What would you do?

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

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

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

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

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 ...

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'

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

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

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?

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 ...

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

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 ...

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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.

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.