had broken but the cough arrived with a vengeance. I was coughing (almost) non stop for hours on end, so much so that I had to take another MC a few days after I returned. My presentation day came and after hours of preparation I delivered a lecture on the topic and managed to finish about 1.5 litres of water from 5.45pm to 7pm, to keep myself from coughing. Praise Jesus that all went well. My burden lifted ...

The assignment had passed, but still the stubborn cough remained, so much so that my voice was going as well (thankfully at that time my lectures had finished). I sounded different and was struggling to do things I used to take for granted like back up singing. The Lord Jesus taught me a valuable lesson at the time: I was depending too much on myself to do these things and was put to the test when I was to back YK up for the Church Philippines fundraising dinner. I really felt helpless (esp when singing higher notes), but God delivers ... Jesus delivers. Amen. May I truly and wholly depend upon God in all things.

The last straw broke (figuratively) when I pulled a muscle in my back coughing one night. It was painful when I lay down, got up and coughed. I visited the doctor for the third time in two weeks (I think) and got pain killers. Oh yes, and my rash came back also. It was a rather miserable time ... I really felt I was under immense testing or attack, but there was light at the end of the tunnel ...

(3) Today

I can talk almost normally again and can sing again (praise God) but still feel like coughing every now and then. My back is better, still hurts if I exert myself. I am learning to not say yes to everything that I am asked to do (most politely and after prayer), and I think I am making some progress. More time for God as well. I am reading A W Tozer's excellent 'The Pursuit of God' and already am impacted by it, just after two chapters.

(4) The book

A W Tozer is a well known writer and has been a blessing to Christendom. In the book he writes about how God has always been seeking a relationship with us and that we cannot take the credit when we come to Him as He initiates the relationship. Once that is done, it is then up to us to seek Him. He writes that while we are doing that, He is holding us in His hands (such an assurance). In the second chapter, he explains a wonderful truth about 'Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven'. The truth is plain but most of us do not see it: the less we covet of the world (it is in our nature, fallen as it is), the more room we have in our heart for Jesus Christ and the less challenged He is to rule in us. People who realise that and surrender their hold on earthly things are 'poor' in the sense of possessing nothing (earthly) but having everything in God. Such a wonderful truth. Each chapter ends with a prayer and I think that is very practical. I am looking forward to discovering more gems from this great teacher, and praying that I learn and experience more and more of Jesus in it.

So, there are some updates. You can clearly see how God, Jesus is more than enough for me. He upholds me. I have also just finished marking loads of scripts (woo hoo). Will blog again ... sometime ... soon. :)

Jesus bless you all for His glory.

2007-07-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

You scored as Bumblebee, Your match is Bumblebee!

People around you appreciate your positive outlook and feel that they can rely on you. Putting others first is important to you, often at your own sacrifice. Your determination is something to be proud of.

Optimus Prime

75%

Bumblebee

75%

Soundwave

69%

Kup

69%

Galvatron

50%

Hotrod

38%

Starscream

38%

Omega Supreme

38%

Which Transformers character Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Hehe ... the link was given to me by Annie. A toss up between Optimus and Bumblebee is not bad ... although my probable favorite is, if I remember, Perceptor (the microscope?). Hahah.

Jesus bless you all.

Kid's Humour

2007-06-29T19:04:00.001-07:00

Hey,

This is a cool article, well actually a short collection of subscribers' funny stories, that I got from Christianity Today.com .

Sigh :) ... the humour and innocence of children ...

Have a read and brighten your day.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2007/003/11.7.html

Jesus bless you.

'Last minute' blessing

2007-06-15T02:59:00.000-07:00

Odd title for a topic.

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a worship workshop and concert thereafter by Hillsong Australia. It was at KL Baptist church in Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang. Needless to say I was blessed.

I first heard about it through Yoke Kheng when I was passing to her some papers for a meeting that I could not attend (college ministry) and just before the rather protective (or impatient?) guard ushered her off, she asked me whether I would like to go for a Hillsong worship workshop. I think before that she may have smsed me about it but I am not sure now (30lah, what to do?). Anyway, I thought about it and soon smsed my confirmation to attend. I was looking forward to it.

I have attended two Hillsong concerts in the past: Hillsong United (SIB KL) and also a Reuben Morgan concert (PJEFC) and enjoyed both a lot.

The day came finally and we were on our way to a place called Changkat Bukit Bintang. Thanks to God's grace, wisdom and mercy, Seng Chor's direction and some brilliant directing skills (and driving skills from YK) from yours truly (haha swt) we found the place with little difficulty. As we arrived we parked at the Radius Hotel just opposite the road and made our way to the church. The small entourage comprised members of BUC and KDU CF.

There were a few workshops offered: keyboard, bass and guitar, drums, vocals, media and planning. So there we were all signed up for the sessions and entered what I think was the main sanctuary. It was a new looking building with a spacious sanctuary, well furnished and modern. What caught my eye were three throne-like looking chairs on the stage. I presumed they were for God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) during the services. :) God be praised.

The team from Hillsong comprised some 'veterans' like Miriam Webster and Raymond Badham. The rest were relatively new volunteers serving in different Hillsong churches around Australia ... but they played and sang like they have been doing it for ages. The morning service started out awesomely. We sang and sang newer as well as songs from later albums and it was just a great atmosphere. Truly God was glorified. I particularly took an almost instant liking to a new song that is covered on the latest Hillsong United effort called 'Hosanna', which I hope will also be in the new Hillsong album later. Our morning worship session was powerful.

Later Ray, who I found out from his sharing was leading the team, shared a short message (a refreshing one) and introduced the team to us (if I remember correctly). Then we broke up into the different workshops. I went for the vocals led by Miriam and Elisa (another member, a pretty lady). Miriam basically gave us some pointers on preparing yourself (physically) for worship leading. Here are some tips I remember:

(i) drink lots of water as your throat is the last place that gets water,

(ii) avoid dairy products before a worship session as it causes muccus build up;

(iii) warm up (throat and voice) and warm down before and after;

(iv) know your lyrics so that you can move freely;

(v) and perhaps the 'newest discovery' for me, when you sing, you will know you are singing the proper way if you feel two muscles at your lower back tense up (basically do not sing from your throat).

The workshop ended with a Q and A session with the whole team (their testimonies were very encouraging) and they were a joyful bunch of people.

The concert

The concert started almost 730pm sharp that evening and by God's grace (and Pei Lu and Jia Yein's help) we got front row seats (I hope we did not cause people to fume at us ...). It started off very memorably with Pei Lu running up the stage and getting an autographed Mighty To Save CD (woo hoo) and the evening progressed beautifully and energetically with some of the latest and later songs. Wow, I sang and jumped and jumped and jumped some more. It was awesome to be in God's presence, in rededication and worship to Jesus. The concert paused with an evangelistic message and sharing (praise God our Father for those who responded) and ended with One Way (twice) and King of Majesty (yayy). My legs and foot (that I had earlier suffered a torn muscle) and throat were put to the test. It was wow. God be praised. To God be all glory.

All in all it was a great feeling to worship Jesus so freely and passionately. I only hope we can use what we learned and with God's anointing, bring my local church, BUC, to higher planes of worship to Jesus.

God blessed the day truly, although .. hehe ... it was a 'last minute' blessing in the sense that I only got to know about it last minute.

All glory to Jesus.

Some of us and Miriam Webster.

Post exam stress ... can it be true?

2007-05-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

I'm back ... but I am tired ... (so what is new?)

First of all, sorry, sorry and more sorries that I have not been blogging. I guess it is just like going to the gym or something. The longer you stay away from it, the less interesting it becomes. Oh well ... Hahah, that and the fact that my tag board has become somewhat of a community board, haunted and all with faux phantoms and of all people Josh (the opera singer) (swt).

My exams are over for this round. As some of you may know, I took Copyright Law and Employment Law for my masters in Law (LLM) in University Malaya. Whew ... I have to say upfront that God is GOOD. Who would have thought that I could have kept my hectic schedule and all and study at that? God is GOOD.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100.5)

Oddly enough, the euphoria of having finished exams went like the proverbial wind. Work called again and now I am in up to my chin in work and exams and marking papers ... hehe. Oh for the days of student-hood (haha) where the final minute of exam signalled the liberty bell.

Let's see what updates I have (in a deep breath) summer is here and so are the movies that flow along with it: Spidey 3 was cool and I am looking forward to Pirates and Shrek 3, etc; footie season was, as is getting too usual, a disappointment: I can only hope that Sammy will bring solid and exciting football into St James' Park and quality players (so much for iron fists, sexy football and the like); BUC church camp is just around the corner (woo hoo, some rest and relaxation and spiritual refreshing); my sister is home after many years in the UK, so that is excellent; my new home is almost ready (Pelangi Utama) and now for furnishing and all; the new semester has begun and that brings along a new subject (Legal Systems: Australia); my family has finally relocated to PJ/KL: Praise God for that; things are shaping up well in Bandar Utama Chapel: college ministry, men's discipleship group and fresh worship leading anointing (amen), KDU Christian Fellowship is starting to pick up, etc, etc, etc.

Well, so what has not been happening? Hahah.

Ok, I think I will end here for now, as I have a mountain (oklah, a hobbit's mountain) of papers to mark.

Jesus bless you all.

Real life dramedy

2007-03-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

The following story is based on a real life event. The real names and identities of the characters have been altered for confidentiality purposes.

Maid in Kepong story (swt)

A late night out

It had been a good evening, a successful and lively Christian concert followed by a late night tea drinking session with some of the gang. God had come through for us (as usual, Praise Jesus) and a harvest had been reaped (all glory to Jesus).

The clock struck about ... hmmm ... 11 plus?

A few from the organising team had celebrated the completion of the event by having Hawaiian bread and other tea drinking shop ... um drinks (haha). Soon it was time to go. One half of the gang followed Eugene, the other half, Kent (please take note that some of these characters are from the Cake Massacre story a few months back).

The principal characters in Kent's car, a 1995 silver Mousedeer, were Cassandra, Geoff and Eron. Along the amost empty highway did the mousedeer run and eventually approached the gates of Cassandra manor. She alighted and said her goodbyes and then proceeded to the great iron door that stood in her way. She paused ...

From within the Mousedeer, the three gentlemen waited patiently, heavy with drowsiness and eager to get home to their soft, comfortable beds.

Cassandra stood at the door staring and eventually returned to her friends.

'Um, I can see the keys on the floor just in reach, but the wooden door is locked'. (swt 1)

'Huh? How come you do not have a set of keys?' Kent asked. His hands gripped the steering wheel. Eron let out a laugh.

'Why don't you wake somebody in the house up?' Geoff asked after while.

'Ok, I will try that.' Casssandra answered. She flipped open her hand phone and began to dial.

No one answered (swt 2).

Again ... no one asnwered.

'Ring the doorbell then,' Kent suggested. He was really tired after the day's events and had to wake up with the sun the next morning to send his Mousedeer for servicing.

'But I may wake everybody up,' Cassandra said 'Maybe I can go behind my house and wake my maid in the back room,'

'Good idea,' Kent replied 'Eron, why don't you follow her,'

'Sure,' Eron stated and together they disappeared behind the huge communal garden and behind the houses.

During the ensuing minutes, Kent and Geoff began to talk about other matters such as church and work. They waited for a good 15 minutes or so ...

The return

Cassandra and Eron eventually reemerged from the shadows and approached Kent and Geoff. No maid appeared at the door.

Eron had a hand upon his forehead and Cassandra looked a little stunned.

'Well?' Kent asked.

'You know ...' Cassandra started 'we were calling my maid ... and then a most peculiar thing happened'

The rest waited in silence.

'Some stranger came to her window and asked "Who are you"?'

Eron started laughing 'It was the WRONG house,'

(swt)

Cassandra had identified the wrong house and awoken her neighbour's maid instead. Oh the irony, oh the tragedy, of the comedy ...

After a few minutes they went back to try the RIGHT house this time. Kent and Geoff were laughing in their absence for a good 15 minutes, almost non stop.

Finally, Cassandra called her parents and thankfully her mother woke up and opened the door.

Whattanevening.

swt

and more swt ...

The End

Sands of Time

2007-03-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

The hourglass is a fascinating object. There is something mesmerising about watching the sand slowly trickle to the bottom, settling into a small mountain like formation.

They say age is but a number ... and for me that number is 30.

30 ... oh wow.

You know, when I was in my twenties, early or mid, I used to think that 30 was an age away. Well now that it has arrived, 'how do (you) feel about it?' you may ask. Actually ... I guess I am OK.

What is so bad about turning 30? Well let's see. You're nearer to 40 ... hahah. Oh well, 10 years is a long time (or is it?).

What is so good about turning 30? Well, let's see. It is proof of God's grace. I have made it this far ... 30 years on Earth upheld by Jesus' wonderful grace and mercy. Yes, I give thanks for this 30th year on earth, another year to do God's will, to please Him and to grow deeper into Jesus. What an opportunity!

I bless you Lord Jesus for these 30 years of being always on Your mind and now in Your Hands ... always.

More things to be grateful for this year:

1) God is actively at work in me;

2) I am finally well into my LLM (masters in law) programme (something I have wanted to do for the longest time) ... and it is one year nearer to completion;

3) I still look (hahah) like I am in my 20s;

4) I am surrounded by awesome family and friends;

5) I have more than enough.

Happy birthday all those who are also turning 30 this year, and you know who you are. :)

30 ... it is OK.

Jesus bless you all.

Belated greetings to ... my blog.

2007-03-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my blog ... but belated birthday ...

I have been blogging for a year ... how time flies.

Jesus bless you all.

2007-02-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

Dearly beloved ... :)

Humankind has universally declared today (14th February) 'the day of love', Valentine's Day. Love may mean different things to different people, and there are many kinds of love relationships: Creator (God) - creation (us), parent - child, siblings, friends, family, male - female.

Whatever your perception or understanding of love is, here is the Biblical view of love:

1 Corinthians 13

Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Jesus loves you so very much. It is up to us to reciprocate. Make the right choice today.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3.16-17).

Oh ... and have a blessed Valentine's day.

Love and blessings in Christ,

Ken.

The sky's the limit

2007-02-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

Cobwebs, cobwebs ...

It has been some time since I blogged and I have recently been hounded. Hahah. The thing is, as a matter of practice (thought not necessarily a hard and fast rule), I only blog when inspired to do so. Witness the return ... hahah.

My devotion this morning reminded me of something I had known for sometime, but perhaps taken some time to internalise: God is faithful.

'Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.' Psalm 36:5

Amen. Father keep my eyes always upon You, O Lord in Heaven, in my heart.

A few updates on what has happened this past one month plus into the new year:

(i) I had a refreshing family holiday (which I enjoyed more than I expected) in Langkawi;

(ii) Prospects of an exciting new ministry in BUC;

(iii) Christian Fellowship in KDU has really taken flight;

(iv) Loved ones are safe and all accounted for;

(v) Presentation and assignment for my LLM at UM went well;

(vi) Made a fresh resolution this year: to truly go deeper into Jesus and to come to know Him more intimately, just to understand and appreciate what it is to BE His child, and just to BE;

(vii) Attended a seminar on how to deliver sermons/messages, which I shall put into practice ... in future, some where, some time ...

Yes, God is so faithful!

Recently, the lyrics and positive message of Josh Groban's latest offering, You are loved, has started to grow on me. Powerful lyrics, beautiful melody and a strong voice ...

You are loved (Don’t give up)

Don't give up

It's just the weight of the world

When your heart's heavy

I, I will lift it for you

Don't give up

Because you want to be heard

If silence keeps you

I, I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood

Well I can hear you

Everybody wants to be loved

Don't give up

Because you are loved

Don't give up

It's just the hurt that you hide

When you're lost inside

I, I'll be there to find you

Don't give up

Because you want to burn bright

If darkness blinds you

I, I will shine to guide you

Don't give up

It's just the weight of the world

Don't give up

Everyone needs to be heard

You are loved

I can imagine that would be something our beloved Jesus would sing to us.

All praise and glory to You Lord, because You deserve all that and so much more glory.

You are loved too, Lord Jesus. :)

Truly God's faithfulness reaches to the skies. Oh what a deep statement!

God bless you all.

Oh how the years go by ...

2006-12-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

2006 is fast coming to its end. A new year is almost upon us. I wonder what 2007 holds for us, for me ...

Come what may, I trust that all things are in our Heavenly Father's omnipotent Hand.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". Romans 8:28

Just to round up a year that has been filled with love, fellowship, joy, laughter, passion, tears, anguish, disappointments, fear and all other sorts of emotions (haha, yes I can be quite emotional), here is my list of thanksgiving:

To my God Almighty (my Father in Heaven, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit) all glory be to You for Your gift of life, unconditional love and salvation, mercy and all other joys, blessings, trials and tribulations (as they are for my growth). To You be all the honour and blessings. Amen. I love you Lord. Bring me nearer, deeper into You Father ...

For my parents, all of God's blessings and love be upon them for their continual love and endless support and encouragement. Thanks for being there for me through it all, for bearing with me through my griefs and being joyful with me through my joys. God bless you both always. I love you both.

To my family (Phye Aun, Val and my favourite little boy, Ryan), thanks for being there for me and putting up with me too. Hahah ... it is not always easy living under one roof, but I love you all all the same. To Ann and Mark, come home soon to visit and catch up. Love you guys too.

To my GG, oh the heartache, oh the joy ... haha (notice how I put heartache first, haha, kidding), its been quite an adventure serving and fellowshipping with you guys. To uncle Hok Seng and Aunty Chooi Kuan (and the Ho kids :) ), thanks for being my encouragement and inspiration. To Kevin, bro, I just want to say that even though I may say harsh things (hahah ... sometimeslah) I do appreciate your leading with me ... iron sharpens iron right? To Sahaya, Ernie, Annie, Tracy and the rest ... God bless you all. Continue to grow and continue to desire the things of God. You guys have great potential to lead too. And thanks for your service, fellowship and love ...

To the BBC team, it has been an honour serving with you and serving you as well. To our fearless leader, Yoke Kheng and my fellow servants and good friends: Christine, Yung Ling and Sahaya, thank you for making the year an adventure and a blessing.

To the church (BUC) (1): my elders and their wives (uncle Christopher, aunty Luan, uncle Wing Cheong, aunty Sue Ling and uncle Hok Seng and aunty Chooi Kuan) and all the full timers (aunty Dolly (and uncle David), John and Yoke Kheng) thanks for being my encouragement and for stirring up my desire to grow in Jesus. Your leadership is so, so much appreciated. To my ministry leaders (YK, Yoke Teen), God bless you guys in whatever you do ... I am growing in the places God put me, and you have helped me to grow :).

To BUC (2): To my 'gang' (peers, gaming and otherwise) in BUC :) - Seng Chor, Christine, Yung Ling, Sahaya, Kevin, Yoke Kheng, Adrian, Florence, John, Wan Yi, Pei Lu, David, Raymond, Tracy, Michele (hehe from Life Chapel), Nai Kyn, Yoke Teen, Charmaine and Aaron Yong ... thanks for your love and fellowship. Iron definitely sharpens iron here. Let's continue to give our all for Christ. Thanks for inspiring me to grow further. God bless you all (p.s to Adrian: Delirious rocks, but Hillsong rocks more hahah).

To BUC (3): All leaders (aunty Helen, Seng Chor, aunty Dolly and other ministry leaders), etc- I know how it feels like too, the joy, the disappointment, the fatigue (haha), but thanks for serving side by side with me. Together for Jesus' glory.

To the church: I remember aunty Luan saying to me once, before I was regular in BUC: "Come and join us, we will take care of you" ... amen, thanks for all the fellowship and joys. It has been such a journey ... we will continue to journey till Jesus comes back for us. Oh happy day ... Love you all.

To my CF (2006): oh brother ... what can I say? I love you guys. The Aarons, Daniel, Mun Yee, Fleur ... opps Cassandra, opps Xi Ying, Li Yan, Michell, Jia Hsien, Glennie, Joanne, Carissa, Kah Jun, Seng and Jean, Angela, Fish, Eu Jin, Clement, Humphrey, Lik Ee (future advisor?), Yong Ling and all the rest (if I missed anyone, please, please forgive me and include yourself :) ... you guys are so weird ... haha but a real joy to serve with and to watch over. Keep growing guys. Jesus loves you so much. Ms Angeline, JK (haha) and Ming Han, thank you, thank you so much too.

To all my other friends (Ernest and Lila: thanks for your love and friendship - 'Bestests' of buddies; Nic and Sim: hehe love is in the air, Jo: God bless you and keep you bro) and colleagues: God bless you all.

2006, woo hoo ....

2007, bring it on ...

God, I bless you.

God bless you all and have a blessed new year.

C Day

2006-12-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Battle time ... (hehe) figuratively that is.

1st December 2006

C Day aka Carolling day descended upon the KDU CF like torrential rains. The day came sooner than expected. And boy did it rain that day, not physically, but I am sure we sang God's blessings into the college. All praise to the Lord Jesus for His marvellous gift of song and His blessed birth.

The day before ...

30 November 2006 was a day that, I think, our conductress shall always remember. It was during the late hours of the evening (ok, not so late, about 5.30pm, just trying to dramatise things) that we commenced our last practice (which was to become second last practice). Making our way down to the concourse area where we were scheduled to sing, the carollers took their positions and open their mouths ...

'FL-at!'

Our conductress was clearly gripped with anxiety and despair as we attempted carol after carol, without success. The agony, the irony … and we were doing so well in the earlier practices. Somehow, the guitars and the singers were not in harmony. And not all had memorised their lyrics well either. The guitars were playing in one key and the carollers, singing in another. Oh … and the clock was ticking too.

Pray, pray … trust.

Last practice

Friday, 1st December, 11.30am

One hour before the actual carolling … and we had not started final practice yet (gasp). Some members (they shall remain a mystery … ho hum, haha) did not wake up on time, some could not come, due to exams, etc. Carissa was half crying, half growling. The musicians were not (really) in uniform and the rest were in a nervous buzz. On the brighter side, the lot of us looked smart: the ladies were in bright red and the gents were in black with coloured ties (see pictures below).

When finally everyone arrived, we managed to squeeze in a few of the more difficult songs and finally, at 12.34pm (or thereabouts) we started to make our way to the concourse (already half filled with lunch goers), in a train-like formation, chiming ‘We wish you a merry Christmas’ as we went.

The rest, as they say, is history …

We carolled and carolled, lifting, or trying our utmost best to lift, our voices in unison and harmony, all eyes fixed on Carissa and all ears on the guitarists. We gave it our all, and did what we could with the acoustics of the open hall against us and the cacophony of the lunchtime crowd threatening to drown us out … but we prevailed and managed to catch the attention of all and sundry there. People walked into the concourse to watch, people cheered, people applauded (although we were out of key for a song ... or two). Overall, nerve wrecking as it was, we made it through … believing that at all times, the Lord was holding us.

Mark 9.23 (Jesus said) … Everything is possible for him who believes.

Amen Lord Jesus.

And … I made it through my speaking part (for When a Child is born), which I almost forgot when we started singing the carol … whew. All glory to Jesus.

These are the carols we sang: We wish you a merry Christmas, Have yourself a merry little Christmas, When a Child is born, Mary's boy child, Jingle bell rock, Away in a manger, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels sing, O Come all ye faithful, O Holy Night, Joy to the world, Angels we have heard on high (my favourite) and (our group's favourite) Feliz Navidad.

C Day

Truly, madly, deeply (haha) it was an experience, singing as a choir, singing in parts for a large audience … the wonders of how things come together for the good of God’s Children who love Him.

We took a lot of pictures after that, in relief, in joy, clicking like there was no tomorrow (haha).

God bless you CF-ers.

We bless you Father in Heaven, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit.

God bless you all.

… and have yourselves … a merry little (or grand) Christmas, now …

A candid one

The ladies: (Sopranos) Ying Hui, Michell, Mun Yee, Li Yan, Glennie

(Altos) Xi Ying, Angela, Joanne, Fish

(Conductress: Carissa)

The gents: (Tenors) Daniel, Kah Jun, Kenny

(Basses) Aaron T, Jia Hsien, Soon Seng, In Ming

(Guitarists) Aaron P, Eu Jin, Clement

Hill top experience

2006-11-24T18:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, 7.30pm

Hillsong United in Malaysia.

The venue was SIB KL in a tightly packed sanctuary. The atmosphere was alive with excitement and expectation as thousands (a literally full and perhaps almost overflowing sanctuary: the area in front of the stage was packed, much less the seats) waited for the concert to begin.

There I was, with a few of the KDU CF students and friends, right smack in the front of the stage area. Above, full; behind, full; left, full; right, full. It was an evening that will for always echo in the corridors of my memory ...

A 45 minute wait

We (about 10 of us) arrived at SIB KL at 6.30 pm plus. Wanting to quickly make our way to the fifth floor where the concert was to be held, we waited for elevators. We were told subsequently that the elevators may be too slow and that we'd have a better chance of arriving 'earlier' if we took the stairs.

Huh? 5 floors up?

Walked and walked, up and up. I was slightly out of breath at the 4th floor (and the concert had not started yet ... haha).

Upon our arrival at the 5th floor, we were greeted by an already full waiting area outside the main sanctuary. Wow ... we took our places in line and waited and waited. All around us were people, young and the not so young (I think I was in a middle category, hahah). Time passed and still people were coming in. I had heard that the tickets were sold out, so it was not surprising. People even had to line up in the stairwells.

Eventually they let us in at about 7.30pm.

The Hills are alive ... with the sound of (praise and worship) music

Officially the concert started after 8pm. We were there to see the group live but more importantly, we were there, whether we were aware of it or not, to meet with God.

The concert opened with huge songs, including 'One Way' (yes, it may be an older song of theirs, but to me, one of the best that evening. Guys ... I am still waiting for the reward ... ahem hehe). People began to sing their lungs out and jumped and jumped. You will not see as much dancing in clubs, I think, and the floor was literally moving.

This old-er guy, all of 29 years, gave it my all too as I jumped and jumped with the throng of worshippers, raising our voices to defeaning levels to praise and worship our Lord Jesus. Songs came and went, but the crowds matched the group on stage with levels of sky high enthusiam. I have not jumped so much ... I am still reeling from the exertion (hahah), but it was worth it ... every single moment.

Worshipping Jesus 'From the inside out'

The majority of the songs were new-er to me as I am much more of a Hillsong listener rather than a Hillsong United listener. Still that did not stop me singing and praising God. Wow, the experience was so fresh and exciting. I literally shouted praises and prayers to Jesus and my Heavenly Father. Among the 'highlights' (songs that I enjoyed singing most) were One Way, King of Majesty (I really sang and sang to this), Take it all and the (almost sure to be) anthemic From the Inside Out (see my earlier post on the CF camp, it was one of the highlighted songs).

Thank You Lord Jesus for helping me to truly praise You.

Also we sang powerfully to snippets of classics like Our God reigns and also the newer Chris Tomlin favourite worship song 'How great is our God'. And we shouted God's victory through so many other songs ... I am sure the spiritual realms were shaken and probably God's angels sang with us too. :)

All in all, this old-er guy had a spectacular time in worshipping and in rededication to Jesus.

Truly 'All the Heavens shout Your praise ... beautiful is our God, the universe will sing, Hallelujah to You our King'.

What's next?

Lord Jesus, please help me to build on what You have and are doing in me and through me that truly ALL praise and honour will go to You, to be faithful to You and to love You and others as much as You love me. Amen.

Ok, who is coming to bless Malaysia next? Heheh ...

I bless You God.

God bless you all.

Singing Christmas into the college: Gloria in Excelsis Deo

2006-11-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

It is almost that time of year again, a time of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. A time of great joy, a time of singing and praise, worshipping our Heavenly Father, God Almighty and His glorious plan of Salvation.

Glo o o o o o ria ... in Excelsis Deo ... (Glory to God in the Highest).

Carol of the bells

This year, we at KDU CF are going to sing Christmas into the college, and hopefully into the lives of its students. :) It's carolling time! We plan to do it in the concourse area where we are sure to get maximum exposure ... which is a good thing ... but that would mean we would have to be extra prepared ... which is a ... um ... good thing also ... I think. :)

Oh yes, we are also singing 12 - 13 songs. Haha. All by memory.

We are singing ... in parts!

Oh the days ...

We have all four groups between us, the 'high flying' sopranos, the 'courageous' altos, the 'elevated' tenors (hehe, I am one of them) and the 'booming' basses.

Our torture maiden ... opps ... conductress, Ms Carissa (oklah, she is nicelah ... :) ), has the herculean task of drilling ... opps ... training us (and our voices) into tip top shape, and I think she is doing a great job of it. Little did I realise that we can s-i-n-g. Haha. Woo Hoo. All glory and praise to God for the gift of song, and unity.

So far, we have practiced (and for one or two, almost perfected) about 8 songs including Angels we have heard on high, Silent Night and Joy to the world. Some of the times, there is a cacophony of parts (haha), but there are those times when the group surprises even me. Boy oh boy, it is during those times that we rock! But hopefully more rocking than sinking lah ...

And the practices keep on coming ...

We have been practicising for some weeks now, usually twice a week, and are getting there. Carissa told us that quite a few of the parts sung in parts have been modified to suit us or taken away to simplify the song, to also suit us.

We are grateful ...

How great is our God, SING with me ....

So to those involved, let us truly strive to come together and sing our hearts to the Lord Jesus, and celebrate His birth, His coming into the world.

So ...

Let soprano voices ring high and clear, while altos weave their song to complement and support, let the men of bass anchor the songs with foundations so firm and tenors soar in harmony and symphony ... to create a most pleasing sound as a sacrifice of worship and praise to our God, our Father in Heaven and to embed the true message of Christmas in men.

Glo o o o o ria in Excelsis Deo.

God bless you all.

Pray with us and for us, ok? :)

Surprise, surprise ...

2006-11-01T23:05:00.000-08:00

Today's post (after what seemed to be ages) is inspired by the quiz on John (The Wallah)'s blog. I did it and the results are ...

Surprise, surprise

Have a look.

I did the quiz twice and twice I was challenged with the same tie breaker question: English or Education? I love English (language, culture, footie!). I also love education (although not necessarily the law, hehe). Anyway, scores for both my #1 and #2 are same.

You scored as Education/Counseling. You should strongly consider majoring in Education, or related majors (e.g. American Sign Language, Child Development, P.E./Physical Education). Teaching others takes compassion, dedication, patience, an open mind, and a certain type of intelligence for the field you teach.

It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it.

Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal.

English/Journalism/Comm

81%

Education/Counseling

81%

Religion/Theology

69%

HR/BusinessManagement

63%

French/German/Spanish

50%

Visual&PerformingArts

50%

Psychology/Sociology

44%

PoliticalScience/Philosophy

38%

History/Anthropology/LiberalArts

38%

Physics/Engineering

31%

Biology/Chemistry/Geology

31%

Accounting/Finance/Marketing

25%

Nursing/AthleticTraining

19%

Mathematics/Statistics

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
created with QuizFarm.com

All glory to my Lord Jesus for the love of teaching and English. May I use these for Your glory, Jesus.

God bless you.

'The Midautumn Cake Massacre'

2006-10-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

See that cake? Looks good? Probably tastes just as good. But cake can be more than just cake ...

This is based on a true life event.

It was an evening in October. It was warm, humid and bright. A blanket of haze hung over the ground, blurring vision and veiling the people that passed by. It was a prelude to an evening that started out innocent enough - a gathering of friends, for a midautumn celebration ... or so it seemed ...

11 people, and a cake, with 'murder' on their minds ...

The Dinner

Our story began some weeks before the event. The principal character, the organiser, Mr Leeky (names in the story have been changed to protect the identities of those involved), had arranged a celebration dinner, a pot bless, and invited his friends to also celebrate some of their birthdays and have a 'lantern walk'. The festivities started slightly behind time, 7.30pm, and by that time, the sun had set and the last of them entered the house. The sky was ablaze with streaks of crimson and amber ... shades of a day coming to an end. Dinner began with the usual happenings, the welcome speech, the conventional ice breaker and then a short prayer before dinner. Dinner was then served ...

As the evening wore on, the 'murder weapon', the seemingly innocent cake, was still sitting dormant in its red box.

What followed was the lantern walk. Festivities subsided and many guests left by the time the clock chimed 10pm.

And then there were 11

The final eleven made themselves comfortable after dinner with small talk and the usual rounds of jesting. Among them were: Messrs Leeky Ow, Jerome Lu, Eron Pwah, Eron Tame, Vanessa Young, Lea Yan, Ham Woo, Kent Chu, Jeah Hseen, You Gene and Angelica Ang.

Now Leeky had organised the dinner in full knowledge (and courage, I may add) that some of his guests may exact 'retribution' on certain attempted or succesfull pranks he had masterminded in the past. Taking his ostensible leave to send a friend home, he exited the scene, unaware of what events would take place in his absence.

A conspiracy

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive ...

Messrs Lu, Pwah, Chu and You Gene came together to hatch a plot to 'get at' Leeky, on the occassion of his birthday (which actually was months away). The weapons? An almost empty bowl of 'Hokkien mee' and the cake. White and creamy, it was the perfect foil to the brown mee. The three waited outside, ostensibly to ambush the unwary Leeky. You Gene lagged behind carrying the punch bowl almost full of orange drink.

The wait lasted a few minutes ... oh poor Leeky ... but wait. It was not Leeky that would taste food (um, feel foodlah) first, but the unsuspecting Kent. During a conversation, Kent was distracted and Jerome struck ... it was over in a flash ... big splashes of brown sauce and mee fell to the ground. The source? Kent's head. Triumphant in turning the tables (the turncoats) Jerome and Eron laughed and laughed, Eron running into the house. To add salt to his wounds, You Gene approached the 'wounded' Kent with the punch bowl, turning back for a moment to call for reinforcements (the bowl was heavylah).

'It's either you or me' thought Kent, and before he knew it, You Gene was drenched with the very orange juice that he intended to pour on Kent. The hunted had become the hunter ...

Kent made his way into the house, to be greeted by laughter from Eron and Jerome, and headed straight for the cake and then to Jerome - it was done - cream fell on Jerome's hair ... a small struggle ensued ...

Leeky returns to a gambit

Leeky, blissfully ignorant of what had just occured, aproached the house and saw fruit pieces on the porch's floor. He warily entered the house. Everything and everyone seemed as normal, chatting, eating ... but aha ... Jerome's and Kent's hair were freshly washed.

'Hmmm' ...

What followed was typical of a game of chess. Everytime anyone of the original four moved, Leeky would counter move. Like a pawn moving amongst the rooks, bishops and knights. His way of escape closed, Leeky then had no choice but to sit amongst the hunters ... a pigeon amongst cats (haha).

Kent went to the porch to clean up the mess.

Inside, after a while, Jerome lured Leeky into a sense of security ... laughing ... Eron crept up behind Leeky, Leeky turned ... too late ...

Eron, made his retreat to the porch, his hands full of cream, having done their work. He passed Kent and bent over to wash his hands at the garden tap ... a mistake?

The opportunity was too good to miss ... a surge of cold water from the punch bowl fell on Eron's back ... it was now Kent's turn to laugh.

Pax ... or was it?

Pax means peace. Declarations of peace filled the living room.

Jerome, in a flash, dipped his hand in to the cake and Angelica was a next victim.

Kent from the kitchen, could afterwards hear screams from the living room ... uhoh ... what was happening? Lea and Vanessa then burst into the kitchen and ran straight for the washroom ... it seems someone else had made them victims of the cake. You Gene followed, also with cake cream on his clothes, and in the washroom, a water fight began ... it was not pleasant ...

And then there were 3

The remaining: Eron Tame, Jeah Hseen and Ham Woo.

'You are among the only ones still clean. Are you afraid?' Eron Tame was asked. He was brave ...

Soon, a hand swept into the cake and Eron became a statistic.

Eron Pwah signalled to Jerome that Jeah Hseen should be next. After all wasn't it Jeah Hseen who stated earlier that he had extra clean clothing and even generously offered it to Kent upon the Hokkien mee disaster? Jeah Hseen joined Eron Tame too ... smeared on his hair and shirt.

One more. Kent conspired with Eron Pwah:

'Our host ...'

Eron understood ... walked cooly pass the cream cake and patted some cream on Ham. Eron, ran outside the house laughing.

Ham, then took some cake and made for Eron, but as it turned out, his hand landed squarely on Kent. Aahhhh ... he knew ...

The 'cake' bath

The events of the evening spared no one, not even the house. Oh the tragedy, oh the agony ... of cleaning up.

One mop, 11 people.

Well, eventually the house was cleaned ... hiding all traces of the 'massacre' that just took place.

Leeky's words

'There is always a next year' Leeky grinned ...

'Yes Leeky, we can always start fresh, all over again' Lea Yan spoke ...

'Always next year ...'

Oh what a night ...

Hahahahaha ..... I hope you enjoyed my recollection of the evening's events. Not everything is accurate though, just what I remember. Wow, truly what a night. We all went home, smelling of cream and looking 'fairer'. Most of us had cleaned up though ... but the memories will still be with us.

God bless you Lik Ee for organising the potbless.

We had fun.

I only hope no one harbours any ill feelings ... sorry once again Humphrey for messing up the house ... we did clean it well hoh?

God bless you all.

Smiling at the storm

2006-10-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Storms are awesome natural phenomena. Chaotic and powerful, destructive yet strangely beautiful, storms can inspire fear.

Does your life look as if it is in the middle of a storm now?

Are there flashes of lightning around you and does the noise of rolling thunder deafen you?

Do you feel tossed and battered?

At the moment, on my journey with the Lord Jesus, I feel buffeted by strong winds and can almost feel the streaks of lightning descend upon me. Yes, the storm is raging around me, it can be imposing, overwhelming even ... but ...

I remember this Sunday School song. The Lord Jesus Himself reminded me:

With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm,

Smile at the storm, smile at the storm,

With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm,

As we go sailing home ...

The event of storms in a Christian's life are the norm. Our Lord Jesus Himself stated in John 16:33 that we, His children will go through troubles, trials, temptations, etc ... However, He finishes by saying 'But take heart! I have overcome the world'. Truly, with Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm.

Our Lord controls all things, there is nothing He cannot do. As Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23-27, so He can calm the storms in our lives.

Remember, our Lord Jesus allows things to happen for His reasons, and His reasons are always perfect.

I am comforted and encouraged.

To the storms of this world, I say 'Bring it on. The Lord Jesus is on my side. I will smile, laugh, sleep, rejoice in the storms', for I know who travels with me right through the storm. Jesus ...

The sunday school song ends with ...

Sailing, sailing home,

With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm,

As we go sailing home.

Are you in the midst of a gale?

Do not fear, fret or wail,

Remember who travels with you,

Our Lord Jesus, faithful and true.

- Ken -

To Jesus, our Lord be all glory and honour and praise.

Encouragement

2006-10-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

According to Dayspring.com, it is Ministry Appreciation month :)

God, all wise, has placed ministers, pastors, elders, etc in all of His churches and we are all the better for it. We all need good, godly leaders after all, and we all look to Jesus ultimately.

Let us continue to appreciate and encourage our leaders.

Encouragement, after all, can be the difference between giving up and going on ...

This link will take you to a good and refreshing read:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/9r5/9r5035.html

Even shepherds need to be fed.

God bless you.

Everlasting - Your light will shine where all else fades

2006-10-06T02:11:00.000-07:00

I recently learned a couple of new songs (new to me that is) that really is very inspirational, both from my KDU CF camp.

The first one being How great is our God originally by Chris Tomlin from his 'Arriving' album.

This song is really inspirational to me. When I sing it with a congregation of His saints, I really feel like the world is singing as one to Jesus. Amen. Truly how great is our God. The song paints such an awesome picture. Jesus reigns! I am thinking of teaching it the next time I lead worship in BUC. Here are the lyrics:

The splendor of the King,

Clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice,

All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in light,

And darkness tries to hide

And trembles at his voice,

And trembles at his voice

How great is our God, Sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, How great is our God

Age to age he stands

And time is in His Hands

Beginning and the End,

Beginning and the End

The Godhead, Three in one

Father, Spirit, Son

The Lion and the Lamb,

The Lion and the Lamb

BRIDGE

Name above all names

Worthy of our praise

My heart will sing how great

Is our God

The second song is from the Hillsong United 'United we stand' album: Inside out. The words of the (either) pre chorus or chorus, 'Everlasting ... Your light will shine when all else fades' really touches me, as I get a beautiful picture of God's unfailing love and light. Like a precious, powerful ray of light breaking through through the confusion around me. Such precious, relevant words that mirror the condition of my walk at this time. I love You Lord Jesus always.

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

The Lord God, Our Heavenly Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit be glorified.

God bless us all.

My journey of discovery ...

2006-10-04T01:31:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since I posted.

...

I have just returned from KDU's Christian Fellowship camp over the weekend, Friday (29th September) to Sunday (1st October) in Golden Sands Baptist Centre, Port Dickson. The camp was not too big (numerically). There were only 25 of us, and from that, only 22 attended the camp right to the end. It was a time of refreshing, fellowship and discovery ...

The message I remember the most as being the most inspiring was the message that our speaker, Pastor Gurmit of Kuantan, shared on the last day (Sunday). It was from Daniel 3, about the stand Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego made for the Lord when they refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar's idol. As we know, the king sentenced the three young men to death by burning in a super heated furnace (it was so hot that the guards who brought the three young men to the furnace also died (v 22) and they were thrown into the furnace.

Miraculously, they were saved by The Lord, God: (in v 25)

[Nebuchadnezzar] said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

And again later in the passage: (at v 27)

They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

God will not let down those who actively make a stand for Him, who remain faithful to Him.

The miracle is amazing, but the most eye opening thing about the lesson was in how the three young men responded to the king: (vv 16-18)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Wow ...

Something to truly chew on.

Lord Jesus, please give me the faith that You gave your three humble servants, that no matter what, I will always stand up for You. Amen.

Besides that, during the camp, I was continuously pondering over several issues (pertaining to the gifts of the Holy Spirit). I think I am on a journey of discovery and I pray for The Lord Jesus' wisdom and the inspiration of His Holy Spirit to bring me through this.

Lord Jesus, give me Your wisdom, discernment and strength. Reveal to Your servant, Your child the deep things of God. I entrust to You this journey of spiritual discovery. Let Your Word speak to me personally and convict me of Your truth Lord. Amen.

May I bring glory to the Lord Jesus.

I bless the Lord.
God bless you all.

Children and 'lurve' ...

2006-09-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

I was wondering what to post and I received this email. For your reading (and considering) pleasure.

Touching words from the mouth of babes.

What does Love mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?". The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- aged 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - aged 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - aged 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - aged 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - aged 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - aged 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - aged 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - aged 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." Nikka - aged 6 (Wow, wow)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - aged 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - aged 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - aged 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - aged 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-aged 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - aged 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you'd left him alone all day." Mary Ann - aged 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - aged 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - aged 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it is gross." Mark - aged 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - aged 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry".

God bless you guys.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30 - 31

'Weird' and Wonderful

2006-09-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

A thought

I had a thought last night when I was looking at some of the things in my room and bathroom. Yes, I would blog a post about some of the 'odder' things in my room (that is besides myself lah ... hahahah ... I guess I can be pretty eccentric too, as some of you would already be aware of, but I hope these idiosyncrasies are endearing rather than irritating ... haha).

Anyway, allow to me present to you the 5 most unique things in my room and bathroom (whattalist) and yes, I do consider them objets d'art.

Here they are

Ooo ... what is it? Any guesses? It is actually my wall mounted lamp.

Looking very futuristic and space aged, it caught my eye when I was in Ipoh, awaiting the shifting into my current apartment. I wanted something interesting, out of the ordinary and at the same time, charming. If I am correct, I found this lamp in a light shop near the 'warring' nga choy kai shops in Ipoh. Hahahaha ... initially attracted to it, I was hesistant to buy it, as it did not really illuminate the room bright enough to read, but its uniqueness got the better of me, and well, if ever you come and visit me, please drop by for a look.

This is a charmer. Haha ... It is my 'pet' chameleon. I actually find chameleons most fascinating. Slow moving and enigmatic, they shift and blend into the surroundings, with a wicked tongue.

This chameleon stays in my bathroom, over the sink. It is a mirror. A friend of mine, my godson Aidan's mother, Alice gave it to me for Christmas. I immediately took a liking to it and it also solved my problem of not having a mirror in the bathroom as I was hesistant to drill through tiles.

Bathroom exhibit 2: a tongue scrubber.

I know, it does not sound too pleasant but what to do when dental and oral hygiene is important? Apparently, it also helps reduce ulcers by cleaning your tongue.

This is one of my favourites: a Scripture Keeper. These beauties are readily available in Glad Sounds and Evangel and they come in a variety of themes. This is a Sports Themed one and even the Bible verses are sports themed. Good for encouragement and also as a decorative piece to get conversations going, and also sharing :) .

I have another one in the office and that is a Refuge theme, with an Ivy Tower to hold the cards. Praise The Lord Jesus for creative people.

Lastly, but not least, my very own Van Gogh artpiece. Well at least in full technicolour jigsaw.

I used to have a thing for jigsaws when Valerie, my sister in law had a few that she fixed and framed put up in our home. I saw this in Jigsaw World, KLCC and bought it on sale. I tried to fix it, but my patience grew thin (haha) and finally had to resort to the kindness and patience of my three brother and sisters in Christ, Soon Seng, Jean and Yoke Kheng, who fixed it up and then framed it up for my birthday. God bless them. :) Now it hangs as a centre piece on my bedroom wall and it really brightens up the place (with my two other pictures).

There you have it

Five of the more unique things I have. I have more, but that is another story.

Thank You Lord Jesus for your gift of art and creativity. All praise to You, my/our Author of Life.

God bless you.

The Tired Educator

2006-09-14T01:48:00.000-07:00

From inspired to tired. Haha. Oh well ...

It has been a busy two to three weeks since the new semester began. A semester of using 'technology' to teach (KDU being a smart school), a semester of climbing stairs or waiting for elevators, a semester of getting through to new classes of students, the smallest being 7 pupils, the largest 50 plus (whew) a semester of reading to get updated with the latest in the technical world of Company Law and the enigmatic world of Equity and Trusts Law. Woo Hoo, whattajob. Also a semester of my continuing education at University Malaya (and spending oodles of time at the library (7 plus pm to closing time, no less)). What's an educator to do?

New challenges demand new solutions to overcome them, and I am more than up to the task, with the Lord Jesus being my strength and my wisdom. Amen.

Let me tell you about my classes.

University of Tasmania (twinning programme): Equity and Trusts Law

Small-ish groups, two groups (sems 5 and 6), with 7 returning students and 11 new ones. Classes are cosy, discussions are more intimate (interactive wiselah), students are generally more responsive and attentive. I enjoy lecturing Equity and Trusts anyway. This is in stark contrast to when I was a student and I was 'just getting by' in Equity. Haha. What a difference, um, a few years can make. :)

Oxford Brookes University (twinning programme)/ University of London (external programme): Equity and Trusts Law, Company Law

And then there were ... 50 plus. Wow.

This is the biggest among my group of students since I started with KDU. The general atmosphere is or can be pretty chaotic. Haha. Students come in at times ranging from early, to on time to 15 minutes late and beyond (to infinity and ... nevermind haha). When I lecture, I can see one or two students chatting and laughing behind ... and I stop and I sit. Haha. Suddenly the atmosphere changes from para silence to a lot of hushing and then silence. Then I continue. Oh the life of a lecturer who does not scold. I prefer not to scold as I treat them as adults and really do not see the point in scolding people in my age group (yes yes, I am still in my 20s). I reach out to youth better by relating to them. Although I must say I have been tempted to scold. Haha.

The students range from really attentive and inquisitive to those who listen and are silent to the few that are in a world by themselves.

The best part are my (almost) daily quizzes: trivia time. Yayy. Pin drop silence. Woosh, you could hear people breathing ... ok, that is too much, but very quiet. What happened to those back benchers? Fun fun.

All in all, that is how my term starts: slightly awkward at first in relating to new students but by the end, when we are familiar with each other, fellowship and meals and etc.

Lectures

I lecture a maximum of 5 hours a day, and most during the middle of the day (from 10 to 5 even). This semester I have 18 hours per week. I used to have 27. Whoa.

Thankfully no weekend classes. Still have to come in though, 2-3 times a month.

The Thankful Educator

Regardless of the time (or lack of it), new faces and new challenges, I enjoy teaching very much and I feel personally it is one of the best ways to reach out to oikos. :)

Lord Jesus be glorified.

God bless you all.

We've (I've) been forgiven much ...

2006-09-05T00:26:00.000-07:00

I came across this very interesting article on Christianity Today.com. Please feel free to have a read.

What Forgiveness Isn't

6 myths that may be keeping you from letting go by Denise George.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2006/004/14.38.html

What I liked best is the last line of the article:

'When we genuinely forgive, we set a prisoner free and then discover the prisoner we set free was us.'

God bless you.

Here's Kenny ...

2006-08-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm back. I'm back. I'm back home in Ipoh ...

For those in the know, the last time I was home in Ipoh was Chinese New Year 2006. That would mean I have not touched Ipoh soil since, what was it? January? Oh wow ... and I used to return to Ipoh almost every weekend when I first started my stay in PJ/KL.

Among the reasons for my 'long awaited' (haha) return:

my dear parents visit us in PJ very often :),
it can be a hassle taking the bus (although it does give me a chance to sleep),
commitments in PJ (work (forced, hehe) and ministry (enjoyable, and I am grateful to serve the Lord Jesus),
usually tired to travel after a long week.

This time around, it was a chance too good to miss. Thursday happened to be a public holiday, my brother was driving home and I am not scheduled to work this Saturday. More importantly, what prompted me was, to me, God's still voice saying I should spend more time with my parents.

You see, I am currently attending a very interesting (and liberating) course on Friday evenings called 'The Father's Love'. It is a Biblical course that, in one sense, explores our relationship with God, based on our parents' relationship with us. The lessons are simple and concise and the ministry time can be full of wonderful revelation (Lord Jesus, transform me for Your Glory). Until now, we had only had two classes, but I felt that prompting to take an extra day from work (Friday) and just spend the long weekend with my parents (Lord Jesus, use this time for Your Glory and Healing). Intrigued? It is not too late to join. I cannot recommend it enough.

Besides the time with my family, I am also rediscovering what treasures Ipoh holds - her food. Hehe. I have so far eaten my favourite chicken rice and for dinner, at a very good place for clay pot rice and tau geh (bean sprouts). Tomorrow for breakfast: Fish head mee hoon ... yummy. And the eating goes on and on.

Family, fellowship and food ... whattacombo. :)

God be blessed.

God bless you.

One hundred million miracles

2006-08-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

The title is taken from a song in the musical (and also movie) 'The Flower Drum Song', about how a couple of illegal Chinese imigrants find new life in the USA (arriving on board a ship as stowaways) and the lives they impact. I remember enjoying the movie as I was growing up and enjoying the music as well. It is like a musical tribute to the Chinese society in the US. Today's title, I thought, is very apt for today's post.

One hundred million miracles ... are happening everyday ...

God is good, all the time.

A fun evening

Yesterday, I had dinner with two good friends (CF students: Aaron and Sim, Sim being my ex student, about to fly to UK) at Italiannies in 1U. I had come from work, so I was lugging along with me my trustee laptop. We were catching up, having good fellowship and enjoying a satisfying meal and soon we decided to get some coffee. We headed to Centrepoint.

Upon arrival, we saw that Starbucks was packed and so we decided to go to McDonalds instead (I shall always have memories of this McDonalds now, as you shall see later ... hehe). There we were enjoying a sundae, McFlurry and a drink. Soon, it got late and we had to send Sim home to Kota Damansara. Up we got and to home did trot (haha). We arrived about 20 minutes later at Kota and after saying our goodbyes, Aaron and I headed to ss2 as Aaron wanted to collect his thumbdrive from his sister. SS2 came and went and eventually, I dropped Aaron home at Damansara Jaya.

Horrors

As Aaron was entering his home, I turned around to look at the contents of my back seat and discovered that it was quite empty, but for my gym bag, a Jusco bag and my shoes ...

Where was my laptop?????

I was frantic ... panicky ... I informed Aaron about it and he also got a shock.

Gasp! It was still at McDonalds ... and had been there for almost an hour.

What to do? What to do? I got in my car and drove and drove to McDonalds and prayed and prayed and pleaded with the Lord Jesus that the laptop still be there. All sorts of thoughts were running through my mind: the laptop, firstly had all my work stored within, all my pictures that I had taken, all my documents. The laptop belonged to my employers and I would have to pay for it now. The anguish, the panic, the forgetfulness on my part, lack of care. I prayed and prayed and prayed. Aaron even asked Joram, a friend of ours in Australia to pray too.

McDonalds

I parked my car at the roadside, parking in the carpark would take an eternity, or would seem like it and sped to McDonalds on foot. It was then almost 12.30am. The lights of McDs greeted me, but whether they were lights of relief or lights of warning, I could only speculate ... and I was speculating. Lord Jesus forgive me for being so careless with things You have entrusted me with. As I appoached the verandah, what I thought I saw made my heart sink, sink and land with a crash. The cubicle that we were sitting in (or so I thought) was now occupied. But then, I moved closer, and saw that in a cubicle behind that cubicle, there was what looked like a black bag ... untouched! Was I seeing things?

I raced in and pushed the swing doors. I still remember the squeak it gave as I did so, as if an obstacle in my path. Quick quick. As I approached the cubicle, a wave, um ... a tidal wave, um ... a tsunami of relief rolled over me ... my laptop was sitting right where I had left it ... TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY. I was wrapped in joy, in relief, in gratitude.

Well think what you will, but I know for sure that my God, Jesus answers prayers. I was thanking The Lord profusely on my way home and even managed to give a worried Aaron a call. Such euphoria. Sigh ... (and that's a good sigh).

To my Heavenly Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit be all the glory forever and forever. Amen.

Truly a hundred million miracles are happening everyday.

P.S: oddly enough, or hehe not surprisingly, the laptop was untouched even though the table had been cleaned. Our God is a God of Miracles.

I bless you God.

God bless you all.

Ratraces in vacations

2006-08-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Sunny days, long days, fun days, beautiful days ... hazy days?

The haze caught up with us on our escapade to Tioman, from the 17th to 20th of August. But that is the extent of the bad news. Haha.

Let me recount what happened on our holiday. We left Bandar Utama at 4.45am to start out 5 hour long journey to Mersing, Johor by car. Sardine packed in Seng Chor's Nissan, we made our way on the highway that is the North South Highway, south bound. Traffic was good (what else, travelling in the wee hours of the morning?) and soon the highway gave way to the winding, narrow trunk road lined with hundreds upon hundreds of oil palms and rubber trees. Speaking of the haze, I could see it quite clearly even at that early early hour of the morning, masquerading as mist. It was pea soup thick and at times hid the sun from our eyes. Our journey to Mersing was, thankfully, uneventful and quick, as I was asleep for most of it :) . Five hours later we arrived at Mersing and made our way to the Sun and Sand Travel, Berjaya's agency (I think). We spent about 30 minutes there and when we got out once more, to our surprise, or more like shock, we found that we had been fined for illegal parking. Oh holidays ...

Our ferry started sailing, or rather speeding towards Tioman Island from the Jetty at about 11am. It was more comfortable a boat ride than I remember from out last trip. This time the boat was bigger and better equipped, even air conditioned. It took all of 1 hour and 30 mins.

Here we are finally at Tioman Island. Woo Hoo. We lugged all our luggage (haha) to the specially provided bus waiting for us at the jetty's end and reached Berjaya Holiday resort in two shakes of a duck's tail (how this idiom came to be is beyond me ...)

This was our home for the next 3 plus days. An elegant, mansion-esque kampung styled house. Berjaya holiday resort has two types of accommodation: chalets (like this) and apartments. We stayed in rooms 318 and 319, fully air conditioned, fully hot showered, etc.

We were a bunch of hungry people. Haha. This is the amount of food we brought along with us, basically for breakfast and lunch. We had loads of things from cereal and milk to biscuits and instant noodles to bread and canned fish to sweets and chocolates and beverages. We ate and ate and ate. Dinner time was usually eaten at the local restaurants. The food was yum for the first and third evenings at Citra Anugerah Seafood restaurant, a stone's throw from the Resort, but lacking on our second evening at a different restaurant. Food was always aplenty.

Highlights

Snorkeling: Next to diving, snorkeling is a 'must do' in any tropical island paradise, and since I am not qualified to dive ... yet ... snorkeling was part and parcel of the trip. We managed to snorkel in three spots: Dalam Bay, The Marine Park and Renggis Island, a small island just off the shore from Berjaya Resort. Dalam Bay was new to me, as on the last trip to Tioman, we went on a slightly different snorkeling route. Dalam Bay was ok. Most of the corals, if I remember properly, were brownish, but fish were aplenty. The Marine Park was something of a disappointment, as it is more for fish feeding. If you think piranhas are voracious, think again. Drop a piece of something into the water and it gets attacked left, right and centre by fish of all sizes. Whoa. I say that it was a disappointment because there were not many varieties of fish and hardly and coral and I was attacked by what I think were tiny jellyfish ... as I was swimming, following a fish toward some ropes, I felt something, um, somethings stinging me ... and that also through my shirt. What a feeling ... .

Well not all was lost as Renggis Island more than compensated for the snorkeling trip thus far. Although not quite as I remembered it, Renggis Island was coral heaven, comparatively, and housed an astonishing number of fish and other marine life (sea cucumbers and urchins). I was on the look out for nudibranches (thanks to Seng Chor) but because they were either expecting me or were also on vacation, I was looking in vain. Sigh ... Oh nudi, where art thou?

Trekking to the waterfalls: This was something new as it was included in the round island trip. We arrived at some part of the island (south I think) and made our way up the stairs towards the waterfalls. There were a lot of steps, I can tell you that and I was rather warm by the time I arrived. The scene that greeted me was a sight for sore eyes: a pristine waterfall surrounded by verdant life, clear waters plunging into a small but deep pool, the smell of fresh forest water and trees ... ahhh. Most of us waded into the cold waters and rested a while, what a way to relax from the hustle bustle of city life. I even saw a frog sunbathing on a rock.

Games and more games: Games are always a highlight in our gatherings. And the core group of gamers were all here on vacation ... haha. We played the usual card games, chor tai tee, Up and Down the River and the 7 game. Also a few rounds of the enjoyable Ratrace, but the highlight of this highlight was our newest game: Kashflow. It is a very interesting and 'real' game as it teaches you things like positive and negative cashflow, the ratrace and how to invest your money in life. There's babies, downsizing and even 'doodads' (everyday expenses that can break your savings). In a sense we brought the ratrace into our escape from it. Hahah.

I have loads more pictures of the sea, the beach, the resort, the food and fun. Please let me know if you would like to see them.

To end this post, here are some pictures of our group of 5 (so who's Timmy? Haha).

God bless you all.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

2006-08-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

Sunny days are here again ...

Most of you may dispute that statement as it is (cough cough wheez) hazy and occassionally rainy ... um thunderstorm-y nowadays. Yes, you may be right ... but whatever the current situation, I am going on a holiday starting tomorrow in Tioman. Woo Hoo. Sunny days are here again.

Let me think ... It has been some time since I have had a good rest much less been on a holiday, and I am very grateful to the Lord Jesus for blessing me with this time of rest and relaxation. Amen. The last time was probably my trip to Cameron Highlands.

Allow me to paint a picture for you ... a picture perfect horizon framing the rising sun, its warm golden rays shimmering upon the serene aquamarine carpet that is the sea. Beyond the brilliant globe of light, a splash of blue and grey, shades of a day about to begin. Seabirds soar above head carried by a light morning breeze - predators on the hunt. Below crystal waters, schools of fish dart in the open blue, shape shifting with the ever changing waters and solo fish weave between corals and anemones, taking refuge in crevices and foraging for food. On the surface, the waters ripple in the presence of fishing boats making their way to deeper waters ... all this while I am still in deep slumber ... haha. Oh wonderful rest, oh sweet repose. But of course I'd eventually awaken to a glorious day. :)

So have a good rest of the week. I know I will. I will be taking it easy peasy lemon squeezy ...

God bless you all. God bless Tioman.

To Wit

2006-08-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

I received an email from a good friend (also a Christian) in KDU College and it contained more witty statements: Christian one liners.

Read it and ... weep?

1) Some people are kind, polite and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

2) Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

3) It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

4) When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

5) People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

6) Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

7) Quit griping about your church, if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

8) If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

9) God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

10) I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

11) A lot of church members who are singing 'Standing on the Promises' are just sitting on the premises.

12) We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

13) Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

14) Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

15) God loves everyone, but probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts'!

16) God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

17) He who angers you, controls you!

18) The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

19) The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

20) We don't change the message, the message changes us.

21) You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

22) The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

God bless you all.

What would you do?

2006-08-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Top tens.

It seems today's world is filled with lists of some sort or other. Everyone has an opinion on the 'top 10' of something. Obviously, what is top ten for the writer may not be top ten for the reader, but whatever it is, top ten lists do get us thinking (I have received feedback that my top ten of tv series was boring and interesting (from different people). Hahah ... oh well, to every person their own).

I happen to come across a very interesting article that I would like to share with you guys. Any guesses? A top 10 list. :) However this is not any ordinary list and it is actually taken from a book of a similar name: 101 things you should do before going to Heaven by David Bordon & Tom Winters; Bordon-Winters LLC, 2006. The link can be found below. It is from Christianity Today's website.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2006/004/4.20.html

So please have a look. It will at least get you thinking.

God bless you.

The 'idiot box' : Entertainment and beyond

2006-08-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

Picture this: a family gathered some evening in a home around a big box with flickering images that appear seemingly from thin air. All eyes are affixed to the images that move behind the central curved glass screen and all ears are attuned to the noise and dialogue that float from small slots surrounding the screen - it's wholesome family fun! It's the TV ... one of man's greatest inventions, and, boy oh boy, has it has come a long way.

I grew up watching a lot of television. In fact some of my fondest memories of tv was sitting glued in front of it with my siblings or with my whole family (cousins included) being awed and entertained by series such Sesame Street (I still like it ok?), 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company, ThunderCats, M.A.S.K, Visionaries and the like. We also used to have a good round of laughs with choice gems like Three's Company (although I sometimes think I was too young to appreciate the jokes), The Cosby Show and Mind Your Language; sat thrilled by the likes of MacGyver, Star Trek: The Next Generation and ChiPs (my brother and I had bicycles and used to play ChiPs ... haha); I even remember staying up late at night (I was still in primary school, and it was during UPSR) watching the very addictive Cantonese drama series 'the Seasons'.

The TV has certainly come a long way - and not only the TV but its programmes. Pure entertainment made way for education and more advanced news reporting and with the advent of reality TV, real life (besides news) was brought right before our very eyes. Whoa. Of course a lot has been said about the advantages and pitfalls of TV, but come what may, the TV is a truly unique invention.

Through this post, allow me to present to you, what I think are some of TV's best and defining moments. I will even be so bold to say that some of these programmes are 'inspirational'.

Behold, the creme de la creme (to melah, Top 10) of secular TV:

10: The Simpsons

Like it or not, the Simpsons have made an impact on TV and the society that watches TV. The 'yellow first family of Springfield with 4 fingers on each hand' can make you laugh and gasp at the same time, with their um, unique brand of humour. Although I do not condone all that is done in the series, as some messages are very questionable, where entertainment value is concerned, they deliver. Watch with caution though.

9: Bagdad Cafe (the tv series)

Most of you are probably wondering what this is all about and rightly so as it was a short lived comedy. It starred the ever hilarious Whoopi Goldberg and is based on the movie of the same name: about a black lady who runs a desert inn and the white lady (Jean Stapleton) who comes to move in and the lives they impact. Funny does not begin to describe the series as this is one series where I truly laughed and laughed. Talk about ebony and ivory ...

8: The naked chef/Cooking with heart and soul:

Presenting chefs extraordinaire: Mr Jamie Oliver and Ms Kylie Kwong, a Brit and an Aussie (Chinese) who can truly cook up a storm. There is nothing (probably) more appetising than watching a good cooking show and not only do they deliver, but deliver in fine style: Jamie with his simplicity and humour and Kylie with her oh so Australian accent and charm. They even make preparing the ingredients for the dishes (which I find a tad troublesome) fun to watch and, whoa, when they finish, I wish I was there to sample the menu. Yummy.

7: The X Files

Agent Mulder: So what do you think Scully?

Agent Scully: There must be a rational, scientific explanation for this phenomenon.

Agent Mulder (smirks): Maybe it is just an X File.

The rivalry, the attraction, the mystery and the originality truly made this series one for the books. Agents Scully and Mulder both had enough charisma to keep the series running and with well written scripts and storylines, why should anyone be surprised at the serie's success? Although I always used to wonder why Mulder had to explain a few scientific things to Scully. She was a doctor right?

6: Friends

If you think about it, the characters (on paper) are truly stereotyped: you have the manic worrier, the high school prom queen, the popular guy, the witty albeit slightly bitter guy, the girl who wants to make everyone happy and the weirdo - Ross, Rachel, Joey, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe. What keeps this from being just your average run of the mill comedy series is a sharper than glass script and applaudable acting chops from the cast. Episodes were almost always fresh and more often than not, unpredictable.

5: American Idol

What do you get when you combine three sometimes difficult judges, one talkative host and 12 contestants that can sing and sing and sing? In the words of Ryan Seacrest: 'This is American Idol'. Haha ... watch and you will see why it is on the list.

4: Frasier

What a change. From pub to posh, this is Dr Frasier Crane ... and he is listening. :) This is the thinking man's comedy, a comedy so fresh and wit filled that you can just sit back and put those brains to good use even while relaxing. With a cast of commendable actors (and an actress that manages to make the cockney accent sound posh) and a one of tv's most famous dogs, Frasier entertained without being condescending.

3: Boston Public

'Inspire them! You're a teacher ...' is a phrase from TV's drama filled high school series that I shall always remember, and frankly it really made me think about teaching as a profession. Oh yes, the drama was always neck high and some characters were over the top (I was usually quite 'tired' after watching it), but it was real, albeit possibly exaggerated ... and the pretty actresses also added to the fun. Boston Public highlights many of the issues in schools today and you learn to appreciate teachers for who they are. Three cheers for this school.

2: Monk

The OCD with OCD. Hahah. The obsessive compulsive detective with obsessive compulsive disorder, Monk is a rarity among tv series. Fun, intelligent and funny all at the same time, with endearing characters and crazy plots, it is hardly a surprise it is perennially on the Emmy shortlist. Kudos aside, I actually enjoy this a lot because Adrian Monk reminds me of ... me, at least who I used to be, obsessive compulsive (haha, hey ask my family loh). It is Sherlock Holmes meets Charlie Chaplin.

1: Star Trek: Voyager

Finally the 'big momma' of tv series and one of my all time favorites, ST: Voyager. When I first began to watch it in the UK, I found it ok. It was another ST series, pretty much the same. A few years later, Astro began to screen it on AXN and believe you me, I watched the series (from beginning to end: about seven seasons) back to back almost three times. Gasp. The storyline may be same ol, same ol, but its the characters that grip you, and my personal favorite ST character of all series, Seven of Nine is vava voom. Intelligence and beauty with a resonant strength - a beautiful borg (and fyi she is also in Boston Public). Let's hope they make a movie from this series.

Whew ... there is so much more to say with so many other notables like Ally McBeal, the Cosby Show, Mind Your Language, MacGyver, Quantum Leap, Golden Girls, Knight rider, ST: TNG, ER, 21 Jump St, CSI (Miami, NY, LV), Ed, The A Team, Relic Hunter, Silk Stalkings, Murder She Wrote, Scrubs, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Loves Raymond, Home Improvement, Cheers, Three’s Company, Gilligan’s Island, I love Lucy, Facts of Life, Mad About You, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Futurama, Dexter's Laboratory, Survivor, 'V', SeaQuest DSV, Misfits of Science, Whose Line is it anyway? and the Most Extreme, but I shall stop here for now.

Happy watching ... and oh yes, watch responsibly. :)

God bless you.

Witticism

2006-07-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ahh ... Wit.

I love a good play on words, phrases that hold dual (or even multiple) meanings, a wonder of language and the active mind (for better or worse, is debatable) and words so sharp but mingled with the ability to pound you to a pulp (figuratively lah, haha). Wit, one of God's gifts to us (unfortunately, in this day and age overused and abused).

Witticism is a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter (from Dictionary.com). I had, over the weekend, attended a 'thumbs up' conference at Agape Chapel (in Kota Damansara). Mr Allen Webb was our speaker and he hails from Sunny Sdyney. The conference was spread over two days (Friday evening and Saturday) and the topic du jour was 'world missions'. Among the highlights were the sharing of Mr Webb (and his friends) on the book of Jonah and missions, and our brothers and sister (from three different continents no less) from the good ship Doulos.

During the first evening, after the conference had come to a close for the day, we adjourned into a smaller room for supper. As I was busy consuming a plate of rather good mee hoon (and mee mamak, and sandwiches ... eh, I was hungry ok?) my eyes fell upon three beautifully framed pictures: two mounted over the food table and one on the opposite wall. Each of the pictures, framed pieces of glass, held 5 smaller coloured pieces of papers. Upon them, to me, were frightfully good statements: all true, all inspired, all wit.

I would like to share them with you now. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do:

1) Be ye fishers of men, you catch 'em and He'll clean 'em;

2) Exercise daily ... walk with the LORD;

3) Suffering with truth decay? Brush up on your Bible;

4) Forbidden fruits create many jams;

5) If God is your co pilot, swap seats!;

6) Give God what is right ... not what is left!;

7) God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called;

8) This church is prayer-conditioned;

9) When God ordains, He sustains;

10) When praying, don't give God instructions ... just report for duty;

11) Coincidences happen when God chooses to remain anonymous;

12) A lot of kneeling will keep you to good standing;

13) Are you wrinkled with worry? Come to the church for a face lift;

The following two are good :)

14) Read the Bible - it will scare the hell out of you!;

15) Warning! Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

And one, which is among my personal favourites, since I am sharing (I got this from Our Daily Bread):

If you think meekness is weakness, try being meek for a week.

What do you think?

God bless you.

Of BUC and blogs

2006-07-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Blogs. They seem to be all the rage nowadays.

Did you know that the word 'blog' came from 'Web Log'? Thus 'blog' is a shortened form of web log. Haha, what a discovery.

BUC blogs. They seem to be all the rage nowadays.

I remember when I first started a few months ago, only a handful of us kept blogs (either that or I was not aware of some who had been blogging for some time). I remember adding to my 'Inspired list' some BUC bloggers; John (one of the pioneers), Kevin and Grace. Soon came Michelle and the discovery of Hui En's musings and Ming Han's poetic efforts (keep it up boy). Our brother Darren also started his yesterday in the comfort of Starbucks over some yummy macchiato and 'richer than rich' chocolate cake embedded with marshmallows, and today, I learnt of Seng Chor's newly initiated blog (Diver searching God's creation). Shortly after that our Christine also informed me that she has started one, hehe, aptly titled 'Memoirs of Doctor Cabokia'. Oh yes, uncle Chris and aunty Luan's blog is also up.

Talk about spreading like wildfire.

Blogs, they are all the rage. They are also a good way of keeping others updated about what is unfurling in your life and your surroundings. A place to muse, to praise, to joke and to rant. A place to share.

Keep the blogs coming. The list just keeps on growing.

God bless you.

The Inspired Student

2006-07-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

It is really quite the ironic title. The Inspired Educator becomes an inspired student.

Come to think of it, I wonder why I had not considered it as an appropriate title before this. Haha. Actually it was mentioned to me via e mail by Matt (thanks for the idea, I am making it my idea now hahaha. So all rights reserved, mind you. Hahah. Kidding. Hey, thanks bro). So let me tell you how I am becoming, in addition to an inspired educator, an inspired student.

If you have read my previous post or if I have mentioned it to you personally, you would be aware that I am now enrolled in University Malaya as a student towards achieving the title of Legum Magister (or Masters in Law; LLM). I graduated in 1998 with a Legum Baccalaureus (LLB degree) and subsequently attained my Certificate in Legal Practice a year later ... which would mean that it has been 7 years since I did any legal studies (wow that is some time). Yes I have aged I know, haha, albeit very distinguishedly (hahahahaha).

All the same, the LLM in UM is offered in three distinct ways: through dissertation, through coursework and a mixture of both. I opted for coursework (exams, assignments, seminars and lectures) since I am working and mostly because I am most used to studying like that. For the LLM through coursework, students have to pass 6 subjects within the maximum time frame of 5 years. I have, after prayer and talking it over with my parents and family, some church leaders and friends, decided to do it over a leisurely (I think) course of 3 years; being two subjects per year. This year I am registered for (i) Employment Law and (ii) Copyright Law. So far, so good. The lecturers (both very experienced academics in their fields (Drs and Profs) and one of them being the Dean of the Law Faculty) have made a good first impression.

Suddenly being a student again seems overwhelming, what with me trying to juggle all of my activities and hats, but the good thing is that I am actually looking forward to becoming a student again. I pray to be not just a student, but one that will do my best to glorify the Lord Jesus, because I know in my heart that He has put me in UM for a reason. Lord Jesus inspire me.

That's my post for now. My classes are from 5.30pm to 8.30pm every Monday and Tuesday. Pray for me brethren and friends as I take the first steps to becoming an inspired student and eventually an even more inspired educator.

I bless you God.

God bless you all ... and UM. :)

The good, the bad and the tired ...

2006-07-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sigh … it has been a long week, an eventful week, a week that has taken a toll physically, mentally and spiritually upon me. In short, it has been a week that shall echo in the corridors of my memory for some time to come.

I have aptly titled my latest post: The good, the bad (well this is arguable as you will see) and the tired. It may sound a tad odd but let me illustrate.

Allow me to weave my yarn of joy, anguish and fatigue.

The Good: Carpe diem so they say, which simply means ‘Seize the day’. Hey it rhymes. And seize the day I did.

My recollection begins on Wednesday, um, Tuesday actually, as it was the day I received an e mail from my best friend and brother (in Christ) Ernest (there is a link to his blog there too). He wrote me an email stating that he was boarding a flight to Malaysia, from the US, that very day and would like to meet up with me. Now, I have not seen Ernest in years and although we communicate over MSN, there is nothing quite like meeting up with old and dear friends. That was an opportunity too good to miss. Ah, but where is the element of carpe diem? Well the meeting was on Wednesday BUT I had also had plans to go for Superman Returns with my church movie ‘kakis’ (and there were quite a few of us). Decisions, decisions. I thought maybe I could have a quick dinner with Ernest and then join the rest for the movie. After work and prayer meeting (KDU CF) I rushed to fetch Ernest from his relative’s home in Damansara Jaya. Surprisingly, I got lost (hahahaha). To cut a long story short, soon we were on our way to 1 Utama for dinner. Time was short, too short to catch up. A thought occurred to me on the way there and I decided that I was not going to waste anytime watching movies (after all we do it so often), so I called Yoke Kheng (who had generously and kindly bought the tickets) and told her that Ernest was here and so I wanted to spend more time with him and give the movie a miss. She immediately understood and I then passed the ticket to Hui En (a youth friend from church). Yayy problem solved and the ticket put to good use. I had a very blessed time over dinner and coffee catching up and sharing old stories with my buddy. And I am glad I decided the way I did. Carpe Diem eh? (well maybe a bit over dramaticloh). That was ‘Good’ part 1.

‘Good’ part 2 began a few days later. It was a Friday morning. I was raring to go to University Malaya to register for my LLM (Masters in Law) programme (ho hum, more studying). I had been quite nervous before this, not really knowing how my schedule would turn out after registration day as there were limited subjects to choose from and since they were operating on a balloting system, I may not even get the subjects I chose, much less on the days that were ideal. Anyway, let me say up front that ‘Prayer changes things’ (Hallelujah and all praise and thanks and blessing to my Lord Jesus). Some church members were praying for me and I had a lot of prayer from the CF (many thanks guys) (James 5:16). The day started with the usual welcome speeches by the dean and other lecturers, some speeches more intimidating than others (why oh why do they need to intimidate students? Then again, sometimes I am also guilty of scaring my students. Forgive me Lord). Then the real event started – the balloting (ominous drumroll in background). There were so many waiting already. I took my ticket and waited … and waited … (about 15 ppl, if I remember correctly before me). The registration took longer than I thought and I must admit I was a bit ‘kiasu’ and wanted to get to the computers double quick to register myself for the subjects I had selected (Lord, forgive me for the lack of faith). I had to create an email account in UM and then register with that account. On my first try, it did not work. Oh wow … I was told soon, by a kindly helper that I needed to wait 30 minutes before I could log in with that password. Oh brother … (not surprisingly, I was restless for the next (almost) half an hour; still lacking faith). Let me just say that the day ended well – I got the subjects I wanted: Employment Law and Copyright Law and on the days that I think are ideal too: Mondays and Tuesdays. Lord Jesus be glorified. Will post more about lectures soon.

The ‘bad’: This may sound bad (and it was to some extent) but as I said it is arguable. You see … I woke up on Saturday morning early to get to UM for a legal research training … only to find that my car was a few inches shorter – all the wheels had been stolen the night before. Sigh … perfect timing also (hehe). I began to feel a panic rising in me, but I managed to subdue that and thought ‘I must get to UM on time first’. Thank God for my brother, Phye Aun, who agreed to fetch me to UM and I was early. The training went well, all was fine in UM. I even made some new friends (oikos?). Well, as soon as I got home, reality hit. My tires were STOLEN! Why would anyone want to steal an 11 year old (or is it 10) Kancil’s tyres is beyond me (other than the fact that the rims were sports rims). I had smsed my dad before going to UM had received a reassuring reply stating that these things happen and I should not let it rile me. I also realised soon that the tyres were about 2 years old already and needed changing. So although it was a tragedy (of sorts), it could have been a blessing in disguise (perhaps God allowed it to save me from some horrible accident). And I firmly believe that The Lord allows things to happen for our best (Jeremiah 29:11). In the words of Matt Redman ‘… when the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say "Blessed be the Name of the Lord".’ Amen. Truly You give and take away, but my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be Your Name, Jesus. I prayed for forgiveness after that for the way my thoughts went awry and for my questions as to why God allowed this. I know it was for my good.

Well come what may, I can say (heheh) that I have a ‘new set of wheels’. Woo hoo. I know God will provide for the cost too. Thanks to all my church friends and brothers and sisters for your concern. It was touching.

The Tired: As you can imagine, the events, worries, fears and joys of the week took a toll on me. I was physically and mentally and even spiritually tired. And what contributed to it was the fact that for each day of last week (weekend included) I had to wake up with the sun. That early. I am sooooo tired. Well slowly but surely, I will be catching up on my sleep and personal time (with the Lord and myself). I pray for the wisdom to prioritise my time now that I am occupied with work, ministry, church, fellowship, CF and studies. Lord Jesus, into Your Hands I commit my body, mind and spirit. Refresh me and restore me. Give me the wisdom to make wise, godly decisions that will glorify You. Amen.

Ok then, I am going to bed now. I am so tired (hehe).

Bless you Lord God.

God bless you all.

The 'Be - attitudes'

2006-07-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

I am recovering (physically and mentally) from the weekend's activities (Copa IBA, World Cup and England's premature flight home), not purely because I am old-ish, but also because I think I do not get sufficient sleep (zzz deprivation). I find that the more activities I get involved in, the more likely I am to get dizzy spells, haha (actually it is no laughing matter, as I can suffer from it for days). The room literally SPINS.

All the same, The Lord Jesus refreshed me during the weekend with new fellowships (Copa IBA) and through the Footstool Players' Runaway Bride. I will post about my role as a Team Manager soon. Suffice to say although my Mighty Ducks did not complete the games with an olive laurel, they were pretty good: they finished third - good kids, all of them.

Coming back to my post, this morning I received an encouraging message from The Lord Jesus during my morning devotion. I have just started the July/August issue of Everyday with Jesus by Selwyn Hughes and this time, the theme is one of my favourite part of the Gospels: Jesus' Beatitudes.

I have for some time taken a lot of encouragement and joy from reading Christ's Beatitudes as propounded in the Sermon on the Mount (starts in Matthew 5). The Beatitudes, or Declarations of Blessedness or even 'Beautiful Attitudes' are a collection of godly and positive attitudes so vital for us Christians to adopt. These 'crisp and powerful statements give us the irreducible minimum we need for our souls to work in Jesus Christ's way'. Here they are:

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5)

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

How wonderful are the words of our Lord Jesus, and how wise.

Truly, the attitudes Jesus talks about, if adopted and practiced will powerfully impact our and others' lives - spiritually, mentally, emotionally and even physically (Selwyn Hughes).

There is a quote from the devotion that I find really apt:

'Your attitudes determine your altitude'

The heights in which we reach in our Christian walk in this life is highly dependent upon the attitudes we adopt. "When you adopt the attitudes expounded by our Lord Jesus, the sky is the limit."

God bless you.

The Mighty Ducks ...or something like it

2006-06-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

Copa IBA anyone? (That is Copa I-B-A, not sure why everyone calls it 'iba'). Maybe its me.

Anyhow, how many of you have watched The Mighty Ducks?

Actually I have yet to watch the whole thing myself, but that is not important. What is important is that the movie tells about a group of underachieving kids who want to excel in ice hockey and they have this inspirational coach that helps them along the way (hehheh). Knowing Disney movies, you can guess the end loh. They overcome odds, they triumph and they are the paragon of sportsmanship. I think lah ... hey I told you I have yet to watch the movie ...

Anyway, how does this tie in with Copa IBA? Every year, the Inter Brethren Assemblies (a partnership of Brethren churches) organises this sporting event, and this year is no different. They usually have a few games like Captainball, football and some newbies like Floorball (BUC rocks) and this year, Ultimate Frisbee, where in all the members (or most of them) send teams to 'battle it out' on the field. It is a day of full fledged action (the players going for glory), drama (injuries and the like) and ultimately triumph. (But let's not forget that we do all this for Jesus Christ's glory and in the name of fellowship lah. Different churches uniting in sport.)

Bringing you back to the topic, this year, different from previous years, we have a specially crafted role of 'Team Manager'. A team manager is unlike a coach. He or she (oklah, for 'chivalry's sake' haha) she or he will take charge of a team and be the person to encourage and foster good relations between the team players, working closely with the Team Captain and the Chief Team Manager. Sort of like a 'big brother or sister' (kuyas or ates). Our most important role though, is to model our Saviour Jesus Christ for the younger ones, and hopefully, bring them into His Kingdom.

I have the honour of being named a team manager this year for one of our floorball teams, under our able captain, one Ho Ming Yue, esq. It is a huge responsibility, but nonetheless, I am up to the challenge. Bring it on. Woo hoo. My team, my 'Mighty Ducks' comprises 6-7 young players (early teens), not very far removed from me in terms of age (kindly stop laughing now), so I think I should have no problems (God give me the strength and the grace) establishing friendships with them. To God be all the glory.

Copa IBA, make way for the 'Mighty Ducks'.

More updates to come.

I bless you God.

God bless the players, the team and you.

A Dawning

2006-06-21T02:10:00.000-07:00

He is Alive!

This post is actually to supplement my Easter post.

The great recollection of the miraculous Easter/Ressurection story is found in all the Gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20) and it tells of how our Lord Jesus conquered death and hell and emerged victorious, proving to all the world that He is what He claims to be: God Himself.

The odd thing is that even though He mentions it several times in the Gospels to His disciples (see for example Mark 8:31 and Luke 18: 32 - 33), they were all so surprised when it happened (and some even lost hope and returned to their hometowns and to their lives before it all began, after the crucifixion).

This reminds me of ... me.

Given that God has spoken and reassured me many times through His Word, other people and circumstances of His precious promises and that He will answer prayers, sometimes I can be forgetful and start to wonder. And I would actually be amazed sometimes when He answers prayers (eventhough His Word says He will). Oh, for that extra measure of faith! It is such a blessing that our Lord Jesus is gracious. Amen.

The stained glass

This beautiful image picturing God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit was made by our very creative sister, Charmaine. It reminded me of cathedrals of old.

There is something very mesmerising about stained glass, something very archaic, something very fragile but at the same time resonant with strength. The myriad of colours coming together in perfect harmony and the beauty and power of pure sunlight filtering through them is ... hypnotic. If you have been to any cathedral or church with a stained glass you would understand.

Anyhow, if you remember in one of the stations, the worshipper was asked to write a love message to God? Look at the bottom. There they are ...

Glory to God in the highest! Victory belongs to our God!

The cross at the centre of the church hall

The cross you see before you stood at the centre of the church hall during our MSW. It was, in the sense, a focal point for people to gather and hear a message of God's love and grace during the worship service. Time to time, a bell would ring (sounds cathedral-ly) and the worshippers and guests would be asked to gather at the centre of the hall to hear some words of encouragement.

There was a story of some pieces of wood that were used differently for God's glory. Have a look at Lik Ee's blogpage for a recollection.

All in all, our MSW was an eye opening one. I hope you had a time of refreshing and a time of renewing. Please do come and visit the next time we have one. Keep posted on this site. I will inform all.

God be praised and blessed.

God bless you all.

The end of the road?

2006-06-19T02:28:00.000-07:00

Stations 9 - 10

Station 9: Jesus' death; He took it all for you (and me)

The words in the background are some of the most heartwrenching in the Bible: Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani ...' (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34) (My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?). Jesus cried to God the Father as he hung on the cross and as the sins of the world were placed on His shoulders. The sins of the world ... mine and yours, from time immemorial to time to come. What a burden, to be made sin, when Jesus was sinless. But He did it for you and I, and in the process, for a while, The Father turned away from Him ... as He took on our sins, humanity's sins.

What a Saviour, my saviour. Hallelujah.

As Jesus cried to the Father, the people thought that He was calling to Elijah (a great old testament prophet). The soldiers then took a sponge soaked with vinegar and raised it to Jesus' lips to drink. Jesus takes the meagre offering and declares finally, 'It is finished' and commits/surrenders His spirit to God the Father (dies) (John 19:30).

The picture depicts what happens next: the soldiers come to check on the victims of crucifixion, they break the two theives' legs and then find that Jesus had already passed. To confirm this they took a spear and pierced His side, bringing forth both blood and water. Once more the Scriptures were fulfilled ('Not one of His bones will be broken' (Psalm 34:20) and 'They will look on the one they have pierced' (Zech 12:10)).

The exhibits in this Station show the words of Jesus and beneath them, this beautiful picture (see pic below). The worshipper was invited to write a message of love, thankfulness, praise, etc to God as now we are cleansed through His sacrifice. Amen. Also beside the picture, there was a basketful of dried bread and vinegar, to allow the worshipper to dip the bread (sponge) into the vinegar and taste it as Jesus did.

Station 9(b): Transition

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split (Matthew 27:51).

The 'moment' the verse refers to is the moment of Jesus' death. The torn curtain in the Temple is most significant. You see, in Old Testament times there was a curtain which separated the Most Holy area of the Temple from the rest, and this is the place the High Priest met with God. By this act of tearing the curtain in two, God now provides a way for us, normal people, people under His grace and salvation, to come before Him. Jesus tore the curtain for us. Let us now approach the Throne of God boldly and courageously. Amen.

Worshippers were invited to walk through the curtain ... come.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

(Matthew 27: 51 - 54)

The centurion confessed and (hopefully) believed. Yes Jesus is the Son of God.

Station 10: Jesus Christ's burial

The Burial of Jesus

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb (Matthew 27: 57 - 61).

Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. Prophetically, at Jesus birth (Matthew 2:11), the magi brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Gold symbolised His Kingship, the Frankincense symbolised His role as our High Priest (interceding for us) and the Myrrh foretold His death.

Our God is an awesome God. Amen.

To many of Jesus' followers that day was a most tragic day. To Jesus, it was necessary ... but the best was yet to come ...

God bless you.

The Vanishing ...

2006-06-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

Updates, updates.

Today for KDU Christian Fellowship, we had a special screening of a very interesting, thought provoking and faith stirring movie: Left Behind.

If you are wondering whether the movie (or movies: there is a part 2 (and 3 I think), to be screened during CF soon) is related to the best selling books, the answer is yes, yes. The movie is basically about the events surrounding the rapture and the end of the world as prophesied in the book of Revelations.

The movie stars Kirk Cameron and Chelsea Noble, two actors who used to grace the small screens of my home on 'Growing Pains' (anyone still remember?). The last I read they are married and are very dedicated Christians (yayy). The storyline revolves around a group of people, separate at first, and soon brought together by the 'loss' of certain loved ones due to the rapture*. So begins the adventure of a lifetime for this small group of people, who have been left behind, in a most exciting and terrible time (end of the world) in earth's history. The story ended hanging, to be continued in part 2.

Personally it reminds me not to take our salvation for granted. God commands us, His children to live holy lives, sacrificial and pure, to take everyday we live as a chance to praise, thank and serve Jesus wholeheartedly.

Lord Jesus, into Your hands I commit myself again. Forgive me for my sins, for being complacent and for being disobedient. Yes, time is short. Help me to serve you in bringing others to You, so that no one need be left behind. Amen.

*(For those asking what the rapture is: the rapture is when Jesus Christ comes back to earth for a second time to bring His saints (us, those who put our trust in Him as our Lord and Saviour) home eternally to Heaven. The Bible makes a few references to this event. For example in 1 Thessalonians 4:

'The Coming of the Lord

13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.')

Run now to the Lord Jesus.

God bless you.

Some of the most profound and comforting words of our Lord Jesus

2006-06-13T01:54:00.000-07:00

Station 8: Jesus' precious words to the repentant thief

Personally, these words which our Lord Jesus spoke to one of the thieves crucified with Him are some of the most encouraging in the Gospels.

Two criminals were crucified that day with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. One, the unrepentant one challenged Jesus to save Himself and them. The other one, the repentant thief admitted being sinful and that Jesus had done no sin and asked for Jesus to remember him.

Then he said. "Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom." And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:42 - 43.

The worshipper was asked to take small black hearts and turn them around to make them white and pin them to the board, in response to Jesus' invitation. Amen.

Jesus gives us all this promise that if we will confess that we are sinners (and we all are) and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive us of all our sins and take us to be with Him in Heaven when we die. Such sweet assurance.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine ... Hallelujah.

Please, for those out there reading this who have yet to commit your life to our Lord Jesus, our redeemer and friend, pray for your sins. Jesus promises to save you, if only you will humble yourself and ask!

God bless you.

MSW: The journey continues ...

2006-06-12T02:32:00.000-07:00

The journey of our Lord Jesus this Good Friday continues ...

Stations 6 - 7

Station 6: Jesus crucified - Salvation is free, but it cost God everything.

The journey of our Lord Jesus (this Good Friday) reaches it's peak with the crucifixion of our Lord. Jesus carried His cross to Golgotha only to have His hands and feet nailed to a cross.

"Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered ..." (from The Servant King).

Mel Gibson was right when he said during the filming of the Passion of the Christ that it was his (and our) hands that nailed Jesus to the cross - our sins, our iniquities. Jesus could have called forth armies of angels to rescue Him from the Roman soldiers, but it was LOVE for us, not the nails, that kept Him pinned to the cross.

And through it all (God dying for sinful men), Jesus said "Father forgive these people, because they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34.

The worshipper was invited to write their fears, sins on a piece of paper and stick it to the wooden cross: acknowledging that Jesus Christ's work of redemption for us is complete. Amen.

Station 7: Prophecies fulfilled

Hallelujah! God's Word is true.

The next exhibit shows how a prophecy about Jesus was fulfilled. It had been foretold in the Old Testament that after Jesus was crucified, his garments would be divided among the Roman guards and they would throw lots for them.

So they said, "Let's not tear it but throw dice to see who gets it." This fulfilled the scripture that says, "They divided my clothes among themselves and threw dice for my robe." John 19:24. (The prophecy is in Psalm 22:18).

The worshipper is called to meditate on the truth and accuracy of the prophecy. The Bible is filled with other instances of prophecies and prophecies fulfilled.

Two more examples are given (the two pictures on the left and right of the robe):

(1) Jesus Christ's birth to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem:

Prophecy:

‘Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.’ (Isaiah 7:14) (Immanuel means ‘God with us’; Jesus Christ is referred to as Immanuel).

Prophecy fulfilled:

The Gospels of Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (2:1-20) record the virgin Mary giving birth to Christ.

(2) Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, riding a donkey (colt):

Prophecy:

‘Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ (Zechariah 9:9)

Prophecy fulfilled:

All four Gospels: Matthew (21:1-11), Mark (11:1-11), Luke (19:28-38) and John (12:12-19) record the Triumphal Entry, where the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

God bless you.

Cup of Life: the 'worldly' grail

2006-06-10T02:15:00.000-07:00

Permit me to make an entry about the current craze: that of the Cup of Life.

The world cup, an event that overwhelms the globe every four years, has finally made a return to our big (or small or plasma or HD) screens, and for most, it is something that has been a long time coming. The beautiful game, as most call it, is truly an exciting event. For someone who follows the fortunes (or lack of it in recent years, haha) of one Newcastle United FC on the EPL, it is an event to enjoy - although I may end up going to work and giving lectures and tutorials half asleep (woo hoo). Nonetheless, footie is here big time!

I will be updating you more on my thoughts, raves and rants on the WC periodically, but let me say a word, or some words of reminder to all those out there who will be red or dark rimmed eyed in the coming month: it may be called the Cup of Life, but it is a worldly cup. Remember the words of our Lord Jesus, that He is the way, the truth and the Life. :)

Enjoy the footie, enjoy staying up late with your mates (probably giving the mamaks a big increase in their pay cheques) and enjoy taking time off work.

Let the games begin ...

The Three Lions are starting today and I will be watching. Holland is my second pick for the team that lifts the cup (is it just wishful thinking?). Three Lions on a shirt, Jules Rimet still gleaming ...

More to come. Keep posted.

God bless you.

Walking with Jesus (God) ... MSW continued

2006-05-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Stations 3 -5

Station 3: Jesus carrying the cross - Jesus' way of the cross was a way of love

After suffering the intense agony of being flogged, beaten, and wearing the crown of thorns, Jesus was made to carry his cross, the cross that He would be crucified upon to Golgotha ('the Skull'). He had lost a lot of blood and was physically exhausted, but still our Lord Jesus persevered, carrying the cross as a symbol of His love, His undying love for all humanity. The weight of the cross, although painfully heavy, was nothing compared to the weight of the world, which Jesus carried so willingly. Thank You Lord.

Carrying the cross by Himself, Jesus went to the place called Skull Hill (John 19:17).

The worshipper was given an opportunity to 'carry the cross' in the form of weights and to experience a little of what Jesus our Lord went through.

Station 4: Simon of Cyrene

The next station shows some pictures of Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross with our Lord Jesus. Simon of Cyrene was forced to take up the cross (A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross (Simon is the father of Rufus and Alexander, who were members of the church later) Mark 15:21). (His experience must have brought Him to the Lord. God draws all men unto Him. Hallelujah.)

Simon was forced to take up the cross. Will you and I be willing take up ours as commanded by our Lord? (Yes Lord Jesus, I willingly take up my cross, because in doing so, I know You take it up with me. Amen. All glory to You Jesus, Lord of all.)

To respond, the worshipper is invited to cut a piece of paper in to the shape of the cross and write their name and nail it to a wooden cross. That is a way of saying (through action) 'Yes Lord Jesus, we are willing to carry our crosses for You'.

Station 5: Jesus and the women of Jerusalem

Jesus warns us of the seriousness of our sin.

As the procession trudges on, some women of Jerusalem weep and mourn for Jesus. Our Lord turns to them and says 'Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children ...' (see Luke 23:28-31). (Jesus knew the days were coming when the Romans would destroy the Temple and Jerusalem.) But Jesus was also warned of the seriousness of sin and its consequences (eternal damnation). As the Jews who sinned against God by crucifying His Son, Jesus, they too will face the consequences of their actions.

Repent.

The worshipper is also invited to write their sin(s) on a piece of paper and fold it halfway and put it into the fire. If we will repent, Jesus will forgive us and save us from the fires of hell.

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong (I John 1:9).

God bless you.

Multi Sensory Worship - Emerging and Effective

2006-05-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me just say that this post is long overdue and I apologise for that. There have been so many other things that demanded my attention, like work, um … chat (haha), um, more work? and quite a busy ministry and social life. Whew. Ok, I was a little lazy also. Oh well.

A month or so back, my church Bandar Utama Chapel had our ‘Multi Sensory Worship’ for the second time. The concept is still quite new to us, but as I understand it, quite a few churches in the US and even some in Malaysia are already doing it on quite a regular (is it?) basis. The concept is simple enough and the way I understand it is that instead of worshipping how most churches normally do (singing, etc) worship takes a different form, or forms – being multi sensory. Humans have five basic senses: sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing. What better way to worship the God of our salvation, Jesus Christ, than with all our senses? And that is what, simply put, MSW is all about. We worship the Lord Jesus with our sight, taste (taste certain foods and try to understand that in the context of the Bible passage), hearing (picturing ourselves in that situation through hearing), touch (actual actions) and smell. After all God gave us 5 senses to worship Him.

So in celebration of Good Friday and Easter/Resurrection Sunday, BUC presents our MSW. It was held at our church congregation hall (Antioch Centre) and was opened to the public on Good Friday itself, evening. The hall was divided into four parts, with each quadrant having exhibits recalling the walk Jesus took to the cross and His death for us. A booklet was given for each worshipper to read through, understand the exhibit and ultimately respond to God in worship.

Shall we have a look?

(For this post I will take you through stations 1-2.)

This station (1) greets you upon your entry into BUC. The church hall was lit with soft lamps and candles.

Station 1

The first station is a 'shadow puppet' scene portraying Jesus Christ's trial and judgment. Jesus, innocent and sinless, was silent before His accusers, as He kept his journey towards the cross to fulfil God the Father's will. The reason for this was because there was simply no other way to save humanity, other than in the redeeming sacrifice of a perfect person (Jesus) for us. The worshipper is asked to close their eyes and imagine what it felt like to stand in Jesus' shoes in such a situation.

Station 2: Jesus' sentence

In station 2, the worshipper is taken to the scene of Jesus Christ's sentence and punishment. He did not sin at all to deserve punishment but He bore all for US (ME AND YOU). Playing also was a video of the Passion of the Christ (the very painful flogging scene). Consider Christ and what He has gone through for you and me.

But He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped and we were healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

What could have been more amazing? God taking the penalty for us, the created.

God bless you.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Oh, it is time...

2006-05-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

How time flies.

I realise that I have not updated this site in ages (oklah, not ages but in months). I will do so very soon and I will restart with the long, long awaited Easter multi sensory worship and after that my trip (mission) to the Philippines.

Sigh ... how time flies ...

God bless you.

The Empty Tomb

2006-04-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Celebration!

Christ the LORD is risen today. Hallelujah.

Because He lives (and His resurrection was witnessed by hundreds of people), we can live courageously, boldly and with joy, in full assurance of Christ's Godship and Messiahship. All praise to Him.

It is stated in Luke 24:7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again'.

Jesus' death and resurrection has been foretold. And more importantly, it happened just as it is stated! Hallelujah.

The life we live, the salvation we have is all because of Jesus' great love for us.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13). Thank You Jesus, for being my best friend always.

Before the joy and victory though, Jesus had to go through Good Friday. He had to endure false accusations, insults, physical torture, spiritual agony, mental anguish and ultimately, physical death - and death on a cross (the punishment especially for criminals).

LORD Jesus Christ, 'Thank You for the cross'.

Once again I look upon the cross where You died,

I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside,

Once again I thank You,

Once again I pour out my life.

Read all about the miraculous resurrection in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20.

Christ died and rose triumphantly from the grave and defeated death and Hell.

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph over His foes,

He arose a victor from the dark domain,

And he Lives forever with His saints to reign,

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah, Christ arose.

Jesus' victory is now our victory. All Hail the risen Lion of Judah.

I will follow through with a walkthrough of Bandar Utama Chapel's Multi Sensory Worship (something quite fresh for most of us).

God bless you all. All praise to our resurrected Lord Jesus!

Christ's cross: where God's love and wrath met

2006-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dear brethren in the Lord and friends,

Today we celebrate Good Friday, and truly what a blessed Friday it is - a Friday above all other Fridays - the day our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, stood in our place, to take our penalty, for our sins. He died our death, and gives us His life.

Amen and hallelujah.

As the song goes:

"Amazing love, how can it be?

That You my King would die for me.

Amazing love, I know it's true,

And it's my joy to honour You,

In all I do, I honour You".

Lord, may this day and all other days for the rest of my/our life/lives bring You glory for what You've done, for who You are to us, precious Lord and Saviour, God above all. Thank You for the cross. Truly, I am so amazed, and I give You all my praise and my heart. Christ, I live for Your glory. Thank You Father, Thank You, Jesus, Thank You Holy Spirit.

In Christ, Amen.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

Coming post: Good Friday Multi Sensory Worship at BUC.

God bless all of you. We bless You God.

KidsGames - the finale but also a beginning.

2006-04-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

The days have been busy,

In some ways I've been lazy,

Finally I complete the picture,

Of KidsGames and fun,

Of rain and of sun,

Oh days of thrills and adventure.

- Ken -

A limerick to start the final of my writings of three days ... over a couple of weeks (odd huh?). Well, here it is:

KidsGames: the final day (day 3)

After the hustle and bustle of the previous two days, the final day dawned upon us all. The day started at 4pm (as we all had church on Sunday) as the children gathered for the closing ceremony and sports day: the championships of the 10 by 12 relay and the waterbucket.

4pm and the children were all afrenzy, playing with pools of water formed upon the soggy field under a dull, rainy March sky (and they say April showers bring May flowers). Cats and dogs could begin to describe it, but on our way to Bukit Berunutung, we started to wonder if the skies would relent. Upon our arrival, our answer met us. Rain, rain everywhere. It was cool (a difference from yesterday's blistering heat) but it was wet. Ironic.

Oh well, on with the games, we thought. The children would love to play and splash about in the puddles of water. Say, when was the last time you played in the rain? I guess growing up has made us more sensible but less adventurous. You know what they say, play in the rain and get sick or even play in the rain and get lightning struck. Oh the fun of growing into adulthood.

Anyway, forgive my digression. As I was saying, two tents had been set up at a field and the larger one played the umbrella for the kids. It was a funny sight, not hilarious funny, but ironic funny. They were sheltered from the pelting rains but were ankle deep in muddy water - and loving it! The other tent housed the electrical items, some food and the medals and helpers. Yung Ling, Sahaya and I had to survey the whole field to see how and where would be a good stretch to place the cones and track for the relay.

More people came, the rain continued, puddles grew. All of a sudden, someone complained of being bitten by a centipede!

The tent was in the process of being moved when it was decided by the leaders that we should shift back to the church hall. Whew.

Back at Dwelling Place: by now it was more hectic than before. We were all cramming in outside the hall to facilitate the march in and the opening of the closing ceremony (haha). Teams were once again separated by colours and the ceremony began. The torch was lit (and extinguished by mistake) and the flags brought in, prayers, KidsGames song and dance, all ably and capably introduced by our 'emcee', Rocky. Then, there was a clown show. His name was Ravi and the performance was, in the words of Siskel and Ebert (now Ebert and Roeper) 'Two thumbs up'. Fun and more fun. Even the adults were having a good time. The gospel message was presented during this time to which so many responded (Amen). Truly, the Lord our God can use anyone who is willing to be used. All praise to Him.

After that (pause, can you hear the trumpets blast?), it was time for the sporting events. We had to use the church hall (thankfully big enough) for the relay and the outside road for the waterbucket.

Relay: Woo hoo... and they're off..... the children raced through the church hall, boys and girls exchanging the batons in various ways to race, running, skipping, side stepping. The noise, the cheers, the exultation and the propriety, propriety in the sense of (if I remember properly) no false starts. Amazing.

Water bucket: If you think that the relay was a 'ruckus', haha, the waterbucket was whoa. At the blow of the whistle, the four teams raced to fill the empty bucket. Even the sound of my voice through the hailer was almost drowned. Three minutes ... you have hardly seen such activity in three minutes. At the count of 3, 2, 1 ... the games were officially over.

Soon, the children were brought back into the church hall and they were treated to a song, a very beautiful song, 'Still', sung well.

It was then time for the results. The children were all geared up, the counsellors, helpers were all standing by and the winners stated. You had to be there to appreciate the atmosphere. The children were all in a roar. F-U-N. Medals were presented to all. In God's eyes, if we have Him/Jesus as our Lord, we are all winners.

We then had the closing prayer and a final KidsGames song and dance. Pull the curtains (for now) and take a bow (for now), we will see you again in November for a bigger, better, God blessed KidsGames.

KidsGames for Christ's glory. Hallelujah.

p.s: Keep posted for a special Good Friday and Easter write up (Christ our Lord is risen today... Haaaaallelujah...).

God bless you all.

Paul amongst the kids (KidsGames Day 2)

2006-03-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

Whew, it has been a busy few days. Once again I have to restart the writing engine. Fortunately, or rather by God's grace, the old-er engine is still in mint condition. :)

So where were we? ... Ah, Kidsgames Day 2. Ok let me try to recall what happened. Haha.

So, day 2:

The children arrived very early that Saturday and it was a crisp, sunshiny day. I was informed by the Dwelling Place prayer committee that as they were finishing their prayer for the morning, the children were already there, and that was at about 7.30 - 8am. Wow. Talk about enthusiasm. Praise the Lord.

The programme for the day started at about 9am with Welcome and Games. Talking about games, wow, anything you put to the kids they would play with, they would have oodles of fun with. You will see what I am talking about. Welcome included singing the, by now, very familiar KidsGames song and doing the Kidsgames Cheer. When voices of children, of excited children are raised in song or praise, the roof trembles. :) After welcome, we proceeded to games. We had two in store for the kids:

(i) Toilet flushing game (giggle) - essentially a game of tag - you're it, only that the tagged person has to sit-squat like a toilet bowl with his/her arm lifted up like a flush. To be saved, another person would have to sit on the bowl and pull the flush. We released all 160 plus children into the hall and had all the helpers be 'taggers'. You can imagine the scene that ensued.

(ii) Monster - a variation of the AEIOU game. For those my age and above, you would remember the game and how it works. The 'monster' stands in the front of the hall while the villagers (or children) start from behind. Once the music plays, the villagers make their way to the monster who is asleep. Once the music stops, the monster awakens and nobody (children) can move, they are frozen. Any giggle, laugh or movement of any kind would be detected by the monster and they would carry the children away. Basically it is in the monster's best interests (haha) to get the children/villagers to laugh, move, etc without touching them. Let me say I underestimated these children. Even with a few monsters, those children were as still as statues.

Must be experience from 'perhimpunan'.

After the games, we proceeded to break into the four colour teams for Experience It!, a portion of the Kidgames' curriculum that provides experential games for the children. What happened is that we allowed the children to play a series of games where they would experience difficulty, only 'overcomable' by effective teamwork. After the games, the children are sat down and their situations were discussed. 'Being positive' was the word for the day. The kids enjoyed it so much that the next agenda - a scavenger hunt, had to be put aside for lack of time.

Following that, the first of two parts of Paul's story with the people of Iconium and Lystra was acted out by the A Plus Kids of Dwelling Place (from the book of Acts), telling the children the story of Paul's experience in spreading the Gospel in Iconium and being faced with opposition and after that in Lystra, where the same group of Jews stirred trouble. In all this, Paul was bold, courageous and steadfast for the Lord (... You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ... 2 Timothy 3:10-12). Point to the children is, put your trust in our Lord Jesus Christ and He will be with you through anything, no matter how bad, in life. Amen. The story stopped halfway and continued after lunch. Good job kids.

(ring) Lunch Time! - a meal of KFC, burgers and nasi lemak.

During lunch, there was a huge number of children clamouring for face painting - as done by our lovely sisters Yung Ling, Jia Hua and Charmaine. They were assisted, eventually, as demand overwhelmed supply, by a few other kind people from Dwelling Place. Flowers sprouted on children's faces, the sun dawned on some and a few other pictures (I hope this is the nearest these kids get to tattoos, haha) decorated the arms and cheeks of delighted children. The lines were 'mile-long'.

After some order had been restored, Paul's story continued. The teachers and helpers (some of us) then led the children through some activities based upon what they had observed during the play, including the memory verse "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Ephesians 6:10). Amen, something I need to remember always. Board games and questionaires, including prayers were done in groups, all to God's glory. It was God who kept the children attentive and interested.

After Paul, it was time to travel to a field nearby (or relatively nearby) to demonstrate the waterbucket challenge (whee) and to practice yesterday's relay. Oh were the children excited at the prospect.

The sun was hot, the field dry and children restless. Thank God there were shady trees though.

Under the mid day sun, we set up the relay track and allowed the children to run the race (as it were). Such great kids, they understood what to do, and they wanted to do it twice! It was as if the heat did not bother them, oh well, twice it was.

The waterbucket is something everyone in KidsGames looks forward to. I mean, they even have the world championships and all results from around the globe are posted on the KidsGames website. It works like this. One bucket full of water is placed on one end of the line of children (standing shoulder to shoulder within 5 metres) and at the other end, an empty bucket. At the whistle, the first child scoups water in his/her cupped palms and passes it, only using palms, to the next and so on until it eventually drips (uh huh) into the end bucket. This madness goes on for 3 minutes and there should not be any pauses in between. Woo hoo. All in preparation for the big day: day 3. The children enjoyed it so much and FUN is all I can say.

Slices of watermelons, cakes and drinks were given to the children to end the day. And after all that I needed to get some 'zzzzz'.

Day 2 had come to a close.

KidsGames for Christ's glory.

God bless you and all the children.

This one's for the KIDS.

2006-03-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

'KidsGames, everybody jump up,

KidsGames, we're here to have FUN,

KidsGames, doing it together,

Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh ...'

Children ... the apple of God's eye.

With so many sporting events either coming or have come this year: World Cup, Winter Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, one wonders is the world missing out on celebrating what it is to be a child? After all, only adults can compete worldwide in fiercely competitive games, right? Wrong (buzzz). KidsGames is an entirely revolutionary sport - for Kids!

Yup, for kids... and not only that, it is a superb way to spread the Gospel. What could be better than that? According to a Children's ministry trainer that I had the pleasure of listening to, humans are more receptive to the Gospel message between the tender ages of 5-12 (if I am correct). Once they hit those teenage years and beyond, their minds get more and more clouded and they are more set in their ways, i.e. it is more difficult, as it were, to break through. Children are our future, so they say, and rightly so. Mould a child for God from a young age and fruits will be aplenty. Thus, the great importance of children's ministry and KidsGames.

KidsGames celebrates childhood and youth. You may be wondering by now what exactly KidsGames is. Well ..... "The KidsGames in each community are a multi-day, multi-group, sport focused, value-based, global initiative for children aged between 6-14 years. KidsGames provides a means for all sorts of groups to work together on an ongoing basis, serving children who learn and compete together. There are KidsGames happening on every continent and in a large number of countries. After launching in the year 2000 in seven countries, by 2003 over 75 countries had participated. This number is quickly growing. In 2004/5 it is believed that over 140 Countries have participated in KidsGames and well over a million children. Describing KidsGames is like describing a tree. Every tree has roots, branches, leaves and a trunk. But what those elements look like in one part of the world will be very different to how they look in another but both will still be a tree. In the same way, KidsGames varies greatly in different parts of the world." (please feel free to visit the website at www.kidsgames.com)

Cool huh?

You have to experience it to know what it is all about. I am going to share my experiences of KidsGames right here in Malaysia (my church, Bandar Utama Chapel has held it three times already :) ). Two weekends ago, it was a wonderful combined church effort in the Kota Damansara area and last weekend it was also a combined effort in Bukit Beruntung (somewhere near Rawang). Ok, I shall now present ... KidsGames 2006: Day 1.

Day 1: 17/3/06

There were two churches involved in KidsGames Bukit Beruntung: Dwelling Place and Bukit Beruntung Chapel (I serve in the work and in Children's ministry in BBC). BBC is planted by Bandar Utama Chapel (BUC - my church). Before this there were weeks of preparation and prayer and lots of meetings between the leaders of the two churches.

Day 1 finally arrived. Oh the kids were so excited (some in BBC had been to their first KidsGames in PJ about 2 years before) and the whole situation was abuzz. It was somewhat chaotic also. There I was, slightly nervous as I was handling the area of sports (with a good friend and ministry mate, Sahaya) and games (my first time). Ok, public speaking (check - should be ok), games in hand (check, all ready), first sport demonstration (check, whew). On to Kidsgames.

It started at about 4pm with the arrival of participants, so many children. We had a good number of about 160 plus kids from all over Bukit Beruntung. Registration was loud and messy. Hehe. We even had to entertain the children who had been waiting after being registered. We started with a game of 'Simon says', to which the chidren responded quite well (and we used it henceforth to get them to sit, be silent, etc).

Soon, at about 4.30pm, the games officially started with the March in parade of the four houses - four colours: red, blue, green and yellow, to the music of Kidsgames. After that, the planting of the Malaysian and Christian flags, the national anthem and the lighting of the torch (an actual fire). This was followed by the opening message by our emcee John Yip (you can find a link to his website: TheWallah). The Kidsgames song was then sung (look as above, complete with actions and more lyrics) and then John taught the children the Kidsgames cheer.

Pastor David (of Dwelling Place) opened the ceremony with a prayer, followed by the declaration of the opening of Kidsgames by BUC's Elder Christopher Leong. Yayy.

With Kidsgames officially on the way, the children took to stage to sing (Sunday School songs: Jesus Loves me, etc) and perform a scarf dance too (quite a spectacle).

Soon the time came for the demonstration of the first of two sports played in Kidsgames - the 12 x 10 Relay (results from KidsGames worldwide are posted on the website). The children were to form groups of 12 (6 boys and 6 girls, of mixed ages), 6 per side (boys and girls opposite each other, separated by 10 metres of track). The rules are a bit complicated to narrate here but it was basically a passing of a baton with differing racing styles: running, side stepping and hopping on one leg. The children took to it with hardly any trouble: good for you kids!

A leisurely (but loud) game followed where the children were given beach balls to keep in the air following music, for fear of a penalty. The hall was resonant with the delighted screams of children. Sigh .....

The day ended with a closing prayer and a reminder to the kids to prepare for the next two days of fun, learning and more fun.

Whew.

Truly all glory to our Lord Jesus for His strength and grace. KidsGames for God's Glory!

Days 2 and 3 to come ... but now, I have a class to teach. :)

God bless you.

Aquarium moratorium

2006-03-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

It is good to be writing again after a few days rest...actually not really rest, more like a few days of catching up with lectures, tutorials, revision classes and church activities (the subject of my next post - Kids Games!) and oh yes, recovering from the flu, human flu mind you. Hehe.

I have got some news to share, and yes it concerns an aquarium, or intended aquarium, mine or will be mine eventually.

I have for the longest time ... this year .. wanted to get an aquarium. Every now and then before this, I toyed with the idea of getting a little place for fish to be objects of art and objects of 'petly' affection, but always came to the conclusion not in favour of getting an aquarium because:

(i) my track record of successfully keeping aquaria was nothing to shout about, and
(ii) time, space and money.

So, for some time this year, ever since the interest was ignited anew, I have been tirelessly surfing the internet for aquarium care, set up and the various interlacing topics and of course the different type of fish (mostly goldfish) and browsing and reading books at bookshops about the topic. I think I have become, haha, quite the fish enthusiast (well not exactly a pro - I have much to learn, but if I were a green (raw) before I started, I should now be quite red (ripening well). Having also made several visits to pet shops big and small in KL and PJ, I have come to a few conclusions about fish rearing:

(i) it is costly,
(ii) it is a delicate affair, as fish are living organisms and deserve care and attention, and
(iii) oh so fun.

As for (i), the cost of an averagely good aquarium should be in the region of low to mid hundreds. I saw one that caught my eye at a local pet shop in Taman Mayang (yup, the really big one) selling for RM115 (with pump) and another at RM 138 (with pump) but larger. That was not inclusive of the stand, which is needed if I prefer my aquarium to remain standing. Good foundational support is also crucial for the fish you know?

As a rule of thumb, consider first the budget, and within that budget, get the largest aquarium. Like most beginners, I was holding the mistaken thought that the smaller the aquarium is, the better. Wrong (can you hear the buzzer?). It is less fatal to the fish for mistakes to be made by first timers or beginners in a larger aquarium. Also since oxygen exchange takes place on the surface, a larger surface space is better. Fish also need oxygen, right? So wide as opposed to long/high tanks are more appropriate. See, knowledge demonstrated. :) (Where is my gold badge?). Getting back to the lecture, oppss... I mean my post, hehe, I decided on the larger. Oh by the way, a minimum for beginners should be a 10 gallon tank or more. The larger contained about 11 plus gallons. So, the aquarium plus stand alone (RM100) would cost me about RM238. Oh brother where art the fish?

Ok, I thought about it and decided not to rush into it. I would save RM100 a month to accommodate this hobby. Oh but it would take ages I thought...at least 3 months.

The most pleasant surprise came on my birthday. Some of my ministry mates and good church friends got together and collected some money to help me on my way to getting my aquarium. Wow, does God grant us the desires of our hearts or what?

Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Thank You Lord Jesus for the means to start this hobby. All praise to You Father.
Thanks guys for helping me start: Yoke Kheng, Christine (and Seng Chor), Yung Ling, Sahaya, Moh Nee. I sincerely appreciate it. God bless you all.

So now I have to use the money wisely (a wise steward of the Lord's things is truly wise) and be ready to be a pet proprietor. Wheeee.

The aquarium moratorium is coming to its end. :) I will put up pictures as soon as I start. Keep posted.

God bless you all.

Landmark movies (post 2)

2006-03-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

Had a very blessed CF meeting today with a special guest: Mr Pollock from Australia who spoke to us on faith and hope. His message was inspirational in its simplicity but deeply profound. He spoke of the miracle of the healing of the woman with the bleeding. How her faith healed her because she heard of Jesus and had the hope and faith to just reach out and touch our Lord's garments. He also said that faith is already within us, we have put our faith in Christ as Saviour. We have to exercise that faith for it to increase. Just like the muscles we have when we were first babies, our muscles do not increase in number but it does in size and strength if we exercise them. So it is with faith.

Yes Lord, give me, us all, the hope and faith to reach out to You to receive Your promises. Amen.

Also thanks to all the CF members for the birthday cake and celebration. And to my two favourite students .. hehe .. thank you and God bless you for the very thoughtful gift. :)

Let us now return to the top 2 landmark movies for 2005.

2) Cinderella Man

Woo hoo. This movie packs a mean punch ... pardon the obvious pun. Haha.

Going into the movie, I realised that it would be a memorable one - looking at the pedigree of the cast and people behind the film, but I did not expect it to be that good. The storyline is simple enough, James Braddock, one of the boxing greats, starts his career in fine form, getting better with each match and garnering a name for himself. In the process, his career comes to a stop due to injuries and the great depression. It is an inspirational story of faith, the drive to excel, the instinct to survive, family values and even prayer. Acting wise, top notch, storyline wise good, action wise totally credible. There is even a scene toward the end of the movie where many citizens of the town come together in the church to pray for Jimmy Braddock. Whether it is appropriate for the town to come together for prayer for one sportsman and having a radio transmission in the middle of church is questionable but the point here is the power of prayer. Prayer changes things and the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16)

Toward the end, at the climatic boxing match scene, I wanted to stand up and cheer and this should sum up what I feel about the movie: I told my students at the end 'This is the first time I have enjoyed boxing' (or something to that effect). :)

1) The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe

Wow, wow and again wow.

What other good things can I say that has not been said about the movie? It was a cinematic triumph. In addition to being a great epic, it presents the Gospel. Who can ask for more?

A most powerful movie (the most powerful I have watched would be The Passion of the Christ) that deals with so many issues and the fact of God's love for us at its heart. The chronicles tells the story of four children who stumble upon an old wardrobe that doubles as an entrance or a doorway to the magical world of Narnia, where the Gospel story is being played. At the centre of it all is the kingly and kind Aslan, the Lion, the very picture of our Lord Christ. His return to Narnia, now enveloped in a magical winter (a picture of Christ coming to Earth as a man to redeem a sinful world), his sacrificial death for Edmund (who had broken the law in Narnia) (a powerful picture of the sinless God taking the penalty for a sinful world) and Aslan's miraculous resurrection (Christ's victory, in His resurrection, over sin and death to prove that He is God and to redeem us: the completion of His salvation work) bringing to the redemption and restoration of Narnia - all tell of the wonderful, true Gospel story - the Gospel truth (please feel free to read and meditate upon the four Gospels in the Holy Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - and be transformed).

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

'Wow' says too little. It is by a mile the best, most powerful landmark movie of 2005.

There you have it. There have been other good movies but those are my personal favourites.

Have a great weekend. All glory to our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit.

God bless you.

Landmark movies

2006-03-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

It has been a few days since I last updated this site. I have many excuses .. hehe ... the conventional 'busyness', deciding on a topic to write on, deciding how to make it interesting, work, socialising and more work. This is a topic I have thought about before and since the time is opportune, let me proceed.

The topic for the day is 'Landmark movies of 2005'.

Oscar has just made his appearance, albeit a brief one; the awards, kudos and pats on the back Hollywood bestows upon its elite (and not so elite) yearly. Whether deserving awardees or not, that is a matter of debate that will continue until the next event, and will start anew once that too passes by. This year has been a year of controversy but it has also been a year of applaudable film making. Let me now present to you my choices for 'Landmark movies of the year 2005'... (the choices are personal, of course). Feel free to agree .. haha (please also take into consideration the lack of choices in our cinemas and lack of funding for cinema-visiting). In ascending order, the top 3 are ...

3) Pride and Prejudice
Ok, before the gasps and the tomatoes start to sprout wings, I would like to say that this was my favourite period piece last year. I had heard of the much praised BBC version of Pride and Prejudice from an old friend of mine, so I decided to give this movie a try (Keira Knightley also was a source of attraction :) ). I have yet to read the book by Ms Austen but knowing it was an Austen adaptation and having enjoyed thoroughly two previous adaptations of Austen (Sense and Sensibility and Emma) I had little qualms about watching this. Needless to say it met expectations ... and more. From elegant sets to luxurious castles and manors to three dimensional characters (although the actor playing Mr D'arcy was in danger of sprouting mushrooms in the beginning - wooden) and the almost impeccable script, it was two hours well spent. Keira, rightly, went on to receive her first Oscar nomination. The movie however, did not get its reward. Oh well.

What can we learn from the movie? It is hardly surprising that people in those days treated other people differently based on their social status and gender. The rich were exalted, the richer even more so. The poor were mistreated and looked upon as things to be used by the affluent of society. Women who were married had little say, women who were single were in a tight situation such that as if it were not bad enough that they had no one to support them, they could not earn a living either. Prejudices abound in the movie, they seemed to have life and pride seemed to be the root. The question remains: is it right to judge others by extrinsic appearances or social status? After all humans are created in the image of our Lord God (Genesis 1: 26, 27: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.) Let us not judge others, lest we be judged (Matthew 7:1).

Lord, I repent of judging others. Please forgive me for judging.

God bless you.

(Top 2 tomorrow) :)

Gems - the everlasting variety.

2006-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Good day, good day to you. And you too. :)

I woke up this morning, looked about and gave thanks to the Lord for another day. I think that was something I had taken for granted for some time. Giving thanks for just having another day on Earth. The Lord gives and He takes away, but always blessed be the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Job 1:21). Small things, gems of things, like the ability to awaken each morning, to buy food for the day, to see, hear, taste, touch and smell, to laugh, to cry, to empathise, to symphatise and to appreciate all of God's wondrous creation and blessings, including brothers and sisters in Christ, family and friends - all can be taken for granted. Forgive me Lord for taking such precious gems for granted. I repent of such a sin.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever." (1 Chronicles 16:34) .

Well I know what I'll be doing tomorrow morning. And hopefully, with God's gentle reminder, every morning until He calls me home.

Speaking of gems, Pastor Peter Tsukahira, the author of good Christian books such as 'My Father's business' and 'God's Tsunami' will be speaking on 'Integrating Business and Ministry in the 21st Century Marketplace' on the 1st of April 2006, from 9am to 5pm at PJEFC, Heritage Centre. At its most general level, this seminar (I think it is a seminar) will 'focus on creative ways to integrate business with ministry and effciently mobilise an army of Kingdom Professionals.'

I have been to one of Pastor Tsukahira's talks and he is a very anointed speaker. Highly recommended. To me, most of us are professionals and we know that every child of God is called into some sort of ministry. Ministry is not just limited to Sunday or things like Children's, Youth or Worship (Music) ministry but we can also make our marketplace (where we work) a place to minister. :) So if you are free (it's a holiday), take the time to listen.

There are gems everywhere. We just have to look. See that sparkle?

God bless you.

Succeeding Succession

2006-02-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

You may be wondering what the title to my current post means. Well, suffice it to say 'Elementary dear Watson' (properly or improperly attributed to Mr Holmes?): I have recently been asked to take on the Law of Succession as a lecturer. The Law of Succession. That is something new to me as I did not elect to undertake it as a subject during my years as a law student. However 'come what may' (and such a lovely song with that title too) I am actually looking forward to it. I look at it as a challenge, another avenue to improve my expertise (and I need a lot of improvement) as a Law Lecturer, a supposed imparter of knowledge and legal skills (haha).

Succession is actually (and conveniently) tied in to another subject I lecture (and actually enjoy more now as a teacher as compared to as a student): Equity and Trusts. Trusts Law (as it is referred to also) touches on the intricacies of making a trust (the relationship of settlor/testator [one who makes a settlement or a will, through which one passes their property to another/others] with a trustee [the person who holds the property - tangible or intangible] for the beneficiary [ka-ching, ka-ching]) while Succession dictates what happens in the case of 'property after death situations' (wills, etc.). Sounds kinda morbid huh? But they are in actual fact very practical subjects. I mean who can carry wealth over to the other side? Better to be content and live life the way the Lord God wants you to as compared to hoarding it and losing it in the end. After all '... godliness with contentment is great gain.' (1 Tim 6.6). Please feel free to look up the verse. The link has already been provided :).

All the same, Succession looks to be an interesting area of the law and one that I think I will enjoy learning and teaching. The teacher will be taught. Poetic Justice?

Have a successful day.

God bless you.

Fish

2006-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Fish, you gotta love 'em.

Personally, I love to eat 'em, look at 'em (in aquariums) and watch documentaries on marine and fresh water life. How can you go wrong with fish, I ask you. More so in these days filled with 'poultry paranoia'.

Please try not to get me wrong, I like chicken meat as much as the next guy... (I am from Ipoh), but better to be safe as compared to sorry. For those who absolutely have to have chicken, remember cook 'em well and boil 'em chicken and duck eggs good before consuming (and also other bird's eggs).

All the same, ever notice how fascinating fish are, how good they taste and how (for those weight conscious and otherwise) good they are for you? Haha. Of course, fish are not exempt from controversy - look back a while and you might remember the mercury (was it?) contamination of fish that once made headlines. Come to think of it, most meats have been through some trying times - madcow (moo), JE (oink), and now avian influenza (chirp, cluck, etc). Vegetables are also included as they can be laced with pesticides. What is becoming of our food?

Back to fish talk, I think I will be eating more than my fair share of fish for the next few weeks. All that brain food must be in high demand at this moment (which is not necessarily good news for fish) and hopefully people do not take this oportunity to elevate the prices of fish. The best way to eat fish is steamed with simple soya sauce and some garnishing of parsley and ginger and spring onions. Yum. I also like to watch the way chefs cook fish on tv, baked in some herbs (like basil or um... what did Mr Jamie Oliver call it? Kylie Kwong also does some mean cooking), deep fried with a myriad of sauces. Oh so delicious. I do enjoy my food :).

So fish of all types, here I come.

Fish, you gotta love 'em.

God bless you.

It is Friday. Thank God.

2006-02-24T00:13:00.000-08:00

Friday, 4.15pm.

As for second entries, the follow up to the original must be a good one. Hehe.

It is like making a worthy sequel to a hit movie. How many worthy sequels can you name? Most follow ups are lacking in storyline and character development, depending on action and special effects to carry the movie through. It is an easy dollar for Hollywood studios and the actors that headline the movie. But I digress... I will try to make this an interesting second attempt.

Upon my ears are headphones, and through them, I hear the heavenly sounds of Pachelbel's Canon in D. A canon, according to Dictionary.com is 'a composition or passage in which a melody is imitated by one or more voices at fixed intervals of pitch and time'. For all those musically inclined, perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me on this. Why is this piece called 'Canon'? So many questions.

Speaking of music, I was watching American Idol yesterday. It was the first of three weeks of performances before the actual event begins. The boys were performing. I had watched the girls' performances the evening before and was pleasantly surprised at some of them. The boys' are another kettle of fish. Music varied from soulful sounds to rock themed songs to crooning and it was quite a mess actually. I enjoyed some but most of the performances were average and even the ones that were supposedly good were um, average. I guess it takes time. But at this point, looks like it will be the girls. I wonder was the criteria is for an American Idol. It is difficult to say entirely based on appearance, not always on strength of voice and entertainment value. Popularity seems to play a big part. Well, the weeks will tell.

I am looking forward to the weekend though. A chance to get much needed rest and to try to ponder over what has happened the past week, a chance to catch up with my Bible reading and work. A chance to take things a little slower, to listen for God's whispers.

Hopefully the joys of the weekend will elevate just as the violins do in Pachelbel's piece.

God bless you.

2006-02-23T00:15:00.000-08:00

How shall I begin?

Tradition dictates a conventional 'Hi', or 'Greetings' or 'Hello', but I think I will start by saying 'This is how I shall begin...' and just begin. So this is how I shall begin.

This is my first blog, and hopefully one that will continue. While I do have a passion for writing, time always seems to be in short(er) supply. Well, that's partly due to me (I have a tendency to procrastinate when I feel I have time to spare) and of course the demands of my :) inspiring career.

Well baby steps these may be, but steps they still are (suddenly I wish I could paste some footprints here).

I hope to post more of my thoughts on life, love, football, movies and the occassional rant. So prepare to be inspired by 'The Inspired Educator' (who is still, in fact, being educated).

God bless you.